Santa Monica Conservancy Website Redesign

Grant Information
Requested	$10,000
Granted	2500.00
Categories	Arts , Education , Community
Location	United States
Grant Cycle	2011

Organization Info
501c3 Organization	Santa Monica Conservancy
Organization Website	http://www.smconservancy.org

Grant Description
Description	The proposed website redesign would enable us to provide more timely information for the Conservancy’s tours and events and support making preservation challenges and success stories as well as technical information available 24 x 7 to a broad audience including owners of historic structures, realtors, students and teachers, and other members of the public interested in the history and culture of our community. We have a large amount of content developed by our volunteers which could be made available to the public once we have the infrastructure to do so! In addition, the Conservancy, which has until now operated out of members' homes, will soon be launching a public fundraising campaign to establish a Preservation Resource Center. (More information about the Resource Center will be uploaded with this application). The new website will be an invaluable resource to the campaign, enabling a much more effective public outreach. We have a small committee working on design objectives for the new website in terms of useability, desired content and maintenance characteristics and would like to proceed with development of the new website early in 2012 if funds become available. Their "work in progress" proposal for the website is attached. The grant would be used to pay consulting fees for the website development. We recognize that our request is a large sum relative to many of the grants you have made, and know that you have many worthy proposals. If you are not able to fund our full request, we will seek matching funds from individuals and/or other grantmakers so that we can move forward with this essentail project. Thank you for your consideration.
Used for	The Santa Monica Conservancy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, has led community efforts to advance historic preservation in Santa Monica since its founding in 2002. Its website is based on outmoded technology and requires a high level of skill to create new content, greatly limiting our ability to communicate with the public. The Conservancy proposes to redesign and upgrade its website with a Content Management System which will make it much more flexible, easier to maintain, and easier to update and add content.
Benefits	The Conservancy works to promote a widespread understanding and appreciation of the cultural, social and economic benefits of historic preservation through education, assistance and advocacy. Our historic places - whether they are grand public edifices or the older homes that give character to our residential neighborhoods - represent the lives and the values of those who came before us, and are an important aspect of what we want to pass on to our future. In today's world, however, it is not enough just to preserve these structures - the internet provides the opportunity to tell their stories and encourage support of preservation to a much wider audience.