Cultural Equity Grants Program Director Report
Cultural Equity Grants (“CEG”) Program Director San San Wong commented that she has just begun her tenth week at the Arts Commission. Most of her work has been focused on the Organizational Project Grant (“OPG”) panel, development of the new grants initiative, and the upcoming Individual Artist Commission (“IAC”) application review process. The IAC deadline was March 23, and the panels will be held April 30 and May 2, May 3, and May 4. Ninety-three proposals were received.
Ms. Wong distributed the Cultural Equity Grants FY06-07 Report, April 10, 2007, which showed the allocation to various CEG grant categories of CEG core budget funds and of the supplemental funds of $400,000. The supplemental funds were originally allocated for the new grants initiative, but at the direction of the full Arts Commission, they are instead being distributed through existing grants programs during the current fiscal year.
Of the $400,000, $320,000 to $325,000 will go to Cultural Equity Grants. Approximately $75,000 to $80,000 will go towards Community Arts and Education’s Programs in Communities (“PIC”) program which funds social service organizations to work with artists. With these funds, sixteen projects can be funded at their full request amount, rather than partially funded. Almost 30 PIC applications have been received.
Ms. Wong stated that she would like to distribute the $320,000 supplemental CEG funds across grant categories, as follows:
$100,000 to Cultural Equity Initiative Level 1 (“CEI L1”)
$117,620 to Organizational Project Grants (“OPG”)
$102,380 to Individual Artist Commissions (“IAC”)
With this distribution, CEG will be able to fund approximately 43% of the applications, as opposed to the usual 25-33%.
Ms. Wong recommended that $100,000 go to CEI L1 to fund four outstanding groups that were just on edge of the ranking. The interim CEG Program Director, Prudy Kohler, had tried to re-allocate funding for these groups. Ms. Wong then explained that CEI L1 grants address the infrastructure of groups in underserved communities. This funding will help CEG reach into the Croatian, Brazilian, Asian and traditional arts communities. This will continue to increase the diversity of the program; building stronger organizations in this way is core to the mission of CEG.
Ms. Wong recommended that $102,380 of the supplemental funds go to Individual Artist Commissions. She commented that without supplemental funds only eighteen out of the 93 proposals received would be funded; with supplemental funds, ten more artists can be supported. She went on to say that CEG’sother grant categories, such as OPG, tend to be heavier on performing arts. More Individual Artist Commissions, which rotate by discipline grouping, will help bolster the number of visual, literary and media artists and projects.
Ms. Wong apologized for the late handouts. Commissioner Draisin asked why we don’t fund all of the artists. Ms. Wong responded that those who ranked low in the review criteria should not be funded.
Commissioner Melania asked about evaluation criteria and the panel process. Ms. Wong explained that there are different criteria for each grant category and that they are described in the CEG guidelines. Ms. Wong further stated that she selects panelists based on their knowledge of the disciplines under review and of different models of organizations. She begins with a list of desirable qualifications and then assembles a preliminary pool. The incoming proposals also help shape the function and core of the panel. It may also be supplemented with specialized knowledge, such as arts education. Binders containing the proposals are sent to panelists to review. Inconsistencies and lack of clarity may cause an application to score low. Because we are trying to help applicants build capacity, Ms. Wong stated, we ask the panelists to be generous in their critical evaluation, and to help make this a learning process for the applicant. Each proposal is assigned a lead reader, who begins an open discussion with all the panelists. She described it as an incredible debate and critique process. This is, though, also a competitive process – from the individual applicant’s scores, a ranking is developed. Ms. Wong said that the panel must establish what the floor is on quality and where the money stops.
Ms. Wong also explained changes that she has made to the OPG panel process. The former CEG Program Director, Jewelle Gomez, split the review process between tiny, small and medium groups, so that there could be increased equity by budget size, then reviewed applications by discipline. Ms. Wong agreed that each budget size does have a different set of organizational challenges. Ms. Wong changed the process to begin with disciplines in order to refocus on the art and the process. This change also allows for more experts in the various disciplines. Then, the panel reviews the applications within the various budget categories.
