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Request Summary Prior to 2021, the Hillsborough Arts Council (HAC) hosted up to 12 <br />different programs, which were often passion projects organized by <br />v olunteer program chairs with limited support from a single full-time <br />employee. This ev entually resulted in silo effects and challenges <br />from turnov er, especially as the pandemic effected program <br />sustainability. In order for HAC to continue serv ing the community <br />amidst these difficulties and increased demand, HAC's Board <br />expanded and restructured staff to the current model described <br />abov e, while also inv esting in operational improv ements. This <br />courageous decision resulted in unprecedented growth in artist <br />commissions, new donors, and program stability. <br />Ov er the past Fiscal Year, HAC's Board and staff hav e acted quickly <br />to prioritize and consolidate programs into four signature focus <br />areas: Gallery & Gift Shop (year-round), Last Fridays Art W alks <br />(monthly), Handmade Parade and Market (bi-annually), and Solstice <br />Lantern W alk (annually). Together, they form the core of our public <br />programming, requiring intensiv e logistical planning, fundraising, <br />marketing, and v olunteer management. HAC also operates ArtCycle <br />with local schools and is exploring ways to re-inv igorate <br />Hillsborough's Poet Laureate program. <br />The Grassroots Grant will be used to support the cost of staff <br />salaries, which are crucial for continuing this momentum and <br />ensuring steady, professionalized operations. For the past sev eral <br />years, HAC has been grateful to receiv e up to $16,000 total in general <br />operating support from OCAC Grassroots + Orange County Outside <br />Agencies Grant as separate funding sources. HAC programs can no <br />longer be sustained without multi-staff support, so we are <br />respectfully requesting the max allotted. <br />Organizational Goals HAC goals for FY2022-2023 include: <br />-Implement an updated list of strategic annual goals in support of a <br />rev ised 3 year strategic plan. This process has been underway since <br />January 2022 and will mov e forward for Board approv al and adoption <br />by the end of June 2022. <br />-Div ersify membership among HAC’s Board of Directors to improv e <br />representation and inclusion of the many different indiv iduals, <br />communities, neighborhoods, and artists who make up Hillsborough. <br />-Dev elop meaningful relationships with BIPOC artists and <br />communities in order to elev ate their work and equitably partner on <br />HAC programs; securing resources necessary to follow DEIA best <br />practices is crucial to this. <br />-Continue to strategically improv e HAC’s public ev ents through the <br />consolidation of efforts where sharing resources among programs is <br />feasible and in the best interest of maximizing ev ent v isitation, <br />audience impact, financial support, and staff/v olunteer time. <br />-Continued focus on quality of program deliv ery, rather than quantity, <br />through the ongoing ev aluation of ROI for each program and making <br />adjustments to focus areas to ensure alignment with HAC mission <br />and the needs of the community. <br />-Stabilize the management of HAC’s ongoing serv ices by exploring <br />DocuSign Envelope ID: 0B43D06C-8E1E-4753-BFB2-294143F7C0EE