Tax-supported fund for groups changing focus
United Arts, Orange Co. modifies grant terms to cover bills, expenses
When Orange County approved new funding to help arts groups rent facilities for their shows, no one knew that the cultural community would soon be in a monthslong shutdown.
And while numerous arts organizations without a home base have called off multiple productions — thereby negating the need for help with rental fees — those with buildings to maintain have found themselves in a new financial struggle as revenue dwindles.
“Without any shows, their income has crashed,” said Terry Olson, director of Orange County Arts & Cultural Affairs. “But in general, an organization still has ongoing expenses.”
United Arts of Central Florida, the nonprofit tasked with handling the distribution of the new $500,000 in funding from Orange County’s tourist-tax collections, wondered if it would be possible to lend the struggling arts groups a hand.
“Since renting space is not going on now, what about these organizations that have space?” said Juliana Steele, the interim CEO of United Arts.
To that end, United Arts and Orange County officials worked to modify the terms of the grants, making them accessible to groups who needed assistance with electric bills or other expenses involved in property upkeep.
“These are fixed places that have to be maintained,” Steele said. “It became even more critical with COVID.”
This week, 15 key cultural organizations were approved for grants from the revamped fund.
Many of them, such as Central Florida Community Arts and the Winter Park Playhouse, lease a building or space in someone else’s building. CFCArts originally was to receive funds to help pay for a theater for its youth-education productions. But when the shows were canceled, the funding was changed to a nearly $4,000 grant to help with rent and utilities at its main campus, said executive director Joshua Vickery.
Winter Park Playhouse received slightly more than $25,000 toward its overhead.
“They pay a stiff rent for their space every month, which doesn’t stop,” said Olson of the Playhouse, near the intersection of Orange Avenue and Fairbanks Avenue.
Other organizations, including Orlando Shakes and the Orlando Science Center, have government-subsidized buildings — but still pay to keep the lights and air conditioning running. Orlando Shakes received about $24,560 from the fund, while the Science Center was granted $50,000.
In many cases, the COVID-19 pandemic has not only stripped revenue from cultural organizations but also added costs.
The Garden Theatre is running a few small-scale, in-person programs this summer. Among the COVID-19 precautions: increased cleaning and sanitation throughout the Winter Garden venue, which means higher costs for janitorial services.
The Garden’s grant of about $11,620 will help cover those expenses — and could keep future shows and projects from being axed.
“This funding will have an enormous impact on the course of our programming through the end of the year by replacing potential budget cuts,” said Garden Theatre spokeswoman Candice Bailey.
In all, more than $278,000 was handed out during this round of grants from the $500,000 allocation approved by Orange County commissioners last fall. The money comes from the county’s “tourist tax,” a levy charged on hotel and other overnight stays in the county.
Tourist-tax revenue has plummeted as cultural amenities and Central Florida’s theme parks closed in efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19.
“It has been devastating,” Olson said, “but Orange County has been very supportive. We have kept our commitment of what we said we would fund.”
With a focus on organizations’ essential needs, the county will not offer its annual cultural facilities grants this year or next.
“We said it’s more important to keep arts groups going than to make building improvements,” Olson said.
But the county’s annual grants for cultural events that draw tourists from outside Orange County will still be awarded this fall. And United Arts has initiated a new summer fundraiser to bring in needed cash for small and mid-size organizations. Donations to the Empower the Arts campaign can be made at unitedarts.cc.
In the first round of the new venue grants this spring, United Arts approved 19 organizations for money — though not all ended up collecting it.
The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, Orlando Ballet and Opera Orlando were among the organizations able to spend their allotment before the pandemic shut down the arts and entertainment industry.
Others, such as Global Peace Film Festival, Central Florida Vocal Arts and Timucua Arts Foundation, did not collect their grants from United Arts, but will be able to access the money when postponed events are eventually rescheduled.
A third group of cultural organizations returned their allocation to United Arts after canceling their events. That group included the Orlando Fringe, which called off its yearly festival, and Central Florida Ballet, which did not present the annual World Ballet Competition this year.
“You can move a one-off ballet performance,” Steele said. “You can’t move an entire Fringe Festival.”
The Fringe was another organization able to receive assistance through this week’s distribution.
“We are extremely grateful that United Arts modified our award to cover part of the cost of utilities for our office space instead,” said Fringe development director Lisa Hardt. “In a time when we have had vastly limited income, any possible relief on our expenses is critical to us.”
This latest round also provided funding to Central Florida Ballet, Enzian, Orlando’s Downtown Arts District, Mad Cow Theatre, Orlando Repertory Theatre and others. About $52,508 remains in the venue grant fund, which will be carried over until the next fiscal year, Steele said.
United Arts and county officials both saw expanding the uses of the grant money as a logical course of action.
“We’re really just trying to honor the intent here,” Steele said.
Getting the funding to organizations now could save future expense, added Olson.
“The need is great right now,” he said. “We don’t want our cultural infrastructure to collapse and have to be rebuilt from scratch,” he said. “When we’re ready to get up and running again, we want that infrastructure to still be there.”