Commissioner Mirikitani asked if there were conflict of interest issues around Youth Speaks receiving an OPG grant and the Youth Speaks Executive Director sitting on the IAC panel. Ms. Wong stated that there was no conflict because they are different grant categories.
Commissioner Draisin asked the Commissioners if there were any concerns about how funding is allocated. No concerns were raised.
Ms. Wong asked the Commissioners if they would like to defer the motion to accept the OPG recommendations until the full Commission meeting, so that they might have more time to review the support materials.
Commissioner Draisin requested the OPG ranking.
Commissioner Melania asked who was on the performing arts panel. Ms. Wong responded that the panel consisted of Pam Hagen, Director of LINES Contemporary Ballet and the San Francisco Dance Center; Diane Sanchez, Program Officer at the East Bay Community Center and board member of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts; Francis Wong, Executive Director of Asian Improv Arts; Linda Lucero, Artistic Director of Yerba Buena Arts and Gardens; and Brian Freeman, who served as theater director at Blacksmyth Lab at the Mark Taper Forum, currently teaches at UCLA, and was one of the founding members of Pomo Afro Homos. Commissioner Melania requested full biographies and updated panel notes.
Commissioner Draisin made the following motion:
Motion to postpone funding recommendations for the FY06-07 Organization Project Grants (OPG) totaling $565,620 until the Full Commission meeting.
Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center (APICC), $12,000
Brava Theater Center/Brava! For Women in the Arts, $12,000
Campo Santo, $12,000
Children’s Book Press, $12,750
Chinese Culture Foundation of San Francisco, $12,750
Cultural Odyssey, $12,000
Dancers’ Group, $12,000
Galeria de la Raza, $12,000
Intersection for the Arts, $12,000
Living Word Project, $12,000
Melody of China, Inc., $12,000
San Francisco Camerawork, $15,000
San Francisco Mime Troupe, $12,000
Southern Exposure, $15,000
The Poetry Center, $12,750
Theatre of Yugen, $12,000
Youth Speaks, $15,000
ZYZZYVA, $12,750
African & African-American Performing Arts Coalition, $12,000
Arab Film Festival, $12,750
Circo Zero, $12,000
Circuit Network, $12,000
Crowded Fire Theater Company, $12,000
Cutting Ball Theater, $12,000
Dandelion Dance Theater, $11,250
Del Sol String Quartet, $12,000
Epiphany Productions, $12,000
Hua Yi Performing Group, $12,000
Janice Garrett and Dancers, $12,000
Litquake, $12,750
MadCat Women’s International Film Festival, $12,750
Mixed Bag Productions/Contraband, $11,250
Out of Site: Center for Arts Education, $12,000
Purple Moon Dance Project, $11,250
Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project, $15,000
San Francisco Hip Hop Dance Festival, $12,000
San Francisco Live Arts, $12,000
Dancing Tree, $8,108
Distortion 2 Static, $9,000
Million Fishes, $11,250
MoBu Dance Group, $7,000
Nanos Operetta, $8,108
Navarrete x Kajiyama Dance Theater, $3,072
New Arts Foundation/Nancy Karp + Dancers, $12,000
Rococo Risque, $11,250
Salt Farm Butoh, $9,800
Tenth Muse, $11,526
Triple Base Gallery, $3,506
Women’s Audio Mission, $12,000
The motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Draisin made the following motion:
Motion to approve the following recommendations for the FY06-07 Cultural Equity Grants, Level I (CEI-L1) totaling $100,000:
Croation American Cultural Center, $25,000
ABADA Capoeira San Francisco, $25,000
Kearny Street Workshop, $25,000
Alliance for California Traditional Arts, $25,000
The motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Draisin made the following motion:
Motion to approve the following panelists to be considered for the agency-wide panel pool:
Chi-Hui Yang, Festival Director, San Francisco International Asian and Asian American Film Festival, Center for Asian American Media
James Kass, Executive Director, Youth Speaks
The motion passed unanimously.
Ms. Wong concluded her remarks by updating the Commissioners on the search for a new CEG program associate. She reviewed some 300 resumes. The search is now closed and an offer has been made and accepted. The new program associate is still concluding other responsibilities so her name was not announced at this meeting. She will be present for the full Commission meeting.
