CulverCity.org/PAG 1
Welcome
The City of Culver City sponsors dance, music and theatre performances through its Performing Arts Grant Program which is under the purview of the City’s Cultural Affairs Division and Cultural Affairs Commission. These performances provide enriching and accessible cultural opportunities for the city’s residents, business community and visitors. Performing arts organizations of all sizes are encouraged to apply to this program.
For questions about the application process, please contact:
Lee Lawlor at [email protected] or
(310) 253-5772
The City of Culver City is dedicated to achieving cultural equity and inclusion through the Performing Arts Grant Program. Cultural equity and inclusion embodies the values, policies, and practices that ensure that all people—including but not limited to those who have been historically underrepresented based on race/ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, socioeconomic status, geography, citizenship status, or religion— are represented in the development of arts policy; the support of artists; the nurturing of accessible, thriving venues for expression; and the fair distribution of programmatic, financial, and informational resources.
2023
Culver City
Photo credits from left to right: Clem Onojeghuo, Unsplash, Ian Dooley, Unsplash, Jian Gxulei, Unsplash, and Getty Images.
APPLICATION GUIDELINES AND
NOTICE OF FUNDING AVAILABILITY
Performing Arts
Grant Program
2CulverCity.org/PAG
Photo by Sarah Catania. Performance of “Art Speaks” by Donna Sternberg & Dancers.
Featuring Paloma Michel, Micah Moch, Laura Ann Smyth, Alaya Turnbough, and Alisa Carreras.
Award Amount
and Matching Funds
The Culver City City Council has allocated funding for
this program from the Art in Public Places Program’s
Cultural Trust Fund. Sony Pictures Entertainment and
Culver City Arts Foundation have provided additional
contributions to the program. There is a grant limit
of $10,000 per organization, and applicants must
provide matching funds that are equal to, or greater
than, their requested grant amount.
Grant Workshops
Grant application workshops will be held to discuss
the application and answer any questions. It is strongly recommended that applicants attend a workshop.
Previous grantees have found it to be helpful. See
Grant Schedule for workshop details. First time
applicants are required to attend a workshop.
It is recommended that applicants contact Cultural
Affairs staff at least two weeks in advance of the
application deadline to discuss the program and
guidelines.
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Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for consideration, organizations and
projects must meet all the following criteria:
• The primary mission of the organization must
include performances in one or more of the
following disciplines: dance, music, theatre.
• The organization must be a current 501(c)(3)
and provide proof of non-profit status; or the
organization must provide a current agreement
with an established fiscal receiver that is a
501(c)(3).
• The organization must be based within
Los Angeles County.
• Projects must be scheduled to take place from
January 1– December 31, 2023.
• Performances must take place in an ADA-
compliant venue or location.
• Performances may not be staged in conjunction
with a fundraiser or class presentation.
• Applicants must include their SMU DataArts
Funder Report for a minimum of one year.
• Applicants must demonstrate significant plans
for outreach and promotion to attract Culver
City residents and visitors.
• Applicants may not submit multiple applications for
different projects.
• Applicants may not apply to the City’s
Performing Arts Grant Program and the City’s
Special Events Grant Program for the same project.
New Venue
Eligibility for 2023
All events must take place in an ADA-compliant
building, facility, or location that meets one
of the following criteria:
• wholly or partially located within Culver City;
• under the purview of the City of Culver City; or
• is assigned a USPS zip code in 90230 or 90232.
Checklist
• Online application – signed and submitted
• Venue Letter of Intent – signed by applicant
and venue representative
• Project Budget – using approved template
• SMU DataArts Funder Report
• IRS Nonprofit Determination Letter or
Fiscal Receiver Agreement
• CA Secretary of State – active status
• Artistic Sample(s)
• Support and/or Collateral Materials
• All the above must be submitted prior to
the deadline.
