REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: AARON A. AGUIRRE, Director
Parks, After School, Recreation and Community Services Department
BY: SHELBY MACNAB, Assistant Director
Parks, After School, Recreation and Community Services Department
SUBJECT
Title
Actions pertaining to the Expanded Access to Arts and Culture Grant Program
1. RESOLUTION - Adopting the Measure P Expanded Access to Arts and Culture Grant Guidelines
2. RESOLUTION - To create the Ad-hoc Cultural Arts Grant Application Review Committee to be Known as “ARC Group A”
3. RESOLUTION - To create the Ad-hoc Cultural Arts Grant Application Review Committee to be Known as “ARC Group B”
4. RESOLUTION - To create the Ad-hoc Cultural Arts Grant Application Review Committee to be Known as “ARC Group C”
5. RESOLUTION - To create the Ad-hoc Cultural Arts Grant Application Review Committee to be Known as “ARC Group D”
6. RESOLUTION - To create the Ad-hoc Cultural Arts Grant Application Review Committee to be Known as “ARC Group E”
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommend that the Fresno City Council adopt the Grant Guidelines for the Measure P Expanded Access to Arts and Culture Grant Guidelines (EAAC) and the associated resolutions forming ad-hoc Cultural Arts Grant Application Review Committees for ARC Groups A-E.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Staff are seeking adoption of the Grant Guidelines for the EAAC grant program and adoption of the resolutions forming the ad-hoc Cultural Arts Grant Application Review Committees. Adoption of the grant guidelines will enable the release of the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) by June 30, 2026.
BACKGROUND
In 2018 a majority of Fresno voters approved Measure P - the Fresno Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks Transaction and Use Tax (Measure P), which was thereafter codified in Chapter 7, Article 15 of the Fresno Municipal Code (FMC). Measure P is a retail and transaction tax which requires twelve percent (12%) of the funds collected to be made available on an annual basis to invest in competitive grants for nonprofit organizations that support and expand access to arts and cultural programming.
On August 10, 2023, the City of Fresno entered into a Service Agreement with the Fresno Arts Council to administer the Expanded Access to Arts and Culture Grant Program. The Service Agreement was terminated on February 20, 2026. In accordance with Measure P; the Parks, Recreation, and Arts Commission (PRAC) is responsible for implementing the grant program, in partnership with the Fresno Arts Council. To enable implementation, PARCS worked closely with PRAC and its subcommittee to prepare a draft set of guidelines. PRAC, along with the PARCS Department, worked with the Fresno Arts Council to share outreach materials and cross promotion to ensure that engagement opportunities were widely shared.
Measure P requires the City to make funds available on an annual basis, through multiple grant solicitations. The City Attorney’s Office has determined that the next round of funding (Cycle Three) shall be made available through release of two NOFO solicitations no later than June 30, 2026. To comply with this requirement, staff has conducted multiple rounds of engagement and has collaborated with PRAC to implement the timely release of the NOFOs. The total amount of funds available for Cycle Three grants is $6,498,200.
The following meetings were held to facilitate drafting the EAAC Grant Guidelines and associated Application Review Committee (ARC) Handbook which will guide a transparent and competitive scoring process.
• April 15, 2026 - PRAC Guidelines Sub-Committee Meeting #1
• April 22, 2026 - Community Listening Session #1 @ Ted C. Wills
• April 25, 2026 - Community Listening Session #2 @ Maxie L. Parks
• April 28, 2026 - Community Listening Session #3 @ Mosqueda
• April 29, 2026 - PRAC Guidelines Sub-Committee Meeting #2
• April 30, 2026 - Guideline Comment Portal Closed
• May 08, 2026 - ARC Handbook Comment portal Closed
• May 13, 2025 - PRAC Guidelines Sub-Committee Meeting #3
• May 18, 2026 - Review with PRAC; guidelines were recommended
A total of 83 people attended the outreach meetings, and 760 public comments were received. Staff publicly reviewed the draft guidelines during the PRAC Subcommittee meetings and at a regularly scheduled PRAC meeting. During each review, staff facilitated a discussion enabling PRAC members to comment or request updates to the language in the documents, page-by-page. Nearly 14 hours of discussion and public comment were facilitated during the PRAC meetings. PRAC’s comments and questions were incorporated following each meeting.
On June 4, 2026, the Fresno City Council established the PRAC Guidelines Ad Hoc Committee to review the draft grant guidelines and provide feedback and recommendations to the full Council by June 18, 2026. The committee’s recommendations have been incorporated into the draft guidelines.
Updates from the prior adopted guidelines include:
• One set of guidelines instead of four sets to increase clarity and ease of use.
• A shift from “emerging” vs. “established” definitions toward a scale based on the total annual revenue of an organization.
• Adjustments to the maximum funding awards along a sliding scale.
• A $500 stipend for reviewers is included to ensure attendance and retention during the review process which is estimated to require 40+ hours for each panelist.
• Broader eligibility requirements to address needs identified in the Cultural Arts Plan.
• A rigorously structured review and scoring process with clearly defined rubrics, training requirements, and conflict of interest procedures.
• An independent appeals process.
• A pre-qualification process for fiscal sponsors overseeing more than five (5) sponsored awards.
The City Attorney’s Office and Risk have reviewed this item.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378, this item is not a project for the purposes of CEQA.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference is not applicable since this item will not include a bid or award for a construction or services contract.
FISCAL IMPACT
Funding for Cycle Three EAAC Grantmaking is reflected in the PARCS Department’s budget. Adoption of the guidelines will have no additional fiscal impact.
Attachments:
Resolution - Adopting the Grant Guidelines
EAAC Grant Guidelines
Resolution - Ad Hoc Committee A
Resolution - Ad Hoc Committee B
Resolution - Ad Hoc Committee C
Resolution - Ad Hoc Committee D
Resolution - Ad Hoc Committee E