Best Southwest Assembly
for Arts, Culture, and Community
Incubated by the Duncanville Arts Foundation to build regional arts advocacy
Cedar Hill • DeSoto • Duncanville • Lancaster — Adopted 2025
We, the leaders and stakeholders committed to arts, culture, and community across Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Duncanville, and Lancaster, Texas, recognize that the cultural life of this corridor is a shared resource and a civic responsibility. We recognize that our four cities, though each distinct in character and governed independently, constitute a coherent regional unit whose cultural development is best served through coordinated investment, shared infrastructure, and a unified advocacy voice.
We recognize that arts and culture are not supplemental to civic life but foundational to it, generating economic activity, building social cohesion, sustaining community identity, and creating the conditions under which people choose to live, remain, and invest. We therefore establish the Best Southwest Assembly for Arts, Culture, and Community as a permanent regional body for arts and culture advocacy across this corridor, accept the incubation of that body by the Duncanville Arts Foundation for a period of 24 months, and adopt this Charter as its governing document.
The name of this body is the Best Southwest Assembly for Arts, Culture, and Community, referred to throughout this Charter and in all related documentation as the Best Southwest Assembly.
The Best Southwest Assembly is a voluntary regional coordinating and advocacy body. It is not an independent legal entity during the incubation period. The Best Southwest Assembly operates under the administrative and fiscal umbrella of the Duncanville Arts Foundation, a Texas nonprofit corporation organized under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, which serves as the Best Southwest Assembly's incubating organization, convening authority, and operational infrastructure provider.
The Best Southwest Assembly is not a program of the Foundation's Cultural Investment Strategy. It exists as a distinct incubated initiative established expressly to build regional arts advocacy capacity across the four-city corridor. The two organizations share infrastructure during the incubation period; they do not share a programmatic identity.
The Duncanville Arts Foundation incubates the Best Southwest Assembly and provides the governance support, fiscal administration, strategic coordination, and operational continuity through which the Best Southwest Assembly functions during the 24-month incubation period. The Best Southwest Assembly's relationship with the Duncanville Arts Foundation is governed in full by Article VIII of this Charter. In any conflict between this Charter and the Foundation's Bylaws, the Foundation's Bylaws govern.
Source: Duncanville Arts Foundation Bylaws. Duncanville Arts Foundation Board authorization establishing the Best Southwest Assembly incubation, adopted 2025.The Best Southwest Assembly builds and sustains a regional arts advocacy voice for the Best Southwest corridor, ensuring that Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Duncanville, and Lancaster speak with coordinated authority to municipal governments, state agencies, and philanthropic funders on matters of cultural investment, policy, and infrastructure.
In furtherance of its mission, the Best Southwest Assembly is organized to carry out the following purposes:
The Best Southwest Assembly does not produce its own programming, manage its own venues, or award grants directly to member organizations. These activities are the province of member organizations and of the Duncanville Arts Foundation in its independent capacity. The Best Southwest Assembly's function is advocacy, coordination, and the building of shared regional infrastructure for those purposes.
Source: Duncanville Arts Foundation. Cultural Investment Index, developed in partnership with SMU DataArts. Texas Commission on the Arts, state funding programs and legislative session calendar.The Best Southwest Assembly's primary service area comprises the municipalities of Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Duncanville, and Lancaster, Texas, collectively referred to in this Charter as the Best Southwest corridor or the four-city corridor.
The four cities occupy a coherent geographic unit within Dallas County, recognized formally by the U.S. Census Bureau through its Public Use Microdata Area taxonomy and connected by the shared institutional history of the Best Southwest Partnership, formed in 1986. The Best Southwest Assembly's service area boundaries follow those of the Best Southwest Partnership's original member municipalities.
The Best Southwest Assembly may expand its service area to include additional municipalities by supermajority vote of the Steering Council, as defined in Article VI, combined with the affirmative written endorsement of the prospective member city's municipal government. Expansion does not alter the founding status of the four original member cities.
Source: Best Southwest Partnership (1986). U.S. Census Bureau Public Use Microdata Area taxonomy: Dallas County Southwest PUMA (Cedar Hill and Duncanville); Dallas County South PUMA (DeSoto and Lancaster).The Best Southwest Assembly's work is guided by the following principles, which inform its governance decisions, its advocacy positions, and its criteria for evaluating cultural investment across the corridor:
Arts organizations in adjacent cities often make the same case to the same funders and policymakers independently. The Best Southwest Assembly coordinates that advocacy at a regional scale. A unified four-city voice carries authority that four separate municipal voices cannot match.
