Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutGrant Req - Sisters Folk FestivalDeschutes County Board of County Commissioners Discretionary Grant Program Board Meeting Date: July 21, 2014 Organization: Sisters Folk Festival Organization Description: Non-profit organization with a mission to enrich lives through music, the arts, and cultural events that serve a diverse, multi -generational audience by offering educational outreach, arts -oriented vocational training, scholarship programs, public performances and music festivals. Project Name: Sisters Folk Festival Economic Study Project Description: Design, and conduct an economic impact analysis to quantify the economic impact of the 3 -day Folk Festival, including an assessment of attendees' average expenditures, lodging choices, and buying habits. Results will be used to strengthen the organization's fundraising efforts, facilitate marketing, attract performers, and establish a baseline for comparison in future years. Project Period: September 5 through December 1, 2015 Amount of Request: $2,000 Previous Grants: 6/1/2000 7/9/2001 8/5/2002 8/5/2003 7/27/2004 7/13/2005 7/25/2006 5/31/2007 $ 1,000.00 $ 1,000.00 $ 1,000.00 $ 1,000.00 $ 1,000.00 $ 1,000.00 $ 1,000.00 $ 1,300.00 Rental of main venue tent Assist with costs of production 2005 Festival Approved: Declined: Today's Date: Deschutes County Boar. of Commissioners PO Box 6005, Bend, OR 97701-6005 1300 NW Wall Street, Suite 200, Bend, OR Telephone: 541-388-6571 Fax: 541-385-3202 Website: www.deschutes.org DESCHUTES COUNTY DISCRETIONARY GRANT PROGRAM APPLICATION -7/iG1/46 Project Beginning Date: Amount Requested: Project Name: c1 -ZD/`/ cb01000 Name of Applicant Organization: Address: & nM Project End Date: Date Funds Needed: !l--5-zip /(l �c CCG r, -r-1v, , PD "5 ITS " Db FSB 36'( City & Zip Code: Contact Name(s): Fax #: i s"1.t-v1r cI77 S1 1.11 syi- sYti -Y7z3 Email Address: Tax ID #: Telephone #: 173-1 2 o 76-74[ s S`f-fl71 5. `-s I IL_ On a separate sheet(s), please briefly answer the following questions: 1. Describe the applicant organization, including its purpose, leadership structure, and activities. 2. Describe the proposed project or activity. 3. Provide a timeline for completing the proposed project or activity. 4. Explain how the proposed project or activity will positively impact the community. 5. Identify the specific communities or groups that will benefit. 6. Describe how grant funds will be used and include the source and amounts of matching funds or in-kind contributions, if any. Itemize anticipated expenditures*. 7. If the grant will support an ongoing activity, explain how it will be funded in the future. Attach: Proof of the applicant organization's non-profit status. * Applicant may be contacted during the review process and asked to provide a complete line item budget. Judith Ure Deschutes County Department of Administrative Services PO Box 6005 Bend, OR 97708-6005 judithuCa�deschutes.orq 1 - Sisters Folk Festival Inc. (SFF) is a year-round arts and culture non-profit. SFF's mission is to enrich lives through music, the arts and cultural events that serve a diverse, multi -generational audience. In 2000, SFF developed the educational outreach program, the Americana Project (AP) to inspire the creativity of young people and give them opportunities to explore the cultural and historical significance of American roots music and the many facets of visual arts and cultural expression. The program has expanded to include arts -oriented vocational training like guitar and ukulele luthier classes and sound and recording classes. The AP is integrated into the Sisters public schools and has benefited the school district and community by providing top-notch, innovative curricula that builds students' skills and confidence and prepares them to be productive members of society. SFF annually funds instructor salaries, workshops, equipment and materials for the AP. SFF's year-round programs and events include the Winter Concert Series, Song Academy for Youth, My Own Two Hands (arts -based fundraiser), Americana Project CD Release Concert, A Taste for the Arts, Americana Song Academy, Sisters Folk Festival, the highly acclaimed Americana Project and the Americana Project Arts Outreach Scholarship fund. All of these activities work together to create an organization that is making a difference in the lives of Sisters Country residents as well as the countless people that come to Sisters to experience some of the finest roots music in the world. Through the SFF Americana Project Arts Outreach Scholarship fund (APAOS), underserved Sisters youth are able to take part in the dynamic, arts -based community. SFF joined forces with Family Access Network to provide scholarships for arts -related classes for these students from pre-school through graduation. Reaching deeper into the community and making sure everyone is invited to participate is a powerful catalyst for change in the schools and the community. Grants, sponsorships