Recovery Fund

June 25, 2020

Recovery Fund

This document has been updated as of June 25, 2020
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The purpose of this document is to outline the roles and responsibilities of assessors, and to outline the criteria and processes of the Recovery Fund. Committee members must review, understand, and commit to adhere to these terms as well as the program guidelines and policies.

As regulations for gatherings and physical distancing remain in flux, assessments may occur remotely using online meeting tools. This may affect the assessment process, timeline, and make up of the committees outlined below. Applicants and assessors will be notified if significant changes occur.

Related Documents

Recovery Fund Guidelines
Group Agreements

Program Overview

The Recovery Fund will distribute $1,000,000 from The City of Calgary’s Emergency Resiliency Fund with the intention to enable non-profits to continue to serve Calgarians during the response phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This fund will provide up to $50,000 to develop and implement strategic recovery and resiliency plans to help ensure long term sustainability. The Recovery Fund will be considered unrestricted operating funds (excluding capital contributions to property or land), but organizations should be considering any of the following:

• Human Resources: Staff salaries, wages, contract fees, etc.
• Strategic Planning: Creation or redevelopment of recovery, resiliency, scenario, or
  strategic plans
• Administration or Operations: Fixed expenses, overhead, technology, etc.

Accommodation and Accessibility

Calgary Arts Development is committed to open, fair, and transparent processes. While we may not be able to meet in person at the current moment, our team will be available to answer questions and offer support during the application process either over the phone, through email, or through the use of audio and video platforms.

We will work one-on-one with assessors who experience barriers to access to develop accommodations that suit their abilities. Some examples of accommodations are:

• Translation of written materials
• Interpretation for meetings
• Transcription

Please contact grants@calgaryartsdevelopment.com with any questions.

Description of Role

Assessment committees will read applications in the online granting interface and recommend if the organization should receive funding based on three program criteria. Assessors will then discuss applications in a meeting facilitated by Calgary Arts Development staff and make final funding recommendations.

Responsibilities

Assessors are responsible for:

• Participating in assessor training and orientation sessions hosted by Calgary Arts Development.
• Reading and reviewing each application assigned to them in full.
• Scoring each application according to the program criteria and scoring matrix.
• Participating in full day, in-person meetings to discuss each application. Meetings may occur in-person or remotely.
• Attending arts events in Calgary for the artist projects or public works.
• Advocating for the arts in Calgary.
• Encouraging their respective communities to participate in Calgary’s arts sector.

Program Criteria

Applications will be assessed based on three criteria with a total possible score of 100. In order to ensure strong investments, organizations who score less than 55 (which is equal to fair in the provided scoring matrix) will not be funded through this program.

Reflection & Response (35 points)

• The organization demonstrates a strong awareness of how their organization has been impacted by COVID-19 to date.
• The organization demonstrates how they have responded to this impact through adapting or altering their programming and operations to date.
• The organization has considered how the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 will affect their ability to deliver programming and operate into the future.
• The organization demonstrates a plan on how to adapt to the new normal and a clear description of how the funding will be used.

Strategy & Adaptation (35 points)

• The organization has demonstrated an ability to adapt, experiment, innovate, or strategize in order to continue meeting their mandate.
• The organization has demonstrated how the allocation of funds will contribute to their ability to adapt, experiment, innovate, or strategize.

Organizational Capacity (30 points)

• The organization has demonstrated the financial, operational, and governance capacity to develop and implement a recovery plan or strategy.
• The organization has demonstrated the financial, operational, and governance capacity to address and mitigate risk.

Scoring Matrix

The assessment committee will use a scoring matrix to assess each criterion according to the information requested and provided in the application.

Reflection & Response and Strategy & Adaptation (35 points each)

Weak	Fair	Good	Strong	Exceptional
1 – 18	19 – 25	26 – 29	30 – 32	33 – 35

Organizational Capacity (30 points)

Weak	Fair	Good	Strong	Exceptional
1 – 16	17 – 21	22 – 24	25 – 27	28 – 30

Exceptional: Responses to application questions are clear, relevant, and directly address criteria. The application provides a clear and distinct vision of their organizational context, a strong critical self-awareness of their current state, and a clear sense of how plans and decisions are made. The application creates overwhelming trust and confidence that the organization will be adaptive, resilient, and impactful in the future.

