Fresno has money for arts and culture organizations. How far will the dollars go? | Opinion
When it comes to producing and cultivating talented artists, Fresno has consistently punched above its weight class.
The honor roll includes Pulitzer Prize-winning writers, celebrated film directors, national and state poet laureates, Caldecott Medal-winning illustrators, MacArthur geniuses and Broadway stars.
What’s remarkable isn’t just the list of achievements and awards. More so that these luminaries achieved prominence in their respective mediums despite — or perhaps, because of — being born or raised in a city where public support for the arts has traditionally been scarce.
That narrative is about to change.
Six years after Fresno voters approved Measure P and three since the 3/8th-cent sales tax was implemented citywide, the 12% slice allotted to arts and culture organizations is finally on the tray and ready to be served in the form of competitive grants.
Opinion
That process is being administered by the Fresno Arts Council, which announced its request for proposals Dec. 31 and is accepting online applications through March 24. For successful recipients, the grant-awarding period is expected to begin in July.
How much money are we talking about? The exact figure has yet to be determined.
According to Fresno Arts Council Executive Director Lilia González Chávez, the Fresno City Council transferred $9.7 million to her agency to fund Measure P arts grants. However, just $5 million might be awarded in Year 1.
Why keep millions in the piggy bank? Because $9.7 million represents multiple years of sales tax accumulation, while $5 million is closer to what will be available on an annual basis going forward.
“We want to plan for what will be collected for the arts in an average year,” González Chávez said. “I say that with the caveat that we have some extra dollars right now and may choose to award them.”
That decision, González Chávez indicated, at least partially hinges on demand. Until all the grant applications are received and processed, the Fresno Arts Council won’t know how much money is required to fund the eligible requests.
If recent history is any guide, competition will be fierce. During the COVID pandemic, roughly $1.5 million in federal funding was set aside for Fresno-area arts organizations. Requests for those dollars tripled what was available, according to González Chávez.
Two types of arts grants
Fresno-based nonprofits that “support and expand access to arts and cultural programming” and “reflect” the city’s “cultural, geographic and demographic diversity” can apply for two types of Measure P arts grants: project specific grants that can range from $2,000 to $200,000 and general operating support grants (meant for rent, utilities, staff salaries and other expenses) that can vary in amount depending on the organization’s size, but are capped at $300,000.
To prevent the largest nonprofits from squeezing out the smallest, 10% of the grant awards in each category will be set aside for “emerging” organizations that have annual revenues of less than $50,000.
Individual artists can also apply, provided they secure an eligible nonprofit to serve as a “fiscal agent.” (For a thorough deep dive, I recommend the Q&A between González Chávez and former Bee scribe Doug Hoagland for The Munro Review.)
After reading the grant guidelines myself, it became abundantly clear this isn’t something that can be knocked off in a couple hours. It’ll probably take weeks.
Applicants are required to submit 750-word responses to a variety of questions in six categories: organization description; programming; cultural equity and inclusion; organizational challenges; proposed impact and outcomes; and governance and administrative structure. They also must submit tax filings, financial statements, work samples and documents of support.
Application help available
To assist organizations that have never gone through this process and inform them how to leverage Measure P grants into additional funding, the Fresno Arts Council held a grant writing seminar last month at Fresno City College that was attended by 130 people.
In addition, 45 people showed up to the first of three public information sessions held at CMAC’s downtown office that was recorded for future online viewing. Two more are scheduled during the application period: Feb. 17 at Fresno United Way and March 9 at the Woodward Park Regional Library.
The first round of Measure P arts grants were originally scheduled to be awarded last year. But like most things involving taxpayer dollars, the requisite public discourse and need for accountability made the process long, complex and, at times, divisive.
In some ways, though, we still haven’t reached the hard part: using established criteria to select which organizations get public funding in the first year and which get left high and dry.
Some degree of consternation will surely be caused (there is an appeals process) though González Chávez preferred to focus on the big picture.
“I’m just very excited,” she said. “I think we have a unique opportunity to see some amazing projects and see the development of a strong arts community that can only contribute to the economic well-being of our city. I say that because when you have a strong local arts scene, people want to come visit and see what you are doing.”
For a long time, Fresno artists have been figurative flowers growing out of the cracks of sidewalks.
Makes you wonder what a little watering will blossom.
