FY2021-22 NEIGHBORHOOD VOICES for FESTIVALS

PURPOSE
Neighborhood Voices for Festivals builds belonging within the dynamic neighborhoods of the City of Oakland by supporting culturally-engaging efforts to bring our city's community members together through festival culture.
This grant opportunity will fund organizations conducting festivals aimed at fostering community resilience, feeding creative well-being, and offering visions for our collective future. This grant opportunity seeks to affirm the expression, recognition, and understanding of the array of diverse communities that make Oakland unique, vibrant, and resilient.

Applicants may find that the City's Cultural Plan will provide more information about Oakland's vision for arts and culture. https://www.oaklandca.gov/resources/cultural-plan

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Neighborhood Voices for Festivals amplifies the cultural expressions, stories, histories, and heritage found within Oakland's neighborhoods-particularly neighborhoods and their community members who historically have not received equitable investments of resources or recognition.

Festivals are defined as a wide variety of in-person events that are free and open to the public, including small-scale and first-time events to large scale and established festivals. Neighborhood Voices for Festivals encourages applications from Oakland-based community builders that are focused on building neighborhood vibrancy and community cohesion through festival culture. Individuals are ineligible for this grant category.

Festivals to be supported may include, but are not limited to: cultural heritage practices, performances in dance, music or theater, visual art and public arts exhibitions/events, and literary presentations, that are rooted in a sense of place.

Applications from the following are encouraged:

• Festivals that lift-up the cultural identity of a people or the historical significance of a neighborhood;
• Racial/ethnic-specific communities or other types of communities that are under-recognized or lack visibility in Oakland;
• Festivals in neighborhoods with few formal cultural resources (such as, cultural centers, performance venues, art galleries, cultural education programs, etc.);
• Public events that foster intergenerational activities, bringing together elder and young people;
• Partners who are deeply grounded and engaged in the neighborhood where the festival is based.

ELIGIBILITY
Please Note: Individual Artists are ineligible for this grant category. Organizations receiving FY 2021-22 Neighborhood Voices – Org Project are also ineligible to apply in this category.

1. Applicant organizations must be based in Oakland at the time of the application and maintain Oakland residency throughout the grant period.
2. Proof of organization’s residency is required and may be satisfied by submitting a copy of one of the following: utility bill (landline phone, PG&E, water, or cable bill), rental lease, or mortgage documentation.
3. Organizations that are not primarily arts and/or cultural providers are eligible only if this will be an arts and cultural festival. Request amount must be based on the budget of the arts program only, not the organization’s entire budget. This grant may cover up to 50% of the program budget.
4. Unincorporated, Oakland-based organizations may apply with a fiscal sponsor.
5. Incorporated arts organizations must be Oakland-based nonprofits that meet the following criteria: 

• Be a registered nonprofit in good standing with the State of California and have IRS 501c3 status with a street address in Oakland (a P.O. Box alone is not acceptable).
• Have its business office located in Oakland and letterhead with an Oakland business address (a P.O. Box alone is not acceptable).
• Comply with federal regulations pertaining to federal grant recipients by meeting the provisions of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1963; Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; Americans with Disabilities Act and Age Discrimination Act of 1975.
• Once the grant is awarded, organizations must have the resources to meet the INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS: The organization must show evidence of 1) General Commercial Liability insurance; 2) Workers Compensation insurance (If organization has employees); 3) Auto insurance (if applicable); and 4) Abuse and Sexual Molestation insurance (if working with youth under the age of 18 or vulnerable populations).

USING A FISCAL SPONSOR:
Unincorporated, Oakland-based organizations applying under a fiscal sponsor must meet the following requirements:

• The Fiscal Sponsor must be California-based and meet the eligibility requirements stipulated for incorporated organizations applying for this grant program as shown above (Note: Insurance Requirements for City of Oakland grantees).
• Fiscal Sponsors must meet the Insurance Requirements and cover the applying organizations activities: The organization must show evidence of 1) General Commercial Liability insurance; 2) Workers Compensation insurance (If organization has employees); 3) Auto insurance (if applicable); and 4) Abuse and Sexual Molestation insurance (if working with youth under the age of 18 or vulnerable populations).
• A comprehensive, written agreement from the fiscal sponsor must accompany the application. The Agreement should include the following:
  • Description of the exact nature of the services to be provided by this fiscal sponsor in terms of financial arrangement, application preparation and reporting/grant compliance.
  • The fiscal sponsorship fee
  • Qualifications/resume and contact information of the fiscal sponsor’s staff person who will serve as the primary liaison with the non-501c3 organization’s lead person. Please Note: If awarded, the grant documents will be emailed to the Fiscal Sponsor and must be completed by and reflective of the Fiscal Sponsor. These documents include the Cultural Arts Grant Agreement, Schedule documents, Insurance, financial and tax information.

REQUEST AMOUNT FOR FESTIVALS
Applicants with a documented minimum two-year history of cultural programming may request up to 50% of the projected expenses, not to exceed $20,000 for the proposed festival. In-kind matches will be accepted for this grant category.

