Discussion:
The Application form for the Arts, Culture and Heritage Fund was posted on the Cultural Affairs webpage with the grant opening January 20, 2020 and closing February 7, 2020. The ACHF Application is electronic, with both an online application form and an online process for adjudication.
The jury appreciated the online process as it permitted them access to the applicants' support materials by allowing them to click embedded links to YouTube videos, sound files and image files. Jurors using this system for adjudication, and applicants using this system to apply were very satisfied with the overall functionality of the system.
Each juror received a specific, unique login to allow them access to the online applications. Administration was able to monitor the jury's progress through the evaluation process. The jury convened on February 25, 2020 to discuss the applications and the key objectives and priorities of the fund.
There was a long and involved conversation amongst the jurors to determine the final decision. At the close of the application round, thirty-six applications totalling $146,396 in requested funding were received. If the opportunity to fund all of the requests were available, the total value of the projects would exceed $614,572, demonstrating how grant funding leverages additional spending on culture within the community. There is $43,600 available for distribution in the first round of the ACHF in 2020.
Of their collective experience working as part of the ACHF Jury for the first funding round of 2020, the members' comments included:
"Nothing makes you feel more connected to the community as a whole than intimately getting to know its separate parts. This process helped us feel like we're on the 'inside' now of so much that's happening in the creative community. We've read incredible reference letters that feel personal, supporting applicants with projects that are so impactful. This process gives us the opportunity to fund exciting, new, creative projects that will help stretch and strengthen the creative community in Windsor. The diversity in programming is a direct reflection of the diversity in Windsor. This round brought in strong heritage projects... strong projects across all genres and sectors. We can help build a Windsor that thrives and grows in comparison to many other cities experiencing a renaissance... and continuing to tangibly support the arts, culture and heritage sector is a powerful way to do it. This program and process show that community is not only about economics or markets, but about who we are as people. The ACHF program gives us the opportunity to invest in our people... to help us find the identity we're always searching for."
Table 1 below provides a detailed listing of successful applicants along with a description of the project they submitted for funding. Upon completion of their projects, applicants are required to submit to the Cultural Affairs office a final report outlining the impact of the project, both financially and within the cultural community of Windsor. All final reports require the recipients to quantify the results of their project (the number of visitors, CDs sold, attendance, engagements, etc.). The final report also includes the final budget for the project including revenues earned, copies of promotional materials,