HomeMy WebLinkAbout12 - Cultural Arts Grants Fiscal Year 2024-25Q �EwPpRT
CITY OF
s NEWPORT BEACH
`q44:09 City Council Staff Report
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,
mhartson@newportbeachca.gov
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 1-10,
Culture and Arts Grants.
DISCUSSION:
City Council Policy 1-10, 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 1-10 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:
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Cultural Arts Grants Fiscal Year 2024-25
March 11, 2025
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1. Local arts groups located within the City of Newport Beach and offering programs
to City residents; and
2. Regional arts groups located in Orange County and offering programs to City
residents; and
3. 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:
The Art Spread
Backhausdance
$4,600
$4,000
Balboa Island Improvement Association
$3,000
Baroque Music Festival, Corona del Mar
Emerald Magic Events
Musica Transalpina
Newport Theatre Arts Center
$5,500
$38,000
$5,000
$10,000
Pacific Chorale
Pacific Symphony
South Coast Repertory
$5,000
$5,000
$5,000
The Commission considered the 10 applications using the guidance as defined in City
Council Policy 1-10. 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
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Cultural Arts Grants Fiscal Year 2024-25
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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:
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
_Pacific Symphony
South Coast Repertory
$3,500
$5,000
$3,500
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.
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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
Musica Transalpina because their respective
Cultural Arts Grants timeline for fund distribution.
FISCAL IMPACT:
grant funding to The Art Spread and
programs do not correspond with the
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 1-10, Culture and Arts Grants
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ATTACHMENT A I-10
CULTURE AND ARTS GRANTS
The City Council hereby recognizes the importance of promoting culture and the arts within Newport
Beach. Pursuant to City Council Policy A-12, the City budget specifically allows the City Council to direct
revenue towards worthy projects and programs which the City Council deems beneficial to the quality of
life for Newport Beach's residents. A number of individuals and groups have been organized with the
express purpose of developing and promoting culture, theatre and the arts.
In regard to the City's role in financially sponsoring art and cultural events, up to $55,000 shall be expended
from the General Fund for culture and arts grants each fiscal year. The City Arts Commission shall review
all programs and requests for support from arts groups. The Commission shall forward its recommendations
for funding to the City Council for final approval. For the purpose of this policy, arts groups shall be defined
as those involved in visual, musical, theatre, dance, crafts, performing and literary activities.
The following priorities shall be considered by the Commission. The order of preference for granting
support shall be as follows:
A. Local arts groups located within the City and offering programs to City residents;
B. Regional arts groups located in Orange County and offering programs to City residents; and
C. Arts groups located in California and performing or offering programs to City residents.
Groups not offering programs or services to local residents shall not be eligible for support from the City.
History
Adopted F-20
— 5-11-1981 ("Reserve Fund for Culture and Arts")
Amended F-22
— 6-22-1981
Adopted I-20 —
1-24-1983 ("Co -Sponsorship for Cultural Events and Arts Groups")
Amended F-20
— 11-14-1983
Amended F-20
— 1-23-1984
Amended F-20
— 3-28-1988
Amended F-20
— 10-28-1991
Created I-12 —
1-24-1994 (incorporating 1-20 and F-20, and renaming "Financial Support for Culture
and Arts")
Amended I-12
— 5-8-2001
Amended I-12
- 4-8-2003 (changed to I-10)
Amended I-10
— 8-8-2017
Amended I-10
— 11-12-2024
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