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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-591-E-County Mgr-Nerys Wendon Levy-2025-2026 Arts Grants GRASSROOTS ARTS PROGRAM / ARTIST PROJECT GRANT 2025-26 Grantee Name Authorizing Official Name Email Project Title Award $ Grant Category ☐Grassroots Arts Program ☐Artist Project Grant Program Funding Source ☐North Carolina Arts Council ☐Orange County Grant project period July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026 As Authorizing Official, I acknowledge the following terms and understand if they are not met, I jeopardize future funding opportunities from the Orange County Arts Commission. I understand a Compliance Score is issued for future grants based on my adherence to the following terms: OCAC Report Due July 10, 2026 Multicultural Spending Grantee must spend $ on the hiring of multicultural artists as specified in the grant application. Crediting and logo usage All grantees must properly credit the Orange County Arts Commission using the proper logo on all publicity materials for the funded program. Recipients of operations-related grants must include the OCAC logo with link to www.artsorange.org on grantee’s website. If funding source is listed as N.C. Arts Council above, grantee must also properly credit the N.C. Arts Council using the proper logos and N.C. Arts Council credit line on all publicity materials for funded program. Download logos on the OCAC website at https://artsorange.org/grants/grantee-resources. Calendar Listing Grantee must enter all events, exhibits, and performances open to the public and related to this grant award on the Orange County Arts Commission website at www.artsorange.org/events. Nerys Wendon Levy rilevy@mindspring.com Nerys Wendon Levy 2,000.00 Funding request for honoraria for performing artists at the 26th Mildred Council Annual Community Dinner at Mc Dougle Schools Cafeteria on April 26th 2026 X X Docusign Envelope ID: 0B19D235-D0B9-43E7-9E42-29E0801EAF4B 1 Revised August 2025 ORANGE COUNTY ARTS COMMISSION 2025-26 GRANT AGREEMENT THIS AGREEMENT, entered into this 5 day of September, 2025, by and between Orange County ("County"), by and through the Orange County Arts Commission ("Arts Commission") and ("Grant Recipient"). WHEREAS, the Arts Commission is a countywide arts agency that ensures the growth of local arts experiences by providing funding and support for diverse high quality programs and projects. WHEREAS, the Arts Commission administers the annual Grants Program to provide economic opportunities to Orange County artists and non-profit organizations coordinating arts projects benefiting the citizens of Orange County. WHEREAS, the annual Arts Grants Program is supported by Arts Commission with funds from the Grassroots Arts Program of the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, a state agency. WHEREAS, the Grant Recipient was selected by the Arts Commission to receive the annual Arts Grant through the procedures duly adopted by the Arts Commission; and WHEREAS, both parties wish to promote and maintain the integrity and clarity of the Grant Recipient's ideas and statements and delineate the Grant Recipient’s obligations to the County; NOW, THEREFORE, the County and the Grant Recipient, for the consideration and under the conditions hereinafter set forth, agree as follows: 1. Approved Grant Project. Grant funds are provided under this Agreement for the project (“Project”) described in the Grant Recipient’s Grant Application, attached hereto and incorporated herein as Exhibit A. 2. Grant Award. Grant funds in an amount not to exceed ($ ) have been awarded by the Arts Commission to the Grant Recipient for the approved Project. The Recipient shall be required to match funds at least dollar-for-dollar with cash from the Grant Recipient’s funds not derived from either Orange County appropriations or the North Carolina Arts Council, as outlined in the attached Exhibit A. 3. Contingency. This grant is contingent on North Carolina Arts Council Grassroots Program funding to the Arts Commission. Final decisions on Grassroots Program funds to the North Carolina Arts Council are subject to approval by the North Carolina General Assembly. 