2026 Cultural Grants Balance Operating
Motion 6 · Council Meeting, April 14, 2026
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advocacy piece and um i'm 100 behind it thank you thank you very much okay i'm seeing no one else in the queue i'm going to call the vote great and that passes unanimously Great. And by the way, thank you very much for the incredibly hard work that you do on this file. It does make a big difference in a lot of lives. Thank you. Okay. So moving along, we're going to go to report number two, the 2026 cultural grants, balance of operating cultural spaces. Now, before we begin this agenda item, are there any conflicts of interest to disclose? Seeing none, this item does not have a team member presentation. Council members, you may ask. Sir, you have up to five minutes to ask questions of team members. Are there any questions?
Councillor Montague.
Yeah, thanks. I think all of council received what I guess is kind of a concerning letter from the H.R. McMillan Space Center highlighting... what sounds like they feel is some unfair treatment when compared with other grantees. So my question is, how are major institutions like the Space Center assessed for their grant funding?
Great, thank you so much for the question. The Space Center is assessed according to the program priorities along with the other arts and culture institutions. And this program is built to support arts culture activity and activities that involve artists. So it does mean that it's harder for organizations with science as a mandate to score as high compared to other arts organizations. I want to also note that the Science World and Space Center receive really high and significant grants compared to the majority of other arts organizations, which typically get an average operating grant of $35,000. So in the evaluation process, the peer assessment did make adjustments in the comparative process of the applications.
Okay, so they are mandated as an arts and culture institution, though.
They are not. Science World and Space Center do not have arts and culture mandates. They include arts and culture programming and are assessed within an arts and culture program. We know that is an issue, and staff will be looking at alternatives for improvements in the coming years.
Okay. So are STEM organizations included in our grant funding framework somehow?
They are included in the program and they have been receiving funding for many decades. Science goals and STEM goals are not currently priorities included within the program.
Are we encouraging STEM organizations to apply for funding?
No, we're not.
Okay.
Is city staff informing organizations that reductions in their grant funding are... due to the zero means zero budgeting despite the fact that the budget specifically protected grant funding?
No, we're not telling people that. We have communicated that we are looking at the comparative percentage of the grant levels to organizations' operating budget, and for Space Center, the grant level is very high compared to their operating budget compared to the level of investment provided to other organizations through the program.
Okay, and has the Space Center seen a reduction in their grants over the years?
Yes, that has been a trend.
Okay, why is that?
Because their grant is high compared to other organizations, and because they're not meeting program priorities as higher as other organizations.
I'm sorry, they're not meeting?
They're not aligning as high with the program priorities within the arts and culture program compared to other groups.
Okay, so we're... We're saying that the arts and culture is more important at this point than the STEM organizations?
The program was built for arts and culture organizations. These science organizations are legacy organizations, and they are receiving a much higher level of funding currently than other arts organizations in the same program.
Okay. And what are we doing to encourage revenue generation from these major institutions?
I think, you know, financial health is a part of every assessment. So we are looking at the balance of funding and the proportion of city and public funding as part of their revenue model.
We are looking at, okay. Can you just say that last bit again?
Yeah, we're considering the financial health and their overall revenue model as part of the assessment of their application.
Okay. Thanks, Mayor. That's my questions.
Thank you so much.
Councillor Zhou. Yeah, thanks, Mayor. So I have some questions regarding the cultural operating funding. So my understanding is that in the past, we always have the same recipients receiving this funding, and this year we opened a new recipient for this program. Can you confirm that? Can you elaborate more?
Yes, this program has typically been invite only where we funded previous recipients to this program. To improve accessibility and transparency, this year we launched an expression of interest where we opened the door for organizations to indicate interest in being considered for the program. So for cultural operating funding, 18 applications. applied and were considered based on culture shift priorities previous track record of grant applications and strong operations only four of those 18 were encouraged to apply this year for cultural operating funding we did put a program on pause in order to add new programs to this add new organizations to this program so we'd have the budget to do it
Okay, thank you. So another question is, I think we're going to hear from the Chinese Canadian Museum and also the Dr. Sands in Garden. So they have, I think they are all new applicants because of the program, right? Can you confirm that? Okay. And I saw for the museum, they request $350,000, but they will only be able to receive $80,000. And can you elaborate what are the explanations? And can we make sure that in the future, it doesn't impact their funding request in the future?
$88,000 in this program is actually considered a very high grant. The only organizations receiving much higher grants are the cultural institutions, which include the ones managing civic collections. So we were pleased to be able to invite the Chinese Canadian Museum at such a high level compared to other organizations. And it really is a matter of limited resources. And we did have to put a program on pause in order to create budget to invite these new groups and seeing them as a very high priority.
