Grantee Database Results
| Grant Program | Grant Year | Organization Name | County | Award Amount | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Latino Center of Art and Culture | Sacramento | $15,975.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Institute of Inquiry | San Bernardino | $13,800.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Au Co Vietnamese Cultural Center | San Francisco | $15,900.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Celebration Theatre | Los Angeles | $18,271.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Ben Free Project | Orange | $22,800.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | City of Twentynine Palms Parks & Recreation | San Bernardino | $18,500.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | ArtReach | San Diego | $17,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival | Fresno | $12,600.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | KALEIDOSCOPE | Los Angeles | $18,250.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Unscripted Learning | San Diego | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Stay Studio | Los Angeles | $20,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | OAKLAND THEATER PROJECT | Alameda | $15,300.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | WOMEN IN FILM | Los Angeles | $15,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | ICYOLA | Los Angeles | $12,600.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | PLUS ME Project | Los Angeles | $20,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Pony Box Dance | Los Angeles | $19,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Art in the Park | Los Angeles | $16,200.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Berkeley Art Center | Alameda | $12,300.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Valerie Troutt Projects | Alameda | $11,100.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | MOXIE Theatre | San Diego | $15,600.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Balboa Art Conservation Center | San Diego | $17,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | San Francisco Mime Troupe | San Francisco | $15,300.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits (BAAITS) | San Francisco | $17,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Invertigo Dance Theatre | Los Angeles | $19,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Unscripted Learning | San Diego | $15,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Dell'Arte International | Humboldt | $17,868.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Nava Dance Theatre | San Francisco | $20,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Nava Dance Theatre | San Francisco | $12,900.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | GLAM INC | Los Angeles | $13,800.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Flockworks | Mendocino | $19,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Viet Voices | San Diego | $12,900.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Queer Cultural Center | San Francisco | $17,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Urban Jazz Dance Company | San Francisco | $21,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Architecture + Advocacy | Los Angeles | $13,200.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Medical Clown Project | Contra Costa | $15,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | San Francisco Transgender Film Festival | San Francisco | $18,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Fua Dia Kongo | Alameda | $12,900.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | OAKLAND THEATER PROJECT | Alameda | $20,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | SNS Choirs | Los Angeles | $7,840.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Art With Elders | San Francisco | $19,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Art With Elders | San Francisco | $15,300.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Riverside Art Museum (RAM) | Riverside | $17,320.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Highways Performance Space & Gallery | Los Angeles | $19,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Highways Performance Space & Gallery | Los Angeles | $12,300.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Plaza de la Raza | Los Angeles | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Mariachi Women’s Foundation | Los Angeles | $21,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Napa Valley Youth Symphony | Napa | $21,300.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | LOCAL COLOR | Santa Clara | $18,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | ART OF ÉLAN | San Diego | $15,600.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | TCAL | Los Angeles | $21,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | PUSH | San Francisco | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Rainbow Labs | Los Angeles | $18,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Community Roots Garden | Ventura | $19,000.00 | More » |
| Individual Artist Fellowships-AO | 2025-26 | Kala Art Institute | Alameda | $700,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | T3 TRIPLE THREAT | San Diego | $13,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | California Karen Youth Connection | Sacramento | $13,800.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | ALAS | San Mateo | $17,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | non-profit | San Francisco | $13,200.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Asociación Nacional de Grupos Folklóricos (ANGF) | Fresno | $19,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | TWOPOINT4 DANCE THEATRE | Sacramento | $19,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | ArtyHood Foundation | San Francisco | $18,750.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | BERKELEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | Alameda | $17,750.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Mon Petit Mojave | San Bernardino | $19,936.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Amplify Arts Project | Santa Barbara | $21,300.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Amplify Arts Project | Santa Barbara | $17,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | TeAda Productions | Los Angeles | $12,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Alyse Marie Presents | Los Angeles | $18,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Better Youth | Los Angeles | $21,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Diversionary Theatre Productions Inc. | San Diego | $15,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Bay Area Book Festival | Alameda | $12,900.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Maraya Performing Arts Collective | San Diego | $20,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Maraya Performing Arts Collective | San Diego | $21,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center | Santa Barbara | $13,200.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Lyrical Opposition | San Mateo | $20,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Elevate Oakland | Alameda | $21,300.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Institute of Contemporary Art, San Diego | San Diego | $18,750.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Elevate Oakland | Alameda | $20,250.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Crocker Art Museum | Sacramento | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Barcid Foundation | Los Angeles | $18,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Blue Line Arts | Placer | $21,300.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Southern Exposure | San Francisco | $20,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Rossi Milani | San Francisco | $13,500.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | ICYOLA | Los Angeles | $20,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Casa Circulo Cultural | San Mateo | $20,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Yeah, Art! | Alameda | $21,600.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Studio ACE | San Diego | $17,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | New Museum Los Gatos | Santa Clara | $6,150.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Sketch Odyssey East Bay | Contra Costa | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | San Jose Multicultural Artists Guild | Santa Clara | $19,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | African-American Shakespeare Company | San Francisco | $17,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | CLA | San Francisco | $12,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Yeah, Art! | Alameda | $20,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Riverside Arts Academy | Riverside | $21,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Litquake Foundation | San Francisco | $20,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | KOHO | San Francisco | $15,600.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Honey Art Studio | San Francisco | $20,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | The Rosin Box Project | San Diego | $15,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | PAC LA | Los Angeles | $15,900.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | The Rosin Box Project | San Diego | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Decentered Arts | San Francisco | $19,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Balboa Art Conservation Center | San Diego | $21,300.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Jmm Dance Co. | San Benito | $20,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Teatro Visión | Santa Clara | $15,300.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Teatro Visión | Santa Clara | $22,750.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | ARTogether | Alameda | $17,750.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | San Benito County Arts Council | San Benito | $20,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | ARTogether | Alameda | $15,300.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Liberated Kids | Alameda | $23,750.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | California Karen Youth Connection | Sacramento | $19,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Blue Line Arts | Placer | $22,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | OAKLAND INTERFAITH GOSPEL CHOIR | Alameda | $21,300.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | LIGHT BRINGER PROJECT | Los Angeles | $20,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Crescent Moon Theater | Contra Costa | $12,900.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Tap Fever Studios | San Diego | $20,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Sacred Music Fellowship | Alameda | $22,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Cheza Nami Foundation | Alameda | $12,900.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | YOSAL | Monterey | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Indivisible Arts | Los Angeles | $18,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Resounding Joy | San Diego | $15,300.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Bach Collegium San Diego | San Diego | $15,900.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Arts and Culture El Dorado | El Dorado | $20,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Arts Education Alliance of the Bay Area | San Francisco | $12,900.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | San Diego Made | San Diego | $16,200.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | ABADA-Capoeira San Francisco | San Francisco | $12,300.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Lovely Bouquet of Flowers: An Exploration of Non-Traditional Gender Voices | Los Angeles | $18,500.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Harmony Project | Los Angeles | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Imagine Art s Center | Tulare | $18,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | LIFE I LOVE SCHOOL | Alameda | $20,250.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | JUiCE Hip Hop | Los Angeles | $18,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | San Diego Made | San Diego | $22,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | TONALITY | Los Angeles | $18,750.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Girls Make Beats | Los Angeles | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Lou Harrison House | San Bernardino | $17,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Las Fotos Project | Los Angeles | $19,250.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | TRYBE INC | Alameda | $20,750.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Bay Area Girls Rock Camp | Alameda | $19,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Junior Center of Art & Science | Alameda | $12,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation | Los Angeles | $22,200.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Versa-Style Dance Company | Los Angeles | $15,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Jess Curtis/Gravity | San Francisco | $19,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Altadena Music Theatre | Los Angeles | $13,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | CreaTV San Jose | Santa Clara | $17,750.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Esperanza Community Housing Corporation | Los Angeles | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Diamano Coura West African Dance Company | Alameda | $17,750.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | AfroSolo Theatre Company | San Francisco | $22,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | First Exposures | San Francisco | $20,250.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | San Francisco Shakespeare Festival | San Francisco | $17,750.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Los Angeles Poverty Department | Los Angeles | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | North American Guqin Association | Alameda | $17,730.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Barrio Artists Partnership | San Diego | $18,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Free 2 Be Me Dance | Los Angeles | $13,200.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | TaikoMix | Riverside | $8,800.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | I Sound Music Performing Arts Community Development Inc | Sacramento | $19,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Left Coast Chamber Ensemble | San Francisco | $18,250.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | SFIAF | San Francisco | $18,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Presidio Performing Arts Foundation | San Francisco | $20,750.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Street Spirit | Alameda | $17,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Arenas Dance Company | San Francisco | $15,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Art Theatre of Long Beach | Los Angeles | $13,200.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Oakland Ballet Company | Alameda | $12,300.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Jazzantiqua Dance & Music Ensemble | Los Angeles | $18,522.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | IB Arts | San Diego | $13,800.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Give 4 Kidz | Riverside | $18,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Women's Voices Now | Los Angeles | $12,600.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Relampago del Cielo, Inc. | Orange | $17,750.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Amador Arts | Amador | $17,729.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | 924 Gilman | Alameda | $18,250.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Women's Voices Now | Los Angeles | $18,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | CounterPulse | San Francisco | $12,300.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Eye Discover | Los Angeles | $20,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | a non profit visual arts organization | Contra Costa | $15,300.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Street Spirit | Alameda | $12,300.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | LA Promise Fund | Los Angeles | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Via International | San Diego | $20,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | The Strindberg Laboratory | Los Angeles | $13,200.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Root Division | San Francisco | $17,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | N/A | Alameda | $15,900.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | SLOMA | San Luis Obispo | $18,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | AfroSolo Theatre Company | San Francisco | $21,900.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Girls Make Beats | Los Angeles | $12,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | SambaFunk! | Alameda | $12,900.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Ryman Arts | Los Angeles | $20,500.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | ARTS | San Diego | $17,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Western Ballet | Santa Clara | $12,300.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Melodia Mariposa | Los Angeles | $16,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | KZFR 90.1FM | Butte | $22,200.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Audium Theater | San Francisco | $16,600.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Liberando Nuestras Voces | San Mateo | $16,133.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | a non profit visual arts organization | Contra Costa | $17,750.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Home of Guiding Hands | San Diego | $18,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Bocón | San Diego | $21,600.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Center Theatre Group | Los Angeles | $18,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | The Art of Elysium | Los Angeles | $12,600.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Stronger Together Now | San Bernardino | $18,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Sol Treasures | Monterey | $12,600.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Loco Bloco | San Francisco | $20,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | The GR818ERS; UNITE Cultural Center | Los Angeles | $15,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Art at Vibe | Contra Costa | $16,200.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Dimensions Dance Theater Incorporated | Alameda | $17,500.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | MoAD | San Francisco | $20,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Au Co Vietnamese Cultural Center | San Francisco | $18,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Coachella Valley Arts Institute | Riverside | $13,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | The Leela Institute | Los Angeles | $18,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | EAST BAY CHILDREN'S THEATRE | Alameda | $18,750.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Arab Film Festival | San Francisco | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | The Sound Room | Alameda | $19,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Young Audiences of Northern California | San Francisco | $12,300.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Martinez Arts Association | Contra Costa | $18,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Sacramento Comedy Spot | Sacramento | $12,600.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Murphys Creek Theatre | Calaveras | $20,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Avenue 50 Studio, Inc. | Los Angeles | $13,200.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth | Alameda | $18,250.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Fox Cultural Hall | Placer | $20,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Automata | Los Angeles | $21,900.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Community Rejuvenation Project | Alameda | $18,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Jacob Jonas The Company | Los Angeles | $12,900.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | WriteGirl | Los Angeles | $16,200.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | NA | Los Angeles | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Son of Semele Ensemble | Los Angeles | $18,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | World Arts West | San Francisco | $19,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | World Arts West | San Francisco | $12,300.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Musicians at Play | Los Angeles | $23,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | NA | Los Angeles | $12,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | New Art City Theatre | Ventura | $12,900.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Media Arts Santa Ana, a project of Community Partners | Orange | $15,600.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | RCF Connects | Contra Costa | $18,500.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | El Teatro Campesino | San Benito | $17,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | WRITERS GROTTO | San Francisco | $15,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | WRITERS GROTTO | San Francisco | $19,250.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Iranian Women In Networking (IWIN) | Contra Costa | $11,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | CTN | San Francisco | $16,425.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Kala Art Institute | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | TODAY'S FUTURE SOUND | Alameda | $20,455.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Root Division | San Francisco | $21,300.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Museum of Social Justice | Los Angeles | $21,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | VELASLAVASAY PANORAMA | Los Angeles | $18,500.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Riverside Arts Academy | Riverside | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | STUDIO 395 | Riverside | $20,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Arts4MC | Monterey | $20,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Pelisa Arts & Energy | Alameda | $18,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Noe Music | San Francisco | $19,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | GOLDEN THREAD PRODUCTIONS | San Francisco | $12,300.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | GOLDEN THREAD PRODUCTIONS | San Francisco | $19,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Black Women's Roots Festial | Alameda | $13,200.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Joshua Tree Living Arts | San Bernardino | $21,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Dance Brigade or Dance Mission | San Francisco | $17,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Dance Brigade or Dance Mission | San Francisco | $21,300.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | RX BALLROOM DANCE | Orange | $15,900.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Poetic Justice | San Diego | $13,200.00 | More » |
| State Local Partner Mentorship | 2025-26 | Fresno Arts Council | Fresno | $45,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Junior Center of Art & Science | Alameda | $12,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | TWDCC | Santa Cruz | $12,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Kid City Hope Place | Los Angeles | $18,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Yerba Buena Gardens Festival | San Francisco | $17,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Musica Sierra | Sierra | $18,500.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Film2Future | Los Angeles | $20,500.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Youth in Arts | Marin | $20,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | The Great Star Theater | San Francisco | $12,900.00 | More » |
| Individual Artist Fellowships-AO | 2025-26 | KERN DANCE ALLIANCE | Kern | $450,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | KERN DANCE ALLIANCE | Kern | $21,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Give 4 Kidz | Riverside | $16,200.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | JAZZLINE INSTITUTE | Santa Clara | $20,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Autie Carlisle Film Productions | Siskiyou | $22,750.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Visual Communications Media | Los Angeles | $20,250.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | La Luz Center | Sonoma | $23,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | La Peña Cultural Center | Alameda | $15,300.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | City Hearts: Kids Say Yes to the Arts | Los Angeles | $18,500.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | The Colburn School | Los Angeles | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Film Independent | Los Angeles | $18,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Write Out Loud | San Diego | $15,300.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Museum of Dance | San Francisco | $18,250.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | LRCC | Ventura | $20,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Visions Museum of Textile Art | San Diego | $15,900.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Luna Dance and Creativity | Alameda | $15,300.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF GREATER SHASTA | Siskiyou | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | No Limits for deaf children | Los Angeles | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | LA County Library | Los Angeles | $18,500.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | La Raíz Magazine | Santa Clara | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | RAMA Blueprints | San Bernardino | $20,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Mental State Foundation | Riverside | $18,073.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Ignite Arts & STEM | Los Angeles | $18,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Active Cultures | Los Angeles | $21,750.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Majdal | San Diego | $18,500.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Calidanza | Sacramento | $18,500.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Geffen Playhouse | Los Angeles | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | US | Alameda | $18,250.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Outside the Lens | San Diego | $20,500.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Support Black Theatre | Los Angeles | $24,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Tenderloin Museum | San Francisco | $20,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Support Black Theatre | Los Angeles | $16,800.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Ink People Center for the Arts | Humboldt | $19,873.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Chico Art Center | Butte | $21,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | homeLA | Los Angeles | $21,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Tenderloin Museum | San Francisco | $15,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Sonoma Community Center | Sonoma | $18,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Village Arts | Los Angeles | $16,200.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Sierra Repertory Theatre | Tuolumne | $18,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | GYOPO | Los Angeles | $15,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | ABD Productions / Skywatchers | San Francisco | $20,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | ABD Productions / Skywatchers | San Francisco | $15,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Rogue Artists Ensemble | Los Angeles | $12,300.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Rogue Artists Ensemble | Los Angeles | $19,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | MashUp Contemporary Dance Company | Los Angeles | $12,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Playwrights Project | San Diego | $21,500.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Shiptyard Trust for the Arts | San Francisco | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | The Arts Council of Kern | Kern | $18,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Salastina | Los Angeles | $12,300.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Berkeley FILM Foundation | Alameda | $13,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | BEYOND BAROQUE LITERARY ARTS CENTER | Los Angeles | $21,300.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Aunt Lute Books | San Francisco | $21,300.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Museum of Dance | San Francisco | $12,900.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | OPAC | Ventura | $20,500.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | OPEF | Alameda | $18,500.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Creative Netwerk | Santa Barbara | $18,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Creative Netwerk | Santa Barbara | $12,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Jazz Organ Fellowship | Santa Clara | $20,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Inlandia Institute | Riverside | $18,500.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Contempo Ballet | Los Angeles | $20,750.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Timken Museum of Art | San Diego | $21,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | E4TT | San Francisco | $17,355.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Leap Arts in Education | San Francisco | $22,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Leap Arts in Education | San Francisco | $12,300.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Arts Benicia | Solano | $19,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | ARTHATCH | San Diego | $18,500.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Future Leaders California | Los Angeles | $19,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Raising the Curtain Foundation | Los Angeles | $4,332.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Neighborhood Music School Association | Los Angeles | $19,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Sacramento Women's Chorus | Sacramento | $13,200.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Center for World Music | San Diego | $12,300.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Center for World Music | San Diego | $20,250.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Francisco Music Mission Corporation | San Francisco | $20,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Local News Matters | Alameda | $15,900.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Bay Philharmonic | Alameda | $12,300.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Los Cenzontles Cultural Arts Academy | Contra Costa | $20,250.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | FASO | Los Angeles | $20,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Una Productions | San Francisco | $19,250.00 | More » |
| Individual Artist Fellowships-AO | 2025-26 | ArtsOC | Orange | $700,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Free Arts | Los Angeles | $12,600.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Cinnamongirl | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Grupo de Teatro SINERGIA | Los Angeles | $16,200.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Deborah Slater Dance Theater | San Francisco | $12,900.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Hidden GEM Creative Studios | Alameda | $21,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Hidden GEM Creative Studios | Alameda | $13,200.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Mariposa Arts Council | Mariposa | $20,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | City of Berkeley | Civic Arts | Alameda | $15,900.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Vatthanatham Lao Foundation | Merced | $16,800.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Elemental Music | Los Angeles | $17,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Modoc County Arts Council | Modoc | $21,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Sacramento Master Singers | Sacramento | $12,900.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | JOYCE GORDON FOUNDATION OF THE ARTS | Alameda | $20,750.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Masil | Santa Clara | $19,750.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Rhythmix Cultural Works | Alameda | $20,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Rhythmix Cultural Works | Alameda | $15,300.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Media Arts Santa Ana, a project of Community Partners | Orange | $19,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Tuleburg Press/The Write Place | San Joaquin | $21,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Blindspot Collective | San Diego | $18,250.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Pedal Press | Butte | $18,500.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Los Angeles Master Chorale | Los Angeles | $18,040.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | N/A | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Geoffrey's Inner Circle | Alameda | $21,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Geoffrey's Inner Circle | Alameda | $17,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Washington Neighborhood Center | Sacramento | $15,900.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Your Neighborhood Museum | Los Angeles | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Mil-Tree | San Bernardino | $21,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Pacific Opera Project | Los Angeles | $21,300.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Cultural Odyssey | San Francisco | $19,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Opera Parallele | San Francisco | $19,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Cultural Odyssey | San Francisco | $15,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | The Wayward Artist | Orange | $16,200.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Triton Museum of Art | Santa Clara | $12,300.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | The Center for ArtEsteem | Alameda | $17,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | ANGELS GATE CULTURAL CENTER | Los Angeles | $12,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Sacramento Ballet | Sacramento | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Owens Valley Career Development Center | Inyo | $18,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | BAYCAT | San Francisco | $15,300.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | HELIX COLLECTIVE | Los Angeles | $18,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | TIPEY JOA NATIVE WARRIORS | San Diego | $20,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | SAPPA | Los Angeles | $18,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Wheelchair Dancers Organization | San Diego | $12,600.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Institute of Inquiry | San Bernardino | $18,255.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Bay Area Music Project | Alameda | $12,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | YoloArts | Yolo | $20,250.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Museum of Latin American Art | Los Angeles | $20,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | San Jose Taiko | Santa Clara | $12,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | WIA | Los Angeles | $15,300.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Pacific Arts Movement | San Diego | $15,300.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Pacific Arts Movement | San Diego | $17,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Bell Arts Factory | Ventura | $12,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | YG2D | San Francisco | $18,924.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | DISCO RIOT | San Diego | $12,300.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | San Diego ART Matters | San Diego | $12,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Clarion Alley Mural Project (CAMP) | San Francisco | $15,900.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | ArtsOC | Orange | $19,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Shoong Family Chinese Cultural Center | Alameda | $20,750.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | About Productions | Los Angeles | $20,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Youth Art Exchange | San Francisco | $12,300.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Green Room Theatre Company | Riverside | $16,200.00 | More » |
| Individual Artist Fellowships-AO | 2025-26 | Commission for Arts and Culture / Cultural Affairs | San Diego | $450,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Pacific Chamber Orchestra | Alameda | $12,300.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | AIMUSIC.US | Santa Clara | $17,750.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Bithiah's Family Services | Los Angeles | $18,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | DFD | Orange | $20,440.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | QWOCMAP | San Francisco | $20,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Red Poppy Art House | San Francisco | $19,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Red Poppy Art House | San Francisco | $12,900.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | West Edge Opera | Alameda | $15,300.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | SAINT REMY ARTS AND CULTURE | Los Angeles | $22,800.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | SAN FRANCISCO BOYS CHORUS | San Francisco | $12,300.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Luther Burbank Center for the Arts | Sonoma | $17,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Women's Audio Mission | San Francisco | $21,300.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Uprise Theatre | San Diego | $15,800.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | AAW&A | San Diego | $21,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | N/A | San Diego | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Lovers Lane | San Francisco | $18,750.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Joe Goode Performance Group | San Francisco | $19,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | BAVC Media | San Francisco | $17,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Contemporary Art Review Los Angeles | Los Angeles | $16,200.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Senderos | Santa Cruz | $17,750.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | MashUp Contemporary Dance Company | Los Angeles | $19,250.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Chance Theater | Orange | $20,500.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Páah Áama Paddle Club | Humboldt | $18,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | ArtReach | San Diego | $12,300.00 | More » |
| Individual Artist Fellowships-AO | 2025-26 | Arts Council Santa Cruz County | Santa Cruz | $300,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Arts Council Santa Cruz County | Santa Cruz | $20,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center | Alameda | $18,750.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Living Jazz | Alameda | $17,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Create Peace Project | Contra Costa | $12,900.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Artist As First Responder | Alameda | $18,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Remainders Creative Reuse | Los Angeles | $12,300.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Noorani Dance | San Mateo | $12,900.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Keshet Chaim Dancers | Los Angeles | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Individual Artist Fellowships-AO | 2025-26 | Teatro Nagual | Sacramento | $300,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Maya's Music Therapy Fund | Alameda | $21,900.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Middletown Art Center | Lake | $18,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Hero Theatre | Los Angeles | $12,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Intersection for the Arts (fiscal sponsor) | San Francisco | $15,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Hero Theatre | Los Angeles | $20,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Fuse Theatre | San Mateo | $10,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | WHIPPOORWILL ARTS INC | Contra Costa | $12,750.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Create CA | Los Angeles | $18,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra | San Bernardino | $12,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Kids & Art Foundation | San Mateo | $12,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Synchromy | Los Angeles | $18,250.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | San Diego Opera | San Diego | $18,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Heidi Schwegler | San Bernardino | $12,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | AXIS Dance Company | Alameda | $21,300.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Long Beach Camerata Singers | Los Angeles | $20,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | San Diego Museum Council | San Diego | $12,900.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | N/A | San Diego | $12,600.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Marin Theatre Company | Marin | $17,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Clockshop | Los Angeles | $15,600.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Trails and Vistas | Nevada | $18,263.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | California Symphony | Contra Costa | $17,750.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | DSTL Arts | Los Angeles | $18,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Jail Guitar Doors - USA | Los Angeles | $19,246.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | COMPASSPOINT MENTORSHIP | Santa Clara | $17,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Djerassi Resident Artists Program | San Mateo | $12,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | David Herrera Performance Company | San Francisco | $18,250.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | The Michael's Daughter Foundation | Los Angeles | $20,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Marin Society of Artists | Marin | $22,200.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Tandy Beal & Company (TBC) | Santa Cruz | $17,750.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | San Francisco International Hip Hop DanceFest | San Francisco | $17,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | San Francisco International Hip Hop DanceFest | San Francisco | $15,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | RuckusRoots | Los Angeles | $23,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | ESMoA | Los Angeles | $15,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | HELIX COLLECTIVE | Los Angeles | $13,200.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Vita Art Center | Ventura | $15,600.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Poetic Justice | San Diego | $18,480.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | HAVEN ACADEMY OF THE ARTS | Los Angeles | $17,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Magic Theatre, Inc. | San Francisco | $12,600.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center | Los Angeles | $18,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | San Diego Children's Choir | San Diego | $21,300.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Shasta County Arts Council | Shasta | $18,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Mil-Tree | San Bernardino | $13,200.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Benkadi, a project of Community Partners | Los Angeles | $16,200.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Artist As First Responder | Alameda | $12,900.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center | Alameda | $12,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Benkadi, a project of Community Partners | Los Angeles | $18,489.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Long Beach Camerata Singers | Los Angeles | $12,300.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Intersection | San Francisco | $21,300.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | The University of California, Berkeley | Alameda | $20,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Maya's Music Therapy Fund | Alameda | $18,872.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Izcalli | San Diego | $21,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Chopsticks Alley Art | Santa Clara | $17,750.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Luna Dance and Creativity | Alameda | $17,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | IAMA Theatre Company | Los Angeles | $13,200.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | The Cypher Spot | Los Angeles | $18,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Level Ground | Los Angeles | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego | San Diego | $22,750.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Media Arts Center San Diego | San Diego | $20,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | N/A | Los Angeles | $19,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | PALENKE ARTS | Monterey | $15,300.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Deaf West Theatre | Los Angeles | $21,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Unearth and Empower Communities | Los Angeles | $12,600.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Unearth and Empower Communities | Los Angeles | $18,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Izcalli | San Diego | $16,200.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center | San Francisco | $21,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | ELM | Marin | $20,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Haemil Performing Group | Los Angeles | $19,750.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Legends Purpose | Sacramento | $21,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Flyaway Productions | San Francisco | $18,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | 82-2363154 | San Diego | $15,300.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls San Diego | San Diego | $13,500.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | transcenDANCE Youth Arts Project | San Diego | $18,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Hijos del Sol Arts Productions | Monterey | $15,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | URBAN VOICES PROJECT | Los Angeles | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | SCARF | Humboldt | $16,316.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Nevada County Arts Council (NCArts) | Nevada | $20,500.00 | More » |
| State Local Partner Mentorship | 2025-26 | Nevada County Arts Council (NCArts) | Nevada | $50,000.00 | More » |
| Individual Artist Fellowships-AO | 2025-26 | Nevada County Arts Council (NCArts) | Nevada | $300,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | KeyNote/SDYS | San Diego | $17,500.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | On the Margins, Inc. | Sonoma | $20,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Turnaround Arts: California | Los Angeles | $15,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | LA Commons | Los Angeles | $19,250.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | UC Riverside | Riverside | $20,500.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Variety Children's Charity of the Desert | Riverside | $21,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | KULARTS | San Francisco | $12,300.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | KULARTS | San Francisco | $20,250.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | White Hall Arts Academy | Los Angeles | $18,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | White Hall Arts Academy | Los Angeles | $21,600.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Prescott Circus Theatre | Alameda | $20,250.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Children's Fairyland | Alameda | $18,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Lieder Alive | San Francisco | $22,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Table Mountain Rancheria | Fresno | $13,800.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | BAVC Media | San Francisco | $12,300.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Everyday Arts | Los Angeles | $18,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Vital Arts | Alameda | $17,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Vital Arts | Alameda | $21,300.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | THE HOUSE OF MAGIC FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS INC | Ventura | $19,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | AXIS Dance Company | Alameda | $20,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Foglifter Press | San Francisco | $18,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Chrysalis Studio/Queer Ancestors Project | San Francisco | $12,600.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Southland Sings | Los Angeles | $21,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Bloom Arts Foundation Inc | Los Angeles | $21,300.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | The Short Centers | Sacramento | $19,853.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | SACRA/PROFANA | San Diego | $12,900.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | A PLACE OF HER OWN | San Francisco | $18,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Dan Froot & Company | Los Angeles | $20,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Dan Froot & Company | Los Angeles | $16,800.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Fern Street Circus | San Diego | $12,600.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Fern Street Circus | San Diego | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Longshadr Productions | Humboldt | $19,750.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | The High Steppers Drill Team, Inc. | San Diego | $18,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Manilatown Heritage Foundation | San Francisco | $15,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | In The Band | Los Angeles | $13,200.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Drawing Together | Los Angeles | $19,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Mariachi Women’s Foundation | Los Angeles | $22,200.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Gamelan Sekar Jaya | Alameda | $12,900.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Gamelan Sekar Jaya | Alameda | $18,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Media Arts Center San Diego | San Diego | $12,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | TuYo Theatre | San Diego | $18,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | The Crow | Los Angeles | $19,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Golden Gate Men's Chorus | San Francisco | $12,900.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | MUSYCA Children's Choir | Los Angeles | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Encore Programs, Inc. | Orange | $18,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Children's Discovery Museum of the Desert | Riverside | $13,200.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Intersection for the Arts (fiscal sponsor) | San Francisco | $17,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Fresh Meat Productions | San Francisco | $17,750.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Tomato Sage Consortium | Los Angeles | $14,800.00 | More » |
| Individual Artist Fellowships-AO | 2025-26 | Los Angeles Performance Practice | Los Angeles | $1,000,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Los Angeles Performance Practice | Los Angeles | $15,600.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Institute of Arts Music & Science | Los Angeles | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company | Los Angeles | $20,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Meztli Projects | Los Angeles | $20,500.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Hanford Multicultural Theater Company | Kings | $18,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Dance Resource Center / DRC | Los Angeles | $19,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | VOLTI | San Francisco | $12,300.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Arms Wide Open | San Diego | $12,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Alliance for California Traditional Arts | Fresno | $21,600.00 | More » |
| Folk and Traditional Arts | 2025-26 | Alliance for California Traditional Arts | Fresno | $828,415.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Playhouse Merced | Merced | $16,200.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2025-26 | ARTS AND CULTURE ALPINE COUNTY | Alpine | $63,100.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | SACRAMENTO FINE ARTS CENTER | Sacramento | $12,900.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | The Regents of the University of California, Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz | $18,750.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | The Francisco Homes | Los Angeles | $19,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | RuckusRoots | Los Angeles | $22,200.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | International Orange Chorale of San Francisco | San Francisco | $6,450.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | School of The Getdown | Alameda | $22,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | EOYDC | Alameda | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Immersive Arts Center | Los Angeles | $21,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Youth Speaks | San Francisco | $12,600.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Fostering Dreams Project | Los Angeles | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | NAKA Dance Theater | San Francisco | $18,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Urban Jazz Dance Company | San Francisco | $21,300.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | 18th Street Arts Center | Los Angeles | $20,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | The Compton Arts Project | Los Angeles | $21,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | COMMUNITY MUSIC CENTER | San Francisco | $17,500.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | SAN FRANCISCO CHILDRENS ART CENTER | San Francisco | $18,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Dancers Group - Fiscal Sponsor for Grown Women Dance Collective | Contra Costa | $19,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | San Diego Civic Youth Orchestra | San Diego | $18,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Dancers Group - Fiscal Sponsor for Grown Women Dance Collective | Contra Costa | $12,600.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | LAMusArt | Los Angeles | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Liberty Arts | Siskiyou | $18,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | CITY OF CALEXICO - RECREATION DEPARTMENT | Imperial | $12,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Kearny Street Workshop | San Francisco | $19,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Academy of Special Dreams Foundation | Los Angeles | $21,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Humboldt Arts Council | Humboldt | $20,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | San Diego Creative Youth Development Network | San Diego | $19,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | San Diego Creative Youth Development Network | San Diego | $22,200.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Asian Improv aRts | San Francisco | $19,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Ventura County Arts Council | Ventura | $18,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | NAKA Dance Theater | San Francisco | $15,900.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Grand Vision Foundation | Los Angeles | $15,300.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Grand Vision Foundation | Los Angeles | $20,250.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Guitars Antiqua Music Program | Los Angeles | $16,800.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | TheatreWorkers Project | Los Angeles | $21,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Muses & Melanin | San Francisco | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Neococo Collective | Los Angeles | $18,750.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | KARMIC ACTION RETRIBUTION MANAGEMENT AGENCY | Los Angeles | $21,500.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Art Bias | San Mateo | $21,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | WESTWIND BRASS INC | San Diego | $12,600.00 | More » |
| State Local Partner Mentorship | 2025-26 | Amador Arts | Amador | $50,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | California Chamber Orchestra | Riverside | $21,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra | San Bernardino | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Bay Area Creative | Alameda | $20,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Bay Area Creative | Alameda | $15,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Playhouse Merced | Merced | $18,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | Cooperation Humboldt | Humboldt | $18,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Museum of the American Indian | Marin | $16,200.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Cooperation Humboldt | Humboldt | $16,200.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Street Poets | Los Angeles | $20,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | Association of California Symphony Orchestras | Los Angeles | $12,300.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Silicon Valley Shakespeare | Santa Clara | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | San Francisco Youth Theatre | San Francisco | $17,500.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Arts & Learning Conservatory (ALC) | Orange | $17,500.00 | More » |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | Mono Arts Council | Mono | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | IN THE MARGIN | Sacramento | $20,832.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Front Porch Music | Contra Costa | $6,481.00 | More » |
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | Arts Education Alliance of the Bay Area | San Francisco | $18,517.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Queer Cultural Center | San Francisco | $32,405.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Healing Rhythms | Riverside | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | East LA Rising | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | Mariachi Scholarship Foundation | San Diego | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | People's Conservatory | Alameda | $21,989.00 | More » |
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | CoTA (Collaborations: Teachers and Artists) | San Diego | $18,517.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Fua Dia Kongo | Alameda | $17,360.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | Center for World Music | San Diego | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Teatro Visión | Santa Clara | $21,989.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | EPACENTER | San Mateo | $17,360.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | The David's Harp Foundation, Inc. | San Diego | $17,360.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Lyrical Opposition | San Mateo | $20,832.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Intersection | San Francisco | $32,405.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Rios to Rivers | Humboldt | $20,832.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Healing Heels | Sacramento | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Nava Dance Theatre | San Francisco | $23,147.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | YOSAL | Monterey | $20,276.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | Raizes Collective | Sonoma | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | MID-CITY COMMUNITY MUSIC | San Diego | $23,147.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | City of Sacramento Office of Arts & Culture | Sacramento | $127,459.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Greater Bay Area Arts and Cultural Advocacy Coalition | Sacramento | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Theatre Bay Area | San Francisco | $32,405.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Aunt Lute Books | San Francisco | $23,147.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | ArtReach | San Diego | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Theatre Bay Area | San Francisco | $20,832.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | People's Conservatory | Alameda | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | JOYCE GORDON FOUNDATION OF THE ARTS | Alameda | $21,989.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center | San Francisco | $20,832.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | Diversionary Theatre Productions Inc. | San Diego | $20,276.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | Latino Center of Art and Culture | Sacramento | $20,276.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Pony Box Dance | Los Angeles | $21,989.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | Bob Baker Marionette Theatre | Los Angeles | $18,517.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits (BAAITS) | San Francisco | $20,832.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | San Luis Obispo County Arts Council | San Luis Obispo | $127,459.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | ARTS | San Diego | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Kala Art Institute | Alameda | $32,405.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Trinity County Arts Council | Trinity | $21,989.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | In Lak'ech Dance Academy | Alameda | $20,276.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | InterMusic SF | San Francisco | $32,405.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Casa Circulo Cultural | San Mateo | $21,849.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | 826LA | Los Angeles | $23,147.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Back to the Start | Santa Barbara | $21,989.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Luke Madrigal Indigenous Storytelling Non Profit | Riverside | $21,989.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Ophelia's Jump Productions | Los Angeles | $21,989.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Washington Neighborhood Center | Sacramento | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Del Sol Performing Arts Organization | San Francisco | $21,989.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Center for Urban Excellence | Solano | $23,147.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | N/A | Santa Clara | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | In Lak'ech Dance Academy | Alameda | $20,832.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | SOMArts | San Francisco | $21,989.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center | Orange | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Viver Brasil Dance Company | Los Angeles | $21,989.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | SAPPA | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Arts Education Alliance of the Bay Area | San Francisco | $32,405.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | San Diego Performing Arts League | San Diego | $32,405.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Berkeley Art Center | Alameda | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Arts Bridging the Gap | Los Angeles | $21,989.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | Side Street Projects | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Freedom Forward | San Francisco | $21,989.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Coachella Valley Arts Institute | Riverside | $13,888.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Film2Future | Los Angeles | $23,147.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Youth Orchestras of Fresno | Fresno | $17,360.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | ACCIS | Sacramento | $9,735.00 | More » |
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | Guitars and Ukes in the Classroom | San Diego | $18,517.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | VECA | Alameda | $16,203.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | San Francisco Arts Commission | San Francisco | $127,459.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | BAVC Media | San Francisco | $46,293.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | The David's Harp Foundation, Inc. | San Diego | $20,276.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Healthy Black Families Inc | Alameda | $17,360.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | N/A | Los Angeles | $21,989.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Via International | San Diego | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | East West Players | Los Angeles | $18,517.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Arts Connection - The Arts Council of San Bernardino County | San Bernardino | $140,979.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | CA for the Arts | Sacramento | $32,405.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Young Musicians Foundation | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Media Arts Center San Diego | San Diego | $46,293.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Mariposa Arts Council | Mariposa | $140,979.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Inland Empire Community Foundation | Riverside | $32,405.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | Long Beach Opera | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Joe Goode Performance Group | San Francisco | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | East Bay Center for the Performing Arts | Contra Costa | $17,360.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Elevate Oakland | Alameda | $20,832.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | RACE Matters SLO County | San Luis Obispo | $20,832.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Arts Council Napa Valley | Napa | $127,459.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | Santa Cecilia Orchestra | Los Angeles | $20,276.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Kearny Street Workshop | San Francisco | $21,989.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Green Room Theatre Company | Riverside | $16,099.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Yeah, Art! | Alameda | $20,832.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Infinite Flow Dance | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | Root Division | San Francisco | $20,276.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Root Division | San Francisco | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | Bloom Arts Foundation Inc | Los Angeles | $23,147.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | White Hall Arts Academy | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | The Sofia, Home of B Street Theatre | Sacramento | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | Turnaround Arts: California | Los Angeles | $18,517.00 | More » |
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | Artist Magnet Justice Alliance | Alameda | $23,147.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Urban Jazz Dance Company | San Francisco | $23,147.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | Urban Jazz Dance Company | San Francisco | $20,276.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Los Angeles Ballet | Los Angeles | $32,405.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | California Humanities | Alameda | $32,405.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy | San Francisco | $17,356.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | FASO | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Danza Floricanto/USA | Los Angeles | $17,360.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Women Who Submit | Los Angeles | $17,082.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | Dimensions Dance Theater Incorporated | Alameda | $20,276.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | ARTE AMERICAS THE MEXICAN ARTS CENTER | Fresno | $16,203.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | NA | Los Angeles | $20,276.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | Museum of Children's Art | Alameda | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Latino Arts Network | Sacramento | $32,405.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | Bay Philharmonic | Alameda | $20,276.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | Cal Shakes | Contra Costa | $18,462.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | SWOP-LA | Los Angeles | $20,813.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Chrysalis Studio/Queer Ancestors Project | San Francisco | $20,832.00 | More » |