and individual donations raised by SFF fund the APAOS. The Sisters Folk Festival is a three-day celebration of American Roots music, "from blues to bluegrass," bringing 3500 music lovers to Sisters. The annual event is held in September on the weekend after Labor Day. The Festival covers ten stages and includes performances and workshops by internationally recognized artists and the best up-and-coming talent in folk, blues, bluegrass and many genres in between. In its 19th year, the Festival is an intimate music experience, inspiring and full of surprises. Venues throughout the town of Sisters are all in walking or biking distance. Many established businesses host a stage, exposing our patrons to the best our community has to offer and creating a "walkable -feast" of outstanding music. From the intimate confines of the Open Door venue (125 cap.) to the largest tent venue at Sisters Art Works (1,350 cap.), music emanates from a multitude of places; truly, "All the Town's a Stage." During the Festival, the beauty of Sisters is on display, coupled with fantastic food, natural splendor of the Three Sisters Mountains, and down-home hospitality from the community. The atmosphere is laid-back, and artists and their music take center stage. To engage the general public, there is a free stage at Sisters Coffee and another at the new Pavilion featuring performances by Americana Project students and alumni. There are workshops open to the public and a free community show on Sunday morning that embodies the value and unique qualities of the Sisters Folk Festival experience. Once they have experienced it, most folks return year after year. And as for the term "folk festival," we bend and extend that definition to mean authentic, roots -based music that celebrates tradition while exploring new musical territories that attract a wider audience. SFF has a strong dedicated staff including Managing Director Ann Richardson and Creative Director Brad Tisdel. Joining Richardson and Tisdel are Development Director Katy Yoder; Operations Manager Pete Rathbun; Marketing Director Jeannine Munkres and Volunteer Coordinator Kerani Mitchell. Board Chair Jack McGowan has valuable experience as the former Executive Director of SOLV in Portland. McGowan's background growing SOLV into the powerhouse, non-profit that it is today is an important asset to SFF as the organization matures into its 20th year. 2 — The proposed project is an Economic Impact Analysis designed and implemented by Dean Runyan Associates. Results of this study will enable SFF to quantify the economic impact of the September, 3 -day event and gain a clear understanding of the demographics of our patrons. The information gained from this analysis will strengthen SFF's position when approaching grantors, sponsors and donors. It will also establish a baseline for economic impact and demographics that will be used as a basis of comparison for future years. Specific work includes the design of an online questionnaire and survey tool to acquire information that will be used to quantify SFF's value to the community. The survey will be crafted to help us better understand our patrons' experience and the economic effects of their visit. We will have a better grasp on who the audience is, where they come from, through what channels we can best reach them and how they spend their money. This information will be valuable to SFF in marketing the Festival, booking talent and seeking sponsors who would benefit from association with the type of patron attracted to our event. Information regarding average expenditures, lodging choices and buying habits will show the impact the event has on businesses and the community at large as well as prepare businesses to cater to our audience. 3 — SFF staff will work with the consultant to craft the assessment and provide background information in August. Data will be collected from Festival patrons beginning the week following this year's Festival which is Sept 5 — 7. Following the survey period, the consultant will draft an analysis and report, presumably by early - November. A final project report will be prepared within two weeks of receiving the draft report review. 4 — The results of the survey will be made available to anyone who is interested in fine tuning their merchandise and marketing efforts to an arts -oriented audience. As one of the top three events in Sisters each year, and the only event produced by an organization that has year-round programming in Sisters, SFF introduces thousands of people to Central Oregon throughout the year. The better we understand the demographics of the 3,500 people who come to the Festival each year, the better the businesses in Sisters can prepare for and profit from the event. Many of the Sisters businesses rely heavily on income from our annual events. The ability to target marketing and inventory accurately will help those businesses make the most of the seasonal opportunities that come with our local events. For Festival