HomeMy WebLinkAbout12/2/2025 Item 5m, Hermann and Fiedler - Staff Agenda CorrespondenceCity of San Luis Obispo, Council Memorandum
City of San Luis Obispo
Council Agenda Correspondence
DATE: December 2, 2025
TO: Mayor and Council
FROM: Greg Hermann, Deputy City Manager
Prepared By: Laura Fiedler, Economic Development & Tourism Manager
VIA: Whitney McDonald, City Manager
SUBJECT: ITEM #5m -- FY 2025-26 CULTURAL ARTS AND COMMUNITY
PROMOTIONS GRANT AWARD MODIFICATIONS
Staff received the following question regarding the proposed modifications to the FY
2025-26 Cultural Arts and Community Promotions Grant program. Staff’s response
shown in italics:
1) Have we given any thought to limiting the amount that could be changed
after PCC approval? What would be considered a “significant” change that
would have to go back to PCC?
The recommendation of the Promotional Coordinating Committee (PCC) to
Council did not include a threshold of a specific dollar amount or percentage of the
grant amount that could be modified after PCC and Council approval in order to
provide flexibility in program administration for reasonable requests. Proposed
modifications would be evaluated against the current program specifications,
which include the following explanation of what is an allowed expense on page 2 :
“4. Use of Grant Funding: Grant funding must exclusively be used to fund
marketing expenses and advertising expenses directly related to the event
or activity.
a) Acceptable marketing expenses include: graphic design or
printing; limited contracted services such as public relations fees,
promotional video production expenses, and social media
expenses directly relating to the event; expenses relating to
enhancements for digital newsletters or email campaigns; and
web design services. The applying organization must provide
documentation that expenses for these services are directly and
exclusively related to the event or activity in which funding is
requested.
b) Acceptable advertising expenses are limited to the actual cost of
the paid media placement or advertisement.
ITEM #5m -- FY 2025-26 CACP GRANT AWARD MODIFICATIONS Page 2
c) Grants are not given for the following expenses: office overhead,
payroll, equipment, scholarships or honoraria, general
organization operating expenses, supplies, décor, venue rental
or fees for: event permits, performers, speakers, presenters,
vendors, or event production contractor fees.”
Examples of “significant” deviations that would need to be brought back to the PCC
for consideration would be an organization that proposes using grant funds for a
different event or an organization that proposes an alternative use of grant funds
that is not clearly allowed or excluded based on the program specifications.
The PCC expects to update the FY 2026-27 Cultural Arts and Community
Promotions program specifications at their January 14, 2026, meeting. An ad hoc
committee of the PCC met in November to review the program specifications,
application process, and post-event reporting process in detail and discuss any
potential areas for modification for next year’s program. As the PCC has not
recommended funding for printing expenses in the past grant cycle in alignment
with the City’s sustainability goals, one proposed modification would be to explicitly
not allow funding to be used for printed materials or promotional “swag” items.