Title
Approval of the 2026 - 2027 Inspire Olympia Funding Recommendation
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a Committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to recommend approval of the Cultural Access Advisory Board (CAAB) funding recommendations and advance them to City Council for consideration.
Report Issue:
Whether to recommend approval of the CAAB funding recommendations and advance them to City Council for consideration.
Staff Contact:
Marygrace Goddu, Inspire Olympia Program Manager, Community Planning & Economic Development, 360.480.0923
Presenter(s):
Marygrace Goddu, Inspire Olympia Program Manager
Anne Larsen, Co-Chair, Cultural Access Advisory Board
Background and Analysis:
The Inspire Olympia Cultural Access Program is funded through a one-tenth of one percent sales tax approved for the period of January 2023 through December 2029. Revenue generated through the program supports local nonprofit organizations whose missions focus on arts, heritage, science, and culture, and that provide public programming within Olympia. The program is intended to strengthen these organizations, expand community programming, and increase equitable access to cultural experiences throughout Olympia.
The Inspire Olympia Cultural Access Advisory Board (CAAB) advises the City Council on implementation of the program, reviews grant applications, and annually recommends funding allocations for individual organizations as well as Cultural Access programming in Olympia public schools.
To better align the application process with the varying size and capacity of applicant organizations, Inspire Olympia offers two grant pathways:
• Impact Grants provide one-year contracts ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 for small, emerging, and fiscally sponsored organizations.
• Comprehensive Grants provide up to $85,000 per year through two-year contracts for larger organizations with greater organizational capacity and additional application requirements.
The CAAB funding recommendation includes proposed award amounts for applicants within each grant category.
In addition, annual funding is recommended for the Cultural Access in Olympia Public Schools (CAPS) program. CAPS supports classroom educational activities and field trips led by Inspire Olympia organizations and provides reimbursement to the school district for transportation costs associated with Inspire Olympia field trips.
This business item presents the CAAB’s recommended funding awards for:
• 2026-2027 one-year Impact Grant contracts;
• 2026-2028 two-year Comprehensive Grant contracts; and
• the CAPS allocation for the 2026-2027 school year
for Community Livability and Public Safety Committee (CLPS) review and recommendation to the City Council for final approval.
Application Review Process
Ninety-four eligible organizations submitted proposals for the current funding cycle, including 17 applications for two-year Comprehensive Grant contracts and 77 applications for one-year Impact Grant contracts. Three review panels were convened to evaluate and score the proposals: two panels for Impact Grant applications and one panel for Comprehensive Grant applications. Each panel included one or more CAAB members, along with additional members of the public.
Panel reviewers independently assessed each application based on Inspire Olympia’s funding goals, with consideration of the proposed public benefit. Each panel then engaged in group deliberation to discuss all applications.
Applications were evaluated and scored across the following criteria:
• Programming merit and value
• Community engagement and impact
• Commitment to equity and access
• Youth programming (if applicable)
• Capacity and feasibility (for Impact Grants) or management and operations (for Comprehensive Grants)
Individual reviewer scores were averaged to determine final application scores. Panels then discussed qualitative groupings within the ranked results and identified high-scoring proposals that were recommended for full funding, as well as suggested score ranges for partial funding consideration. These recommendations, along with final scores, were forwarded to the full CAAB, completing the qualitative review process.
At a scheduled public meeting, the CAAB reviewed application scores with applicant names redacted to reduce bias. The Board considered the panels’ recommended ranges for partial and full funding, made adjustments as needed, and established individual award amounts to remain within the available budget.
Cultural Access Fund Revenue
In 2025, the CAAB adopted, and City Council approved, a four-year spending plan for the Cultural Access Fund that will fully utilize available funds, increase community impact, and offer steady funding levels over time, supporting our mission to serve as a reliable source of public funding. The plan had three important objectives:
• Increase the grant award opportunity for both Comprehensive and Impact funding pathways.
• Spend down the Cultural Access Fund gradually, safeguarding its reliability through highly uncertain economic conditions.
• Target a fund balance by 2029 that equals ten to twenty percent of our annual obligations, or about $500 - $600k.
CAAB Recommendation
The CAAB funding recommendation presented for approval is based on the qualitative scoring conducted by the Review Panels, as well as an understanding of available resources within the Cultural Access Fund and the adopted four-year spending plan.
For the 2026-2027 grant cycle, the total Cultural Access Fund allocation for both funding categories is $3,303,288.
The CAAB recommends the following allocations:
• $2,402,090 to support 17 two-year Comprehensive Grant contracts
• $2,057,243 to support 68 one-year Impact Grant contracts
In addition, the CAAB recommends allocating $390,000 to support the Cultural Access in Olympia Public Schools (CAPS) program. This funding supports in-class educational programming and provides reimbursement to the Olympia School District for transportation costs associated with student participation in Inspire Olympia activities.
Climate Analysis:
There is no direct climate impact from this recommendation. Inspire Olympia funding supports multiple programs that seek to understand the human impact on the natural world and our climate, and to grow future innovators, creatives, and leaders.
Equity Analysis:
Achieving greater equity through enhanced access to the arts, science and culture is a fundamental goal of Inspire Olympia that has informed Inspire Olympia’s funding priorities, granting framework, eligibility criteria, and the evaluation process that leads to annual funding recommendations.
As funded organizations report on their activities, Inspire Olympia works to assess public benefit, identify gaps, and analyze how and where access to creative opportunities and experiences can be enhanced.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
As a voter-approved taxing program, Inspire Olympia holds considerable public interest. Outgoing payments to funded organizations are linked to required reporting to ensure accountability.
Financial Impact:
Inspire Olympia is funded by one-tenth of one percent of City of Olympia sales tax, deposited into the Cultural Access Fund. Annual cultural access tax revenue for July 1 2026 through June 30, 2027 is projected at $3,380,152.
Total program expenditures are intentionally planned to exceed annual Cultural Access Tax income through 2029, so that revenue accrued prior to the grant program’s launch is gradually distributed through competitive contracts with organizations.
Options:
1. Move to recommend approval of the Cultural Access Advisory Board funding recommendations and advance them to City Council for consideration.
2. Move to recommend, with modifications, approval of the Cultural Access Advisory Board funding recommendations and advance them to City Council for consideration. Modification could cause delays impacting the development of contracts for a July 1, 2026 start date.
3. Do not approve the recommendation and do not advance it to City Council. Distribution of 2026-2027 funds would be deferred until further City Council action. Applicant organization activities would be impacted.
Attachments:
Recommended Contract Awards