Agency update: URBAN-15
If you’ve seen the Fiesta Flambeau Parade or been to Luminaria or other local arts events, you’ve likely seen performers from URBAN-15 dancing in colorful costumes, sometimes sparkling with lights. They even marched in the 2009 presidential inaugural parade in Washington, D.C.
Those performances required in-person rehearsals and training. But all that came to a halt in March 2020, when the nonprofit shut down its live classes and activities due to the pandemic. It was a tough time, but Impact San Antonio’s 2018 High Impact Grant helped the agency get through it.
The grant application was for a new HVAC system for the nonprofit’s headquarters at 2500 S. Presa. And the $100,000 grant did pay for that, but it also funded something more.
“When the original application was submitted and became a successful entry, none of us anticipated how the grant execution … would be so affected with the interruption of the Covid-19 shutdown,” said Artistic Director Catherine Cisneros.
The HVAC replacement created a more comfortable working environment and saved on repair costs, she said. And after Covid hit and staff members spent long hours conducting classes and rehearsals online, having a comfortable workspace was especially important.
“The HVAC systems played a critical role when the organization was compelled to realign our programs for virtual distribution via our streaming video studio,” Cisneros said. “Staff was able to work extended hours under quality working conditions We were able to maintain an active presence in all of our program areas via Zoom.”
Still, the repercussions from the shutdown were severe.
“The most pressing concern was that URBAN-15’s earned income activities were brought to a halt with the cessation of live classes, paid performances, studio film events and rental of facilities,” Cisneros said. “Income generated by such activities has been the source of our mortgage payments.”
Luckily, the HVAC replacement had not used all the $100,000 Impact SA grant. Some $22,099 of the funds remained, and the agency asked Impact SA to allow them to redirect that money toward paying URBAN-15’s mortgage. Impact SA leaders agreed, and those funds paid the nonprofit’s mortgage for the next year.
And that meant URBAN-15’s programs survived online during the worst of the pandemic.
“During the time when the nation was living in a state of ambiguity and fear, URBAN-15 continued to provide programs via Zoom and streaming services,” Cisneros said. “Our maintained presence provided our students, audiences and friends a beacon of optimism and continuity.”
Rehearsals continued online, and original works were created for Global Water Dances, the Pollinator Fest, Dia de los Muertos and Luminaria. The nonprofit increased its streaming capacity to 24 hours, seven days a week for the youth services of the poetry events Mega Corazon and the Josiah Youth Media Festival.
“This increased our viewing to a global audience of more than 10,000 internet addresses,” said George Cisneros, director of music and media.
Today, activities are a hybrid of live and online events. Those are made easier by the better working conditions provided by new HVAC systems that no longer are operated from loud units suspended from the ceiling, Catherine Cisneros said.
“The most important thing is that we survived an existential crisis in 2020 because Impact SA understood our importance to the cultural community,” she said. “Because of the Impact SA grant, URBAN-15 has survived.”
(210) 736-1500