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CC - ACTION ITEM: (1) Award of Special Event Grants in the Aggregate Amount of $192,000 for the Fiscal Year 2025/2026 and Designation of Events as City Sponsored as Recommended by the Special Events Grant Program City Council Ad Hoc Subcommittee; (2) Allocation of $18,000 in Contingency Funding for Off-Cycle Event Support; and (3) Authorization to the City Manager to Administratively Approve Applicable City Permits and Licenses Needed to Conduct the Events.
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Meeting Date: May 12, 2025
Contact Person/Dept.: Edgar Varela / Office of Economic and Cultural Development
Phone Number: (310) 253-5752
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [X] No []
Attachments: Yes [X] No []
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (05/07/2025); Special Event Grant Applicants (04/28/2025)
Department Approval: Jesse Mays, Assistant City Manager (04/21/2025)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council (1) award special event grants in the aggregate amount of $192,000 for Fiscal Year 2025/2026 and designate such events as City sponsored, as recommended by the Special Events Grant Program City Council Ad Hoc Subcommittee; (2) allocate $18,000 in contingency for special event off-cycle event support; and (3) authorize the City Manager to administratively approve applicable City permits and licenses needed to conduct the events.
BACKGROUND
The Special Event Grant Program (the “Program”) is set forth in City Council Policy 2502 (the “Policy”) (Attachment 1). The purpose of the Program is to provide greater fiscal transparency, improve budget reliability, and create a centralized process for City Sponsorship requests. Grant awards are intended to be used toward City permits and staffing services required for the event, unless otherwise requested.
In February 2025, the City initiated the annual process for special event grant applications for Fiscal Year 2025/2026. Organizations wishing to obtain City sponsorship for events proposed between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026, were required to attend a mandatory pre-application meeting on February 18th and submit their applications by March 14, 2025.
DISCUSSION
Program Overview
The Special Events Grant Program Policy outlines two event types:
• Community/Charitable Events: Events that serve or benefit locally based organizations and cause and/or provide recreational, cultural and/or social benefits to Culver City residents.
• Signature Events: Large-scale events that promote Culver City regionally, attract visitors, provide measurable economic benefits to the City and enhance the quality of life within Culver City with recreational, cultural, social and/or educational activities of interest to the community.
In order to track the types of events supported and the level of support provided over time, Section 5.D of the Policy outlines the below event criteria and funding:
• Community/Charitable Event Grants:
o Tier 1 (C1): $100 - $2,500
o Tier 2 (C2): $2,501 - $7,500
o Tier 3 (C3): $7,501 - $15,000 +
• Signature Event Grants:
o Tier 1 (S1): $1,000 - $10,000
o Tier 2 (S2): $10,001 - $25,000
o Tier 3 (S3): $25,001+
The Program requires that City-sponsored events also meet the following criteria for sponsorship: The City must be (a) participating in an official capacity in the planning, preparation or promotion of the event or activity; and (b) contributing 25% of the total estimated costs of the civic event or activity or at least $1,000, whichever is less. This contribution may take the form of funds, labor, staff time, materials, a waiver of fees, or any combination thereof.
Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Special Events Grant Program Recommendations
On April 10 and May 6, 2025 the members of the Special Events Grant Program Ad Hoc Subcommittee (Mayor O’Brien and Vice Mayor Puza) (“Subcommittee”) reviewed and evaluated the Fiscal Year 2025/2026 special event grant applications. The Subcommittee recommends awarding $192,000 in grants and designating 27 events with City-sponsorship beginning in July 2025.
A summary of the applications is included in Attachment 2. All grantees must pay all applicable taxes/assessments (including district assessments) and meet all other obligations as specified in the event agreement, including but not limited to, obtaining appropriate business licensing, event permitting, and operating in compliance with all City-established schedules as a condition of the grant. If an approved event cannot be produced as indicated due to venue or other organizer issues, the grant award may be forfeited unless modifications are approved by the Subcommittee.
