Please note: This grant program is being administered by the Association of Arts Administration Educators. The deadline for applications from fellows and host organizations is September 20, 2023. Click here to be redirected to the grant home page and application site.
Background & Purpose
The California Arts Council’s policies and practices prioritize equity and have a broad geographic reach into communities of all sizes and needs. These priorities include strengthening the creative expression of artists, artistic practice, and community collaboration as vital strategies in healing, stabilizing, uplifting, and transforming communities. Artistic projects that foster creative social change in the areas of equity and access provide crucial opportunities for sustaining strong, healthy, vibrant, safe, and resilient communities in a region.
The CAC is committed to ensuring a vibrant, inclusive, resilient and healthy arts and culture ecosystem in California, in which the staff and programs of arts and cultural organizations reflect the diversity, creativity, and cultures of their communities.
The CAC recognizes that communities across our state have experienced systemic disparities and inequities within the field of arts administration. Some identified structural barriers to careers in the arts include the culture of unpaid internships within the arts, inaccessible educational requirements by employers, or geographic and/or social isolation from cultural institutions with paid staff opportunities. This program will be to both support the professional trajectory of individuals who otherwise may not have the opportunity to develop their careers as arts administrators and to increase the capacity of arts organizations for authentic community engagement with those they serve. We acknowledge that barriers to access are compounded by factors such as socio-economic status, geographic isolation, gender identity, racial identity, and disability, and we are committed to addressing these barriers in order to achieve greater equity.
The California Arts Council (CAC) is offering the Arts Administrators Pipeline Fellowship program as a continued investment in the future of a creative California, an inclusive workforce in arts and culture, and the vibrancy of the organizations that are creating and preserving the cultural identities of all California communities.
Project Requirements
The CAC will award funds to an Administering Organization (AO) that will develop and administer the fellowship program statewide over two years.
The AO will implement a fellow-driven grant program, identifying approximately 11 emerging arts administrators for support and then pairing them with an equal number of arts and culture organizations
dedicated to equity and community engagement for a 12-month paid fellowship. Fellows and host organizations and fellows will represent the geographic diversity of California. With oversight by the CAC, the
AO will design and administer application processes for both fellows and host organizations; supply a suite of resources for the fellows, including a livable wage stipend; and provide professional development activities
and immersion in a co-learning community. It will also re-grant funds to the host organizations for fellowship salaries and benefits, and for other expenses necessary to create an effective fellowship experience for the
organizations and the fellows.
Eligible Request Amounts
The AO grant will be approximately $1,165,000 for the following purposes:
- AO program administration: Up to $233,000 for program administration for a two-year activity period
- $50,000 per 11 fellows for a 12-month fellowship
- Organizational stipends: $35,000 per organization for fellow benefits such as health insurance and other benefits, and organizational costs related to hosting a fellow
Administering Organization Grants Overview Webinar
Click here to watch the archived video
Presentation slides (PDF)
Arts Program Specialist Josy Miller provides an overview of the California Arts Council’s two administering organization grants currently open for applications: Arts Administrators Pipeline Fellowship and Individual Artists Fellowship.
Application Links:
Online Application Portal:
calartscouncil.smartsimple.com
Current Grantee (2022 Cycle C): Association of Arts Administration Educators
Program Timeline:
| AO Application Opens | July 14, 2022 |
| AO Application Deadline | August 31, 2022 |
| Panel Review | Approx. September 2022 |
| Funding Decision | Approx. Late October 2022 |
| Funding Notification | November 2022 |
| Grant Activity Period | January 1, 2023 — December 31, 2024 |
| Fellowship Period | April 1, 2023 — March 31, 2024 |
| Interim Report Deadline | January 31, 2024 |
| Final Report Deadline | January 31, 2025 |
Staff Assistance:
Before contacting staff, check FAQs to see if application questions can be answered. If staff assistance is still required for guidance or clarification, email is the best way to contact Program Specialists. We recommend that you contact staff well in advance of the deadline to ensure you can be accommodated. People who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Deaf-Blind, or have difficulty speaking may dial 711 to reach the California Relay Service (CRS). Large print is available upon request. Translation services may also be available upon request.
Staff Contact:
Josy Miller, Ph.D.
Arts Program Specialist
California Arts Council
adminfellowgrant@arts.ca.gov
