Title
City of Sacramento ARPA Creative Venues Grant
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FileID
File ID: 2026-01468
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Location
Location: Citywide
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Recommendation
Recommendation: Receive and comment.
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Contact
Contact: Jason Jong, Cultural and Creative Economy Manager, Office of Arts and Culture, (916) 808-5105, jjong@cityofsacramento.org, Convention and Cultural Services Department
Presenter
Presenter: Melissa Cirone, Grants and Programs Manager, Office of Arts and Culture, (916) 808-3983, mcirone@cityofsacramento.org, Convention and Cultural Services Department
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Attachments
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Creative Venues Grant Overview
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Description/Analysis
IssueDetail
Issue Detail: The purpose of this item is to receive information from Office of Arts and Culture (OAC) staff regarding the administration and outcome of the Creative Venues Grant, as part of its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) framework of support for creative businesses. The OAC launched the 2024-26 Creative Venues Grant providing funding to independent venues (e.g. performance venues, art galleries, and bookstores) that regularly support, present and or cultivate Sacramento-based talent.
Independent venues are vital to ensuring opportunities for Sacramento-based musicians, authors, and artists. These businesses are critical to our local economy, as employers, tourism destinations, and revenue generators for neighboring businesses such as restaurants, hotels, and retail. They also add vibrancy to our retail corridors and entertainment districts. The object of this grant program was to preserve and nurture the cultural life of our community by supporting these independent cultural spaces, and it is consistent with the ARPA objective of providing aid to impacted industries and supporting economic recovery.
The first round of funding in July 2024 was focused on venues in areas of the city that had been identified as most adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. These included venues in the central city core (downtown and midtown Sacramento) and two priority corridors that are part of the city’s neighborhood development action plans - Marysville-Del Paso Blvd and Stockton Blvd corridors. A second round was opened in October 2024 to include venues in all city neighborhoods.
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PolicyConsiderations
Policy Considerations: Discussions regarding ARPA-funded programs that support independent venues, the local communities they serve, and expanded opportunities for creatives are in alignment with Creative Edge: Sacramento’s Arts, Culture and Creative Economy Plan (Creative Edge), which was adopted by Sacramento City Council on July 3, 2018, and which serves as the guiding policy framework for the Office of Arts and Culture.
The Arts, Culture and Creative Economy Commission (ACCEC) serves, in part, to support and advance the six goals identified within Creative Edge, intended to fulfill the Sacramento community’s vision for its arts, cultural and creative future.
This item addresses the following four (4) Creative Edge goals:
Goal 2: Advance cultural equity for all Sacramento’s diverse populations; Goal 3: Build upon and expand Sacramento’s unique creative economy; Goal 4: Enable Sacramento artists and creatives to thrive in their work and to provide creative leadership in the community; and Goal 5: Celebrate and infuse all Sacramento neighborhoods and districts with arts and culture.
This item also addresses the following two (2) 2026 ACCEC Workplan goal:
Goal 2: Enhance community awareness and understanding of ACCEC as a supportive, accessible resource dedicated to arts and culture; and Goal 3: Advocate for City of Sacramento policies and initiatives that value, support, and build the arts and cultural community and ecosystem.
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EconomicImpacts
Economic Impacts: Not applicable.
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EnvironmentalConsiderations
Environmental Considerations: None, as the recommendations in this report do not constitute a “project” under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as they involve government fiscal activities that do not involve any commitment to a specific project which may result in a potentially significant physical impact on the environment, as contemplated by Section 15378(b)(4) of the CEQA Guidelines (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, §15000 et seq.), and is, therefore, not subject to CEQA pursuant to Section 15060(c)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines.
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Sustainability
Sustainability: Not applicable.
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Commission/CommitteeAction
Commission/Committee Action: Not applicable.
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RationaleforRecommendation
Rationale for Recommendation: The purpose of the ACCEC is to provide advice and recommendations for promoting, encouraging, and fostering the arts, innovation, and tourism, in the city. One of its many charges is to act as a liaison between the city, local artists, cultural groups, and the community at large. This includes discussing matters that may address and influence the continued implementation of the Creative Edge Plan.
Briefings, discussions, and presentations around programs, partnerships, or initiatives that are developed through or involve the Office of Arts and Culture, address goals of the Creative Edge Plan, or involve matters relating to the advancement of arts, culture, and the creative economy provide important opportunities for ACCEC to be an informed and engaged body.
The 2024-26 Creative Venues Grant provided funding to independent venues (e.g. music venues, art galleries, and bookstores) that regularly support, present, and/or cultivate Sacramento-based talent in selected Sacramento neighborhoods.
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FinancialConsiderations
Financial Considerations: None.
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LocalBusinessEnterprise(LBE)
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not applicable.
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