Please note: The CAC has reopened the funding opportunity for Creative Youth Development. Grant program guidelines have been revised for clarification of applicant eligibility, grantee requirements, and review criteria. Application submission deadlines have been extended by one week, from June 16 to June 23, 2022, to compensate for the weeklong closure to implement these changes.
Background & Purpose
The Creative Youth Development program (formerly Youth Arts Action) is rooted in the CAC’s belief that arts learning is an essential tool for healthy human development and that it should be available to all young people throughout California. The CAC envisions that all of California’s young people are provided with meaningful, culturally responsive arts-learning experiences so that they can reach their full potential.
Beneficiaries of Creative Youth Development projects include youth from infancy to 24 years of age. All projects occur outside of traditional school hours, taking place in arts venues, community centers, school sites, and other youth-oriented settings.
- Children ages 0-5 and school-age youth are a priority for this program, with successful projects demonstrating the ability to cultivate positive social and emotional development, as well as promote artistic expression and creativity.
- Support for transitional individuals, ages 18 to 24, are an additional priority, with successful projects demonstrating the capacity to engage with transitional youth in relevant, dynamic, and innovative ways.
Examples of applicable projects include but are not limited to: arts projects in early learning, daycare, or foster-care environments; projects that support the transmission of traditional arts and cultural practices; youth leadership and mentorship opportunities in arts settings; and arts programming that supports workforce development and entrepreneurship.
Arts Education Office Hours
Virtual office sessions are available to provide technical assistance for the Artists in Schools, Arts Education Exposure, Arts Integration Training, and Creative Youth Development grant programs. Arts Program Specialist Amy Garrett will discuss your organization-specific grant application questions, with participants admitted via a Zoom waiting room. Hours are offered Wednesdays and Thursdays from 12-1pm through June 16. Click here to register.
Application Links:
Online Application Portal:
calartscouncil.smartsimple.com
Program Timeline:
| Guidelines Published | April 28, 2022 / *Revised* May 27, 2022 |
| Application Opens | April 28, 2022 |
| Application Deadline | June 23, 2022, 11:59 PM |
| Panel Review | Approx. June – July 2022 |
| Funding Decision | Approx. July 2022 |
| Funding Notification | Approx. August 2022 |
| Grant Activity Period | Jan 1, 2023 – Dec 31, 2024 |
| Interim Report Deadline | January 31, 2024 |
| Final Report Deadline | January 31, 2025 |
Staff contact:
Natalie Peeples
(she/her/hers)
Arts Program Specialist
creativeyouthgrant@arts.ca.gov
