HomeMy WebLinkAboutGrant Request - Nature of WordsEconomic Development Fund
Discretionary Grant Program
Organization: The Nature of Words
Organization Description: Established in 2005, The Nature of Words offers Central
Oregon residents opportunities to enjoy acclaimed writers visiting the region to share
their works, explore their own writing under the guidance of these writers and feedback
from peers. The organization has also expanded to include Creative Writing in the
Schools program. This is a year-round outreach program that serves underserved and at -
risk youth, as well as traditional middle school and high school students. More than 800
area students participated in the program during the 2008-2009 school year.
Project Name: The Nature of Words Literary Festival 2010
Project Description: These grant funds will be used to stage the five-day festival,
including out -of -area television and radio promotions, author reading and lecture fees,
and author -led workshops.
Project Period: Event - November 3, 2010 to November 7, 2010 (funds needed by
October 15, 2010)
Amount of Request: $3,500 (Estimated total cost for festival = $79,000, with the festival
expected to raise $45,000)
Previous Grants:
• September 2005 — $1,500 (Luke $500; Daly $500; DeWolf $500)
• March 2006 - $2,000 (Luke $1,000; Clarno $1,000)
• February 2007 - $2,000 (Luke $1,000; Baney $1,000)
• April 2008 - $1,000 (Luke $500, Baney $500)
Deschutes County Board of Commissioners
1300 NW Wall St., Bend, OR 97701-1960
(541) 388-6570 - Fax (541) 385-3202 - vww.deschutes.org
DESCHUTES COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FUND
DISCRETIONARY GRANT PROGRAM APPLICATION
Direct Application to:
Commissioner Tammy Baney
Commissioner Dennis R. Luke
Date: 3.2',/e) Project Name:
Project Beginning Date:
Amount of Request:
Applicant/Organization:
Commissioner Alan Unger
All Three Commissioners
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Address:
Project End Date:
Date Funds Needed:
Tax ID #:
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Contact Name(s):
Fax:
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Alternate Phone:
City & Zip:
Telephone:
Email:
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On a separate sheet, 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 impact the community's economic health.
5. Identify the specific communities or groups that will benefit.
6. Itemize anticipated expenditures*. Describe how grant funds will be used and include the
source and amounts of matching funds or in-kind contributions, if any. 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.
Tammy Baney: Amount: Signature:
Dennis Luke: Amount: Signature:
Alan Unger: Amount: Signature:
(theNatureofWords)
March 3, 2010
Mr. David Inbody
Deschutes County Administration
1300 NW Wall Street
Suite 200
Bend, OR 97701-1960
Dear Mr. Inbody:
Please find attached The Nature of Words' request for a discretionary grant from Deschutes County's
Economic Development Fund. The Nature of Words is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization registered in
Deschutes County and serving the greater Central Oregon region.
In its sixth year, The Nature of Words is pleased to claim its place as the premier literary arts organization
serving Central Oregon with events and year round programs. Each year a growing number are inspired
by the acclaimed writers featured at the annual November literary celebration and are benefitting from the
variety of creative writing programs and workshops for adults and students held during the festival and
throughout the year.
We are grateful for the support of Deschutes County and thank you and all the Deschutes County
Commissioners for thoughtful consideration of this request for 2010.
Enc.
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uit„i 1 1 2010
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ADMINISTRATION
www.thenatureofwords.org P.O, Box 56 Bend, Oregon 97709 Tel: 541.330 4381 Cell: 541 .480.3933 Fax: 541.383.7406
APPLICANT ORGANIZATION:
The Nature of Words
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Ms. Ellen Waterston, Director
The Nature of Words
P.O. Box 56
Bend, OR 97709
T: 541.330.4381
C: 541.480.3933
F: 541.383.7406
info(c%thenatureo3'wc,r��is_e
www thenatureorwords.of
PURPOSE, LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE, ACTIVITIES:
The mission of The Nature of Words is to foster an appreciation of the literary arts and
humanities in the High Desert region of the Northwest through community interaction with
acclaimed authors and through creative writing programs for teenage and college-age students
in the region.
