STRATEGIC PRIORITY: Quality of Life, Arts, and Culture
AGENDA DATE: February 26, 2025
COUNCIL DISTRICT(S): All
DEPARTMENT: Office of Arts and Culture
EXECUTIVE: M. Elizabeth Cedillo-Pereira
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SUBJECT
Title
A resolution authorizing and establishing the Cultural Organizations Program (COP) and approving the COP guidelines established by the Office of Arts and Culture to support cultural services in the City of Dallas for the fiscal year 2025-26 - Financing: No cost consideration to the City (see Fiscal Information)
Body
BACKGROUND
The updated Cultural Policy of the City of Dallas, adopted on November 28, 2018, by Resolution No. 18-1683, provides that guidelines for the various Cultural Support Programs will be submitted annually for review and approval of the City Council. This serves to affirm the artistic nature of services to be provided through these various cultural programs and to specify the review and selection process for cultural services.
The Cultural Organizations Program (COP) is the support program through which the Office of Arts and Culture contracts for a full season of cultural services with established non-profit organizations for a variety of cultural programs that include concerts, plays, exhibitions, performances, workshops and other cultural programming for the benefit of Dallas residents and visitors.
The fiscal year (FY) 2025-26 COP guidelines align with Dallas Cultural Plan 2018 priorities, including alignment to staff and board diversity goals, and resident panel evaluation of cultural programming in neighborhoods around Dallas.
In an effort to respond to the ever-growing administrative capacity and demands of Dallas arts and culture organizations, volunteer review panelists, and City staff, the FY 2025-26 COP guidelines also propose an administrative change to the execution of the program moving from a one-year application cycle to a three-year application cycle. FY 2025-26 will serve as year one with all application, review, and scoring requirements remaining consistent with prior COP guidelines. FY 2026-27 and FY 2027-28 will serve as years two and three respectively. During these years, returning applicants will complete a significantly shortened application process that will not require panel review. All returning applicants will instead submit an updated scope of services for the upcoming year, as well as a shortened written application for which applicants will receive updated and more detailed administrative scoring for funding recommendations.
Other updates made in the proposed guidelines are:
• Program timeline
• Program eligibility language to emphasize the required compliance with the provisions of the National labor Relations Act, 29 U.S.C.A. §§ 151-169, as amended
• Clarification that all core annual programming must be open to the public for residents and visitors and be listed on GoSeeDFW
• Minor wording and document flow updates to improve readability for new applicants, clarify requirements, and update submission deadlines and dates
COP cultural service contracts are awarded annually. In accordance with Cultural Policy, all funding recommendations will first be considered by the Allocations Committee of the Arts and Culture Advisory Commission, who will make recommendations to the full Arts and Culture Advisory Commission. The Commission’s funding recommendations will be brought to City Council in the Fall of 2025 for authorization of the associated cultural service contracts for the 2025-26 fiscal year.
PRIOR ACTION/REVIEW (COUNCIL, BOARDS, COMMISSIONS)
On January 9, 2025 the Allocations Committee of the Arts and Culture Advisory Commission voted to recommend these guidelines.
On January 16, 2025 the Arts and Culture Advisory Commission voted to recommend these guidelines.
The Quality of Life, Arts and Culture Committee was briefed by memorandum on these guidelines on February 18, 2025.
The Quality of Life, Arts and Culture Committee was briefed by memorandum on these guidelines on January 21, 2025. <https://cityofdallas.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=13685950&GUID=38E4AD08-A30A-4372-AEE5-10A6EBB2A544>
FISCAL INFORMATION
This action has no cost consideration to the City. Appropriations for the Cultural Support Programs are established in the General Fund through the annual budget development process. Each award to a cultural organization through Cultural Organizations Program will be authorized by resolution of the City Council.