Strong: Responses to application questions are clear, relevant, and directly address criteria. The application provides a clear vision of their organizational context, a critical self-awareness of their current state, and a clear sense of how plans and decisions are made. The application creates significant trust and confidence that the organization will be adaptive, resilient, and impactful in the future.

Good: Responses to application questions are sufficient and address criteria. The application provides some clarity on their organizational context, some self-awareness of their current state, and a sense of how plans and decisions are made. The application creates trust that the organization will be adaptive, resilient, and impactful in the future.

Fair: Responses to application questions are limited and may not directly address criteria. The application provides limited clarity on their organizational context, limited self-awareness of their current state, and a limited sense of how plans and decisions are made. The application provides limited evidence to create trust and confidence that the organization will be adaptive, resilient, and impactful in the future.

Weak: Responses to application are insufficient and do not address criteria. The application does not provide clarity on their organizational context, no self-awareness of their current state, and no sense of how plans and decisions are made. The application does not provide evidence to create trust and confidence that they will be adaptive, resilient, and impactful in the future.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Land Acknowledgement

We acknowledge that we are on the traditional territory of the Blackfoot Nations—Siksika, the Piikani, and the Kainai; and also acknowledge the Beaver people of the Tsuut’ina and the Bearspaw, Chiniki and Wesley bands of the Stoney Nakoda First Nations, the Métis People of Region 3, and all Indigenous people who make the Treaty 7 region their home.

Commitment to Equity

As part of our responsibility to Calgarians to ensure equitable access to public funding, Calgary Arts Development is dedicated to addressing and working to eliminate institutional inequity in our programs, policies, and practices. We also acknowledge that our actions—both conscious and unconscious, past and present—have benefited some communities while limiting opportunities and outcomes for others.

To participate as an assessor in this program means you share a vision of a city where all artists have the freedom, agency, and platform to share and amplify their stories, art, cultures and experiences. We ask that all assessors are mindful of this as we share the responsibility of recommending funding and support.

To that end, Calgary Arts Development’s community Investment team is accountable to ensuring that lines of communication are welcoming, clear, and open, and that the scoring process is fair and deeply considerate. Do not hesitate to reach out to us to support your questions, both philosophical and technical, especially where personal tastes and biases intersect with and/or complicate your ability to evaluate this program.

Group Agreements

All members of the assessment committee will be expected to honour the following group agreements when discussing applications:

1. We commit to creating a safe space for everyone by:
   • Respecting each person regardless of how they identify, including their gender, sexuality, age, class, religion, beliefs, nation, physical, neurological, cognitive, and Mad identities, etc.
   • Sharing language that respects everyone. In the spirit of collaboration, we will listen if someone has alternative language to share, and offer alternatives to ableist, ageist, audist, classist, homophobic, transphobic, racist, and sexist language.
   • Speaking from our own perspective, and avoiding making generalized claims or assumptions about others’ identities.
   • Not interrupting others.
   • Being mindful of how much time and space we each take up in discussions.
   • Making time and space for others to speak.
   • Using “I” statements (“I feel,” “I think,” “I wonder,” etc.).
   • Replacing criticism with questions and encouragement.
   • Respecting those who wish to listen silently.
   • Recognizing that vulnerable interactions can occur, and creating space to acknowledge and discuss hurt or offense if it does.
2. We will respect all art forms, traditional, contemporary or other.
3. We will consider what the criteria mean for each applicant based on:
   • How they define their own practice.
   • What is appropriate within their artistic discipline.
   • Their stage of career, practice, experience, and expertise in their form.
   • A respect for the unique traditions and rights of different First Nations, Métis, and Inuit nations and communities.
4. We will try to focus every conversation around what we appreciate about every project.
5. We will remember that this is not a panel of experts:
   • We will honour the knowledge and experience others share.
   • We will not impose arbitrary standards or ideas on an applicant or their project/activity that are not appropriate to the specific context.
   • We will acknowledge the experiences and values that may make each of us biased.
   • We will allow others to help us check in with our biases in a respectful and productive way.
   • We acknowledge that we are all learning and may be at different places on our journeys. We will be patient with ourselves and others as we remain open to continued learning.
6. We will respect the confidentiality of applicants and assessment committees. What applicants and assessors choose to share about their identities, ideas, and experiences will remain confidential, but we will take what we learn into our work and communities.