Arts and culture require the same permanent infrastructure that other civic functions require: stable organizations, dedicated capital, and durable governance. The Best Southwest Assembly treats cultural infrastructure as a civic responsibility, not a discretionary amenity.
The Best Southwest Assembly's positions before governments and funders are grounded in the Cultural Investment Index and in the best available regional and national data. Advocacy that can be measured is advocacy that can be believed. Policy positions are supported by evidence and adjusted as evidence develops.
The Best Southwest is a majority-minority corridor. The Best Southwest Assembly's advocacy is accountable to the communities it represents, and actively pursues cultural investment that reflects and strengthens those communities. Governance participation is open and representative across all four cities without preference for any single municipality.
Member organizations and the four member cities share accountability for the corridor's cultural development. The Best Southwest Assembly's effectiveness depends on active participation, honest reporting, and a willingness to advance regional priorities even when they require individual institutions to speak with a voice larger than their own.
| Category | Description | Voting Rights |
|---|---|---|
| Organizational Members | Nonprofit arts and cultural organizations incorporated or operating within the four-city corridor. Requires submission of a participation agreement and active engagement in at least one Best Southwest Assembly meeting per year. | Full Steering Council voting rights (elected seats) |
| Municipal Arts Commission Members | Municipal arts commissions or equivalent advisory bodies representing Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Duncanville, or Lancaster. Each holds one designated seat in the Steering Council. | Full Steering Council voting rights (designated seats) |
| Civic Partners | Public agencies, educational institutions, economic development bodies, and civic organizations with a demonstrated interest in the cultural life of the corridor. | Voice in Assembly discussions; no Steering Council vote |
| Individual Participants | Artists, cultural workers, and community members who engage in Best Southwest Assembly activities in an individual capacity. | Voice in Assembly discussions; no Steering Council vote |
Admission as an Organizational Member or Civic Partner requires completion of a participation agreement and acknowledgment of this Charter. Admission is confirmed by the Best Southwest Assembly Coordinator upon receipt of a completed agreement. No membership fee is required for participation.
An Organizational Member in good standing has submitted a current participation agreement and has attended at least one Best Southwest Assembly convening within the previous twelve months. The Best Southwest Assembly Coordinator maintains the membership roster and notifies organizations whose standing has lapsed. Lapsed members may restore standing at any subsequent meeting.
Any member may withdraw from the Best Southwest Assembly at any time by written notice to the Best Southwest Assembly Coordinator. The Steering Council may, by supermajority vote, remove an Organizational Member whose conduct is materially inconsistent with the principles established in Article IV of this Charter. Removal requires written notice and a 14-day opportunity to respond before the Steering Council.
Source: Duncanville Arts Foundation Bylaws. Best Southwest Assembly participation agreement template.The Best Southwest Assembly is governed through three interlocking bodies: the Steering Council, the Best Southwest Assembly Coordinator, and the full Best Southwest Assembly. These bodies operate with distinct responsibilities and are accountable to one another.
The Steering Council is the Best Southwest Assembly's primary deliberative and decision-making body. It is composed of:
Steering Council members serve two-year terms. Elected members may serve up to two consecutive terms before a one-year break in service is required. Municipal designees serve at the pleasure of their respective arts commissions.
The Best Southwest Assembly Coordinator is a staff position provided by the Duncanville Arts Foundation during the incubation period. The Coordinator organizes Best Southwest Assembly meetings, maintains the membership roster and Charter record, prepares agendas and meeting records, manages communications, supports Steering Council deliberations, and coordinates Best Southwest Assembly activities with Foundation operations. The Coordinator reports to the Executive Director of the Duncanville Arts Foundation.
The full Best Southwest Assembly meets in accordance with the convening schedule in Article VII. Any member may raise agenda items, participate in discussion, and submit written input for Steering Council consideration. The full Best Southwest Assembly's role is deliberative; formal decisions on policy, advocacy positions, and governance matters rest with the Steering Council.
Source: Duncanville Arts Foundation Bylaws. Best Southwest Assembly governance authorization, adopted 2025.The Best Southwest Assembly meets quarterly, with each meeting hosted by a member city in rotation. Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Duncanville, and Lancaster each serve as host city once per calendar year. The rotation order is established by the Steering Council at the start of each year. Hosting a meeting conveys no additional governance authority to the host city.
