March 11, 2025
Agenda Item No. 12
TO:
HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM:
Melissa Hartson, Library Services Director - 949-717-3801, [email protected] PREPARED BY:
Melissa Hartson, Library Services Director
TITLE:
Cultural Arts Grants Fiscal Year 2024-25
ABSTRACT:
The sum of $30,000 has been provided in Fiscal Year 2024-25 to fund specific cultural or artistic programs as approved by the City Council. The City Arts Commission has the responsibility to review all programs and requests for support from arts groups and make recommendations for funding to the Council. The Commission reviewed grant funding proposals from 10 local arts organizations and recommends funding for eight organizations, totaling $30,000.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
a) Determine this action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) and 15060(c)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines because this action will not result in a physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly; and b) Approve recommended recipients for Fiscal Year 2024-25 Cultural Arts Grants as selected by the City Arts Commission in accordance with City Council Policy I-10, Culture and Arts Grants.
DISCUSSION:
City Council Policy I-10, Culture and Arts Grants (Attachment A) recognizes the importance of promoting culture and the arts within Newport Beach. In Fiscal Year 2024-25, $30,000 is budgeted for specific cultural or artistic programs as approved by the City Council.
The City Arts Commission (Commission) is responsible for reviewing all programs and requests for support from arts groups and then making recommendations for funding to the City Council for its review and approval. City Council Policy I-10 defines arts groups as those involved in visual, musical, theatre, dance, crafts, performing and literary activities. The Commission considers the following in order of preference for granting support:
Local arts groups located within the City of Newport Beach and offering programs to City residents; and Regional arts groups located in Orange County and offering programs to City residents; and Arts groups located in California and performing or offering programs to City residents.
Groups not offering programs or services to local residents are not eligible for support from the City.
The Commission received written grant proposals from 10 organizations, which combined totaled approximately $85,100, for free cultural arts programming for the Newport Beach community in Fiscal Year 2024-25. Grant applicants included:
ORGANIZATION NAME
AMOUNT
The Art Spread
$4,600
Backhausdance
$4,000
Balboa Island Improvement Association
$3,000
Baroque Music Festival, Corona del Mar
$5,500
Emerald Magic Events
$38,000
Musica Transalpina
$5,000
Newport Theatre Arts Center
$10,000
Pacific Chorale
$5,000
Pacific Symphony
$5,000
South Coast Repertory
$5,000
TOTAL:
$85,100
The Commission considered the 10 applications using the guidance as defined in City Council Policy I-10. Furthermore, each arts organization was evaluated considering the following additional criteria:
Baseline Criteria:
application and report complete and on time
arts organization (not individual artist)
nonprofit organization
Newport Beach geographic focus
Selective Criteria
I. Service to the Public
promotion and outreach
audience development and participation
safety and accessibility
program diversity
community service
II. Artistic/Programmatic Excellence
ideas and creativity
production
III. Managerial/Fiscal Competence
mission and goals
organizational management
financial management
After careful deliberation, the Commission approved grant funding for eight arts organizations, totaling $30,000, at its regular meeting on February 13, 2024.
The recommended grantees and funding include:
ORGANIZATION NAME
AMOUNT
Backhausdance
$4,000
Balboa Island Improvement Association
$3,000
Baroque Music Festival, Corona del Mar
$4,000
Emerald Magic Events Inc
$2,000
Newport Theatre Arts Center
$5,000
Pacific Chorale
$3,500
Pacific Symphony
$5,000
South Coast Repertory
$3,500
TOTAL:
$30,000
Backhausdance will present a dance education partnership program, Dance Expressions: Creativity and Choreography, to be held at three different Newport-Mesa Unified School District (NMUSD) schools (Corona del Mar Middle/High School, Back Bay High School, and Newport Harbor High School) culminating in a Fall 2025 Student Showcase. This program offers students an immersion into working with a professional dance company.
The Balboa Island Improvement Association will present a new season of the Balboa Island Classical Concert Series, held at St. John Vianney Chapel and Carol Beek Center. A minimum of five classical concerts and five concerts in the park will be planned for the community.
The Baroque Music Festival will focus on evocative vocal works by Vivaldi and Antonio Lotti. Grant funds will be used to allow middle school, high school, and college students from Newport Beach to attend the dress rehearsal and opening concert in June. Students will learn about the detailed dress rehearsal process, and will be able to ask questions, explore instruments, and attend the formal concert the following day.
Emerald Magic Events will present The Best Romantic Pieces of the Centuries, featuring two classical music concerts at OASIS Senior Center in October 2025. The concert will showcase groups from Newport Beach performing classical crossovers that fuse classical with contemporary music.
Newport Theatre Arts Center will present a new program conducting a theatre seminar for the local community with multiple sessions throughout the day for children and adults. The event will provide an immersive educational experience for all ages to enlighten the community about the many benefits and value of the arts in Newport Beach.
Pacific Chorale's chamber choir will present three performances at Our Lady Queen of Angels Church, featuring Handel’s Exodus: Israel in Egypt and Carols by Candlelight.
Pacific Symphony will use grant funds for the Class Act Music Education Program at Andersen and Newport Coast Elementary Schools. This program places union musicians into local schools where students receive the value of music learning from teaching artists.
South Coast Repertory will utilize grant funding for the Theatre for Young Audiences free school-day matinee performances of The Incredible Book-Eating Boy for students, augmented with weekend performances for the general public.
The City Arts Commission did not recommend grant funding to The Art Spread and Musica Transalpina because their respective programs do not correspond with the Cultural Arts Grants timeline for fund distribution.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The adopted budget includes sufficient funding for this grant program. The funds will be expensed in the City Grants account in the Cultural and Arts Division, 01060603-821006.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
Staff recommends the City Council find this action is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly.
NOTICING:
The agenda item has been noticed according to the Brown Act (72 hours in advance of the meeting at which the City Council considers the item).
ATTACHMENT:
Attachment A – City Council Policy I-10, Culture and Arts Grants 12-3
12-1
Cultural Arts Grants Fiscal Year 2024-25
March 11, 2025
CITY OF CITY OF
CITY OF
CITY OF
City Council Staff Report COUNCIL STAFF REPORT City Council Staff Report COUNCIL STAFF REPORT NEWPORT BEACH NEWPORT BEACH City Council Staff Report COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
City Council Staff Report COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
NEWPORT BEACH
NEWPORT BEACH