4. Responsibilities of the Grant Recipient Nerys Wendon Levy 2,000.00two thousand dollars Docusign Envelope ID: 0B19D235-D0B9-43E7-9E42-29E0801EAF4B 2 Revised August 2025 A. Implementation. The Project implementation shall take place between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026. The Project shall be implemented in the manner described in Exhibit A. Time is of the essence in the implementation of the Project. B. Modifications to project. Grant Recipient shall present major changes to the original proposal, including but not limited to changes in design, implementation schedule and increase in Project budget by more than 10%, in writing to the Arts Commission for approval. Arts Commission shall approve or disapprove Grant Recipient’s request for modifications within seven (7) days of receipt thereof. Consent to project modifications shall not be unreasonably withheld. Arts Commission’s decisions shall be in writing. In the event the Arts Commission fails to approve or disapprove the requested modifications within the time stated herein, the modifications shall be deemed approved. C. Non–assignment. The grant cannot be assigned or transferred to a different project or artist without prior written approval of the Arts Commission. D. Records. Grant Recipient must maintain records and other evidence pertaining to costs incurred and revenues acquired during the Project implementation. Grant Recipient shall maintain financial records pertaining to the Project for three (3) years from the date of this Agreement, in case of audit. E. Use of Funds. Grant Recipient shall not use the grant funds to repay outstanding taxes or other debts of any nature. The grants shall be utilized solely for the purpose described in the attached Exhibit A. F. Final Report. Grant Recipient shall submit to the Arts Commission a Final Report on July 10, 2026. The Final Report shall be in the format required by the North Carolina Arts Council. Failure to submit the Final Report or late submission of the Final Report, for any reason, shall be grounds for denial and/or cancellation of grant funds for the Project and future grant proposals. 5. Responsibilities of the Arts Commission A. Payment. The Arts Commission shall release the grant funds in the amount of $ to the Grant Recipient. 6. Publicity A. Acknowledgement. Credit must be given to the Orange County Arts Commission and/or the North Carolina Arts Council using the proper logo(s) and credit line in brochures, news releases, programs, and all other printed and online publications. Copies of such printed materials must accompany the evaluation report. Official Orange County Arts Commission and North Carolina Arts Council logos may be downloaded at www.artsorange.org/grantee-resources and may not be altered in any way. When no printed information is used, verbal 2,000.00 Docusign Envelope ID: 0B19D235-D0B9-43E7-9E42-29E0801EAF4B 3 Revised August 2025 credit shall be given. In addition, all print and promotional material must include the following credit line and logo(s) (check all that apply): i. County Funds Only. Orange County Arts Commission logo required. Credit line required for audio projects: “This program is supported by the Orange County Arts Commission.” ii. North Carolina Arts Council Funding. The Orange County Arts Commission and the North Carolina Arts Council logos are required. Credit line: “This program is supported by the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.” B. The Grant Recipient must enter all events, exhibits, and performances open to the public and related to this grant award on the Orange County Arts Commission website at www.artsorange.org/events. In addition, the Grant Recipient must add a link to www.artsorange.org (Orange County Arts Commission logo preferred) to their main webpage. 7. Indemnity. The Grant Recipient agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the County, the Arts Commission and the North Carolina Arts Council and their officers and employees from any and all claims or actual injury, damage or loss to a person, or real or personal property that results from or is in any way connected to the use of the grant funds. 8. Independent Contractor. The Grant Recipient is an independent contractor and not an employee, agent or other representative of the County and/or the Arts Commission. Nothing contained in this Agreement shall be construed to create the relationship of principal and agent, or employer and employee, between Grant Recipient and Arts Commission or Orange County Government. Grant Recipient understands and agrees that he/she is not authorized to incur any expenses or any liability whatsoever on behalf of the County or the Arts Commission and has no authority, expressed or implied, to obligate or make representations on behalf of the County or the Arts Commission. In addition, Grant Recipient agrees to maintain his or her own worker's compensation insurance for himself/herself and his or her employees for the duration of the art work's installation. 