The Neighborhood Voices for Festivals grant can support only a portion of an organization’s festival budget:

• Festivals are required to match the City’s grant at a minimum of 1:1. (i.e., for every dollar of the City’s award, the recipient organization must secure an additional dollar).
• Other Cultural Funding Program grant funds may not be used to meet the match.
• Only one application to this category is allowed annually per organization and per festival.
• Requests must be based on the budget of the arts festival only, not the organization’s entire budget.

Eligible Expenses:

• Artistic and administrative personnel salaries, wages, and/or fees
• Office, rehearsal or necessary rental space
• General office supplies related to the project
• Marketing, promotion and publicity expenses
• Equipment Rental
• City Permit Costs

Ineligible Expenses:

• Activities occurring outside of Oakland
• Social functions, parties, receptions and/or fundraising events
• Food and beverages
• Out-of-state travel
• Major equipment purchases ($750 and above)
• Capital construction and/or acquisitions

• Activities with a political purpose; such activities include, but are not limited to: sponsoring or conducting candidate's meetings, engaging in voter registration activity, publicity or propaganda purposes designed to support or defeat legislation pending before federal, state or local government
• Activities with a religious purpose; such activities include, but are not limited to: religious worship, instruction, or proselytizing of religious tenets

EVALUATION AND SCORING for FESTIVALS
Public Grant Review Panel will be held Week of February 14, 2022 (Time and Date TBA)

A qualified, review panel will evaluate applications based on the criteria listed below:

1. CLARITY OF PROJECT AND PURPOSE (20 points maximum)

• Clear articulation of whose voice needs to be heard and why
• Strength and appropriateness of the partnership
• Potential of project to empower the neighborhood(s)/community(s) addressed

2. CULTURAL/PROGRAMMATIC QUALITY (25 points maximum)

• Understanding of and history with the neighborhood(s)/community(s) addressed
• Quality and appropriateness of activities (Do they enhance understanding of and respect for cultural practices and heritages?)
• Qualifications of key artistic/cultural personnel

3. RACIAL EQUITY (25 points maximum)

• Leverages cultural opportunities for communities impacted by racial disparities to reimagine pathways for an equitable society
• Animates public space through cultural exchange to support and affirm belonging in Oakland
• Programming is led by and includes groups and communities impacted by racial disparities

4. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT (20 points maximum)

• Partnership's ability and commitment to engaging historically under-served communities
• Ability to foster community engagement
• Quality and depth of engagement plans
• Evidence of community support (volunteers, donations)

5. FINANCE AND MANAGEMENT (10 points maximum)

• Clarity and appropriateness of project budget
• Clarity and appropriateness of partner roles and responsibilities
• Qualifications of key administrative personnel

INFORMATION ABOUT THE APPLICATION
ONLINE APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: You may only submit your application through Screendoor, our online system.

After reviewing the guidelines, begin your application by clicking the “Submit Response” button at the top right. Don’t panic: This will NOT SUBMIT your application, but will allow you to begin filling out the fields and reading the application questions. The application is formatted in web-based forms, and as you input your work it will be auto-saved by the Screendoor system. We strongly recommend you have your answers to the narrative questions prepared in a separate document prior to submitting your application in Screendoor in the small chance a technical difficulty prevents your work from being saved.

You will be asked to provide your Applicant Registry Profile, the “Reach” of your requested grant, the number of “Events” to be funded, and a Project Budget. There is also an important section where you will be asked to provide information about your project in a narrative format.

Below the narrative questions, you will find the Attachment section. Please remember to attach all required documents.

When you complete your application (filling out the form and attaching the required documents), you will see a button at the bottom of the page. This will submit your final application. Please note that no edits will be allowed after your application is submitted.

NARRATIVE QUESTIONS (100-300 words/per question)

1. Describe the festival for which you are requesting funding.
2. Explain how this festival builds "belonging" within the dynamic neighborhoods of Oakland.
3. Explain the reason for this festival: how will this festival affirm the expression, recognition, and understanding of the array of diverse communities that make Oakland unique, vibrant, and resilient?
4. Describe your plans for implementation of this festival: tell us about your planning process, marketing and outreach.
5. Target audience/participants: who will be reached and how will they be involved?
6. Neighborhood resilience: how will this project strengthen and empower the neighborhood(s) addressed?
7. Festival partners: give a brief description of each partner, why each was chosen and describe their role in the project.
8. Key personnel: provide a narrative overview of the lead organization and key team members for this festival.
9. Budget Narrative: Please explain the allocation of your resources

ATTACHMENTS
(1) Cultural Work Sample must be uploaded (video, audio, images, or manuscripts)
Attachment A: Biographies of key personnel
Attachment B: List of prior art and culture activities (past 2 years)
Attachment C: Supplemental materials (brochures, news articles, etc.)
Attachment D: Proof of residency document
Attachment E: Financial statements (Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet)
Attachment F: Memorandum of Understanding for fiscally-sponsored