City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: OCTOBER 6, 2026 FROM: PARKS, RECREATION AND COMMUNITY WARDS: ALL
SERVICES DEPARTMENT
SUBJECT: AWARD OF THE ARTS AND CULTURE GRANT PROGRAM FOR A TWO-YEAR FUNDING CYCLE; FISCAL YEAR 2026/2027 IN AN AMOUNT OF $410,050 AND FISCAL YEAR 2027/2028 IN AN AMOUNT OF $414,150 ISSUE:
Approve staff recommendations for the awards of the Arts and Culture Grant Program Funds for Fiscal Year 2026/2027 in the amount of $410,050 and Fiscal Year 2027/2028 in the amount of $410,151.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the City Council:
Approve the recommendations of the Arts and Culture Program from Arts and Culture to be awarded to twenty-seven arts and cultural organizations as outlined in the recommendations for a total of $410,050 to be awarded Fiscal Year 2026/2027 and a total of $414,150 to be awarded Fiscal Year 2027/2028; and Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to execute any necessary, financial, or legal documents with the approved organizations making minor or non-substantive changes, to implement the City’s Arts and Culture Grant Program.
BACKGROUND:
On January 23, 2018, and subsequently, on September 11, 2018, the City Council approved the updated Arts and Culture Grant Program (Program) and policies retaining existing eligibility, funding categories and criteria for the grant fund. The modified program supports artists, organizations and programs. As part of the administration and funding for the Program it was approved to have a 1% annual adjustment. On June 23, 2026, the Arts and Culture Grant funds were reduced by $100,000 for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026/2027 and by $105,000 for FY 2027/2028. This reduction plus the 1% annual increase brought the grant fund recommendations to $410,050 for FY 2026/2027 and $414,150 for FY 2027/2028.
DISCUSSION:
Arts and Culture and the creative economy have a substantial impact on our local economy. These organizations create jobs, draw people to a community to then increase local income and sales tax revenue; serve as a magnet for tourism; and can lead to many more positive, direct, and indirect drivers of the local economy. These organizations contribute to revitalization of local specialty districts (Arlington BID, Arts District, Automotive Center, and Riverside Downtown Partnership BID). Arts inspire change and enrich life for our community, residents and visitors. Arts also contribute to skill development and enhanced educational opportunities for local youth through many of these arts and culture organizations. This builds confidence in youth. Furthermore, arts contribute to overall health and wellbeing in the community. The World Health Organization concluded that art could help us to emotionally navigate the journey of battling an illness or injury, to process difficult emotions in times of emergency and trauma, and even to physically recover more quickly from injury or disease.
The Arts and Culture Program seeks to:
Sustain professional development of established arts and cultural institutions based in and serving the City of Riverside.
Assist the operations and development of small and mid-sized arts and cultural organizations.
Encourage and support the contribution of arts and culture programs that enrich our community’s cultural life.
Encourage and support administrative and fiscal excellence in non-profit arts and cultural organizations.
FUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS:
The following list includes the recommendations for the twenty-seven organizations that are recommended for the Arts and Culture Grant for the FY 2026-2028 two-year funding cycle. #
Organization
Approved FY 2025/26
(Year 2)
Recommendations
FY 2026/27
(Year 1)
Recommendations
FY 2027/28
(Year 2)
