County partnering with Chalk Festival grant process

Without comment Tuesday, the Sarasota County Commission agreed to a partnership with the Sarasota Chalk Festival on an application for a $50,000 National Endowment for the Arts grant to help fund the 2013 event.

According to the stipulations of the process, the county could support only one applicant for the funding through the NEA’s Our Town program.

“It’s a hugely competitive grant,” Burns Square businesswoman and Chalk Festival founder Denise Kowal said Wednesday.

Of the 450 applications submitted for Our Town grants last year, the NEA approved only 50.

Still, Kowal said the funds would be a welcome aid to her budget for the annual fall event. In 2011, Kowal said, the Chalk Festival cost about $1 million to produce, though less than half of that was in cash — $400,000. This year, her budget is about $1.1 million. Contributed goods and services cover the rest of the festival’s expenses, she said.

“The festival could not happen but for the generosity of our in-kind sponsors,” she said.

The deadline for the NEA grant application is March 1. Kowal said she probably would learn in July if she would receive the funding.

According to stipulations of the grant, projects funded in this year’s cycle must be held between Sept. 1, 2012, and Dec. 31, 2014.

The county’s memorandum of understanding with the Chalk Festival — officially, Avenida de Colores Inc. — says the county agrees to be the local government partner for the application “provided that (the county’s) partnership responsibilities are limited to a letter of endorsement as required by the NEA.”

Kowal had contacted then County Commission Chairwoman Nora Patterson Dec. 2 to ask for the board’s support. When Patterson discussed the matter several days later with her fellow board members, she said she was not certain county policies would allow the commission to enter into the partnership with Kowal because of the exclusivity factor. Nonetheless, Patterson pointed out that the Chalk Festival “has continued to grow and attract a lot of folks.”

Jim Shirley, executive director of the Sarasota County Arts and Cultural Alliance, said Tuesday that county officials had checked with him before deciding to enter into the partnership with Kowal.

“I told them I was not aware of anybody else (in the county) being involved (in an effort to apply for the grant),” Shirley said. “It’s a big grant. It’s a lot of work (to apply). If one of our groups can qualify for it, that would be great for the community.”

Kowal agreed with Shirley about the undertaking on which she is embarking.

“It’s one of those incredibly tedious grants … and we know it’s a long shot, but it’s definitely worth a try,” Kowal said.

The Chalk Festival readily qualifies for the criteria set forth for the Our Town grants, Kowal added.
In December, she said, “We can hit all the potentials they’re looking for.” She pointed out that the event draws artists of international reputation, and it represents “all nationalities and all demographics.”

According to the NEA, the grants are investments in creative and innovative projects in which communities, together with their arts-and-design organizations and artists, seek to improve the quality of life, encourage creative activity, create community identity and a sense of place and revitalize local economies.