staff, survey information will help efforts to expand audience numbers, which in turn benefits local businesses who will see an increase in profits during SFF events. The more we know about our audience the better we can serve their needs. This information will also help us market our Winter Concert Series and support other local businesses providing music during the summer, shoulder and off-seasons. This data will further quantify the value of arts -based cultural tourism, a key player in the local economy and a significant part of the City of Sisters long-term vision for growing an arts -based business model. This instrument will be created and implemented by the consultant in close cooperation with SFF staff. We expect to learn a great deal about how to design and conduct this type of survey so that we can do a similar, albeit scaled down, study of our Winter Concert Series attendees. 5 — A summary of the survey results will be shared broadly with the community and arts - based interest groups. We will post it on our website, share it directly with our sponsors, reference or include it with grant applications, and make it available to the Arts & Culture Alliance — a regional group of 30+ organizations working together to promote, enhance and expand arts & culture in Central Oregon. Members of this group in particular are continually seeking information that justifies the value of arts -based programming. Our data will help them support grant requests, which in turn will help boost all arts -based tourism for the region. Another important component is the use of this data to better describe the benefit SFF has on the local economy. SFF will use the data to illustrate this fact when applying for grants, sponsor and donor funds to strengthen arts -related programs like Americana Project classes in the public schools. SFF can capitalize on this data to generate more funding to support low income students and offer affordable music and arts entertainment and educational opportunities for children. Local businesses will benefit from access to the final report, which will provide them with a better understanding of the potential customers coming into their establishments. 6 — Grant funds will be used to pay a total of $7,500 to Dean Runyan Associates to develop the survey, gather data, and create an economic impact analysis and a report summarizing event and economic impact results. SFF will provide $500 plus staff time to work with the consultant to create the assessment; a grant is pending with Ford Family Foundation for $5,000. We are requesting $2,000 from the Deschutes County Discretionary Grant program. Dean Runyan Associates is donating $5,400 of their original fee ($12,900) as an in-kind donation. 7 — This is not an on-going activity. INTERNAT. MIME ESRV1CS ' P. 0. sax asps =MINNA= Oa' 45201 Date' AUG 072001 SISTERS FOLIC FESTIVAL INC 'p0 SOX 1164 szsTxRS, OS 91754 tINVARTMENT -or TER LtaSURF Sepioyer Identification Y8' nberc 93-1208746' 17043160754041 contact Verson: [1AM M MANE Centact Telephone McMbera (817) 839-$500 Our Latter ratted: November 1990 Addendum Applies: No %D0 91393 Dexo :AA7Dlieant c 'Yhis. modifies our letter of the above date in which we stated that you would bm.treated as an organization that is not a'privets foundation until the• aurpiration of y ux advance ruling period. . Your exempt statue ander eFection 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Codas as an orgasnieetioa described in election 501(c) (3) in rstil.1 in effect. eased on the infsx'articU you suhmitted, We have determined that you are not a private foundation within the meaning of section 5U9(a) of the Code because you ure an Organization of the type described in zeQ ion 004(u) (e) and 110(hi (S) ;Ai (vi) . Grantor's and coatributora may rely Cr this determination un2es0 the Interne]. Revenue Service puteliabee notice to the contrary. Iowever. if you lose your Aeration 509(a) (i). status', a grantor ar contributor trey not rely ors thio determination if he or eke was in pert reapancsible for, or was aware of, the act or failure to act, or the substantial or tsatetial change oft the part of rile organisation that reselted in your lose at such status, or if he er she acquired knowledge that the Internal Revenue Service had given notice' that you would no 'anger be claoeif.ed au a section 509(a)(1) organization. You -axe rea[lnimed to make your annual ik7tetmatien return, 'oxo 990 a+' Form 990 -ES, available for public inapection for thre't years after the later of the due dates of the return or -the date Che return ars filed. You are also required to make available for public incrpect:1pn you: encemptiosz application. requixemente. Additional infOxmatioo is available in Publication say. sax-zaempt: Statue for ler= Organization, or you may call out toll free number 'shown above. - If we. -leve .indieated in the heeding n! thts letter that- a4 addendum applies, the addendum enclosed is an i.ntegra►l pert of thin letter. Letter 1050 (Do/Ctd1 s