CCCADI EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MELODY CAPOTE CALLS OUT CITY FUNDING INEQUITY

Written By Melody Capote

In May 2024, I testified before the City Council Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries and International Intergroup Relations to call out the city’s inequitable funding and to call for the restoration of arts and culture funding. 

There is a clear inequity in New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) Cultural Development Fund (CDF). I have read time and again, DCLA’s “Cultural Development Fund Reform” and find myself angry that, decade after decade we are confronted with the same desire to reform, but a complete inability to do so. Reforms and the proposed overhauling of the DCLA agency require funding and commitment. 

One would think that the issues are so complex that it has required decades of study. It has not. The bottom line is that 85% of the budget for operations and programming activities goes to 34 organizations whose right to that money is based on ownership of property designated over 100 years ago, when community organizations of African descent had no access to be in a similar position let alone be competitive. The remaining organizations, most of which are rooted in communities of color, are forced to compete, with each other, for the remaining 15%. 

I question how a city like New York in 2024 can continue to allocate tax levy funds for arts and culture based on 100-year-old property values. Consider this, baseline funding to DCLA has not seen an increase since 2008.

The arguments made for increasing funding for arts and culture rely so heavily upon tourism.  This argument made by the Administration is that the major cultural institutions are economic drivers for the city and yet while the CDF organizations don’t reap those benefits, we find that even the 34 organizations part of the Cultural Institutions Group (CIG) credited with generating those tourism dollars aren’t seeing the impact in their budgets either. Instead of prioritizing and highlighting culture, the city is divesting the very agency and organizations from which these dollars are generated.

Large institutions have the ability to raise money from their boards and endowments can recover from such divestments, while small organizations simply do not have the same access. Our arts and culture organizations, particularly those working directly in communities of color, rightfully deserve increases and the restoration of $53M.

Culture is the heartbeat of this city. It informs how we view the world, each other, and ourselves. It is critical to the well-being of our communities that the cultural institutions that reflect who they are, their beliefs, their art, music, dance, food and values be readily available to serve their needs. Our communities need cultural homes where their children can experience identity affirmation and have access to express who they are and where they come from.

As the city finalizes its budget by June 30, 2024, join us in demanding the full restoration of arts and culture funding. Sign on to our advocacy letter today.

Melody Capote

Melody Capote was appointed executive director of CCCADI in 2018. She began her long tenure at the organization in 1984 and throughout the years has established herself as a leader in arts administration and cultural activism. She is a vocal and bold voice in advocating for cultural equity, racial and social justice for African descendant communities.

Prior to assuming the role of executive director, Melody was instrumental in the creation and successful implementation of the capital campaign that secured funding from public and private sectors to renovate a landmarked firehouse into a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of El Barrio (East Harlem) which opened its doors in 2016.

Looking to expand audiences for CCCADI, Melody established creative and enduring collaborations with cultural partners like Los Hermanos Fraternos de Loiza/Loiza Festival of El Barrio, Hostos Center for Arts & Culture, Taino Towers, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (La Casita Project, MidSummer Night Swing and Lincoln Center Out of Doors); The Dwyer Cultural Center, and the Apollo Theater, among others.

Experienced in development, government relations, external affairs, and special event programming, she has also supervised and mentored countless individuals who have gone on to pursue careers in the nonprofit arts field and other community-based organizations.

Melody's leadership in challenging the dual pandemics of Covid-19 and continued systemic racism and police violence, has resulted in the development of important CCCADI initiatives such as; the organization’s successful pivot to digital programs designed for all ages, the creation of CCCADI’s Anti-Racism Webinar Series for leaders of mainstream arts and culture organizations to examine personal, programmatic and organizational biases, an all-digital professional development fellowship for artists economically impacted by Covid-19, and the creation of #ArtsGoBlack, a campaign demanding actionable change be instituted by arts and culture institutions and the philanthropic community that funds these entities.

Melody is a Bronx native and graduate of The City College of New York, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies with a major in Dance and a minor in Black and Latino Studies. She is a New School Tennenbaum Leadership Institute Fellow, and received her Not-for-Profit Executive Management Certification from Columbia University. Melody is currently one of the first 12 arts leaders selected to participate in The Pinkerton Advanced Leadership Network launched after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the police.

https://www.cccadi.org/staff
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OUR VOICES HAVE BEEN HEARD - NEW YORK CITY BUDGET TO INCLUDE $53M RESTORATION TO ARTS AND CULTURE FUNDING
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