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | C5 Studios Community Arts Center | Inyo | $9,844.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Media Arts Center San Diego | San Diego | $20,832.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Community Arts & Empowerment | Santa Cruz | $17,360.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Stanislaus Arts Council | Stanislaus | $127,459.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Youth Art Exchange | San Francisco | $21,989.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Youth Art Exchange | San Francisco | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Yeah, Art! | Alameda | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Art Tonic | Sacramento | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Senderos | Santa Cruz | $17,360.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | The Sidewalk Project | Los Angeles | $20,832.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | Stanford Live | Santa Clara | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | Million Little | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | West Coast Songwriters Association | San Mateo | $19,443.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Barcid Foundation | Los Angeles | $21,989.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Madera County Arts Council & Circle Gallery | Madera | $127,459.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | OUTWORDS | Los Angeles | $20,276.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA) | Orange | $16,203.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | Los Angeles Filmforum | Los Angeles | $20,276.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Everybody Dance LA! | Los Angeles | $17,360.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | DANCE AND DIALOGUE | Los Angeles | $17,360.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Ink People Center for the Arts | Humboldt | $32,405.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | Chamber Music Unbound | Mono | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | KALEIDOSCOPE | Los Angeles | $46,293.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | San Benito County Arts Council | San Benito | $140,979.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | POETS & WRITERS INC | Los Angeles | $46,293.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Los Angeles Poverty Department | Los Angeles | $21,989.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | JAZZLINE INSTITUTE | Santa Clara | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | CELEBRATION ARTS | Sacramento | $21,989.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Honey Art Studio | San Francisco | $16,203.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Ventura County Arts Council | Ventura | $140,979.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | SLOMA | San Luis Obispo | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Dance Brigade or Dance Mission | San Francisco | $17,360.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Chopsticks Alley Art | Santa Clara | $21,989.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Creative Sonoma | Sonoma | $127,459.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Dance Brigade or Dance Mission | San Francisco | $46,293.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Friends of the Arts | Butte | $127,459.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | JAZZLINE INSTITUTE | Santa Clara | $20,832.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Hijos del Sol Arts Productions | Monterey | $17,360.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | DNACA | Del Norte | $140,979.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | Junior Center of Art & Science | Alameda | $20,276.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Justice for My Sister | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Skid Row Arts Alliance | Los Angeles | $32,405.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Visalia Arts Consortium, Inc. | Tulare | $140,979.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | San Diego Museum Council | San Diego | $32,405.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | CLA | San Francisco | $46,293.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | The Ebell of Los Angeles | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Playwrights Project | San Diego | $16,203.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | Lead Guitar | Los Angeles | $16,897.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Edge on the Square | San Francisco | $20,832.00 | More » |
| State Local Partner Mentorship | 2024-25 | Arts and Culture El Dorado | El Dorado | $41,664.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Grupo de Teatro SINERGIA | Los Angeles | $20,832.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Youth in Arts | Marin | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Street Symphony | Los Angeles | $32,405.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture | Santa Barbara | $140,979.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Ghetto Film School | Los Angeles | $23,147.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | SPACE | Mendocino | $21,989.00 | More » |
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | Musica Sierra | Sierra | $10,439.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | ARTogether | Alameda | $20,832.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | AXIS Dance Company | Alameda | $20,276.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | Calidanza | Sacramento | $23,147.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Shasta County Arts Council | Shasta | $127,459.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum | Sacramento | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | ARTogether | Alameda | $17,360.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Sketch Odyssey East Bay | Contra Costa | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Catamaran Literary Reader | Santa Cruz | $46,293.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Arts for LA | Los Angeles | $32,405.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | Museum of Dance | San Francisco | $18,517.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | First 5 Amador | Amador | $15,430.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Musicians at Play | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | The Colburn School | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Versa-Style Dance Company | Los Angeles | $23,147.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | Versa-Style Dance Company | Los Angeles | $20,276.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Versa-Style Dance Company | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | ARMORY CENTER FOR THE ARTS | Los Angeles | $17,360.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | THE ARTS AREA | San Bernardino | $46,293.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Playwrights Project | San Diego | $23,147.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Solano County Arts Council | Solano | $118,007.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Diablo Ballet | Contra Costa | $23,147.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Vital Arts | Alameda | $20,832.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | Youth in Arts | Marin | $20,276.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Musica Sierra | Sierra | $20,832.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Arts4MC | Monterey | $127,459.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Education Through Music-Los Angeles | Los Angeles | $46,293.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Fresno Arts Council | Fresno | $127,459.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | iSing Silicon Valley | Santa Clara | $16,203.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Trinity County Arts Council | Trinity | $127,459.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Teapot LA | Los Angeles | $17,360.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | LACE | Los Angeles | $20,832.00 | More » |
| State Local Partner Mentorship | 2024-25 | Fresno Arts Council | Fresno | $41,664.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | N/A | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | CALIFORNIA INDIAN BASKETWEAVERS ASSOCIATION | Yolo | $32,405.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Fulcrum Arts | Los Angeles | $32,405.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Foglifter Press | San Francisco | $20,832.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | NoCCA | Imperial | $127,459.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | BEMOVING | Los Angeles | $20,832.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | The Center for ArtEsteem | Alameda | $21,989.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | SCRAP | San Francisco | $17,360.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | artEquity Community | Los Angeles | $32,405.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Justice for My Sister | Los Angeles | $21,989.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | LAMusArt | Los Angeles | $20,276.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Our Town. Our Children. A Social Awareness Art Project. | Ventura | $23,147.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | International Eye LA | Los Angeles | $21,989.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | El Teatro Campesino | San Benito | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | New Village Arts | San Diego | $20,832.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | DrawBridge | Marin | $17,360.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Choral Consortium of San Diego | San Diego | $6,481.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Association of California Symphony Orchestras | Los Angeles | $32,405.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Arts for Healing and Justice Network | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | YouthBeat | Alameda | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Art Share L.A. | Los Angeles | $23,147.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Dance Brigade or Dance Mission | San Francisco | $20,832.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Arts and Culture El Dorado | El Dorado | $127,459.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | San Diego ART Matters | San Diego | $32,405.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Hip Hop Congress | San Mateo | $32,405.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | About Productions | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Jewish Community Center of San Francisco | San Francisco | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Arts for Healing and Justice Network | Los Angeles | $46,293.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Turnaround Arts: California | Los Angeles | $32,405.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | INLAND VALLEY REPERTORY THEATRE INC | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Trails and Vistas | Nevada | $23,147.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | Street Spirit | Alameda | $20,276.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | YoloArts | Yolo | $127,459.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Barcid Foundation | Los Angeles | $32,405.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | WRITERS GROTTO | San Francisco | $20,832.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Movement Liberation | Contra Costa | $20,832.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | PLUMAS ARTS | Plumas | $140,979.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Free Arts | Los Angeles | $23,147.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | KERN DANCE ALLIANCE | Kern | $21,989.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Chapter 510 INK | Alameda | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Humanitas | Los Angeles | $32,405.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | The Francisco Homes | Los Angeles | $20,832.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles | Los Angeles | $20,832.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Urban Scholar Academy | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Playwrights Foundation | San Francisco | $41,664.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | The Arts Council of Kern | Kern | $140,979.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Marin Cultural Association | Marin | $119,578.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Support for Intertribal Gatherings | San Francisco | $21,989.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Ventura County Arts Council | Ventura | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | A PLACE OF HER OWN | San Francisco | $20,832.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Siskiyou County Arts Council | Siskiyou | $140,979.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Kairos Music Academy | Alameda | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | Studio Channel Islands | Ventura | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | Fox Cultural Hall | Placer | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | AXIS Dance Company | Alameda | $16,203.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | BODYTRAFFIC | Los Angeles | $20,276.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | DIAVOLO | Architecture In Motion | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | SAN FRANCISCO CHILDRENS ART CENTER | San Francisco | $18,517.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | DIAVOLO | Architecture In Motion | Los Angeles | $20,832.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | Creativity Explored | San Francisco | $18,517.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | PiYoDa Flow | Los Angeles | $20,832.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Shiptyard Trust for the Arts | San Francisco | $16,203.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | Shiptyard Trust for the Arts | San Francisco | $20,276.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Alameda County Arts Commission | Alameda | $127,459.00 | More » |
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | Partnership for Los Angeles Schools | Los Angeles | $18,517.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Land Together | Alameda | $17,943.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | ArtsOC | Orange | $127,459.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | CubaCaribe | San Francisco | $20,276.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Balboa Art Conservation Center | San Diego | $46,293.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Bridge Live Arts | San Francisco | $23,147.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | Museum of Contemporary Art | Los Angeles | $18,517.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | LA River Arts | Los Angeles | $20,832.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | San Francisco Shakespeare Festival | San Francisco | $16,203.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Mono Arts Council | Mono | $119,578.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego | San Diego | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Southern Exposure | San Francisco | $17,360.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Commission for Arts and Culture / Cultural Affairs | San Diego | $140,979.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | PlayGround Inc | Alameda | $32,405.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Dancers' Group | San Francisco | $46,293.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Dance Resource Center / DRC | Los Angeles | $32,405.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | OPAC | Ventura | $23,147.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Project Miracle aka The Miracle Project | Los Angeles | $20,832.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | HAVEN ACADEMY OF THE ARTS | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | NIAD Art Center | Contra Costa | $23,147.00 | More » |
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | Music Is First | San Francisco | $18,517.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | PURPLE SILK MUSIC EDUCATION FOUNDATION | Alameda | $21,989.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Prescott Circus Theatre | Alameda | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | KERN DANCE ALLIANCE | Kern | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Women's Audio Mission | San Francisco | $17,360.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | Rhythmix Cultural Works | Alameda | $18,517.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Pajaro Valley Arts | Santa Cruz | $23,147.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Dancers Group - Fiscal Sponsor for Grown Women Dance Collective | Contra Costa | $20,832.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | Museum Of Neon Art | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Sierra County Arts Council | Sierra | $119,578.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | Spencer Wilkinson | Alameda | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | San Francisco Symphony | San Francisco | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | La Jolla Playhouse | San Diego | $16,203.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Humboldt Arts Council | Humboldt | $119,578.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Nevada County Arts Council (NCArts) | Nevada | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | ARTSCCC | Contra Costa | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | URBAN VOICES PROJECT | Los Angeles | $20,832.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | ARTSCCC | Contra Costa | $127,459.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | Bocón | San Diego | $18,517.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Modoc County Arts Council | Modoc | $119,578.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Women's Audio Mission | San Francisco | $46,293.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Chrysalis Studio/Queer Ancestors Project | San Francisco | $17,360.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | 11:11 Projects | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | SVCREATES | Santa Clara | $127,459.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | Silicon Valley Shakespeare | Santa Clara | $20,276.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Get Lit - Words Ignite | Los Angeles | $23,147.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Hanford Multicultural Theater Company | Kings | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | AlterTheater | Marin | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | ART OF ÉLAN | San Diego | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Youth Speaks | San Francisco | $16,203.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | LA Commons | Los Angeles | $20,276.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | In The Band | Los Angeles | $17,360.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Living Jazz | Alameda | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Colusa County Arts Council | Colusa | $127,459.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | WIA | Los Angeles | $32,405.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Lassen County Arts Council | Lassen | $127,459.00 | More » |
| State Local Partner Mentorship | 2024-25 | Nevada County Arts Council (NCArts) | Nevada | $41,664.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | ART LEAGUE OF LINCOLN | Placer | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Luther Burbank Center for the Arts | Sonoma | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | San Francisco Youth Theatre | San Francisco | $20,832.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | Geoffrey's Inner Circle | Alameda | $20,276.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | Cornerstone | Los Angeles | $20,276.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Youth Speaks | San Francisco | $32,405.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Bay Area Creative | Alameda | $20,832.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | Bay Area Creative | Alameda | $18,517.00 | More » |
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | Everyday Arts | Los Angeles | $23,147.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Create CA | Los Angeles | $32,405.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Merced County Arts Council Inc | Merced | $127,459.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | The Leela Institute | Los Angeles | $21,989.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Inlandia Institute | Riverside | $46,293.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | POETRY FLASH | Alameda | $19,443.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | Center Theatre Group | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | CELEBRATION ARTS | Sacramento | $23,147.00 | More » |
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | Luna Dance and Creativity | Alameda | $23,147.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Zaccho Dance Theatre | San Francisco | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | City of San Fernando | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Opera Parallele | San Francisco | $23,147.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Tuolumne County Arts Alliance Inc. | Tuolumne | $127,459.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | CLARA | Sacramento | $20,832.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | WOODCRAFT RANGERS | Los Angeles | $16,170.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | transcenDANCE Youth Arts Project | San Diego | $17,360.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | dNaga | Alameda | $20,832.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture | Yuba | $276,957.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Fern Street Circus | San Diego | $20,832.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | transcenDANCE Youth Arts Project | San Diego | $20,832.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Fern Street Circus | San Diego | $23,147.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Emerging Arts Professionals/San Francisco Bay Area | San Francisco | $32,405.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Tehama Arts Council | Tehama | $127,459.00 | More » |
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | The Quinan Street Project | Contra Costa | $18,517.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Give 4 Kidz | Riverside | $15,821.00 | More » |
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | Intersection for the Arts (fiscal sponsor) | San Francisco | $23,147.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Broad Room | Sacramento | $32,405.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | 916 Ink | Sacramento | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Noe Music | San Francisco | $20,832.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | Pacific Opera Project | Los Angeles | $20,276.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Hero Theatre | Los Angeles | $21,989.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Hero Theatre | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | Music in the Mountains | Nevada | $16,203.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | School of The Getdown | Alameda | $20,276.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Los Angeles Performance Practice | Los Angeles | $46,293.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Blue Line Arts | Placer | $20,832.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | Blue Line Arts | Placer | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | The Arts Council of Kern | Kern | $16,203.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | Culture Shock San Diego | San Diego | $20,276.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | School of The Getdown | Alameda | $20,832.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Arts Council of Mendocino County | Mendocino | $127,459.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | San Jose Museum of Art | Santa Clara | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Street Poets | Los Angeles | $20,832.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | TONALITY | Los Angeles | $18,517.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | The Art Spread | Orange | $19,443.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | SAN FRANCISCO BOYS CHORUS | San Francisco | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | ELM | Marin | $20,832.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Riverside Arts Council | Riverside | $127,459.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | artworxLA | Los Angeles | $20,832.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Guitars Antiqua Music Program | Los Angeles | $10,740.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | Tandy Beal & Company (TBC) | Santa Cruz | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | California Poets in the Schools | Sonoma | $21,989.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | California Poets in the Schools | Sonoma | $32,405.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | ACPC | Placer | $127,459.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Grant Drum Line | Sacramento | $9,722.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Young Audiences of Northern California | San Francisco | $32,405.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | Creative Identity | Orange | $20,276.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Arts Council Santa Cruz County | Santa Cruz | $127,459.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Arts Council Santa Cruz County | Santa Cruz | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Zoo Labs | San Francisco | $46,293.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Inyo Council for the Arts | Inyo | $119,578.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Resounding Joy | San Diego | $21,989.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | El Sistema Santa Cruz/Pajaro Valley | Santa Cruz | $13,578.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | ARTHATCH | San Diego | $16,203.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | San Diego Civic Youth Ballet | San Diego | $20,276.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra | San Bernardino | $20,276.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | California Association of Museums | San Diego | $46,293.00 | More » |
| State Local Partner Mentorship | 2024-25 | Amador Arts | Amador | $41,664.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Amador Arts | Amador | $127,459.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | LOCAL COLOR | Santa Clara | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Geoffrey's Inner Circle | Alameda | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | 24th Street Theatre | Los Angeles | $23,147.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | Luna Dance and Creativity | Alameda | $46,293.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | San Mateo County Office of Arts and Culture | San Mateo | $127,459.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | The High Steppers Drill Team, Inc. | San Diego | $16,203.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture | Los Angeles | $127,459.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | Grand Vision Foundation | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | FOCUS ON THE MASTERS Arts Archive & Library | Ventura | $18,517.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Flyaway Productions | San Francisco | $23,147.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Calaveras Arts Council | Calaveras | $119,578.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | San Diego Creative Youth Development Network | San Diego | $32,405.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Lake County Arts Council, Soper Reese Theatre, Main Street Gallery | Lake | $127,459.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Fostering Dreams Project | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | Nevada County Arts Council (NCArts) | Nevada | $127,459.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | Meztli Projects | Los Angeles | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | SFJAZZ | San Francisco | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | Mariposa Arts Council | Mariposa | $16,203.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | Bay Area Creative | Alameda | $20,276.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | Capital Storytelling | Sacramento | $20,149.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | COMMUNITY MUSIC CENTER | San Francisco | $16,203.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Positive Alternative Recreation Teambuilding Impact | Santa Clara | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | WEST Performing Arts | Santa Cruz | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Lou Harrison House | San Bernardino | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | San Francisco Mime Troupe | San Francisco | $20,940.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Circo Zero | San Francisco | $25,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Art Saves Lives Studio & Gallery | San Francisco | $12,750.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | CLARA | Sacramento | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Healing Rhythms | Riverside | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | 1500 Sound Academy | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Agency 515; The SET (Social Education Theatre) | San Diego | $54,998.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Kugelplex | Alameda | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Ci4Ci | Merced | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Crescent Moon Theater Productions | Contra Costa | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Danzantes Unidos | Alameda | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Represent Collaborative | San Francisco | $19,249.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Tia Chucha's Centro Cultural | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | LibroMobile Arts Cooperative | Orange | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Long Beach Filipino Festival | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Lambda Archives | San Diego | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | ArtsUP! LA | Los Angeles | $54,998.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Crescent Moon Theater Productions | Contra Costa | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | TRYBE INC | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Kristin Damrow & Company | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Bezerk Productions | San Bernardino | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | MATERIALS & APPLICATIONS | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | Community Works | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | La Mezcla LLC | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | Queer Cultural Center | San Francisco | $50,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | SOMArts | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Lou Harrison House | San Bernardino | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | OAKLAND THEATER PROJECT | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | La Raíz Magazine | Santa Clara | $18,700.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | The Ink People | Humboldt | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Lower Depth Theatre | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Magic Theatre, Inc. | San Francisco | $45,832.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Walking Cinema | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | San Luis Obispo County Arts Council | San Luis Obispo | $66,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Alchemia | Sonoma | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | PALENKE ARTS | Monterey | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | N/A | Santa Clara | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | San Francisco Transgender Film Festival | San Francisco | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Look What SHE Did! | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | ICYOLA | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | LibroMobile Arts Cooperative | Orange | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Voice of Witness | San Francisco | $54,998.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Tap Fever Studios | San Diego | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | San Pedro Waterfront Arts District | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | The Michael's Daughter Foundation | Los Angeles | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Wheelchair Dancers Organization | San Diego | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | San Francisco Transgender Film Festival | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Latino Center of Art and Culture | Sacramento | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | In Lak'ech Dance Academy | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | KALEIDOSCOPE | Los Angeles | $42,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | LA Opera | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Rise Up-Youth Program for the Performing Arts | Sutter | $17,638.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Foglifter Press | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Eye Zen Presents | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Zaccho Dance Theatre | San Francisco | $54,998.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Arts Council for Long Beach | Los Angeles | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Eye Zen Presents | San Francisco | $54,998.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | MexiCali Biennial | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Cinema Sala | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Foglifter Press | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | The Michael's Daughter Foundation | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | SFIOP | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | N/A | Santa Clara | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Jocelyn Reyes | San Francisco | $20,400.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | LACE | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | The Garcia Center for the Arts | San Bernardino | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | WEAVE | Sacramento | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Viver Brasil Dance Company | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Fox Cultural Hall | Placer | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Our Town. Our Children. A Social Awareness Art Project. | Ventura | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Alisal Center For The Fine Arts | Monterey | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Still Here San Francisco | San Francisco | $17,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Urban Jazz Dance Company | San Francisco | $25,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | San Jose Multicultural Artists Guild | Santa Clara | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits (BAAITS) | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Litvak Dance Arts Foundation | San Diego | $19,249.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Jamii Publishing | San Bernardino | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | Cal Shakes | Contra Costa | $40,375.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Red Ladder Theatre Company | Santa Clara | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA THEATRE COMPANY (SFBATCO) | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | LRCC | Ventura | $25,666.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | ArtsUP! LA | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | IN THE MARGIN | Sacramento | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | White Hall Arts Academy | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Watsonville Film Festival | Santa Cruz | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | OAKLAND INTERFAITH GOSPEL CHOIR | Alameda | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Eth-Noh-Tec | San Francisco | $54,998.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | JOAN | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Chavalos de aqui y alla | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Coachella Valley Arts Institute | Riverside | $31,166.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Capacitor Performance | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Capacitor Performance | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Represent Collaborative | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Cinequest Inc | Santa Clara | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | TODAY'S FUTURE SOUND | Alameda | $20,861.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Broadway West | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Deep Valley Arts Collective | Mendocino | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | RACE Matters SLO County | San Luis Obispo | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Monterey County Pops! | Monterey | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Glendale Youth Orchestra | Los Angeles | $23,374.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | LAUREL DISTRICT ASSOCIATION | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | MashUp Contemporary Dance Company | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Friends of the Arts | Orange | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Arenas Dance Company | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Youth Art Exchange | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Jail Guitar Doors - USA | Los Angeles | $21,191.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | C5 Studios Community Arts Center | Inyo | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | LA Artcore | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Allies in Arts | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Automata | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Elemental Music | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | JUiCE Hip Hop | Los Angeles | $17,141.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | BLUE 13 DANCE COMPANY INC | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | The 1947 Partition Archive | Alameda | $19,249.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | a non profit visual arts organization | Contra Costa | $30,832.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Oakland Ballet Company | Alameda | $49,499.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | PlayGround Inc | Alameda | $42,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Women's Voices Now | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Southland Sings | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | KOHO | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | FOOLS FURY THEATER | San Francisco | $19,249.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | FILIPINO CULTURAL SCHOOL | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | San Francisco Shakespeare Festival | San Francisco | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | The Garcia Center for the Arts | San Bernardino | $30,832.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | MORONGO BASIN CULTURAL ARTS COUNCIL, Inc. | San Bernardino | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Yeah, Art! | Alameda | $25,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Kala Art Institute | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Yeah, Art! | Alameda | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Small Press Traffic | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | BFF.fm | San Francisco | $32,082.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | MCASB | Santa Barbara | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Queer Cat Productions | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Banding Together | San Diego | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Art With Elders | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | About Productions | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | 3Girls Theatre, 3GT | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | About Productions | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Juneteenth Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Donte McDaniel | Fresno | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Level Ground | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | 3Girls Theatre, 3GT | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | San Jose Taiko | Santa Clara | $25,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Duniya Dance and Drum Company | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Young Musicians Foundation | Los Angeles | $49,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Tenderloin Museum | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Timken Museum of Art | San Diego | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | VOENA | Solano | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | San Jose Taiko | Santa Clara | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | FACT/SF | San Francisco | $54,998.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | la familia sana | Sonoma | $19,125.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | ABD Productions / Skywatchers | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Elevate Oakland | Alameda | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Kids & Art Foundation | San Mateo | $23,374.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Dancing Cy(i)phers | Alameda | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Poetic Justice | San Diego | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | The Narrative Quilt Project | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Presidio Performing Arts Foundation | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | West Edge Opera | Alameda | $45,832.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA THEATRE COMPANY (SFBATCO) | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Bloom Arts Foundation Inc | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Lyrical Opposition | San Mateo | $12,833.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Connectopod Learning, Inc. | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | OAKLAND THEATER PROJECT | Alameda | $36,666.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Meztli Projects | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Dancing Cy(i)phers | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | California Humanities | Alameda | $42,500.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | Groupmuse | Alameda | $17,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Sketch Odyssey East Bay | Contra Costa | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Creative Netwerk | Santa Barbara | $21,250.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Arts Council Napa Valley | Napa | $70,800.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | N/A | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Maya's Music Therapy Fund | Alameda | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Nava Dance Theatre | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Nonprofit | Sonoma | $30,832.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Civic Design Studio | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Ink People Center for the Arts | Humboldt | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | Museum of Latin American Art | Los Angeles | $42,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Civic Design Studio | Alameda | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | FRIENDS-STEWARDS OF AAMLO | Alameda | $31,166.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | The Tabard Theatre Company | Santa Clara | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Kugelplex | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | EarthLab SF | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Heidi Schwegler | San Bernardino | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | ARTS | San Diego | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | THE ARTS AREA | San Bernardino | $42,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Women in Media | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Personal Space Projects | Solano | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Siskiyou County Arts Council | Siskiyou | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Small Press Traffic | San Francisco | $31,166.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Mil-Tree | San Bernardino | $21,160.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Center for Urban Excellence | Solano | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Brockus Project Dance Copany | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Synchromy | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Modoc County Arts Council | Modoc | $66,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Level Ground | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Abolition Inc | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | BroadStage | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | SAMMAY Productions | San Francisco | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Exhibit Envoy | Alameda | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Abolition Inc | Alameda | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | PUSH | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | FLACC | San Francisco | $54,998.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | The Write of Your L!fe | Riverside | $43,632.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Alliance for Youth Achievement | Santa Clara | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | People's Conservatory | Alameda | $25,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Berkeley Art Center | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Re-Present Media | Alameda | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Young Musicians Choral Orchestra | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Asian Improv aRts | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Asian Improv aRts | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | La Lengua Teatro en Español | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | PiYoDa Flow | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Compound YV | San Bernardino | $12,750.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | San Diego Underground Arts | San Diego | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Mariposa Arts Council | Mariposa | $25,000.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | DNACA | Del Norte | $66,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Bridge Live Arts | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Arab Film Festival | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Arab Film Festival | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | La Lengua Teatro en Español | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Color Compton Inc | Los Angeles | $23,800.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Mariposa Arts Council | Mariposa | $70,800.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Fuse Theatre | San Mateo | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Drawing Together | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Art Share L.A. | Los Angeles | $54,998.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Sharp and Fine | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | SACRA/PROFANA | San Diego | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Burbank Philharmonic Orchestra | Los Angeles | $38,957.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | West End Arts District | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Locke Foundation Corporation | Sacramento | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | The Foundation at Hearst Castle | San Luis Obispo | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Plaza de la Raza | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | NoCCA | Imperial | $66,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | FaTasiLima | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | COMPASSPOINT MENTORSHIP | Santa Clara | $21,244.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | LAMusArt | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Theatre of Yugen | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Pacific Crest Music | Siskiyou | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Center for Urban Excellence | Solano | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | WRITERS GROTTO | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Barcid Foundation | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Community Rejuvenation Project | Alameda | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | ACMA | San Diego | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | DISCO RIOT | San Diego | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | The Roots and Wings Project | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | OUR LA | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Loiter Galleries | Los Angeles | $23,374.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Santa Cecilia Arts & Learning Center | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | 82-2363154 | San Diego | $54,998.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Feminist Center for Creative Work | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | L A Freewaves | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Arab.AMP / TAC Temescal Arts Center | Alameda | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Playwrights' Arena | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Sacramento Juneteenth | Sacramento | $23,100.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Sacramento Juneteenth | Sacramento | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | National Association of Latino Independent Producers Inc | Los Angeles | $42,500.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | Latino Arts Network | Sacramento | $50,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Unsung Heroes Living History Project | Sacramento | $21,250.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | San Francisco Arts Commission | San Francisco | $66,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Los Angeles Contemporary Archive (LACA) | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Audium Theater | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Ballet Folklorico Mexico Danza | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Arts Bridging the Gap | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Arts Bridging the Gap | Los Angeles | $23,374.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | n/a | San Francisco | $25,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Dancers Group - Fiscal Sponsor for Grown Women Dance Collective | Contra Costa | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Little Boxes Theater | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Diamano Coura West African Dance Company | Alameda | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Bocón | San Diego | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | ARTogether | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | ARTogether | Alameda | $54,998.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | The So Hum Mural Project | Humboldt | $7,993.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Lily Cai Chinese Dance Company | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Lily Cai Chinese Dance Company | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center | Los Angeles | $45,832.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Clockshop | Los Angeles | $17,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | CounterPulse | San Francisco | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | CounterPulse | San Francisco | $54,998.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Au Co Vietnamese Cultural Center | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | SAMMAY Productions | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Allies in Arts | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Versa-Style Dance Company | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Visual Communications Media | Los Angeles | $49,499.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | The Arts Council of Kern | Kern | $66,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Casa 0101 | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | San Francisco International Hip Hop DanceFest | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | PARANGAL DANCE COMPANY | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Museum of Latin American Art | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | The Colburn School | Los Angeles | $42,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Makoto Taiko | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | RuckusRoots | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Brava! for Women in the Arts | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Benicia Chamber Players | Solano | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Northern California Arts | Sacramento | $30,832.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | Arts Education Alliance of the Bay Area | San Francisco | $50,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Arab.AMP / TAC Temescal Arts Center | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Bounce Back Generation | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | BOSS | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | The Living Earth Show | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Prospect Art | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Street Symphony | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Company of Angels | Los Angeles | $18,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF FILIPINO AMERICAN ARTS & CULTURE FESTIVAL OF PHIL ARTS & CULTURE | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | California Institute for Community, Art & Nature | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Media Arts Santa Ana, a project of Community Partners | Orange | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Media Arts Santa Ana, a project of Community Partners | Orange | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Cerritos Chinese School | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Give 4 Kidz | Riverside | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Afsaneh Arts | Marin | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Una Productions | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Nevada County Arts Council (NCArts) | Nevada | $21,250.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Siskiyou County Arts Council | Siskiyou | $66,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Classics 4 Kids | San Diego | $25,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | LA River Arts | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | LYRIC OPERA OC | Orange | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Ballet Folklorico San Diego Dance Company | San Diego | $19,249.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Yerba Buena Center for the Arts | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | Dancers' Group | San Francisco | $42,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Intersection for the Arts (fiscal sponsor) | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Diversionary Theatre Productions Inc. | San Diego | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Arts for LA | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | AlterTheater | Marin | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Muckenthaler Cultural Center | Orange | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Foundation for New American Musicals | Los Angeles | $25,666.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Red Poppy Art House | San Francisco | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Una Productions | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Painted Brain | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Red Poppy Art House | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | ODC | San Francisco | $21,765.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Unscripted Learning | San Diego | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | / (Slash) | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Blue Line Arts | Placer | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | San Diego LGBT Pride | San Diego | $25,000.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | GYOPO | Los Angeles | $42,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | One Stage Theatre | Alameda | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | House of Gongs | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | "We The People" Cultural Consortium | Riverside | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Ophelia's Jump Productions | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | "We The People" Cultural Consortium | Riverside | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Chalk It Up Sacramento | Sacramento | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Green Room Theatre Company | Riverside | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | UniverSOUL Hip Hop | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | LA River Arts | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Tandy Beal & Company (TBC) | Santa Cruz | $54,998.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Escondido Arts Partnership | San Diego | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | N/A | San Diego | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | The 418 PROJECT | Santa Cruz | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | PUSH | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | Community Arts Stabilization Trust | San Francisco | $42,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | CubaCaribe | San Francisco | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Lamorinda Arts Council | Contra Costa | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Palo Alto Art Center Foundation | Santa Clara | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Nonprofit Theatre Company | San Francisco | $17,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Vantage Theatre | San Diego | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | BAYCAT | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Litquake Foundation | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | NAKA Dance Theater | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Dance Brigade or Dance Mission | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | San Diego Museum Council | San Diego | $50,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | FRESH Festival | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Duniya Dance and Drum Company | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Performing Arts Workshop | San Francisco | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Cunamacué | Alameda | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | SPACE | Mendocino | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Vincent Price Art Museum Foundation | Los Angeles | $27,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | REACH for Community | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | School of Arts and Culture at MHP | Santa Clara | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Noe Music | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | MUSEUM EDUCATORS OF | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Green Room Theatre Company | Riverside | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Shakespeare Youth Festival | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Ayurda Arts | Sacramento | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Self-Help Hunger Program. | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | Ink People Center for the Arts | Humboldt | $42,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Opera Parallele | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | SO SAY WE ALL | San Diego | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Compassionate Artists Inc. | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Pony Box Dance | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Museum of Dance | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Mendocino Art Center | Mendocino | $30,832.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Movement Liberation | Contra Costa | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Veteran Art Institute | El Dorado | $25,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Community Works West | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Meztli Projects | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | FaTasiLima | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Long Beach Camerata Singers | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Bell Arts Factory | Ventura | $36,666.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Marin Society of Artists | Marin | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | ABADA-Capoeira San Francisco | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Arts Benicia | Solano | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | United Cambodian Community | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Alena Museum | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | House of Gongs | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | The Art Spread | Orange | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Left Coast Chamber Ensemble | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | The World Stage | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | Barcid Foundation | Los Angeles | $50,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | CIRCUIT NETWORK | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Artist Magnet Justice Alliance | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Playwrights Project | San Diego | $25,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Music/Arts Organization | San Mateo | $19,125.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Ballet Folklorico Mexico Danza | Alameda | $46,749.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Friends of the Arts | Butte | $66,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | NCRT | Humboldt | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | The Wayward Artist | Orange | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | InterMusic SF | San Francisco | $42,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Redwood Curtain Consortium | Humboldt | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | ELM | Marin | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Poetic Justice | San Diego | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Pieter Performance Space | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | SAFEhouse Arts | San Francisco | $21,165.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | SAFEhouse Arts | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Sovern LA, Sovern | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | YouthBeat | Alameda | $54,998.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | Create CA | Los Angeles | $50,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | N/A | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | PLUMAS ARTS | Plumas | $66,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Mariachi Women’s Foundation | Los Angeles | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Diablo Symphony Orchestra | Contra Costa | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | WEAD | Alameda | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Urban Arts Collaborative | Monterey | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | East Wind Lion Dance | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Brown Recluse Zine Distro | Alameda | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | ChromaDiverse, Inc. | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | Dance Brigade or Dance Mission | San Francisco | $42,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Son of Semele Ensemble | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Motion Pacific Dance | Santa Cruz | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Liberty Arts | Siskiyou | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | EBPCO | Alameda | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Cheza Nami Foundation | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | The Short Centers | Sacramento | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | BoxoPROJECTS | San Bernardino | $21,250.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Trinity County Arts Council | Trinity | $66,600.00 | More » |