9. Termination A. In the event of any of the circumstances set forth below (hereinafter referred to as “default”), the Arts Commission may immediately terminate this Agreement: (i) Any fraudulent representation in any verification required to obtain payment under this Agreement or other dishonesty on a material matter relating to the performance of services under this Agreement. (ii) Nonperformance, incomplete service or performance, or failure to satisfactorily perform any part of the Project or to comply with any provision of this Agreement, as determined by the Arts Commission in its sole discretion. X Docusign Envelope ID: 0B19D235-D0B9-43E7-9E42-29E0801EAF4B 4 Revised August 2025 (iii) Failure to adhere to the terms of applicable county, state or federal laws, regulations, or stated public policy. B. In the event of default by the Grant Recipient, the Arts Commission has the discretion to elect to terminate this Agreement, in whole or in part and/or require the Grant Recipient to repay the grant funds within seven (7) from written notice of default or allow the grant recipient the opportunity to cure the default. This clause shall not be interpreted to limit the County’s or the Arts Commission’s remedies in law or in equity. 10. Miscellaneous. A. Entire Agreement. This Agreement and the attachments contain the final and entire understanding of the parties with respect to the subject matter of this Agreement. All modifications and amendments to this Agreement shall be in writing. This Agreement shall be binding upon the parties, their heirs, successors and assigns. B. Governing Law. Governing Law and Priority: Both parties agree that this Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of North Carolina and Orange County. Grant Recipient shall at all times remain in compliance with all applicable local, state, and federal laws, rules, and regulations including but not limited to all state and federal anti-discrimination laws, policies, rules, and regulations and the Orange County Non-Discrimination Policy and Orange County Living Wage Policy (each policy is incorporated herein by reference and may be viewed at http://www.orangecountync.gov/departments/purchasing_division/contracts.php.). Any violation of this requirement is a breach of this Agreement and Arts Commission may immediately terminate this Agreement without further obligation on the part of the Arts Commission. This paragraph is not intended to limit and does not limit the definition of breach to discrimination. By executing this Agreement the Grant Recipient certifies that they has not been identified, and has not utilized the services of any agent or subcontractor identified, on the list created by the State Treasurer pursuant to G.S. 147-86.58. By executing this Agreement the Grant Recipient certifies that they has not been identified, and has not utilized the services of any agent or subcontractor identified, on the list created by the State Treasurer pursuant to G.S. 147-86.81. By executing this Agreement Grant Recipient affirms they are and shall remain in compliance with Article 2 of Chapter 64 of the North Carolina General Statutes. In determining the basic services to be provided, should any documents be referenced in or attached to this Agreement, the terms herein shall have priority in any conflict between the terms of referenced documents and the terms of this Agreement. C. Dispute Resolution: Neither party may initiate binding arbitration. Any disputes shall be resolved by nonbinding mediation. If such mediation fails either party may initiate litigation to resolve the dispute. Should either party initiate litigation to settle any dispute involving the terms of this Agreement such litigation shall be Docusign Envelope ID: 0B19D235-D0B9-43E7-9E42-29E0801EAF4B 5 Revised August 2025 initiated in the General Court of Justice of North Carolina seated in Orange County, North Carolina. D. Signatures. This Agreement together with any amendments or modifications may be executed electronically. All electronic signatures affixed hereto evidence the intent of the Parties to comply with Article 11A and Article 40 of North Carolina General Statute Chapter 66. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Orange County and the Grant Recipient have signed this Grant Agreement, effective on the last date this Agreement is signed by both parties as indicated by the dates set forth under signatures below. For and on behalf of the Grant Recipient Date For and on behalf of Orange County Government Travis Myren, County Manager Date Nerys Wendon Levy Docusign Envelope ID: 0B19D235-D0B9-43E7-9E42-29E0801EAF4B 9/17/2025 9/26/2025 ORANGE COUNTY—INTERNAL USE ONLY Revised 01/24 1 Finance Information Vendor Name: Vendor Contact Person: Phone: Address: City: State: NC Zip: Department: County Manager’s Office/Arts Commission Amount: Purpose: 2025-2026 Arts Grants Budget Code(s): 37601020-683001 Vendor # Vendor Status with NCSOS: Vendor is a BOCC consultant: Yes No Contract Details Contract Type: X New Amendment (Original Contract: ) (Most Recent Amendment ) Effective Date End Date Notice Date (Notice Purpose ) Award Approved by Board (Agenda Date: ); Made or Administered by Signature Authority - BOCC Express Delegation (Agenda Date: ) - Policy 9.4: Under $5,000; Service Under $90,000; Construction Under $250,000 - Budget Policy Section XV (Capital Improvement Project: ) Bidding Informal Bidding ($30k-$90k); Formal RFP ($90k+); Other (<$30k); Exception (# ) Department Affirmation This agreement is approved as to technical form and content and I as Department Director affirmatively state work on this pro ject has not been initiated prior to execution of the agreement. This agreement is approved as to technical form and content. Services related to this agreement have already begun or been completed. Description of the nature of the emergency condition that was addressed: Department Director’s Signature Date: Nerys Wendon Levy $2,000.00 Nerys Wendon Levy (919) 417-3081 27516 161 Swansea Lane Chapel Hill 51673 Docusign Envelope ID: 0B19D235-D0B9-43E7-9E42-29E0801EAF4B 9/15/2025 ORANGE COUNTY—INTERNAL USE ONLY Revised 01/24 2 Information Technologies This agreement has been reviewed and is approved as to information technology content and specifications: Office of the Chief Information Officer Date: Inapplicable because no hardware/software purchases or related services Risk Management This agreement is approved for sufficiency of insurance standards, specifications, and requirements: Office of the Risk Management Officer Date: Financial Services This instrument has been pre-audited in the manner required by the Local Government Budget and Fiscal Control Act: Office of the Chief Financial Officer Date: Legal Services This agreement is approved as to legal form and sufficiency: Office of the County Attorney Date: Clerk to the Board All DocuSign contracts must be copied to the Clerk upon completion: occlerkdocs@orangecountync.gov The following signature block is for hard copies only and is not required for Docu Sign contracts: Received for record retention: Office of the Clerk to the Board Date: Docusign Envelope ID: 0B19D235-D0B9-43E7-9E42-29E0801EAF4B 9/19/2025 9/22/2025 9/25/2025 Orange County Arts Commission Powered by Submittable Title Nerys Wendon Levy by Nerys Lev y in 2025-26 Artist Project Grant Application 161 Swansea Lane Chapel Hill , North Carolina 27516 United States 919-417-3081 rilevy@mindspring.com 06/30/2025 id. 50951825 Original Submission 06/30/2025 Score n/a APPLICANT INFORMATION Applicant Name Nerys W endon Levy Legal name of applicant, if different from above Mailing Address of primary contact 161 Swansea Lane Chapel Hill nc 27516 US 35.9155089 -79.1040978 Email of primary contact rilevy@mindspring.com Phone number of primary contact 9194173081 Do you identify as any of the following: Names and emails of co-applicants (if applying on behalf of a group) W ebsite http://www.neryslevy.com Docusign Envelope ID: 0B19D235-D0B9-43E7-9E42-29E0801EAF4B How did you hear about our grant program? OCAC Enews Did you attend or watch the Artist Project Grant Training Session? Yes PROJECT/PROGRAM INFORMATION Tell us about your project or program Title of Grant Project Funding request for honoraria for performing artists at the 26th Mildred Council Annual Community Dinner at Mc Dougle Schools Cafeteria on April 26th 2026 Grant Amount Requested $2000 Project Start Date (no earlier than July 1, 2025) July 1 2025 Project End Date (no later than June 30, 2026) June 30th 2026 Docusign Envelope ID: 0B19D235-D0B9-43E7-9E42-29E0801EAF4B Project/Program Summary This project is a request for $2000 to pay honoraria to 5 local culturally diverse performing artists/groups for their performance at the 26th Mildred Council Annual Community Dinner on April 26 2026 at the McDougle Schools, Carrboro. The match to this request is the $2000 cost of the space rental which includes the large cafeteria stage. I am the co-founder of the event and have been its project director for 28 years. (W e did not have dinners during COVID) W hile the