DOI field rep explains grant award for Pacific Arts Festival
by Fili Sagapolutele
Samoa News Correspondent
The U.S. Department of Interior's Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) has awarded American Samoa $339,000 to help the Pacific Arts Festival organizing committee prepare for the regional event next year.
The award is less than half of what Governor Togiola requested for the festival. The money is to go towards personnel, travel, marketing and promotion.
Governor Togiola Tulafono requested in August technical assistance funding for $997,250 "to help the Organizing Committee of the 10th Festival of Pacific Arts raise funds to meet the budgetary needs of the festival," said DOI's field representative Lydia Faleafine-Nomura, responding to Samoa News inquiries.
The proposal was revised in September to $997,500 with $312,500 for personnel; $220,000 for travel; $360,000 for marketing & promotion; and $105,000 for office expenses.
Faleafine-Nomura said that after much consideration, and given the limited technical assistance funds available at the end of fiscal year 2007, OIA director Nikolao Pula awarded $339,000 to the American Samoa Government.
While the award letter does not breakdown the use of the funds, Faleafine-Nomura said it does state how the funds are to be used, specifically for personnel, travel, marketing and promotion, which are areas identified by the governor in his technical assistance proposal.
"The reason for the general award was because Director Pula wanted to give the Committee as much flexibility as possible to budget the grants funds according to their priority needs," she said.
Last week, OIA received an e-mail from organizing committee festival co-chair Fagafaga Daniel Langkilde requesting OIA review and approval of the Committee's budget [of OIA funds] and it was approved as prepared by the co-chair, she said.
Faleafine-Nomura said OIA supports the efforts of the Organizing Committee and the American Samoa Government.
"OIA believes that the Arts Festival will provide American Samoa a great opportunity to showcase its people and unique customs and traditions," she told Samoa News. "More important, OIA believes that the Festival will improve the economy by boosting tourism, a viable and important industry for the Territory."
FUND RAISING
Fagafaga told Samoa News yesterday that fund raising activities "are going well very" and "we just came back from New Zealand seeking support from companies doing business in American Samoa."
"It was a very positive trip and we received promises from companies to provide assistance," he said. "While there is no full financial commitment yet from them, the companies we talked to have indicated they wanted to get involved in this important festival."
The committee is also planning off-island trips to Australia and the U.S. to seek corporate support.
Fagafaga said the committee is holding back at this time going to local companies for financial support, but may go this route later.
The territorial government has pledged $1.5 million to the festival and the organizing committee is working on seeking grants from other federal agencies as well as U.S. organizations.
COMMUNITY EFFORTS
Fagafaga said the organizing committee has been discussing having the public take an active role in festival preparations.
"We will need our whole community to get involved, in areas such as beatification and volunteerism," said Fagafaga. "We need hundreds of volunteers for various duties and responsibilities for the festival."
The governor, on his weekend radio program, continues to call on the public for their cooperation in keeping our island clean.
He asked the public to "make it a habit" to clean up as much as possible.
During a cabinet meeting on Oct. 3, the governor asked directors to help out with clean-up efforts by beautifying their offices and the whole island.
Directors will be asked later for their help with specific preparations for the festival, which is slated for July 20-Aug. 2, 2008.
Reach the reporter at fili@samoanews.com.
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