The Nature of Words was founded in 2005 by Ellen Waterston, an award-winning poet and
author and respected instructor of creative writing. Her dual passions for writing and promoting
the literary arts converged in The Nature of Words, which debuted as an annual five-day literary
festival held the first week in November at locations throughout Bend.
Over the past six years, Waterston, as Executive Director, her dedicated Board of Directors and
many volunteers have built a highly successful non-profit organization around the flagship
annual literary festival. With enthusiastic support from the community and the literary world, the
festival is the only one in Central Oregon that offers access to a variety of acclaimed authors in a
region that is historically underserved and limited in its exposure to other large state literary
festivals and events.
The Nature of Words has a strong Board of Directors that is closely involved in the organization.
The Board adopted a five year Strategic Plan in 2008 which helps guide the operations of the
organization with established goals and benchmarks. The staff is composed of the executive
director and a part-time administrative assistant. Consultants currently fill in the gaps in publicity
and development. Plans are in place to increase staff to include a program manager and
development director.
At the annual literary event, NOW presents acclaimed national and international authors in two
evenings of readings plus two full days of author -led workshops open to the public and held at
Central Oregon Community College and Oregon State University -Cascades. Feedback from
authors and participants over the past five years has been overwhelmingly positive. Attendance
has significantly grown with each consecutive literary festival, from 1,050 in 2005 to 3,000 in
2009. Students are admitted at no charge to the readings and seniors at half-price. In 2009, over
40 scholarships were awarded to students to pate in the authors' creative writing
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workshops. All events at the November 2009 literary festival—Rising Star awards, readings,
workshops, panel discussions, author dinner, open mic—were filled to capacity.
With the annual literary festival firmly established, the organization broadened its purpose and
added programs thoughtfully and responsibly as needs were identified and funds became
available. To date they include:
• the Rising Star Creative Writing Competition for high school and college-age emerging
writers begun in 2006
• the Creative -Writing -in -the -Schools program serving the Central Oregon region's
schools and alternative educational programs launched in 2008/2009 school year
• the new Storefront Project offering, at no charge, after-school workshops and one-on-one
tutorials in language arts and creative writing at a storefront location in downtown Bend
launched in 2010
The Creative -Writing -in -the -Schools program places qualified authors in high and middle
schools as well as in non-traditional educational programs, such as Sisters Academy and Deer
Ridge Correctional Institution. The Nature of Words Creative -Writing -in -the -Schools project -
based curriculum, developed by Ellen Waterston as a result of her years of instruction
experience, is the foundation curriculum in all schools and Storefront workshops.
The addition of the Creative -Writing -in -the -Schools program complements NOW's annual
Rising Star Creative Writing Competition for young writers. Now entering its fifth year, the
competition solicits submissions in Oregon, Washington and Idaho with awards given in two age
groups (high school and college) and three genres. Winners receive their awards at the opening
night of the literary festival in November. The average number of submissions each year is 200.
Since 2005, The Nature of Words has benefitted from the steadfast and generous support of
Oregon State University -Cascades and, joining in one year later, Central Oregon Community
College. Both provide critical monetary support as well as in-kind contributions in the form of
office space and classrooms for workshops during the November event. Both institutions are
represented on The Nature of Words Board of Directors. In addition, NOW collaborates with the
Deschutes Public Library, the Nancy R. Chandler Visiting Scholar Program, the High Desert
Journal, the High Desert Museum and locally owned bookstores. NOW also partners with Arts
Central and Caldera, two established regional arts organizations, providing the literary arts
component to their visual arts education services.
Currently The Nature of Words has a rent-free office at the Central Oregon Community College
library. However, in September, the organization will move to a downtown location in response
to the college's need to reclaim non -college -related space. The Nature of Words is now looking
for new accommodations that will house their offices as well as a permanent Storefront Project
location.
PROPOSED PROJECT OR ACTIVITY
The Nature of Words respectfully requests $3,500 from the Economic Development Fund of
Deschutes County to help offset the costs of The Nature of Words November festival. This grant
will help pay for the costs associated with promoting and staging the five-day event including
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out -of -area television and radio promotions, author reading and lecture fees, and author -led
workshops offered over the course of the long weekend.
