Leaders of the Red River Cultural District are pushing City Council members and staff to carry out a February resolution that was intended to secure annual funding to help planning and marketing efforts for the downtown cluster of live music venues. Earlier this week, the RRCD put out a call to its stakeholders and the […]
Economic Development Department
This city department heads up business recruitment, urban regeneration, small business development, arts, and music for the city.
Posted inAustin
EDC seeks financial consultants to kickstart deal-making using city assets
With the Austin Economic Development Corporation still lacking control over substantial revenue-producing city assets, the organization has issued a request for proposals for consultants to advise on how to start putting its bonding authority and other financial tools to use. The RFP, which was issued May 1 and has a May 31 deadline for responses, […]
Posted inBudget
Music Commission’s $3M budget request includes HAAM funds, marketing program
The Music Commission has asked the city for just over $3 million in the next budget to expand some existing programs and provide added economic and medical assistance for local musicians. At Monday’s meeting, the commission unanimously approved six requests for the 2025 budget, which will be submitted to the Economic Development Department as part […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
EDD previews changes to Cultural Arts funding programs ahead of consultants’ reviews
The Economic Development Department is moving ahead with a handful of adjustments to its pilot programs for Cultural Arts grants, with more changes likely to result from a comprehensive review from three outside consultants. At this week’s Arts Commission meeting, staff from the Cultural Arts division gave an update on the funding process for the […]
Posted inPlanning
New cultural districts could thrive with EDD’s planned framework
A pair of long-gestating city initiatives have entertainment and arts proponents eyeing the many new areas around the city that could become cultural districts in the next handful of years. Once enacted, the combination of economic incentives, infrastructure support and planning considerations could make it easier for cultural uses to cluster even as property values […]
Posted inPreservation
City Council approves 2024 Heritage Preservation Grants
On Thursday, City Council approved a list of Heritage Preservation Grants funded by $3.59 million in Hotel Occupancy Tax dollars. The 23 applicants will receive anywhere from $15,000 to $250,000 to fund their proposals, which range from concrete repair projects to more abstract endeavors like educational programming and planning processes. Highlights include awards to the […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Music commissioners consider how to steer more grants toward working musicians
The city’s Music Commission may consider a proposal from a local advocacy group to designate a specific portion of grants from a new city grant program to be awarded to working musicians, who are increasingly finding it harder to afford living in Austin. At Monday’s meeting, the commission heard a presentation from representatives from Austin […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Three consultants enlisted to fix city’s arts, music grant programs
Amid criticism over problems with the rollout of new grant programs for artists and musicians, the Economic Development Department has hired three outside consultants to study and recommend how to improve their performance. A memo released last week by Sylnovia Holt-Rabb, director of EDD, detailed plans for improving the experience for applicants to the new […]
Posted inCity Hall
Artists decry delay in city grant payments, putting some projects and events at risk
Arts commissioners have joined local artists in criticizing the city for the prolonged rollout of one of its newer grant programs, which has left some recipients without funding ahead of events they’d organized with expectations of using the city funds. Last week’s Arts Commission meeting in some ways resembled this month’s Music Commission meeting, where […]
Posted inCity Hall
Tourism Commission wants more transparency on hotel tax funding decisions for arts groups
Members of the Tourism Commission have signaled they want more transparency from the Economic Development Department regarding how Hotel Occupancy Tax dollars allocated for music, cultural arts and historic preservation programs are used. At its most recent meeting, the commission pushed EDD staff to provide an annual report of how all hotel tax revenue for […]
Posted inHousing
Tourism Commission joins staff in push for agreement with short-term rental companies
The Tourism Commission appears ready to push the city to come to an agreement with short-term rental platforms that will allow some regulation of the industry and allow the collection of millions of dollars in Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue each year. Last week, the commission voted to form a working group focused on the long-standing […]
Posted inCity Council
Council hears details of proposed $1M incentive package for NXP Semiconductors
A Dutch semiconductor manufacturer with two factories in Austin has applied to receive the city’s first major economic incentive package since 2017. City Council heard details at Tuesday’s work session about the proposed agreement with NXP Semiconductors N.V., which is looking to invest $290.8 million to remove and replace four of its five production lines […]