Photo by Matt W. Newman, Unsplash
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Grant Schedule
August 9, 2022
2023 Guidelines and Application
Available on Culver City Website
August 16, 2022, at 10am
and August 17, 2022, at 10am
Online Workshops
Email [email protected]
to register
September 16, 2022, at 5 PM
APPLICATION DEADLINE
October 2022
Peer Review Panel Meeting and
Recommendations
November 15, 2022
Cultural Affairs Commission Meeting
and Recommendations
December 12, 2022
City Council Approves Final Grant Awards
January 1 to December 31, 2023
Grant Performances in Culver City
Submission Requirements
All applicants must adhere to the procedures specified
in these guidelines and in the Performing Arts Grant
Application. Incomplete applications will not be
considered. No exceptions. It is the responsibility of
the applicant to ensure that the application form and
the required attachments are complete. All applications deemed complete by staff will be forwarded to
the peer review panel for consideration. City staff
is not obligated to contact applicants for missing
information and applications deemed incomplete will
be disqualified.
Project Budget
Project budgets must be submitted using the approved
format only. The budget template is available in Excel
format on the Culver City website. The budget is for
your proposed project only. Detailed budget notes are
highly recommended. The Culver City grant request
must be included in the budget, as well as other
sources of funding. In-kind income and expenses must
also be included, with details. Do not provide an
organizational budget.
Photo by Roger McKenzie
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Contract, Acknowledgement,
Marketing
Grant recipients will be required to sign a contract,
defining requirements to be fulfilled, including
provision of credit and logo in promotional materials
and programs. Notification of changes to your grant
project or performance details is required. Should the
requirements not be met, the grant award is subject to
withdrawal.
Grant recipients are required to contact Cultural Affairs staff two months prior to their first performance date to review marketing plans for performances in Culver City
and to ensure receipt of the approved City of Culver
City logo.
To ensure that acknowledgment is given to the City of
Culver City and its Cultural Affairs Commission, Sony
Pictures Entertainment and Culver City Arts Foundation, grant recipients are required to include a credit line, as well as logos, in all marketing materials as well as the event program. All grantees shall provide a draft of the marketing materials and event program to Cultural
Affairs staff prior to their publication.
This performance is made possible in part by
the City of Culver City and its Cultural Affairs
Commission, with support from Sony Pictures
Entertainment and the Culver City Arts Foundation.
Performance Venues
The Venue Letter of Intent, signed by the grant
applicant and signed by a representative of the
venue, is required.
Performances must be available to the general
public at an affordable price or for free.
All events must take place in an ADA-compliant
building, facility, or location that meets one of the
following criteria:
• wholly or partially located within Culver City;
• under the purview of the City of Culver City; or
• is assigned a USPS zip code in 90230 or 90232.
Please contact Cultural Affairs staff in advance
to verify venue addresses if necessary.
All applicants must demonstrate significant plans to
attract Culver City audiences, and the performance
location is an important part of those efforts.
A partial list of frequently used indoor and outdoor
performance venues is included. There is an additional
list of potential venues, with contact information,
posted on the Culver City website. Please note that
you are not limited to the venues on these lists and
the Cultural Affairs staff is available to review other creative ideas for your performance.
Cultural Data Profile
Funder Report
The City of Culver City is participating with SMU
DataArts to utilize the Cultural Data Profile (CDP). The City of Culver City, along with other funders, requires applicants to complete an annual survey that collects
financial and programmatic data. Applicants will
complete the online CDP and use that data as part of
their application to all participating funders throughout the state. Organizations with expenses below $50K
may opt to complete a shorter CDP form, making the
data entry process faster and more equitable for small
nonprofits. All applications must include the DataArts
Funder Report for the Culver City Performing Arts Grant Program with their application.
www.culturaldata.org
(877) 707-3282
[email protected]
6CulverCity.org/PAG
Tax Exempt Status Verification
Applicant organizations, or their fiscal receiver, must qualify as tax exempt – as defined by the Internal
Revenue Service and CA Secretary of State – at the
time the application is submitted. A copy of the non-
profit determination letter issued by the IRS and a
screenshot or confirmation page from the CA Secretary
of State showing ACTIVE NONPROFIT STATUS within
60 days of the deadline, must be submitted with the
application to be considered eligible. See samples on
the Culver City website.
Use of Funds
Grant awards from Culver City may only be used for
direct expenses related to the performances in Culver
City. No grants will be awarded for performances that
are staged in conjunction with a fundraiser or a class
presentation. Funding may be awarded for a single
production or a series of performances.