TIMELINE
The Nature of Words 2010 is scheduled for November 3-7, 2010. Economic Development funds
would be expended on or before October 15, 2010.
IMPACT OF THE NATURE OF WORDS ON COMMUNITY'S ECONOMIC HEALTH
In its first year The Nature of Words attracted 1,500 attendees at the November literary festival.
By 2009, that number had doubled. In 2010, The Nature of Words will move some of the events
to larger venues and add additional readings to accommodate the growing demand from the
region and from visitors to Bend who come exclusively to attend The Nature of Words in
November. The praise of and interest in NOW's literary event is growing. The impact on the
regional economy is significant in terms of lodging, restaurant use, and collateral economic
impact (countless businesses help produce television spots, print, design, and distribute
promotional materials; a significant number are sub -contracted by The Nature of Words to
instruct during the year and plan the November event). It is worth noting the November
attendance does not include the 1,000 students impacted by year round programs and events such
as the Storefront Project and Creative -Writing -in -the -Schools, part of NOW's effort to help
offset the budget cuts and instruction hours at regional schools.
At all times but especially in difficult economic times is important to put on a good face for
visitors to and residents of Central Oregon. NOW is a cultural non-profit that, unlike the
Cascade Festival of Music, the Children's Museum and 2"d Street Theatre, has survived despite
the financial challenges of the current recession. This has been accomplished thanks to the
efforts of a dedicated Board of Directors, the generosity of donors and efficient management
practices. As a non-profit that serves the youth of the region and also offers a four star cultural
event that attracts people to the county, NOW is proud to enrich the cultural life of the
community and contribute to the education of its young people.
SPECIFIC COMMUNITIES THAT WILL BENEFIT
The greater Deschutes County population and participants from throughout Central Oregon
attend The Nature of Words' November literary celebration, as well as visitors from outside the
region. With students admitted to the readings at no charge and seniors at discount, NOW also
serves and encourages those populations to take advantage of the great resource that NOW is. In
addition, thanks to donations from local businesses and individuals, NOW offers upwards of 40
student scholarships to the author -led workshops held over the course of the long weekend. In
exit surveys it has been learned that all ages, all levels of income and education are among
NOW's audience. Readers, students, emerging writers and those who appreciate the performance
of an artist at the top of their game are in attendance.
ANTICIPATED EXPENDITURES
The cash -based budget for the five-day November festival is $79,000. Of that amount $31,000 is
dedicated to author fees and $18,000 to promotion. The expected revenue from the weekend is
approximately $45,000. If the Board of commissioners would benefit from a more detailed
budget, NOW would be happy to provide one.
(theNatureofWords)
A discretionary grant from the Economic Development Fund would be used to supplement:
A. Promotional activities. A portion of EDF dollars would be used specifically to offset the
cost of producing a 30 second television spot, the airtime for which is being donate to
The Nature of Words by the Bend Visitors and Convention Bureau to be aired starting in
August from Seattle to northern California via Comcast.
B. Guest author fees. Already booked for November are poet David Whyte, poet Michael
Dickman; fiction writers Kent Haruf and Hillary Jordan; nonfiction author Jim Baca;
keynote speaker Sam Waterston; editor of the year from Knopf Publishing Gary
Fisketjon. Pending is science fiction/fantasy author Jean Auel as the 2010 recipient of
the Special Recognition Award made to an Oregon author who has contributed a
significant body of work; fiction and nonfiction writer David Eggers; nonfiction writer
from Oregon Marjorie Sandor and Haitian fiction writer Edwidge Danticat.
To date 2010 fundraising efforts earmarked for the November event have garnered
$26,000 in cash with many grant applications and individual and corporate commitments
pending. In-kind donations for donated advertising space are currently $14,000.
Donation of venues for workshops are valued at $2,000 and (pending) author lodging at
$3,000.
The Nature of Words is proud to be an established part of the rich variety of cultural,
educational and athletic events and programs offered in Deschutes County. The
organization, its events and programs, are ongoing throughout the year and are supported
by program fees, fundraising and event ticket sales.
(theNatureofWords)