Art Walk and Roll Festival
On March 3, 2025, the Culver City Arts District requested that the Art Walk and Roll Festival be designated as an annually renewed and funded event in partnership with the City. Over the past several years, the CCAD has been awarded approximately $15,000 per year as part of the City Sponsorship application process to support the event. This year, they requested an additional $35,000 (Attachment 3). The Subcommittee is recommending increasing the amount to $27,000 for the 2025 event and recommends the Council consider CCAD’s request as part of a slate of annual events that would be designated City events with automatic, renewable funding.
Contingency for Special Event Liability Insurance and Off-Cycle Event Support
The Ad Hoc Subcommittee recommends maintaining a small contingency to allow the City to consider limited off-cycle event sponsorship requests. The recommended contingency amount for special event liability insurance and off-cycle event support for the Fiscal Year 2025/2026 program cycle is $18,000.
Staff Capacity for Additional Special Events
The City’s existing staff are at capacity for the number of special events they can produce. Should the City request additional special events off-cycle during the upcoming fiscal year that are not simply marketing assistance, the City Council will need to consider whether to replace existing events or allocate additional budget for additional part-time staff or third-party event producers.
In-Kind Staff Costs
Typically, the City designates management-level staff to serve as event liaisons to awarded City-sponsored events. Management staff time is considered in-kind and may be applied for purposes of determining whether an event meets the $1,000 threshold for City-sponsorship (as required by the Special Events Grant Program Policy) relative to coordination, marketing and promotion of the event.
Administrative Approval of City Permits and Licenses
Staff recommends the City Council authorize the City Manager to administratively approve related permits and licenses needed to conduct the events (i.e., beer garden, street closures, etc.), provided such permits and licenses are consistent with the scope of the event approved and as set forth in the grant application.
Several events have also requested the use of City-owned property and/or equipment which will require a license agreement. Appropriate insurance and endorsements will also be required by the City’s Risk Management Division.
Culver City Arts Foundation Support
Since 2024, the Culver City Arts Foundation (CAF) has provided funding to support the Summer Sunset Music Festival in an amount of approximately $20,000 per year. This year, CAF would like to modify its funding contributions and provide $15,000 for the Summer Sunset Music Series (seven concerts) and $5,000 for the Jazz Series (four concerts). The $20,000 in support would help alleviate budgets for both events with direct funding to the contracted services by artists and vendors participating in the City events.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
The Proposed Special Event Grant Allocation for Fiscal Year 2025/2026 is $210,000, which includes an $18,000 contingency in Account No. 10116100.517560 (Non-Departmental - Special Event Grants). The Proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2025/2026 includes $122,000 in Account No. 10116100.517560 for special event grants and $34,000 in Account No. 10116100.517500 (Non-Departmental - Contributions to Other Agencies) for an Independence Day event, based on the allocations from the prior fiscal year. If Council authorizes the Proposed Special Event Grant Allocation, an additional $54,000 from the General Fund will need to be added to these accounts in the Budget for Fiscal Year 2025/2026. The General Fund budget is currently operating at a structural deficit.
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2025-2026 Proposed Fiscal Year Special Event Grants |
$192,000 |
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Contingency |
$18,000 |
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Total Recommended Allocation |
$210,000 |
ATTACHMENTS
1. ATT 1 Special Events Grant Program Policy - Resolution 2017-R006
2. ATT 2 Special Events Grant Program Applicants Summary
3. ATT 3 Letter from Culver City Arts District
MOTIONS
That the City Council:
1. Award $191,000 in grants and designate 27 events as City-sponsored through the Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Special Events Grant Program; and
2. Allocate up to $18,00 in contingency for off-cycle event support; and
3. Authorize the City Manager to administratively approve applicable
City permits and licenses needed to conduct the events, provided such permits and licenses are consistent with the scope of the event as set forth in the grant application.