In years when the Texas Legislature is in regular or special session, the Best Southwest Assembly convenes a fifth meeting in Austin. This legislative convening carries an explicit advocacy agenda: building and sustaining relationships with the Texas Commission on the Arts and other state cultural agencies, advancing the Best Southwest Assembly's policy priorities with elected representatives, and ensuring the Best Southwest corridor is present and documented when state cultural investment decisions are made.
The Steering Council may call a special meeting at any time. Special meetings may also be called upon written request of one-third of Organizational Members in good standing. Notice must be provided to all members at least ten calendar days in advance.
A quorum for full Best Southwest Assembly meetings is achieved when representatives of at least two member cities and three Organizational Members in good standing are present. Participation by videoconference or other remote means counts toward quorum.
The Best Southwest Assembly's incubation period runs 24 months from the date this Charter is adopted. The Duncanville Arts Foundation authorizes this incubation specifically to build the organizational capacity, civic relationships, and advocacy infrastructure that sustained regional arts advocacy requires. The incubation period is not a probationary status; it is a deliberate investment in the Best Southwest Assembly's ability to function independently as a strong regional voice.
The Duncanville Arts Foundation provides the following resources to the Best Southwest Assembly during the incubation period:
| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| Administrative Support | The Best Southwest Assembly Coordinator position is staffed and compensated by the Foundation. The Coordinator provides scheduling, communications, meeting preparation, record-keeping, and member roster management across the full incubation period. |
| Legal and Fiscal Infrastructure | The Foundation provides 501(c)(3) status for Best Southwest Assembly activities, fiscal administration for all funds received or disbursed on behalf of the Best Southwest Assembly, and legal compliance infrastructure. The Best Southwest Assembly does not independently hold funds or enter contracts during the incubation period. |
| Strategic Coordination | The Foundation's Executive Director participates in Steering Council proceedings in an advisory, non-voting capacity and provides strategic guidance on organizational development, advocacy positioning, and graduation planning. The Foundation connects the Best Southwest Assembly to relevant regional, state, and national networks. |
| Cultural Investment Index Access | The Foundation makes Cultural Investment Index data and analysis available to the Best Southwest Assembly as its primary advocacy instrument, and coordinates the Index's presentation to municipal governments, regional funders, and state agencies on behalf of the Best Southwest Assembly. |
| Fiscal Sponsorship Access | Organizational Members of the Best Southwest Assembly may apply for fiscal sponsorship through the Foundation's program for projects qualifying under Foundation guidelines. Fiscal sponsorship is governed by individual agreements and is distinct from Best Southwest Assembly membership. |
In exchange for incubation resources, the Best Southwest Assembly accepts the following obligations:
The Foundation's Executive Director and the Best Southwest Assembly Coordinator participate in Steering Council proceedings in an advisory capacity without voting authority on matters of Best Southwest Assembly policy or governance. The Steering Council retains full authority over the Best Southwest Assembly's advocacy positions, policy priorities, and programmatic decisions within the scope of this Charter and the Foundation's Bylaws.
The Best Southwest Assembly becomes a candidate for graduation from incubation at the conclusion of the 24-month period upon satisfying all of the following criteria:
The Duncanville Arts Foundation operates on a "foundation as infrastructure" model, directing its resources toward governance support, fiscal sponsorship, and coordinating infrastructure rather than direct programming. The Best Southwest Assembly's incubation is the primary expression of that model at regional scale, and its graduation is evidence that the model works.
Source: Duncanville Arts Foundation Bylaws. Duncanville Arts Foundation Board authorization, 2025. Texas Commission on the Arts state funding programs.The Steering Council may establish Working Groups to address specific areas of the Best Southwest Assembly's work on an ongoing or time-limited basis. Working Groups are advisory bodies; their recommendations are presented to the Steering Council for deliberation and decision. Working Groups may be dissolved by the Steering Council when their purpose has been fulfilled or is no longer active.
The following Working Groups are established by this Charter as permanent advisory bodies of the Best Southwest Assembly:
| Working Group | Primary Function |
|---|---|
| Legislative Advocacy | Develops the Best Southwest Assembly's annual legislative agenda, prepares materials and briefings for Austin convenings, coordinates direct engagement with elected and appointed officials at the state level, and tracks legislation relevant to the corridor's cultural interests. |
| Capital Development | Identifies regional and statewide funding opportunities, develops coordinated grant strategies, and supports member organizations in building grant-ready capacity. Coordinates with the Foundation's development function to avoid duplication. |
| Cultural Investment Index | Supports the ongoing development and deployment of the Cultural Investment Index as an advocacy instrument, reviews methodology in coordination with SMU DataArts, and advises on how Index findings should be presented to specific municipal, funder, and legislative audiences. |
Each Working Group is led by a Chair appointed by the Steering Council from among Organizational Members in good standing. Working Groups are open to all Best Southwest Assembly members. The Best Southwest Assembly Coordinator provides administrative support to each Working Group.