Thank you. So does this affect their future grant application?
They will be able to ask for an increase next year. So that's one of the reasons why they weren't recommended for multi-year. Since they are an organization ranked highly and showing growth, we wanted there to be an opportunity to request a higher grant in future years.
Okay, thank you. And also for the garden, they request $80,000, but they didn't receive anything. Can you provide some explanation as well?
Funding through this program is not guaranteed, so we did let people know the four organizations selected as priority to apply to this program were informed that this funding was not guaranteed and that they should continue to apply for project funding. Applications were evaluated through the peer assessment process, where members of the cultural community and staff participated in assessment and made recommendations based on the program priorities and available budget. Based on the applications submitted, the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Classical Chinese Garden was not recommended for a grant at this time. because other organizations ranked higher according to program priorities. But we acknowledge the unique role the organization serves. Staff will be providing feedback on their application, and they will be invited to apply again next year.
Okay, so after the report today, both organizations will be reached out and staff will provide some guidance and support moving forward, right?
Yes, we've actually met with both of them already, and we will schedule an additional follow-up to provide more detail on their applications.
Thank you. Thank you for doing that. That's all my question. Thanks, Mayor. Thank you, Councillor Meiszner.
Yeah, thanks. I just want to follow up on one of Councillor Zhou's questions. The change in the process around the competitive expression of interest process, was that as a result of council direction or was that a staff decision?
It was a staff decision to provide more openness and transparency.
Okay. And there's no requirement for a decision like that to come to council? No. Okay. Okay. Thanks.
Thank you. Okay. We're now going to hear from registered speakers. Public speakers should state whether they are in support or opposition of the recommendations and may only speak once. I'm going to ask speakers if they are residents of Vancouver, if it's not so noted. On the list, our first public speaker is Henry Liu, Executive Director of the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Classical Chinese Garden. And is Henry on the line? Yes. Hi. Please go ahead.
Can everyone hear me?
Okay, wonderful. Thank you so much. Dear Mayor and Councillors, my name is Henry Hong Liu. I'm the Executive Director of the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Classical Chinese Garden. In 2025, the Garden was invited to apply as one of the four new applicants to the Cultural Operating Funding Program. We're grateful for the opportunity and committed to the EOI and full application processes. Last week, we received disappointing news that our application was unsuccessful, and we have discovered that the Garden is the only one organization in the entire applicant pool that is not recommended for funding. Our request was $80,000, which is lower than many major successful organizations ask. while we do not actually expect to receive the full amount and we're aiming for a lower figure zero is extremely insulting to the doctors and classical chinese garden as a long-standing community-driven cultural organization that has served the city for four decades as one of vancouver's most significant significant cultural institutions and a key anchor in Chinatown. The garden plays a unique and irreplaceable role in preserving and sharing Chinese arts, culture and heritage, fostering cross-cultural understanding and reaching the city's artistic and cultural landscape. It is not only a place of historical and architectural importance, but also a living cultural institution that offers educational programming, exhibitions, performances and community engagement opportunities for residents and visitors alike and of all generations. At the time when Hoover continues to emphasize diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation, the garden stands as a powerful symbol of the city's commitment to these values. Its contributions align closely with the city's cultural priorities, including supporting the representative community. communities advancing into cultural dialogue and sustaining viable spaces. However, like many nonprofit cultural organizations, the garden faces ongoing financial pressures that threaten its ability to maintain stable operations and deliver high quality programming, including it in a cultural operating grant program would provide stability and ensure it can continue serving the public in meaningful ways. This year, in 2026, the garden celebrates its 40th anniversary. Being singled out in the grant recommendation for zero funding is a slap in the face. The grant recommendation sends the dangerous message that the garden is not worthy of being funded by the operating grant program and ultimately the city. And I respectfully ask mayor and city council to consider an amendment that locates funding to the doctors and classical Chinese garden within the current grant grant framework. Supporting this important institution is an investment in Vancouver's cultural vitality, heritage preservation and community well-being. Last week, I had a meeting with the two program officers for the operating grant, and we received the feedback that basically what the guidance delivers, it's not consistent. It's not on the priority.
We're out of time, Henry. Thank you so much for your time and thoughtful consideration. Thank you very much for recalling everything you do, Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Our next speaker is speaker number two, Grace Wong.