| State Local Partner Mentorship | 2023-24 | Arts and Culture El Dorado | El Dorado | $50,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | OX | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Encore | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Diamond Wave, a fiscally sponsored project of Independent Arts & Media | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Active Cultures | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Outside the Lens | San Diego | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | SAMAHAN ARTS | San Diego | $32,082.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | JAZZLINE INSTITUTE | Santa Clara | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | RX BALLROOM DANCE | Orange | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | Association of California Symphony Orchestras | Los Angeles | $42,500.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | Arts for LA | Los Angeles | $42,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Write Now! SF Bay | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Macro Waves | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Women's Audio Mission | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Detour Productions | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Detour Productions | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Catalina Museum for Art & History | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | AfroSolo Theatre Company | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | TONALITY | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Koreatown Youth and Community Center, Inc. | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Academy of Music for the Blind | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Intersection for the Arts | San Francisco | $25,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | BODY WEATHER LABORATORY | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | AXIS Dance Company | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | RENAISSANCE INSTITUTE OF MUSIC, INC. | San Diego | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | First Exposures | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | American Conservatory Theater | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | First Exposures | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Alphabet Rockers (School Time Music LLC) | Alameda | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | East Bay Center for the Performing Arts | Contra Costa | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Pieter Performance Space | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Macro Waves | Alameda | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Ballet Folklorico Anahuac | Stanislaus | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Hero Theatre | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Department of Sound | Sacramento | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Lieder Alive | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Eugenie Chan Theater Projects (ECTP) | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | DSTL Arts | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | ZiRu Dance | San Mateo | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Synchromy | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Deborah Slater Dance Theater | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Southern Exposure | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | More Más Marami Arts | Santa Clara | $20,868.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Longshadr Productions | Humboldt | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Empire Arts Collective | Sacramento | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | 5 Elements Youth Program | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Danse Lumiere | Marin | $19,249.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | One Institute | Los Angeles | $54,998.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | ESMoA | Los Angeles | $54,998.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Alegria Bilingual Bookstores & Arts Collective | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Alegria Bilingual Bookstores & Arts Collective | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | URBAN VOICES PROJECT | Los Angeles | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Sol Treasures | Monterey | $46,749.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Arts and Culture El Dorado | El Dorado | $70,800.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | World Arts West | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Alameda County Arts Commission | Alameda | $70,800.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | San Benito County Arts Council | San Benito | $66,600.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | Fulcrum Arts | Los Angeles | $50,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Fulcrum Arts | Los Angeles | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | zambaleta | Alameda | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Hijos del Sol Arts Productions | Monterey | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | ARMORY CENTER FOR THE ARTS | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | The Vacaville Museum | Solano | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Street Poets | Los Angeles | $54,998.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | CA for the Arts | Sacramento | $92,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | In The Band | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Fern Street Circus | San Diego | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Vita Art Center | Ventura | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Mosaic America | Santa Clara | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Santa Barbara Dance Institute | Santa Barbara | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | BAVC Media | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | Latino Theater Company | Los Angeles | $42,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Megan Lowe Dances | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Los Angeles Review of Books | Los Angeles | $30,832.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | Arts for Healing and Justice Network | Los Angeles | $42,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Los Cenzontles Cultural Arts Academy | Contra Costa | $54,998.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | One Institute | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | San Mateo County Office of Arts and Culture | San Mateo | $66,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Bell Arts Factory | Ventura | $21,250.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Tehama Arts Council | Tehama | $66,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Art Produce | San Diego | $12,833.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Latino Theater Company | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Cornerstone | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | SABROSAS LATIN ORCHESTRA | San Diego | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Enrichment Works | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | The Francisco Homes | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | N/A | San Diego | $54,998.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | New West Symphony Association | Ventura | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | N/A | Alameda | $25,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Los Angeles Artist Census | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Collaborative Artists Bloc | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Shiptyard Trust for the Arts | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Modesto Sound | Stanislaus | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | VOENA | Solano | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Manilatown Heritage Foundation | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | LOTUS SILICON VALLEY | Santa Clara | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | The Quinan Street Project | Contra Costa | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | The Quinan Street Project | Contra Costa | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Marigold Project Inc | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Samuel Lawrence Foundation | San Diego | $21,250.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Commission for Arts and Culture / Cultural Affairs | San Diego | $66,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | A PLACE OF HER OWN | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | A PLACE OF HER OWN | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | The Center for ArtEsteem | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Madera County Arts Council & Circle Gallery | Madera | $66,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Mil-Tree | San Bernardino | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | VELASLAVASAY PANORAMA | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Stanislaus Arts Council | Stanislaus | $66,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Circo Zero | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | San Ramon Academy of Music | Contra Costa | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Davis Shakespeare Festival | Sacramento | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Museum of Social Justice | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Vigilant Love | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | African-American Shakespeare Company | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | VOX FEMINA LOS ANGELES | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Villa Musica | San Diego | $30,832.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Write Now! SF Bay | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | n/a | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Capitol Creative Alliance | Sacramento | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | 4C LAB | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Bay Area Music Project | Alameda | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | Film Independent | Los Angeles | $50,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Music in the Mountains | Nevada | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Invertigo Dance Theatre | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Elysian Valley Arts Collective | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | ArtsOC | Orange | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Flyaway Productions | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Invertigo Dance Theatre | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Ace Makerspace | Alameda | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco | San Francisco | $25,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Media Arts Center San Diego | San Diego | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | AlterTheater | Marin | $54,998.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Immersive Arts Alliance | Sacramento | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Calidanza | Sacramento | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | VALLEJO TEACHING ARTISTS INC | Solano | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Trails and Vistas | Nevada | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | The Veterans Art Project | San Diego | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | transcenDANCE Youth Arts Project | San Diego | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | transcenDANCE Youth Arts Project | San Diego | $54,998.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Pedal Press | Butte | $17,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Black Female Project Inc | Alameda | $25,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Arts Council Santa Cruz County | Santa Cruz | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | SAN FRANCISCO CHILDRENS ART CENTER | San Francisco | $54,998.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | Los Angeles Performance Practice | Los Angeles | $42,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Equitable Vitrines | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Cambrian Symphony | Santa Clara | $15,583.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Grupo de Teatro SINERGIA | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Epiphany Dance Theater | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Embodiment Project | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | The Leela Institute | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Arrowhead Arts Association | San Bernardino | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Embodiment Project | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Neighborhood Music School Association | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Dancers Group - Fiscal Sponsor for Grown Women Dance Collective | Contra Costa | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | California Association of Museums | San Diego | $42,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Cooper Family Foundation | San Diego | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Dohee Lee Puri Arts | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Dohee Lee Puri Arts | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | TONALITY | Los Angeles | $54,998.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | MID-CITY COMMUNITY MUSIC | San Diego | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Diamano Coura West African Dance Company | Alameda | $25,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Haemil Performing Group | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Monterey Museum of Art | Monterey | $18,475.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Healing Rhythms | Riverside | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Grupo de Teatro SINERGIA | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Diamond Wave, a fiscally sponsored project of Independent Arts & Media | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | DSTL Arts | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | OnStage Playhouse | San Diego | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Queer Rebels Productions | San Francisco | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Queer Rebels Productions | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | Education Through Music-Los Angeles | Los Angeles | $42,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | N/A | Los Angeles | $54,998.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Esperanza Community Housing Corporation | Los Angeles | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Lompoc Theatre Project | Santa Barbara | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | La Pocha Nostra | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Creative Growth Art Center | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture | Los Angeles | $66,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Nueva Vision Community School | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| State Local Partner Mentorship | 2023-24 | Amador Arts | Amador | $50,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Kearny Street Workshop | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles | Los Angeles | $42,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | YoloArts | Yolo | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Chopsticks Alley Art | Santa Clara | $25,000.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Office of Arts and Culture | Sacramento | $70,800.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | The Strindberg Laboratory | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | California Chamber Orchestra | Riverside | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Fresh Meat Productions | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Fresh Meat Productions | San Francisco | $54,998.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | KERN DANCE ALLIANCE | Kern | $54,998.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Diablo Ballet | Contra Costa | $45,832.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Red Ladder Theatre Company | Santa Clara | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | SFIAF | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | Intersection | San Francisco | $42,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | TuYo Theatre | San Diego | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | JACCC | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Angel City Jazz | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | San Diego Symphony | San Diego | $21,213.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Justice for My Sister | Los Angeles | $25,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Bay Area Music Project | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Colusa County Arts Council | Colusa | $66,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Flyaway Productions | San Francisco | $54,998.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | homeLA | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | ACAM | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | homeLA | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Southland Sings | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | La Jolla Playhouse | San Diego | $21,250.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Sierra County Arts Council | Sierra | $66,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Teatro de la Tierra | Fresno | $54,998.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Casa de Brazilian Folkloric Arts of Sacramento | Sacramento | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Musica Sierra | Sierra | $17,094.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Lark Camp | Alameda | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Playhouse Arts/Arcata Playhouse | Humboldt | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | BALLET FOR ALL KIDS | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | San Francisco Youth Theatre | San Francisco | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Los Angeles Artist Census | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Bridge Live Arts | San Francisco | $25,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | The University of California, Berkeley | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | City of San Fernando | Los Angeles | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Theatre Roscius | Los Angeles | $19,323.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Justice for My Sister | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Chapter 510 INK | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Chapter 510 INK | Alameda | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture | Yuba | $5,525.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Larry Spring Museum | Mendocino | $46,749.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Marin Cultural Association | Marin | $66,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Laity Institute of the Arts | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | LAWTF | Los Angeles | $34,906.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | ArtReach | San Diego | $54,998.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | New Village Arts | San Diego | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | New Village Arts | San Diego | $49,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | HELIX COLLECTIVE | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Kontrapunktus | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | 18th Street Arts Center | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Alliance for California Traditional Arts | Fresno | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Cooperation Humboldt | Humboldt | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | TheatreWorkers Project | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Donna Sternberg & Dancers | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | Alliance for California Traditional Arts | Fresno | $50,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Femtasia Fest | Los Angeles | $12,833.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | CHORAL ARTS INITIATIVE | Orange | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Folk and Traditional Arts | 2023-24 | Alliance for California Traditional Arts | Fresno | $870,623.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | The Old Globe | San Diego | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | TheatreWorkers Project | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | THE FRIDA CINEMA | Orange | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | FASO | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Drawing Together | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | WHIPPOORWILL ARTS INC | Contra Costa | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | Center Theatre Group | Los Angeles | $42,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Center Theatre Group | Los Angeles | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Musicians at Play | Los Angeles | $54,998.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Junior High | Los Angeles | $23,374.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | EST/LA | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | PlayGround Inc | Alameda | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Teapot LA | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | HDTS | San Bernardino | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Pacific Chorale | Orange | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | artworxLA | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | artworxLA | Los Angeles | $45,832.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | 3RD I South Asian Independent Film | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Mono Arts Council | Mono | $66,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | The Music Center | Los Angeles | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Gay Freedom Band of Los Angeles | Los Angeles | $19,249.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Bay Area Girls Rock Camp | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | YoloArts | Yolo | $66,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | FASO | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | THEATRE WEST INC | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Medical Clown Project | Contra Costa | $54,998.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Merced County Arts Council Inc | Merced | $66,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Friends of Sacramento Arts | Sacramento | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | DISCO RIOT | San Diego | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | the Sanctuary | Humboldt | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | ArtReach | San Diego | $14,501.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | California Poets in the Schools | Sonoma | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Creative Acts | Los Angeles | $25,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | HDTS | San Bernardino | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Oakwood Brass - Outreach Project | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | City Garage | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Rhythm Arts Alliance | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Rhythm Arts Alliance | Los Angeles | $54,998.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Fostering Dreams Project | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Casa Circulo Cultural | San Mateo | $21,250.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Fresno Arts Council | Fresno | $70,800.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Chrysalis Studio/Queer Ancestors Project | San Francisco | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | 24th Street Theatre | Los Angeles | $30,832.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | CalArts | Los Angeles | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Senderos | Santa Cruz | $54,998.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | PURPLE SILK MUSIC EDUCATION FOUNDATION | Alameda | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | PURPLE SILK MUSIC EDUCATION FOUNDATION | Alameda | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | EBSC | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | OPAC | Ventura | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | Luna Dance and Creativity | Alameda | $42,500.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | Young Audiences of Northern California | San Francisco | $42,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Young Audiences of Northern California | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Everyday Arts | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Everyday Arts | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Chrysalis Studio/Queer Ancestors Project | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Launch LA | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | Emerging Arts Professionals/San Francisco Bay Area | San Francisco | $42,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Los Angeles Poverty Department | Los Angeles | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | West End Arts District | Alameda | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Cultural Odyssey | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | ARTHATCH | San Diego | $46,749.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Lassen County Arts Council | Lassen | $66,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Positive Action Community Theatre (PACT) | San Diego | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | 4C LAB | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Montalvo Arts Center | Santa Clara | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | LCMC | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Arts Connection - The Arts Council of San Bernardino County | San Bernardino | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Robert Moses' Kin | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | COSTANOAN INDIAN RESEARCH INC | San Benito | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | We Still Move | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Arts Connection - The Arts Council of San Bernardino County | San Bernardino | $70,800.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | El Teatro Campesino | San Benito | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | El Teatro Campesino | San Benito | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Resounding Joy | San Diego | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Lenora Lee Dance (a project of API Cultural Center) | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | ARTS VISALIA | Tulare | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Destiny Arts Center | Alameda | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | CITY OF CALEXICO - RECREATION DEPARTMENT | Imperial | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Studio Channel Islands | Ventura | $54,998.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | ACPC | Placer | $66,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Broad Room | Sacramento | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | PLUS ME Project | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Riverside Arts Council | Riverside | $66,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | SHOW BOX LA | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Santa Paula Art Museum | Ventura | $54,998.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | TWDCC | Santa Cruz | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | AAWAA | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | AAWAA | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Angel City Jazz | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Self Help Graphics & Art | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | Zoo Labs | San Francisco | $42,500.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Rogue Artists Ensemble | Los Angeles | $25,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | San Diego Opera | San Diego | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Dell'Arte International | Humboldt | $30,832.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | The Chimaera Project | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Tuolumne County Arts Alliance Inc. | Tuolumne | $66,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Rogue Artists Ensemble | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Pacific Chamber Orchestra | Alameda | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | CLA | San Francisco | $42,500.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Modest Fly Art Studio Gallery Inc. | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | KAYPA | Los Angeles | $19,249.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Fostering Dreams Project | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Dance Camera West | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Academy for New Musical Theatre | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Solano County Arts Council | Solano | $66,599.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Brava! for Women in the Arts | San Francisco | $30,832.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Magic Theatre, Inc. | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Living Jazz | Alameda | $54,998.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Creative Identity | Orange | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | LATW | Los Angeles | $30,832.00 | More » |
| Folk and Traditional Arts | 2023-24 | The Center for Cultural Power | Alameda | $844,164.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Tuleburg Press/The Write Place | San Joaquin | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Middletown Art Center | Lake | $54,998.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Arts Council of Mendocino County | Mendocino | $66,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | LA Choreographers & Dancers/ Louise Reichlin & Dancers | Los Angeles | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | LAYP Orch Band Choir | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Arts Council Santa Cruz County | Santa Cruz | $66,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | School of The Getdown | Alameda | $25,000.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture | Yuba | $133,200.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Jess Curtis/Gravity | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | 142 Throckmorton Theatre | Marin | $45,832.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | The Writers Guild Foundation | Los Angeles | $49,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Teatro Espejo | Sacramento | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | Inlandia Institute | Riverside | $50,000.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Kultivate Labs | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | PALEF | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Hanford Multicultural Theater Company | Kings | $46,749.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Ventura County Arts Council | Ventura | $66,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Musaics of the Bay | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | E4TT | San Francisco | $20,944.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | E4TT | San Francisco | $35,932.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Lake County Arts Council, Soper Reese Theatre, Main Street Gallery | Lake | $66,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Intersection for the Arts | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | THE FRIDA CINEMA | Orange | $45,832.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | SAN DIEGO WOMENS CHORUS | San Diego | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | California Center for the Arts, Escondido | San Diego | $25,000.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | The San Francisco Neo-Futurists | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Arts4MC | Monterey | $66,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Arts4MC | Monterey | $21,250.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Shasta County Arts Council | Shasta | $66,600.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Thingamajigs | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Thingamajigs | Alameda | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | A Non profit arts organization | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Long Beach Youth Chorus | Los Angeles | $31,166.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Geoffrey's Inner Circle | Alameda | $21,250.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Street Poets | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Artes Vocales | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Nevada County Arts Council (NCArts) | Nevada | $66,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Vanguard Culture | San Diego | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Guitars Antiqua Music Program | Los Angeles | $15,583.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Academy of Special Dreams Foundation | Los Angeles | $20,570.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Academy of Special Dreams Foundation | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | SAN FERNANDO VALLEY YOUTH CHORUS | Los Angeles | $38,499.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Amador Arts | Amador | $66,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Tierra Caliente Academy of Arts | San Diego | $46,749.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | The Compton Arts Project | Los Angeles | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Namba Arts Space, Inc | Ventura | $19,249.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | DESERT ENSEMBLE THEATRE COMPANY | Riverside | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Positive Action Community Theatre (PACT) | San Diego | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Delirium Musicum | Los Angeles | $19,249.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Humboldt Arts Council | Humboldt | $66,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Clarion Alley Mural Project (CAMP) | San Francisco | $38,499.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | Indexical | Santa Cruz | $54,998.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | KULARTS | San Francisco | $21,250.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | KULARTS | San Francisco | $46,749.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | SVCREATES | Santa Clara | $66,600.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Calaveras Arts Council | Calaveras | $66,600.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Creative Sonoma | Sonoma | $70,800.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | ArtsOC | Orange | $66,600.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | Humanitas | Los Angeles | $42,500.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Inyo Council for the Arts | Inyo | $66,600.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Visalia Arts Consortium, Inc. | Tulare | $70,800.00 | More » |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture | Santa Barbara | $66,600.00 | More » |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | The High Steppers Drill Team, Inc. | San Diego | $38,499.00 | More » |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | Center for World Music | San Diego | $25,000.00 | More » |
| Cultural Districts | 2022-23 | Soma Pilipinas | San Francisco | $709,890.00 | More » |
| Cultural Districts | 2022-23 | JACCC | Los Angeles | $671,429.00 | More » |
| Cultural Districts | 2022-23 | Balboa Park Cultural Partnership | San Diego | $812,890.00 | More » |
| Cultural Districts | 2022-23 | City of San Rafael | Marin | $709,890.00 | More » |
| Cultural Districts | 2022-23 | Marissa Cassani | San Diego | $709,890.00 | More » |
| Cultural Districts | 2022-23 | Ink People Center for the Arts | Humboldt | $709,890.00 | More » |
| Cultural Districts | 2022-23 | Calle 24 Latino Cultural District | San Francisco | $709,890.00 | More » |
| Cultural Districts | 2022-23 | City of Emeryville for Rotten City Emeryville Cultural Arts District | Alameda | $709,890.00 | More » |
| Cultural Districts | 2022-23 | ANGELS GATE CULTURAL CENTER | Los Angeles | $709,890.00 | More » |
| Cultural Districts | 2022-23 | Shasta County Arts Council | Shasta | $709,890.00 | More » |
| Cultural Districts | 2022-23 | Oceanside Public Library | San Diego | $709,890.00 | More » |
| Cultural Districts | 2022-23 | Lancaster Museum and Public Art Foundation | Los Angeles | $709,890.00 | More » |
| Cultural Districts | 2022-23 | Nevada County Arts Council (NCArts) | Nevada | $709,890.00 | More » |
| Cultural Districts | 2022-23 | Nevada County Arts Council (NCArts) | Nevada | $709,890.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Tia Chucha's Centro Cultural | Los Angeles | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | DANCE AND DIALOGUE | Los Angeles | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | LA Opera | Los Angeles | $36,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Dancers Group - Fiscal Sponsor for Grown Women Dance Collective | Contra Costa | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Healing Rhythms | Riverside | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Technical Assistance | 2022-23 | NA | Alameda | $150,000.00 | More » |
| Individual Artist Fellowships-AO | 2022-23 | Youth Speaks | San Francisco | $925,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Hemet Concert Association | Riverside | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | El Sistema Santa Cruz/Pajaro Valley | Santa Cruz | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | ARTE AMERICAS THE MEXICAN ARTS CENTER | Fresno | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | CMAC | Fresno | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | SAN FRANCISCO CHILDRENS ART CENTER | San Francisco | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Acta Non Verba Youth Urban Farm Project | Alameda | $39,768.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Geoffrey's Inner Circle | Alameda | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Mariachi Women’s Foundation | Los Angeles | $36,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Root Division | San Francisco | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Black Female Project Inc | Alameda | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center | Los Angeles | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Circus Center | San Francisco | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Creative Growth Art Center | Alameda | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Fernandeno Tataviam Band of Mission Indians | Los Angeles | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | African-American Shakespeare Company | San Francisco | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Casa 0101 | Los Angeles | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Kairos Music Academy | Alameda | $30,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | MoAD | San Francisco | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Korean American Special Education Center | Orange | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Indivisible Arts | Los Angeles | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | KULARTS | San Francisco | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Creativity Explored | San Francisco | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Handful Players | San Francisco | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Exploring the Arts | Los Angeles | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | ACAM | Los Angeles | $30,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Thingamajigs | Alameda | $36,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | UC Riverside | Riverside | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Project Miracle aka The Miracle Project | Los Angeles | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Asian Art Museum | San Francisco | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Jun Daiko | Santa Clara | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | SLOMA | San Luis Obispo | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | La Jolla Music Society | San Diego | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | ODC | San Francisco | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Jazz Angels | Los Angeles | $39,739.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | El Teatro Campesino | San Benito | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Hanford Multicultural Theater Company | Kings | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Artist Magnet Justice Alliance | Alameda | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Maya's Music Therapy Fund | Alameda | $38,324.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | JACCC | Los Angeles | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | California Indian Museum & Cultural Center | Sonoma | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Individual Artist Fellowships-AO | 2022-23 | Los Angeles Performance Practice | Los Angeles | $950,000.00 | More » |
| Individual Artist Fellowships-AO | 2022-23 | ArtsOC | Orange | $1,050,000.00 | More » |
| Arts Administrators Pipeline Fellowship | 2022-23 | Association of Arts Administration Educators | Los Angeles | $1,165,000.00 | More » |
| Individual Artist Fellowships-AO | 2022-23 | SVCREATES | Santa Clara | $825,000.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2022-23 | en Avant School of Dance | San Francisco | $54,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | PENINSULA YOUTH THEATRE | Santa Clara | $36,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Riverside Arts Academy | Riverside | $38,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | INDIAN FINE ARTS ACADEMY OF SANDIEGO | San Diego | $38,000.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2022-23 | Quinteto Latino | San Mateo | $54,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Santa Cruz Art League | Santa Cruz | $28,859.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2022-23 | ALAS | San Mateo | $54,000.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2022-23 | UCSB | Santa Barbara | $54,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | SAPPA | Los Angeles | $40,000.00 | More » |
| Arts Education - Artists in Schools | 2022-23 | Queens of the Castro | Alameda | $57,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory | Los Angeles | $38,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | en Avant School of Dance | San Francisco | $38,000.00 | More » |
| Arts Education - Artists in Schools | 2022-23 | Peninsula Girls Chorus | San Mateo | $35,550.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Blue Sky Center | Santa Barbara | $38,000.00 | More » |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2022-23 | OCEANSIDE THEATRE COMPANY | San Diego | $54,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Future Roots Inc. | Los Angeles | $38,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | OCEANSIDE THEATRE COMPANY | San Diego | $36,000.00 | More » |
| Arts Education - Artists in Schools | 2022-23 | San Diego Ballet | San Diego | $38,000.00 | More » |
| Arts Education - Artists in Schools | 2022-23 | Yerba Buena Center for the Arts | San Francisco | $57,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Quinteto Latino | San Mateo | $38,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Berkeley Art Center | Alameda | $19,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | OAKLAND THEATER PROJECT | Alameda | $38,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Museum of Dance | San Francisco | $38,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Side Street Projects | Los Angeles | $38,000.00 | More » |
| Arts Education - Artists in Schools | 2022-23 | EPACENTER | San Mateo | $57,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | Women of Worth | Nevada | $27,000.00 | More » |
| Creative Youth Development | 2022-23 | KADIMA CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC INC | Los Angeles | $38,000.00 | More » |
| JUMP StArts | 2022-23 | No Easy Props | Los Angeles | $71,250.00 | More » |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2022-23 | Hope Center for the Arts | Orange | $20,000.00 | More » |
| Grant Program | Grant Year | Award Amount | Organization Name | Address | County | Region | Phone | Congressional District | State Assembly District | State Senate District | Project Description | Organization Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $15,975.00 | Latino Center of Art and Culture | 2700 FRONT STREET , SACRAMENTO, CA 95818-1118 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 446-5133 | California's 6th congressional district | District 6 | District 8 | With support from the California Arts Council, LATINO CENTER OF ART AND CULTURE will debut a multi-month programming series that links elders in the community with youth for sessions of storytelling, artistic expression, and community-building. Funds from the CAC will cover the facilitation and artistic direction of the series, the supplies and rental fees for the space, and translation services (a critical component given the primarily Latinx recently immigrated and first-generation service population of LCAC) | LCAC produces El Arte del Pueblo, a multidisciplinary series of events that engage community in art creation, and strengthens identity through the interpretation of significant Latino cultural traditions including El Panteón de Sacramento/Dia de los Muertos, Dia del Niño, and Fiesta de Frida. Our Visual Arts Program uses our gallery space to support and amplify local and emerging artists. Artists are supported with a stipend and provided with mentorship. Our Community Service Program offers our space to organizations in need of exhibitions, events, or performance space. Our Volunteer Engagement Program offers community service and leadership opportunities to youth and adults. Our program supports academic and court-mandated community service. Our Individual Artist Program provides low cost studio space to artists. Our Youth Program teaches youth traditional dances from Mexico and leadership skills to strengthen positive and community identity. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $13,800.00 | Institute of Inquiry | 6875 VALLEY VIEW DRIVE , Twentynine Palms, CA 92277 | San Bernardino | Inland Empire | (760) 206-6026 | With support from the California Arts Council, Institute of Inquiry will sustain and grow our community-rooted arts education programs in the Morongo Basin. CAC funds will support areas of need within our core operations staffing, teaching artist compensation, program materials, and essential administrative help—to ensure the continuity of our responsive education programming. Our offerings include Creative Fields, a 28-week arts apprenticeship for transitional-aged youth; early childhood education rooted in artistic exploration and nature-based learning; and creative workforce development opportunities for artists. In a region with limited access to creative pathways and educational services, our work affirms that art is not only a means of expression—but a route to healing, skill-building, and belonging. With this support, we will deepen our impact, grow sustainable arts programming, and invest in the creative potential of our rural desert communities. | The Institute of Inquiry is a community-rooted nonprofit in the high deserts of the Morongo Basin, serving youth and families through dynamic, arts and nature-based education since 2017. We are committed to the long-term health of our vibrant but underserved region, and center youth voice, curiosity, and stewardship of our desert ecosystem across all programming. Our work cultivates a lifelong love of learning in children and families who have been historically excluded from culturally responsive, high-quality educational opportunities. Since 2020, we have expanded our mission to include accessible career pathways in the Arts and Early Childhood Education—two sectors with deep potential for community transformation and wellbeing. Our programs include: 1. Early Childhood Education Program 2. Creative Fields Program (begins Oct 2025) 3. Workforce Development in Arts & Education | |||
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,900.00 | Au Co Vietnamese Cultural Center | PO BOX 347042 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134-7042 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 298-3705 | California congressional | State Assemblymember | State Senate | With support from the California Arts Council, Au Co will continue to serve the Vietnamese and Southeast Asian communities of San Francisco through its: Annual arts and cultural programming serving intergenerational and multicultural audiences – Mid-Autumn Harvest Festival, Multicultural Spring Festival co-produced with the Southeast Asian Arts Coalition along with Tet Celebration, Thi Ca Su Viet, and Cultural Heritage Day which cater to the Vietnamese community. Funds will: Sustain our core administrative staff for the above | Au Co realizes its mission and purpose through a multifaceted suite of programs and services that foster intercultural bonds, cultural preservation, and artistic innovation to uplift the community. Our core programs and services include: – The Vietnamese Language Program offering classes for students, ranging from young children to young adults, to learn the Vietnamese language while engaging with culture and the arts |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,271.00 | Celebration Theatre | 3141 Hollyridge Dr , Los Angeles, CA 90068 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 957-1884 | District 30 | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, CELEBRATION PRODUCTIONS CORPORATION d/b/a “Celebration Theatre” will fund the production phase for Trans Lineage, an annual program dedicated to uplifting original stories by transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive artists. Now entering its fourth year, Trans Lineage commissions new short plays, pairs playwrights with professional directors and dramaturgs, and culminates in a fully produced showcase that centers TGNC narratives and people. Funding will support artist salaries, production costs, accessibility services, and community engagement efforts. This program provides vital creative opportunities for a community disproportionately underrepresented and underemployed in the arts, while fostering cultural visibility, healing, and joy through live performance. | Celebration Theatre is Southern California’s longest-running LGBTQIA+ theatre. Founded in December 1982 in a Silver Lake storefront by Mattachine Society co-founding member Chuck Rowland, the nonprofit was organized as a community theatre “of, by, and for gay and lesbian people and their friends.” Expanding over the decades, the Los Angeles-based company has mounted theatrical productions representative and in support of the queer community: with a sharp focus on inclusion, visibility, and pride. In addition to its main stage productions from the queer literary canon and reimagined “queerings” from the theatre canon, Celebration Theatre has developed new works for the community for decades through readings, workshops, and world premiere productions. Since 2021, the theatre has committed itself through its Trans Lineage program to the development of new stories for the stage that illuminate transgender and gender-expansive narratives across time and cultures. GLAAD, NAACP, Los Angeles theatre awards, and many other benchmarks for excellence have recognized the theatre and its artists—performers, writers, directors, designers, musicians, and producers. Scores of LGBTQIA+ luminaries have graced Celebration’s stages over the years as it continues to provide an inspiring and empowering forum for professional and emerging artists, giving voice to the evolving experience of queer culture. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $22,800.00 | Ben Free Project | 5255 55th Street , San Diego, CA 92115 | Orange | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 770-8526 | Ben Free Project respectfully requests General Operating Support funding to strengthen our core infrastructure, sustain the growth of our programming, and empower system-impacted individuals through education, storytelling, and the arts. CAC funds will support key personnel—including administrative assistants, art providers, and the executive director—as well as essential operational tools such as QuickBooks, cloud storage, and insurance. This grant will allow us to continue offering initiatives such as the Comic Creation program inside Lancaster State Prison, the Barz Behind Bars poetry contest, distance learning mentorship and writing contests through the Ben Free Project at UCLA, and our collaboration with UCLA, Harvard, Yale, and others to elevate the voices of incarcerated writers. The requested funds will ensure our programming remains consistent, professional, and accessible as we scale to meet growing demand across California’s carceral and academic landscapes. | The Ben Free Project is a justice-centered arts and education nonprofit committed to transforming lives through creative expression, literacy, and personal development. Our core programming engages incarcerated and system-impacted individuals with high-quality, culturally relevant, and trauma-informed curricula designed to promote rehabilitation, reentry success, and community reintegration. At the heart of our work is art as intervention—programming that leverages storytelling, writing, visual arts, and media production to foster self-awareness, emotional growth, and social connection. Our flagship offerings include Comic Creation, Graphic Memoir Writing, Carceral Journalism Workshops, and Rites of Passage programs adapted for adult correctional settings. These courses are not only educational but therapeutic, equipping participants with tools to understand their own narratives and reclaim authorship over their futures. In 2024, the California Arts Council awarded us a program grant to deliver Comic Creation at Lancaster State Prison, a first-of-its-kind course co-facilitated by a formerly incarcerated author and a Hollywood screenwriter. This partnership exemplifies our model: pairing lived experience with professional expertise to create access, credibility, and impact. Our services also include reentry support through creative entrepreneurship training, public-facing art exhibits, and policy advocacy that centers the voices of currently and formerly incarcerated artists. We work in collaboration with correctional institutions, community colleges, and academic partners to ensure alignment with both rehabilitative goals and industry standards. Every program we offer is guided by the belief that redemption is a creative act. Whether inside or outside prison walls, we empower participants to imagine new possibilities—and build them, one story at a time. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | City of Twentynine Palms Parks & Recreation | 6136 Adobe Road , Twentynine Palms, CA 92277 | San Bernardino | Inland Empire | (760) 367-7562 | California's 23rd Congressional District | District 34 | District 19 | This project will fund the design and installation of a large-scale tile mural at Freedom Plaza in Twentynine Palms, a rural desert city with significant economic, geographic, and cultural access challenges. Led by artist Rhonda Lane Coleman, the mural will be created through a deeply inclusive, intergenerational process involving hundreds of handmade tiles crafted by local students and residents. Building on the success of Signs of Courage, a youth-driven public art initiative, this project offers free workshops, fair artist pay, and broad community engagement over a ten-month period. Installed at Freedom Plaza–the city’s civic heart, the mural will reflect not just who Twentynine Palms has been—but who it is becoming. | The City of Twentynine Palms Parks and Recreation Department offers a broad spectrum of community programs, with a growing emphasis on arts, culture, and youth development. Through seasonal and year-round initiatives, the department aims to enhance community well-being and connection by providing accessible recreational and educational opportunities for all ages. In recent years, the department has expanded its focus on arts and culture, incorporating music, visual arts, and performance-based activities into community events and youth programs. Seasonal events such as Paint Night, the International Festival, the Holiday Festival, and Pioneer Days regularly feature local performers, student showcases, and interactive art components. Other core programming youth and adult sports leagues, swim lessons, summer camps, and fitness classes. The department actively partners with artists, schools, and nonprofit organizations to introduce youth to creative expression, including special projects during citywide celebrations. The Parks and Recreation Department is committed to expanding its arts programming as a tool for inclusion, enrichment, and youth empowerment, aligning with its mission to create community through people, parks, and programs. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | ArtReach | 1065 University Avenue , San Diego, CA 92103 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 940-7278 | California's 53rd Congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | ArtReach will lead a youth-driven mural project at Palomar Elementary School in Chula Vista, a community identified as high-priority on the California Healthy Places Index. Through after-school workshops, ArtReach Teaching Artists will guide students in exploring identity, culture, and community through visual storytelling and collaborative design. Youth will work alongside a lead mural artist and teen mural artist apprentices to co-create a large-scale mural that reflects their shared vision. The project will include a community paint day and culminate in a public dedication event. CAC funds will support artist wages, stipends for teen mural artist apprentices, mural and workshop supplies, and event materials. This project will provide equitable access to high-quality arts learning while fostering transformation of space, collaboration, pride, self-expression, and creative leadership for youth who have historically lacked access to the arts. | ArtReach San Diego is a nonprofit organization committed to increasing access to visual arts education for youth, especially those from under-resourced schools and communities. ArtReach offers the following programs: In-School Programs: These programs utilize an inquiry-based, standards-aligned, and sequential curriculum designed to foster creativity, critical thinking, and self-expression. With a strong focus on supporting social-emotional learning goals, the lessons help students build confidence, resilience, and emotional awareness through artistic exploration. Mural Programs: ArtReach engages youth in collaborative public art projects, where they design and create large-scale murals that promote teamwork, community pride, and artistic achievement. Additionally, ArtReach offers commercial mural projects that provide youth apprentices with real-world work experience, helping to support reduced-cost murals for Title I schools. Community Programs: ArtReach hosts accessible art workshops and classes for families and individuals in a variety of settings, including our two in-house art studios, libraries, and community centers. These workshops focus on process-based techniques led by local artists, creating opportunities for authentic connection through the arts. ArtReach employs local artists as teaching artists, ensuring that its programs not only deliver valuable arts education but also support the local creative economy. These programs are offered county-wide, providing free or low-cost services to Title I schools and underserved communities across San Diego County. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,600.00 | Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival | 1713 E Los Altos Ave , Fresno, CA 93710-4348 | Fresno | Central Valley | (559) 779-4681 | District 42 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, ADVOCATES FOR INDIGENOUS CALIFORNIA LANGUAGE SURVIVAL will invest in our general operations and our team. It will allow us to continue our purpose of supporting language and cultures throughout the State and facilitate intergenerational transmission of invaluable cultural knowledge to sustain these traditions for future generations. Our vision of success for communities is their languages are spoken in all community spaces. This funding will support our goals to help communities create new speakers of their Indigenous languages. | The Advocates provide several programs. 1) The Master Apprentice Language Learning Program pairs a fluent speaker with an apprentice who is committed to learning the language and cultural teachings; they work together for 300 hours a year for up to three years. 2) Language is Life Gathering: we host this gathering in odd years to bring together 200-300 California Indians for a weekend of sharing successes, challenges and new strategies. The next one is in October 22019. 3) In even years, we host the Breath of Life Archival Institute for Indigenous California Languages, pairing linguists with California Indian community researchers whose languages have no fluent speakers, for a week-long workshop at UC Berkeley to explore the language archives and develop a project. In between Institutes, we host extended services for Breath of Life former attendees to support them in their language reclamation efforts. 4) Seeds of Language mini-grant provides up to $500 in support for resources such as equipment and workshops. 5) The Family Language Program focuses on families working in their heritage language with Advocates’ mentorship and funding. 6) Young Leadership Development Conference, a program started in 2021 to support the empowerment of the next generation of young language leaders. | |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,250.00 | KALEIDOSCOPE | 1818 Thayer Ave. #301 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90025-4142 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 795-9051 | California Assembly district 50 | District 50 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra will use this grant to support our musicians and staff, offering masterclasses and side-by-side performance opportunities for high school and middle students in Santa Monica and surrounding areas as part of the 2026 Santa Monica Music Festival. | Founded in 2014, Kaleidoscope has performed over 300 concerts throughout Southern California from venues ranging from Walt Disney Concert Hall to homeless shelters on Skid Row. Kaleidoscope has been especially known for their commitment to diversity and new music, with premieres of over 100 works, substantial programming of music by women and people of color, performances of large orchestral works like Mahler and Shostakovich Symphonies without a conductor, and frequent performances at schools, hospitals, homeless shelters, and other community organizations. To address income inequality and help build new audiences for classical music, most of Kaleidoscope’s public concerts are free admission with a suggested donation. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Unscripted Learning | 3717 INDIA ST , SAN DIEGO, CA 92103-3727 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 295-4999 | California's 53rd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, Unscripted Learning will sustain and expand our Connections Program, an improvisational theatre initiative for youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) across San Diego County. Serving individuals up to age 24, the program fosters communication, teamwork, leadership, and creative expression in an inclusive, strengths-based setting. Each year, thousands of teens with ASD age out of school-based services, losing vital support. Connections fills this gap, currently serving 30 participants weekly—and demand is growing. Grant funding will sustain three weekly classes and help launch a fourth, reaching more youth on our waiting list. As arts funding faces cuts at all levels, CAC support is more critical than ever. Without it, Unscripted Learning may be forced to reduce services, limiting access to this proven, transformative program. | Developed in conjunction with the National Comedy Theatre in 2017, Unscripted Learning uses improvisational theatre to teach the concepts of teamwork, leadership, and creative problem solving as well as teaching improv skills and theory. Programs include: Connections: An improvisational theatre program for teenagers and young adults on the autism spectrum. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | Stay Studio | 11140 DOWNEY AVE , DOWNEY, CA 90241-3713 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (562) 774-2056 | 42nd Congressional District | District 64 | District 30 | With support from the California Arts Council, Stay Arts will expand access to our Stay Young! Youth Art Classes by launching a financial aid and scholarship program during the Spring and Summer 2026 seasons. This initiative will reduce cost-related barriers for families and ensure more students can participate in our high-quality, community-based classes. Offered weekly for K–8 youth, the program provides consistent, culturally relevant arts education in a region where creative opportunities remain limited. Our curriculum integrates social-emotional learning and supports skill-building, self-expression, and connection. Classes are led by professional teaching artists from Southeast Los Angeles and held in our safe, welcoming studio in Downtown Downey. CAC funding will make it possible for us to offer a combination of full and partial tuition support, reaching approximately 80 students who might otherwise be unable to participate. | We create welcoming spaces and meaningful opportunities for people of all ages to engage with the arts. Each year, our programs reach thousands of students, families, and artists at Stay Studio and across Southeast Los Angeles. Through exhibitions, commissions, and teaching opportunities, we support local artists while connecting the voices of our region with communities across Los Angeles and beyond. Arts Education – We provide high-quality visual and performing arts education through school partnerships across the region, youth classes at Stay Studio, and mentorship opportunities for young artists. Grounded in social-emotional learning, cultural relevance, and process-based artmaking, our programs build confidence, support mental and emotional wellbeing, and nurture a lifelong relationship with the arts. Art Projects – We work with organizations on commissioned murals, art installations, and custom creative projects that enrich and transform public spaces. As a bridge between artists and large-scale opportunities, we prioritize representation and fair compensation that ensures artists are valued and reflected in the cultural landscape. Community Arts – Our community offerings inspire creativity and connection at Stay Studio and throughout the region. Rooted in the grassroots spirit that shaped Stay Arts, they reflect our deep responsiveness to community needs. Through exhibitions, art markets, public events, and interactive experiences, we create accessible ways for people of all ages to engage with the arts and celebrate local creativity. Stay Studio – Stay Studio is a creative space in Downtown Downey operated by Stay Arts. We host weekly art classes for youth and adults, public programs like Paint & Sip and Family Paint Day, and select exhibitions and workshops throughout the year. The studio is a welcoming place for hands-on learning, artistic exploration, and meaningful community connection. Since 2012, it has been a cultural anchor in Southeast LA and a creative home for artists, students, and families alike. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,300.00 | OAKLAND THEATER PROJECT | 1501 Martin Luther King Jr Way , Oakland, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 646-1126 | District 12 | District 18 | District 7 | Oakland Theater Project (OTP) is the only year-round programming theater in Oakland, California. Founded in 2012, we are inspired by our city, its rich cultural heritage and its unique perspective. In a survey on “belonging” conducted by the City of Oakland, 91% of residents responded that arts activities were essential or very important to their life. Our growth as an organization is a direct result of our attempt to meet this uniquely high demand for artistic programming. We create exquisite theatrical experiences to inspire compassion across socio-economic and racial barriers. We tell underrepresented stories that matter and create theatrical performances and trainings that intentionally bring disparate communities together and dismantle unconscious bias. We seek support from the California Arts Council to continue our work with artists, audiences and marginalized communities in our beloved city. | The Oakland Theater Project was founded in 2012 by Michael Socrates Moran, William Hodgson, and Colin Mandlin in Oakland, CA. Formerly named Ubuntu Theater Project, we were founded on the value of Ubuntu, which means “I am because we are” and therein “my humanity is tied to yours.” We seek to explore the ways in which theater can act as a vehicle to reveal and invigorate the latent interconnectedness in humanity and society. To achieve this, our organization roots itself in radical inclusivity by empowering diverse artists and staff and offering every professional production at pay-what-you-can pricing. Oakland Theater Project began with 3 annual summer theater festivals featuring 14 plays in site-specific locations across the Bay Area. In 2016, Oakland Theater Project launched its first full mainstage season and has produced over 75 unique productions and is the only year-round professional theater company in Oakland, CA. On top of our bold theatrical productions, we produce workshops and readings, an independent artist series, and offer educational programs serving both adults and youth. Our workshops and readings provide opportunities to develop new plays and help to give vital advancement to new and emerging playwrights of color who have additional barriers to producing work. Lastly, when we offer training and development to low-income artists of color we also build professional pipeline opportunities by partnering with external organizations like Laney College and Oakland School for the Arts. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,600.00 | WOMEN IN FILM | 4601 Wilshire Blvd Suite 305 , Los Angeles, CA 90010 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 935-2211 | 34th Congressional District of California | State Assembly (District 53) | State Senate (District 24) | With support from the California Arts Council, Women In Film will produce pipeline, advocacy, and public programs to advance the careers of women working in screen industries across all levels of experience. | In 1973, Tichi Wilkerson Kassel of the Hollywood Reporter founded Women In Film in Los Angeles to create a powerful, creative community for women, forging a path where none had existed before. Today, when women make up only 22% of roles in production, WIF serves over 5,000 individuals annually through its fellowship programs, public arts and culture initiatives, and membership network. The WIF community are women artists across race, ability, financial status, and other socio-economic factors. Through its work, WIF supports artists, the creation of art, and contributes to a thriving diverse creative landscape in Los Angeles. WIF believes achieving equal cultural representation within our media narratives requires a representative number of skilled storytellers. To that end, WIF programming aims to address the gender disparity by amplifying the voices of talented underrepresented artists, while highlighting the obstacles they face in the field – ultimately, developing the emerging and mid-career creative workforce. Public and membership programming is an anchor to WIF’s mission, and centers around the brilliant work of legacy WIF collaborators, as well as its career programs alum and current fellows, through curated screening series, panel discussions, and craft developing workshops. The WIF Fellowships, the organization’s anchor career program, supports all creative and below-the-line positions in entertainment, providing specialized year-round mentorship for a new class of 54 fellows in eight different cohorts of artistic discipline annually. Program staff members program 8-12 bespoke events on artistic process and the business of art with over 15 professional mentors. With hundreds of fellowship program alumni securing positions in writers’ rooms or creating award-winning films, WIF has yielded a deep network of creativity that drives its mission forward. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,600.00 | ICYOLA | 6820 S La Tijera Blvd Suite 106 , Los Angeles, CA 90045 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 788-4260 | California's 43rd congressional district | District 61 | District 35 | The Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles requests funding to sustain our mission of transforming young lives through music education. As the largest majority Black orchestra in the country, ICYOLA serves 150 inner-city youth through orchestra and education programs. CAC grant funds will support operational expenses including instructor salaries, instrument maintenance, venue rental, transportation, and administrative support. Founded in 2009, ICYOLA teaches orchestral literature while developing critical life skills including problem-solving, self-discipline, and academic excellence. Our programs prepare predominantly Black and Latino youth for advanced study and professional auditions, addressing diversity gaps in classical music.This funding enables ICYOLA to maintain programming, retain faculty, and provide barrier-free access to music education. Students perform in prestigious Los Angeles venues while developing skills and confidence for higher education and music careers, cultivating musical expression as personal development. | ICYOLA offers five programs: the ICYOLA Orchestra Program; the ICYOLA Academy; the South Los Angeles Music Project; the Los Angeles Orchestra Fellowship; and the ICYOLA Drum Corps. Through the ICYOLA Orchestra Program, we present an annual Concert Season that features both the standard orchestral repertoire and contemporary music that resounds within the community that ICYOLA serves. Through the South Los Angeles Music Project, we offer introductory and diversionary music programs to young people who are at risk of entry into the juvenile justice system. Through the Los Angeles Orchestra Fellowship, we train emerging professionals to take and win auditions with American orchestras. The ICYOLA Drum Corps trains young musicians how to play drums and march in step. All ICYOLA programs instill the ancillary values of music into their members. Those values include self-respect, respect for others and property, chain of command, and the pursuit of excellence in all things. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | PLUS ME Project | 2519 W AVENUE 30 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90065-2148 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 441-6700 | California Assembly district 51 | District 51 | District 24 | The PLUS ME Project will help youth affected by 2025 fires process their experiences by writing their stories, compile those stories, and publish a book that champions these students and adds their voices to the record of these historic events. | Guest Speakers PLUS ME – bringing relatable role models into schools to share their stories with students |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,750.00 | Pony Box Dance | 3687 Hackett Avenue , Long Beach, CA 90808 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (562) 256-0198 | California's 47th congressional district | District 70 | District 33 | With support from CAC, PBDT will provide therapeutic dance classes, at the Downtown Women’s Center, a shelter for unhoused, and GEMS Uncovered, a nonprofit serving individuals that have experienced trafficking. Choreographer/Childhood Abuse Survivor Jamie Carabetta will lead “my/story” workshops, reframing traumatic events through dance. | 1. Pony Box Dance Theatre, Professional Repertory Company 2. Best Foot Forward, Cultural Enrichment Program 3.The Dance Renewal Project |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $16,200.00 | Art in the Park | 5568 Via Marisol , Los Angeles, CA 90042 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 379-5718 | California's 34th congressional district | District 52 | District 26 | With CAC General Operating Support, Art in the Park Community Cultural Programs will invest in the labor of artists and teachers working directly with the public. We are focused on growing our capacity to provide accessible, equitable, and thoughtful arts programming that uplifts our community. By sustaining artist-led initiatives, increasing our hourly wages for community teachers, and raising artists’ project stipends, we will build a more sustainable practice that both deepens meaningful artistic engagement, and better serves the diverse populations we serve in North East Los Angeles. This investment in artists and community engagement is essential to maintaining a vibrant, resilient, and culturally rich environment where all individuals can access and participate in the arts. | For more than 20 years, our artist-run, multi-generational community space has provided access to the arts in Northeast LA, serving as an incubator for diverse, grassroots public programming. Some of our core programs include Community Arts—an ongoing series of artist-led projects; our Artist-in-Residency program; Community Band; and Community Arts—a weekly all-ages band and arts workshop that happens on Saturdays outside in the park. We have ongoing music, art, and movement classes during the week and ongoing art exhibitions. We build opportunities alongside the people we serve, fostering the development of the artists, musicians, dancers, and cultural workers who drive our programs. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,300.00 | Berkeley Art Center | 1275 WALNUT ST , BERKELEY, CA 94709-1406 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 644-6893 | California Assembly district 15 | District 15 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Berkeley Art Center will continue its three core programs: | Berkeley Art Center is a hub for contemporary art and community building. By virtue of its location in an urban park, BAC emphasizes an approach to art and artists that values their work as an important part of daily life and a vital contribution to the good of the community. Its serene setting invites visitors to approach the gallery as a space of reflection and contemplation, while also forging a more intimate connection between artist and viewer. BAC is committed to making contemporary art by local artists approachable and accessible. It produces visual art exhibitions, artist talks, art-making workshops, performance and social practice projects, film and video screenings, symposia and other social gatherings throughout the year. Educational programs for teens connect art with activism, while professional development workshops for artists provide opportunities to build skills and networks to sustain their careers. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $11,100.00 | Valerie Troutt Projects | 1721 Broadway ste 200 , Oakland, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 395-4842 | Because of Black Music IAM (BOBM) is a summer-long cultural sanctuary from Valerie Troutt Projects that responds to urgent community needs in Oakland’s Black music scene. Black musicians in the East Bay—especially womyn and non-binary artists—face systemic displacement, economic exclusion, and misogyny within the music industry. BOBM meets this need by creating free, intergenerational spaces where Black artists are celebrated, paid, and protected. From June to September 2026, four monthly events at Wyldflowr Arts will feature jam sessions, game nights, and a culminating poetry slam—spotlighting local Black artists and creating opportunities for young artists to be inspired and receive mentorship. CAC funds will support artist pay, event production, and community outreach. BOBM builds healing and belonging through music, offering cultural visibility and economic justice where it’s needed most. | VTP’s events and productions are spaces where queer, transgender, and non-binary Black folks can have their authentic selves be seen and celebrated. By using the art of SongCare, VTP celebrates the connective power of music, live performance, and musical education – their ability to create intergenerational, cross-cultural connections and shared empathy and joy. The philosophy of SongCare is woven through all our programs including Because of Black Music, Find Your Light, MoonCandy Live House Music Ensemble, and the Valerie Troutt JazzSoul Project & Trio. VTP’s greatest recent accomplishments are the 2023 Because of Black Music IAM festival and our Find Your Light series. The Find Your Light series is a free musical program centering Black Womyn Artists and the need for an oasis where Black Womyn are centered and valued in real time. VTP leads groups of Black Womyn through Soulful uplifting songs, dance, and yoga movements encouraging Unity, Wholeness, Freedom, Justice and Love. Find Your Light encourages Black Womyn ourselves to create our own futures of Black Womyn-hood by developing new systems and frameworks to better support a healthier tomorrow. VTP has now hosted seven Find Your Light arts and cultural wellness events serving Black Womyn, ranging from an in person event held at Zoo Labs called Black Girl Church to a community SongCare gathering at Oakland’s Regina’s Door that took place before the pandemic. All seven of these events created intergenerational conversation and showcased a number of Black Womyn artists, craft persons, and community members. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,600.00 | MOXIE Theatre | 6663 El Cajon Blvd Suite N , San Diego, CA 92115-2852 | San Diego | Far South | (858) 598-7620 | California's 51st Congressional District | District 79 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, MOXIE Theatre will present a Season of three fully staged productions and a New Works Festival, all featuring work written by women+ playwrights, at least 50% of which being people of color, that tell stories that defy stereotypes and amplify the voices of historically under-represented communities. MOXIE will also launch a new Heritage Month Series of one-day engagement events celebrating different cultural heritages through a variety of formats; and offer educational workshops in playwriting and devised theatre to middle and high-school students, with priority given to schools who serve marginalized populations, such as immigrant and justice-impacted youth. | MOXIE Theatre presents to San Diego audiences a season of mainstage productions every year. Each show runs for 5 weeks in their 99-seat theatre space located in the College Area of the city. All works produced by MOXIE are written by women+ identifying playwrights and directed by women+ directors. At least 50% of playwrights produced every year are people of color, as well as 50% of the artists hired each season on stage and behind the scenes. For every show, experts on the themes of the plays and community partners representative of the populations seen on stage are invited for pre or post-show conversations with the audience to offer additional insight. Student matinees are also organized for local high schools, particularly schools serving a low income student population. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | Balboa Art Conservation Center | 1649 El Prado , SAN DIEGO, CA 92101 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 236-9702 | California's 53rd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | The Balboa Art Conservation Center (BACC), California’s only publicly accessible nonprofit art conservation organization, submits this proposal in support of its mission to advance the study and preservation of cultural heritage for all communities. Funding will support BACC’s youth arts education programming. BACC is the only regional conservation center introducing art conservation as a field of study and career path to California youth. At the intersection of science, art, and technology, BACC engages youth through hands-on activities, lab tours, art imaging demos, and interactive learning experiences at schools, community fairs, and onsite visits. This proposal connects California-based indigenous artist collaborative, Meztli Project, with BACC conservators to enhance an existing science-based approach to youth arts education, highlighting indigenous knowledge and artistic practice with BACC’s work to democratize cultural heritage preservation practices. | The Balboa Art Conservation Center works closely with museums, libraries, cultural centers, and historical societies to provide collections surveys, conservation treatment, and educational programs. While there are more than 36,000 museums and historic houses in the nation, only 1% have a conservator on site. The rest of these institutions must rely on outside sources, like BACC, for their conservation. We offer programs for museums and culture centers focused on collections care including Emergency Preparedness Workshops, Art and Cultural Heritage Object Clinics, and lectures on conservation and preservation at community colleges, universities, and museums. We also provide education and outreach programs about conservation to the community. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,300.00 | San Francisco Mime Troupe | 855 TREAT AVE , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110-2723 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 285-1717 | CA-12 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from CAC, the San Francisco Mime Troupe (SFMT) will strengthen its organizational capacity to continue delivering bold, justice-driven theater and community engagement. Funds will support core staffing, collective artist stipends, and the delivery of our 2025–2026 programming, including our free summer touring shows, the winter production Red Carol, and the Youth Theater Project (YTP), a paid, after-school program for BIPOC youth in San Francisco public schools. Founded in 1959, SFMT is a democratically run collective that creates accessible, high-impact performances exploring working-class struggles and systemic injustice. CAC funding will help sustain our equity-focused operations, deepen community partnerships, and expand outreach to underserved audiences across the Bay Area. This support ensures we continue to reach thousands annually through free, inclusive, and transformative arts experiences rooted in cultural relevance and social change. | Our core programs and services include our legendary live musical production, presented annually in Northern California public parks from Independence Day to Labor Day; the eight-week intensive Youth Theater Program, challenging hundreds of young people with playwriting and performance workshops; the Young California Writers Project, our partnership with Balboa High School that support writing and presentation skills. We also work in our community on projects like the restoration of Juana Alicia’s powerful mural Para Las Rosas. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $17,500.00 | Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits (BAAITS) | 415 Valencia St , San Francisco, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (702) 481-2536 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | CAC Impact Project funds will support the 2026 Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirit (BAAITS) Powwow—the world’s largest public Two-Spirit Powwow and a cornerstone cultural event for Indigenous LGBTQIA+ communities. Held annually at the Fort Mason Pavilion in San Francisco, this free intertribal gathering brings together over 5,000 people for a day of traditional dance, music, ceremony, and celebration led by Two-Spirit and IndigeQueer artists and culture bearers. The Powwow honors ancestral traditions while creating space for contemporary cultural expression, community connection, and intergenerational healing. CAC support will help fund Powwow production, accessibility, and artist participation, ensuring this sacred space remains free and community-led. The event is the culmination of a week of arts and cultural programming produced by BAAITS that gathers and uplifts Two-Spirit people from across Turtle Island. | BAAITS largest program is our annual Two-Spirit Powwow. At this Powwow all Two-Spirit identified Native American, American Indian, and T-SLGBTQI people and their allies get a chance to come together to celebrate culture, build community, and express themselves. The BAAITS Powwow was the world’s first public Two-Spirit Powwow and we are now the world’s largest. The BAAITs Two Spirit Powwow is modeled after a traditional Oklahoma style Powwow and is an intertribal event that also invites non-Native guests to experience Native cultures. On the day of and the months leading up to the event, we have contact with thousands of people who identify as Two-Spirit, American Indian, Indigenous and allies. We reach them, spread our mission, and gather people from all over the US and Canada to celebrate and heal. Powwow participants feel “ohno cochico”, community love or the way that one feels when they are amongst their tribe. It is a place where we can truly restore and reclaim the role of Two-Spirit people. We do this through cultural expression, getting back in touch with our culture, and ceremony. Our oldest program, the BAAITS Drum is an all-gender big drum group that meets once a month. BAAITS Drum participates in drumming and community events throughout the year, and drums at our annual Powwow. BAAITS organizes social gatherings, Two Spirit Artist & Cultural Bearer’s workshops and TS Talking Circles throughout the year and marches in the annual San Francisco Pride Parade. In addition to the social gatherings, BAAITS organizes and participates in panels, cultural and artistic performances, and offers classes and workshops leading up to our annual Powwow, such as bead working, regalia making, protocol, and cultural dances for American Indian and non-Two-Spirit allies. BAAITS also participates in national and international meetings with other Two-Spirit societies and Native American organizations. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,000.00 | Invertigo Dance Theatre | 11166 LUCERNE AVE , CULVER CITY, CA 90230-4244 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (424) 229-2141 | California Assembly district 54 | District 54 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, INVERTIGO DANCE THEATRE will produce The Shape of Us, a public dance and spoken word performance co-created with its Dancing Through Parkinson’s (DTP) community. DTP provides storytelling through movement classes to people with Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative, mobility, or age-related conditions, with a focus on increasing flexibility, balance, stability, creativity and joy. The Shape of Us will uplift and center the experiences and artistic expression of people with Parkinson’s and will feature an intergenerational cast, with participation from local school-aged students as well as children and grandchildren of the performers. | Invertigo’s core programming is focused on offering dance theatre as a catalyst for racial equity and public engagement with and between communities that are systemically marginalized and less resourced. All programs activate dance as a transformational mode of storytelling and community-building as part of a movement practice. Invertigo pursues its mission through its professional dance repertory and production company, and a series of community engagement programs, including Dancing Through Parkinson’s. In 2018, Invertigo was awarded the National Dance Project Production Award – one of the highest national honors in dance – for its new dance production, FORMULAE & FAIRY TALES, hailed as “dance theatre at its finest” by the LA Dance Chronicle and declared “a breakthrough show” by the LA Times. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,600.00 | Unscripted Learning | 3717 INDIA ST , SAN DIEGO, CA 92103-3727 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 295-4999 | California's 53rd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, Unscripted Learning will use improvisational theatre to teach teamwork, creative expression, leadership, and problem-solving, while also bringing the theory and practice of improv to underserved communities. Our programs foster creativity and connection across generations and abilities, including seniors and youth on the autism spectrum. At a time when funding for the arts is being cut at local, state, and national levels, support from the CAC is more critical than ever. Without it, Unscripted Learning will be forced to reduce or end low-cost classes, cutting off access to a proven resource for youth with ASD and other underserved communities that thrive through creativity, connection, and the power of improv. | Developed in conjunction with the National Comedy Theatre in 2017, Unscripted Learning uses improvisational theatre to teach the concepts of teamwork, leadership, and creative problem solving as well as teaching improv skills and theory. Programs include: Connections: An improvisational theatre program for teenagers and young adults on the autism spectrum. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $17,868.00 | Dell'Arte International | PO BOX 816 , BLUE LAKE, CA 95525-0816 | Humboldt | Upstate | (707) 668-5663 | California's 2nd congressional district | District 2 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council DELL-ARTE INC will continue a Healthcare Clowning Program piloted last year in Humboldt County, California. Dell’Arte’s goal is to return to the assisted living/memory care facilities at Timber Ridge (McKinleyville and Eureka) as well as grow its programming to St. Joe’s Hospital (Eureka), including pediatrics. Dell’Arte aims to begin collaborating with residents at Bayview Heights (Eureka), a veteran and formerly unhoused residence. This funding would cover initial meetings with service providers and a trial run of engagements in order to discover how best to serve the Bayview Heights community. Healthcare Clowning is not just entertainment, it offers connection, support and uplifts its participants. By listening, responding and following the lead of the participant, Healthcare Clowns support physical and mental wellbeing through play, humor and care. | Dell’Arte sustains and produces a series of community based arts engagement programs through partnerships with local agencies and non-profit organizations. These engagements include our Healthcare Clowning program that partners with Timber Ridge retirement community and we partner with Blue Lake Elementary School to provide theatre space for their performances. Dell’Arte’s Arts in Corrections program at Pelican Bay continues working with the incarcerated and is in its 10th year. Participants at PBSP work in ensemble to explore the creative act of generating theatre through the study of storytelling, character, improvisation, and original play development. It is through this healing-centered facilitation that participants focus on self-awareness through a creative lens and body-based artistic exploration in writing, movement, performance, and collaboration. Dell’Arte continues to offer professional training in physical theatre and clowning to enhance the artists ability to relate to themselves and the world around them. The basis of the work is in daily training emphasizing the development of awareness through movement. We seek to develop an embodied actor who regards the space of the stage as a dynamic, poetic realm. We continue our advisory partnerships with the Wiyot, Yurok, and Hoopa Tribes to advance learning and cultural exchange programs and projects which aim to amplify and uplift Native and Indigenous stories, experiences, language, and knowledges of the land. Since 1990, we have produced the annual Mad River Festival, now named Baduwa’t Festival, in rural Blue Lake. Situated on the ancestral lands of the Wiyot Tribe, this five week festival offers a multitude of performances including an original Dell’Arte Company work in our amphitheater inspired by our region—which we call “theatre of place.” It also includes alumni performances, an experimental theatrical laboratory, a week of local music with the Humboldt Folklife Festival and more. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $20,750.00 | Nava Dance Theatre | 80 Turk Street , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (925) 457-1140 | 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Nava Dance Theatre will produce our fifth iteration of Unrehearsed: Artist Residency and Commissioning Program (URP) which uplifts and supports critical dialogue across South Asian traditional, contemporary, and experimental dance genres, while also confronting systemic structural prejudices in the Indian performing arts community. Through this program, we curate art-centered interactive work in progress showings, performances, and discussions to make dialogue around these issues more accessible. Unrehearsed will center in-person presentations in San Francisco, along with public workshops by the residents for community members/dancers and non-dancers. CAC funds will support three California based resident artists and their production expenses, project personnel and project venue costs for presenting their work in San Francisco. | Nava Dance Theatre (NDT), led by Artistic Director Nadhi Thekkek, is a Bharatanatyam company using South Indian dance as a medium for reflection and discovery. We focus on two main programs: original dance works and our Unrehearsed: Artist Residency and Commissioning program. We also offer subsidized workshops, co-produce the Varnam Salon, and organize classes as part of our community engagement. Highlights include residencies at CounterPulse and A.C.T., two commissions from Oakland Ballet, and support from the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project. Our work has also been funded by the MAP Fund, National Endowment for the Arts, California Arts Council, San Francisco Arts Commission, and more. Since 2013, we’ve performed nationally at venues such as La Mama (NYC), National Steinbeck Center, SF Ethnic Dance Festival, Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, UC Davis Mondavi Center, and UMass Amherst Fine Arts Center. NDT creates immersive, community-centered performances rooted in South Asian storytelling through Bharatanatyam and experimental movement. Our blend of dance, music, and narrative reflects the lived experiences of Indian and South Asian communities. Drawing from oral histories and interviews, we explore themes like migration, identity, and justice. Through responsible, culturally responsive storytelling, we center underrepresented voices and invite audiences to reflect, connect, and take pride in our shared histories. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,900.00 | Nava Dance Theatre | 80 Turk Street , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (925) 457-1140 | 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Nava Dance Theatre will create and present new works exploring identity, labor, and healing in South Asian and diasporic communities—ensuring all participating artists are fairly compensated. | Nava Dance Theatre (NDT), led by Artistic Director Nadhi Thekkek, is a Bharatanatyam company using South Indian dance as a medium for reflection and discovery. We focus on two main programs: original dance works and our Unrehearsed: Artist Residency and Commissioning program. We also offer subsidized workshops, co-produce the Varnam Salon, and organize classes as part of our community engagement. Highlights include residencies at CounterPulse and A.C.T., two commissions from Oakland Ballet, and support from the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project. Our work has also been funded by the MAP Fund, National Endowment for the Arts, California Arts Council, San Francisco Arts Commission, and more. Since 2013, we’ve performed nationally at venues such as La Mama (NYC), National Steinbeck Center, SF Ethnic Dance Festival, Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, UC Davis Mondavi Center, and UMass Amherst Fine Arts Center. NDT creates immersive, community-centered performances rooted in South Asian storytelling through Bharatanatyam and experimental movement. Our blend of dance, music, and narrative reflects the lived experiences of Indian and South Asian communities. Drawing from oral histories and interviews, we explore themes like migration, identity, and justice. Through responsible, culturally responsive storytelling, we center underrepresented voices and invite audiences to reflect, connect, and take pride in our shared histories. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $13,800.00 | GLAM INC | 3134 Madera Ave , LOS ANGELES, CA 90039 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 963-9418 | 37 | 54 | 30 | With support from the California Arts Council, GEORGIA LASTER ASSOCIATION OF MUSICIANS INC will enhance its core programs to promote, preserve, and support African American music and musicians in Southern California. Grant funds will expand our marketing program to raise money for our scholarship program, financial aid to youth for music education, including lessons and instruments. Performance opportunities through recitals, showcasing emerging and established artists while fostering cultural appreciation will increase. Additionally, funds will support community engagement by strengthening membership initiatives. These efforts will ensure access to high-quality music instruction and platforms for artistic expression, empowering young musicians and preserving African American musical heritage. G.L.A.M., Inc. will continue its 61-year legacy of impactful music education and cultural preservation. | The Georgia Laster Association of Musicians, Inc. (G.L.A.M., Inc.), founded in 1961 in Los Angeles, California, is a chapter of the National Association of Negro Musicians, Inc. (NANM). Its core mission is to promote, preserve, and support African American music and musicians while fostering music education and performance opportunities, particularly for youth in Southern California. Core Programs and Services: Music Education and Scholarships: G.L.A.M., Inc. provides financial support and scholarships to thousands of students, enabling access to high-quality music instruction. These initiatives target young musicians, emphasizing the importance of music education to nurture talent and cultural appreciation. Performance Opportunities: The organization offers platforms for both emerging and established musicians to showcase their talents. Through concerts, recitals, and community events, G.L.A.M., Inc. creates spaces for members to perform, fostering artistic growth and public engagement with African American musical traditions. Community Engagement and Membership: G.L.A.M., Inc. welcomes musicians and music enthusiasts as members, offering voting rights at local, regional, and national levels within NANM. This inclusive membership model supports a community dedicated to music advocacy and cultural preservation. Cultural Preservation: Rooted in its affiliation with NANM, founded in 1919, G.L.A.M., Inc. upholds the legacy of African American music through events and programs that celebrate its historical and contemporary significance. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,250.00 | Flockworks | 208 Dana St , Fort Bragg, CA 95437 | Mendocino | Upstate | (707) 813-4053 | California's 2nd congressional district | California State Assembly District 2 | California State Senate District 2 | Flockworks seeks support from the California Arts Council’s Impact Projects grant to expand inclusive, community-centered programming at the Cobalt Gallery in Fort Bragg, which Flockworks began managing in March 2025. The gallery is being transformed into a hub for creative engagement, cultural inclusion, and artistic visibility for underserved populations. Grant funds will support project costs including staffing, artist stipends, rent, workshop supplies, and utilities to carry out a year of exhibitions, hands-on workshops, and public events. Programming will prioritize Mendocino County’s rural population, where poverty rates exceed 20% and access to arts and enrichment opportunities is limited. Bilingual outreach, intergenerational classes, and a pay-what-you-can model ensure broad access regardless of income or background. By supporting local artists and fostering participation across ages and abilities, this project builds inclusion and cultural resilience along California’s North Coast. | Flockworks delivers a range of arts-based programs that promote creativity, community engagement, and equitable access to the arts, particularly in underserved rural areas. Our core programs include: In-School Art Education: We partner with local school districts to provide hands-on visual arts instruction during the school day, integrating creativity into core learning and expanding access to arts education for all students. Kudos and ASSETs After-School Programs: Serving over 500 students daily in Fort Bragg, we operate high-quality, grant-funded after-school programs across elementary, middle, and high school campuses. These programs provide academic support, diverse enrichment activities (including arts, STEM, music, and wellness), and a safe, engaging space for youth. Flockworks manages both state and federal grants to ensure compliance, sustainability, and alignment with expanded learning priorities. Camp Flockworks: A full-day summer program that combines art, nature, physical activity, and project-based learning in an affordable, inclusive environment for local youth. Cobalt Art Gallery: Flockworks manages the Cobalt Art Gallery in downtown Fort Bragg, offering a vibrant space for community engagement through art. The gallery hosts single-artist shows, collaborative exhibits, and provides free or affordable public programming—creating opportunities for local artists while ensuring accessibility for all members of the community. Community Arts & Public Projects: We coordinate mural projects, community art events, and collaborative workshops that bring people together, celebrate local culture, and promote civic engagement through creative expression. Support for Artists & Educators: Flockworks offers professional development, partnership opportunities, and creative space for local artists and educators, helping to grow the region’s cultural capacity and build sustainable creative careers. These programs work together to ensure that creativity is a vibrant and accessible part of daily life in our community. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,900.00 | Viet Voices | 3732 ARNOLD AVE APT C , SAN DIEGO, CA 92104-3689 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 519-5700 | With support from the California Arts Council, Viet Voices will continue to strengthen our ongoing art program by curating and showcasing the work of Southeast Asian artists through quarterly exhibitions. CAC grant funds will be used to provide stipends to participating artists, cover exhibition costs (including venue rental, installation, and marketing), and support community engagement efforts. The program will offer a platform for artists to explore and express cultural narratives, amplify underrepresented voices, and foster meaningful dialogue between artists and the community. Funds will also be allocated for accessible programming, including language services and accommodations, ensuring that the exhibitions are inclusive to all community members. This support will allow Viet Voices to maintain and expand this vital program, further enriching the cultural landscape of our community. | We center our work on arts and culture as a way to bring attention to multiple issues in our community. We provide public education to the community on various issues such as affordable housing access, tenant protections, economic stability and support for small businesses, education on environmental alternatives, food justice, LGBTQ+ issues, and health equity. We center our work on arts and culture as a way to bring attention to multiple issues in our community. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $17,500.00 | Queer Cultural Center | 934 Brannan St , San Francisco, CA 94103-4906 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 295-2474 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | The Queer Cultural Center (QCC) will use CAC Impact Project funds to expand its LGBTQ+ Artist Development Pipeline—a community-rooted program designed to equip BIPOC LGBTQ+ artists with the skills, funding, and visibility needed to build sustainable cultural careers. This pipeline has two halves: Creating Queer Communities (CQC), which provides technical, creative, and vocational training plus financial support to 10–20 artists annually, and the National Queer Arts Festival (NQAF), a high-profile annual festival that showcases dozens of LGBTQ+ artists and projects each year. Accessible professional pathways for queer and trans artists (especially those who are BIPOC or otherwise additionally marginalized) are severely lacking, and this pipeline fills a critical gap. CAC funds will support artist stipends, training expenses, and production costs, ensuring California LGBTQ+ artists are well trained and deeply resourced to create vibrant arts careers. | Since 1998, QCC has curated and produced 26 month-long National Queer Arts Festivals that have featured over 2500 LGBTQ2S+ artists in 1150+ different arts events. QCC’s arts services comprise artistic program planning, fiscal sponsorship, free/low-cost grant-proposal and report writing, marketing strategies, capacity-building workshops, and free/low-cost strategic/development planning services to emerging queer and trans arts organizations with a focus on organizations led by BIPOC, trans and gender non-conforming people, and lesbians, who are all marginalized in LGBTQ2S+ arts funding. To date, our arts services program has enabled over 46+ Bay Area LGBTQ2S+ arts organizations to raise over $8,600,000. QCC’s arts services support the next generation of emerging Queer and Trans artists to acquire the skills to develop, finance, and stage work addressing LGBTQ2S+ Civil rights and social justice issues. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $21,500.00 | Urban Jazz Dance Company | 1446 Market Street , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (510) 575-9711 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Urban Jazz Dance Company will produce the 14th Annual Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival (BAIDDF) in August 2026. BAIDDF is the first and only festival of its kind in the Bay Area, celebrating Deaf and Hard of Hearing (HoH) artists through dance, music, poetry, and education. The 2026 Festival will feature three performances, three workshops, and an Artist Q&A panel, reaching over 500 audience members and 300 students. CAC funds will support artist fees, access services including ASL interpretation and audio description, and administrative staffing. By centering Deaf leadership, artistry, and community, BAIDDF uplifts historically excluded artists and provides accessible, inclusive experiences that bridge Deaf, Disabled, and hearing communities through the power of performance and cultural connection. | UJDC educates audiences about current events, empowering minorities, lack of early access to language for Deaf children and social justice. We provide educational workshops/performances at Deaf schools, mainstream programs, Universities, state colleges and seniors homes in the process, creating a healing space for many who have experienced domestic abuse. UJDC passionately visits over 70 schools per year, local to International, working with both hearing and Deaf people of all ages and abilities. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $13,200.00 | Architecture + Advocacy | PO BOX 18205 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90018-0205 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (919) 937-0041 | With the support of the California Arts Council, Architecture + Advocacy will offer hands-on arts and design programming that empowers youth (aged 14-24) and their families in South LA to shape their neighborhoods through creative expression and civic action. By going beyond traditional in-class STEAM models, our work bridges the gap between art, architecture, and civic engagement, using the built environment as a canvas for cultural storytelling and community visioning. 200+ youth (ages 14-24) in South LA and their families will co-create in architecture workshops and community-led design-builds, held after school and on the weekends. | Architecture Workshops: Hands-on educational workshops that equip residents (aged 8-19 in our youth workshops, and 20+ in our adult workshops) with fundamental architectural skills | |||
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,600.00 | Medical Clown Project | 5716 Skyview Pl. , El Sobrante, CA 94803 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (510) 337-1564 | California Assembly district 15 | District 15 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Medical Clown Project will hire specially-trained performers | We bring our artists to several facilities on multiple days weekly. Each clown service is between 1-4 hours. Over 80% of the populations we serve are elder and memory care units, and/or communities. Other populations include patients and staff from pediatrics, ICU’s, emergency departments, and disaster relief zones. The Medical Clown Project’s annual impact is built from 12,000 direct interactions and interventions reaching patients, residents, family members, medical staff, and disaster victims. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,250.00 | San Francisco Transgender Film Festival | P.O. Box 460670 , San Francisco, CA 94146 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (707) 563-1689 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, the San Francisco Transgender Film Festival (SFTFF) will respond to this TIME OF EMERGENCY FOR TRANS COMMUNITIES by producing our 28th annual transgender film festival at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco. Our annual Festival will run November 13-16, 2025 with 5 in-person and 5 online programs. We will offer ASL interpretation at all of our in-person screenings, and all films (in-person AND online) will be open/close-captioned for Deaf and Hard-of-hearing audiences. All our programs and events will be offered at $0+ sliding scale, to maximize access since our communities experience economic marginalization, employment discrimination, and continued Bay Area gentrification and displacement. We build community by providing opportunities for TGNC artists and audiences, fighting for intersectional justice in media arts, and supporting trans filmmakers. | Transgender communities across California are experiencing a STATE OF EMERGENCY: Hate crimes against our communities are up 20% in California alone. Since a Day One Executive Order banned federal funds from supporting Trans services of ANY kind, our communities’ fundamental civil liberties, freedom of expression, healthcare and freedom of movement have been under constant, violent attack. The San Francisco Transgender Film Festival (SFTFF) presents an annual film festival, awards commissions to BIPOC transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) filmmakers, supports and mentors emerging TGNC film festivals, and co-presents other local TGNC arts programs. Our annual festival takes place at the historic Roxie Theater in San Francisco. To maximize access, our festival offers both in-person and online/on-demand programs. We feature ASL interpretation and open captions at all in-person screenings, and all online films are closed-captioned. All programs are on a $0+ sliding scale with no-one-turned-away-for-lack-of-funds. Our DREAM Commissions annually award funds to Bay Area TGNC BIPOC filmmakers to support the creation of new work. We stay connected with these filmmakers to support and screen their new works in the months and years that follow. SFTFF screens and commissions films that offer empowered visions for movement building and social justice, prioritizing our community’s most underrepresented and marginalized artists: BIPOC trans folks, Black trans women/femmes, transgender migrants, disabled TGNC people, youth, and elders. We support both emerging and established artists, prioritizing grassroots, experimental, or DIY films, since these are the films often made by our community’s most under-resourced. SFTFF only screens work directed by TGNC filmmakers, starring TGNC actors portraying TGNC characters. Throughout the year, SFTFF provides guest curation for TGNC film programs across the US. SFTFF staff provide curatorial and programmatic mentorship for emerging artists and festivals around the world. SFTFF also supports and co-presents other local TGNC arts programming. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,900.00 | Fua Dia Kongo | 1428 Alice Street , Oakland, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 629-9382 | California Assembly district 18 | District 18 | District 9 | Fua Dia Kongo seeks General Operating Support to sustain year-round programming dedicated to the preservation and transmission of traditional Kongo dance, music, and song. CAC funds will support core operational costs, including artist compensation, cultural arts education for youth and families, community workshops, and the continuation of multigenerational programming that centers Black communities in Oakland and beyond. Funding will also help strengthen the organization’s capacity to host international artist residencies and cultural exchange initiatives that deepen ties between the Bay Area, the state of California and the Republic of Congo. | MalongaFest, Community Dance & Drum Classes at the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, Embrace Kongo, Ballet Kizingu Youth Ensemble |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,250.00 | OAKLAND THEATER PROJECT | 1501 Martin Luther King Jr Way , Oakland, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 646-1126 | District 12 | District 18 | District 7 | The Next Generation Program is a professional development program for fifteen disadvantaged young people in Oakland, aged 18-25. Through a constellation of learning experiences, the program is designed to foster practical life skills while increasing participants’ access to the arts, both as audience members and practitioners. The goal of NextGen is to: amplify young people’s belonging in the arts, stimulate personal creativity, develop an understanding of theater craft, and provide hands-on professional experience to bolster personal and career development. | The Oakland Theater Project was founded in 2012 by Michael Socrates Moran, William Hodgson, and Colin Mandlin in Oakland, CA. Formerly named Ubuntu Theater Project, we were founded on the value of Ubuntu, which means “I am because we are” and therein “my humanity is tied to yours.” We seek to explore the ways in which theater can act as a vehicle to reveal and invigorate the latent interconnectedness in humanity and society. To achieve this, our organization roots itself in radical inclusivity by empowering diverse artists and staff and offering every professional production at pay-what-you-can pricing. Oakland Theater Project began with 3 annual summer theater festivals featuring 14 plays in site-specific locations across the Bay Area. In 2016, Oakland Theater Project launched its first full mainstage season and has produced over 75 unique productions and is the only year-round professional theater company in Oakland, CA. On top of our bold theatrical productions, we produce workshops and readings, an independent artist series, and offer educational programs serving both adults and youth. Our workshops and readings provide opportunities to develop new plays and help to give vital advancement to new and emerging playwrights of color who have additional barriers to producing work. Lastly, when we offer training and development to low-income artists of color we also build professional pipeline opportunities by partnering with external organizations like Laney College and Oakland School for the Arts. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $7,840.00 | SNS Choirs | 42473 Biscay St , Lancaster, CA 93536 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (661) 974-6929 | With support from the California Arts Council, SNS Choirs will present a free choral concert series in 2025, serving audiences across the Antelope Valley. The series will include three unique performances, each curated to highlight a range of choral repertoire. All concerts will be performed by SNS Choirs’ intergenerational ensembles: The Sunday Night Singers and SNS Chorale, which include trained vocalists, high school students, and adult community members. CAC funds will support administrative costs, venue rentals, sheet music, newly commissioned choral work, marketing, and production expenses to ensure the events remain free and accessible. Concerts will be held in local venues, with outreach to schools, senior centers, and families. The series is expected to reach over 1,000 attendees, most from low to moderate-income households, increasing access to high-quality choral performance in an underserved region. | Our flagship program is an ensemble, The Sunday Night Singers (SNS), which features 28-32 trained singers performing a wide range of music, from classical to contemporary. The Sunday Night Singers a smaller group, focuses on more intricate pieces, providing a high-quality musical experience. They also nationally and abroad. Our second ensemble is SNS Chorale, with 70 singers of all ages and musical backgrounds, from high school students to senior citizens. This diverse intergeneration ensemble reflects LA County’s vibrant musical community, bonded by a shared love for music and a commitment to inclusivity. Our educational programs include the High School Choral Scholars, which integrates high school students into SNS Chorale, allowing them to sing alongside experienced musicians. This program promotes skill development, community building, and musical understanding. The SNS Educator Network brings together public school choral and band directors, as well as music college professors, to share resources and ideas. They connect through two annual networking events. Our newest program, SNS Desert Youth Voices (DYV), addresses the shortage of choir opportunities in local middle schools. DYV offers free after-school choir sessions, integrating community-building activities and social-emotional learning. These sessions culminate in performances that showcase the students’ progress called The Music Exchange. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,000.00 | Art With Elders | 375 Laguna Honda Blvd. P1162, San Francisco, CA 94116 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 215-3659 | California's 14th congressional district | District 19 | District 11 | Art With Elders will: | History: Fighting elder isolation since 1991, AWE has brought community to 12,500 older adults in 84 senior centers across every Bay Area county through free/low-cost fine arts classes. A dozen exhibits a year, seen by as many as 100,000 people, engage elder artists and audiences through the power of creativity, deepening connection between cultures and generations. AWE programs provide older adults from all walks of life with a vehicle for self-expression, social connection, and a presence in the community. Our Programs For trained, experienced artists, AWE workshops provide access to free work space and materials, and mentorship. For those with little visual art experience, classes provide a life-long learning opportunity and assist artistic development. Those with severe disabilities receive physical and cognitive benefits as well as the opportunity to create in adaptive ways, and every student gains a key opportunity for social interaction and connection. For in-person classes, Artist Instructors bring all materials to class, replenishing the stock as needed. For Zoom, AWE staff sends materials via mail and via home drop offs. Exhibitions – Each year, AWE produces a dozen exhibitions featuring 400-1000 elder artworks for up to 100,000+ viewers. Exhibitions are hosted by major Bay Area venues such as the De Young Museum, San Francisco City Hall, the San Francisco War Memorial, the UC San Francisco, and San Francisco International Airport. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,300.00 | Art With Elders | 375 Laguna Honda Blvd. P1162, San Francisco, CA 94116 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 215-3659 | California's 14th congressional district | District 19 | District 11 | Each year of the grant period, Art With Elders will: | History: Fighting elder isolation since 1991, AWE has brought community to 12,500 older adults in 84 senior centers across every Bay Area county through free/low-cost fine arts classes. A dozen exhibits a year, seen by as many as 100,000 people, engage elder artists and audiences through the power of creativity, deepening connection between cultures and generations. AWE programs provide older adults from all walks of life with a vehicle for self-expression, social connection, and a presence in the community. Our Programs For trained, experienced artists, AWE workshops provide access to free work space and materials, and mentorship. For those with little visual art experience, classes provide a life-long learning opportunity and assist artistic development. Those with severe disabilities receive physical and cognitive benefits as well as the opportunity to create in adaptive ways, and every student gains a key opportunity for social interaction and connection. For in-person classes, Artist Instructors bring all materials to class, replenishing the stock as needed. For Zoom, AWE staff sends materials via mail and via home drop offs. Exhibitions – Each year, AWE produces a dozen exhibitions featuring 400-1000 elder artworks for up to 100,000+ viewers. Exhibitions are hosted by major Bay Area venues such as the De Young Museum, San Francisco City Hall, the San Francisco War Memorial, the UC San Francisco, and San Francisco International Airport. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,320.00 | Riverside Art Museum (RAM) | 3425 MISSION INN AVE , RIVERSIDE, CA 92501-3304 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (951) 684-7111 | California's 39th congressional district | District 58 | District 31 | With support from the California Arts Council, Riverside Art Museum will expand youth access and exposure to the work of local artists – keepers of our cultural heritage – who tell the stories, traditions and histories of the people and places of our region. In collaboration with local artists, RAM staff will develop hands-on art making lessons that will be piloted with high school students as part of their visit / tour of the museum. | RAM’s two sites complement one another, often hosting exhibitions or events that create synergy between the spaces. Since opening The Cheech, RAM has welcomed over 250,000 guests to our dual sites, received well over 500 media mentions, mounted diverse and significant exhibitions, introduced over 50,000 students to Chicano art and artists via RAM’s school-based Art-to-Go programming, and engaged 15,000 K-12 and college students via Walk & Wonder museum tours. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,000.00 | Highways Performance Space & Gallery | 1651 18TH ST , SANTA MONICA, CA 90404-3807 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 453-1755 | CD36 | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Highways Performance Space will showcase the voices and visions of LGBTQIA+ artists at the 20th Behold! LGBTQIA+ Performance Festival, a two-week multidisciplinary series. The 2026 Festival will feature 12 events (performances, workshops, residencies, and community dialogues) that explore intersectional social justice issues through dance, theater, spoken word, and media art. Curated by a diverse team of LGBTQIA+ artists, the project will highlight a broad range of identities, disciplines, and lived experiences. Free components include master classes, artist talks, and a “no one turned away” ticket policy. CAC funds will support artist and curator compensation, production costs, and accessibility services. Behold! reflects Highways’ mission to support new work from underrepresented communities and foster cultural dialogue through art that challenges stereotypes, engages the public, and celebrates LGBTQIA+ life across generations. | Highways presents over 100 annual performances by culturally diverse dramatic soloists, small theater groups, dance companies and spoken word artists. We also curate an average of 10 annual contemporary exhibitions exploring the boundaries between the performing and visual arts and sponsor residencies that provide emerging artists access to professionally directed training in the performing arts. Our presentations and promotional campaigns financially support hundreds of culturally diverse and cutting-edge artists and nurture their artistic development. To date, Highways has presented over 1000 original works, and has produced over 2400 different arts programs that have attracted over 285,000 people. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,300.00 | Highways Performance Space & Gallery | 1651 18TH ST , SANTA MONICA, CA 90404-3807 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 453-1755 | CD36 | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Highways Performance Space will present innovative performance and visual artists, promote interaction among people of diverse cultural backgrounds, and engage artists and the communities they serve in cross-cultural dialogues about social, cultural and artistic issues. Highways presents compelling performing, media and visual arts programs that explore social justice, broaden public understanding of equity and diversity, and engage artists in critical dialogues with underrepresented communities of color and the LGBTQIA+ community. Funding will be used for salaries and health insurance for full-time staff positions including Executive Director, Artistic Director and Technical Director to ensure continuity of programs. | Highways presents over 100 annual performances by culturally diverse dramatic soloists, small theater groups, dance companies and spoken word artists. We also curate an average of 10 annual contemporary exhibitions exploring the boundaries between the performing and visual arts and sponsor residencies that provide emerging artists access to professionally directed training in the performing arts. Our presentations and promotional campaigns financially support hundreds of culturally diverse and cutting-edge artists and nurture their artistic development. To date, Highways has presented over 1000 original works, and has produced over 2400 different arts programs that have attracted over 285,000 people. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Plaza de la Raza | 3540 N MISSION RD , LOS ANGELES, CA 90031-3135 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 223-2475 | 34th congressional district | District 52 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, PLAZA DE LA RAZA will present the Mariachi Juvenil Ensemble, a music education program serving approximately 50 local youth ages 13–21. Through rigorous training in Mariachi music and cultural education, students will develop academic, physical and cognitive skills while preparing for public performances. Participation requires discipline and dedicated practice, fostering leadership, community engagement and civic pride. As the jewel of Plaza’s School of Performing and Visual Arts, the ensemble provides a pathway for youth to engage their community through performance and artmaking, fostering leadership through the arts. | Plaza de la Raza plays a vital role in the larger arts ecosystem of Los Angeles County and Southern California. The organization serves as a hub for artists, educators, and community members seeking to collaborate and develop innovative arts and cultural programming. With the center’s impressive collection of classes, workshops, performances and exhibitions, Plaza de la Raza is a unique experience that combines education and tradition. Plaza’s School of Performing and Visual Arts (SPVA) offers weekly after-school classes on a quarterly schedule to local children and youth in a variety of traditional and folk disciplines, at low or no cost. The center’s primary constituency is comprised of low-income families residing in the surrounding community of Lincoln Heights, East Los Angeles and welcomes 50,000 guests annually from throughout the region. Plaza’s student ensemble groups include a Student Folklorico and Youth Mariachi led by local cultural bearers, masters in their field. Plaza’s student companies regularly perform at community-based venues and events throughout LA County as ambassadors of the arts and edify the success of SPVA training. Plaza’s presenting programs include past guests such as Los Lobos, Bela Lewitzki, Ozomatli and Culture Clash, art exhibitions including the first major Frida Kahlo show in 1987, and the highly popular Chicano Collection, presented by Cheech Marin. Plaza also hosts an energetic list of year-round programs anchored by four annual public festivals marking Mexica New Year, Día del Niño, Día de los Muertos and a year-end Holiday Toy Drive and Celebration. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $21,000.00 | Mariachi Women’s Foundation | 5280 E. Beverly Blvd. Unit C , LOS ANGELES, CA 90022 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (858) 847-5419 | 40th Congressional District of California | State Assembly District 51 | State Senate District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Mariachi Women’s Foundation will partner with LAUSD’s Beyond the Bell program to expand access to culturally relevant arts education for youth in seven East Los Angeles middle and high schools. Students will attend out-of-school mariachi workshops at Garfield High School, led by professional mariachi musicians. These workshops will offer youth meaningful opportunities to connect with their cultural heritage, build artistic skills, and develop confidence and creative voice. Participants will form a positive social network of like-minded peers and establish mentoring relationships with professional musicians. This program promotes lifelong engagement in the arts and fosters a deeper understanding of identity, history, and community through mariachi music. Youth will emerge as culturally literate, creative citizens with the tools to participate in and contribute to the arts. | Core Programs and Services include: 1. MARIACHI MUSIC PERFORMANCE 2. MARIACHI MUSIC EDUCATION 3. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $21,300.00 | Napa Valley Youth Symphony | PO Box 6594 , Napa, CA 94581 | Napa | Bay Area – Other | (707) 320-7225 | California's 5th congressional district | District 4 | District 3 | With support from the California Arts Council, Napa Valley Youth Symphony will use general operating support to retain key administrative and artistic staff and expand program services for youth across Napa County. Grant funds will enable NVYS to strengthen its capacity to deliver high-quality music education, orchestral training, and performance experiences for students from diverse backgrounds. By investing in staff and core infrastructure, NVYS can enhance the consistency, impact, and reach of its programs, including its student coaching, mentorship, and community engagement initiatives. This support will also help sustain recent programmatic growth, such as the addition of the NOTES beginner program and expanded artistic leadership. CAC funding will play a critical role in helping NVYS fulfill its mission of empowering young musicians and building a more inclusive, connected, and culturally enriched community through music. | The Napa Valley Youth Symphony (NVYS) offers a comprehensive music education program that supports student musicians from beginning to collegiate level. Serving over 100+ students ages 8–18 from 23 schools across the Napa Valley and nearby communities, NVYS provides a structured pathway through ensemble participation, professional coaching, and enrichment activities designed to foster musical and personal growth. Our programming begins with NOTES, an introductory group coaching program for beginner strings, brass, and woodwind players, focusing on basic technique and ensemble readiness. Students then progress to our Preparatory Strings & Woodwinds Ensembles, which support the development of musical literacy and group performance skills in a nurturing environment. Sinfonia, our entry-level full orchestra, offers an engaging opportunity for advanced beginners and intermediate players to refine their technical and ensemble skills through age-appropriate repertoire and guided collaboration. The Bridge ensemble helps intermediate students transition to the demands of advanced orchestral performance through focused coaching and challenging repertoire. At the highest level, the Youth Symphony performs collegiate-level works that cultivate advanced musicianship, leadership, and artistic expression. Advanced students also have the opportunity to participate in Chamber Ensembles for strings, brass, and woodwinds, where they explore intricate repertoire in small groups with individualized chamber coaching. From August through May, ensembles meet weekly for 2–3 hours of rehearsal, supplemented by twice-weekly group coaching sessions. Students benefit from sectional instruction with professional Bay Area musicians, a fall retreat at Camp Cazadero, and specialized summer chamber music camps. NVYS is committed to access and equity through robust tuition and private lesson scholarships, as well as mentorship programs that foster peer support. These programs work together to create a vibrant, inclusive community that empowers young musicians—regardless of background—to reach their full potential through music. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | LOCAL COLOR | 111 Timber Cove Dr , Campbell, CA 95008 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (760) 646-3181 | 19th Congressional district of California | District 27 | District 15 | With $25,000 support from the California Arts Council, Local Color will provide our free Color Me Rad program during spring and summer breaks for three cohorts of ten historically underserved 11-17-year-old students (30 total) who are considering professional careers in the arts. Led by professional teaching artists, students learn one medium (i.e. murals, screen printing, lithograph, etc.); create a completed artwork; learn how to market, showcase and price their artwork; receive professional development such as how to build a portfolio, write an artist statement, and create an online presence; practice being in the public eye by doing interviews, talking in front of a camera, and talking about themselves as artists and their artwork; receive a stipend to honor their artistic labor; and have opportunities to sell their artwork to the public. | Public Art & Creative Services engages with artists for innovative projects with creative freedom and equitable pay to produce vibrant works representative of the unique perspectives in San José. The Creative Spaces program provides gallery and affordable workspaces for creatives, organizers, and groups. Local Commons (Fiscal Sponsorship) fosters sustainability for local artists & organizers by leveraging our 501.c.3. status to expand access to grant funding and other resources for self-directed creative projects. Arts Educations provides custom-designed art-making opportunities built to empower next-generation creative advocates on an off the campus. Creative Experiences connects Artists & Creatives to meaningful opportunities, contracting them to facilitate workshop activities for the local community. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,600.00 | ART OF ÉLAN | 6165 Radcliffe Drive , San Diego, CA 92122 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 678-1709 | California's 51st congressional district | District 79 | District 40 | With support from the California Arts Council, Art of Elan will strengthen its organizational capacity to deliver inclusive, high-impact programming that builds community through music. Funding will support year-round operations, including staff compensation, program development, artist fees, and strategic partnerships that expand access to classical music across San Diego County. Art of Elan presents adventurous concerts in traditional and non-traditional spaces, commissions new works by diverse composers, and provides transformative education residencies, such as Young Artists in Harmony, for underrepresented youth. General operating funds will ensure the sustainability of these efforts, enabling Art of Elan to deepen relationships, amplify the voices of marginalized individuals, and model a more equitable and community-rooted vision of the arts. CAC support is essential to growing the organization’s reach and resilience in a rapidly changing cultural and funding landscape. | Known for its collaborative spirit, Art of Elan has been pioneering unique events and bringing exciting classical music to diverse audiences for over 17 years through innovative partnerships and bi-national initiatives that have cultivated curious audiences on both sides of the border. Its consistent track record of sold-out performances stems from its commitment to commissioning new work, collaborating with world-class artists and composers, programming engaging and thought-provoking concerts, and expanding its impact in the region through thoughtful community engagement programs. By drawing inspiration from the word élan, which represents momentum, style, and spirit, Art of Elan continues to engage and energize audiences in new ways. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $21,000.00 | TCAL | 36523 25TH ST E APT R48 , PALMDALE, CA 93550-5910 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (661) 888-3856 | California’s 27th Congressional District | California State Assembly District 39 | California State Senate District 21 | The Community Action League (TCAL) seeks CAC General Operating Support to sustain and expand its Music & Youth Empowerment: Peer Advocacy & Substance Use Prevention program—an arts-based initiative serving low-income, justice-involved, and system-impacted youth in the Antelope Valley. This dynamic program blends music production, digital arts, and performance with peer advocacy, healing-centered engagement, and leadership development. CAC funding will support staffing, program delivery, and operational capacity to ensure consistent, culturally relevant access to creative expression and mentorship. Youth participants engage in DJing, songwriting, recording, and video production while building life skills and forming positive peer networks. This funding will help TCAL deepen its impact, retain experienced teaching artists, and expand outreach to underserved youth populations through the power of arts, culture, and community voice. | The Community Action League (TCAL) empowers underrepresented individuals and families in the Antelope Valley through a comprehensive suite of programs that promote healing, self-sufficiency, and leadership development. Our core programs include the Music & Youth Empowerment initiative, which uses music, digital arts, and peer advocacy to help youth build resilience, leadership skills, and substance use awareness. We also offer Violence Prevention and Survivor Support services for victims of domestic violence, sex trafficking, and community violence, providing hardship assistance, trauma-informed support, and community education. Our Seniors First program reduces isolation among older adults by offering volunteer-based companionship, household assistance, and transportation services. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | PUSH | 447 Minna St, 3rd floor , San Francisco, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 547-9492 | District 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, PUSH Dance Company intends to offer its wellness and health initiatives with a residency for teaching artists and culture bearers in the San Francisco Bay Area, fostering engagement with local dance community and broader audiences. This project will integrate physical and mental wellness practices with the expertise of cultural practitioners to benefit the surrounding community. The outcomes will include complimentary performance workshops culminating in outdoor public performances. | COMPANY Founded in 2005 by Artistic Director Raissa Simpson, PUSH maintains a philosophy that bold movement and intellect can coexist. PUSH is best known for integrating cross-cultural issues and exploring dances that contextualize the African diaspora. FESTIVAL Since its inception, PUSHfestfest has presented works by distinct choreographers representing diverse genres of dance. PUSHfest is a cross-genre dance festival launched in 2014 by PUSH Dance Company. The Festival grew out of a critical need to provide a platform for dance to be appreciated as a diverse and culturally relevant entity within the San Francisco Bay Area. EDUCATION The Youth Company is a pre-professional training program for students pursuing advance technique and performance opportunities. The Youth Company provides added structure in the form of cultivating responsible and civic-minded individuals. The Company also hosts annual PUSHLab Performance Workshops, and educational component of PUSHfest. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | Rainbow Labs | 1037 N GARDNER ST APT 1 , W HOLLYWOOD, CA 90046-6451 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 302-8293 | District 30 | District 51 | District 24 | Rainbow Labs seeks funding from the California Arts Council to support its 12-week Storytelling Lab, a visual arts and mentorship program for LGBTQIA+ youth in South Los Angeles. Youth ages 12–18 explore visual arts while developing self-expression and cultural identity through guided workshops led by LGBTQIA+ artist mentors. The program includes foundational visual arts training, individualized project development, two arts-based field trips, and culminates in a public youth-led art show at the DTLA Proud Art Gallery. CAC funds will directly support artist stipends, mentor compensation, art supplies, and field trip costs. All programming is free and accessible, with meals, materials, and transportation provided. | Rainbow Labs empowers LGBTQIA+ youth across Los Angeles County through mentorship, creative programming, and community-based initiatives that center joy, identity, and leadership. Serving youth ages 12–18, the organization offers five core programs that foster personal growth, connection, and future success. The Storytelling Lab provides a safe, creative space for youth to explore identity and self-expression through arts, narrative, and mentorship, often enhanced by cultural field trips. The Innovation Lab connects youth with LGBTQIA+ mentors in STEM, offering hands-on experiences in areas like coding, robotics, and virtual reality, while showing how innovation and identity intersect. Sports Lab promotes wellness, teamwork, and resilience through inclusive, affirming athletic activities, including seasonal programs like Run Club and a Youth Softball League. Leadership Lab empowers youth to advise organizational programming, engage in service learning, and build leadership and advocacy skills, guided by regular mentorship and community engagement. Finally, One Bold Summer is a four-week immersive experience where youth rotate through the Labs, deepening their skills in creativity, leadership, and self-confidence, culminating in a youth-led celebration. Through all of these programs, Rainbow Labs cultivates the next generation of queer and trans leaders in a space where they are seen, supported, and celebrated. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,000.00 | Community Roots Garden | 1801 JOLIET PL , OXNARD, CA 93030-3142 | Ventura | Central Coast | (805) 616-2326 | With the support from the California Arts Council, North Oxnard United Methodist Church’s ministry, Community Roots Garden will provide a community mural and cultural workshops. The mural will reflect the strong heritage the Oxnard community has and it will foster a stronger sense of belonging and identity. Along with our mural we will provide an accessible space, to celebrate diverse traditions, intergenerational learning, and skill building. The workshops will will range from storytelling to traditional practices. These workshops are valuable to community to preserve, retain, and remember cultural traditions and also raise awareness. Our mural and workshops will address vital needs for the community and will allow community members, including marginalized groups, to express their creativity, tell their stories, and highlight important social issues. | We are an organic community garden located in Oxnard, Ca. We are deeply rooted in learning, knowledge sharing, growing and providing fresh wholesome foods in efforts to help co-create a healthier and ecologically sustainable food system in relation to the land and all its living creations. The harvest from this garden goes to volunteers, local food pantries, shelters and other outlets to help those in need. The garden also serves as an educational site where volunteers and visiting groups learn how to grow food sustainably through experiential learning. We are a BIPOC focused space that is constantly learning to create more inclusivity and ability in and within the garden/farm. Our Programs include: Educational programs for 2 and 3 hour visits include educational field trips for children and youth with hands on learning. Seasonal workshops lead by garden volunteers or local ”master gardeners”, gardeners, artists, chefs that are free and open to the community. Our volunteer chef program uses fresh produce from the garden to feed 10- 20 people every Saturday. Collaborating with Cal State Channel Islands, we facilitate service learning projects for more than 30 college students every semester. We also host week long summer camps with YMCA and the Abundant Table in the summer time amongst other community groups. | |||
