Please note: Applications for the Individual Artist Fellowship program will open in early 2023. In July, the CAC will be opening its Administering Organization (AO) grant process in order to select a partner organization(s) to manage this year’s program on our behalf. More information will be available on this page once AOs are confirmed in October 2022.
Background & Purpose
The Individual Artist Fellowships program intends to recognize, uplift, and celebrate California artists. Fellowships will support artists from a broad spectrum of artistic practices, backgrounds, geographies and communities, whose work addresses themes including but not limited to race, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. In doing so, the CAC will showcase the centrality of artists’ leadership in generating social impact and the evolution of our traditional and contemporary cultures.
This program will support artists, 18 years of age and older, at key moments in their careers, elevating their capacity for continued contribution to the field and our state. The grant program identifies three career tiers at which artists may benefit from this support:
- CAC Emerging Artist Fellows – Artists with between two and four years of artistic practice.
- CAC Established Artist Fellows – Artists with between four and 10 years of artistic practice.
- CAC Legacy Artist Fellows – established artists with 10 or more years of artistic practice.
Individuals may submit an application in one career tier only.
Fellowship grants support individual artistic practice through unrestricted funding. Awards will be funded at the full dollar amount for each tier; partial awards will not be made. This grant is not intended to support artist groups or collectives. Fiscal sponsorships are not allowed.
Application Links:
Online Application Portal: calartscouncil.smartsimple.com
Guidelines – coming soon
Guidelines in Spanish – coming soon
2021 Grantee Information:
Program Timeline: Coming Soon
| Application Opens | |
| Application Deadline | |
| Panel Review | |
| Funding Decision | |
| Funding Notification | |
| Grant Activity Period | |
| Final Report Deadline |
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.
Staff Contact:
