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Q&A
Questions and answers on Cultural Development Fund (CDF) changes and funding concerns
2:43:48
ยท
4 min
Council Member Gale A. Brewer raises concerns about changes in CDF funding, with many organizations receiving less money. Commissioner Laurie Cumbo explains the recent reforms and their impacts:
- The minimum grant amount was raised from $5,000 to $10,000
- 73% of applicants received CDF funding
- A safety net grant was introduced for organizations previously funded for six consecutive years
- These changes resulted in some organizations receiving less funding or no funding at all
- Brewer requests a detailed list of funding changes for review
- Cumbo acknowledges the difficult decisions involved in balancing funding priorities
- The discussion highlights the need for increased overall funding for the arts sector
Gale A. Brewer
2:43:48
Number two, I'm confused about CDF.
2:43:50
If there's, is there more money than in the past because a lot of organizations got less money.
2:43:55
And so I wanna get, maybe not now, but a listing of I mean I know CDF very well.
2:44:00
I've said I'm not read those things hours and hours.
2:44:04
So the application.
2:44:06
So my question is how do we get between last year and this year knowledge of difference in funding?
2:44:12
Who got, you know, less?
2:44:14
Who got more?
2:44:15
Etcetera.
2:44:15
Because a lot of organizations got cut.
2:44:17
And of course they're all calling me.
2:44:19
So how do you explain if you got more money, how can people be cut?
Laurie Cumbo
2:44:24
Part of the major reforms of the CDF is that we raise the floor from $5,000 to a $10,000 grant.
Gale A. Brewer
2:44:32
Right.
Laurie Cumbo
2:44:32
So anytime you raise the floor from five to ten, that's going to account for a decreased amount of funding in terms of the awards or the number of organizations that receive funding.
2:44:45
So the school of thought on that is, and everyone of course has a different school of thought, we would rather give deeper investment to potentially fewer organizations.
2:44:56
Not so few organizations, but I believe we're at 73%.
2:45:02
Is that the correct number?
2:45:03
73% of organizations that applied received CDF funding.
2:45:08
So that's a very high percentage in terms of 73% of organizations receiving funding.
2:45:14
And raising the floor from five to ten thousand dollars is a part of the reason why there were reductions and or fewer organizations.
Gale A. Brewer
2:45:24
Okay.
2:45:25
But, so if you could provide to the chair what I asked because even though you it sounds good what you said Mhmm.
2:45:32
I must have gotten the call from the 15% or whatever who didn't get money.
Laurie Cumbo
2:45:36
That's right.
Gale A. Brewer
2:45:36
Right?
2:45:37
And I must have gotten the calls from all the organizations that didn't get as much.
Laurie Cumbo
2:45:41
Did you get any calls from anyone that did receive funding?
Gale A. Brewer
2:45:44
I of course not.
2:45:45
Why would they call me?
2:45:47
I but I am concerned that They got funded but they also got
Carlina Rivera
2:45:51
lower at a lower amount.
Gale A. Brewer
2:45:52
Yes.
2:45:53
So And they got some when you say some, 73%, yes.
2:45:56
Don't wanna be specific here, but I can tell you they got a lot less and they're freaked out.
2:46:01
So I'd like to get that list.
2:46:03
Will be
Laurie Cumbo
2:46:03
more than happy to provide that list to you and all the members of the committee so that we can review it collectively.
2:46:09
Yep.
2:46:10
But
Gale A. Brewer
2:46:11
I know they can appeal, but it doesn't mean they're gonna get money.
Laurie Cumbo
2:46:15
We just want you to understand the process and how we came to that configuration.
Gale A. Brewer
2:46:19
I guess I'm alright.
2:46:20
But in the Lord, I know you have lots of new ideas, but I worry about those that don't fit into the new ideas and don't get more money.
2:46:26
They all need money.
Laurie Cumbo
2:46:27
They're all great.
2:46:28
So let me just give you an example.
2:46:30
Right?
2:46:31
Part of what we heard from this panel was that many you were getting these calls that organizations were saying, hey, we got zeroed out.
2:46:39
We've been getting funding from DCLA for the past twenty five years, and all of a sudden we got a rejection notice saying that we're not gonna get funded.
2:46:47
So we're getting those calls.
2:46:49
So then we say, alright, we put in the place to say if you've been consecutively funded by the Department of Cultural Affairs for six years, we will do an average of what you received over those last six years, and give you a safety net grant that's half of what you typically had been receiving over the last six years, just to make sure that you are not zeroed out, and that the funding dynamics that you have in your portfolio with foundations and corporations is not disrupted.
2:47:20
We'll give you that safety net grant, and you'll be able to come back and apply next year for funding to get a multi year award.
2:47:28
That measure costs $720,000.
2:47:32
So that is also a measure that reduces the amount of funding available to the entire sector.
2:47:38
So we have to make those hard decisions.
2:47:41
Do you want to provide safety net funding for long term cultural institutions that are doing that work?
2:47:47
Or you want to provide more funding to more organizations who did meet the threshold for that particular year.
2:47:55
These are really tough questions, and that's part of what essentially leadership is to make that decision.
2:48:01
In this administration, we've decided that we want to secure organizations during a very challenging time.
Gale A. Brewer
2:48:07
Okay.
2:48:07
I mean, of course, the obvious answer is we need more money.
2:48:10
But that's something to work on with the cultural organizations and the heavy hand coming from Washington on the arts.
2:48:17
Correct.
2:48:18
This would be the time to get more money out of the city for the arts.
2:48:20
That's how I feel.