TO:Andrew P. Powers, City Manager
FROM:Ingrid Hardy, Assistant City Manager
DATE:February 13, 2024
SUBJECT: FY 2023-24 Off-Cycle Community Event Grant Recommendation RECOMMENDATION:
1. Approve Off-Cycle Community Event Grant totaling $6,375.
2. Authorize the City Manager or designee to execute the Off-Cycle Community Event Grant agreement with the Grantee.
3. Authorize expenditure in the amount of $6,375 in FY 2023-24 from A/C #001- 1120-611-5920 (CF2024, Grants/Donations) for the Off-Cycle Community Event Grant.
4. Find that this action is not a project as defined under the California Environmental Quality Act.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
No Additional Funding Requested. $15,000 is included and available in the Adopted FY 2023-24 General Fund for the Community Events Grant budget for off-cycle funding requests that may arise throughout the fiscal year. Minimal administrative staff costs associated with executing contracts and compliance monitoring are included in the Adopted FY 2023-24 General Fund Budget.
BACKGROUND:
The Community Events Grant (CEG) provides financial support for community arts and cultural activities and events that take place within the City’s boundaries. The CEG also provides financial support for school performance groups representing the City at competition events located outside of the city. The CEG is available to local, non-profit, community, and school groups. The FY 2023-24 General Fund Budget included $100,000 for CEG with the proposed allocations:
FY 2023-24 Off-Cycle Community Event Grant Recommendation February 13, 2024
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5 $85,000: Available through the annual grant funding cycle application process for the Community Funding Review Committee (CFRC) to recommend and for City Council to approve.
$15,000: Held in reserve for City Council to approve unanticipated, off-cycle funding requests that may arise throughout the fiscal year.
On June 6, 2023, City Council approved $83,073.50 to 17 programs through the annual CEG grant funding cycle. With the balance of $1,926.50 available from the annual grant cycle and the $15,000 restricted to off-cycle funding requests, there is a total balance of $16,926.50 in funding available for FY2023-24 off-cycle CEG grant requests.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS:
On December 19, 2023, the Scandinavian American Cultural and Historical Foundation (SACHF) submitted an off-cycle CEG application requesting $8,500 to support the Scandinavian Festival taking place on May 18 and 19, 2024. The first Scandinavian Festival was held fifty years ago in 1974. It is a family-friendly event that celebrates the culture of Scandinavians who have contributed greatly to the community.
The SACHF did not apply for a CEG grant during the regularly scheduled application period. The 2024 event had not been confirmed to take place at the time the grant applications were due and SACHF did not want to request funds that other, confirmed events could be granted. The Scandinavian Festival is held on the campus of California Lutheran University (CLU) and SACHF is dependent on CLU to approve festival dates. The SACHF did not receive the festival dates and contract for the venue until October 2023. At that time the SACHF board immediately voted to approve holding the 50 th Annual Scandinavian Festival and began the event planning process.
Four staff, two from the City Manager’s Office and two from the Cultural Affairs Department, separately reviewed the off-cycle application for compliance and scored it based on the CEG grant-specific criteria, including the organization’s mission and background, activity or event goals and objectives, and benefit to City residents.
Allocation Scoring Method
In May 2019, the CFRC approved an allocation method based on collated points scored on the application as shown in Table 1.
FY 2023-24 Off-Cycle Community Event Grant Recommendation February 13, 2024
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5 Table 1
85 – 100 points scored on application 100% of requested amount 70 – 84 points scored on application 75% of requested amount 55 – 69 points scored on application 50% of requested amount 54 or below points scored on
application
No funding
On January 18, 2024, staff met to discuss the collated scores of the application.
Collating the four staff scorecards and using the CFRC-approved allocation method in Table 1 revealed that the application scored between 70-84 points and is recommended at 75 percent of the requested funding amount for a grant equaling $6,375.
Staff recommends City Council approval of the CEG Off-Cycle request in the amount totaling $6,375. The application qualifies as an off-cycle request and the event meets the required CEG grant criteria by providing a cultural event to the Thousand Oaks community.
Upon City Council approval, SACHF will enter into the standard Community Grant Program grant agreement with the City for the remaining fiscal year, ending June 30, 2024. The agreement reserves the right to request reimbursement of all or part of the funds if the funds are not provided for the program as described in the contract. As the grantee, SACHF will receive payment upfront and will be required to submit a Final Performance Report that demonstrates how the City funds were used to benefit the community.
COUNCIL GOAL COMPLIANCE:
Meets the following City Council goals:
C. Operate City government in a fiscally and managerially responsible and prudent manner to ensure that the City of Thousand Oaks remains one of California's most desirable places to live, work, visit, recreate, and raise a family.
G. Continue City's commitment to community and cultural programs and services (such as Performing Arts/Theatres, Libraries, TOTV, Visual Arts, Youth and Senior Programs).
PREPARED BY: Sarah Mailes, Community Services Analyst
CMO: 480-10\wl\H:\COMMON\City Council\Council Items\2024 Staff Reports\021324\021324 FY 2023-24 Off-Cycle Community Event Grant Recommendation