Your Culture Fest funding may be used for two types of expenses: 
 

1. To pay artists: at least $2,000 of the overall partnership funding should go toward artists’ fees plus any travel (mileage, lodging, food) required to provide their performance or workshop. Please communicate with artists clearly and in advance about when you expect to pay them. 
    
2. To pay for event administration: You can use up to $1,000 of your Culture Fest funding to cover administrative costs such as advertising, venue rental, staff time, equipment rental, staging, and marketing materials. Request this installment by submitting your final report with photo documentation. If you need assistance or have questions, please contact OFN for project budget templates.

Your success is our success, so please share any positive testimonials or press. Remember to photograph your event. We require that you submit pictures of your event for use on OFN’s website, blog, and/or social media accounts. A sample release (PDF or Word) form is included in this toolkit. Please print out as many as you need and make sure they are signed by participating artists before you photograph them and share or publish their images or products. 

Please send press releases to local media, plus an invitation to attend the event to your federal and state elected representatives. Please avoid calling this partnership a “grant.” Our funders do not permit the re-granting of their dollars; to avoid confusion, it’s best to refer to OFN as a “partner” and to Culture Fest as a “partnership.” 

This toolkit contains a downloadable press release template as well as invitation and thank-you templates geared toward elected officials. Inviting elected officials to your event raises awareness about the value of cultural life in your area and demonstrates the need for state and federal tax support. Please let us know if you need assistance in contacting your public officials; we are happy to help.

OFN will want to communicate with funders and other stakeholders about the success of this year’s Culture Fest, including specific highlights from your program. Please complete the publicity profile to help us do that.  

CultureFest events are an important means of promoting Oregon traditional arts and folklife as well as the organizations that support cultural activities throughout the state. Please plan to share OFN and Museum of Natural and Cultural History assets with your audience during the event and in promotional materials leading up to your event. You can download the OFN and MNCH logos from our website, and we can also provide print materials with advance notice. Complete the communications menu to let us know which assets you wish to use. 

You’ll find two resources here to assist you with event planning at your venue:  

1. Artist Tech Sheet/Stage Plot: Ask participating artists to complete this technical description sheet and return it to you. Their responses will help you with planning and setup.  

2. Venue Spec Sheet: Complete the venue spec sheet to help you think through the details of the event and make your plans. You can also send the completed form to participating artists in advance of your event. Make sure to describe their presentation space, provide directions to the facility, parking and loading locations, and A/V equipment you can make available. Other relevant information to consider: flooring, lighting, acoustics, outdoor/indoor, shelter, etc.

OFN is fully committed to accessibility for individuals with disabilities and complies with all regulations set forth in the federal Adults with Disabilities Act (ADA). OFN requires that all partner venues are ADA accessible or that partners make any requested accommodations to enable access.

Buildings and facilities (including projects held in historic facilities) must be physically accessible. This can include but is not limited to:

• ground-level/no-step entry, ramped access, and/or elevators to access facilities and outdoor spaces;
• integrated and dispersed wheelchair seating in assembly areas;
• wheelchair-accessible box office, stage/backstage, meeting, and dressing rooms;
• wheelchair-accessible display cases, exhibit areas, and counters;
• accessible studio, classroom, and work spaces;
• accessible artist residency studios and living spaces;
• wheelchair-accessible restrooms and water fountains; and
• directional signage for accessible entrances, restrooms, and other facilities.

The programmatic aspects of the project must be accessible, as either part of the planned activity or upon request, including but not limited to:

• easily accessible contact information for requesting accommodations;
• accessible electronic materials and websites;
• print materials in alternative formats, such as large-print
• brochures/labels/programs in Braille and electronic/digital formats;
• accommodations for performances, tours, and lectures, such as audio description, tactile opportunities, sign language interpretation, and real-time captioning;
• closed/open captioning of video and film; and
• assistive listening devices.

You can adapt these audience evaluation and staff evaluation forms (or simply use them as they are) and distribute to participants and staff during your event.

Please submit your final report to OFN as an evaluation of your partnership experience as a whole. 

• Sample personal services contract
• Tip sheet for recording video at home
• Sample invoice
• Learn more about/apply to the Oregon Culture Keepers Roster.