| Individual Artist Fellowships-AO | 2025-26 | $700,000.00 | Kala Art Institute | 1060 HEINZ AVE Kala Institute, BERKELEY, CA 94710-2719 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 841-7000 | California's 13th congressional district | District 14 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Kala Institute will plan and implement the Individual Artist Fellowship program (Region 3). The scope of work includes developing grant guidelines, managing a competitive application, putting together panels and review process, and selecting Fellows, providing direct grant payments through an online grants management system to selected artists and cultural practitioners. In addition, Kala Institute will provide outreach, marketing, and info sessions and technical assistance to applications both in person and online throughout region 3 (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Sonoma counties). Throughout the process, Kala will support for artists and culture bearers, engaging in outreach for geographic reach, convening fellows for networking and co-learning, and providing exhibition, performance and public program opportunities to raise visibility and highlight the work of Fellows. | The heart of Kala’s mission is supporting artists and engaging the community. Kala’s artist residency program offers professional facilities to those working in and across printmaking and digital media, new media, public art, sculpture, installation, and performance. Kala’s artist residency program is known for the support it offers to artists, specialized resources spanning printmaking, photography, sculpture and media arts, points of contact with accessible staff, and the caliber of work artists are able to produce and share with the community while in residence. Kala’s artist residencies provide time, space, equipment, and a knowledgeable network of artists (175+ artists a year) to foster dialogue, risk-taking, creation of new work, and community building. Kala’s exhibitions and gallery, free and open to the public Tuesday-Saturday, provide a platform for innovative presentations of contemporary art and a forum for artists and the public – sparking conversations across views and timely topics. This complex web of timely topics includes racial and social justice, displacement, the environment, community wellness, and more. Kala hosts community events, film screenings, artist talks, and performances in the galley too. Kala fosters a fresh approach to experimentation, as artists investigate the interface of digital work, work made by hand, and everything in between. A spirit of exchange and education is nurtured through all Kala’s programs. Kala offers quality arts education to the general public and local youth through its on-site art classes – after school studio art, teen studio workshops, family and community art-making sessions, summer art programs, field trips, and a robust Artists-in-Schools program, established in 1991, providing artist-led instruction to students in neighboring East Bay public schools. Providing multiple points of access to space and resources through artist residencies, exhibitions, and arts education is more important than ever as we fight for equitable engagement in the midst of these challenging times. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $13,500.00 | T3 TRIPLE THREAT | 3783 VILLA TER , SAN DIEGO, CA 92104-5923 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 892-6748 | 50TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT | DISTRICT 78 | DISTRICT 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, T3 TRIPLE THREAT YOUTH MENTORS will expand access to free and low-cost performing arts programs for youth from historically marginalized communities across San Diego. Founded by a Black LGBTQ artist who grew up in poverty and foster care, T3 creates inclusive, trauma-informed spaces where young people can express themselves through voice, dance, and acting—regardless of income, identity, or ability. CAC funding will help T3 strengthen its teaching artist pipeline, deepen community partnerships, and build capacity around social-emotional learning, accessibility, and equity evaluation. Programs will be delivered in trusted public venues, including North Park Recreation Center, ALBA Community Day School, and local Title I schools. Through culturally relevant instruction, mentorship, and performance, T3 transforms the stage into a platform for healing, growth, and future opportunity. | Our core programs and services include: Summer Camp: Year-round Camps: Adult Classes: Youth and Adult Cooking Classes: Our camps and classes contribute to building healthy, vital neighborhoods by removing barriers to accessing the arts, education, and mentoring opportunities. Enabling every child to participate regardless of ability to pay serves to benefit historically oppressed communities and the entire community as a whole. We use creative and performing arts to empower young people through performance. This has an ongoing and often transformative positive impact by aiding students in developing a valuable skill set that enables them to become successful community members. This then serves to uplift and empower their families and communities over time. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $13,800.00 | California Karen Youth Connection | 399 UCCELLO WAY , SACRAMENTO, CA 95835-2653 | Sacramento | Capital | (510) 434-6355 | 7th | 6 | 8 | California Karen Youth Connection respectfully seeks support from the California Arts Council to sustain general operations—including staff salaries, rent, and program materials—for our statewide Arts and Cultural Program. This program offers free, community-based instruction in Karen language, traditional dance, music, storytelling, and crafts. All offerings are bilingual (Karen and English), intergenerational, and led by community instructors and youth leaders. Funding from the California Arts Council will directly support salaries for staff and instructors, purchase of program materials, venue rentals, and community outreach. This investment will expand access to high-quality, culturally relevant arts experiences; strengthen intergenerational ties; and promote cultural equity and visibility for the Karen community within California’s vibrant arts ecosystem. It will also support healing, empowerment, and cultural preservation through youth-driven creative expression. | The CKYC is dedicated to empowering both Karen and non-Karen youth and communities statewide through culturally informed leadership education, the arts, advocacy, and human services. With a 12-year track record of leadership and community service, CKYC has supported the Karen American refugee and asylum population, as well as other vulnerable and underrepresented communities. We serve over 400 individuals annually across the Bay Area, Sacramento, Manteca, Kern County, and Southern California. Additionally, we collaborate with more than 10 partners to amplify our impact. We deliver four core programs: Arts and Cultural Program, Leadership Development Program, College and Career Mentorship Program, and Civic Engagement Program. These programs and services are critical to the success of our youth and a thriving community. By engaging in cultural practices, youth and the broader community gain not only a sense of pride in their Karen identity but also a deeper connection to their heritage and each other. The preservation of Karen traditions helps break the cycle of trauma and displacement, offering individuals a space to heal, connect, and thrive, furthermore, by passing down knowledge from one generation to the next. The CKYC ensures that these traditions evolve into sources of strength, collaboration, and opportunity for future generations. As youth develop leadership skills, they become ambassadors of their culture, promoting diversity and inclusion both within the Karen community and in society at large. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,500.00 | ALAS | PO Box 961 , El Granada, CA 94018 | San Mateo | Bay Area – Other | (650) 243-1725 | 16th district | District 23 | 13 | Ayudando Latinos a Sonar proposes to develop a two-week cultural arts summer camp that offers children a comprehensive introduction to Mexican folk traditions through dance, music, and crafts. The camp will provide classes in Mexican folk dance, Mariachi music, and traditional Mexican crafts, giving participants a holistic and engaging cultural experience. CAC grant funds will be used to support teaching artist compensation, curriculum development, program coordination, and the purchase of necessary materials and instruments. This project will create an inclusive, culturally relevant learning environment that builds self-confidence, cultural pride, and artistic skills in youth. Through this summer camp, Ayudando Latinos a Sonar will celebrate the vibrant traditions of Mexican culture, foster artistic development, and strengthen community connections, ensuring that every child has the opportunity to engage with their heritage in meaningful and joyful ways. | ALAS is a cultural arts program that is built on foundations of community, social justice, social work, education and the arts. We are the only Latino non profit and cultural arts program on the Coast. Ayudando Latinos A Soñar was born out of the need to create opportunities for our youth to engage in identity development, embrace cultural traditions, dance, sing and have opportunities to learn music and dream forward. ALAS’ work is centered on using the cultural arts as a foundation of entry point for our community. Our program focuses on but is not limited to working with Latino youth and their families living in our rural community.Teaching the rich traditions of Mexican Ballet Folklorico and the music of Mariachi to our youth, ALAS host weekly classes to engage the youth in the arts. With a commitment to growth and leadership of our youth in the arts, we perform regularly around the Bay Area at community events, schools, Universities and yearly performance events |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $13,200.00 | non-profit | 2370 MARKET ST STE 103 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114-1697 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 651-2736 | District 12 | District 17 | District 11 | The American Indian Cultural Center of San Francisco (AICC) respectfully requests general operational support to fund staffing and programming that serve the Native American community in San Francisco and the greater Bay Area. AICC is dedicated to preserving and promoting Native American heritage through cultural arts programming, educational workshops, and community events. Support will ensure the continuation of vital services, including youth mentorship, traditional arts instruction, and intergenerational cultural exchange. Funding will directly sustain staff positions essential to program delivery and community engagement. AICC serves as a cultural anchor for urban Native peoples, fostering a sense of identity, belonging, and resilience. Operational support will strengthen AICC’s ability to meet growing community needs and to honor Indigenous cultures and traditions within a vibrant urban setting. | The AICCSF strives to maintain, preserve and restore a permanent and prominent presence for the Bay Area American Indian inter-tribal community that continues to exist. Our vision is to create and provide a dynamic place of learning, culture and community to the citizens of the Bay Area to learn about American Indian heritage and culture and to enhance a sense of understanding about American Indians in the urban environment. AICCSF will demonstrate community health and wellness through kinship and spirituality by nurturing our connection to our knowledge keepers, oral traditions, tribal languages, and cultures, while encouraging fearless expression through theater arts, music, ceremonial events, media, writing, and film that will increase the visibility of American Indians in the greater Bay |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,000.00 | Asociación Nacional de Grupos Folklóricos (ANGF) | 9202 North Jade Avenue , Fresno, CA 93720 | Fresno | Central Valley | (559) 970-6105 | With support from the California Arts Council, Asociación Nacional de Grupos Folklóricos (ANGF) will present our 2026 Conference and Festival in Los Angeles, California– a week-long gathering of hundreds of practitioners and students exploring the traditional indigenous and mestizo music, dance, and culture of Mexico and Latin America. | The Asociación Nacional de Grupos Folklóricos (ANGF) is an organization dedicated to the research, preservation, presentation, and education of indigenous and mestizo culture as well as other related folklore within the realm of dance, music, and the visual arts. We formed 50 years ago as an international association to serve as a voice for the promotion and preservation of Mexican folklore traditions. We aim to actively pursue the research, education, and artistic representation of the rich dance, music, and folk art traditions of Mexico. We are here to serve our communities through our distinct culture, educational goals, and outreach endeavors. Our core programs and services include: Our annual conference, where hundreds of participants from all over the world gather to learn and exchange ideas about the rich cultural forms of Mexico and Central America; The 2026 ANGF conference will be held in Los Angeles, bringing thousands of attendees from across the US and Mexico to LA and generating significant revenue and cultural activity. Supporting numerous dance companies, including Los Danzantes de Aztlán, an acclaimed undergraduate dance company based at Fresno State University led by ANGF Vice-President Victor Torres Research, scholarship, advocacy around the cultural and health issues most important to our community. ANGF serves the regional, national, and international community of artists and scholars dedicated to the practice and preservation of the rich dance, music, and folk art traditions of Mexico. Our core audiences, participants, and collaborators come from the historically marginalized Latinx community in California and beyond, with a focus on Fresno/Central Valley, where our dance company Los Danzantes de Aztlán is based. This is a region characterized by high poverty levels, unemployment, and low educational achievement. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,000.00 | TWOPOINT4 DANCE THEATRE | 4120 18TH AVE , SACRAMENTO, CA 95820-3950 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 541-0053 | With support from the California Arts Council, TwoPoint4 Dance Theatre will expand and enhance its acclaimed educational program, the TwoPoint4 Dance Experience, in Twin Rivers Unified School District (TRUSD) in Sacramento County. Building on a successful two-year collaboration that has reached over 2,200 5th-grade students annually, this project will increase in-person residencies, eliminate digital-only offerings, and significantly enhance the culminating student performance through improved production quality and ADA accessibility. Funding will also support the creation of new, high-quality educational and promotional videos to deepen program impact and share outcomes with the wider community. The program offers year-round, standards-aligned dance education focused on social-emotional learning, self-expression, and community engagement—all at no cost to schools or families. | Connection lies at the heart of TwoPoint4 Dance Theatre. It unites our ensemble, strengthens bonds with our audience, and builds bridges with the broader community. Dance becomes our universal language, transcending cultural and linguistic barriers to create shared experiences of unity and understanding. Through performances and outreach initiatives, we foster emotional and intellectual connections that resonate deeply and promote a sense of belonging for all. Curiosity drives our creative spirit and fuels our exploration of artistic boundaries. It inspires us to embrace new forms of movement, challenge conventions, and take bold risks in our pursuit of innovation. By nurturing curiosity, we ignite artistic evolution and encourage our dancers and audiences alike to approach the world with open minds, discovering the beauty and infinite possibilities within the art of dance. With unrelenting creativity, dedication, and a steadfast commitment to diversity, accessibility, connection, and curiosity, TwoPoint4 Dance Theatre aspires to be a beacon of artistic excellence. We aim to ignite curiosity, transcend boundaries, and unite communities through the universal language of movement, creating lasting connections that enrich lives both locally and beyond. We support these through arts education, free community classes, and performances. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,750.00 | ArtyHood Foundation | 584 Castro St #163 #7, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 654-2717 | 11 | AD17 | SD11 | Artyhood Foundation will continue to produce a series of free, monthly outdoor art markets and pop-up events through the Castro Art Mart program, creating accessible platforms for LGBTQ+, BIPOC, immigrant, disabled, low-income, elder, and youth artists to showcase and sell their work. CAC grant funds will support artist stipends, low-cost vendor spaces, accessibility services, event production, youth engagement activities, and staffing for artist support, marketing, coordination, and onsite safety. Through these events, Artyhood will reduce financial and logistical barriers, provide economic opportunities for underrepresented artists, foster intergenerational engagement, and strengthen cultural visibility and community connection in San Francisco. | ArtyHood is a community-centered organization dedicated to uplifting San Francisco’s vibrant artistic and cultural ecosystem. Through a wide range of public-facing programs, ArtyHood creates joyful, inclusive spaces where artists, performers, small businesses, and communities intersect. Our core programs include art markets, cultural festivals, and community-driven events that celebrate San Francisco’s rich creative diversity while actively contributing to the economic revitalization of the city’s commercial corridors. Each event serves as a dynamic platform where underrepresented artists and creatives—including LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and emerging talent—can showcase their work, engage new audiences, and build meaningful connections. In addition to providing income-generating opportunities for artists and small businesses, these events also activate local neighborhoods, drawing foot traffic to nearby shops, restaurants, and cultural venues, helping to strengthen the economic fabric of the community. ArtyHood’s work goes beyond event production—it is about fostering a sustainable, creative ecosystem where the arts can flourish and where communities feel empowered, seen, and connected. By centering accessibility, equity, and collaboration, we ensure that San Francisco’s creative economy remains inclusive and resilient. Through art, we continue to build bridges across communities and contribute to a more vibrant, connected city. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | BERKELEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | 1919 Addison Street, Suite 201 , BERKELEY, CA 94704 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 841-2800 | California Assembly district 15 | District 15 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Berkeley Symphony’s Music in the Schools program will provide high-quality arts education programming to 4700 Berkeley public school students. The program will serve K-12 students with over 200 in-class sessions, 100 rehearsals and prep sessions, and 21 in-school concerts, as well as opportunities to perform alongside the professional symphony and specialized support programs for BIPOC students. | Symphonic and Chamber Music Concerts: four symphonic concerts and four chamber music concerts each year. Public Education Series in Partnership with the Berkeley Unified School District: Music in the Schools offers a total of 200 in-class sessions led by Berkeley Symphony (BSO) musicians and eleven “Meet the Symphony” concerts, one at each BUSD elementary school each year. Six “I’m a Performer!” concerts at BUSD elementary schools each Spring, providing young musicians opportunities to rehearse and perform alongside Berkeley Symphony musicians. All Music in the Schools programming is provided 100% free of charge for children and their families. Launched in 2022, the Music in the Schools program expanded to include an initiative titled “Elevate” which bridges the gap for BIPOC students at key transition points in BUSD instrumental music engagement: third grade, where students select their primary instrument, sixth grade, where students shift from music being required to being an elective, and twelfth grade, where students need guidance during the college application process. Also launched in 2022 was the Students at the Symphony program which provides K-12 students with free admission to all symphonic concerts, with $15 adult companion tickets. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,936.00 | Mon Petit Mojave | 55595 PUEBLO TRL , YUCCA VALLEY, CA 92284-7505 | San Bernardino | Inland Empire | (310) 866-8479 | The 2026 Sounds and Storytelling Drive-in Concert Series will produce eight free, culturally diverse performances in California’s rural Morongo Basin, where residents face barriers to accessing live, culturally relevant art. Over 80% of the shows will feature local and regional artists who identify as Black, Indigenous, People of Color, LGBTQ, or disabled. Artists will share their musical journey and background through oral storytelling and live musical performance. The series will also include accompanying live painting or dance, spotlighting diverse artistic expressions. Space for local vendors and culturally specific food pop-ups will provide economic opportunities for local entrepreneurs and community engagement. CAC funds will support artist fees, production costs, and accessibility infrastructure to ensure all residents, regardless of ability or income, can participate in meaningful cultural experiences that reflect and uplift the region’s heritage and voices. | Community Drive-in Concert series: We began our drive-in concerts as a safe way to gather and listen to live music during the 2020 Pandemic. Guests were able to attend a free show and listen from inside or outside their vehicles, as we had a stage set up while also streamed the event through the radio and social media. As the pandemic eased, the community asked for continuation of these shows because they enjoyed the diverse programming, as well as the unique nature of a drive-in theater. Persons with disabilities can be seated closer or further away from the stage depending on their needs. Immunocompromised individuals can sit farther away in their cars and enjoy a show without worry, yet still feel in community. Families who cannot normally afford multiple tickets to attend concerts can bring their entire family to a show to experience live music without financial constraints. All of the shows are set in a beautiful outdoor setting that promotes healing and community cohesion. Pop-up series: This program intends to meet our communities where they are by “popping up” and bringing culturally rich shows to various locations. Examples include a pop up at Morongo Valley Elementary School, where we hosted a concert that showcased various instruments, their history, and sounds to schoolchildren. Another example is a pop up concert at High Desert Continuing Care, for elder individuals who cannot leave their care center. Finally, “Mon Petit Salon” is our partnership with the Palm Springs Cultural Center (a 501©3 non-profit), where we host a weekly “salon” in Palm Springs to bring culturally-diverse music to the local community. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $21,300.00 | Amplify Arts Project | 100 Miramar Ave , Santa Barbara, CA 93108 | Santa Barbara | Central Coast | (805) 861-8128 | California's 24th congressional district | District 37 | District 19 | With support from the California Arts Council, Girls Rock SB (now known as Amplify Arts Project) will sustain and enrich its organizational operations in service of its mission: to empower girls through music education, the creative arts, community, and positive mentorship. Across all programs, Amplify Arts Project focuses on building safe spaces for participants to be seen and feel connected, as well as serving as an entry point for those who wish to contribute to the arts ecosystem. Amplify Arts Project will continue to prioritize providing our services to historically under-resourced communities who have otherwise not received opportunities to exercise an authentic voice or realize their full potential as artists and community leaders. | Amplify’s current programs and services include: Amplify Summer Camp: Offering both day camp and sleep-away options, our award-winning immersive summer program provides instruction in music, creative arts, and cultural expression. Through a lens of mentorship, empowerment, and leadership development, this program allows campers to enroll in immersives that include Rock Band Intensive, Bass, Drums, Guitar, Keys, Vocals, Musical Theater, Music Production, Music Video Making, Hip Hop Dance, and Photography. In Summer 2024 we hosted 256 campers. Syryn Records: Amplify’s hybrid virtual/in-person youth-run record label and internship program offers young women a safe and empowering entryway into the music industry. Collectively, each cohort of interns focuses on female teenagers/young adult artists signed to their label. Interns shepherd signed musicians through managing the release and promotion of artists’ work, overseen by program mentors who are music business professionals and educators. Our 2024 program included 54 interns and 9 signed artists. Rural Teaching Artists Residencies: Amplify is committed to bringing diverse artist educators into communities most devoid of arts opportunities. In 2024, we provided a three-week artist residency in New Cuyama, a rural community where 80% of students identify as a minority and 58% are economically disadvantaged. Amplify Weekend: Our annual youth mental health creative arts retreats take place in Ojai, CA for 6th–12th graders. This phone/device-free weekend engages participants in a range of activities themed around mental health through a music and creative arts lens. In 2024, we hosted 84 youth. Instrument Lending Library: The only instrument lending library of its kind on the Central Coast, this free program in partnership with the Santa Barbara Public Library allows any resident to check out musical instruments, including guitars, ukuleles, drums, amps, and more. Launched in 2019, this initiative has resulted in check-outs of 280+ instruments. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | Amplify Arts Project | 100 Miramar Ave , Santa Barbara, CA 93108 | Santa Barbara | Central Coast | (805) 861-8128 | California's 24th congressional district | District 37 | District 19 | With support from the California Arts Council, GIRLS ROCK SB (now known as Amplify Art Project) will implement the Cuyama Valley Teaching Artist Residency, serving 200 K-12 students in the rural, under-resourced Cuyama Joint Unified School District (CJUSD), where access to arts education is virtually nonexistent. Amplify’s immersive program model reduces economic, geographic, and linguistic barriers to participation by offering three weeks of fully subsidized arts learning, led by teaching artists who live in the community and deliver 100+ hours of music, multimedia, and creative arts instruction. This year’s artist in residence, Al Oard, will guide students through hands-on sound experimentation, music production, and creative design building their own microphones. Students participate during school hours, after-school workshops, open studio time, and community events – culminating in a free public showcase celebrating youth voice and creativity. | Amplify’s current programs and services include: Amplify Summer Camp: Offering both day camp and sleep-away options, our award-winning immersive summer program provides instruction in music, creative arts, and cultural expression. Through a lens of mentorship, empowerment, and leadership development, this program allows campers to enroll in immersives that include Rock Band Intensive, Bass, Drums, Guitar, Keys, Vocals, Musical Theater, Music Production, Music Video Making, Hip Hop Dance, and Photography. In Summer 2024 we hosted 256 campers. Syryn Records: Amplify’s hybrid virtual/in-person youth-run record label and internship program offers young women a safe and empowering entryway into the music industry. Collectively, each cohort of interns focuses on female teenagers/young adult artists signed to their label. Interns shepherd signed musicians through managing the release and promotion of artists’ work, overseen by program mentors who are music business professionals and educators. Our 2024 program included 54 interns and 9 signed artists. Rural Teaching Artists Residencies: Amplify is committed to bringing diverse artist educators into communities most devoid of arts opportunities. In 2024, we provided a three-week artist residency in New Cuyama, a rural community where 80% of students identify as a minority and 58% are economically disadvantaged. Amplify Weekend: Our annual youth mental health creative arts retreats take place in Ojai, CA for 6th–12th graders. This phone/device-free weekend engages participants in a range of activities themed around mental health through a music and creative arts lens. In 2024, we hosted 84 youth. Instrument Lending Library: The only instrument lending library of its kind on the Central Coast, this free program in partnership with the Santa Barbara Public Library allows any resident to check out musical instruments, including guitars, ukuleles, drums, amps, and more. Launched in 2019, this initiative has resulted in check-outs of 280+ instruments. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,600.00 | TeAda Productions | 6071 Comey Ave , Los Angeles, CA 90034-2203 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 998-8765 | California's 37th congressional district | 55 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, TeAda Productions will utilize these funds to support the retention of current staff which has grown over the last two years thanks to an increase in funding over the pandemic. As a result TeAda has successfully increased engagement and participation of artists, women, immigrants, refugees, indigenous, asylees, and queer communities. TeAda needs to provide competitive salaries while the cost of living continues to rise. As of June 2025, TeAda has already been forced to downsize from a 5 person staff to the current 4 person staff due to the national shift in funding priorities both in government and foundations. Currently TeAda’s staff is comprised of immigrants, women, queer folks, and individuals from a working class background spanning three decades which reflects the community that we serve in California. | LOCAL PROGRAMS NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL TOURING PROGRAMS |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | Alyse Marie Presents | 4573 Don Miguel Drive , Los Angeles, CA 90008 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (678) 847-8280 | “With support from the California Arts Council, Alyse Marie Presents will support Echoes of Us, a multimedia arts project that brings together Black artists to co-create original short films and music rooted in their lived experiences. Through workshops, story circles, and public showcases, the project fosters intergenerational healing and cultural expression. CAC grant funds will support artist stipends, community engagement, accessibility services, production equipment, and public events—ensuring equitable access, professional-quality outcomes, and meaningful impact within historically under-resourced Black communities. | AMP aims to recruit and mentor a new generation who represents the world because, for us, inclusion is a strategic imperative. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $21,600.00 | Better Youth | 1465 Tamarind Avenue, Suite #216 , Los Angeles, CA 90028 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 377-7756 | California's 30th congressional district | District 51 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Better Youth will enhance our human resources infrastructure and provide equitable staff benefits, including a new HR platform, 401 (k) implementation, and trauma-informed leadership training. These investments directly support our mission of building life-affirming career pathways in the arts for foster and system-impacted youth by modeling best practices within our own organization. By strengthening our internal capacity, we will improve delivery of our arts and cultural programs—AIM-N-Inspire, Real to Reel Global film platform, and our Registered Apprenticeship Program—which serve youth from historically and systemically underserved communities in South Los Angeles. This support furthers California’s cultural vitality by enabling us to sustain a diverse arts workforce and infrastructure while providing transformative creative expression opportunities that cultivate a better California for all. | Better Youth serves vulnerable youth,, particularly foster and system-impacted youth, such as foster or former foster youth, and unhoused individuals from underserved and historically marginalized communities. Many of these youth do not have regular access to technology, with up to 84% of households not owning a computer. We bridge the digital disparity gap and provide equitable access to professional creative disciplines and careers. The youth we serve are all interested in the creative industry in some way, such as Film & TV, animation, and digital editing. We provide industry knowledge, training, mentorship, supportive resources, and career connections to aid their development through earn and learn state registered pre-aapprenticeship and state and federally registered apprenticeship programs. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,600.00 | Diversionary Theatre Productions Inc. | 4545 Park Blvd , San Diego, CA 92116-2668 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 220-6830 | California's 50th congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, DIVERSIONARY THEATRE PRODUCTIONS, INC. will continue its mission to provide an inspiring, inclusive, and empowering space for community to celebrate and explore complex, provocative, and diverse LGBTQIA+ stories which contribute to the larger cultural discussion. We will do this in FY26, during our 40th Anniversary Season, through our Performing Arts Programs, including our mainstage season of LGBTQIA+ plays and musicals, as well as through our robust roster of vital, free Arts Education and Community Engagement Programs for at-risk LGBTQIA+ youth and seniors across San Diego County. | Diversionary Theatre produces plays and musicals and develops new works that explore the issues, characters, and stories of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) community in all its complexity and diversity. By exploring stories of what sets our culture and history apart, as well as stories that focus on LGBTQIA+ people’s humanity rather than their sexuality, we are in a unique position in which we can help bridge the gaps of cultural understanding. Diversionary specializes in uncovering new work by emerging LGBTQIA+ writers, developing their work, and producing World, West Coast, and San Diego Premiere productions on our Mainstage that are subsequently produced on stages across the country and around the world. Additionally, Diversionary offers a total of nine Arts Education programs serving the entire range of San Diego’s population from Elementary School students to Senior Citizens. All of our Arts Education programs are offered 100% free of charge for our community. Activities are integrated throughout Diversionary’s mainstage productions, providing stand-alone programming in our historic site in University Heights, and in classrooms at participating schools, serving thousands of young people and senior citizens across San Diego County. Diversionary is proud of the reputation that we have established by producing quality Mainstage productions and hundreds of other arts events in our Clark Cabaret throughout the year, nurturing new works of LGBTQIA+ theatre, providing a home to some of San Diego’s most talented established and up-and-coming artists, regularly collaborating with local arts and LGBTQIA+ organizations, providing contextualization to and fostering conversations sparked by our productions, and involving the wider community in our mission. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,900.00 | Bay Area Book Festival | 1569 SOLANO AVE PMB 635 , BERKELEY, CA 94707-2116 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 239-1652 | 13th | 15th | 9th | The Bay Area Book Festival (BABF) will use California Arts Council funds to support general operating needs that ensure organizational sustainability and deepen our impact as a year-round cultural institution. This includes hiring permanent staff, securing a physical office headquarters in Berkeley (that we can do smaller and more regular programming out of), and expanding programs beyond the spring festival. Support will help BABF strengthen free and accessible literary programming that centers historically marginalized voices—including BIPOC, Indigenous, LGBTQIA+, and multiracial communities—through new and existing initiatives. These include our annual festival, two semester-long youth writing projects, the Merritt Dialogue Speaker Series, and three new Affinity Lit Collectives that foster identity-based literary community and dialogue. Funding will also bolster accessibility services, fair artist compensation, and culturally responsive outreach across the Bay Area. | We create relevant, thoughtful programming presented at our annual, inclusive weekend literary festival and through year-round events. The Festival features dozens of keynotes, interviews, panels, and performances by hundreds of notable writers across genres and backgrounds, plus a robust, free outdoor fair with hundreds of literary exhibitors and free children’s activities. We prioritize international, diverse, and emerging voices—presenting them alongside high-profile names to amplify their work. Our offerings also include Family Day and Writers’ Day, two cornerstone Festival programs that serve children, families, and aspiring writers of all ages. Year-round, we host community-driven events through our new Affinity Lit Collectives (LGBTQIA+, Mixed Race, and Women Lit) and the Merritt Dialogue Series, a civic conversation series addressing justice and democracy. We also run two free, semester-long creative writing workshops for youth: one for Native youth in partnership with the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, and one for Black girls ages 12–18 in collaboration with Cinnamongirl Inc. Both feature paid, BIPOC guest authors as mentors and culminate in published anthologies and youth performances on our Young Readers Stage. All outdoor events and youth workshops are 100% free, and most adult literary events are also free or affordably priced to maximize accessibility. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | Maraya Performing Arts Collective | 861 Harold Place Suite #208 , Chula Vista, CA 91914 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 804-1103 | 53rd District | District 79 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, Maraya Performing Arts Collective will produce and tour “Bayanihan: For Life, For Blood” a dance theatre performance and civic engagement project addressing the need for ethnically diverse blood donors. CAC funds will support artist compensation for Filipinx artists and creatives, production costs including choreography, technical production, dramaturgy, and community engagement workshops that inform the performance’s narrative. The project will activate parks, cultural hubs, schools, and public spaces. Each performance will be paired with an on-site blood drive in partnership with the San Diego Blood Bank. CAC funding will help transform community spaces into sites of cultural healing, civic action, and collective storytelling, led by and for historically underrepresented communities that include Filipino elders and youth with special needs. | Maraya Performing Arts (MARAYA) is a socially-engaged performing arts center in Chula Vista, California designed around core principles of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging. Maraya Performing Arts Center is a creative safe-haven, educational and artistic hub for dancers, actors, musicians and creators; students and teachers; and multigenerational audiences in South Bay San Diego and beyond. OUR SERVICES INCLUDE: Triple Threat Training in Singing, Dancing, and Acting for Youth and Adults, Youth Theatre Musical Productions, Adaptive Classes and Shows for Youth with Special Needs, Original Dance Theatre Community Based Shows/Productions, and Professional Development and Career Coaching for Emerging Artists and Nonprofit Arts Leaders. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $21,600.00 | Maraya Performing Arts Collective | 861 Harold Place Suite #208 , Chula Vista, CA 91914 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 804-1103 | 53rd District | District 79 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, Maraya Performing Arts Collective will strengthen its organizational infrastructure by building staff and board capacity in resource development and fundraising. As a small but growing arts organization serving historically under-resourced communities in South Bay San Diego, we currently rely on short-term consultants and volunteers to manage critical administrative and development functions. CAC funding will allow us to hire part-time staff to support donor cultivation, grant tracking, and outreach. Additionally, we will invest in board recruitment and development to expand and strengthen our Board of Directors, prioritizing individuals with expertise in fundraising, finance, and community engagement. These investments are essential to sustaining our culturally responsive programming and expanding access to the arts youth, families, and intergenerational participants of all ages and abilites. | Maraya Performing Arts (MARAYA) is a socially-engaged performing arts center in Chula Vista, California designed around core principles of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging. Maraya Performing Arts Center is a creative safe-haven, educational and artistic hub for dancers, actors, musicians and creators; students and teachers; and multigenerational audiences in South Bay San Diego and beyond. OUR SERVICES INCLUDE: Triple Threat Training in Singing, Dancing, and Acting for Youth and Adults, Youth Theatre Musical Productions, Adaptive Classes and Shows for Youth with Special Needs, Original Dance Theatre Community Based Shows/Productions, and Professional Development and Career Coaching for Emerging Artists and Nonprofit Arts Leaders. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $13,200.00 | Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center | 855 LINDEN AVE , CARPINTERIA, CA 93013-2042 | Santa Barbara | Central Coast | (805) 684-7789 | California's 24th congressional district | District 37 | District 19 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Carpinteria Arts Center (Arts Center) will continue to provide inclusive comprehensive arts programming on site and in the community, as well as outreach to and involve our local community to create a vibrant community through the arts. Grant funds will be used to support general operating expenses such as salaries and benefits, utilities, supplies, and insurance. These funds are critical to maintain our free, accessible, intergenerational, culturally relevant, and diverse programming aimed at providing arts education, unique and tailored arts activities and groups for children and youth, seniors, persons with physical and cognitive disabilities, and engaging community members of all ages, and socio-economic and cultural backgrounds to connect them to the arts. | The Carpinteria Arts Center offers a variety of arts programming for all ages, including gallery exhibits with community art submissions, as well as classes in drawing, painting, jewelry, instrumental and vocal music, film, poetry and photography. We offer free concerts, museum and private collection tours, tours of art in public places, and more. Without a Community Center in Carpinteria, we have rapidly become a gathering place for our community. We believe the arts present a unique opportunity for people to come together and it is our goal to be a unifying force in our community as well as a place for healing. Our gallery is staffed each day by volunteers, and with over 100 active volunteers, much of our work is facilitated by the support of volunteers. We support our local and regional artists with regular juried exhibitions in our gallery and free public art receptions and artists talks. Our youth programs include after-school programs and an 8-week summer camp which each offer visual arts in the morning and music, theater or S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math) in the afternoon. Teens are involved both as volunteer assistants with our youth programs as well as participants in our annual Teen Mural project. We also have a program called Bellas Artes that takes free arts and cultural workshops to the under resourced members of our community on a weekly basis. Our small staff of 3 full-time and 3 part-time employees is led by a 13-member volunteer board of directors. 4 of our staff members speak Spanish, which enables us to successfully reach under-served populations in our community. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | Lyrical Opposition | 132 Visitacion Avenue , Brisbane, CA 94005 | San Mateo | Bay Area – Other | (424) 260-3650 | 15th Congressional District | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Lyrical Opposition will fuse poetry and choreography in a short film about the generational trauma faced by young BIPOC boys growing up in 1990s East Palo Alto. Collaborative partners Antonio Lopez, 2025 Poet Laureate of San Mateo County, and Nathan Cottam, director of Mannakin Theater & Dance will work with Lyrical Opposition to transform Antonio’s book “The Right to Remain Violets” into a short film that draws from Lopez’s award-winning poetry to interrogate what voice and body can express together that neither can alone. CAC funds will support production, post-production, and screenings in jails, reentry spaces, and local venues. This project uses arts as a tool for healing, cultural memory, and narrative power, including facilitated dialogues by system-impacted individuals—offering testimony and movement as vehicles for justice, imagination, and repair. | Lyrical Opposition develops lyrical artists, activists and educators through personal and professional development. Lyrical Opposition also partners with communities of color in order to curate events centered around joy, liberation, and healing. Lyrical Originals are curated artistic spaces, where Lyrical Opposition organizes events and platforms where artists, musicians, poets, and filmmakers can showcase their work and share messages of hope, empowerment, and social justice. These events are often admission-free, making them accessible to a wider audience. Lyrical Studios is our physical space where we offer artists and filmmakers equipment and software use to create new works. We encourage and support artists who use their creative talents to raise awareness about social issues, challenge systemic oppression, and inspire positive change in their communities. Lyrical Opposition provides resources needed to thrive as a professional artist in the marketplace. Lyrical Academy leads and engages in educational programs and workshops aimed at empowering individuals, particularly youth, to use creative expression as a tool for personal growth, self-expression, and advocacy. Lyrical Open is a monthly open space for creatives to connect, collaborate and network with other artists and community members. Lyrical Opposition aims to create these spaces where people can come together, celebrate their creativity, and find solace and inspiration in the midst of challenging societal issues. Lyrical Vinyl is a nonprofit record store that exists to serve as space for artists to work for supplemental income in between gigs and performances. As well as being a space in the community with the intent of preserving the arts and physical mediums. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $21,300.00 | Elevate Oakland | 1661 20th St suite 3 , Oakland, CA 94607-3390 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (925) 878-1831 | California Assembly district 15 | District 15 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, 51OAKLAND will strengthen the operational infrastructure needed to sustain and grow our artist-led, culturally informed music and arts programming for East Bay youth aged 4–19—particularly those attending Title I public schools and living in neighborhoods ranked in the lowest quartile of the California Healthy Places Index. This grant will support core administrative functions, staffing, and internal systems essential to delivering high-impact programming and managing partnerships across multiple school sites. As demand continues to grow, this investment will help us build capacity, improve evaluation practices, and ensure long-term sustainability. In addition to maintaining foundational classroom residencies, CAC support will enable us to deepen our impact, improve program delivery, and advance our mission of equitable, consistent, and transformative arts learning for the youth who need it most. | Founded in 2011 by a group of acclaimed artists–including legendary percussionist Sheila E. and Yoshi’s Jazz Club founder Yoshie Akiba–and creative professionals with a shared vision of providing inspiration and mentorship to Oakland’s youth, we operate with the goal of bolstering students’ engagement in school while fostering creative self-expression and improving all-around student mental health. We believe in the transformative power that opportunities in music and the arts can have on developing youth, especially those living low-income or high-trauma communities and contexts. Across our programs, our primary focus is not on creating professional musicians, but instead on utilizing music and the arts as a conduit to get students excited about learning and invested in their education. Elevate Oakland supports students by using this excitement to get kids to school, engage them in learning, and support the development of skills that will help them succeed both within and outside of the classroom. Our foundational Artists in Residence (AiR) program embeds renowned artists from within the Bay Area community into Oakland public school classrooms, providing mentorship and learning opportunities for students and teachers alike throughout the school year. This program is built on a long-term (typically semester or year-long) partnership between school educators and one or more teaching artists who help develop and support the school’s music or arts curriculum throughout the school year. Our AiR programs typically culminate in a variety of performance opportunities for students throughout the year at different public venues, including Yoshi’s Jazz Club, the Oakland Museum of California and a variety of community-led festivals and events. In addition to our Artists in Residence program, we also host immersive workshops, masterclasses, demos and speaker series that are offered to student groups in partnership with artists, arts professionals and community educators. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,750.00 | Institute of Contemporary Art, San Diego | 1439 El Prado , San Diego, CA 92101 | San Diego | Far South | (760) 436-6611 | California's 50th congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Institute of Contemporary Art, San Diego (ICA San Diego) will continue its residency program designed to support local artists in building and expanding their careers here in San Diego. Through a one year residency for an artist living in San Diego County, ICA San Diego will provide the artist-in-residence with studio space, a stipend, materials budget, and professional development guidance from ICA San Diego’s curatorial team. The artist-in-residence will be provided a solo exhibition at the ICA / North campus during our 2027 season of programming. | ICA San Diego is devoted to creating a thriving ecosystem of arts and culture across Southern California, presenting an array of art, ideas, and education from galleries in both Balboa Park and Encinitas; totaling more than 15,000 square feet and across six acres of coastal landscape overlooking the San Elijo Lagoon. At ICA / North, the Linda Formo Brandes and the LEED-certified Artist Pavilion galleries provide exhibition spaces for individual exhibitions. The Education Pavilion also delivers contemporary art camps, classes, tours, and workshops for all ages. When visiting the six-acre campus, visitors will experience our growing Sculpture Trail featuring rare local flora amongst site-specific art installations. At the ICA / Central campus, visitors are welcomed by an engaging mezzanine before being drawn into the open 6,000 square foot exhibition space for large scale individual and group exhibitions. ICA / Central hosts an annual graduating student exhibition highlighting emerging talent from colleges and universities. The ICA provides complimentary admission to the gallery open hours and most events. Public programming includes C You Saturday! monthly events featuring family friendly art activities and community development based around each featured exhibition plus free weekend tours led by ICA Engagement Guides who utilize visual thinking strategies to understand our artists and their works. The outreach program, The Valise Project, founded in 1999, was created to meet a growing need for arts education in schools. Each unique Valise, French for ‘suitcase’, is an Artist-designed portable sculpture that contains thought-provoking miniature artworks. These unique Valises are brought directly into classrooms to creatively connect to the current California Core curriculum. A trained Teaching Artist prepares a lesson plan that includes an interactive discussion of the themes followed by hands-on art-making activities that encourage students to respond and express their own interpretations in visual form to the material presented. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,250.00 | Elevate Oakland | 1661 20th St suite 3 , Oakland, CA 94607-3390 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (925) 878-1831 | California Assembly district 15 | District 15 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, 51Oakland (d.b.a. Elevate Oakland) will deliver culturally relevant music and arts education to predominantly low-income, BIPOC youth through our foundational Artists in Residence program, which embeds professional musicians and artists into Oakland public school classrooms. CAC funding will support teaching artist compensation, curriculum development, and classroom residencies across 4–6 Title I elementary, middle and high school sites during the 2025–26 academic year. This project addresses systemic inequities in arts education by providing students with mentorship, hands-on training, and career exposure in creative fields. Each residency will culminate in student-led performances and community activations that celebrate student voices and Oakland’s cultural legacy. Funding will help Elevate Oakland meet rising demand for its AiR program and deepen its impact by expanding access to high-quality, in-school arts instruction in underserved neighborhoods. | Founded in 2011 by a group of acclaimed artists–including legendary percussionist Sheila E. and Yoshi’s Jazz Club founder Yoshie Akiba–and creative professionals with a shared vision of providing inspiration and mentorship to Oakland’s youth, we operate with the goal of bolstering students’ engagement in school while fostering creative self-expression and improving all-around student mental health. We believe in the transformative power that opportunities in music and the arts can have on developing youth, especially those living low-income or high-trauma communities and contexts. Across our programs, our primary focus is not on creating professional musicians, but instead on utilizing music and the arts as a conduit to get students excited about learning and invested in their education. Elevate Oakland supports students by using this excitement to get kids to school, engage them in learning, and support the development of skills that will help them succeed both within and outside of the classroom. Our foundational Artists in Residence (AiR) program embeds renowned artists from within the Bay Area community into Oakland public school classrooms, providing mentorship and learning opportunities for students and teachers alike throughout the school year. This program is built on a long-term (typically semester or year-long) partnership between school educators and one or more teaching artists who help develop and support the school’s music or arts curriculum throughout the school year. Our AiR programs typically culminate in a variety of performance opportunities for students throughout the year at different public venues, including Yoshi’s Jazz Club, the Oakland Museum of California and a variety of community-led festivals and events. In addition to our Artists in Residence program, we also host immersive workshops, masterclasses, demos and speaker series that are offered to student groups in partnership with artists, arts professionals and community educators. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Crocker Art Museum | 216 O ST , SACRAMENTO, CA 95814-5324 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 808-7000 | California's 6th congressional district | District 7 | District 6 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Crocker Art Museum will launch a pilot program that equips 60 elementary teachers with the skills to integrate the arts into the core subjects of English Language Arts (ELA), Math, Science, and Social Studies. Offered at no cost, this 15-hour course combines hands-on arts learning, guest lectures, and Museum experiences, equipping educators with practical tools to ignite creativity and expand student learning to incorporate arts education. In partnership with CSU Chico, teachers will earn academic credit to support their professional advancement. Incorporating continuous feedback, the program will foster a supportive network of arts-centered educators and serve as a model for museums statewide. At its core, this initiative reflects the belief that every child deserves a classroom where the arts spark imagination, connection, and a love of learning. | Crocker Art Museum is the only accredited visual arts museum in the greater Sacramento metropolitan area which has 2.4 million residents and welcomes more than 4 million annual visitors. The Museum served 250,000 people annually (pre-pandemic) and in FY2025 is projected to serve 200,000 visitors with an array of temporary permanent collection and travelling special exhibitions (9-12 each year), and educational programs for all age that feature and highlight the Museum’s 30,0000+ objects in its permanent collection. The Crocker houses a premier collection of California art (Gold Rush to today), an important collection of Master drawings, European paintings, a renowned international ceramics collection, and collections of Asian, African, and Oceanic art. Robust exhibition-related programming serves as a crucial source of arts exposure and engagement for the community including for thousands of students. Core education programs include docent-led tours; film; talks by curators, artists and experts; jazz, Classical and contemporary music series; and a monthly art extravaganza, ArtMix. Educational programs provide in and out-of-school arts engagement and instruction for K-12 public, private, and homeschool audiences (students, teachers, parents) and school district staff throughout the state, with a focus on schools and districts within a 60-mile radius of the Museum. School and teacher programs provide ongoing professional development for teachers, district officials, and parents. Core programs also include those at the intersection of art and wellness; programs for youth of all ages; a robust Studio Program that contracts with dozens of regional artists to teach art instruction courses; and the Art Ark, the Museum’s mobile museum that travels to numerous schools throughout the Sacramento region each year. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Barcid Foundation | 2811 Scott Place , Los Angeles, CA 90026 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 504-4897 | California Assembly district 34 | District 43 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Barcid Foundation will bring together a collection of experienced indigenous artists and community members to foster a new and genuine approach to depicting indigenous representation in the arts. This innovative project will be designed with workshops, mentorship opportunities, and access to cutting-edge resources. The program will nurture artistic growth and provide tools to express unique voices through a wide range of literary techniques that focus on the global climate’s effect on the migration of indigenous communities. | The Barcid Foundation offers genuine career building programs, workshops and additional opportunities that advance Native American artists and youth. We have developed successful relationships with tribes, art foundations, studios and networks to offer career building art initiatives for Native Americans. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $21,300.00 | Blue Line Arts | 405 Vernon St, Suite 100 405 Vernon St, Suite 100, Roseville, CA 95678 | Placer | Upstate | (916) 783-4117 | California District 3 | District 5 | District 4 | Blue Line Arts seeks General Operating Support from the California Arts Council to sustain its core operations and expand its mission-driven work of providing accessible visual arts exhibitions, youth education programs, and public art initiatives throughout South Placer County. CAC funds will support personnel costs, utilities, and essential administrative infrastructure required to maintain year-round exhibition programming, including our “Tour Talk Create” field trips, artist residencies, and public art projects that reflect the region’s cultural diversity. As we approach our 60th anniversary, this funding will help stabilize our organization, invest in our arts workforce, and deepen our commitment to equity, accessibility, and community engagement through the arts. | Blue Line Arts is a gallery and arts center that offers a range of educational and community programs within the visual arts. Exhibitions: Adult education and workforce development: Youth Education: Public Art: |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,250.00 | Southern Exposure | 3030 20TH STREET , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110-2780 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 863-2141 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, in 2025-2026, Southern Exposure will engage 50-65 youth artists, ages 12-21, from historically marginalized communities in a series of free intensive arts education programs that provide teens with a visual art space to explore issues relevant to them, as well as opportunities to exercise leadership skills and utilize art as a tool for social change. Four after school and summer programs will each culminate in a public exhibition and opening reception in our Mission District gallery in San Francisco. | Since 1974, the needs and voices of artists have been the driving force behind Southern Exposure (SoEx)’s activities. Through our extensive, innovative programming, SoEx strives to experiment, collaborate, and educate while providing an extraordinary resource center and forum for artists of all ages. Our Artists in Education programs strive to catalyze leadership opportunities for young artists in underserved communities, enabling them to utilize their artistic vision to express their perspectives on the social issues that impact their lives. Our Curatorial Council – a group of BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and immigrant artists who lead SoEx’s creative vision – curates our Projects and Exhibitions program and promotes innovative, risk‐taking visual art practices. And Alternative Exposure is our major re‐granting initiative that provides funding and promotion for the independent, self‐organized work of artist collectives that serve, highlight, or lift up historically marginalized artistic communities within the Bay Area arts community. Having always been located in San Francisco’s Mission District, SoEx has become an even more critical institution for visual artists, especially those that are historically marginalized, given the neighborhood’s and City’s rapid economic transformation. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $13,500.00 | Rossi Milani | 791 Valencia St , San Francisco, CA 94110-1734 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 996-6079 | California's 11th Congressional District | 17th Assembly District | 11th Senate District | Rossi MissionSF, a non-profit project fiscally sponsored by Independent Arts & Media, requests $30,000 in General Operating Support from the California Arts Council. These critical funds will bolster our operational capacity, covering essential administrative expenses and providing direct wages for artists and employees vital to our daily functions. This investment will strengthen our three pillars of expansion: Community-Driven Events, Holistic Art Workshops, and Charitable Artist Residencies. By directly supporting our administrative and artist/employee/consultants wages, this grant enables Rossi MissionSF to continue offering safe, inclusive creative spaces. We empower marginalized Bay Area artists experiencing homelessness, disability, substance abuse, and low-income struggles, addressing their urgent needs for living wages and accessible platforms. This grant will ensure our sustained ability to cultivate community, creativity, and care, aligning with CAC’s mission to strengthen arts and culture for a better California. | Rossi Project offers a dynamic ecosystem of core programs and services centered around three pillars of expansion: Community-Driven Events, Holistic Art Workshops, and Charitable Artist Residencies. Community-Driven Events: Rossi creates vibrant, inclusive gatherings designed to foster connection and collaboration, where art thrives without barriers. These events range from intimate poetry readings to live performances by local DJs, rappers, and musicians. A key aspect is accessibility, with no tickets or cover charges, emphasizing a shared commitment to culture and belonging. Holistic Art Workshops: Redefining art education, these workshops blend artistic technique with lived experience. Led by Bay Area artists, sessions explore not only “how to create” but also “why,” integrating storytelling, networking strategies, and tech-driven innovation. Participants gain tools to navigate the creative industry while discovering their unique voice. Charitable Artist Residencies: Rossi Project invests in artists facing systemic barriers by offering crucial support. This includes studio access and materials for experimentation across mediums, life stabilization support such as housing stipends, healthcare navigation, and food assistance. Residencies also provide mentorship from established creatives, partnerships with social workers, and documentation of artists’ journeys to amplify stories of resilience and inspire systemic change. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | ICYOLA | 6820 S La Tijera Blvd Suite 106 , Los Angeles, CA 90045 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 788-4260 | California's 43rd congressional district | District 61 | District 35 | The Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (ICYOLA) requests your $25,000 partnership to support our comprehensive ICYOLA Academy, providing intensive music education to 60 underserved string students across violin, viola, and cello. Students receive weekly individual lessons plus ensemble instruction, ensuring personalized attention while building collaborative skills. Your contribution represents significant investment in our $115,200 annual budget, supporting five exceptional instructors delivering 1,680 individual lessons and 780 ensemble hours yearly. Beyond musical development, students gain discipline, confidence, and college preparatory experience. Many alumni receive full university scholarships, crediting their transformational orchestral experience. Your support creates pathways to brighter futures, ensuring zip code never determines access to musical excellence. | ICYOLA offers five programs: the ICYOLA Orchestra Program; the ICYOLA Academy; the South Los Angeles Music Project; the Los Angeles Orchestra Fellowship; and the ICYOLA Drum Corps. Through the ICYOLA Orchestra Program, we present an annual Concert Season that features both the standard orchestral repertoire and contemporary music that resounds within the community that ICYOLA serves. Through the South Los Angeles Music Project, we offer introductory and diversionary music programs to young people who are at risk of entry into the juvenile justice system. Through the Los Angeles Orchestra Fellowship, we train emerging professionals to take and win auditions with American orchestras. The ICYOLA Drum Corps trains young musicians how to play drums and march in step. All ICYOLA programs instill the ancillary values of music into their members. Those values include self-respect, respect for others and property, chain of command, and the pursuit of excellence in all things. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $20,250.00 | Casa Circulo Cultural | 3090 Middlefield Rd. , Redwood City, CA 94063 | San Mateo | Bay Area – Other | (650) 346-8468 | California Assembly district 22 | District 22 | District 13 | With support from the California Arts Council, Casa Círculo Cultural will present the 2025 Día de los Muertos Festival: Tonantzintla: El Paraíso de los Niños, a free, inclusive, and bilingual celebration inspired by the sacred fusion of indigenous and Catholic traditions found in the Church of Santa María Tonantzintla in Puebla, Mexico. This year’s festival centers children as living symbols of cultural continuity and innocence, drawing on the church’s imagery of dark-skinned angels. CAC funds will support community-built altars, youth-led performances, visual arts workshops, and accessible educational activities that promote cultural pride, healing, and ancestral memory for Latinx immigrant families. | CCC provides Spanish language programs for families that instill multicultural competencies. Activities show students the beauty of their Hispanic roots. CCC doors are open 45 hours each week offering 25 classes averaging 32 students in each. Individual lessons are also offered on guitar or piano. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $21,600.00 | Yeah, Art! | 8414 Holly Street , Oakland, CA 94621 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 938-9096 | 12th Congressional district | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Yeah, Art! will fund general operating expenses to continue bringing free, tech-forward arts programming to underfunded schools. Founded and led by Black artists, we prioritize students of color by hiring Teaching Artists of Color to teach in their own communities. Thanks to past CAC support, this year we’ve expanded from 2 to 8 school sites, launched partnerships with Oakland Symphony and BACR, and hired an Education Director. Our programs now run during and after school and cover disciplines like Music Production, Animation, and 3D Design. This funding will support our staff, Teaching Artists, and continued growth—ensuring students in underserved communities have access to high-quality, culturally relevant arts education that builds confidence, skills, and paves lucrative creative career pathways for historically disadvantaged youth, ultimately creating a more equitable future. | Arts Education for a New Generation™. Yeah, Art! seeks to empower Bay Area youth with premium arts education that emphasizes technology, creativity and equitable access. The problem: With school budget cuts, arts programs are often the first thing to get dropped, leading the most vulnerable students to miss out on essential creative skills. The solution: Yeah, Art! provides accessible, innovative arts programs to underserved communities, equipping students with skills in Music Production, Animation, 3D Modeling and more. Yeah, Art! offers technology-driven arts education programs tailored for underserved schools, with a focus on students of color in low-income Bay Area districts. Services are delivered by professional, local artists of color who bring their expertise directly to classrooms, creating an engaging and culturally relevant learning environment. Yeah, Art! equips students with in-demand creative skills, fostering both artistic growth and future career opportunities in the arts. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | Studio ACE | 3861 Mission Avenue, #B3 3861 Mission Avenue, #B3, OCEANSIDE, CA 92058-1878 | San Diego | Far South | (760) 730-5203 | District 49 | District 76 | District 36 | With support from the California Arts Council, Studio ACE will expand access to two Studio ACE program that are inclusive, culturally responsive arts programming for underserved youth in North County San Diego. One: Art spACE offers scholarship-based arts education to 4th–6th graders, connecting visual art lessons with gallery exhibits, artist statements, curating, and digital engagement—showing youth that art can be a viable career path. Two: Our Neurodivergent Art Classes provide free, sensory-integrated lessons tailored to the needs and interests of neurodivergent kids and teens. These programs foster creative expression, community connection, and equitable access to the arts, breaking down barriers related to disability, socio-economic status, and geographic isolation. | Studio ACE has four main areas of programming, all relating to Arts Education: ArtsConnect: An Integrated Arts Curriculum Program ~ The signature program of Studio ACE, ArtsConnect is a K-8 elementary school program that integrates the arts with Common Core subjects. It employs Visual and Performing Arts Standards, the Elements and Principles of Art and the project’s connection to Art History. For more information, please click HERE. Art Classes: ACE’s storefront location provides low-cost art lessons to children. Children’s classes are supplemented in part by a donor, enabling children to receive high-quality art lessons at an affordable price. Adult class fees also assist in supplementing children’s classes. Community Festivals: ACE participate in art walks, fairs and festivals in and around the community, providing a free art project to complement the theme of the fair or festival. Community Collaborations: ACE collaborates with community members on specific programming, working with organizations such as the Oceanside Library, Oceanside Cultural Arts Foundation, Oceanside Fire Fighters, City of Oceanside, Buena Vista Nature Center and the Museum of Making Music. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $6,150.00 | New Museum Los Gatos | 106 E. Main Street , LOS GATOS, CA 95030-6904 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 354-2646 | 18 | 28 | 15 | With support from the California Arts Council New Museum Los Gatos will develop and produce an exhibition Revitalization: Culture, Heritage and Traditions of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe (working title) and supporting educational toolkit. This exhibition builds upon the museum’s long standing relationship with the local indigenous community, The Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of San Francisco and the San Jose State University Anthropology department. | NUMU serves the larger Bay Area from the Monterey Bay Peninsula to San Francisco and the South Bay Area. NUMU offers interactive, rotating exhibitions combined with forward thinking programs and education programs for all ages. Contemporary art exhibitions featuring both group shows and individual artists provide a platform for diverse, creative perspectives. We display traditional media like painting and printmaking, as well as unexpected artforms from experimental photography to digital media to fabric sculptures. Our Los Gatos History Project is a platform to research, exhibit, and facilitate important conversations about systemic inequities in local history. We aim to educate our community about how inequities of the past persist today in Los Gatos and beyond. 2024 marked the 13th year of “ArtNow,” our annual high school juried exhibition that enriches the high school arts curriculum throughout Santa Clara County with a platform for young artists. ArtNow provides teen artists with professional development workshops, scholarships, and artistic exposure. The 2024 theme for ArtNow is “In Transition,” prompting high school students to reflect on this significant chapter in their lives–a stage of metamorphosis from childhood into adulthood. We host a variety of art educators in our Art Studio and Makerspace, where they teach art classes with pricing that maximizes artist compensation. Our Museum Explorer field trip program has served K-12 audiences for ten years, and accessible virtual and low- or no-cost in-person workshops and programs for all ages feature creative change makers, local artists, artist studios visits, and local history. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Sketch Odyssey East Bay | 6451 Hazel Avenue , Richmond, CA 94805 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (510) 350-6906 | California Assembly district 14 | District CA-8 | District 7 | The Children’s Art Studio Richmond / Taller de Arte Para Niños Richmond seeks Impact Project Grant funding to expand its impactful arts programming for young learners (ages 2-5) and their families. This expansion will nurture children’s creativity and social-emotional development by providing safer spaces for artistic exploration, fostering critical thinking and collaboration, and integrating diverse artistic practices with bilingual instruction. Specifically, this funding will support inter-related key initiatives: significantly expanding our workshop offerings to reach more families, developing and piloting crucial trauma-informed art workshops, and bolstering our professional development program for early childhood educators. These initiatives directly address our core service areas, forming the foundation of our expanded plan of action. | The Children’s Art Studio Richmond / Taller de Arte Para Niños Richmond provides free art classes in both English and Spanish to children aged 2 – 5 in the Richmond, CA community, regardless of their background or resources. This program is designed to support each individual child to achieve their highest creative potential, while teaching children basic art-making techniques. We emphasize the importance of cooperation and self-help, self- discipline, and assuming responsibility for the use of these materials. Through this approach, we foster a sense of exploration, creativity, and self- expression in each child. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,000.00 | San Jose Multicultural Artists Guild | PO Box 2043 , San Jose, CA 95109 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 272-9924 | California Assembly district 27 | District 27 | District 15 | With support from the California Arts Council, the San Jose Multicultural Artists Guild (SJMAG) will produce their 28th annual Dia de los Muertos events over a six week period in October/November 2025, including a comparsa (parade) culminating in cross-cultural performances, including food vendors, an exhibit of altars honoring departed ancestors, and free children’s art workshops teaching crafts and music will be conducted during the 5 week period. SJMAG will partner with San Jose State and the Dr. MLK Library to curate and produce this large and culturally dynamic event/program. SJMAG’s DOD festival is one of the longest running programs in the southbay that brings together communities. Funds will partially underwrite artists’ fees, production, marketing, and administrative costs. | SJMAG offers Performing Arts Programs including annual presentations of performances of work created and performed by women, people of color, including solo performances, performances by ensembles, and plays written and acted by black artists; and an annual Girlfriends Day attended by women and their female relatives, colleagues and friends that includes performances by female-identified musicians, dancers and performers; community programs including Day of the Dead celebrations serving more than 20,000 community members annually; and educational programs in school and community settings, run by contracted local artists. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | African-American Shakespeare Company | 762 Fulton Street, Suite 305 Suite 305, San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 680-3830 | California's 11th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | The California Arts Commission funding will support the African-American Shakespeare Company’s touring program, “Shaxespeare Reimagined”, which uses Shakespeare stories and poetry retold in a way that fosters community connection and dialogue while addressing recent political divisions. The tour will reach Central California and rural areas, focusing on communities most impacted by social and political challenges. | Season Performances “Shake-It-Up” Arts Education Program |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,600.00 | CLA | 2 MARINA BLVD FORT MASON CTR C-265, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123-0000 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 775-7200 | California's 12th congressional district | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, California Lawyers for the Arts (CLA) will continue to provide legal, educational and dispute resolution programs and services for artists and arts organizations throughout California, while expanding access to job training, mentorship and career counseling through creative workforce development programs for under-resourced youth and formerly incarcerated persons. | Our core services include legal consultations with attorneys who specialize in arts and entertainment fields; alternative dispute resolution services, including negotiations counselling, conciliation, mediation, arbitration, and facilitation; and education programs that are designed to help artists and arts organization leaders understand legal rights, relationships and responsibilities so that they can become more sustainable. Since the organization’s inception in 1974, we have also been engaged in advocacy to support artists’ rights, freedom of expression, and public funding for the arts. Cross sector initiatives have included community development, arts and environment, and arts in corrections. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | Yeah, Art! | 8414 Holly Street , Oakland, CA 94621 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 938-9096 | 12th Congressional district | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Yeah, Art! will continue to provide vital, tuition-free in-class arts education programming at Roosevelt Middle School in East Oakland. Our program focuses on empowering students through culturally relevant arts like Music Production, Songwriting, Poetry and Vocal Performance. This initiative, led by local professional artists of color, aims to create artistic career pathways for disadvantaged youth. Due to recent budget adjustments affecting Oakland Culture Affairs funding, the continuation of this impactful program is at risk. CAC funds will ensure students at Roosevelt Middle School continue to benefit from this successful partnership, which has already yielded significant outcomes, including the student-produced “The Miseducation of Yeah, Art!” mixtape and the collaborative “Forgiveness Project” with the Oakland Symphony. We have media examples highlighting the positive impact and student achievement from these projects. | Arts Education for a New Generation™. Yeah, Art! seeks to empower Bay Area youth with premium arts education that emphasizes technology, creativity and equitable access. The problem: With school budget cuts, arts programs are often the first thing to get dropped, leading the most vulnerable students to miss out on essential creative skills. The solution: Yeah, Art! provides accessible, innovative arts programs to underserved communities, equipping students with skills in Music Production, Animation, 3D Modeling and more. Yeah, Art! offers technology-driven arts education programs tailored for underserved schools, with a focus on students of color in low-income Bay Area districts. Services are delivered by professional, local artists of color who bring their expertise directly to classrooms, creating an engaging and culturally relevant learning environment. Yeah, Art! equips students with in-demand creative skills, fostering both artistic growth and future career opportunities in the arts. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $21,600.00 | Riverside Arts Academy | 4010 Merrill Ave. Suite B , RIVERSIDE, CA 92506 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (951) 266-5540 | California's 41st congressional district | District 61 | District 31 | With support from the California Arts Council, RIVERSIDE ARTS ACADEMY will continue its ongoing operations, which includes offering free to low-cost, community-based music education programs and employing local California artists to teach our programs. CAC funds will support local teaching artists and staff salaries, allowing RAA to continue achieving our mission of providing high quality music education for all young people to enrich their lives and communities. | RAA’s core programs serve over 500 students in the city of Riverside through a flagship after school and Saturday music program at the historic Cesar Chavez Community Center and after school programs at fourteen public schools across the Inland Empire. RAA co-designs its programs with its partners including Riverside Unified, Alvord Unified, Jurupa Unified, the City of Riverside, and faculty from local postsecondary institutions. RAA programs serve students from the ages of 7 to 18 and center on music education through socio-emotional learning and culturally-responsive pedagogy. Course offerings include multiple levels of Mariachi, orchestra, band, choir, musicianship, and more. Students are enrolled an average of 3 hours per week, with some students pursuing as many as 10 hours of music education each week. RAA further supports the music education landscape in the IE through it’s signature workforce development program that helps emerging educators with professional development, classroom experience, and job placements. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | Litquake Foundation | 268 Bush Street #4226 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 440-4177 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | Elder Project’s goal is to fight isolation by bringing community to Bay Area Elders (aged 65+) through writing classes and public events. The project consists of weekly or biweekly writing sessions combined with hands-on creative exercises to stimulate the senses and memory and to provide an outlet for Elders to preserve and share their stories through creative writing, as well as roughly 12 public events featuring Elder Project writers reading their work. 2025/2026 Service Objectives: | History & Key Accomplishments: Programs: a. Litquake Out Loud – An annual curatorial program highlighting the Bay Area’s BIPOC & LGBTQ+ writers. 6 curators produce a vibrant, impactful two days of events at a large outdoor stage. 100% free. Expected attendance: 2,500. b. Lit Crawl San Francisco – A one-night ‘pub’ crawl of 60 events that creates collaborations with local arts organizations and writing groups with an emphasis on those who hail and serve BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. 100% free. Expected attendance: 6,000. d. Kidquake – Two days assemblies and meet-and-greets with a diverse array of children’s authors (100% BIPOC) paired with activities run by the Bay’s best interactive educators. Serving the Bay Area’s K-5 public schools students (80% BIPOC, 65% on free/reduced lunch). 100% free. Expected attendance: 1,000 in person, 4,000 virtual. 2) Elder Project – Community-building classes that stimulate the senses and memory and provide an outlet for Elders to preserve and share their stories through creative writing. At 4-5 locations this year with 100+ Elders served. 100% free. 3) Litquake Year Round – A series of 30+ in-person events spanning the winter to early summer, focused on partnering with diverse local arts organizations to increase engagement with literature and storytelling. 80% free. Expected Attendance: 8,000 |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,600.00 | KOHO | 1675 Post St 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94115-3603 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (650) 888-5010 | District CA-11 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, KOHO SF will further its goal to produce cultural immersive experiences that amplifies the resilience, history and long standing traditions of Japantown while giving voice and narrative to the next generation of creatives. | BonPOP: A reimagined Obon Odori Japantown event that welcomes a local, city-wide, and regional audience to immerse themselves in the long-standing Japanese tradition of honoring ancestors through dance, song, and rituals accessible to all regardless of religion, faith, ethnicity, or cultural beliefs. Benign Neglect: An exhibition featuring photographs of sixty bonsai, cultivated by Issei (first generation) and Kihei (born in the U.S., educated in Japan, then later returned to the U.S.) Japanese Americans. These bonsai were started after the Japanese Americans returned from WWII American concentration camps. Some of the plants were likely started from seeds. Yum Yams Festival: KOHO partnered with Kultivate Labs for their fourth festival themed Ube Meets Matcha, A Festival of Flavors in San Francisco’s historic SOMA Pilipinas Cultural District. KOHO programmed a rare, live demonstration of matcha preparation used by traditional tea-ceremony schools in Japan, Japanese-American DJ’s spinning songs from Japan, and a taiko drum performance from the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts World Music Program. Film Festivals: KOHO participated in an AAPI Collaborative City-wide Film Festival produced by Kultivate Labs in partnership with SF Urban Film Festival and FACINE (Filipino Arts and Cinema International), as part of the Lavender Cinema Lounge series at Kapwa Gardens. KOHO’s first Japantown Film Festival in 2024 featured three films focused on the Japanese-American experience today; the influences of historical trauma, resilience and strength of generations, and the search for cultural identity. KOHO Arts & Culture Co-Creative Hub: San Francisco Japantown’s only intergenerational, multi-use, multi-ethnic, hub for the seishin (mind, essence, and spirit) of Japanese art and culture, serving and educating multi-generations of native Japanese and Japanese-Americans, visitors from various AANHPI communities and the general public. It is a sanctuary that honors tradition while embracing the future—a place where art transcends boundaries and celebrates human expression. | |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | Honey Art Studio | 1981 Sutter St , San Francisco, CA 94115-3113 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 699-6555 | California's 11th congressional district | District CA-11 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Honey Art Studio will offer the Creative Edge Lab project, a 12-week workshop series for Transition Age Youth (TAY) in San Francisco’s Fillmore neighborhood. Participants will receive free instruction in Interior Design, Fashion Design, Culinary Arts coupled with artist-entrepreneurship professional development to create pathways into creative careers for under-represented members of San Francisco’s BIPOC communities. | Each year, thousands of youth and adults take part in programming including: |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,600.00 | The Rosin Box Project | 2650 TRUXTUN RD STE 201 , SAN DIEGO, CA 92106-6172 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 259-0184 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Rosin Box Project (TRBP) will continue to redefine how dance is created, experienced, and shared—placing accessibility, innovation, and community engagement at its core. General operating support will fund staff and teaching artist salaries, equitable artist compensation, choreographic commissions, and essential production and programmatic expenses. This investment will sustain TRBP’s bold programming, including three mainstage performance series featuring six new contemporary ballet works annually, immersive and site-specific experiences, and interdisciplinary collaborations. Funding will also expand TRBP’s education and outreach programs in underserved San Diego communities, and support inclusive studio classes, workshops, and intensives open to all. CAC support will be instrumental in advancing TRBP’s mission to create a more inclusive, forward-thinking, and impactful future for dance. | TRBP’s core pillars are artistic work in the field of contemporary ballet and arts education. In artistic, the company’s nine professional ballet dancers present works by local and international choreographers several times a year to audiences throughout San Diego and the greater US. In arts education, the company’s in-school outreach workshop, The Ballet Machine, reaches upwards of 30 classrooms a year with its arts integrated learning module. TRBP’s afterschool program, Dance Out Loud!, reaches hundreds of students in 10 week choreography workshops. TRBP’s open adult dance class program, The Rosin Box Studio, connects with roughly 500 adults training in dance across San Diego County in its homebase of Liberty Station. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,900.00 | PAC LA | 1933 South Broadway #430 , Los Angeles, CA 90007 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 324-6011 | District 54 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Photographic Arts Council Los Angeles (PACLA) will invest in operational development and new strategic initiatives, allowing the organization to: Meet the goals of our 2022 Strategic Plan With previous support from the CAC, other donors and our dedicated leadership team, PACLA has made substantial progress on our goals since 2022. We plan to build from here, using grant funds to: Attract, recruit and hire a new Executive Director | PAC LA produces a robust calendar of expertly curated public and member events throughout the city, along with online talks and guided travel, on our own and in partnership with other notable arts organizations. These include visits with artists in their studios, conversations with gallerists, panel presentations by educators, printmakers, and museum directors, and access to photographic collections in libraries, private homes, and universities. We also produce a free in-depth digital newsletter every month. In 2023 and 2024, we hosted 75 different events, attended by over 5,000 people. 69 of those events took place in person in Los Angeles, and nine of those events were public online talks with attendees from all over the world. PAC LA exists to build, educate, and engage our community, and that means we do this for all audiences, including our 180+ supporting members, 3,500 Zoom event attendees, 20,000 viewers on our YouTube channel, 2,200 followers on Instagram, 1,200 newsletter subscribers, and the growing numbers of guests (3,200 and counting) at our free in-person public events. | |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | The Rosin Box Project | 2650 TRUXTUN RD STE 201 , SAN DIEGO, CA 92106-6172 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 259-0184 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Rosin Box Project (TRBP) will expand its immersive dance exposure and engagement program, Out of the Box, across San Diego Title 1 schools, creating meaningful connections between young aspiring artists and world-class professional dancers. The program offers students a multi-layered experience that grants unique access to the full arc of professional dance, from creation to performance. Components include free contemporary ballet performance featuring a new work by a rising TRBP resident choreographer, interactive artist talk-backs, movement workshops led by TRBP teaching artists and company dancers, and behind-the-scenes access to live company rehearsal. Tailored to partner schools’ community and curriculum, the program fosters creative self-expression, confidence, and artistic mentorship. CAC funding will support artist salaries, choreographic commission, teaching artist fees, production costs, and curriculum development, and accessibility expenses. | TRBP’s core pillars are artistic work in the field of contemporary ballet and arts education. In artistic, the company’s nine professional ballet dancers present works by local and international choreographers several times a year to audiences throughout San Diego and the greater US. In arts education, the company’s in-school outreach workshop, The Ballet Machine, reaches upwards of 30 classrooms a year with its arts integrated learning module. TRBP’s afterschool program, Dance Out Loud!, reaches hundreds of students in 10 week choreography workshops. TRBP’s open adult dance class program, The Rosin Box Studio, connects with roughly 500 adults training in dance across San Diego County in its homebase of Liberty Station. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,000.00 | Decentered Arts | 199 CAPP ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110-1209 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 416-9997 | District 11 | 17th District | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Decentered Arts will expand “Gen Blend,” a monthly intergenerational writers program that addresses social isolation and ageism by nurturing connections between seniors and youth through literary arts. Grant funds will directly support artist honoraria for featured writers and musicians, increasing accessibility by providing ASL interpretation and promoting engagement with diverse, historically under-resourced communities. In partnership with Litquake’s Elder Project, and Community Living Campaign, Gen Blend is hosted every first Thursday of each month at Ruth’s Table, a wheelchair-accessible venue in an affordable senior housing complex. The project uses storytelling, poetry, and shared meals to create vital community spaces, amplifying underrepresented voices and strengthening intergenerational bonds. This funding will sustain and enhance a vital program that cultivates empathy and preserves cultural narratives. | Decentered Arts cultivates an inclusive arts community, empowering underrepresented voices through innovative programs. We host weekly Open Mics, monthly Poolside Poets, writers’ groups fostering craft, hands-on workshops, quarterly art shows, literary salons in unique spaces, vibrant fashion shows, and the immersive Western Wind Course. Recent successes include compensating 100+ diverse Poolside Poets artists (60% BIPOC/LGBTQ+), sustaining Open Mic for 3.5 years, launching the intergenerational Gen Blend initiative, and initiating record/small press publishing for our dedicated writers. Through these efforts, Decentered Arts fosters belonging, collaboration, and equity, supporting marginalized voices to enrich San Francisco’s cultural landscape. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $21,300.00 | Balboa Art Conservation Center | 1649 El Prado , SAN DIEGO, CA 92101 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 236-9702 | California's 53rd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | The Balboa Art Conservation Center (BACC), California’s only publicly accessible nonprofit art conservation organization, submits this proposal in support of its mission to advance the study and preservation of cultural heritage for all communities. Funding will support BACC’s capacity building initiatives designed to increase collections care knowledge in California and develop a network of collections caretakers across the state. Such programs include the California Inclusive Preservation Program (CIPP), a key, cost-free initiative for BACC that reflects our commitment to inclusive, accessible, and sustainable conservation efforts. The outreach of BACC’s programs and content focuses on those tasked with collections that lack resources and access to services and training, particularly those serving underrepresented communities, including but not limited to BIPOC, rural, and veteran communities. | The Balboa Art Conservation Center works closely with museums, libraries, cultural centers, and historical societies to provide collections surveys, conservation treatment, and educational programs. While there are more than 36,000 museums and historic houses in the nation, only 1% have a conservator on site. The rest of these institutions must rely on outside sources, like BACC, for their conservation. We offer programs for museums and culture centers focused on collections care including Emergency Preparedness Workshops, Art and Cultural Heritage Object Clinics, and lectures on conservation and preservation at community colleges, universities, and museums. We also provide education and outreach programs about conservation to the community. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,750.00 | Jmm Dance Co. | 1311 Azalea dr , HOLLISTER, CA 95023 | San Benito | Central Coast | (408) 600-5107 | California's 20th congressional district | District 30 | District 12 | JMM Dance Co. requests $25,000 from the California Arts Council to expand free, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive dance and social-emotional learning (SEL) programs for youth ages 3–18 in Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Clara counties. As a BIPOC- and disability-led nonprofit serving low-HPI and rural communities, we deliver inclusive, bilingual programming grounded in Juan’s Mindset Method™. Grant funds will support instructional staffing, artist stipends, parent engagement, adaptive sensory tools, and free distribution of our My Emotions Dance Journal. This funding will enable us to serve over 500 youth through accessible, healing-centered arts programming across schools, camps, and community sites. | JMM Dance Co. – Core Programs and Services 1. SEL-Based Dance Education 2. Adaptive & Inclusive Dance 3. Expanded Learning Programs 4. Professional Development for Educators 5. Camps & Youth Intensives 6. Community Performances 7. Curriculum & Publications 8. Equity & Access Initiatives |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,300.00 | Teatro Visión | 565 N. Fifth St. , San Jose, CA 95112 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 294-6621 | District 19 | District 27 | District 15 | With support from the California Arts Council, TEATRO VISIÓN will serve the Latinx and other diverse communities of the Santa Clara Valley and the greater San Francisco Bay Area by producing culturally-based bilingual theater rooted in Chicanx and Latinx experiences, creating new work drawing from the lived experiences of our local community, and offering teatro classes that teach performance as a tool for social change. In FY25-26, we will present three mainstage productions, integrating ongoing financial and linguistic accessibility initiatives, accompanied by community engagement activities that expand their impact. We will also continue to nurture the next generation of Latinx theater-makers through youth programs and professional opportunities for artists. | Teatro Visión was founded in 1984 by members of Women in Teatro, a statewide network of Chicano theaters. Today, Teatro Visión continues to raise a unique, bilingual voice in Bay Area theater. Our core programs include: Our annual Día de Muertos production is a high caliber professional theater performance, a performance opportunity for community actors of all ages, and the anchor for a series of events that bring our community together around the themes of the play. Our annual youth production offers a cast and crew of young people aged 10 to 18 the opportunity to build skills, confidence, and community connections by participating in a professional theater production. Our smaller productions and events, including La Hora del Mitote and events produced in collaboration with partner organizations, build community while highlighting Latinx artists and artists from other underrepresented groups. Our community-based new work development programs draw on the diverse voices in our community to create unique, relevant works of theater that position Teatro Visión as an innovator in community engagement and theater creation. Our teatro classes teach performance as a tool for social change, strengthening the critical thinking, self-confidence, communication, and problem-solving skills that students need to make positive changes in our community. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $22,750.00 | Teatro Visión | 565 N. Fifth St. , San Jose, CA 95112 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 294-6621 | District 19 | District 27 | District 15 | With support from the California Arts Council, TEATRO VISIÓN will develop and present a Youth Production of the play YAMEL CUCUY in Spring 2026. Our youth productions feature casts and crews of young artists (ages 10-18) performing works of Latinx theater that address their cultural heritage and experiences. It is entirely free for these young artists to participate in the program. Youth rehearse for six weeks under the tutelage of a professional Latinx director, who serves as guide and role model. The project culminates in public performances for family, community, and local school audiences. Our youth productions typically welcome as many as 1900 audience members, including over 400 K-12 students who attend a student matinee through their schools at a discounted or fully subsidized rate. | Teatro Visión was founded in 1984 by members of Women in Teatro, a statewide network of Chicano theaters. Today, Teatro Visión continues to raise a unique, bilingual voice in Bay Area theater. Our core programs include: Our annual Día de Muertos production is a high caliber professional theater performance, a performance opportunity for community actors of all ages, and the anchor for a series of events that bring our community together around the themes of the play. Our annual youth production offers a cast and crew of young people aged 10 to 18 the opportunity to build skills, confidence, and community connections by participating in a professional theater production. Our smaller productions and events, including La Hora del Mitote and events produced in collaboration with partner organizations, build community while highlighting Latinx artists and artists from other underrepresented groups. Our community-based new work development programs draw on the diverse voices in our community to create unique, relevant works of theater that position Teatro Visión as an innovator in community engagement and theater creation. Our teatro classes teach performance as a tool for social change, strengthening the critical thinking, self-confidence, communication, and problem-solving skills that students need to make positive changes in our community. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | ARTogether | 1200 Harrison Street , Oakland, CA 94612-3913 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 545-2787 | District 12 | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, ARTogether will offer the newcomer youth program Shadow Movements, a community arts workshop series for refugee and immigrant high school-aged youth. The Project will blend traditional puppetry traditions with storytelling and filmmaking, helping participants to tell their stories through new media, diverse traditions, and visualized personal narratives. | ARTogether serves as a resource center for refugees and immigrants throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Our services center around three primary areas: (1) Bringing refugees, immigrants and the wider community together through art workshops and art-centered social gatherings, to foster wellness and community connection. (2) Supporting refugee artists by employing refugee art educators, and by connecting refugee artists to local art galleries and social venues that help them to find new markets for their art. (3) Bringing the arts to Bay Area schools, launching engaging arts programs that promote positive images of refugees and immigrants, while raising public awareness of refugee issues through educational campaigns. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $20,250.00 | San Benito County Arts Council | 35 5th St. Suite D , HOLLISTER, CA 95023 | San Benito | Central Coast | (831) 636-2787 | California's 18th congressional district | District 29 | District 17 | With support from the California Arts Council, the San Benito County Arts Council will host the inaugural Calle Mural Fest, a community mural festival designed to honor, reflect and elevate the lived experiences, cultural traditions and histories of Latinx community members in San Benito County. Local and regional artists will be selected to create vibrant murals that depict the themes and imagery from migrants, farmworkers, elders, and youth. Through the power of public art, collective storytelling and intergenerational learning, this festival will be a community celebration of culture, social justice and transformation. | The San Benito County Arts Council’s signature programs and services include: |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,300.00 | ARTogether | 1200 Harrison Street , Oakland, CA 94612-3913 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 545-2787 | District 12 | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, ARTogether will be able to sustain and enhance its existing initiatives, ensuring that we can continue providing vital support and opportunities for historically excluded artists, cultural practitioners, and communities of first- and second-generation refugees and immigrants. Funds awarded from CAC support operational expenses such as staff salaries, rent, and utilities – enabling us to maintain the infrastructure, staffing, space, and resources necessary to deliver high-quality programming, reach a wider audience, and create a lasting impact in our community. | ARTogether serves as a resource center for refugees and immigrants throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Our services center around three primary areas: (1) Bringing refugees, immigrants and the wider community together through art workshops and art-centered social gatherings, to foster wellness and community connection. (2) Supporting refugee artists by employing refugee art educators, and by connecting refugee artists to local art galleries and social venues that help them to find new markets for their art. (3) Bringing the arts to Bay Area schools, launching engaging arts programs that promote positive images of refugees and immigrants, while raising public awareness of refugee issues through educational campaigns. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $23,750.00 | Liberated Kids | 2401 35TH AVE , OAKLAND, CA 94601-3206 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (217) 721-3899 | With support from the California Arts Council, Liberated Kids will empower youth to create, produce, and perform an original, culturally-relevant student musical. Our self-directed learning center in East Oakland serves BIPOC children ages 5–14, many of whom have faced barriers to traditional school settings. Through a 9 month program that integrates literary arts, music, theater, and visual arts, students collaborate with professional teaching artists to develop leadership, confidence, and creative expression. The project culminates in a two-night public performance attended by hundreds of family and community members. CAC funds will support fair compensation for our under-resourced teaching artists, purchase arts materials, support accessibility services, and cover key production expenses to ensure all students can fully participate and share their creative work with the wider community. | Self-Directed Learning Center: This is our core program. Our learning center, open from Monday to Thursday, is a vibrant hub where children are empowered to discover their passions and shape their creative artistic paths. Each day is filled with exploration, play, socialization, and deep dives into areas of interest. Each week is a tapestry of self-chosen activities, collaborative projects, and community-building events. This dynamic flow allows children to engage deeply with their learning, fostering a love for discovery that extends beyond traditional educational boundaries. Spring Musical: We partner with the best voice, music and theater instructors to work with the children who choose to be part of the Spring Musical! This past year, over 90% of our kids participated in the Musical. They performed a total of 2 shows during the 2023-2024 year in front of over 600 audience members. Community Development: Through workshops, meetings, community gathering, volunteer days and trainings we bring together all the families and integral community members. We collaboratively develop understandings and skills to heal ourselves and be our best selves for our children. We tap into our own creativity and artistic abilities to co-create. Whole Fam Fun! – We organize family-friends events in Oakland that can be enjoyed by the whole family – including the semi-annual Musical, quarterly Day at the Theater, semi-annual Pancake Breakfast, and quarterly Fam Jams – a space for the entire family to enjoy the best Oakland DJ’s and dance the afternoon away. | |||
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $19,000.00 | California Karen Youth Connection | 399 UCCELLO WAY , SACRAMENTO, CA 95835-2653 | Sacramento | Capital | (510) 434-6355 | 7th | 6 | 8 | California Karen Youth Connection (CKYC) is a nonprofit empowering Karen and non-Karen youth across California through culturally informed programs in education, leadership, and the arts for more than 12 years. The Karen are an ethnic minority displaced by civil war and persecution in Burma. CKYC seeks support from the California Arts Council to expand its statewide Arts and Cultural Program, which provides free, community-based instruction in Karen language, traditional dance, music, storytelling, and crafts. Programs are bilingual (Karen and English), intergenerational, and led by CKYC instructors. CAC funds will support instructor stipends, program materials, venue rentals, and outreach. This investment expands access to high-quality, culturally relevant arts experiences, strengthens intergenerational community ties, and advances cultural equity and visibility within California’s diverse arts ecosystem. It also promotes healing, empowerment, and cultural preservation through youth-centered creative expression. | The CKYC is dedicated to empowering both Karen and non-Karen youth and communities statewide through culturally informed leadership education, the arts, advocacy, and human services. With a 12-year track record of leadership and community service, CKYC has supported the Karen American refugee and asylum population, as well as other vulnerable and underrepresented communities. We serve over 400 individuals annually across the Bay Area, Sacramento, Manteca, Kern County, and Southern California. Additionally, we collaborate with more than 10 partners to amplify our impact. We deliver four core programs: Arts and Cultural Program, Leadership Development Program, College and Career Mentorship Program, and Civic Engagement Program. These programs and services are critical to the success of our youth and a thriving community. By engaging in cultural practices, youth and the broader community gain not only a sense of pride in their Karen identity but also a deeper connection to their heritage and each other. The preservation of Karen traditions helps break the cycle of trauma and displacement, offering individuals a space to heal, connect, and thrive, furthermore, by passing down knowledge from one generation to the next. The CKYC ensures that these traditions evolve into sources of strength, collaboration, and opportunity for future generations. As youth develop leadership skills, they become ambassadors of their culture, promoting diversity and inclusion both within the Karen community and in society at large. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $22,750.00 | Blue Line Arts | 405 Vernon St, Suite 100 405 Vernon St, Suite 100, Roseville, CA 95678 | Placer | Upstate | (916) 783-4117 | California District 3 | District 5 | District 4 | Blue Line Arts seeks funding to expand Tour Talk Create, a free, standards-aligned arts education program for underserved K–12 students in Placer County. CAC funds will support teaching artist stipends, art supplies, and consultations with an Art Curriculum Specialist to ensure alignment with CA VAPA and National Core Arts Standards. Each session includes a guided gallery tour and culturally responsive hands-on art activities. Teachers receive lesson plans and follow-up materials to extend learning in the classroom. Designed with Creative Youth Development principles, the program nurtures confidence, creativity, and community connection. Over the grant period, Tour Talk Create will serve 500+ students through free field trips and public events, fostering long-term relationships between schools, families, and Blue Line Arts while increasing access to high-quality arts experiences. | Blue Line Arts is a gallery and arts center that offers a range of educational and community programs within the visual arts. Exhibitions: Adult education and workforce development: Youth Education: Public Art: |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $21,300.00 | OAKLAND INTERFAITH GOSPEL CHOIR | 1212 Preservation Park Way ste 200 , Oakland, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 839-4361 | California District 12 | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir (OIGC) will support its core artistic and administrative staff and operate its eight adult and youth choir programs. Programming will include a year-round schedule of rehearsals for each choir, music education classes in Oakland’s public middle schools, a gospel music apprenticeship program and a season of free Community Engagement performances and self produced concerts that celebrate, bring together, promote and increase the region’s broad community of singers and lovers of folk music rooted in the American historical practice of gospel music traditions. | OIGC’s programs include the namesake 73-member adult choir, which headlines the organization’s self-produced annual Holiday Concert and Annual Free Spring Concert; performs across the region in a variety of venues and settings; and via its artistic projects and collaborations, preserves and advances the artistic heritage of Oakland’s large African American population. The 110-member Oakland Interfaith Community Choir is a limited-commitment ensemble founded in 2013, open to adults at all skill levels. Oakland Interfaith Kids Choir is open to children between the ages of 5 – 8, while Oakland Interfaith Youth Choir serves those between 9 – 18. The 2022 merger with Oakland Youth Chorus introduced an additional three youth ensemble choruses that have an additional classroom and formal music education component for those who would like to learn to read and write music as well as sing. A Community Engagement Program offers year-round, free, accessible performances to a diverse audience that includes people in shelters, prisons, jails, nursing homes and other institutions; provides no-fee or low-fee performances for social service agencies, faith-based and educational institutions; and performs for large audiences at admission-free civic festivals and other celebrations. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,250.00 | LIGHT BRINGER PROJECT | 99 S RAYMOND AVE No. 408, PASADENA, CA 91105-2046 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 590-1134 | California's 27th congressional district | District 41 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, Light Bringer Project will be able to provide Room 13 Creative Art Studios at 4 family transitional housing shelters and 5 public school locations (outside of traditional school hours) in Los Angeles County and one community center in greater Pasadena. These studios provide culturally responsive arts-learning experiences taught by qualified community-based artists designed to help vulnerable youth fulfill their creative potential. Our Artists-in-Residence are highly diverse and reflect the communities in which the program takes place. A portion of our attendees at school sites are also foster-care residents. The unique arts learning program, now in its 5th year, anticipates serving morer than 2,500 youth in need. | The organization began as an oral history project, documenting the contributions of artists and arts supporters to the local environment, including the development of our cultural institutions and community-based organizations. Early on, Light Bringer began producing small visual, media and performing arts events at local venues. Eventually, the organization began producing larger-scale special events and, in 1997, turned its attention to youth development and public education. Current programs offered by Light Bringer Project are LocavoreLitLA, a reading promotion program; Expressing Feelings Through Art, a prevention and visual arts and literacy program; Room 13, which provides arts practice at public school sites; and College & Career Pathways, mentorship, work-based learning program. Each opportunity is designed to impart the 21st century skills of creativity, communication, collaboration and critical thinking, and each supports school-to-career initiatives and preparedness for post-secondary education. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,900.00 | Crescent Moon Theater | 1165 Cottage Lane , Hercules, CA 94547 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (415) 504-4330 | California Assembly district 10 | District 10 | District 2 | Crescent Moon Theater Productions seeks general operating support to advance our mission of creating healing-centered, community-driven performances. CAC funding sustains essential operations—artist and staff compensation, rehearsal and performance spaces, and accessibility infrastructure—empowering us to collaborate with underserved communities, including refugees and veterans, across California. This support enables us to develop original, participatory works that amplify underrepresented voices and deliver transformative experiences rooted in cultural expression, resilience, and collective healing. | Crescent Moon Theater Productions creates original, community-based work that weaves together theater, dance, music, and circus arts. Prior to the pandemic, CMTP also produced Blessed Unrest—an annual arts and social justice festival in San Francisco that convened over thirty artists exploring the intersection of creative expression and social change. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | Tap Fever Studios | 2146 GARNET AVE , SAN DIEGO, CA 92109-3602 | San Diego | Far South | (858) 456-7301 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, Tap Fever Studios will expand our Adaptive Dance Program to provide free, inclusive dance classes for children across San Diego, with a focus on students with physical and developmental disabilities. Grant funds will support teaching artists, program coordination, and outreach to underserved communities. Tap Fever is one of the few organizations in the region offering accessible dance instruction tailored to children with disabilities, and demand for the program continues to grow. CAC support will ensure that classes remain accessible to families of all income levels. Amid widespread funding cuts, support from the CAC to support this innovative program is critical. Without it, Tap Fever may be forced to reduce operations and eliminate free or low-cost classes, limiting access for those who benefit most from inclusive programming. | Tap Fever Studios offers an array of classes that teach San Diego residents from all walks of life how to mobilize the rhythm from their hearts. Tap Fever Studios provides students with the chance to participate in classes that span all of the major disciplines including tap, jazz, ballet, contemporary, hip-hop, acro, and even fitness. Program components include: Performances: Tap Fever Studios holds multiple recitals and events that showcase the hard work that dancers have put into learning their craft. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $22,500.00 | Sacred Music Fellowship | 2245 CURTIS ST , BERKELEY, CA 94702-1825 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (646) 642-9139 | 12 | 14 | 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Sacred Music Fellowship will rent a space in Berkeley, expand staffing, and grow outreach—enabling us to offer more music programs for all ages, cultures, and backgrounds. Weekly offerings will include SingJam for children and families, Kenny’s Jam, our rock and folk jam, and Sacred Music Sessions featuring global cultural traditions. With added community support, we’ll also offer workshops in diverse musical styles. Several times a year, we’ll host large interfaith celebrations that bring people together in joyous song and dance. Grant funds will support expanded programming, guest facilitators, and marketing that helps us reach more people. These funds will deepen our impact, broaden our reach, and make SMF a year-round hub for inclusive, intercultural music-making. | Sacred Music Fellowship (SMF) offers a variety of artistic programs in the Bay Area designed to foster community through music, emphasizing inclusivity and connection. Our core offerings include two weekly free jam sessions, music workshops, interdenominational and interfaith holiday music events, and music programming for children and their caregivers. Our programs are open to people of all backgrounds and skill levels, making music a relaxed and shared experience that transcends religious and cultural boundaries. Our two weekly free music jams provide opportunities for participants to come together in fun, informal and meaningful musical collaboration to sing and play. They serve as welcoming spaces where people can explore new genres and improve their musicianship. Our larger interdenominational and interfaith concert jams celebrate religious and cultural holidays through music. They build dialogue across communities and deepen the spiritual connections of participants through sharing diverse musical traditions. Our workshops are intended to help music makers improve their music skills to further uplift our communal music capabilities. Our SingJam program provides joyful, child-friendly communal music-making experiences. SingJam creates an environment for children and families to explore music in a social, collaborative setting, and is an important part of SMF’s overall mission to promote communal music making for all ages. Activities Summary: Kenny’s Jam, free weekly rock/folk jam |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,900.00 | Cheza Nami Foundation | 5424 Sunol Blvd. Ste. 10-153 , Pleasanton, CA 94566 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (925) 398-3827 | California's 15th congressional district | District 16 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Cheza Nami Foundation will sustain and expand our year-round, culturally responsive programs for children and families across the Bay Area. Funding will strengthen staffing, outreach, and accessibility efforts, allowing us to deepen impact in historically underserved communities and preserve African diasporic cultural traditions. | We offer activities to community organizations, schools and corporations while addressing educational and social needs that help foster community building, global citizenship and personal enrichment through our core programs: Cultural Arts and Learning (CAL) school assemblies for K-12, Drumming & Dancing Workshops – in-school and in-community workshops, Community engagement Drum Circles, Summer Camps for k-12 youth, Community arts programs for hand on engagement in center of learning on public community spaces, Taste of Africa Festival – Cheza Nami’s signature annual extravaganza and community celebration of African art, food music and dance, Essence Production: Cheza Nami’s music and dance production that celebrates the oneness of humankind through music and dance that brings together local master artists to collaborate on fresh works for public presentation annually. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | YOSAL | 1122 E Alisal St , SALINAS, CA 93901-2406 | Monterey | Central Coast | (831) 756-5335 | California's 20th congressional district | District 30 | District 12 | Youth Orchestra Salinas (YOSAL) seeks California Arts Council support to expand performance opportunities for youth enrolled in its year-round orchestral and ensemble programs. CAC funds will support instructor time, music purchases, and logistics that allow over 60 students to perform in at least three formal concerts and five community-based events throughout Salinas. These performances will feature a mix of classical repertoire and culturally relevant works that reflect the students’ backgrounds, building musical excellence, confidence, and a strong sense of belonging. The program serves predominantly first- and second-generation Latino youth from low-income, bilingual households, and provides a safe, supportive environment for artistic growth and community engagement. | YOSAL’s primary goals are to make classical and orchestral music accessible to the city’s low-income youth and to provide a safe space and community through which they can also access mental health resources, such as counseling. YOSAL provides instruments, weekly music classes, ensemble rehearsals, choir, music theory, and music history classes, all free of charge to students in 1st through 12th grade. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Indivisible Arts | 618 CYPRESS AVE , HERMOSA BEACH, CA 90254-4644 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (831) 601-8137 | Los Angeles, CA | 66 | D-CA | With support from the California Arts Council, Indivisible Arts will expand its Creative Wisdom Tools program at Da Vinci RISE High, delivering trauma-informed, arts-based mental wellness education to foster and system-involved youth through weekly sessions led by trained peer mentors. | Indivisible Arts operates through: 2 youth arts programs – Creative Wisdom Tools and the Visual Arts Program; a professional artist collective (South Bay Artist Collective); and its gallery + event space, Resin. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,300.00 | Resounding Joy | 11300 Sorrento Valley Rd., Ste 104 , San Diego, CA 92121 | San Diego | Far South | (858) 457-2200 | California's 50th congressional district | District 77 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, RESOUNDING JOY INC will deliver free and reduced-cost music therapy and wellness programs to over 10,000 people across San Diego County. We use the power of music to reduce stress, support healing, and strengthen communities. Our four core programs—Sounds of Healing (children with disabilities and complex medical needs), Sounds of Service (Veterans and military families), Sounds of Legacy (older adults with dementia and hospice patients), and Sounds of Community (people in under-resourced communities)—offer group sessions, one-on-one therapy, and community music events. Through these programs, we bring hope, connection, and joy to people often left out of traditional care. We envision a more inclusive world where everyone has equal access to the healing benefits of music therapy. | Our four core programs offer a continuum of music engagement from clinic to community, with Board-Certified Music Therapists providing services at clinical facilities, client homes, our Music Wellness Center, community partner sites, and virtually. 1. Sounds of Healing enhances the psychological, social-emotional, and physical well-being of medically resilient children managing long-term medical conditions and supporting families through hospice care. 2. Sounds of Service improves the emotional well-being of our Veterans, service members, and first responders. This music program supports their transition to civilian life; the management of PTSD, stress, and pain; and deeper connections to peers through participation in our community band. 3. Sounds of Legacy empowers and engages older adults affected by dementia, Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s through sessions that enrich their minds and overall quality of life. Music therapy improves speech and communication, lowers stress and anxiety, boosts immunity, and elevates mood. 4. Sounds of Community amplifies community welfare and resilience by partnering with local agencies to share music therapy and recreational music opportunities. Current and past partners include San Diego Rescue Mission, Father Joe’s Villages, South Bay Community Services, Imperial Beach Library, CalSAFE Escondido, and Alcott Elementary. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,900.00 | Bach Collegium San Diego | 1475 CATALINA BLVD , SAN DIEGO, CA 92107-3763 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 341-1726 | California's 50th congressional district | District 77 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, Bach Collegium San Diego (BCSD) will be able to hire top-tier Baroque specialists for its 2025–2026 concert season. This investment will create approximately 175 paid opportunities for freelance musicians, many of whom are California-based artists. By enabling the engagement of these performers, the Council’s funding will ensure high-quality, diverse, culturally significant programming while directly supporting the state’s creative workforce. These musicians will also contribute to our education initiatives, supporting the music education of over 200 students. Our programming and outreach intentionally prioritize engagement with historically and systemically underserved communities located in San Diego’s “Promise Zone”, ensuring broad access to artistic excellence and cultural enrichment. This initiative fosters creative expressions at all levels of music-making and strengthens California’s arts ecosystem by enhancing access to world-class music across the region. | BACH COLLEGIUM SAN DIEGO was founded by Artistic Director Ruben Valenzuela in 2003 to bring dynamic programming and performances with historical considerations to performance practice. Over the last 20 seasons, BCSD has garnered national and international recognition through its exemplary talent, making it one of the most distinguished early music ensembles in the country today. In 2021, the ensemble gained national attention through its El Mesías: Messiah for a New World project, which commissioned an original Spanish libretto of Handel’s oratorio. BCSD made its European debut at Bachfest in Leipzig, Germany in June 2024, and also performed at other Bach sites in the German state of Thuringia. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | Arts and Culture El Dorado | 525 Main Street , Placerville, CA 95667-2400 | El Dorado | Capital | (530) 295-3496 | California's 4th congressional district | District 5 | District 4 | With support from the California Arts Council, Arts and Culture El Dorado will administer the Veterans’ Voices Writing Workshop, a free, ongoing creative writing program that is open to all veterans from any branch of service. It offers a supportive environment and the tools needed for the writing of fiction and nonfiction stories, service-related or not, as well as memoir, poetry and drama. Newcomers are always welcome. We have engaged two remarkable facilitators – both women, a first for us. Writer Sue Norman, herself a vet, will oversee the South Lake Tahoe program, and poet Lara Gularte will oversee the Placerville program, enabling the Writing Workshop to flourish countywide. In addition, we will publish two anthologies of writing from the program. | Switchboard Gallery Exhibition Series |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,900.00 | Arts Education Alliance of the Bay Area | 1446 Market Street Intersection for the Arts, San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (619) 993-5147 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California arts council the Arts Education Alliance (AEA) will connect and catalyze arts education communities for a more just and creative Bay Area through the following programs and offerings: | The Arts Education Alliance of the Bay Area CONNECTS and CATALYZES local arts education coalitions for a more just and creative San Francisco Bay Area. We serve as a regional hub and unifying voice for local coalitions of teaching artists, school districts, student and their families, community arts organizations, cultural institutions, city and county agencies, funders, business leaders, and arts education advocates throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Our regional work aligns with Create CA’s state arts education efforts as well as the national efforts of the National Guild for Community Art Education and Arts Education Partnership. The Arts Education Alliance of the Bay Area supports our members to cultivate responsive leadership and advocate for arts education through ongoing convening events, professional learning workshops, monthly newsletters, and advocacy resources. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $16,200.00 | San Diego Made | 2031 Commercial Street , San Diego, CA 92113 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 817-5517 | California's 52nd congressional district | District CA-52 | District 18 | With support from the California Arts Council, San Diego Made will fund the salary of our Program Director, Sarah Anderson, whose leadership is essential to the success and impact of our work. Located in San Diego’s Promise Zone, we serve historically under-resourced communities with affordable art spaces and culturally relevant creative programming. A local resident, disabled working mother, and practicing artist, Sarah brings lived experience and strong community ties to this vital role. She manages daily operations for 40+ creative tenants, mentors resident artists, and leads partnerships with community organizations. With this grant, we can continue delivering our impactful programming while reinvesting in the infrastructure that sustains our affordable space model and keeps our work viable. Supporting her role maintains our leadership team as one that is rooted in inclusion, equity, and community representation. | San Diego Made is an artist-led creative hub that drives social, cultural, and economic opportunities for artists, small businesses, and organizations throughout the region. We’re building a creative ecosystem that equips community members with the resources, support, and connections they need in order to build thriving futures. At our headquarters at the Factory in Logan Heights, our community has access to 12,000 sq. ft. of inspiring studio spaces, event facilities, and exhibition areas where people can hone their craft and showcase their work in a bold, welcoming environment. Through our public programming, artist residencies, and signature maker’s markets, we create immersive experiences that bring creatives and community together—fostering dialogue, sparking collaboration, and promoting meaningful engagement with the arts. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,300.00 | ABADA-Capoeira San Francisco | 3221 22nd Street , San Francisco, CA 94110-3006 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 206-0650 | California Assembly District 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, ABADA-Capoeira San Francisco (ACSF) will support the salaries of artistic staff, essential for sustaining and expanding artistic leadership and programs. This grant will foster new artistic expression and promote leadership that reflects California’s rich cultural heritage. Additionally, it will enhance ACSF’s capacity to conduct and expand programs, meet strategic goals, and address bandwidth challenges to meet community demand. These foundational expenses are vital for the continuation of programs and the overall stability of the organization. | ACSF brings high-quality, culturally authentic, and awe-inspiring Afro-Brazilian arts to the streets, schools, and stages of the Bay Area. Programs center around Capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian art created by enslaved Africans in Brazil in response to oppression and used to fight for freedom. Capoeira combines self-defense, dance, ritual, acrobatics, and music in a rhythmic dialogue of body, mind, and spirit. It’s internationally practiced and protected under UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Rooted in resilience, Capoeira’s history of uniting diverse populations in their quest for freedom and justice shapes ACSF’s mission and programs. ACSF provides year-round arts education; cultural festivals and performances; artist exchange and residency opportunities; apprenticeships and artist employment; and classes for children, teens and adults in Capoeira, dance, music, and fitness—providing people opportunities to learn about, experience, and participate in art rooted in tradition. Programs develop artistic and physical skills; cultivate and support cultural practitioners and next-generation artists; inspire cultural awareness, creative conflict resolution, and civic engagement; and foster health and cultural connectedness. ACSF’s Capoeira Arts Center enlivens the Mission District, housing the performance company, hosting internationally attended cultural festivals, and providing daily instructional programs and affordable rental space to artists and organizations. To remove barriers and encourage participation, ACSF provides: |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | Lovely Bouquet of Flowers: An Exploration of Non-Traditional Gender Voices | 1465 Tamarind Ave, Box 192 , Hollywood, CA 90028 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 448-6490 | “Lovely Bouquet of Flowers: An Exploration of Non-Traditional Gender Voices” is a fiscally sponsored, performance-based storytelling project amplifying trans and nonbinary voices through live theatre, documentary film, and community-led workshops. With recent grant funding secured from RESIST for programming at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility, CAC support would allow us to deepen and expand our work – reaching additional sites across California, including Folsom State Prison and local universities. Funds will support artist stipends, travel, creative materials, and facilitation of trauma-informed workshops rooted in storytelling and symbolic resistance. Though our project has existed since 2012, we relaunched our national tour this year and are operating with new revenue under fiscal sponsorship. CAC funding will be catalytic – allowing us to scale an already-proven model of creative, inclusive community engagement during a moment of urgent cultural need. | Lovely Bouquet of Flowers offers a multifaceted approach to uplifting trans and gender-nonconforming voices through the arts: • Theatrical Performances: We produce original plays that weave together monologues, dialogues, poetry, and movement, showcasing real-life experiences of trans individuals. These performances have been staged at venues like the Renberg Theatre and are designed to resonate with diverse audiences. • Documentary Film: Our feature-length documentary, In Full Bloom…transcending gender, captures the essence of our theatrical work and extends our reach to broader audiences, including screenings at film festivals and educational institutions. We will be continuing to document this next exciting chapter in our work. • Educational Workshops: We conduct interactive workshops in prisons, colleges, and community centers, facilitating discussions on identity, resilience, and social justice. Participants engage in creative exercises, such as crafting their own symbolic “flowers,” fostering personal expression and community building. • Community Engagement: Our programs are designed to be inclusive and accessible, often offered free of charge to participants. We prioritize collaboration with local artists and organizations to ensure our work reflects and serves the communities we engage with. Through these core services, Lovely Bouquet of Flowers not only provides artistic expression but also serves as a catalyst for dialogue, healing, and social change. Our commitment to authenticity, inclusivity, and empowerment drives our mission to create a more understanding and equitable world. | |||
