Cultural Council

Lowell Cultural Council Tuesday, October 24, 2017, 6:30pm In attendance: Maxine Farkas, Laura Frye, Joe Pyne, Justin Sultzbach, Chay Pin, Marianna Wood, Olu Ibrahim, Bianca Mauro, Jerry Bisantz, Justin Sultzbach, Sean Daniels, Xavier Robbins, and Roberto Dei 1. Reimbursements: Roberto presented FY17 grant reimbursements for council members to review and approve. 2. Maxine presented the first Cultural Connections video. Video featured Salsa in the Park and Donna Miceli. a. Inform Maxine if you know of a Lowell Cultural Council (LCC) funded project that would like to be featured on an upcoming Cultural Connection. She will need to know date of event/project, and if the project/event can be filmed. 3. FY18 Grant Applications a. 62 grant applications were submitted b. 9 grant applications that did not include required supplemental materials. Roberto emailed applicants and asked them to provide the materials. c. Interview meetings: Nov. 13 & 15 from 6-9pm i. Maxine scheduled interviews for all applicants ii. Five interviews per half hour, 5 minutes each iii. Council Members should prepare individual questions for each applicant in preparation for interviews. Questions may include, but aren’t limited to: 1. Asking for more information or details about project 2. Budget clarification 3. How project will impact Lowell iv. Please remember, this is an opportunity for Council Members to ask questions for clarification. Applicants should not give a presentation. d. Deliberation Meetings: Nov 27 & 28, 6:30pm i. FIRST MEETING: Grant Deliberation 1. Council Members must score all applications prior to the first deliberation meeting, and bring a copy of score sheet to first meeting. ii. SECOND MEETING: Fund Distribution 1. All application scores will be tallied prior to meeting. 2. Council members will decide how grant funds will be distributed. LCC Meeting Minutes, 10/24/2017 Page 1 of 2  4. How to Score Each Application: a. Council Members must evaluate grant applications on five components: i. Quality of Project: score 1-5 (5 = best) ii. Community Benefit: score 1-5 (5 = best) iii. Budget and Funding: score 1-5 (5 = best) iv. Planning: score 1-5 (5 = best) v. Leadership: score 1-5 (5 = best) b. 1 bonus point awarded if application matched Council’s funding priorities (projects which are collaborative, and/or take place in the neighborhoods and/or performance in all its guises) c. Total amount of points possible = 26 d. Maxine will provide Council Members with Application Score Sheet by email. 5. Mass Cultural Council’s (MCC) Cultural Council District Initiative meeting on 10/17/2017 a. Maxine represented Lowell Cultural Council at meeting b. MCC offered to speak to the City of Lowell about how they can better support LCC. c. Artweek Mass: April 27- May 6, 2018 i. Application for submitting events opens on 11/1/17 6. Action Items: a. Review all applications, prepare questions for interviews, score each application prior to first deliberation meeting b. New members complete MCC and State Ethics training 1. Upcoming Meeting Dates: a. Grantee Interview Meetings: i. Monday, November 13 , 6:00, Mayor’s Reception Room ii. Wednesday, November 15, 6:00, Mayor’s Reception Room b. Grant Deliberation: Monday, November 27, 6:30, Mayor’s Reception Room c. Fund Distribution: Tuesday, November 28, 6:30, Mayor’s Reception Room **PLEASE NOTE** All members are required to attend at least ONE Grantee Interview meeting. All Members are required to attend both the Grant Deliberation meeting and the Fund Distribution meeting. LCC Meeting Minutes, 10/24/2017 Page 2 of 2