Good morning, Your Worship and Councillors. I'm Grace Wong, Board Chair of the Chinese Canadian Museum. I'm here today with our CEO, Dr. Melissa Carmen Lee. We're truly grateful that the museum has been selected to receive an operating grant, and we wish to sincerely thank Council and the Arts and Culture team for their support. The city of Vancouver had a key role in establishing this museum. In 2018, an MOU was signed between the province of BC and the city of Vancouver to support the establishment of the Chinese Canadian Museum, the first of its kind in the province and the country. At the museum's official opening in 2023, the entire City Council was in attendance, and we received a dedicated grant of $100,000 annually for operations, with the understanding that once the museum was established and running, it would be eligible to apply for ongoing operating support. Since opening, the museum has won 15 awards, including Governor General's Award, City of Vancouver Living Heritage Award, and launched seven exhibitions. In that time, we've welcomed over 85,000 visitors and more than 4,000 students through our doors. Importantly, the museum is part of the broader process of cultural restitution, underscored by the opening of the museum on the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act. and our inaugural exhibition, The Paper Trail. The museum ensures that the long history, culture, and the contributions of Chinese Canadians are recognized, preserved, and shared widely. This fulfills a vital public education role and fosters deeper understanding across all communities. The museum is establishing itself as a major cultural institution for the province and the country, and importantly for the city of Vancouver, where it is rooted in Chinatown. The museum contributes to the vitality of the neighborhood, attracting visitors locally, across Canada, and internationally. It is a cultural anchor and a growing tourism asset for the city. But the museum is still relatively new and securing sustainable operating funding is essential for us to achieve our mandate and achieve our potential. We are very grateful for this grant, but we do note it's below what we received on opening and less than what was requested. As well, we would then not be eligible to apply for other cultural grants of the city. and that presents then a further challenge. We recognize the realities of municipal budgets, the many priorities the council must balance, but we respectfully ask that at the earliest opportunity, the museum be considered for a meaningful increase to its annual operating grant. ideally at the level originally requested of $350,000. Such an investment would acknowledge the museum as a major cultural institution and affirms the city's commitment to the Chinese-Canadian museum and its work.
Great. I'm sorry we're out of time. Great. Thank you very much for coming in and all the incredible work you do down there. Okay. That's the end of our speakers list. I do want to thank everyone for coming out and speaking to council. Would someone like to move motion? Great. Counselor Fry, is there a seconder? Counselor Zhou, thank you. Counsel, is there any discussion? Counselor Zhou.
Yeah, thanks, Mayor. Can I ask a five-minute recess so I can prepare some amendment language? Sure. Thanks.
Councillor Bligh, are you online?
Oh, she left.
If we can get one of the councillors online to turn on their camera. We have quorum.
Oh, she is? Perfect.
And Councillor Fry and Maloney, or they... All right, we'll just keep going. Councillor Zhou?
Yeah, thanks, Mayor. I'm moving an amendment, which I sent to everyone already.
Go ahead.
There you go. Perfect. Thank you. All right. So, yeah, so understand the concern from the Chinese Canadian Museum and Dr. Sanderson Garden. I think both are very significant culturally. significant organization to the whole community, not only the Chinese community, but to the whole Vancouver as a whole. So I think it's not appropriate for a significant organization to not receive any money for this grant recommendation. So I'm moving this amendment to allocate $25,000 for our reserve to the Dr. Sanderson Garden. And especially I want to highlight it's coming from the reserve, so it does not affect the operating funding for the department. And I also want to mention that our reserve has increased by from 3% to 10% in the past three years. So that's exactly the place we should use this money for to support this organization. And especially the garden is celebrating 40 years anniversary this year. So it's just not appropriate to me if they did not receive any money from the city to acknowledge their significant contribution to the city. So very straightforward amendment. So hope to receive support from the council. And can we please get a seconder?
Okay. Well, let's bring that to a vote then.
Mayor, can I have a vote of system favor, please? Councillor Kirby. Thank you very much. Yes, you can.
Okay. And that passes unanimously with Councillor Bligh absent. Okay. Let's go back to the main queue.
Okay. Councillor Zhou.
Yeah, so I have no other things to say, but I really encourage our department to reach out to organizations to explain to them and work through them for the future application, which they have agreed to do that. So, yeah, so hope to support, hope to see the future grant recommendation from our staff. Thanks.
Thank you very much. Okay, seeing no one else in the queue, I'm going to call the vote.
please go to the voting panel and vote on.
Okay.
Counselor Maloney.
Great. And that passes unanimously. And that is, that completes report number two. Okay. So the next report we have is report number six, coastal flood management policy. Now, before we begin this agenda item, if anyone believes that they have a conflict of interest, now is the time to declare it. Does anybody have a conflict of interest to declare?