Membership

The membership of the peer assessment committees will be chosen through public nominations and staff expertise. Membership of each committee is designed to reflect the broad diversity of Calgary and its artistic communities, including but not limited to: artistic discipline, gender, sexuality, age, religion, beliefs, nation, physical and neurological identities, etc.

Assessors should have an exemplary track record of professional, business or community-minded ethics and a strong commitment to the continued growth and vitality of the arts in Calgary. Candidates are screened for qualifications in line with program needs, as well as any potential conflicts of interest. Committees for the Recovery Fund will comprise five members in total.

Qualifications and Required Skills

Peers: Artists and arts professionals active in Calgary’s artistic communities with professional experience, skills, and knowledge directly relevant to the arts sector.

Community Members: Individuals with an appreciation for the arts (any discipline) who actively attend arts performances and presentations. Community members should possess skills that are transferable to the non-profit arts sector, including, but not limited to:

• Non-profit board governance.
• Organizational management.
• Business planning and project management.
• Marketing and communications.
• Event production.
• Investment and resource development.
• Community and government relations.
• Design or creation within the broader creative industries.

Additional Skills

• Relevant skills, experience, and knowledge that will accommodate the range of applicants to be juried.
• A generous spirit, exceptional listening skills and a willingness and ability to embrace change, complexity and different viewpoints.
• An openness to productively and respectfully check in with bias.
• An understanding and awareness of Calgary and region, and an insight into our social and cultural climate.
• The respect of peers in the community.
• The ability to function well within a committee structure.

Term

Assessors’ time commitment for the Recovery Fund is:

August 2020: Online review process.
September 2020: Up to three days of meetings to discuss applications and make final recommendations for funding.

Lines of Accountability and Communication

Assessors will report to Calgary Arts Development staff. All deliberations of the assessment committee as well as all records, material, and information obtained by a member and not generally available to the public shall be considered confidential.

Adhering to the Terms of Reference, assessors shall maintain the confidentiality of their deliberations and shall safeguard such records and information from improper access

Conflict of Interest

Assessors will follow Calgary Arts Development’s Policy on Conflict of Interest and Code of Conduct (excerpt from Calgary Arts Development’s Governance Manual below). All assessors are required to sign a statement agreeing to fully disclose any actual or perceived conflict with any applicant whose submission they have been appointed to review. Assessors with an actual or perceived conflict with an applicant will be removed from the assessment process for said applicant.

“Upon consideration of any proposed activity with the potential to benefit an organization or initiative with which the director or volunteer committee member shall participate in the decision-making process where there is a potential or actual conflict of interest. The individual so affiliated shall leave the room during discussion and shall not vote or use personal influence in the decision-making process.”

Confidentiality

Protecting the Anonymity of Assessors During the Granting Cycle
Calgary Arts Development requests that individuals engaged as assessors maintain their own anonymity and the anonymity of other assessors in order to prevent the possibility of pressure being applied from grant applicants and the community that could affect assessments.

Disclosure of Assessor Names by Calgary Arts Development
Calgary Arts Development will release assessor names as part of its annual Accountability Report published the subsequent year. In the case where assessors are engaged in programs that contain a verbal presentation from applicants, assessors will be introduced to applicants at the time of the presentation, before the program cycle is complete.

Protecting the Confidentiality of Applicants and Applicant Information
All deliberations of assessors, all corporate records, and material submitted by applicants as part of their applications that are not generally available to the public shall be considered confidential. All assessors are required to safeguard such records and information from improper access and to sign and adhere to a confidentiality agreement prior to accessing any confidential information.

Honorarium

Calgary Arts Development will provide an honorarium to assessors as a gift to recognize their time and cover expenses such as parking. The honorarium will be provided to assessors after the reviewing process is completed. Assessors may be reimbursed for additional expenses related to the assessment process. Please contact us to discuss.

Please note that the honorarium will be adjusted if assessment must occur in person.

$15 per application read
$30 for training session
$90 per day for assessment meetings

Contact Information

Please contact grants@calgaryartsdevelopment.com with questions about the program criteria and assessment process.

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