Cotati City Council
Agenda Staff Report
Item type: REGULAR AGENDA (ACTION)
To: City Council
Subject: APPROVAL OF 2026 COTATI CULTURAL GRANT
AWARDEES
Date: January 27, 2026
Written by: Ashley Wilson, Recreation Manager
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council of the City of Cotati adopt a resolution approving the Cotati Cultural Event Small Grant Program awardees for the 2026 cycle year.
Background
In September of 2024, the City Council approved the Cotati Cultural Event Small Grant Program. The purpose of the program is to encourage organizations and groups to host new and multicultural events in Cotati that promote an equitable, compassionate, and healthy community, that honor diversity as a source of strength. This will be the second cycle of the grant program, with a successful first year in 2025.
Analysis/Discussion
For the 2026 grant cycle, the City received five applications. Below are short descriptions of each of the five proposed events.
1. Running Fence Run – 50th Anniversary Art and Music Celebration of Christro’s “Running Fence”, Liberty Cookies, Inc. – This will be a one-mile art walk/fun run from the SMART station to La Plaza Park with stops for interactive history of the Running Fence. A separate marathon, half-marathon, and 10k are planned for Valley Ford at the same time, with buses ferrying runners and spectators from Cotati to the start/finish, and an art festival in La Plaza Park, which will include arts groups and museums hosting exhibits in the park, as well as live entertainment and food vendors. The event host will partner with the Empire Runners Club, other local running clubs, and local arts groups and museums.
2. Afronisian Afresh Live Event, Los Angeles Divisional League – This is a cultural arts event that honors Afronisian people and includes performances such as dancing, drumming, and storytelling, as well as cultural food tasting, learning about Afronisian heritage, and displaying artwork. The event hosts will partner with local vendors, artists, and small businesses. After the first year, the hosts plan to make the event ticketed as part of a way to continue the event.
3. Cotati Hub Film Festival, On Axis Productions – This is a celebration of local filmmaking and content creators that brings together filmmakers, artists, and neighbors to showcase original shorts, documentaries, animation, and creative experiments. There will be spotlights on underrepresented voices and inclusive screenings in La Plaza Park, and will bring films in from all ages, orientations, and walks of life. The goal is to get the community to enjoy films together instead of watching on the phone or binge watching alone at home.
4. Cultural Cinco De Mayo Festival, Rotary Club of Rancho Cotati – This event will have the theme “United for Good” and will unite local residents and visitors for a day of Latin culture, friendships, and fun in support of the Rotary Club’s mission to bring together people, community leaders, and organizations. The event will include food vendors, nonprofit organizations and businesses with booths, live music, family entertainment, children’s activities, and more. The hosts will use local volunteers with prior Cinco de Mayo festival event experience and Rotary members to work the event and will partner with Cotati and other local businesses to provide food and vendor booths during the event.
5. The Circle Exchange: Native Plant, Food, and Wisdom Sharing, Native Americans in Higher Education and Mentorship – This event is a free community event that is designed to foster resilience, education, and intergenerational connection for Native American families and individuals. The host plans to offer support to Native American college students with mentorship sessions, plant exchange using a barter system, and a free native food table. The event would be run by up to 5 core volunteers and would be set up to serve approximately 100 participants.
All applications were reviewed by a staff committee. Scoring was based on the following criteria:
- Creativity – Uses imagination and innovation to create a new, different, and/or unique and memorable experience for attendees.
- Diversity – Highlights the culture of one or more ethnic groups or communities of interest. - Inclusivity/Access – Increases access to music, arts, history, culture, or heritage, for people who may not feel included in community life, including low-income residents, people with disabilities, and other special populations.
- Feasibility – The event can be delivered with the available resources, time, and skills, as proposed in the application.
- Sustainability – The event will continue past the grant period. - Promotes Community Togetherness/Broad Community Appeal - Cotati Local Resident/Business Owner
Based on the criteria and quality of applications, the City recommends awarding two applicants for the 2025 grant cycle, each with a $5,000 award. The recommendation is to award On Axis Productions to host their proposed Cotati Hub Film Festival event and the Rotary Club of Rancho Cotati to host their Cultural Cinco De Mayo Festival event.
On Axis Productions would bring a brand-new event to Cotati, with a focus on celebrating and uplifting creators from all backgrounds and providing exposure for the community to local artists. Their intention is to continue the event after the grant cycle has ended and grow the festival into a Cotati signature event, to include workshops, panel discussions, and mentorships.
They have run film festivals throughout the west coast for many years and are looking forward to bringing one to their own town and community in Cotati. Given their film festival and event production experience, this applicant is well equipped to host a successful, safe, and enriching event in Cotati.
The Rotary Club of Rancho Cotati would also bring a new event to Cotati, designed to honor and promote Latino traditions within the community through a family friendly celebration that highlights the rich heritage of Cinco de Mayo, fostering cultural appreciation and understanding, while also in support of the Rotary Club’s mission to bring together people, community leaders, and local organizations. The event is planned to be offered annually, with fundraising efforts throughout the year to support the event. The applicant requested $8,000 on the application but is able to produce the event at the same level proposed with $5,000. The event will be produced by club members and volunteers, eliminating staff costs. Given their connection with many local businesses and organizations, their experience with hosting events and working with volunteers, and their drive to bring the community together, awarding this applicant will provide the support needed to create a meaningful and impactful annual event in La Plaza Park.
Each event will come back to the City Council at a later date for approval of the special event permits, including any street closures, sales, fee waivers, or other requests.
Financial Considerations
The financial considerations for the Cotati Cultural Event Small Grant Program awardees total $10,000, which was approved in the FY 2025/26 budget and is funded through the City Council Annual Contributions budget within the General Fund. In addition, a budget adjustment is required to roll forward $5,000 in cultural grant funds that were originally budgeted in FY 2024/25 but were not expended due to the timing of the Día de los Muertos event, which occurred in September 2025 (FY 2025/26), but was awarded in January 2025 (FY 2024/25).
For FY 2025/26, upon approval of the cultural events, the awarded funds will be encumbered as a future liability of the City to ensure that anticipated expenditures are properly reflected in the fiscal year in which the awards are made. Accordingly, staff has provided a proposed budget amendment for FY 2025/26 to include the $5,000 in rolled-forward funds from the prior fiscal year that was already expended in this fiscal year for the Dia de Los Muertos event. The net effect is that it will leave the original $10,000 budgeted in FY 25-26 available for award in this round. No additional General Fund appropriation is required.
Environmental Issues
This action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it is not a project which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, pursuant to CEQA Guideline section 15378.