event has as its fiscal agent the Orange County Office for Civil Rights/ Civil Life (formerly the Orange County Office for Equity and Inclusion) the entertainment aspect of the event is a separate entity from the financial operations pertaining to the Dinner itself. As project director it is my responsibility to fund local performers separately. For years performers were not paid. I began paying the entertainers serious honoraria for their performances at the 25th Dinner on April 28th 2025 with funding from a 2024/25 Orange County Artist Project Grant. This funding enabled the project to secure five high quality culturally diverse performing artists/groups early on in the planning stage with promised honoraria and resulted in better staged performances than in previous years. Local performers felt respected on receipt of payment. W e are in the planning stage of the 26th Dinner to be held on April 26th 2026 and the project's committee of diverse community partners will meet in mid-July to select performers for the event. W e already have suggestions, but these have to be voted on by the committee These include an African American church choir, a high school jazz group, a Hispanic dance group, a local puppeteer group, a native American drum group and the Seymour Center's Chinese choir. The project's organizational committee includes representatives from the UNC Press, the Orange County US Veterans Center, Chapel Hill / Carrboro City Schools/ Blue Ribbon Mentor program, the Seymour Senior Center, Orange County Office of Civil Rights/ Civil Life, and the late Mildred Council's family members. Once our performers are secured we will begin updating the event's website -communitydinner.org-and start publicizing the event with the performer's images, videos and contact information. Closer to the event we will start publicizing the event in culturally diverse media, on local radio stations and will connect the performers with our sound engineer to ensure that their performance needs will be properly met. The event space- the Mc Dougle Schools Cafeteria i has a big stage and seating capacity with tables for over 550 people. In the work samples I have included the performers from the 2025 event. This ives you an idea of what we will be including in our 2026 Project. I will notify OCAC on selection of our performers if I am fortunate enough to receive an Artist Project Grant. Docusign Envelope ID: 0B19D235-D0B9-43E7-9E42-29E0801EAF4B Community Impact The performance component of the Mildred Council Annual Community Dinner showcases excellent local culturally diverse talent to an anticipated audience of 500 attendees and has a big community impact. For the many children attending they can see youth role model performers dancing, playing instruments, jumping rope and doing amazing things. Many of the performers invite dinner participants to the stage to join them in their presentations. Meanwhile, event participants include members from a variety of organizations who in the past have contacted the artists to perform at other venues. At our 2025 event we had 45 performers and an audience of over 400 culturally diverse Orange County residents. The event is a major happening in the local community's calendar and the committee tries to involve as many local populations as possible. W e have publicity in English, Spanish, Mandarin, French, Karen and Burmese. Food is equally diverse. Until 2024 Mama Dips Kitchen cooked most of the food. W ith that restaurant's closure we asked Beau Catering to cook the main meal and reached out to a number of culturally diverse food establishments for supplementary food donations. Most to the desserts, including fruit, are donated by local businesses and religious establishments. The mission of the project is to be as inclusive as possible. To date the event has involved over 23,000 participants including entertainers, and in 2014 it received a National League of Cities Award for its mission and cultural diversity. I went to W ashington DC to a Legislative breakfast to receive that award, The Dinner underwrites 60% of its tickets to underserved communities and for many attendees the performances experienced maybe the only live performances they will witness in a single year -or more. Tickets are available through various community organizations ($5;00 for children 12 and under and $10:00 for adults), including El Centro Hispano, online through the Orange County Office of Civil Rights/ Civil Life, Mama Dip's take out at weekends and at the door, The event is ADA accessible making it a favourite venue for local