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Q&A
Council Member Louis questions DCLA on funding allocation and outreach efforts
2:58:40
·
4 min
Council Member Farah N. Louis questions Commissioner Lauri Cumbo and her team about DCLA's plans for allocating FY26 funds towards technical assistance and outreach for cultural groups. The discussion covers DCLA's current efforts in providing application support, community engagement, and collaboration with the City Council to improve access to funding information.
- DCLA conducts webinars and provides support throughout the application process for CDF grants
- Assistant Commissioner Audrey Sinclair is leading new in-person outreach efforts to meet with arts organizations and alliances
- DCLA has created a toolkit of resources for potential CDF applicants, shared with the City Council for distribution to constituents
Farah N. Louis
2:58:40
Councilmember Lewis.
2:58:41
Thank you Chair, and good to see you Commissioner Ann Lentz.
Lauri Cumbo
2:58:45
Good to see you and I want to thank you again for the opportunity to serve in your Women's Herstory Month event.
2:58:51
Oh yes.
2:58:51
Always a big success at the Brooklyn Children's Museum.
Farah N. Louis
2:58:54
We enjoyed you and your outfit.
Melody Capote
2:58:56
Thank you.
Carlina Rivera
2:58:56
So thank you for coming by.
Farah N. Louis
2:58:58
Two quick questions.
2:58:59
One of them Chair Rivera shared so I'll rearrange it but will DCLA allocate a portion of FY twenty six funds specifically towards technical assistance, multilingual outreach and application support for emerging and grassroots cultural groups and in FY '20 '6 budget.
2:59:20
And the second one is and Chair Rivera mentioned that the City Council is supporting DCLA with sharing information with our constituents and cultural groups, but given ongoing feedback about inadequate awareness of deadlines and eligibility requirements, have you all thought about with the FY26 funds that you'll receive, will DCLA establish a year round community based engagement plan to democratize access to funding?
Lauri Cumbo
2:59:52
Spoken like the council member who created the office of not for profit services.
2:59:58
That is an excellent question.
2:59:59
We do extensive webinars to make sure that our applicants are ready and on board and prepared to apply.
3:00:08
We also have an entire process.
3:00:11
Once the application is launched, during the application process, and afterwards making sure that organizations understand exactly how to apply to CDF, what to do while they're applying, and whether they did or did not get the grant.
3:00:25
We actually do really intensive interviews with applicants so that they can understand where they might not have met the benchmark in order to apply for the following year.
3:00:36
So that's one.
3:00:38
Our technical service is not built out the way that you're saying it or asking.
3:00:43
It's more just a part of the entire process.
3:00:47
We make sure that that happens.
3:00:49
We do extensive outreach.
3:00:51
Our new programs assistant commissioner Audrey Sinclair has been out in the field which is a really big and new dynamic where she's going in person to meet with arts organizations and to meet with groups that work collaboratively together and alliances.
3:01:07
So we're really very proud of that.
3:01:11
Lance did you want to add something to that?
Lance Polivy
3:01:13
The last thing I'd say is that this year we worked very closely with the council to put together a toolkit of resources for groups that may want to apply to CDF.
3:01:25
And so our office put that together, we shared it with the council, and the council then shared it with all members so that members could get those materials into the hands of the groups in your districts, and that you could include it in your newsletters, and all of the other ways that you communicate directly with your constituents.
3:01:44
So we think that this is really important, and I want to just highlight what the commissioner said, that our assistant commissioner is getting her team out into communities this year to speak directly with organizations to do exactly what you're proposing.
3:01:59
So we are very much on the same page and want to collaborate on doing that effectively.
3:02:04
And this toolkit that we've put together and shared with the council is another good way to do that because we can't get into all 51 council districts, but we know that you guys have all the right contacts and the right people to be communicating with so that you can take that toolkit of information and share it with all of them.
Farah N. Louis
3:02:21
The toolkit was definitely helpful so look forward to doing that again.
3:02:25
So Ms.
3:02:25
Sinclair would be the point person to work Yes.
3:02:29
Okay, thank you.
Lauri Cumbo
3:02:30
And just want to add we have met with the office of not for Profit Services and are looking forward to doing some collaborations there as well.
3:02:37
So thank you so much for authoring that.
Farah N. Louis
3:02:40
Yes.
Lauri Cumbo
3:02:41
That office is really critical to city services and making sure that we are getting funding out the door in a timely fashion.
Farah N. Louis
3:02:49
Thank you.
3:02:50
Thank you chairs.