By Connie Martinez, SVCREATES’ Chief Executive Officer
For many of us in the cultural sector, June is the end of our fiscal year … and that means hustling to close the books in the black, creating next year’s budget and reflecting upon the year that is ending. And for SVCREATES, June is also operating grant time. Approximately 70 local small arts organizations will be awarded unrestricted general operating support through SVCREATES’ ongoing partnership with the County of Santa Clara and other funders. Congratulations to this year’s recipients.
We are firm believers in the value of operating support. It is important for any nonprofit, but the cultural sector’s business model is unique to the nonprofit sector because we are driven by both market and community forces. We sell tickets, memberships, retail, food, and drink (market-based), and we serve community goals of place-making, economic development, education, social cohesion, and accessibility (community-based). In the process, we navigate the pressures of the marketplace without the upside, and address community challenges without the certainty of public funding mechanisms. In the end, we are not designed to make money, and we are not entitled to government support, we earn it.
Operating support is foundational to any organization, private or public. In the private sector, that foundation is fueled by profit; in the public sector, it is fueled by taxpayers; in the cultural sector, it is fueled by enlightened individuals, foundations, and civic leaders who understand the significant contributions of the arts to the well-being of our community AND trust artists, organizations and leaders to deliver. This is even more complex in a multicultural community with no single culture to get to know (which gives us the beautiful mosaic of our place) or without a dominant culture calling all the shots (which might make some things easier, but not equitable).
Trust comes with time and experience, and that is why SVCREATES, after decades of work, is in the position of investing in a portfolio of local arts leaders and organizations that we know and trust. We are incredibly proud to be part of their journey, and we marvel at the impact our multicultural portfolio has on our community.
Thank you to the County of Santa Clara for enabling our role in providing operating grants. They set an example of trusting a sector to know what it needs and trusting us to fill that need. We encourage public and private funders to take a harder look at what operating funding means for our cultural sector and our multicultural community to be successful.