disability groups. At the entrance to the event many non profits, including arts organizations, have information tables and at the 2025 Dinner 16 nonprofits registered to participate. Docusign Envelope ID: 0B19D235-D0B9-43E7-9E42-29E0801EAF4B Artist Experience As noted,I am the co-founder of the Dinner with Mildred Council and have been project director of this event for twenty-eight years. During this time, I have dealt with a myriad of local communities and organizations who, in turn, have helped me shape the event and make it relevant to the community as the years have evolved. Each year I try to involve new communities and new performing groups. For twenty-eight years the project committee has never stopped meeting. Obviously committee members and organizations have changed but our mission has remained constant and new members have been schooled by retiring members. W hen the 2020 Dinner was cancelled just three weeks before the 23rd Dinner in April of that year, the committee decided to keep meeting on Zoom and that forum became an important community discussion group during COVID. It also meant that we did not lose organizational expertise and the event's sense of purpose which is community building by bringing diverse cultural groups together at one single time to enjoy local food and excellent culturally diverse local performing artists. In April 2023 we restarted the event and staged our postponed 2020 dinner with the same invited performing artists supported by the same 2020 planning committee Our website builder has been with us for 28 years and my relationship with Mildred Council's family is trusting and unique. W e aim to honor Mildred's (aka as Mama Dip) legacy through the performers on the stage, the food on the tables and the scores of diverse community volunteers helping out at the event. Before COVID we planned the event for 600 but now have a target of 500 for health and safety reasons.. Each dinner has been met by the community with requests for the next one. Past performers include Rhiannon Giddens and the Carolina Chocolate Drops (2007) . Ms Giddens is now a Pulizer Prize winner. How do you plan to market your project? I plan to market the project to Orange County's culturally diverse community through our website, communitydinner.org, through cultural media such as La Noticia, which serves the Latinx populations, through our committee members and through our flyers in five languages. I also plan to go on W CHL radio with a PSA and a prime-time interview. The Dinner is well established and the date,the last Sunday in April, is well known to most participating community groups PROJECT/PROGRAM BUDGET Please fill out the charts below with your project's expenses and income. Use the "Explanation" box to offer details for each category. NOTE: The Total Cash Expense must equal the Total Cash Income. View an example budget here. Budgeted Expense Expenses-english-rev ised.xlsx Budgeted Income Income-english-rev ised.xlsx Resumes of artists/administrators RESUME_Nerys_Lev y_1_003.docx W ork Samples Docusign Envelope ID: 0B19D235-D0B9-43E7-9E42-29E0801EAF4B 25ballet.jpg Title of sample Hispanic/ Latinx entertainment at the 2025 Mildred Council Annual Community Dinner Artist name Honduran Folklore Ballet Company Year created BouncingBulldogs25.jpg Title of sample 15 culturally diverse youth athletes performed jump rope acrobatics -had audience participation Artist name The Bouncing Bulldogs Year created Performed at the 2025 Mildred Council Annual Community Dinner -we plan to have other youth role models at the 2026 event. RyanDial_1.jpg Title of sample Native American performer at the 2025 Mildred Council Community Dinner -we will have Native American performers in 2026 Artist name Ryan Dial Lumbee Indian musician who played 3 different kinds of flutes at the 2025 event with narratives. Medium (if applicable) KidsNotes2025.jpg Title of sample Community based educational empowerment project through the practice of classical music education Artist name Kidz Notes-performers at the 2025 Mildred Council Community Dinner-we aim to have a sililar group in 2026 TerrellsChoir.jpg Title of sample Local African American Church Gospel Choir-e will have a children's church choir at the 2026 Dinner Artist name Terrells Creek Missionary Baptist Church Male Choir performed at the 2025 Mildred Council Annual Community Dinner Video Sample: External Link Letters of support (optional but recommended) GrantApplication-KimBryant_003_1.pdf Letter_of_Support_Regina_Mahalek.docx Docusign Envelope ID: 0B19D235-D0B9-43E7-9E42-29E0801EAF4B