Pacific Region International Summer Music Association’s (PRISMA) financial grant from qathet Regional District will be used as part of a reduced operating budget in the coming year.
At the regional district’s April 15 committee of the whole meeting, the committee received a letter from PRISMA, outlining the cancellation of the 2020 festival and academy due to COVID-19. Committee chair Sandy McCormick said PRISMA was asking if the money the regional district has already contributed to PRISMA for this year can be held by the organization to help offset its operating costs.
“Does that mean they would then come next year and ask for additional funding?” asked McCormick.
Chief administrative officer Al Radke said for the funding PRISMA received this year from the regional district, he would imagine they would use it at their discretion for any incidentals they may have already incurred. He said for the following year, in 2021, they would be able to apply again to the regional district.
“We have sent a letter with the cheque asking for them to submit a report by January 31, 2021, so we can see how they allocated the funds this year,” said Radke. “With that information, the board can make a decision if they submit another application in 2021.”
City director George Doubt said he read the letter from PRISMA and looked at the financial statements they sent along explaining what expenses they were going to have this year, whether they have the festival or not, and how they hope to maintain funding the regional district has provided so they can keep the organization alive in hopes of having an event next year.
“What the staff has done is ask for an accounting in January next year,” said Doubt. “I expect [PRISMA] will be asking for more funding next year. I hope we can continue to provide them with funding to keep the organization alive between now and then because I think it’s important to the whole district.”
The committee voted to receive the letter.
According to financial statements from PRISMA, the regional district provided $20,000 for the festival in 2020.
According to the letter from PRISMA president Mike Robinson, the two-week festival requires year-round planning and has already incurred many of its administrative expenses for 2020.
“PRISMA’s ability to survive without ticket and tuition revenues from this summer’s events will be hugely reliant on memberships, personal donations, corporate sponsorships and government investment,” stated Robinson in his letter. “We need your support more than ever to weather this financial challenge and present PRISMA 2021.”
Robinson stated that PRISMA promises to redouble its efforts to keep PRISMA in the community and bring the energy, beauty and transformative experiences of the PRISMA Festival Orchestra in 2021.
