Funding is being made available to support projects identified as priorities within individual communities as well as to arts, culture and heritage organizations.
The former through the Columbia Basin Trust Community Initiatives (CIP) and Affected Areas Programs (AAP), in conjunction with the Regional District of Central Kootenays (RDCK).
The latter by the Columbia Basin Trust (CBT) and its Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance (CKCA).
Seemingly.
Running these funding-offers concurrently and not keeping them clearly and visibly self-explanatory/contained on all levels - no matter how well-intentioned - is confusing and possibly counter-productive. Definitely not client-friendly!
The seeming lack of a press-release (actually 2!) - timed to allow for immediate extensive press-coverage thus maximum length of time for preparation by those to be funded - seems like a one-way concern. There may be press to inform the wider public on Wed. Feb. 15, but seeing that deadlines for applications are Mar. 5 and 9, this would mean 1 week less for those targeted - but mayhaps uninformed hitherto - to pull it all together.
I initially became aware if it all through a confusing group-e-mail from the City's cultural development officer (CDO), Wed. Feb. 8. Still, without this e-mail I most certainly would have overlooked the 2 ads.
My reason for getting into this here is that many funding-neophytes, yearning to find funding for their pursuits, still may not know about these possibilities; and if they do they may be frustrated by clunky communication. So if they don't find out quickly or don't find out at all: long-time funding-junkies - hardened by/adapted to the funds-providing process per se and totally ready for rent-money - may become primary beneficiaries of the CBT's largesse.
Even those not interested in applying may want to continue reading this post anyway: an example of self-defeating (non-)communication from the top down.
Extensive press-coverage of these funding-possibilities would seem particularly appropriate with the CIP/AAP/RDCK offering as - even though it's all about priorities within individual communities - no possible local priorities are identified. There are a couple of phone-numbers, an e-mail address and a website: aside from process this website offers no insight whatsoever, and phone-numbers and an e-mail address mean possible waste of more time and energy - adding frustration. Nothing project-focused in writing!
Deadline for applications: Mon. Mar. 5, 2012
The website for the CIP/AAP/RDCK funding-venue is:
www.rdck.bc.ca/corporate/grants/cbt.html
The CBT/CKCA possibility for those with an artistic/cultural/heritage-bend is somewhat more forthcoming, with funding-availability for itemized sample-areas listed on:
http://www.basinculture.com/
They have 1 phone-number and 1 e-mail address.
Deadline for applications: Fri. Mar. 9 or 23, depending on the program.
Okay, that's done! Or not! I have attempted to keep this as simple as possible - sorted - with whatever info I have; arts, cultural and heritage aspects (CBT/CKCA?) - as in the CDO's e-mail - here need more attention though.
The e-mail says:
The City of Nelson and its Cultural Development Commission (CDC) are pleased to announce that it (sic) will be continuing with last year's initiative to devote up to 35% of the Columbia Basin Trust Community Initiative funding to local arts, culture and heritage projects.
"We're very pleased that for the third year running, Council has dedicated this allocation to our vital arts and heritage sector," says Councillor and CDC member Donna Macdonald.
How vital the arts- and particularly the heritage-sector are is arguable; she does not mention culture in this quote but then continues with:
"This allows the CDC to oversee a process whereby an independent jury of local arts, culture & heritage professionals adjudicates the applications. This objective and informed approach has worked very well."
The key-word in all this - though not vital - being "culture".
The City's 3-year Cultural Action Plan, 2008, says:
2.1 Cultural Mapping Project and Web Product
The Cultural Mapping Project will produce information outcomes: cultural inventory, infrastructure and economics. It will provide planning tools for cultural infrastructure investment and cultural tourism as well as support for practitioners.
The City of Nelson does not have a clear understanding of who and what comprises our cultural sector.
What with - 3 years later - still not having consciously, definitively come to terms with what culture means in Nelson, the CDC has been disregarding the culture of the Whole in favor of a more convenient (possibly more glamorous) narrowly focused arts-mainly approach. So - in this e-mail anyway - the councillor/CDC member predictably fades in-and-out of culture. With the sequence of terms arts, culture and heritage coming straight from the CKCA's grants-application info-sheet - instead of the CDC's parameters of day-to-day concerns.
To sort this: Arts are imaginatively articulated reactions to/within the aggregate experience - culture! - of the Whole. Arts originate in particular cultural circumstances. Arts from culture.
Culture as in Cultural Development Commission means just that - otherwise it should be the Arts Development Commission.
Specifically -
The CKCA states in its funding-offer, Jan. 9, 2012:
Arts, Culture And Heritage Grant Application Available
Columbia Basin-artists in all disciplines - as well as arts, culture and heritage organizations - are invited to apply for funding through the Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance (CKCA), which delivers the Arts, Culture and Heritage Programs of (sic) Columbia Basin Trust (CBT).
"This is support for our neighbours, our museums, our local theatre troupes - for the many ways arts, culture and heritage weave through our lives," said Gary Ockenden, CBT director of Community Engagement.
The CKCA acknowledges a difference between arts and culture! Is ready to fund this difference!
Thus I asked the City's CDO in a reply to the above-mentioned e-mail, Jan. 9, for a list of this year's jurors (ideally - 3 lists of the 3 groups!) and their professional qualifications, as well as juror-lists of the previous 2 years. Seeing that this will be the third year for it all. As of this date, I have not had a reply but will post it when/if I receive it.
The CDO's e-mail talks about local arts, culture and heritage only - clearly the CKCA's funding-domain. Here. One would think. With the CKCA's application-intro using the same terms. But then - surprisingly - the web-address provided in the e-mail for applications/info is that of the RDCK, with neither the RDCK ad in the Express, nor its on-line application-material talking about arts, culture and heritage. Or much of anything else - aside from electoral areas.
For the uninitiated: piling confusion on top of confused! You too? Still feeling creative?
Or what!
Fund-a-mentals!
Wed. Feb. 15
Today there's nothing in the Nelson Star (as I had thought: maybe ...!) about the grants currently offered by the CKCA and the RDCK - no ads, no in-depth explanatory write-up. Nothing!
Now - through Krista Patterson of the CKCA connecting with me - I find that the CKCA indeed sent out press-releases in January.
The Cultural Development Commission has only publicized RDCK-funding info and that through its one e-mail only - seemingly because of its direct involvement with adjudicating - but art is art (or not!): so at least acknowledging the current CKCA funding-effort would have seemed appropriate.
The CDC could/should have been instrumental in getting the word out to the wider public through local whatever-media. Smallish ads - with the CBT logo/routine lay-out - are easily overlooked; we see and possibly ignore those regularly.
So if not the CDC - who?
.....
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