1 Anointed Vessel Productions, Inc.
$ 10,100.00
$ 7,000.00
$ 7,070.00
2 Arlington Golden Pride Band Boosters, Inc.
$ 9,090.00
$ 1,000.00
$ 1,010.00
3 Arlington High School Choir Booster Club*
$ -
$ 1,000.00
$ 1,010.00
4 Ballet Folklorico de Riverside
$ 13,130.00
$ 12,500.00
$ 12,625.00
5 Ballet Resource Active Volunteer Association (BRAVA)
$ 20,200.00
$ 17,000.00
$ 17,170.00
6 Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California
$ 45,450.00
$ 40,000.00
$ 40,400.00
7 CA Citrus State Historic Park NPMC dba Friends of CA Citrus Park $ 25,250.00
$ 16,000.00
$ 16,160.00
8 Empower You Edutainment
$ 10,100.00
$ 9,000.00
$ 9,090.00
9 Full Circle Players
$ 6,060.00
$ 5,400.00
$ 5,454.00
10 Inland Empire Contemporary Ballet, Inc. | Inland Empire Dance Center $ 20,200.00
$ 18,000.00
$ 18,180.00
11 Inlandia Institute
$ 32,320.00
$ 30,000.00
$ 30,300.00
12 March Field Air Museum | March Field Museum Foundation, Inc. $ 20,200.00
$ 10,000.00
$ 10,100.00
13 Mission Inn Foundation | The Mission Inn Foundation
$ 45,450.00
$ 36,000.00
$ 36,360.00
14 Riverside Aquettes Swim Club (RAQ)* | USA Artistic Swimming (USAAS) $ -
$ 4,000.00
$ 4,040.00
15 Riverside Arts Academy
$ 40,400.00
$ 38,000.00
$ 38,380.00
16 Riverside Children's Theatre
$ 25,250.00
$ 23,000.00
$ 23,230.00
17 Riverside Community Arts Association
$ 10,100.00
$ 10,150.00
$ 10,251.00
18 Riverside Community Players
$ 20,200.00
$ 18,000.00
$ 18,180.00
19 Riverside Concert Band
$ 4,040.00
$ 4,000.00
$ 4,040.00
20 Riverside County Philharmonic
$ 25,250.00
$ 22,000.00
$ 22,220.00
21 Riverside Dickens Festival Inc.
$ 8,080.00
$ 7,000.00
$ 7,070.00
22 Riverside Pipes and Drums Foundation (UC Riverside Pipe Band) $ 6,060.00
$ 5,000.00
$ 5,050.00
23 TaikoMix
$ 6,060.00
$ 5,000.00
$ 5,050.00
24 The Adrian Dell & Carmen Roberts Foundation
$ 15,150.00
$ 13,000.00
$ 13,130.00
25 The Center for Social Justice & Civil Liberties | Riverside Community College District Foundation $ 36,360.00
$ 32,000.00
$ 32,320.00
26 The Regents of the University of CA on behalf of (UCR ARTS) | UC Regents | University of California Riverside $ 25,250.00
$ 22,000.00
$ 22,220.00
27 Inland Empire Chapter of Sweet Adelines, Inc. | Sweet Adelines Int'l (DBA: Sing United Int'l)* $ -
$ 4,000.00
$ 4,040.00
$ 410,050.00
$ 414,150.00
* Organizations that are new applicants.
Historically, many of the same organizations apply for funding each year. In the current funding cycle, a past recipient organization did not apply. Staff reached out to the organization, they shared they did not apply because they have received enough funding from other sources to work on their objective for the next two years.
The applications were reviewed by a panel comprised of professionals involved in the arts and culture community from the Inland Empire. They were chosen for their knowledge, experience and their non-involvement within the Riverside arts community and work. All of them work and are based outside of Riverside who come from different backgrounds including non-profit and private entities within the arts community and economy. Staff then finalized recommendations in the above chart.
The amount of funding an organization receives is based on the following aspects: the quality and information provided in the application; the organizations’ previous years’ income, the work they do in the community; the amount of funding the grant has available and the number of organizations that apply.
To follow the approved Arts & Culture Grant administration and guidelines to have an increase of the 1% annual adjustment, staff is recommending addressing the difference from what was approved in the annual budget process with $3,999 from the Arts Program budget line item for Fiscal Year 2027/2028.
This program provides stability and development opportunities to organizations it funds. It helps to strengthen the creative economy in our community. If not for the awards some of these organizations may not be able to achieve their goals that advance arts and culture for residents and visitors. As the City of Arts and Innovation, the City of Riverside has a responsibility to ensure that arts and cultural organizations are strengthened, and this grant is significant to achieve this for arts and cultural organizations.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total fiscal impact of the action is $410,050 for FY 2026/2027 and $414,150 for FY 2027/2028. The funds are available in the General Fund, Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department, Arts & Cultural Affairs Account Numbers 5240000-450032 and 5240000-450443.
Prepared by: Jessica Hernandez, Project Coordinator
Margery Haupt, Parks, Recreation and Community Services Deputy Director Approved by: Pamela M. Galera, Parks, Recreation and Community Services Director Certified as to
availability of funds: Julie Nemes, Finance Director
Approved by: Kris Martinez, Assistant City Manager
Approved as to form: James Johnson, City Attorney
Attachments: 1. Arts and Culture Grant Guidelines
2. Presentation
Arts & Culture Grant Program Recommendations ● Page 2