Title
Evaluate the 2026 Cultural Arts and Arts Programming Proposals and Recommend Funding Awards.
Body
To: Honorable Chairperson Rush and Members of the Public Art Commission
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
City of Alameda’s (City) Public Art Ordinance (Alameda Municipal Code Section 30-98) requires commercial, industrial and municipal development projects having a building development cost of two hundred fifty thousand ($250,000) dollars or greater to devote one percent (1%) of building development costs for public art in Alameda. Any in-lieu fees collected are deposited in the dedicated Fund and can only be used to provide or support public art. The Council adopted Alameda Public Art Master Plan (Plan), calls for the “release [of] a grant application for Cultural Arts and Arts Programming.” The Public Art Program’s Biennial Work Plan calls for annual cultural art grant calls to support performing arts such as theatre, dance, music; literary arts, storytelling and more. On January 29, the City released the 2026 Request for Proposals (RFPs) for Cultural Arts and Arts Programming. Eighteen (18) proposals were received and all were deemed eligible for consideration. The purpose of this evening’s meeting is for the Public Art Commission (PAC) to evaluate the proposals and recommend funding awards for the 2026 grant cycle.
BACKGROUND
The City’s Public Art Ordinance requires commercial, industrial and municipal development projects costing $250,000 or more to devote one percent (1%) of building development costs for public art in Alameda. Developers can fulfill the 1% Program Allocation by installing on-site public art, paying an in-lieu fee or a combination of the two. Any in-lieu fees collected are deposited in the dedicated Public Art Fund (Fund) and can only be used to provide or support physical art, cultural arts, and arts programming for the benefit of the community. Physical artworks refer to tangible objects like sculptures and murals that are installed in public spaces, while cultural arts and arts programming refer to a broader range of artistic experiences and events designed to engage and enrich the community. The current balance of the Fund is approximately $888,102; a total balance will be available at the end of the fiscal year when actual expenses and revenues are reconciled.
In 2023, Council adopted the Alameda Public Art Master Plan (Plan). The Plan calls for the “release [of] a grant application for Cultural Arts and Arts Programming”. Throughout the development of the Plan, staff received feedback from the PAC, arts organizations, artists, as well as community members asking for a consistent schedule for when grants are released so that artists and arts organizations can plan for them. In 2024, PAC approved a Biennial Work Plan that established an annual call for Cultural Arts and Arts Programming. Since 2022, the Public Art Program has released an annual grant call for Cultural Arts and Arts Programming. On January 29, the City released the 2026 Request for Proposals (RFPs) for Cultural Arts and Arts Programming. Applications closed March 19 at 5:00 pm and eighteen (18) proposals were received. Staff pre-screened all proposals and all were deemed eligible for consideration.
Per the 2026 Cultural Art and Arts Programming RFP (Exhibit 1), the PAC will recommend funding awards in the amount of $60,000 across four (4) grantees. Of note, for the 2025 Cultural Arts and Arts Programming grant cycle, the PAC deviated from the RFP and elected to award $70,000 across ten (10) grantees - rather than $60,000 across eight (8) grantees. The administration of ten grant awards was significantly taxing on the already limited staff capacity for the Public Art Program. Due to limitations in staff time, staff have had to limit the number of grants awarded for this year's grant cycle. The PAC may consider awarding more than four grants, although for this grant cycle, staff has set the maximum number of grant awards to six. The purpose of this evening’s meeting is for the PAC to evaluate the proposals and recommend funding awards for the 2026 grant cycle.
DISCUSSION
Process
A total of eighteen (18) proposals were received. Staff pre-screened all proposals and all were deemed eligible for consideration. The eligibility requirements were:
• Proposal includes all of the elements listed in the “Proposal Requirement” section
• Proposing organization is a non-profit, public agency or a fiscally sponsored organization
• Proposed cultural arts event will be free of charge, open to the public and located in Alameda
The PAC will evaluate and score the applications on a scale of 1 through 5 using the evaluation criteria detailed below. To avoid scoring errors like the 2024 grant cycle, staff have asked the PAC to provide preliminary scores by April 20. At the April 27 PAC meeting, the PAC will review all proposals and preliminary scores and may change their scores based on the group discussion and deliberation. At the close of the discussion, the final scores will be recorded into record. Grantees will be notified of the status of their application in May.
Scoring Scale
|
5 |
Exceptional |
Meets review criteria to the highest degree |
|
4 |
Strong |
Strongly meets review criteria |
|
3 |
Good |
Satisfactorily or successfully meets review criteria, average |
|
2 |
Fair |
Moderately meets some of the review criteria; needs some improvement |
|
1 |
Underdeveloped |
Minimally meets the review criteria; greatly needs improvement |
|
0 |
Weak |
Does not meet any elements of the review criteria |
Evaluation Criteria
|
Proposed Event or Program |
An assessment of the proposed event or program and how it will benefit the broader community and engage local arts and culture groups and individuals. |
35% |
|
Experience / Capacity |
An assessment of the organization’s experience and/or capacity to implement programs and projects to enhance local arts and culture. |
25% |
|
Budget |
Inclusion of reasonable cost estimates within desired grant amount. |
10% |
|
Schedule |
Inclusion of realistic program schedule. |
10% |
|
Equity |
Proposal addresses cultural equity, diversity, and inclusiveness. |
5% |
|
Accessibility |
People of all abilities can fully engage in the proposal |
5% |
|
Leveraged funds |
Use of additional federal, state, philanthropic or other funds for the project. |
5% |
|
Local Preference |
Artist and/or arts organization based in the City of Alameda. |
5% |
The PAC will evaluate and score the proposals and recommend funding awards. A brief description of each proposal is presented in Exhibit 2.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the PAC evaluate the 2026 Cultural Arts and Arts Programming proposals and recommend funding awards.
Respectfully submitted,
Jackie Keliiaa, Development Manager
Secretary, Public Art Commission
Exhibits
1) 2026 Cultural Arts and Arts Programming RFP
2) 2026 Cultural Art and Arts Programming Proposal Descriptions