Title
2026-2027 Small Organization Sustainability Fund Update
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FileID
File ID: 2026-00614
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Location
Location: Citywide
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Recommendation
Recommendation: Receive and comment.
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Contact
Contact: April Breis, Program Coordinator, (916) 808-3977, abreis@cityofsacramento.org, Convention and Cultural Services.
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Presenter
Presenter: Melissa Cirone, Program Manager, (916) 808-3983, mcirone@cityofsacramento.org; April Breis, Program Coordinator, (916) 808-3977, abreis@cityofsacramento.org, Office of Arts and Culture, Convention and Cultural Services Department
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Attachments
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-2026-2027 SOSF Notice of Funding Availability-English
3-2026-2027 SOSF Notice of Funding Availability-Spanish
4-2026-2027 SOSF Panelists Biographies
5-2026-2027 SOSF Award Formula
6-2026-2027 SOSF Grantees
7-2026-2027 SOSF Presentation to ACCEC
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Description/Analysis
IssueDetail
Issue Detail: The purpose of this item is to receive information from Office of Arts and Culture staff regarding the progress of support to small arts and cultural organizations program through the 2026-2027 Small Organization Sustainability Fund, in the interest of staying an informed body on matters that may address and influence the continued implementation of the Creative Edge Plan.
In recognition of the importance of Sacramento’s cultural heritage and to provide opportunities for arts engagement, the Office of Arts and Culture has created the 2026-2027 Small Organization Sustainability Fund. This program provides general operating support to small arts and cultural organizations (budgets under $25,000) throughout Sacramento County. With $62,959 in State-Local Partner (SLP) program funding provided by the California Arts Council, $14,704 in administrative support funding from Sacramento County Office of Economic Development, and additional funding from the City’s General Fund, the Office of Arts and Culture (OAC) has allocated $100,000 in total funding toward the 2026-2027 Small Organization Sustainability Fund.
Program guidelines were made available to the public on October 27, 2025, in both English and Spanish and the application opened on November 3, 2025. During the one-month application period, OAC staff produced one application technical assistance workshop which was recorded and made available on the OAC website and OAC YouTube page. OAC also hosted two open office hours sessions to provide individualized support to applicants. Additionally, Staff provided support to applicants as needed via phone and email and ensured that information about the grant opportunity reached a diverse audience through social media, postcards, email blasts, newsletters, and partnerships with City Community Ambassadors.
OAC received 25 eligible applications by the deadline of December 5, 2025. These applications were considered by a five-person panel of arts, culture, and nonprofit practitioners and experts. All panelists underwent an orientation before reviewing and scoring applications individually and made determinations based on the information provided within the application and adherence to the Panelist Scoring Rubric outlined in the 2026-2027 Small Organization Sustainability Fund Guidelines. Each of the 25 eligible applicants were awarded using a funding formula which considered both the organization’s revenue and the score assigned by the review panel.
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PolicyConsiderations
Policy Considerations: Discussions regarding the design and implementation of funding opportunities in support of small arts and cultural organizations within Sacramento are aligned 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 4: Enable Sacramento artists and creatives to thrive in their work and to provide creative leadership in the community; Goal 5: Celebrate and infuse all Sacramento neighborhoods and districts with arts and culture; and Goal 6: Expand and solidify Sacramento’s investment in arts and culture.
This item also addresses the following three (3) 2026 ACCEC Workplan goals:
Goal 3: Advocate for City of Sacramento policies and initiatives that value, support, and build the arts and cultural community and ecosystem; Goal 4: Collaborate with the Office of Arts and Culture to address a variety of infrastructure needs required to sustain a thriving and sustainable arts ecosystem; Goal 5: Continue to work with the Office of Arts and Culture in uplifting the goals of the Creative Edge Plan.
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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/Committee Action
Commission/Committee Action: Not applicable
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RationaleforRecommendation
Rationale for Recommendation: The 2026-2027 Small Organization Sustainability Fund is a new program created to align with the goals of the Creative Edge Plan. Briefings and discussions around programs that are generated in response to the Creative Edge Plan provide important opportunities for ACCEC to provide input and remain and informed and engaged body.
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FinancialConsiderations
Financial Considerations: Sufficient funding is available under project G17606110 which was funded by the State and Local Partnership (SLP) grant from the California Arts Council, and unused funds from the Cultural Arts Award program from previous grant years.
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LocalBusinessEnterprise
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not applicable
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