Seeing none. Okay, this item does not have a team member presentation. Councillor Maloney, you did hold this item, so you have up to five minutes to ask questions of team members.
Statement Watch
Okay, wonderful. Thank you so much. Dear Mayor and Councillors, my name is Henry Hong Liu. I'm the Executive Director of the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Classical Chinese Garden. In 2025, the Garden was invited to apply as one of the four new applicants to the Cultural Operating Funding Program. We're grateful for the opportunity and committed to the EOI and full application processes. Last week, we received disappointing news that our application was unsuccessful, and we have discovered that the Garden is the only one organization in the entire applicant pool that is not recommended for funding. Our request was $80,000, which is lower than many major successful organizations ask. while we do not actually expect to receive the full amount and we're aiming for a lower figure zero is extremely insulting to the doctors and classical chinese garden as a long-standing community-driven cultural organization that has served the city for four decades as one of vancouver's most significant significant cultural institutions and a key anchor in Chinatown. The garden plays a unique and irreplaceable role in preserving and sharing Chinese arts, culture and heritage, fostering cross-cultural understanding and reaching the city's artistic and cultural landscape. It is not only a place of historical and architectural importance, but also a living cultural institution that offers educational programming, exhibitions, performances and community engagement opportunities for residents and visitors alike and of all generations. At the time when Hoover continues to emphasize diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation, the garden stands as a powerful symbol of the city's commitment to these values. Its contributions align closely with the city's cultural priorities, including supporting the representative community. communities advancing into cultural dialogue and sustaining viable spaces. However, like many nonprofit cultural organizations, the garden faces ongoing financial pressures that threaten its ability to maintain stable operations and deliver high quality programming, including it in a cultural operating grant program would provide stability and ensure it can continue serving the public in meaningful ways. This year, in 2026, the garden celebrates its 40th anniversary. Being singled out in the grant recommendation for zero funding is a slap in the face. The grant recommendation sends the dangerous message that the garden is not worthy of being funded by the operating grant program and ultimately the city. And I respectfully ask mayor and city council to consider an amendment that locates funding to the doctors and classical Chinese garden within the current grant grant framework. Supporting this important institution is an investment in Vancouver's cultural vitality, heritage preservation and community well-being. Last week, I had a meeting with the two program officers for the operating grant, and we received the feedback that basically what the guidance delivers, it's not consistent. It's not on the priority.
Statement Watch
Good morning, Your Worship and Councillors. I'm Grace Wong, Board Chair of the Chinese Canadian Museum. I'm here today with our CEO, Dr. Melissa Carmen Lee. We're truly grateful that the museum has been selected to receive an operating grant, and we wish to sincerely thank Council and the Arts and Culture team for their support. The city of Vancouver had a key role in establishing this museum. In 2018, an MOU was signed between the province of BC and the city of Vancouver to support the establishment of the Chinese Canadian Museum, the first of its kind in the province and the country. At the museum's official opening in 2023, the entire City Council was in attendance, and we received a dedicated grant of $100,000 annually for operations, with the understanding that once the museum was established and running, it would be eligible to apply for ongoing operating support. Since opening, the museum has won 15 awards, including Governor General's Award, City of Vancouver Living Heritage Award, and launched seven exhibitions. In that time, we've welcomed over 85,000 visitors and more than 4,000 students through our doors. Importantly, the museum is part of the broader process of cultural restitution, underscored by the opening of the museum on the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act. and our inaugural exhibition, The Paper Trail. The museum ensures that the long history, culture, and the contributions of Chinese Canadians are recognized, preserved, and shared widely. This fulfills a vital public education role and fosters deeper understanding across all communities. The museum is establishing itself as a major cultural institution for the province and the country, and importantly for the city of Vancouver, where it is rooted in Chinatown. The museum contributes to the vitality of the neighborhood, attracting visitors locally, across Canada, and internationally. It is a cultural anchor and a growing tourism asset for the city. But the museum is still relatively new and securing sustainable operating funding is essential for us to achieve our mandate and achieve our potential. We are very grateful for this grant, but we do note it's below what we received on opening and less than what was requested. As well, we would then not be eligible to apply for other cultural grants of the city. and that presents then a further challenge. We recognize the realities of municipal budgets, the many priorities the council must balance, but we respectfully ask that at the earliest opportunity, the museum be considered for a meaningful increase to its annual operating grant. ideally at the level originally requested of $350,000. Such an investment would acknowledge the museum as a major cultural institution and affirms the city's commitment to the Chinese-Canadian museum and its work.