DEPARTMENT: Convention and Sports Facilities
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Michael Sawaya
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City-Wide
SUBJECT:
Grant submission to the Fox Theatre Institute Preservation Grant Program for the Carver Community Cultural Center.
SUMMARY:
An Ordinance authorizing the submission of a grant application in the amount of $50,000.00 (plus a $50,000 match requirement) by the City of San Antonio, through the Carver Community Cultural Center (“the Carver”), to the Fox Theatre Institute Preservation Grant Program for the purpose of purchasing and installing equipment which will enable accessibility in the Jo Long Theatre and Little Carver Civic Center. There is a 1:1 match requirement associated with this grant that can be either a cash match or an in-kind match.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The Carver is a multicultural and multi-disciplinary performing and visual arts center with an emphasis on the contributions of African and African-American artists. There exists a constant need for the upgrading or replacement of theatre equipment to keep current with industry standards.
Fox Theatre Inc. has expanded its Fox Theatre Institute Grants Program and Historic Preservation Services as a part of the organization’s strategic plan beginning in 2017. The organization provides funding for support for historic facilities across the nation.
Applicants must own the properties for which funding is requested, and the properties must meet at least one of the following qualifications:
• 50 years or older
• Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
• Listed as a National Historical Landmark
• Contributing member of a National Register District
The Carver meets 2 of the 4 qualifications: 50 years or older and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Funding provided by this grant can be used for the purchase and installation of equipment that will expand accessibility and availability of programming such as: assistive listening access, seating, listening devices, staging, sound and lighting equipment, or projection systems.
ISSUE:
The Carver Community Cultural Center is in need of theatre equipment to expand accessibility and the availability of programming for the Jo Long Theatre and the Little Carver Civic Center.
ALTERNATIVES:
If this grant application is not submitted, the Carver will continue to utilize monies allotted from the general fund on a year-to-year basis to make our improvements. However with budget fluctuations, there is no guarantee of year-to-year funding.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The grant application will be submitted with the intention of acquiring needed theatre equipment for the Jo Long Theatre and Little Carver Civic Center. There is a 1:1 match requirement associated with this grant that can be either a cash match or an in-kind match. We will be utilizing the monies that the Carver Development Board provides to cover artistic fees as an in-kind match to fulfill this requirement. The justification for using these fees as an in-kind match is that the theatre equipment that we are proposing to purchase will be used for all Carver events, including those for which the artistic fees are provided.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval an Ordinance authorizing the submission of a grant application in the amount of $50,000.00 by the City of San Antonio, through the Carver to Fox Theatre, Inc.