What's at stake?
Measure P grants approved by Fresno's Parks, Recreation and Arts Commission in May were planned to be awarded on July 1, but after a delay that led to outcry by artists and organizations, the commission voted to release the first round of grants in a meeting on July 15.
After a delay that sparked concerns from artists and organizations, Fresno’s Parks, Recreation and Arts Commission voted to release Measure P funds as initially planned.
The funding recommendations made by the Fresno Arts Council were approved by the Parks, Recreation, and Arts Commission in May. Recipients were told grants would be awarded on July 1, but delays caused by a “procedural issue” pushed back the approval from the commission.
“The way that it was presented to us didn’t tell the scope of the projects,” said Kimberly McCoy, chair of the commission.
The delay also raised concerns about inequity in the grant distribution process. District 5, which represents southeast Fresno, is receiving 3% of the total grant funds, or $260,242.20. In comparison, District 3, which encompasses southwest Fresno, Tower, and downtown, is receiving $3,815,673.49.
Concerns over district inequities led to fears that the grant application process would be restarted to more equally represent districts across the city.
More than 40 people spoke during Monday’s meeting, expressing their gratitude for Measure P funding while also urging the commission to release the funds that many organizations were counting on receiving on July 1.
Bruce Kalkowski, the former president of the Fresno Arts Council and a current board member, asked the commission to award the grants.
“The latest delay, which threatens to redo the entire grant process, was supposedly because there were questions to be answered,” Kalkowski noted. “To date, no questions have been asked of the [Fresno Arts Council] outside of this meeting.”
“Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good,” he added.
Anxieties over the possibility of the grant application process being restarted were quelled when all motions to approve the release of the grants passed without resistance.
“I’m super excited about it. I think this is a huge moment we’re going to look back on,” said Bill Reeve, vice president of JazzFresno.
Cami Cipolla, the educational services director for the Fresno City & County Historical Society, said the decision to release the grants restored her faith in the commission.
“We are all fighting to be one Fresno,” Cipolla said, “to support our diversity, and they did their due diligence today by making that happen.”
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