Compliance
Compliance with licensing and insurance requirements
established by the facility at which the performance
will be held is required. If the applicant’s production requires performance or staging rights, the applicant is responsible for ensuring that rights have been secured.
Applicant shall perform all work in accordance with
applicable laws, codes and regulations required by all
authorities having jurisdiction over such work.
Photo by William Recinos, Unsplash
Final Report and Payment
Grant recipients will be required to submit an invoice
after the performance and an evaluation form detailing
audience attendance, comments, and zip code tally.
Special Permits
Productions may require a permit through the City’s
Committee on Permits and Licenses. Application
must be made with the Finance Department at City
Hall. Please contact the Business License Division at
(310) 253-5870 for information on permit fees. Visit
the Culver City website for the online special permit
application.
Culver City Business Tax Certificate
All grant recipients shall be required to obtain a Culver City Business T ax Certificate before a contract can be issued and before any performances. Visit the Culver
City website or call the Business Support Center at
(310) 594-7847 for information. If you already have a
Business T ax Certificate, it must be renewed annually.
No grant contract will be issued without a valid
Business T ax Certificate.
Photo by Hafizh Armynazrie, Unsplash
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Evaluation and
Selection Process
Grant applications will be reviewed by staff to ensure
that the application is complete. The applications will be presented to a peer review panel for evaluation
and scoring. The recommendations of the review panel
will be presented to the Performing Arts Grant Program
Subcommittee who will forward its recommendation to
the Cultural Affairs Commission for consideration. The
City Council will review the recommendations made
by the Cultural Affairs Commission and make the final
determination of grant awards. All applicants are
encouraged to attend the Cultural Affairs Commission
meeting to answer any questions and to promote their
events.
Suggestions for a Successful Application
• Review the sample application available on the
Culver City website and prepare your answers in
advance.
• The Project Budget must be clear and complete.
Include detailed budget notes so that the review
panel can understand how the money will be
spent. Read the budget instructions and use correct
line items.
• Prepare your Project Budget in advance and save
as a PDF to upload with your application.
• Start collecting signatures for the Venue Letter
of Intent early.
• Recent, relevant, and high quality videos are
recommended. Uploading your selected video
clips is most effective, rather than relying on links
to YouTube or Vimeo.
• Start the online application early and ask any
technical questions right away. Staff may not be
available to assist you closer to the deadline. You
can save the application in progress and return
to it later. Once you submit, no changes can be
made.
Artistic excellence and cultural merit
of proposed project
Outreach and engagement with the
Culver City community
Realistic project budget and
funding base
Contribution to cultural equity
and inclusion
POSSIBLE
POINTS
45 20
20 15
100TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS
Photo by Maick Maciel, Unsplash
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Robert Frost Auditorium
Robert Frost Auditorium is located on the Culver City
High School Campus and is available for rentals.
Wende Museum
The former armory building, adjacent to Veterans
Memorial Park, has been transformed into a modern
museum and includes indoor and outdoor spaces
suitable for events.
Veterans Memorial Complex
The Veterans Memorial Complex includes Veterans
Memorial Building, Culver City Teen Center, and Cul-
ver City Senior Center. All facilities are available for rentals and regularly accommodate performances and
rehearsals.
Kirk Douglas Theatre
Center Theatre Group is the resident company of the
Kirk Douglas Theatre. Only Culver City-based perform-
ing arts organizations are eligible to participate in
the Kirk Douglas Theatre Community Access Program.
2023 access dates are to be decided. Please email
[email protected] for further information.
Standard rentals are available for other organizations.
Ivy Substation
The Actors’ Gang is the resident company of the Ivy
Substation. All applicants are eligible to participate
in the Ivy Substation Community Access Program from
June 29–July 16, 2023. Standard rental rates apply.
Culver City Parks
There are several parks within Culver City that could
accommodate performances. Visit the Culver City Parks
and Recreation website for a list of parks with photos, amenities, and contact information.
Venues
The following is a selection of venues that are often used for performing arts events. For additional information and contact details, see the separate document “Partial List of Culver City Venues.” Performances must take place in an ADA-compliant building or location. Please note that you are not limited to the venues or dates on these lists.