"American Capital of Culture" designation -- what is it?

Question

A group, perhaps self-appointed in Spain, regularly hands out some sort of a designation called "American Capital of Culture".
It also asks for plenty of money from the designatee.

Is this "American Capital of Culture" designation legitimate? Is it just a ruse to get money from cities and states?

Answer 1

1. American Capital of Culture
a) According to Wikipedia, it is a legitimate non-governmental organization, endorsed by the Organization of American States (OAS), and has been designating cities since the year 2000.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Capital_of_Culture
b) This Wikipedia statement is supported by the website of the OAS.
http://www.oas.org/main/main.asp?sLang=E&sLink=/xxxiiga/english/docs_en/docs_items/cpcsc77_02.htm
c) However, if this really is the letter that Saskatchewan received from the American Capital of Culture organization, then it has all the phrasing, and grammatical errors, of a Nigerian 419 e-mail.
http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/archives/000802.html
d) Interestingly (or suspiciously?) the whole of the American Capital of Culture website is currently down while it is being updated, apparently.
http://www.cac-acc.org/

2. Comparison with the European Capital of Culture
a) The European City of Culture began in 1985, and was renamed renamed "European Capital of Culture" from 2005.
http://capital.culture.info/#europeCoC
b) The European Capital of Culture is an initiative of the European Union, having been launched by the Council of Ministers in 1985.
http://ec.europa.eu/culture/eac/other_actions/cap_europ/cap_eu_en.html
c) The designation is considered important enough for winners to have formed their own organization. The Network of European Cultural Capitals and Months (ECCM) was founded in 1996 by the organizers of the 10 first Cultural Capitals as a non-profit organisation, and monitors, coordinates and evaluates the European Capital of Culture project.
http://www.eccm-cultural-capitals.org/
d) I can not find any reference to cities being asked for large payments as a pre-condition of designation.
e) However, how can it be that Glasgow (1990) and Liverpool (2008) have been designated, and London not?

3. My opinion
a) The American version stinks. A huge amount of money (US$500,000) is demanded up front, in poor English, from an organisation located outside the Americas, which is not an OAS project, and can even propose that a "province" like Saskatchewan be the nominated "capital". I am not surprised that the following places have turned down the honour.
(i) Toronto http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/1999/agendas/committees/ed/ed990521/it009.htm
(ii) Saskatchewan http://www.gov.sk.ca/newsrel/releases/2004/03/11-098.html
b) Interestingly, there is an alternative. A publication called International Art Treasures Web Magazine designates a North American City of Culture (in 2006 it is Cleveland, Ohio). It seems that the requirement is that any city's official tourist board can submit the case for that city to be selected by the judging panel.
http://www.iatwm.com/200509/Cleveland/index.html