June 25, 2024
Economic Development
DATE: June 25, 2024
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Nannette Beacham, Director of Economic Development
Winifred Day, Arts and Culture Manager
Subject:
FY 2023-2024 & 2024-25 Neighborhood Public Art Mini
Grant Awards
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The funding for this grant program is not to exceed $65,000 for fiscal year 2024-25 Arts & Culture division General Fund budget (01364065-400201). In addition,
grants not completed in FY 2023-24 will continue into FY 2024-2025, for a total not to exceed $36,000 from the
general fund
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
None.
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
Since 2010, the Richmond Arts and Culture Commission
(RACC) has awarded funding to Richmond community
members for art projects all over the city. City staff is bringing forth funding recommendations from the RACC
for the fiscal year 2024-25 Neighborhood Public Art
(NPA) Mini Grant Program for review and approval by the City Council.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
APPROVE a recommendation from the Richmond Arts
and Culture Commission (RACC) for Fiscal Year (FY)
2024-25 to grant Neighborhood Public Art mini-grant
awards to nine selected artists, for a total combined
amount not to exceed $65,000, for a term beginning as
early as August 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2025; and
$36,000 for FY 2023-2024 grantees; and AUTHORIZE
the city manager or their designee to negotiate and
execute agreements and amendments with approved
AGENDA
REPORT
June 25, 2024
grantees - Economic Development Department
(Nannette Beacham 510-621-1306/Winifred Day 510-
620-6952).
DISCUSSION:
Since 2010, the Richmond Arts and Culture Commission (RACC) Neighborhood Public Art (NPA) Mini Grant program has awarded grants ranging from $500 to $8,000 to Richmond community members for various art projects. To better support local artists, the RACC voted in 2023 to increase the award range to a minimum of $2,500 and a maximum of $9,000.
The solicitation process for fiscal year (FY) 2024-25 included a Request for Proposals (RFP) distributed on December 22, 2023, to over 1,000 artists (Attachment 1). The distribution list included artists who attended RACC Community Outreach workshops, artists with Richmond business licenses, local non-profit arts organizations, and previous NPA Mini Grant award winners and applicants. The RFP was also posted in the City Manager’s Weekly Newsletter and on several social media platforms, including Facebook. The proposal deadline was February 18, 2024.
On February 1, 2024, 13 people attended the mandatory orientation session via Zoom.
By the February 18, 2024, application deadline, 12 applications were successfully submitted. The proposals ranged from mosaic tile murals, exhibits, art signage, musical instrument classes, and poetry projects. The written applications included a project description, resume/biography, project budget, and optional items such as images of prior work and supporting materials like articles, artist statements, and postcards.
On April 17, 2024, the selection panel conducted interviews with the top applicants based on the scores and rankings for each proposal (Attachment 2). The scoring rubric had a maximum of 20 points, with up to five points allotted to each of the following criteria: project description, artist experience, community outreach and engagement, and feasibility, including a reasonable timeline and budget. Subsequently, the panel selected 10 semi-finalists to move forward in the selection process.
On May 9, 2024, the RACC voted to recommend that the City Council approve the selection of 10 NPA Mini Grant awards, including one conditional offer for th. However, the conditional offer was not extended due to no response from the finalist, resulting in only nine selected finalists (Attachment 3). Once under contract, the artists will have until June 30, 2025, to complete their awarded projects.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – FY 24-25 NPA Mini Grant RFP
Attachment 2 – NPA Mini Grant Scoring Matrix
Attachment 3 – Project Summaries