ACME funding guidelines near finalization; city staff target September council action and October application opening

Office of Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment (ACME) staff told the Music Commission they are finalizing funding program guidelines and intend to post application materials and intake forms ahead of a planned October application opening.

Morgan Messick, assistant director at ACME, said the department has collected community feedback through focus groups, surveys, listening sessions and meetings with commission members and city leadership and is incorporating that input into updated guidelines. Messick described governance and internal review steps and said the draft guidelines had been finalized internally and were in the director’s hands for legal and staff review.

Key changes and program details presented by staff included: an operating-budget eligibility threshold for several programs lowered from $100,000 to $60,000 to align across department programs; a three-tier Live Music Fund structure with professional musicians and independent promoters eligible for awards up to $20,000 and an additional $5,000 funding level for lower awards; separate scoring rubrics (up to 100 points) for applicants and venues and a live music-venue award amount that “still stays at $70,000,” as Messick described it. Staff said the Creative Space Assistance Program will similarly use the $60,000 operating-budget threshold and include bonus points for entities that have not received City of Austin grants in the last five years.

Messick laid out the approval and outreach timeline: intake forms and technical-assistance work with the Long Center and Submittable beginning in August; Arts Commission presentation Aug. 18; return to the Music Commission Sept. 8; Economic Opportunity Committee review Sept. 19; and a request for council action (RCA) targeted for the Sept. 25 City Council meeting. If approved, staff expect to open applications in October for a 4–6 week application period with workshops and technical assistance offered after council approval.

Commissioners asked for access to the full package before making a recommendation and for the scoring questions and rubrics to be posted publicly in advance of the application opening. Messick said the companion questions and scoring rubrics will be part of the package brought to council and that draft questions will be posted for public review ahead of the application window. Staff also said they will coordinate marketing and outreach to maximize community awareness and provide technical assistance through partner organizations.

ACME staff asked commissioners for continued feedback and signaled readiness to return with final documents at the next scheduled commission meetings.