Source: Duncanville Arts Foundation program architecture. Cultural Investment Index methodology, SMU DataArts partnership.No action taken by the Best Southwest Assembly, its Steering Council, or any member acting on behalf of the Best Southwest Assembly may violate any applicable federal, state, or local law or regulation. Any proposed action that would constitute or facilitate a violation of law is void and of no effect, regardless of how it was adopted or by whom it was proposed.
No action taken by the Best Southwest Assembly may violate the Bylaws of the Duncanville Arts Foundation. In any conflict between a provision of this Charter and the Foundation's Bylaws, the Foundation's Bylaws govern. The Foundation's Executive Director holds authority to void any Best Southwest Assembly action that conflicts with the Foundation's Bylaws during the incubation period, and such determination is final.
Routine decisions of the Steering Council require a simple majority of voting members present and voting, provided a quorum is established. Routine decisions include approval of Working Group recommendations, adoption of meeting records, establishment of advocacy priorities, and appointment of Working Group chairs.
The following decisions require an affirmative vote of two-thirds of all voting Steering Council members, with at least ten calendar days' written notice before the vote:
Any Steering Council member with a direct financial or organizational interest in a matter before the Council must disclose that interest before deliberation begins and must recuse themselves from the vote on that matter. The Best Southwest Assembly Coordinator maintains a record of disclosed interests.
Meeting records, including attendance, agenda items, and decisions reached, are maintained by the Best Southwest Assembly Coordinator and made available to all Best Southwest Assembly members upon request. Summary meeting records are published to the Best Southwest Assembly's public-facing communications within thirty days of each meeting.
Any Organizational Member in good standing or any member of the Steering Council may propose an amendment to this Charter by submitting proposed text in writing to the Best Southwest Assembly Coordinator. The Coordinator distributes proposed amendments to all Best Southwest Assembly members not fewer than thirty calendar days before the Steering Council meeting at which the amendment will be considered.
Amendments require an affirmative supermajority vote of the Steering Council as specified in Section 10.2, followed by written concurrence from the Executive Director of the Duncanville Arts Foundation confirming the amendment is consistent with the Foundation's operational capacity and legal obligations. Amendments take effect upon both approvals being secured. No amendment may conflict with applicable law or the Foundation's Bylaws.
The Best Southwest Assembly Coordinator maintains a complete amendment history of this Charter, with each amendment identified by date of adoption and the Charter version it modifies. The current version of this Charter, with all amendments incorporated, is published on the Best Southwest Assembly's public-facing website.
This Charter is adopted upon the affirmative vote of the founding members of the Best Southwest Assembly for Arts, Culture, and Community and takes effect on the date of that adoption, as recorded in the signature block below. The 24-month incubation period begins on the date of adoption.
The founding members of the Best Southwest Assembly are those organizations and individuals whose representatives sign this Charter at the time of its adoption. Founding membership status is honorary and carries no additional governance rights beyond those held by any Organizational Member in good standing.
This Charter remains in effect until amended or dissolved. Dissolution requires a unanimous vote of the Steering Council and the written concurrence of the Duncanville Arts Foundation. Upon dissolution, any assets held on behalf of the Best Southwest Assembly by the Foundation are directed to purposes consistent with the Best Southwest Assembly's mission, at the discretion of the Foundation's Board of Directors. Dissolution of the Best Southwest Assembly does not dissolve the Duncanville Arts Foundation.
This Charter is ratified at the founding meeting of the Best Southwest Assembly for Arts, Culture, and Community, convened by the Duncanville Arts Foundation, 202 W. Center Street, Suite 101, Duncanville, Texas 75116. Ratification constitutes each signatory's agreement to all provisions of this Charter and acceptance of all obligations specified herein. By signing, each founding member authorizes the establishment of the Best Southwest Assembly for Arts, Culture, and Community as a permanently incubated regional advocacy body for arts and culture across Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Duncanville, and Lancaster, Texas, under the incubation of the Duncanville Arts Foundation for a period of 24 months from the date of adoption.
Best Southwest Assembly for Arts, Culture, and Community • Adopted 2025 • Duncanville Arts Foundation, 202 W. Center Street, Suite 101, Duncanville, Texas 75116