Explanation
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this ordinance is to authorize the City Clerk to enter a grant agreement with Education Foundation for Freedom to provide upfront financial support for the Columbus Women and Girls' Fest. The event is a day-long festival featuring various artists, speakers, vendors, games, workshops, cultural programming, and family-friendly activities. Upfront funding is necessary to secure a deposit for a national artist, advertising, and necessary festival equipment. Education Foundation for Freedom is embedded in the Near East Side Community, in zip codes 43203 and 43205. This area is designated by the City as an “opportunity neighborhood.” The organization's goal is to activate leadership among women and girls through culturally sustaining arts access. Intended outcomes of the event include cultivating community coalition, economics, professionalization, and empowerment.
The event will be evaluated using surveys that include both open- and closed-ended questions to capture demographic information, participants’ experiences, and overall impact for general attendees, artists, vendors, and volunteers. Impact includes: (1) attendance between 1,000 and 3,000 participants; (2) greater visibility for women and girl artists/entertainment and leadership; (3) highly rated children’s, youth, and adult activities including community education workshops and Q&A with a national artist; (4) participants’ exposure to useful resources, people, information, and products that provide opportunities for overall well-being; and (5) economic impact for vendors, artists, workshop providers, and operational support for Education Foundation for Freedom.
FISCAL IMPACT: Funds in the amount of $30,000.00 are available within the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund, subfund 100018.
REASON FOR EMERGENCY: The Columbus Women and Girls' Fest is scheduled for August 15th, meaning that without emergency designation, the money authorized in this legislation may not be transmitted to the grantee in time for the event.
Title
To authorize and direct the City Clerk to enter a grant agreement with Education Foundation for Freedom to provide upfront financial support for the Columbus Women and Girls' Fest; to authorize an appropriation and expenditure from the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund; and to declare an emergency. ($30,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, the mission of Education Foundation for Freedom is to empower women and girls through arts, cultural, entrepreneurial, and educational experiences that build leadership, coalition, and community well-being; and
WHEREAS, Education Foundation for Freedom will host the Columbus Women and Girls' Fest: Connecting through Cultures, a day-long festival featuring various artists, speakers, vendors, games, workshops, cultural programming, and family-friendly activities; and
WHEREAS, the event will serve to cultivate community coalition, economics, professionalization, and empowerment for women, girls, and others in Columbus; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the City Clerk's office in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the City Clerk to enter into a grant agreement with Educational Foundation for Freedom insofar as the Columbus Women and Girls' Fest is scheduled to take place on August 15, meaning that upfront funding must be provided expeditiously to defray the cost of planning and executing the event, all for the immediate preservation of the public health, peace, property, safety and welfare; and NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the City Clerk is hereby authorized to enter into a grant agreement with Educational Foundation for Freedom to provide upfront financial support for the Columbus Women and Girls' Fest.
SECTION 2. That the City Auditor is hereby authorized and directed to appropriate $30,000.00 from the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund, subfund 100018, to the City Clerk per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 3. That the expenditure of $30,000.00 or so much thereof as may be needed pursuant to the action authorized in SECTION 1 of this ordinance, is hereby authorized in the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund, fund 1000, subfund 100018 per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 4. That the funds necessary to carry out the purpose of this ordinance are hereby deemed appropriated, and the City Auditor shall establish such accounting codes as necessary.
SECTION 5. That the City Auditor is authorized to make any accounting changes to revise the funding source for all contracts or contract modifications associated with this ordinance.
SECTION 6. That for the reasons stated in the preamble hereunto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this ordinance is hereby declared to be an emergency measure and shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approval by the Mayor or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves or vetoes the same.