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EXHIBIT A INDIAN RIVER COUNTY TOURIST TAX FUNDING REQU A. Program Cover Page Agency: Cultural Council of Indian River County Telephone Contact Person: SHEILA MCAVOY Fax: Title: OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR E -Mail: Address: 2400 15th St. Suite 2, Vero Beach, FL 32960 Website Address: www.cultu[gi-council.org Program Title: Local Arts Agency 772-77 772-77 I Agree - By checking the "I Agree" box and entering your name below, you certify that information contained in this application accurately reflects the activities of this agency and that the expenditures or portions thereof for which County funds are being requested are not reimbursed by any other source. Name: Alicia Quinn Title: Operations Manager brier aescrl tion of the Program for wnicn tunaing is re uestea: As the County's designated Local Arts Agency, the Cultural Council of Indian River County represents and advocates for more than 300 artists, cultural and community organizations and businesses. Collaboration with our arts organizations/promoting them and their events is one of our main focuses. Creating the annual Cultural Arts Guide, promoting local activity via our community calendar, utilizing social media, Google our website, weekly newsletter the arts of Indian River County are promoted extensively outside of the region. We work closely with the Gifford Cultural Center and Historical Museum implementing a state grant the Cultural Council received for $493,000, Vero Beach Art Club with the Under the Oaks Art Show, The Sebastian Riverfront Fine Art and Music Festival, The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center bringing their performances to our county, and Ballet Vero Beach to mention several of our member organizations. The IRC Chamber's latest, 2020, report indicates art and cultural opportunities are a huge factor in attracting tourism. Our quality of life here in our county is greatly enhanced by the presence of the arts. Research indicates an art or cultural event influenced the choice of destination for travels in more than 35 million surveyed and is the 4th largest driver of decisions when planning a trip. The Cultural Council's programs aimed at supporting tourism include digital and video marketing, print publications, broadcast marketing, website , Cultural Concierge Service, and information distribution at our main office and at local festivals and events as well as in four (4) WELCOME TO FLORIDA VISITOR CENTERS. We continue to increase social media outreach and the electronic copy of our ever popular Cultural Arts Guide available in hardcopy as well. The electronic copy is accessible through our website to be shared with potential visitors from all areas of the globe. We recognize that there is attitude change occurring for paper products. We believe that the older population still values a paper Product while our younger population prefers digital access. We have fulfilled this need for several years now and will continue to while monitoring the shift as it occurs. In 2024 we have rendered an 8 minute 45 second video utilizing original footage of the 2024 Under the Oaks Fine Arts Show together with video clips from collaborating partner arts organizations. We are using this video to create shorter video ad clips to promote cultural tourism in IRC. Prior to Under the Oaks Arts and Music Festival the videos were shared with participating artists for them to promote in their own home areas and to their supporting collectors in Florida. Sample video of the murals in Sebastian are included in our PowerPoint presentation. These were created in collaboration with the Sebastian Chamber of Commerce. Those artists have also been given access to the videos to promote their creative work and the city of Sebastion. The $493,000 state grant we have received for the development of the architectural plans for the Gifford Cultural Center and Historical Museum is the first giant step in creating what will become an additional major tourist attraction in our county. Our partnership with the Indian River County Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America to construct a World War II Tribute on Memorial Island has reached far and wide producing nationwide contributions. These many contributors are future tourists who will visit IRC and the memorial they helped construct. The memorial is now complete and was dedicated Veterans' Day, November 10, 2024. Plans to create military oriented travel tours of the island and other nearby sites will add to IRC tourism. TDC funds are instrumental in our programs. summary Keport Amount requested from Indian River County for 2025/2026: $55,000.00 Total Proposed Program budget for 2025/2026: $100,000.00 Percent of total Program budget: 55% Current Funding (2024/2025) $40,000.00 Dollar increase / (decrease) in request: $15,000.00 Percent increase / decrease in request: 37.5% EXHIBIT A