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Harmony Project | 2410 Beverly Blvd. , LOS ANGELES, CA 90057 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 462-4311 | 34th Congressional District | 54th Assembly District | 26th Senate District | With support from the California Arts Council, the Harmony Project will implement sequential and tuition-free music education programming for the benefit of nearly 3,600 underserved K-12 students residing within historically marginalized communities of color located throughout Los Angeles County and North Orange County. Our holistic approach to program design and implementation incorporates college attainment resources (College, Alumni, Success Team) and social support services (Community and Relational Engagement ) that enhance and reinforce 21st Century skills (creativity, collaboration, communication, etc.) and Social Emotional Learning (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, etc.), while also inspiring program participants to complete high school and pursue a postsecondary education. This thoughtfully considered combination of programs and services empowers young musicians to become creative thinkers and confident learners capable of realizing their full potential. | Harmony Project implements music education programming for the benefit of more than 3,600 underserved K-12 students located within Los Angeles County and North Orange County. We believe that combining rigorous music instruction with a robust social support network empowers children and youth (between the ages of five through 18 years old) to become creative thinkers and confident learners capable of realizing their full potential. Our organization also integrates the following program elements at no cost to program participants: Musical Instruments – Every student receives an instrument to take home and practice on. Music Lessons – Four to six hours of weekly music instruction from a teaching artist at nearby school sites and recreational centers. Orchestras & Concerts – Students perform music with their peers at iconic venues such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall and Hollywood Bowl. Holistic Social Support – Our team of counselors, social workers, and therapists help students and their families navigate challenges at home and school. Peer Mentoring – Advanced students support their peers through one-on-one mentoring. Academic Support – Students have access to tutoring services that help ensure they excel in the classroom. College Attainment – Access to one-on-one college counseling for parents and students to help ensure our students remain on track during the college admissions and financial aid process. College Scholarships – We provide funding to support the college aspirations of our high school students. Alumni Network – Alumni remain connected to Harmony Project through regular check-ins, internships, and paid music performance opportunities. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | Imagine Art s Center | 63 S MAIN ST , PORTERVILLE, CA 93257-4703 | Tulare | Central Valley | (559) 615-1373 | 26 | 33 | 16 | Imagine Art Center’s (IAC) proposal for the Arts and Youth program aligns with the Cal Arts commitment to equitable arts access and culturally responsive engagement for young people across the state. Located in rural-serving-Porterville—community within the lowest quartiles of the Healthy Places Index—IAC serves historically and systemically underserved population due to geographic isolation, economic hardship, and limited access to arts education. With a mission to make art accessible, we propose to us $25,000 to expand free/low-cost arts programming for youth 5-18, including language learners, justice-impacted, or experiencing poverty. Programs foster agency, cultural pride, and connection through hands-on, community learning led by local artists who reflect the identities of the youth. With no prior direct CAC operating support, IAC is uniquely positioned to bridge barriers while cultivating a new generation of culturally literate, creatively empowered youth. | Founded in 2010 by local artist and educator Rebecca Ybarra, Imagine Art Center emerged from a deep commitment to integrate the arts into the heart of community life. From its inception, the organization has upheld a mission both simple and profound: to ensure that art is accessible, inclusive, and empowering for all individuals—regardless of age, income level, or prior experience. This mission guides every aspect of our programming and informs our belief that art has the capacity to transform not only individual lives, but entire communities. At the center of our work is a dynamic portfolio of core programs and services designed to respond to the creative, educational, and emotional needs of our community. These offerings foster artistic expression, support emerging and established artists, and create meaningful cultural engagement opportunities. Our programs are grounded in equity, cultural responsiveness, and the belief that creativity is a human right. We collaborate with city agencies, nonprofits, schools, and local businesses to use art as a vehicle for civic engagement, education, and economic development. Through these partnerships, we aim to elevate the role of artists as change agents and to embed creativity into the public sphere in ways that are lasting and inclusive. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $20,250.00 | LIFE I LOVE SCHOOL | 3221 HAMLINE AVE APT 1 , OAKLAND, CA 94602-1553 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (864) 671-9838 | Life I Love requests $25,000 to implement Healing Through Art: Community Wellness Initiative, a year-long project addressing mental health disparities among Black and Brown girls in Oakland. In partnership with Madison Park Academy, the initiative will engage 3rd-5th grade girls in arts-based wellness circles that build emotional intelligence and self-expression. Led by Sunshine Leaders (local artists and wellness coaches) each session will integrate storytelling and visual art to explore themes such as identity, emotional regulation, and healing. Grant funds will support facilitator compensation, materials, and coordination. This initiative aligns with CAC priorities by centering youth voice, creative practice, and community collaboration to address systemic inequities in mental health and education. Expected outcomes include stronger emotional well-being for participants, increased community capacity to use the arts for healing, and a sustainable model for creative social change. | Life I Love Wellness Program Sunshine Leader Training Program Together, these two programs create a full-circle approach to healing and growth. From early intervention to leadership development, Life I Love offers Black and Brown girls consistent spaces to build self-worth, manage stress, and grow into powerful advocates for their own well-being. | |||
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | JUiCE Hip Hop | 9538 Rhea Ave , Northridge, CA 91324 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 731-8096 | California's 30th congressional district | District 51 | District 24 | Funds will support the expansion of youth hip-hop arts programs, building on existing community relationships to deepen access and engagement. Programs will be culturally responsive and designed to reduce barriers to participation, fostering creativity, connection, and lifelong artistic engagement for youth. | J.U.i.C.E. provides a safe center for emerging and young artists to develop a sense of community and provide a place for self-expression through the hip-hop arts. We foster the development of leadership and technical skills through a variety of art programs and encourage the creative expression through music, spoken word, visual arts, and dance. J.U.i.C.E. creates unique opportunities for these young artists to showcase their work, network with peers and professionals and engage with their communities in a safe and positive manner through the hip-hop arts. For over 20 years, J.U.i.C.E. has been changing lives in Los Angeles by hosting free weekly art programs. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $22,250.00 | San Diego Made | 2031 Commercial Street , San Diego, CA 92113 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 817-5517 | California's 52nd congressional district | District CA-52 | District 18 | With support from the California Arts Council, San Diego Made will continue our My Creative Journey | Mi Viaje Creativo residency program. Successfully implemented in 2024 with support from the City of San Diego’s Impact Grant, additional funding will allow for a fifth session of this pivotal project and help us provide another artist from San Diego’s Promise Zone communities with dedicated studio space, a living-wage stipend, organizational support, and mentorship as they develop free, bilingual, accessible public programming—workshops, speaking events, student visits, and a culminating exhibition. The residency fosters storytelling and cultural exchange, supporting artists as they deepen their creative practice and grow their capacity to produce culturally responsive, engaging events within their communities. The initiative builds cultural pride and belonging while advancing equitable access to space, resources, and opportunity for artists in underserved communities. | San Diego Made is an artist-led creative hub that drives social, cultural, and economic opportunities for artists, small businesses, and organizations throughout the region. We’re building a creative ecosystem that equips community members with the resources, support, and connections they need in order to build thriving futures. At our headquarters at the Factory in Logan Heights, our community has access to 12,000 sq. ft. of inspiring studio spaces, event facilities, and exhibition areas where people can hone their craft and showcase their work in a bold, welcoming environment. Through our public programming, artist residencies, and signature maker’s markets, we create immersive experiences that bring creatives and community together—fostering dialogue, sparking collaboration, and promoting meaningful engagement with the arts. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,750.00 | TONALITY | 325 N Larchmont Suite 306 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90004-6717 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (910) 358-7130 | California's 30th congressional district | District 51 | District 26 | Tonality respectfully requests support from the California Arts Council’s Impact Projects program to fund the “Just Me” concert, a collaborative performance that amplifies the lived experiences of transgender and non-binary individuals through music and storytelling, fostering empathy, visibility and social change through artistic expression. Grant funds will support collaborations with Los Angeles County High Schools to conduct Tonality Scholars workshops in fall 2025 led by Tonality’s BIPOC and LGBTQ+ artists. These workshops will culminate at Tonality’s “Just Me” concert which will be presented at The Wallis in January 2026. The concert will celebrate resilience, honor truths, and confront ongoing injustices faced by transgender and non-binary people. All workshops and performances will be offered free of charge to participating students and select underrepresented schools, increasing accessibility and cultural participation in classical music. | Tonality was established in 2016 to serve as a professional choral environment where racial and ethnic diversity would be represented both in the vocal performers and in the genres of music presented. In its second year, Tonality added an extra focus of presenting topics of social justice, particularly issues that affect the most marginalized within our community. Currently, Tonality is proving to be one of the most racially diverse professional choral ensembles in the country. Our commitment to present diverse composers and perspectives to issues of social justice increases every year. Furthermore, our endeavors to expand diversity extends to our Board of Directors, who also strive to maintain a strong sense of diversity in both racial and gender identities. Lastly, Tonality work’s to reflect diversity within the artists and composers is also reflected in the collective mission to serve a diverse audience. Tonality’s core programs include its seasonal concerts, Tonality Youth Scholars Choral Education Program, Systems change in classical music Speaker Series and increasing diverse voices in Music, Film, Tv Special Projects. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Girls Make Beats | 7243 Atoll Ave. Suite A , North Hollywood, CA 91605 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (954) 871-0683 | California's 29th congressional district | District CA-29 | District 27 | Girls Make Beats proposes a free, year-long after-school music and audio arts program serving girls of color in under-resourced Los Angeles communities. Held at the GMB Academy in North Hollywood, CA, the program offers weekly workshops in music production, DJing, and audio storytelling, led by professional women artists of color. Youth will create original works that reflect their lived experiences, culminating in public showcases and a digital sound archive. CAC grant funds will support artist compensation, youth stipends, equipment, software, and accessibility accommodations, including ASL interpretation and adaptive materials. This program centers community voice and uses music as a tool for healing, empowerment, and cultural pride — providing girls with the skills, space, and support to tell their stories and build creative futures. | Girls Make Beats offers in-school and after-school courses on industry-leading hardware and software, along with summer camps, industry panels, and networking events. We provide scholarships, internships, live performance opportunities, and portfolio development to empower girls in music production, DJing, and audio engineering. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,500.00 | Lou Harrison House | PO Box 416 , Joshua Tree, CA 92252 | San Bernardino | Inland Empire | (760) 366-4712 | California's 8th congressional district | District 34 | District 19 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Joshua Tree Foundation for Arts & Ecology will host Serrano/Cahuilla elder and teacher Kim Marcus and his family for a free week-long Native Voices Camp for youth in our Quartile 1 underserved rural community. This initiative will immerse kids ages 7-12 in indigenous arts and traditions, ensuring cultural knowledge is passed on through interactive workshops on songs, dances, basket weaving, bow and arrow crafting, clothing creation, pictographs, and traditional food preparation used for daily life and ceremony by the First People of our land. This program will culminate in a community gathering, where families can celebrate the youths’ achievements through exhibitions and performances creating meaningful connections across histories and cultures. | Joshua Tree Foundation for Arts & Ecology, dba Lou Harrison House (formerly HHMA&E) is a center for culture based in an historic retreat that California composer Lou Harrison built in Joshua Tree. Lou Harrison House gives gifted artists of many disciplines a residency opportunity to perch at the intersection of art and ecology and create their best work in a fully supported and inspiring setting. We enliven our rural community with high quality public programs including performances, lecture demonstrations, exhibitions and workshops offered by our residents. In the past three years we have worked with the Morongo Unified School District to bring our gifted global culture bearers into the schools for assemblies and to bring students on field trips to our Arts & Ecology site and Lou Harrison House where we teach each ecology through the lens of art and sound and music appreciation. HHMA&E was established in 2006 and the Arts & Ecology Center in 2016. Without the earth there is no art! Our Arts & Ecology Center explores and demonstrates the regenerative, practical and aesthetic patterns of nature. We offer public tours and workshops that aim to inspire ecological awareness, stewardship and aesthetics. Located on eight desert acres our facilities include: Lou Harrison House Arts & Ecology Center |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,250.00 | Las Fotos Project | 2210 East Cesar E Chavez Avenue , Los Angeles, CA 90033 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (661) 618-1653 | 34th Congressional District | District 54 | District 26 | Funding from CAC will support our free Digital Promotoras photojournalism workshop series which aims to achieve the following outcomes: | Founded in 2010, Las Fotos Project (a Community Partners project) is a non-profit community-based photography program located in Los Angeles, whose primary goal is to advance positive change for adolescent girls and gender-expansive youth through one-on-one mentoring, photography trainings, and assigned field projects. Our programs and services also foster the creativity, communication, critical thinking, and collaboration skills needed to compete in a 21st century workforce. We annually serve more than 300 female and gender-expansive students between the ages of 13-18 from communities of color, who do not have access to photography equipment or arts-based programs. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,750.00 | TRYBE INC | 3542 FRUITVALE AVE 135 , OAKLAND, CA 94602-2327 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 985-9915 | With support from the California Arts Council, Trybe Inc. will offer free-to-participant art and dance programming for 200 low-income, violence-impacted, Oakland community youth ages 5 to 25 in Clinton Square Park. Grant funds will be used to provide 40 sessions of dance in four genres, along with 10 sessions of hands-on art activities led by Trybe’s resident artist Ryoko Tokuho. All art programming focuses on self-expression, developing agency, individual and community empowerment and voice, while reflecting on and appreciating Oakland’s unique and diverse culture. | Programming in youth internships and mentorships, age 0-12 enrichment activities, food and basic need distributions, multicultural family events, sports teams, art and wellness programs, job readiness programs, and safety ambassadors, serving over 20,000 community members annually. Programming is managed and maintained by staff members rooted in the community they serve. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,500.00 | Bay Area Girls Rock Camp | 1305 Franklin St. , OAKLAND, CA 94612-8413 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 267-1808 | California Assembly district 18 | District 18 | District 9 | With the support from the California Arts Council, Bay Area Girls Rock Camp will serve 750 girls, trans, and gender-nonconforming youth in programs: Girls Rock Summer Camp and Girls Rock After School Program. Both programs take place in Oakland at OUSD campuses, and allow at-promise youth (ages 8-18) to receive instrument instruction, attend transformative skill-building workshops, collaborate with peers and write original songs, and present their work at a live concert. Outcomes are to: shift gender norms that exclude and isolate girls/TGNC youth in the arts; build life skills (conflict resolution, leadership, resiliency); provide alternative learning pathways with affinity-based, multigenerational mentorships and representation. | Bay Area Girls Rock Camp’s core programs are the 10-week Girls Rock After School Program (GRASP), and the month long Girls Rock Summer Camp, each serving girls and gender expansive youth ages 8-18. In both programs, youth receive intensive instrument instruction, form bands with peers, attend transformative workshops, and perform in a culminating showcase for the local community. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,500.00 | Junior Center of Art & Science | 558 BELLEVUE AVE , OAKLAND, CA 94610-5026 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 839-5777 | California's 13th congressional district | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Junior Center of Art and Science (JCAS) will expand equitable, arts-integrated learning experiences for youth in under-resourced communities across Oakland and the East Bay. Funding will support general operations, allowing us to sustain and grow free and low-cost programs that foster creativity, critical thinking, and belonging through the arts. | The Center provides high quality programs in the arts and sciences. Our center hosts visitors in our five interactive learning spaces including our art studio, maker space, and animal room. Programs are provided both on-site and throughout the Oakland and East Bay Area through school and community partners. Offerings occur during the day, after school and on Saturdays. Classes are taught by professionals in their fields. We are happy to partner with over 40 school and community sites throughout the East Bay Area. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $22,200.00 | The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation | 2550 N HOLLYWOOD WAY STE 302 , BURBANK, CA 91505-5049 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 762-4328 | With support from the California Arts Council, Mr Hollands Opus Foundation Inc will provide vital support services to K-12 public school districts and musical instruments to underfunded public school music programs across California, giving under-represented youth access to music education, regardless of their economic circumstance. | MHOF’s core programs and services are: MEDSS® (Music [and Arts] Education District Support Services): MEDSS is an innovative districtwide assessment and consulting service that utilizes data and teacher feedback to identify and address the challenges and barriers both at individual school sites as well as systemically throughout the district that are creating inequities for student access and participation in quality, sequential, and sustainable music and arts programming at every school. MEDSS focuses on why these challenges and barriers exist in order to then implement customized solutions that directly impact teachers and students at scale throughout the system. MEDSS informs and empowers district administrators, principals, teachers, communities, funders, and other stakeholders as to the current state of music and arts, plus the types and amounts of resources and supports needed to serve every student, within every classroom, and at every school throughout the entire district. Musical Instruments Program: MHOF provides musical instruments and related equipment/accessories free-of-charge to K-12 public schools, with a focus on low-income communities. Our quality vetting and granting process is unique by working with each school to customize specific needs that address student enrollment, instrument sharing, replacing aged/broken instruments, and teachers borrowing from other schools. Music Rising: MHOF administers this program focused on rebuilding school music programs in the aftermath of natural disasters, restoring vital music programs and helping communities recover through the power of music. Music Rising was originally co-founded by U2’s The Edge and legendary music producer Bob Ezrin. Holland’s Heroes: This nationwide network of school district arts leaders is dedicated to transforming arts education. By fostering collaboration, sharing best practices, and using data to drive equitable solutions, the group works to expand student access to inclusive, high-quality arts learning and experiences across the country. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,600.00 | Versa-Style Dance Company | 7300 CASE AVE , SUN VALLEY, CA 91352-5034 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (831) 419-0427 | California Assembly district 39 | District 39 | District 18 | With support from the California Arts Council, Versa Style Street Dance Company (VSDC) will subsidize livable wages for three members of our seven-person core administrative staff. Staff members are critical to the organization’s sustainability and capacity as an anchor of Hip Hop and Street Dance culture and education across Southern California. VSDC staff occupy vital roles within the organization, including teaching artist, performer, mentor and cultural practitioner and represent an internal career development pipeline crucial to the organization’s ethos as a cultural institution with county-wide impact. California Arts Council funding will support VSDC’s ability to care for its artists and provide equitable pay. | Versa Style Next Generation (VSNG): Since 2009, VSNG has provided Hip Hop and Street Dance education and mentorship for LAC youth ages 15-22. Through VSNG, our teaching artists – all of whom are artists of color and alumni of the program – provide personalized instruction in Street Dance technique, history and creative industry knowledge. VSNG also builds a sense of community and cultural affirmation, as well as enhanced socioemotional learning and life skills, such as self-efficacy and resilience. Youth Education and Outreach: We program in LAC communities with high concentrations of low-income students of color. Programming includes providing dance education on-site at the campuses of our K-12 school partners both during and after school. We also partner with the Arts for Healing and Justice Network (AHJN) to produce residencies at juvenile detention facilities throughout LAC. During the 2024-25 school year, our dance education residency programs were provided across eight K-12 schools and two juvenile detention facilities. Dance Companies: We operate two professional dance ensembles: the original Versa-Style Street Dance Company (VSDC) and our newly-formed secondary company, Versa-Style Legacy, composed of recent VSNG graduates. VSDC performs and tours evening-length Hip Hop and Street Dance productions nationally, while VS Legacy performs locally, showcasing Origins of Hip Hop, an educational presentation on the history of Street Dance in America, at schools, community centers and festivals. Community Programs: Our weekly Friday Night Dance Classes have been held regularly since the inception of VSDC and are co-taught by VSDC co-founders, providing access to high quality learning for our students and ensuring our organization’s leadership remains fully immersed in the community we serve. Additionally, we facilitate block party-style Let the Music Move You events 4-5 times a year across LAC, offering rich and diverse entertainment and community building opportunities that also help promote awareness of our programming. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,250.00 | Jess Curtis/Gravity | 849 DIVISADERO STREET #4, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117-1515 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 483-5996 | CA-011 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Jess Curtis/Gravity, will present “Duetrospective,” a month-long festival to celebrate the legacy and memory of the late American choreographer, Jess Curtis (1962-2024). From May-June 2026, “Duetrospective” will feature interdisciplinary, multicultural, and intergenerational artists who interacted with Curtis during his lifetime to present six revisioned works and two weeks of classes and workshops hosted in partnership with ROT (formerly the Kathleen Hermesdorf FRESH Festival). The activities will take place across San Francisco, including at CounterPulse, and will feature at least ten teachers including Miguel Gutierrez, Sherwood Chen, Maria Scaroni, Stephanie Maher, Rachael Dichter, Gabriele Christian, and more. “Duetrospective” will close with the remounted “Ice/Car/Cage” reimagined by the local, queer, Black artist collective RUPTURE in partnership with Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture. | Jess Curtis/Gravity: creates, produces, and tours original works of body-based performance that physically explore and address issues and ideas of substance and relevance to anyone with a body; educates professionals, students, and members of the public with physically accessible workshops presented in cities throughout the US and Europe; nurtures emerging artists through our BEYOND GRAVITY incubation program that provides artistic mentorship, professional guidance, and fiscal sponsorship; fosters international exchange through co-productions that mobilize our international network to bring international artists to San Francisco and help San Francisco artists present work abroad; supports the presentation of free performances in public spaces through our POP UP PERFORMANCES PROJECT program, which commissions Bay Area artists to present site-specific work on city streets; and provides access services and consultations to make performing arts more inclusive of people with disabilities through the GRAVITY ACCESS SERVICES program. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $13,500.00 | Altadena Music Theatre | 2363 El Moreno St , La Crescenta-Montrose, CA 91214-3160 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (760) 208-3254 | District 28 | District 44 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, Altadena Music Theatre will produce and present professional musical theatre productions and educational programs. Funding will support artist fees, production costs, marketing/public relations, accessibility, and administrative staff. | Altadena Music Theatre’s core programs and services are its professional season of live musical theatre productions and its children’s musical theatre education programs and camps. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | CreaTV San Jose | 38 S. 2nd Street , San Jose, CA 95113-2501 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 295-8815 | California's 19th congressional district | District 27 | District 15 | CreaTV Presents will provide bi-monthly opportunities to elevate conversation and creativity through local media arts. The series will invite different guest lead artists and organizations to co-curate events that focus on issues that are relevant to San Jose. CreaTV Presents Events will help demonstrate the relation of creative arts to history, power, culture, local issues. These events are intentionally participatory in nature to afford community members the chance to actively engage with local issues through creative expression and the arts. CreaTV Presents will focus on uplifting local voices, stories, and histories that are often silenced, marginalized, and forgotten. | CreaTV exists to provide opportunities for the people of San José to receive media technology training, hands-on media creation experience, and access to broadcast/streaming platforms. Our focus in helping the community tell stories is always rooted in equity. We directly address the issue of marginalized communities not having access to media technology learning opportunities/equipment/experts/distribution platforms/multiple participation points (virtual/in-person). Our programs offer comprehensive media education, documentary filmmaking/storytelling, and community engagement opportunities that provides spaces for youth/adults to learn the art and technical aspects of storytelling, to share their unique stories, gather and discuss local media, and to use arts and culture to bring attention to issues in their communities that are important to them. It includes: Our programs provide avenues for artistic self-expression and storytelling, exploration of media/art centric careers, and equitable access to media and technology tools and training for all ages. Our 18,000 sq. ft. facility, Open San José will be the first of its kind. 7 nonprofits (Chopsticks Alley Art, Latina Coalition of SV, LEAD Filipino, Mosaic America, Northern California Public Media, San José Spotlight, and Works/San José) share our values to co-curate the space with us, the community, and other partners. Open San José is a unique community resource for creating, convening, learning, sharing, expressing, archiving, and disseminating. The facility features a large studio, gallery space, and multi-purpose rooms that are technology equipped and designed for live/hybrid meetings, rehearsal space, podcast recording, trainings, and more. The space provides free/below market, tech heavy spaces for cultural/civic events with a focus on equity/social change. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Esperanza Community Housing Corporation | 3655 S GRAND AVE STE 280 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90007-4377 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 748-7285 | District 37 | District 57 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, Esperanza Community Housing Corporation will advance media arts equity among underrepresented youth artists and filmmakers by producing a) the 4th Annual South Central Film Festival and b) five filmmaking and media arts workshops. This project addresses the critical gap in community-led festivals that serve as a platform and networking opportunity for underrepresented youth and promotes skills building and professional development opportunities for young creators systematically excluded from creative industries. | Esperanza advances the health, dignity, and human rights of South LA through: 1) Affordable Housing – Addressing displacement and housing vulnerability in South L.A., our safe and affordable family housing units offer security and shelter to hundreds of residents. 2) Health and Access to Care – Promoting a broad culture of wellness, Esperanza educates and supports the empowerment of community members to improve health and increase access to care. 3) Economic Development – Facilitating local economic development, Mercado La Paloma provides growth opportunities and financial stability to small, family-owned businesses. 4) Arts and Culture – Stimulating involvement in the arts and increasing civic engagement, our programming celebrates South L.A.’s rich heritage and vibrant traditions. 5) Environmental Justice – Ensuring families are safe from toxins in their homes and neighborhoods, Esperanza advocates for public policy through a human rights and environmental justice framework. 6) Policy Advocacy & Systems Change – Advocating around our core programs, and in partnership with allied organizations, at both the local and state levels, our main focus is on community power-building, equitable development, displacement and gentrification prevention, preservation & production of affordable housing, transit justice, environmental justice, immigrant rights, and public health. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | Diamano Coura West African Dance Company | 1428 ALICE STREET; SUITE 201 , OAKLAND, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 326-1968 | California Assembly District 12 | District 18 | District 9 | The 31st Annual Collage des Cultures Africaines – an affordable four-day music and dance festival celebrating the African Diaspora – held in Oakland, CA from March 12-15, 2026. Collage promotes cultural literacy, maintains Oakland’s vibrant and culturally rich community, establishes positive role models for youth, and provides opportunities for professional artists and artisans to share and celebrate their cultural traditions. This intergenerational event makes folkloric performing arts accessible to the diverse Bay Area and California community by offering: a free school-time and site-specific performance and workshop to East Bay elementary, middle, and high school students, affordable dance and music workshops, a gala concert that showcases California folk and traditional performing arts companies, and a free Collage plenary discussion focusing on themes in the African diasporic aesthetics and current issues. | Diamano Coura offers weekly public classes in music and dance, arts advocacy and information sessions and serves as a community hub for youth-initiated arts education projects. We motivate artists to maximize their potential and encourage youth to explore and express their cultural and ethnic heritage through our arts-in-education programs. Collage des Cultures Africaines Annual Festival and its repertory concert is Diamano Coura’s shown commitment to partnering with other artists and community members to use the inherent power of the arts in breaking barriers that stagnate, to open up corridors that encourage social and economic development, while simultaneously fostering health and well-being. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $22,000.00 | AfroSolo Theatre Company | 762 Fulton Street, Suite 307 Third Floor, San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 346-9344 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, AfroSolo Theatre Company will offer “Black Women: Resilient,” a Black women-led multi-disciplined theatre-based project based on the five principles of Trauma-Informed Care – safety, choice, collaboration, trustworthiness, and empowerment – to create and perform solo performances based on their life experiences. The program includes four 8-week sessions—two in the fall and two in winter/spring—offered both online and in-person at the Dr. George Davis Senior Center. Participants will create original solo pieces based on their lived experiences, building confidence, writing, and public speaking skills. The project will culminate in a public performance at the AfroSolo Theatre Festival in September 2026. | AfroSolo Theatre Company’s core programming is anchored by the annual AfroSolo Arts Festival, a year-long, multidisciplinary celebration of Black arts and culture. Each year’s programming is united by a central theme and structured around three primary components: AfroSolo in the Gardens – A free, outdoor jazz concert held at Yerba Buena Gardens featuring acclaimed Black vocalists and instrumentalists. This accessible event invites intergenerational and multicultural audiences to experience the richness of Black musical traditions in a communal setting. AfroSolo in the Gallery – A curated visual arts exhibition showcasing up to five Black artists at the African American Center of San Francisco’s Main Public Library. This public-facing exhibit creates opportunities for emerging and mid-career artists to present socially engaged work in a civic space. Black Voices Performance Series – The centerpiece of the festival, this series features solo theatre, spoken word, and dance performances by African American and Diasporic artists. Presented at culturally significant venues such as the African American Art and Culture Complex, these performances elevate personal narratives that speak to collective histories, resilience, and transformation. AfroSolo also runs year-round community engagement initiatives. These include: Through accessible programming, strategic partnerships, and culturally responsive practice, AfroSolo provides visibility and support for Black artists while fostering healing, dialogue, and joy in the communities it serves. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,250.00 | First Exposures | 265 Shotwell St , San Francisco, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 716-8651 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, First Exposures (FX) will serve 65 Bay Area underserved youth, ages 11-18, by providing high-quality photography education and mentorship during our 2025-2026 Yearlong and Summer Mentoring Programs. For over 30 years, FX has positively impacted thousands of youth through our free programs, building their creativity, confidence, and leadership. FX’s Yearlong Photography Mentoring program provides 30 youth with 1:1 positive adult mentorship in Digital or Darkroom Photography classes led by professional Teaching Artists. Youth develop their technical skills, artistic voice, and receive social-emotional support. FX’s Summer Photo Mentoring Program engages 35 youth over 7 weeks in our Darkroom or Digital Photography classes twice a week for 3 hours per class. With the support of Teaching Artists and a group of mentors, classes emphasize collaboration, team-building, and creative exploration. | FX offers two mentoring sessions each year: Academic Year Mentorship: FX’s 30 academic-year mentees meet weekly on Saturdays for four-hour sessions over a 32-week period. Mentees are matched 1:1 with a mentor/adult role model, providing individualized guidance for the duration of their FX experience. Mentees choose to work with either “traditional” film photography or digital photography. Throughout the year, mentees have opportunities to go on photo walks around the city, field trips to explore new areas like the Marin Headlands and cultural institutions like SFMOMA, and take part in unique photo-based opportunities like constructing a community altar for Dia de los Muertos at the Oakland Museum. In the culmination of the year and their efforts, mentees are exhibited in our annual art auction at SOMArts Cultural Center and have their work showcased in the First Exposures’ gallery space with their family, friends, and the public. Summer Group Mentoring: Over the summer months, San Francisco’s families, schools, shelters, and centers struggle to find creative ways to keep underserved youth engaged. First Exposures’ summer program, inaugurated in 2014, teaches digital photography and darkroom film photography in small group settings with two mentors and five mentees acting as a team to provide a unique shared experience and more peer-to-peer learning. The program serves 30 mentees over an 8-week period and concludes with a public exhibition of mentee work. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | San Francisco Shakespeare Festival | PO BOX 460937 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94146-0937 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 558-0888 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, SHAKESPEARE – SAN FRANCISCO’S professional teaching artists will partner with four San Francisco Unified School District public middle schools, Francisco, Everett, Aptos and Marina, to implement the Shakespeare’s Heartbeat curriculum, bringing performing arts enrichment and teaching social emotional skills to neuro diverse students in under-served communities. These weekly classes at each school site will run the equivalent of an entire school year through the span of the grant period employing a diverse group of professional teaching artists in providing sustained quality arts instruction for vulnerable youth. | Free Shakespeare in the Park each year presents a professional production of Shakespeare in five public park venues, reaching up to 30,000 Bay Area citizens. The Festival also engages communities through five arts education programs: -Shakespeare on Tour performs an abridged Shakespeare play at 150 schools, libraries and community centers in the Bay Area and all over the state. -Over 300 youth ages 4-18 attend Bay Area Shakespeare Camps to explore Shakespeare’s plays and also learn the skills needed to perform them. -Tailor-Made Residencies connect Festival teaching artists with classroom teachers for in-school theater enrichment tailored to their students. -Midnight Shakespeare provides a challenging theater residency program for over 100 under-served youth in school settings in Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Los Angeles Poverty Department | 250 S Broadway , Los Angeles, CA 90012-3605 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 259-1038 | 28 | District 54 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, LOS ANGELES POVERTY DEPARTMENT will promote cultural equity for the Skid Row community by producing LAPD’s annual Festival for All Skid Row Artists, (FASRA). The free 2-day event held annually (since 2010) in a public park in the heart of the underserved Skid Row neighborhood will showcase the work of roughly 150 artists and arts organizations, and give 1,500 attendees opportunities to make and enjoy art, build social cohesion and celebrate the cultural vitality of their community. | Founded by director, performer and activist John Malpede, LAPD was the first performance group in the country made up of homeless and formerly homeless people and the first sustained arts initiative in Skid Row. For 38 years, LAPD has been one of the foremost cultural and artistic resources of the community. LAPD presents live theatrical productions, organizes public discussions and presentations, public art programs, parades and festivals, curates and creates installations and exhibitions, all addressing the lives of the neighborhood residents and the issues they face. LAPD’s performances and theater pieces are developed and realized through an extensive and inclusive process that employs research and engagement strategies and activities designed to enlist and disseminate community wisdom, and which typically take place over the course of more than a year. LAPD makes work to change the narrative about people living in poverty. LAPD’s actively maintained (by professional archive staff) Skid Row History Archive documents the history of the Skid Row neighborhood and its achievements and is utilized by scholars, journalists, filmmakers, and community members. The archive is a bulwark against community displacement. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $17,730.00 | North American Guqin Association | 487 seema circle , union city, CA 94587 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (415) 857-3918 | California Assembly district 20 | District 20 | District 10 | With support from the California Arts Council, North American Guqin Association(NAGA) will present “Passing the Torch Across Four Generations,” commemorating the 130th birthday of Zha Fuxi, the most influential Guqin master of the twentieth century. In 1945–46, Zha visited California and introduced the 3,000-year-old Guqin to the U.S., giving lectures and performances and making the first Guqin recordings at the Library of Congress. Today, under the direction of guqin master Wang Fei, Zha’s third-generation direct disciple, this project brings concerts, master classes, exhibitions, lectures, and Yaji gatherings to communities across California. Grant funds will support artists, venues, educational materials, outreach, and documentation—bringing a UNESCO-recognized intangible heritage to take root and grow on California’s diverse cultural soil, and honoring master Zha’s enduring legacy. | NAGA was founded in 1997. In the last ten years NAGA has grown in membership and has increased the number of programs it offers to the public. NAGA activities include guqin presentations, workshops, concerts, lectures, cultural gatherings, conferences etc. NAGA invites guest presenters and performers to its events to expand its mission to bring China’s cultural heritage to local communities. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,750.00 | Barrio Artists Partnership | 3262 GRAPE ST , SAN DIEGO, CA 92102-1236 | San Diego | Far South | (858) 261-4005 | 52nd Congressional | State Assembly District 78 | State Senate District 18 | The Imperial Arts Corridor project connects local artists with family-run businesses along Imperial Avenue (20th–30th Streets) to revitalize culturally significant storefronts with custom murals, new signage, and facade improvements. Each mural is co-designed by artists and business owners to reflect unique family and cultural stories. Our nonprofit, founded in 2023, anchors the corridor and leads this creative effort alongside a community-facing publicity campaign. Two storefront galleries—Tularoosa and Imperial Mundo—will host monthly public events and workshops in polytab mural-making and living wall creation, further transforming the corridor into a vibrant hub for art, culture, and small business support. | We offer professional services to help artists build sustainable careers. This includes opportunities to teach youth, lead workshops, and develop income-generating projects. We also assist artists in writing resumes, building online portfolios, and creating presentations and proposals for potential clients. Legal education is another core part of our work—we help artists understand contracts, copyright laws, and their rights under laws like the Visual Artists Rights Act (VARA) and the California Art Preservation Act (CAPA). |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $13,200.00 | Free 2 Be Me Dance | 8555 CASHIO ST PH 1 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90035-4929 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 259-8970 | Free 2 Be Me Dance will use CAC General Operating Support funds to sustain and grow our | Free 2 Be Me Dance offers adaptive dance classes in hip hop and ballet to encourage the confidence, strength and creativity within each dancer. Through specialized instruction and evidence-based techniques such as BrainDance, dancers develop physical, social and emotional skills that support meaningful connections and better quality of life. Such outcomes include the development of self-confidence, empathy, communal spirit, active listening, coordination, focus and creativity. Our approach is rooted in meaningful connections, meeting each dancer where they are at, and ensuring they feel genuinely loved, supported and celebrated from the moment they walk in the door. We also offer scholarships to any family who needs one. On average 70% of our families receive a full or partial scholarship. We never turn anyone away for lack of finances. Our program prioritizes accessibility and inclusivity in order to bring dance to those who are otherwise excluded from the dance community and ultimately, to create a space where each dancer knows they are loved, validated and deserving of the best life. Furthermore, whilst Free 2 Be Me Dance primarily serves those in the Los Angeles area, the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed us to offer our program to dancers world-wide through live Zoom classes. The Zoom platform has opened doors in many ways for our dancers by making classes more accessible to those who need the flexibility of online learning. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $8,800.00 | TaikoMix | PO BOX 52197 , RIVERSIDE, CA 92517-3197 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (951) 573-0187 | California's 41st congressional district | District 61 | District 31 | With support from the California Arts Council, TaikoMix will expand its programming by reinforcing core infrastructure and deepening community engagement. Funding will support the development of staff positions, enabling the organization to devote more time to program design, outreach, and Board expansion. With enhanced administrative capacity, TaikoMix will expand its footprint in the underserved communities of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties through new partnerships with the Riverside Arts Academy and the Redlands Japanese Cultural Center. We plan to increase the number of taiko classes, workshops, and cultural offerings—maintaining our commitment to keeping programs low-cost or free. Expanding access remains a top priority; we will continue working with consultants to strengthen inclusive practices and improve digital accessibility, including updates to our website and online resources, ensuring our programs remain open and welcoming to all. | TaikoMix was formed in 2005 by graduating members of the collegiate taiko ensemble UC Riverside Senryu Taiko in response to a specific need for Asian and Asian American community representation of traditional and cultural arts in the Inland Empire region. TaikoMix operates a community performing ensemble, TaikoMix, that is based in Riverside and open to all who wish to study taiko. The community performing ensemble has been practicing together weekly for over fifteen years. In 2015, under the TaikoMix organization, the professional performing ensemble The Wagaku Collective was formed. The Wagaku Collective is an ensemble of musicians who are classically trained on traditional Japanese musical instruments: Okinawan sanshin, shakuhachi, shinobue, Tsugaru shamisen, and taiko. The Wagaku Collective’s purpose is to share Japanese tradition and culture through public performances and educational activities centered on Japanese minyo (folk) music. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $19,000.00 | I Sound Music Performing Arts Community Development Inc | 2251 Florin Rd Suite 102, Sacramento, CA 95822 | Sacramento | Capital | (678) 507-6971 | California Assembly district 7 | District 7 | District 6 | CAC grant funds will be used to support artists and instructors who come from—or serve—communities impacted by systemic marginalization. This includes individuals affected by incarceration and involvement in the justice system, economic and health disparities, disability-related accessibility barriers, housing insecurity, and issues of cultural and social justice, including members of the LGBTQIA+ community. For over six years, iSound Performing Arts has provided at-risk and underserved youth with access to transformative arts experiences. Our programming includes monthly music camps, healing-centered art and painting sessions, and a wide range of creative workshops that promote emotional well-being, self-expression, and personal development. CAC funding will help us sustain and expand these efforts, ensuring that youth and artists from historically underrepresented backgrounds have equitable opportunities to thrive through the arts. | Sound Performing Arts offers a diverse range of core programs and services designed to inspire, educate, and empower youth through the arts. Our “Arts & Explore” program blends visual art instruction with cultural education, allowing students to engage in hands-on painting while learning about the historical and cultural significance behind various artistic styles. We also offer instruction in art painting, musical instruments, vocal performance, dance, music production, and drama, providing young people with a well-rounded introduction to the performing and creative arts. Participants gain real-world experience with digital production technology, building valuable technical skills as they create and present their work through concerts, recitals, and multimedia projects. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic five years ago, we launched virtual youth community pop-up camps and online classes, ensuring continued engagement and creative development during a critical time. Building on the success of both our virtual and in-person programs, we are now expanding our reach through a weekday after-school program and by bringing our services to more communities. With a focus on accessibility, self-expression, and youth development, we believe creativity has the power to redefine possibilities and shape a brighter future for the next generation. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,250.00 | Left Coast Chamber Ensemble | 55 TAYLOR ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102-3916 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 617-5223 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, LEFT COAST CHAMBER ENSEMBLE INC will offer a second session of our successful Pathways program, providing mentor-guided workshops, and professional ensemble performances and recordings for young composers with limited access to these essential resources. Pathways addresses the dearth of high-quality recording resources that overwhelmingly affects BIPOC composers and composers from underrepresented groups, acting as a barrier to future career opportunities. | The core programs of the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble include: |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,250.00 | SFIAF | 1471 Guerrero St, #3 , San Francisco, CA 94110-4371 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 399-9554 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the CAC, SFIAF will conduct the Women in Jazz & World Music (WJWM) Vocal Training Course led by Dr. Dee Spencer supported by band leader, singer and composer Michelle Jacques. The course is designed for under-served youth aged 15-24. It features five four-hour sessions and culminates in a public concert presented free to families and the general public. The program will include four guest lecturers – professional women vocalists whose careers and lives are role models for the students. The program will incorporate a focus on community-building by fostering a network for mentorship, collaboration, and support between younger and older artists. The training is offered at no cost to participants and intentionally recruits under-served students of color. WJWM takes place at the Community Music Center in San Francisco’s Mission District during April 2026. | The annual Festival The Last Supper Party Women in Jazz & World Music (WJWM) Lift Every Voice Artist Support Services Produced Projects Examples include: 2024-2026 “Wong Wei’s Legacy”, written by William Roper, music by Francis Wong, choreography by Lynn Huang. 2020-22 “Daughters of the Delta”, composed by Michelle Jacques and Cava Menzies with arrangements by Bryan Dyer. 2016-18 “IYA: The Esselen Remember” (staged readings), written by Luis Juarez in collaboration with the Ohlone Costanoan Esselen nation, directed by Kinan Valdez. 2009-16 “PLACAS: The Most Dangerous Tattoo”, written by Paul Flores, directed by Michael John Garces, starring Ricardo Salinas. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $20,750.00 | Presidio Performing Arts Foundation | 2902 LYON ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123-3226 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 561-3958 | District 12 | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Presidio Performing Arts Foundation will expand its community outreach program, DANCEOUT! in partnership with the Bayview YMCA, providing underserved students in the Bayview community a positive creative outlet through the arts. DANCEOUT! promotes youth development, cultural literacy and mentorship through dance. Students will additionally have opportunities to participate in community workshops focusing on health & wellness, as well as performing alongside professional artists, as part of Presidio Dance Theatre’s multi-generational dance company. | Presidio Performing Arts Foundation (PPAF) has a 27 year history of advancing justice through dance. Since its inception, PPAF has continuously engaged and uplifted historically and systemically excluded and erased artists, cultural practitioners, and arts and cultural practices. In partnership with SFUSD and the YMCA, 280,000 students have benefitted from our free public performances, lectures, workforce development opportunities, and community classes. PPAF annually presents Children’s Day at the SF War Memorial Opera House, providing an opportunity for 6,200 Bay Area students and families to enjoy free multicultural dance presentations, highlighting the diversity and inclusive spirit of California. DANCEOUT!’s nationally recognized youth development program, provides culturally informed and responsive arts education, resulting in positive life paths. 85% of our DANCEOUT! students are the first in their families to attend a university; 99% of our graduates pursue a college education. PPAF partnerships include a broad range of local, national and international arts, cultural, and educational entities, including: the United Nations; International Red Cross; UNESCO’s International Dance Council; European Parliament; U.S. Department of State; City of San Francisco; SF Symphony; SFMOMA; SF Opera; SF Unified School District; YMCA; Smithsonian Institute. Presidio Dance Theatre, widely recognized for its signature style of Ethno-Classical Ballet, has received numerous accolades, including the U.S. State Department’s award for “Excellence in Cultural Diplomacy & Dance.” PDT employs and highlights native artists and those from underrepresented cultures, celebrating the rich tapestry of human heritage. PDT’s New Works Series focuses on women’s empowerment and putting women’s stories back into history, while examining gender roles through the ages. PDT has engaged in 13 international tours, representing the U.S. and 5 official SF Sister City Exchanges, supporting global humanitarian causes, while promoting social justice. Global audiences have exceeded 12 million. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | Street Spirit | 2726 Martin Luther King Jr Way , Berkeley, CA 94703 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (415) 350-3626 | California Assembly District 12 | District 14 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Street Spirit will increase the number of unhoused writers published in our paper, promote equity in our community through compassionate storytelling, and act as a bridge between unhoused people and the local arts scene. Street Spirit eliminates barriers between unhoused people and the arts. Your support will allow us to nurture the voices of emerging unhoused writers. The poetry created in this workshop will chip away at the stigma around homelessness in the Bay Area—a heavy burden marginalized people often carry alone. We will evaluate the impact of your support by tracking the number of new artists published in our newspaper, and participation at open mic events. We have helped unhoused residents change the narrative around homelessness for more than 30 years. Your support will strengthen this work. | Writing and Arts program – We mentor and publish unhoused writers, artists and journalists using a collaborative editorial process. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,600.00 | Arenas Dance Company | 3316 24th Street , San Francisco, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 623-6043 | District 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Arenas Dance Company will continue our mission to preserve and promote Afro-Cuban art and culture via dance and drum classes and original dance and music works. Funds will be used to: pay a monthly stipend to our Artistic Director/choreographer and our core staff, including our access manager; compensate our dancers and drummers at “market rate” for both rehearsals and performances; and rent studio space for rehearsals. | Arenas Dance Company (ADC) produces, presents, and creates dance performances celebrating the complexity and beauty of Cuban culture. We work to present the Cuban culture in its fullness and depth. ADC teaches weekly Cuban folkloric and popular dance classes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, and is frequently invited to guest teach – leading workshops and giving lectures – at schools (Elementary through University), libraries, and camps on Cuban dance, music and traditions. ADC also takes students on annual cultural exchange and study trips to Cuba. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $13,200.00 | Art Theatre of Long Beach | 2025 E 4TH ST , LONG BEACH, CA 90814-1001 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (562) 438-3723 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Art Theatre of Long Beach will sustain its mission to celebrate and preserve the art of cinema while creating an inclusive and engaging cultural space for our community. We will do this through the continuation and expansion of our Film and Speakers Series, programming bi-monthly screenings of relevant films, followed by panel discussion with directors, actors, or subject/community experts. We will present films of artistic, cultural, and historical significance by multiple communities, including African-American, Asian-American, Latino-American, and LGBTQ. Topics embrace environment, history, social justice, LGBTQ issues, food and nutrition, as well as music or art. Emphasizing diversity and representation and offering audiences an enriched viewing experience and educational opportunities, these one-of-a-kind events will take place in our 101-year-old historic single-screen movie theater, remodeled and accessible to everyone. | Our main programming objectives at the Art Theatre of Long Beach focus on celebrating and preserving the art of cinema while creating an inclusive and engaging cultural space for our community. As a historic single-screen movie theater, we present films of artistic, cultural, and historical significance, emphasizing diversity and representation through our selection process. Our anchor art programs include annual community film festivals such as the Cambodia Town Film Festival and the Queer Film Festival, alongside curated film series that feature panel discussions and guest speakers, offering audiences an enriched viewing experience and educational opportunities. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,300.00 | Oakland Ballet Company | 2201 BROADWAY STE LL17 , OAKLAND, CA 94612-3132 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 893-3132 | 12th Congressional District of CA | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Oakland Ballet Company will present a 2025–2026 season centered on equity, access, and representation in the arts. The season includes four powerful productions – 60th Anniversary Program, The Nutcracker, Rainbow Dances celebrating LGBTQ+ artists, and a remounting of the Angel Island Project, which honors the experiences of AAPI immigrants detained at the Angel Island Immigration Station. CAC funds will support these public performances as well as Discover Dance arts education program activities for schools with limited access to arts education. All programming is designed to reflect the lived experiences of Oakland’s diverse communities and ensure that students and audiences see themselves represented on stage. Through this work, OBC will continue its commitment to breaking down barriers to the arts and fostering a more inclusive and equitable cultural landscape. | OBC is committed to artistic excellence, serving as a leader in the local arts community, and providing access to the art of dance for 15,000+ community members from Oakland and the greater East Bay each year. OBC’s programs include a diverse mix of professional performances, a robust arts education program, and a youth dance training program. Performances: Arts Education: Dance Training: |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,522.00 | Jazzantiqua Dance & Music Ensemble | 1529 1/2 S BEDFORD STREET , LOS ANGELES, CA 90035-000 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 943-9229 | California Assembly district 54 | District 54 | District 30 | With support from the California Arts Council, Jazzantiqua Dance & Music Ensemble (Jazzantiqua, Inc.) will continue to develop and grow our free jazz dance training program for teens – LEGACY Jazz Project – which includes Summer dance intensives, weekly workshops, master classes at school sites, and the performance group LEGACY Youth Dance Ensemble. | Jazzantiqua’s core programs and services include: performances, community dance classes, professional dance training and master classes, lecture-demonstrations, panel discussions, jazz music and dance improvisation workshops, community dialogues, apprenticeships and internships, mini-conferences, K-12 school programs and college presentations. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $13,800.00 | IB Arts | PO BOX 1378 , IMPERIAL BCH, CA 91933-1378 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 920-6659 | District 52 | DISTRICT AD80 | District 18 | Since 2018, Imperial Beach Arts Bureau has been the primary catalyst bringing public art to Imperial Beach, a majority-Hispanic, low-to-moderate-income city in San Diego. In 2024, IBAB hired its first employee: a part-time executive director to expand outreach, increase art installations and events, improve operational systems, & direct fundraising. | IB Arts is committed to supporting local artists and fostering a vibrant cultural landscape in Imperial Beach. A key initiative includes **twice-yearly gallery exhibitions at the public library**, providing a dynamic platform for both emerging and established artists to showcase their work and connect with the community. As part of its core programming, IB Arts **commissions artists to create public installations**, many of which reflect Imperial Beach’s coastal identity and natural surroundings. These works celebrate the city’s proximity to the ocean and estuaries, fostering deeper appreciation for environmental themes through artistic expression. Beyond installations, IB Arts actively **engages the community in the artmaking process**, ensuring that creativity is accessible to residents and visitors alike. This includes regular participation in **monthly Farmer’s Markets** and **citywide events** such as **Día de Los Niños** and **Art in the Park**, where hands-on art activities encourage public involvement. To further connect people with local art, IB Arts has curated a **bilingual self-guided Mural Bike Tour**, offering an immersive experience that highlights **over 30 murals** and **34 decorated utility boxes** along a carefully designed route. By integrating public art with active transportation, this initiative allows participants to explore and appreciate the city’s creative landscape in an engaging and interactive way. With these programs, IB Arts continues to enrich Imperial Beach’s cultural identity, making the arts accessible, participatory, and deeply connected to the local environment and community. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | Give 4 Kidz | 16580 BONANZA DR , RIVERSIDE, CA 92504-5719 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (951) 345-9726 | 42 | 59 | 31 | With support from the California Arts Council, GIVE 4 KIDZ will expand its Art & Me program to serve more youth ages 2 to 21 in underserved communities across the Inland Empire and Downtown Los Angeles. Free workshops—offered in neighborhoods with a Healthy Place Index score of 20 or below—will engage youth in culturally affirming art experiences such as watercolor, acrylics, ceramics, clay sculpting, drawing, and sensory-based slime making. CAC funds will support program growth through teaching artist fees, inclusive art supplies, and ADA-compliant community venues. This initiative promotes safe, healing-centered environments where young people can build confidence, explore identity, and strengthen their connection to culture through the arts. | Give 4 Kidz is dedicated to empowering young creatives through two main programs: ‘Art & Me’ and ‘Story Corner’. The ‘Art & Me’ program aims to nurture and support youth by offering them free art materials, workshops, events, and exhibitions. We are proud to collaborate with local artists and organizations that share our vision. The second program, ‘Story Corner’, caters to young individuals with a passion for creative writing. We provide a supportive environment where they can explore their creativity, acquire new skills, and connect with like-minded peers. Through this program, we offer access to writing supplies, events, and workshops led by experienced writers. Our aim is to inspire and foster a love for writing among youth. In this endeavor, we are delighted to partner with local bookstores, authors, and libraries. At Give 4 Kidz, our mission extends beyond traditional boundaries. We strive to reach all children who possess a love for the arts, regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds. To achieve this, we extend our services to family homeless shelters and underserved communities in California. Additionally, we have created remote participation opportunities to ensure inclusivity for all kids. Our goal is to overcome socio-economic challenges and provide equal access to our programs. By embracing diversity and focusing on the potential within each child, Give 4 Kidz is committed to nurturing the creative spirit and enabling young individuals to thrive in the arts. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,600.00 | Women's Voices Now | 525 Ave F , Redondo Beach, CA 90277 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (424) 247-6130 | District 36 | District 66 | District 24 | Women’s Voices Now (WVN) addresses the exclusion of women from film by combining access, education, amplification, and community engagement. We request $30,000 from the California Arts Council to support staff, stipends, and supplies for our programs: the WVN Film Festival, which uplifts women filmmakers through cash prizes, visibility, and global distribution; Girls’ Voices Now (GVN), an intensive filmmaking and youth development program for girls from underrepresented Los Angeles communities; and the Voices for Change Film Collection, a free digital collection of over 340 socially impactful films. Each program incorporates in-person screenings in LA, bringing local and global issues to California audiences. These initiatives build lasting skills, promote authentic storytelling, and spark public dialogue. WVN fosters a more inclusive media landscape by creating college and career pathways in film and using storytelling for social change. | We empower filmmakers, produce social-change films, and engage audience members to advance girls’ and women’s rights through our three core programs: 1. WVN Online Film Festival 2. Girls’ Voices Now – Youth Development through Arts Education and Empowerment 3. Voices For Change: A free film collection advocating for women’s and girls’ rights |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | Relampago del Cielo, Inc. | PO BOX 3158 600 W. Santa Ana Blvd. Suite 214-A, SANTA ANA, CA 92704-1388 | Orange | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (714) 881-4732 | California's 46th congressional district | District 68 | District 34 | With support from the California Arts Council, Relámpago del Cielo, Inc. will bring additional ballet folklórico dance instruction to local public schools, community partners and public events. Funding will bolster our capacity to expand free and low-cost classes and performances to traditionally underserved children, youth and families in vulnerable communities across Santa Ana and central Orange County in this pivotal year as we celebrate our 50th Anniversary. | Relampago del Cielo arts program provides instruction in Mexican folklorico dance. Students receive weekly classes that are representative of the various regions of Mexico. Approximately 325 students’ ages three to young adult, are in the program. Relámpago offers classes to any interested child regardless of ability to pay. Financial aid is available to low-income families to support tuition fees. Families who meet prerequisite minimum annual income, as established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, qualify for assistance. Annual Student Recital: The students showcase their accomplishments and learning at the annual student recital. Students are given the opportunity to perform on stage, to an audience of over a thousand attendees. Community Involvement and Performances: The students perform in educational, cultural, business and community events throughout Orange County, such as community parades, civic celebrations, school presentations and church events. Relampago del Cielo also operates a professional ballet folklorico dance company which offers free and paid performances at a variety of venues across Southern California and beyond and reaches thousands of audience members every year. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $17,729.00 | Amador Arts | 110 Broad Street (Inside the Historic Grammar School) , Sutter Creek, CA 95685 | Amador | Central Valley | (209) 256-8166 | District 5 | District 1 | District 4 | With support from the California Arts Council, AMADOR COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL (Amador Arts) will work as a collective with service agencies, historically disinvested communities, and local artists impacted by suicide, self-harm, the justice system, addiction, homophobia, violence, homelessness, and disabilities, to facilitate social practice arts and devised theatre techniques in collaboration with so-called “non-artist” communities at Sierra Wind Wellness & Recovery Center to compose and produce an album of original songs (including video ASL renditions) and a short documentary about the lifesaving place of music and the arts in suicide and self-harm prevention. | The Amador County Arts Council (Amador Arts) keeps the arts central to Amador’s life through programs, services, and initiatives. (1) PUBLIC OFFICE: Our accessible public office is open to the public and is located at registered historic site #456, the Sutter Creek Grammar School, where anyone is welcome to visit with staff, use free art supplies, and enjoy some creative time in a beautiful historic setting, perhaps while visiting the ghost girl who lives on site. Our “STUDIO” programming offers targeted open hours for families (Wednesdays from 12-2 when they have “early release”) and for teens (Tuesdays from 3-5). (2) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE: One full-time employee equipped to provide a suite of technical assistance to artists and arts organizations needing support on California Arts Council grants or arts business matters. (3) PRODUCING PERFORMANCES: Since its establishment, Amador Arts has played a central role in performing arts throughout Amador County. Most notably, since 1998, our “TGIF Free Summer Concerts” have brought live music to thousands of people in outdoor places where it is otherwise not available, including Pioneer California—9th percentile on the Healthy Places Index. Producing Poetry Out Loud since 2016 with multi-generational poetry opportunities in addition to the traditional competition. Free performances of historically significant literary arts and music for local events and fundraisers. (4) ARTS CLASSES AND ARTS EDUCATION PLANNING: Amador Arts is a trusted consultant to Amador County Unified School District providing support and administration for the district Arts Plan and the rollout of Prop 28. Additionally, since 2012, Amador Arts has been teaching visual arts classes to 100% of the public school students at the 6 public elementary schools within Amador County, including Chinese cultural arts education and the principles of art. (5) PROMOTING THE ARTS: Weekly newsprint, monthly radio, social media, blog covering impacts of the arts. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,250.00 | 924 Gilman | 924 GILMAN ST , BERKELEY, CA 94710-1424 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 918-3376 | 12th District of California | 14 | 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Alternative Music Foundation will present Give The Drummer Some, a series of eight free masterclasses led by master Black drummers rooted in the Bay Area. Centering the Black cultural traditions of blues, jazz, gospel, and R&B, this program addresses a community-identified need to celebrate, preserve, and pass down Black musical heritage. Developed in collaboration with local artists and community leaders, the series will uplift the voices of under recognized master musicians and create accessible learning opportunities for participants of all ages. This project affirms the cultural contributions of Black communities whose culture is threatened by gentrification and fosters an environment for accessible, intergenerational learning through culturally responsive arts education. | Alternative Music Foundation provides an all ages, substance free, collectively run music and arts space for the community. Colloquially known as ‘924 Gilman’, or even just ‘Gilman’, our organization has been around in one form or another since 1986. We started off as a punk collective focused on providing a safe and inclusive space, and have maintained that attitude well into today. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Women's Voices Now | 525 Ave F , Redondo Beach, CA 90277 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (424) 247-6130 | District 36 | District 66 | District 24 | Girls’ Voices Now (GVN), the youth development program of Women’s Voices Now, empowers girls from under-resourced communities through filmmaking. We cultivate the next generation of changemakers and storytellers by building their confidence, teaching media literacy and critical thinking, and developing professional skills for careers in film and media. GVN is entirely free, offers a $500 stipend, and provides meals and transportation support. Participants—diverse and representative of Los Angeles—learn to use their voices for personal and community advocacy. Over seven years, GVN has proven long-term impact: alumnae have attended top universities and earned prestigious fellowships, internships, and jobs. We graciously request $25,000 from the California Arts Council to support staff costs. These funds will ensure we continue to train, mentor, and launch young filmmakers committed to telling stories that drive social change. | We empower filmmakers, produce social-change films, and engage audience members to advance girls’ and women’s rights through our three core programs: 1. WVN Online Film Festival 2. Girls’ Voices Now – Youth Development through Arts Education and Empowerment 3. Voices For Change: A free film collection advocating for women’s and girls’ rights |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,300.00 | CounterPulse | 80 TURK ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102-2808 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 626-2060 | California Congressional District 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, CounterPulse will underwrite costs of the staff who produce our core programming in service to artists, audiences, and residents of historically underserved communities from our home venue in downtown San Francisco. Investing in these cultural workers is vital to CounterPulse’s mission of serving dance, performance, and multimedia artist and audience communities, who tend to be younger, lower-income, and diverse in sexual-orientation, gender-representation, and ethnic backgrounds. CAC support will also facilitate our deep community listening, internal and programmatic equity work, and ongoing commitments to accessibility. | Since 1991, CounterPulse has been a platform where remarkably multidimensional narratives are synthesized to create, support, and launch art-making activities that speak to critical concerns and reflect the vitality of grassroots communities. In 2005, CounterPulse launched our flagship Artist Residency and Commissioning (ARC) program that includes three residency tracks, spanning contemporary dance, experimental culturally-specific performance, and technologically engaged choreography. Since 2010, under the current Artistic & Executive Director, CounterPulse has maintained a consistent track record of launching programs of national and international profile, cementing CounterPulse’s leadership in the dance and performance ecosystem; such initiatives include the CounterPulse Festival, ongoing since 2018; large-scale public art projects in 2017 and 2023, and international curatorial initiatives annually. As an outgrowth of this impact, CounterPulse was selected in 2014 to partner with Community Arts Stabilization Trust (CAST) to acquire and renovate a building in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district, moving into the 10,000 sq. ft., fully accessible facility in 2016. Over the ensuing years CounterPulse has deepened our commitment to accessibility as an axis of community building by partnering with local service organizations to facilitate community development through arts in our neighborhood. In 2023, CounterPulse completed a $7 million capital campaign to purchase the building from CAST and is now a permanent and thriving cultural anchor in downtown San Francisco. CounterPulse produces world-class, critically acclaimed programs that directly support working artists. Residency, commissioning, presentation, co-production, fiscal sponsorship, and rental exchange programs work in concert to springboard artists into the next level of their careers and provide access to income, marketing and production support, and below-market rental rates. All of our programs share a commitment to access and affordability aimed at building resilience and risk-taking in communities of artists by giving them a home for making and presenting works. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $20,250.00 | Eye Discover | 14922 ROMA DR , LA MIRADA, CA 90638-3818 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (562) 458-2279 | 38th | 64 | 30 | With support from the California Arts Council, Eye Discover will lead a collaborative art project that empowers students at Alliance Judy Ivie Burton Technology High School and Alliance Cindy & Bill Simon Technology High School to design and create large-scale murals composed of individual artwork. Rooted in our mission to blend artivism (art + activism) with culturally relevant youth programming, this project addresses the lack of culturally responsive curricula, limited access to arts education, and the need for supportive, creative spaces for youth in under-resourced communities. Co-created by students and artists from historically excluded backgrounds, the murals will amplify diverse voices and lived experiences, celebrating identity, creativity, and civic engagement. This art project will transform school walls into lasting symbols of pride and resilience, giving students an empowering space for expression, connection, and a sense of belonging. | Eye Discover provides after school programming and summer camps aligned with curriculum standards, and fosters critical thinking, creativity, and active citizenship among elementary school students. Our programs offersa unique combination of STEM, artivism, technology for social change, culturally responsive curriculum, and creative expression that empowers students to become active, engaged, and socially aware members of their communities. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,300.00 | a non profit visual arts organization | 2540 BARRETT AVE , RICHMOND, CA 94804-1600 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (510) 620-6772 | 8th Congressional District of California | State Assembly District 14 | State Senate District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Richmond Art Center will partner with local visual artists and community organizations to continue developing ARTS EDUCATION and EXHIBITION programs. These programs respond to Richmond’s need for safe, creative spaces; places where people can heal, connect, explore their potential, and build self-confidence and creative problem solving skills. Richmond is a vibrant, racially diverse city with a large working-class and immigrant population (54.8% of residents speak a language other than English at home). Through accessible art classes and hands-on learning programs, Richmond Art Center will foster personal growth and well-being, while exhibitions and public events will amplify the voices of our city and region, engaging directly with local audiences. | Arts Education: Our arts education program offers art classes to adults, youth, kids and families; on-site in our six studios, and off-site in local schools and community spaces. This includes providing free in-school and after-school arts tuition to K-12 students at local West Contra Costa Unified School District schools. Other arts education initiatives include a paid professional development series for educators, free family day celebrations, youth art tours of exhibitions, Summer Art Camp for Kids, and youth intensive classes. Exhibitions and Events: Exhibitions and public programs feature work by established, early career and aspiring artists. The goal of our exhibition program is to introduce new artists, artwork and perspectives on art; engage Richmond audiences; enhance the visibility of underrepresented groups/artists; and serve as a catalyst for community interaction. Long term community exhibition partnerships include The Art of Living Black/Art of the African Diaspora (since 1997), and the WCCUSD Art Show (since 1965). |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,300.00 | Street Spirit | 2726 Martin Luther King Jr Way , Berkeley, CA 94703 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (415) 350-3626 | California Assembly District 12 | District 14 | District 9 | General operating support from the California Arts Council will support Street Spirit as we broaden the reach of the artwork and stories in our newspaper, promote equity in our community through compassionate storytelling, and realize a strong financial position in our next fiscal year. Street Spirit eliminates barriers between unhoused people and the arts, providing vocational training in the process. Your support will complement matching funds committed by a diverse group of funders who are passionate about our mission. We will evaluate the impact of your support by tracking new artistic contributors and participants in our vocational training program, as well as the involvement of key staff. Street Spirit has helped unhoused residents change the narrative around homelessness for more than 30 years, and your support will strengthen our operational integrity. | Writing and Arts program – We mentor and publish unhoused writers, artists and journalists using a collaborative editorial process. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | LA Promise Fund | 1933 S. Broadway Suite 1108, LOS ANGELES, CA 90007 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 745-4928 | District 37 | District 59 | District 30 | With support from the California Arts Council, LA Promise Fund will offer 15 total weeks of after-school animation club programming at the Westbrook Academy in South Gate. Club will focus on stop-motion animation and character design, serving a total of 25 at-promise youth participating in the club programming. | Key regional programs: |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | Via International | 1955 JULIAN AVE , SAN DIEGO, CA 92113-1125 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 432-5086 | California's 51st congressional district | District 80 | District 40 | With support from the California Arts Council, Via International will expand our Somos La Voz (SLV) Cultural Heritage program to launch a four-week teen summer camp in 2026. “Somos La Voz Teen Camp: Community Art as a Tool for Resistance, Healing, and Identity” will offer free, culturally relevant art and music programming for Mexican, Chicano, and Latinx youth ages 12–20, creating a space for both new and returning participants to explore creative expression and cultural pride. Evaluations from our first two years of SLV show that youth feel empowered as community leaders and gain a sense of intergenerational belonging and healing. The 2026 camp will also provide paid opportunities for advanced youth participants to serve as mentors and camp counselors, deepening their leadership and peer facilitation skills. | Via works through the paradigm of asset-based community development (ABCD), which is a development practice that centers the community of focus, building on already-present strengths, leadership, and community assets. ABCD works to bring resources to communities of focus to invest in community-sourced and led solutions. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $13,200.00 | The Strindberg Laboratory | PO Box 29824 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90029 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 265-6313 | California's 28th congressional district | District 53 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Strindberg Laboratory (TSL) will activate theater engagement programming that meaningfully and intentionally includes participants and audiences from diverse walks of life to help build bridges between individuals and communities that are normally separated. We do this by creating community-driven workshops, pop-up events, and productions for otherwise underserved participants and audiences, with all of our programming and performances provided free-of-charge. Through the lens of our mission, TSL’s work is inspired by what we believe is everyone’s right to arts equity—the right for everyone and anyone, regardless of race, cultural background, socio-economic status, life experience, or citizenship status to create their own paths to self-discovery through theater storytelling, and to connect too-often under-heard voices and stories with a diverse audience. | The Strindberg Laboratory (TSL) provides theater workshops, facilitates training, shepherds productions to otherwise marginalized communities. Our core organizational programs have included Break It To Make It, an unprecedented partnership that provides an integrated pipeline of support through theater arts, higher education, and rehabilitative service for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals. Another core TSL service is our Community-Based Workshops. In recent years, TSL has worked with homeless, LGBTQ+, and autism spectrum communities, with some of these workshops culminating in public productions. The third core aspect of TSL’s programming is our community-driven productions. In this regard, TSL is developing a new production of “Macbeth,” and also co-created “No Labels, No Walls,” an international arts group working for a more inclusive and equal world. The group launched with its first festival in September 2019, which took place in Helsinki, Finland. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | Root Division | 1131 MISSION ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103-1514 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 863-7668 | California's 11th Congressional District | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Root Division will provide free, high-quality visual arts education to over 1,000 San Francisco youth. We will recruit, train, and place 20 Studio Artists and Fellows to teach at 8 after-school partner sites, reaching low-income, BIPOC, immigrant, and English-Language Learner students in the Mission, SOMA, and Tenderloin neighborhoods. These artist-educators will deliver culturally responsive, hands-on art classes that foster creative expression, build confidence, and strengthen community connection. | Root Division’s ecosystem includes 4 interconnected programs: In our unique incubator Studios Program we offer discounted space to artists who each volunteer 8 hours of service per month. Artists spend this time teaching free art classes in the Youth Education Program, instructing courses in the Adult Education Program, and/or supporting the Exhibitions & Events Program. We link various interests & audiences in a mutually beneficial relationship making art, artists & arts education more accessible while cultivating artists who give back. Since 2002, Root Division has provided 290+ artists with studios; empowered 480 artists to teach; provided 8,000+ hours of free art classes for neighborhood youth; hosted adult art classes for 4,400 students; exhibited 4,700+ artists; been a gathering place for 75,000 visitors to meet artists & see artwork; sold over $1.27M of emerging artwork; & developed partnerships with two-dozen public schools/ community centers & 180 local businesses. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,900.00 | N/A | 1532 35th Ave. , Oakland, CA 94601 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (415) 320-6534 | California Assembly district 18 | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Afro Urban Society will support two part-time positions to carry out our mission of a Black-led community-powered arts & cultural organization dedicated to centering creatives and communities of African descent through professional development trainings, arts & cultural workshops, youth programs, festivals, original and curated productions, arts education, and community engagement activities in the SF Bay Area. AUS provides diverse program offerings that sustains the resiliency, interconnection and unique artistic and cultural expressions and contributions of people of African descent in our society. | Incubate: We curate and host various fellowship and training programs enabling our community members to level up on their creative and artistic craft and practice. Our offerings include: Celebrate: We celebrate the work of community of artists and creatives with and through performance, cultural expression, media, and community events such as: Elevate: |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | SLOMA | PO BOX 813 1010 Broad Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93406-0813 | San Luis Obispo | Central Coast | (805) 543-8562 | California's 24th congressional district | District 30 | District 17 | With support from the California Arts Council, the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art (SLOMA) will provide free guided museum gallery tours, art activities, and curriculum materials supporting the California Department of Education’s Visual Arts Teaching Standards for schools serving priority student populations. Grant funds will also support transportation subsidies for Title 1 schools to remove financial barriers to arts participation, as well as targeted summer programming for kids from historically underserved and under-resourced communities in south San Luis Obispo County. | The San Luis Obispo Museum of Art (SLOMA) is located in downtown San Luis Obispo on the west end of Mission Plaza, at the heart of the city’s cultural corridor. SLOMA is committed to an exhibition program that brings together visual artists from around the world with renowned artists from California and the US. With free admission and monthly events, SLOMA is the heart of the Central Coast’s visual arts community, serving as both a gathering place for the community and an essential stop for visitors. Programs and services include a robust exhibitions program, public art, and youth and adult arts education. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $21,900.00 | AfroSolo Theatre Company | 762 Fulton Street, Suite 307 Third Floor, San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 346-9344 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, AfroSolo Theatre Company will maintain its core programs, including the AfroSolo Arts Festival, Black Women: Resilient, and STOP! SHOW & CONTROL! The Art of Surviving Police Stops! CAC funding will support artist fees, production costs, and accessibility services, enabling AfroSolo to continue offering free and low-cost, high-impact programming in San Francisco’s Black communities. These programs uplift Black voices through solo performance, visual arts, and music while providing opportunities for healing, storytelling, and cultural affirmation. This investment will help AfroSolo remain a vital cultural anchor in the Bay Area—supporting emerging and established Black artists, fostering cross-generational engagement, and ensuring that Black stories and experiences are seen, heard, and honored. | AfroSolo Theatre Company’s core programming is anchored by the annual AfroSolo Arts Festival, a year-long, multidisciplinary celebration of Black arts and culture. Each year’s programming is united by a central theme and structured around three primary components: AfroSolo in the Gardens – A free, outdoor jazz concert held at Yerba Buena Gardens featuring acclaimed Black vocalists and instrumentalists. This accessible event invites intergenerational and multicultural audiences to experience the richness of Black musical traditions in a communal setting. AfroSolo in the Gallery – A curated visual arts exhibition showcasing up to five Black artists at the African American Center of San Francisco’s Main Public Library. This public-facing exhibit creates opportunities for emerging and mid-career artists to present socially engaged work in a civic space. Black Voices Performance Series – The centerpiece of the festival, this series features solo theatre, spoken word, and dance performances by African American and Diasporic artists. Presented at culturally significant venues such as the African American Art and Culture Complex, these performances elevate personal narratives that speak to collective histories, resilience, and transformation. AfroSolo also runs year-round community engagement initiatives. These include: Through accessible programming, strategic partnerships, and culturally responsive practice, AfroSolo provides visibility and support for Black artists while fostering healing, dialogue, and joy in the communities it serves. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,600.00 | Girls Make Beats | 7243 Atoll Ave. Suite A , North Hollywood, CA 91605 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (954) 871-0683 | California's 29th congressional district | District CA-29 | District 27 | Girls Make Beats respectfully requests General Operating Support from the California Arts Council to sustain and grow our mission to empower girls and gender-expansive youth, ages 8–17, through music production, DJing, and audio engineering education. CAC funds will support core operational expenses including staff salaries, teaching artist stipends, program coordination, equipment maintenance, and rent/utilities for training spaces. This unrestricted funding will allow us to expand access to culturally relevant, trauma-informed arts education for underserved youth across California, especially in communities of color historically excluded from the music industry. By supporting our general operations, CAC will help ensure the long-term stability and impact of our programs, our workforce, and the cultural ecosystems we help strengthen through creative youth development. | Girls Make Beats offers in-school and after-school courses on industry-leading hardware and software, along with summer camps, industry panels, and networking events. We provide scholarships, internships, live performance opportunities, and portfolio development to empower girls in music production, DJing, and audio engineering. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,900.00 | SambaFunk! | 1428 ALICE ST APT 601 , OAKLAND, CA 94612-4072 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 451-6100 | California Assembly district 18 | District 15 | District 9 | SambaFunk! preserves, centers, and uplifts African Diaspora cultural and healing arts across the San Francisco Bay Area. Rooted in African, Brazilian samba, and Oakland funk traditions, our mission celebrates resilience, shared heritage, and cultural pride while promoting wellness in underserved communities. CAC grant funds will support programs aligned with this mission, including Oakland Carnival, a free annual event sponsored by SambaFunk! for the entire city and San Francisco Bay Area. Held at Mosswood Park, it features African, Caribbean, and Afro-Brazilian arts through music, dance, and wellness activities. Additionally, biweekly drum and dance classes, K-12 arts programs, public performances, artist residencies, and international studies provide inclusive spaces for cultural expression. With a community of over 1,000 participants, SambaFunk! connects people, builds creativity, and sustains traditions essential for healing and future generations. | Since 2010, SambaFunk! has used music and dance to bridge cultural gaps while providing a safe place for authentic, health-focused cultural creativity. Our core programs include dance/drum classes, K-12 arts education, public performances, international study and support for key social issues. We are proud to say that we regularly host: • biweekly African Brazilian drum and dance classes (30+ attendance on average, and 100+ attendance in Carnaval season) |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | Ryman Arts | 1933 S Broadway Suite 1138, Los Angeles, CA 90007 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 629-2787 | California Assembly district 57 | District CA-37 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Ryman-Carroll Foundation (Ryman Arts) will provide advanced studio art classes (Foundation Drawing, Intermediate Drawing & Painting, and Advanced Painting) and college and career guidance, to over 575 students through its core program and an additional 500+ students through outreach from January – September 2026. Young artists in grades 9–12 (ages 14–18) from Southern California will receive high-quality, sequential art instruction from professional teaching artists at Ryman Arts. Classes will be held on weekends during the school year at our partner campuses—Otis College of Art and Design and Cal State University, Fullerton—and on weekdays during the summer at the USC Roski School of Art and Design. | Since 1990, Ryman Arts has provided professional fine arts classes along with college and career planning to talented youth in Southern California, at no cost to the students. Recognized for the superior quality of its program, Ryman Arts was named a SoCaL PBS Community Champion (2015), a National Program of Excellence three times by the President’s Committee on the Arts & Humanities and received the Pasadena Art Alliance Impact Award in 2019. Ryman Arts offers high quality intensive studio classes taught by master teaching artists, art supplies, college and career planning, field trips, and community engagement opportunities—all at no cost to the student. This 1½-year-long program helps participants build transferable life skills, strengthen their self-discipline and self-confidence, and prepare for a positive, productive future. Classes are held on the campuses of Otis College of Art & Design and California State University, Fullerton. Students complete this program ready to meet the challenges of college, work, and life. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | ARTS | 200 E 12TH ST , NATIONAL CITY, CA 91950-3314 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 297-2787 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 80 | District 18 | With support from the California Arts Council, A Reason To Survive (ARTS), a place-based Community ARTS after-school program will engage over 150+ young people of color from National City and South County San Diego who consistently experience disproportionate economic, environmental, and structural racial disparities. Community ARTS encompasses the traditional and non-traditional art practices of sound experimentation, textile arts, visual, performing, and media arts. Through our program, we reinforce our community engagement with local artists, creatives, and cultural practitioners through culturally relevant equity-based programs, services, and events that cultivate young people’s artistic voice and vision. Our programs are free for all young people, offering accessible arts-based projects that cultivate healing, develop leadership skills, and enrich academic experiences– setting up young people on a path toward success in life, school and career. | A Reason To Survive (ARTS) offers arts programming and creative workforce opportunities for youth and young adults (ages 8-24) living the south county region of San Diego. Through our program initiatives – Community ARTS, ARTS 4 Justice, ARTS On Campus, and ARTS @ Work — young people gain exposure to a range of artistic disciplines (visual arts, media arts, music, and industrial arts in our Maker Workshop), while deepening their social-emotional development through meaningful relationships and mentorship provided by teaching artists and ARTS staff. Through our innovative Community of Care model, we integrate social-emotional supports into our program / curricula design and into the overall design of learning spaces, exhibitions, and performances at the ARTS Center. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,300.00 | Western Ballet | 914 N Rengstorff Ave , Mountain View, CA 94043-1714 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (650) 968-4455 | California's 18th congressional district | District 24 | District 13 | Western Ballet respectfully requests General Operating Support to advance its mission: making high-quality ballet training and performance accessible to all. Grant funds will sustain essential operating expenses—faculty salaries, facilities, and administration—allowing us to keep tuition affordable and expand our need-based financial aid program. Our year-round Youth Program serves students ages 3–19, guiding them from foundational ballet through a rigorous pre-professional track. Financial assistance and merit-based scholarships help ensure that income is not a barrier to participation. Adult and open classes are also priced accessibly, offering lifelong opportunities for engagement in dance. In a high-cost region where equitable access to the arts is increasingly limited, CAC support will help Western Ballet continue its “Ballet for All” commitment—welcoming students from all backgrounds and preserving classical ballet as a vibrant and inclusive cultural resource. | The curriculum-based Youth Program (ages 3 – 18) provides skill-based training that guides students as they progress from the earliest stages of ballet training to the pre-professional level, ready for any path in life. The adult sequential ballet program (Open Program) serves a broad range of individuals with or without any experience who take ballet classes for their physical and mental health. Serving 4,000+ students, Western Ballet has emerged as the largest ballet center in the region. Performance: Western Ballet produces the following performances annually: 2 Gala Performances, the Nutcracker and spring fairytale full-length ballets, Festival of the Animals, Graduation Gala, and Open Program performance workshops for adults. The main productions feature the Western Ballet Youth Company and contracted guest artists. Western Ballet’s outreach programs include scholarships and financial aid for anyone in need, performances at local libraries, and blocks of free performance tickets to organizations in need. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $16,500.00 | Melodia Mariposa | 151 S Olive St #1420 , Los Angeles, CA 90012 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 590-5213 | With support from the California Arts Council, Melodia Mariposa will present 16 free concerts in Altadena, Pasadena, and nearby areas during the 2025–26 season—including 8 outreach performances at senior residences, memory care centers, and cancer support facilities. All programs will be offered at no cost to support a community still healing from the devastating Eaton Fire. The season also includes Peter and the Wolf at the LA County Arboretum, a family concert introducing children to the orchestra. Grant funds will support fair compensation for professional musicians, venue and production expenses. Programming will span a wide range of musical styles, honoring cultural heritage months and bringing together audiences of all ages. This support will allow Melodia Mariposa to offer a full season of inclusive, high-quality performances that foster healing, connection, and access to the arts. | Melodia Mariposa is a nonprofit music organization serving Altadena, Pasadena, and surrounding communities in Los Angeles County, presenting live performances featuring top-tier professional musicians in a wide variety of styles and genres—including classical, ballet, tango, opera, folk, and more. Almost all of our concerts are free and open to the public, making high-quality artistic experiences accessible to everyone in the community. These core programs reflect our commitment to serve, uplift, and inspire the local community through music and the arts. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $22,200.00 | KZFR 90.1FM | 341 Broadway St Ste 411, Chico, CA 95928-5321 | Butte | Upstate | (530) 895-0706 | 1st Congressional District of California | District 3 | District 1 | With support from the California Arts Council, Golden Valley Community Broadcasters will sustain and strengthen its role as a nonprofit arts and cultural broadcaster serving rural and historically underserved communities in Northern California. CAC funds will support general operating costs—including staff compensation, utilities, program administration, and volunteer training—enabling KZFR to continue offering free, accessible arts programming, inclusive media education, and vital community services such as multilingual public affairs, local music curation, and emergency broadcasting. | KZFR operates with the support of approximately 120 community volunteers who provide a wide variety of music programming as well as local public affairs and information programs. These volunteers also assist a small paid staff with fundraising, outreach and events for the northern Sacramento Valley and beyond. Agreement with the principles and goals of KZFR is the sole criteria for participation. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $16,600.00 | Audium Theater | 1616 BUSH ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109-5308 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 771-1616 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Audium will expand its Spatial Sound in Schools program—currently serving two Bay Area public schools- to four partner schools in the 2025-26 academic year. Grant funds will cover staffing, curriculum development, & loaned classroom audio kits for high school workshops introducing spatial audio fundamentals. Each semester-long partnership includes an on-campus demonstration at Audium, in-class composition sessions guided by our tech staff and alumni residents, two mixing visits in our theater, and a culminating student showcase night. Reducing financial barriers and centering culturally responsive pedagogies, we will engage at least 200 additional students- over 50 percent from historically marginalized backgrounds- in hands-on sound composition. This project advances CAC’s Arts & Youth goals by providing equitable access to creative learning, fostering positive social-emotional growth, and empowering youth voices through immersive arts experiences. | Audium is the first theater of its kind, pioneering the exploration of space in music for over 50 years. The theater is constructed specifically for live sound movement and utilizing the entire environment as a compositional tool. The building consists of a foyer, sound labyrinth and main performance space with over 176 speakers in total. Listeners sitting in concentric circles are enveloped by speakers in sloping walls, a floating floor and a suspended ceiling. Compositions are performed live at each program by a performer who distributes sounds through a custom-designed console. Sounds are “sculpted” through their movement, direction, speed and intensity on multiple planes in space. Live performance of composed works gives a human, interactive element to Audium’s spatial electronic orchestra. Audium has been exploring the ideas of aural immersion and live sound spatialization for decades. Its idea was born out of experimentation by Stan Shaff and Doug McEachern in the late 1950s with Anna Halprin’s dance troup and the now-historic San Francisco Tape Music Center. Audium went through multiple incarnations in its early years, from performances at the SF Museum of Art and SF State University to a fixed installation in San Francisco’s Richmond District for 3.5 years. It found a home at its current site, thanks to a series of grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, in 1975. The theater has held weekly performances ever since (totaling over 4,300 performances and counting). |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $16,133.00 | Liberando Nuestras Voces | 1419 Burlingame Ave suite w2 , Burlingame, CA 94010 | San Mateo | Bay Area – Other | (510) 501-1347 | Liberando Nuestras Voces is a creative writing program for adolescent Latinx girls that uses writing and art for self-reflection, expression, and well-being. Grounded in cultural and linguistic responsiveness, it encourages participants to share their truths through fierce, authentic writing. Held weekly from September 2025 to May 2026 at the San Leandro Public Library, the program includes mentor texts by women of color authors, pláticas (community-based conversations) with local women artists, and a culminating public reception where girls read a piece, showcase their artwork, and receive certificates. Rooted in joy, play, and social justice, the program affirms Latinx identities and fosters transformation through storytelling. Grant funds will support art and literary materials, program outreach, and artwork showcasing materials for the closing public reception. | Liberando Nuestras Voces establishes innovative, culturally and linguistically sustaining creative writing spaces that grow the next generation of Latinx women writers. Recognizing the connections between identity, language, and culture, we offer creative writing workshops for adolescent Latinx girls that invite them to use writing and art as tools for self-reflection, expression, and well-being through mentor texts written by BIPOC writers and pláticas with local women of color artists. | |||
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | a non profit visual arts organization | 2540 BARRETT AVE , RICHMOND, CA 94804-1600 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (510) 620-6772 | 8th Congressional District of California | State Assembly District 14 | State Senate District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, RICHMOND ART CENTER will expand Art Club, a free visual arts program for Richmond teens (ages 13–18). Art Club offers a safe, inclusive “third space” where youth can create, connect, and build community. Richmond is a racially diverse, working-class city where over half of residents speak a language other than English at home. Art Club primarily serves BIPOC, immigrant, undocumented, LGBTQ+, and low-income teens attending local public schools. Weekly sessions, led by Teaching Artists, feature hands-on projects in painting, printmaking, clay, and more. The culturally responsive curriculum, aligned with VAPA standards and district arts goals, supports both artistic and personal development. Lessons incorporate social-emotional learning and identity exploration, helping teens feel seen, heard, and supported in a space where they can thrive. | Arts Education: Our arts education program offers art classes to adults, youth, kids and families; on-site in our six studios, and off-site in local schools and community spaces. This includes providing free in-school and after-school arts tuition to K-12 students at local West Contra Costa Unified School District schools. Other arts education initiatives include a paid professional development series for educators, free family day celebrations, youth art tours of exhibitions, Summer Art Camp for Kids, and youth intensive classes. Exhibitions and Events: Exhibitions and public programs feature work by established, early career and aspiring artists. The goal of our exhibition program is to introduce new artists, artwork and perspectives on art; engage Richmond audiences; enhance the visibility of underrepresented groups/artists; and serve as a catalyst for community interaction. Long term community exhibition partnerships include The Art of Living Black/Art of the African Diaspora (since 1997), and the WCCUSD Art Show (since 1965). |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | Home of Guiding Hands | 1908 FRIENDSHIP DR , EL CAJON, CA 92020-1129 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 938-2850 | 51st Congressional District | 79th Assembly District | 39th Senate District | With support from the California Arts Council, Home of Guiding Hands will expand access to arts and music programming for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Grant funds will be used to increase the frequency of visual arts workshops, led by a California-based teaching artist, and to support participation in weekly music sessions facilitated by Banding Together. Workshops will take place at licensed residential homes and community sites and will include adaptive materials, trained support staff, and ADA-compliant transportation. The project will also fund public culmination events where participants can share and, if they choose, sell their work. Direct Service Providers and Program Managers will support accessibility and coordination. | Core Programs and Services * Residential services: 29 community-based homes offering 24/7 care, daily living support, and community integration. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $21,600.00 | Bocón | PO BOX 152481 , SAN DIEGO, CA 92195 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 997-3117 | 52nd | 79 | 39 | Grant funds will support Bocón’s general operations and programming, including arts education in schools and community programs in some of San Diego’s most diverse and socially impacted neighborhoods. Bocón produces bilingual, multicultural plays for family audiences that celebrate and reflect the cultures and languages of our communities. San Diego lacks professional theatre that centers family audiences and communities of color—Bocón fills this gap by offering culturally relevant, accessible performances and learning opportunities. Funds will be used to support administrative staff and program infrastructure, ensuring the sustainability of our mission and continued impact in the community. | In-school arts residencies with professional teaching artists. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Center Theatre Group | 601 W TEMPLE ST , LOS ANGELES, CA 90012-2621 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 972-7357 | California's 34th congressional district | District 54 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Center Theatre Group (CTG) will produce the fourth iteration of the Storytelling Residency program during the 2025/26 Season. The Storytelling Residency program engages nearly 100 high school students each year across three classrooms as they learn about the art of storytelling by collectively creating a play through a devised theatre project. Each iteration of the program is anchored in a dramatic text that serves as inspiration for students as they study the script and attend the play, with the 2025/26 Season anchor text being JAJA’S AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING by Jocelyn Bioh. Led by experienced Teaching Artists, the Storytelling Residency provides access for students to engage in quality arts experiences, fosters young people’s voices and creativity, and cultivates skills such leadership and collaboration. | Comprising the 2,000-seat Ahmanson Theatre, the 736-seat Mark Taper Forum, and the 317-seat Kirk Douglas Theatre, CTG is one of the nation’s largest regional theatres and one of the few regional theatres to successfully produce a broad variety of programming each season. CTG is committed to furthering its mission through programming that meets the challenge of producing and presenting work of the highest quality, while engaging a broad and diverse audience, and expanding community access and arts learning opportunities. These efforts include a robust Artistic Development Program offering commissions of new work, readings and workshops, and an annual L.A. Writers’ Workshop; and an Education and Community Partnerships Department dedicated to providing comprehensive year-round arts education and access to over 20,000 students, educators, and community members each year. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,600.00 | The Art of Elysium | 3278 WILSHIRE BLVD APT 1001 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90010-1422 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 389-3201 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Art of Elysium will sustain and expand its transformative, community-based arts programming for individuals facing medical, emotional, and systemic hardship across Los Angeles. CAC funding will support not only our monthly workshops, but also the artists and staff who bring them to life—covering fair compensation, materials, and accessibility resources. From bedside songwriting to youth-led fashion shows, our programs transcend circumstance, fostering belonging, resilience, and joy. Over the past 27 years, we have served more than 445,000 people—patients, elders, unhoused individuals, incarcerated youth, and families in crisis—through trauma-informed, culturally responsive creative experiences. We believe that artists are the solution, and that creativity builds community, heals pain, and lifts the next generation. This grant will help us keep that lifeline strong, sustainable, and open to all. | We offer academic and community programming matching volunteer artists with communities in need. Artists work with The Art of Elysium’s program directors in their field to develop, or plug into existing programs. Volunteer artists are then eligible for artist support services. We offer community service programs in the following disciplines: Fashion & Design, Film & Theatre, Music & Movement and Visual Arts. Each program is designed to: | |||
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | Stronger Together Now | 330 N D ST STE 506 , SN BERNRDNO, CA 92401-1524 | San Bernardino | Inland Empire | (619) 663-7010 | District 33 | District 45 | District 29 | With support from the California Arts Council, Stronger Together Now will provide a year-long series of monthly street art and graffiti workshops for youth, aimed at promoting creative expression, community pride, and mentorship through public art. The initiative known as “Voices on the Wall” program will engage youth in 2-3 hours sessions, in a safe, structured environment where they can explore their creativity, learn from Arturo Orellana, aka SauceyPasta, as a professional artist, and contribute to beautifying public spaces in downtown San Bernardino. Voices on the Wall offers a positive alternative to vandalism and unstructured afterschool time, reducing risk of negative behavior. Components include art history and cultural roots, sketching and typography, color theory and spray paint techniques, legal art vs. vandalism, design & execution, as well as community showcases. | We are a 501(c)3 California nonprofit public benefit corporation that aims to improve connectedness and provide resources for the people of the Inland Empire through free public events, mutual aid, outreach programs, educational services, sports programs, and enrichment offerings. Current programs include academic tutoring, mentorship, sports-lunch programs, coaching, and enrichment afterschool programs like barbering. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,600.00 | Sol Treasures | 519 BROADWAY ST , KING CITY, CA 93930-3230 | Monterey | Central Coast | (831) 386-1381 | California's 20th congressional district | District 30 | District 12 | With support from the California Arts Council, Sol Treasures will continue to provide accessible arts education, robust youth theater productions, cultural events, and gallery experiences to underserved rural families in South Monterey County. As the only arts and cultural center serving this rural region, we employ four staff and fund three credentialed teaching artists. Our large-scale theater productions at the historic Stanton Theater reach over 2,500 children per show. We host cultural celebrations like Día de Los Muertos, and partner with CHISPA, the Migrant Center, and rural schools to bring arts directly into underserved communities and foster engagement. This funding will sustain operations, expand outreach, and strengthen our mission to inspire, educate, and transform lives through the arts. | Sol Treasures is a (501 (c) 3 non-profit organization founded in 2008 as an Art and Cultural Center. Sol Treasures provides opportunities for community members of all ages to experience and create art in King City and the other Southern Monterey County communities. Sol Treasures provides art programming where none or very little exists. Underserved, rural-living children and youth have opportunities for creative expression. Sol Treasures serves 400 to 500 individuals weekly through visual and performing arts programs. Sol Treasures’ annual programs include after-school art enrichment classes; children’s musical theater productions, with each production providing a live theater experience for 2,000 of the region’s students; community choruses for students and adults; SOL-O Youth Strings Orchestra; and summer visual and performing art camps for children. Sol Treasures also has technical theatre classes, teaching all aspects of sound, lighting and visual technologies. The Sol Treasures Art Gallery and Gift Shop offer 7-8 annual art exhibits. Sol Treasures in collaboration with La Cocina organize the Dia de Los Muertos Community Altar, Parade and Festival to include classes on costuming, face painting, sculpting, and poetry. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,250.00 | Loco Bloco | 2781 24th St , San Francisco, CA 94110-4235 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 672-9798 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | Funds would be used to design and implement a culturally specific Youth Arts Education Program for 250 BIPOC youth, ages 6-14, in three San Francisco public schools that serve students in neighborhoods in the lower two percentile of the California HPI. Master artists from the BIPOC communities of which we are of, by and for will teach the performing traditions (and evolving traditions) of the Afro-Latinx diaspora. Students will also have opportunities to perform in schools, at community events and festivals throughout the Bay Area and in historically marginalized neighborhoods. This Program extends the reach and impact of 30 years of our work in BIPOC, Latinx, and African-American communities, which are under increasing economic and political duress, further limiting their access to cultural programs. This is the first culturally specific arts program in these schools. | Our programs reflect the richness of the Afro-Latino diaspora, which celebrates both ancestral traditions and contemporary expressions. Our core programs and services involve approximately 400 community participants and professional performing artists and artistic groups annually. The majority of these participants are rooted in San Francisco’s Latinx and African-American neighborhood communities. Our current programs and productions include: |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,600.00 | The GR818ERS; UNITE Cultural Center | 21710 Sherman Way , Canoga Park, CA 91303 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 456-4955 | California's 29th congressional district | California's 43rd State Assembly district | California's 20th State Senate district | With support from the California Arts Council, AWOKE will produce cultural arts programs and events across the San Fernando Valley and sustain the UNITE Cultural Center in the underserved community of Canoga Park. The center will serve as a hub for creative transformation, offering inclusive programming for youth and systems-impacted individuals in Greater Los Angeles County. AWOKE will leverage Hip Hop culture as a powerful tool for community engagement and social change, promoting cultural expression and identity. Through trauma-informed practices, the organization will support mental health, healing, and resilience by creating safe spaces for participants to explore movement, music, and visual arts. CAC funds will directly support program delivery, artist stipends, and operational costs, allowing AWOKE to expand access to arts experiences that foster well-being and strengthen cultural belonging for vulnerable communities. | AWOKE is dedicated to creating a supportive social ecosystem for youth, recognizing that such an environment reduces at-risk behaviors and leads to positive health outcomes. In 2019, AWOKE revitalized an abandoned storefront in the underserved community of Canoga Park, transforming it into the UNITE Cultural Center. This hub for creative transformation, civic engagement, and collective healing is strategically located within a mile of several grade schools, a dense residential community, and a large city park, making it an essential resource for local youth and families. AWOKE offers a variety of arts education and leadership development programs for youth ages 5-26+ at UNITE, in schools, and other public spaces throughout the year. Program specialties include Street Dance, DJing, Arts & Crafts, and Muralism. While activities are available year-round, the core programming occurs during three 12-week seasons. These seasons focus on after-school programs and drop-in activities for all ages, culminating in events that showcase participants’ talents. These inclusive cultural experiences, such as seasonal arts showcases, community arts festivals, and street dance competitions, are open to all ages and encourage community engagement. Beyond these seasons, AWOKE produces workshop series, community gatherings, and mural installations throughout the year. AWOKE’s commitment to community beautification is evident in its numerous mural projects and public art activations, which not only enhance the visual landscape but also instill a sense of pride and ownership among residents. AWOKE’s flagship initiative, “The GR818ERS Internship Program,” is an annual creative workforce development program. This paid internship for youth ages 17-26 provides training and field experience in creative production and arts administration. During the six-month internship, participants join one of three teams: Media & Marketing, Event Planning & Production, and Youth Development. These intern teams work closely with AWOKE staff and leadership to implement project activities, advocate for systems change, and support the organization’s operations. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $16,200.00 | Art at Vibe | 1503 Macdonald Ave Suite B, Richmond, CA 94801 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (510) 730-0656 | Art at Vibe requests $30,000 from the California Arts Council to expand trauma-informed, community-based arts programming in Richmond, CA. Funds will support stipends for 8–10 local teaching artists ($12,000), ensuring fair pay for up to 48 workshops. To increase access, $4,500 will subsidize scholarships for low-income, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and disabled participants. An additional $4,500 will fund workshop materials such as sewing kits, journals, and instruments. Operational and administrative coordination will be supported with $4,000. Outreach efforts, including multilingual flyers and community events, will be funded at $2,500. $1,500 will support documentation and evaluation, and $1,000 will remain flexible for accessibility accommodations or unexpected needs. This funding ensures consistent, culturally relevant programming serving up to 960 individuals annually and supports Art at Vibe’s goal of making the arts a vehicle for community healing and equity. | Art at Vibe, our work is twofold: we support artists and instructors while serving community participants through arts experiences that promote wellness, cultural connection, and creative growth. For artists and instructors, Art at Vibe is committed to ensuring that artists are valued, respected, and resourced. We offer: For community participants, our programs offer inclusive, low-barrier access to the arts as tools for healing, identity, and empowerment: Disciplines We Offer: | |||
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,500.00 | Dimensions Dance Theater Incorporated | 1428 Alice Street, Suite 308 , OAKLAND, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 465-3363 | California Assembly district 12 | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Dimensions Dance Theater’ Rites of Passage program will provide 500 students in grades 3-12 at The Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts with in-depth culturally based dance instruction after school and during the summer for 24 weeks with a culminating public performance by students at the end of each session. This community-based, youth-centered arts education initiative is rooted in African Diaspora traditions, serving diverse Oakland youth ages 8–18, and nurturing cultural identity, leadership, and creative expression through dance, music, storytelling, arts exposure, and mentorship. Over the grant year, more than 650 participants will engage in artistic exploration, culminating in public performances and community cultural events. | Dimensions engages the community year-round through carefully designed programs and stage concerts: The professional company produces an annual season and performs throughout the community. Rites of Passage is a comprehensive educational outreach program, serving youth ages 8-18 years. The program offers free classes in Oakland Public schools, and year-round low-cost classes after school and on Saturdays. This program also provides life skills workshops and art exposure field trips. Dimensions Extensions Performance Ensemble for ages 13-19 provides a more advance level of dance training and is the youth company of DDT. Apprentice and Internship Program is for ages 15-20 and for participates that are interested in dance as a career. Throughout the year, Dimensions provides four community dance classes per week; numerous community workshops; five free outside dance experience classes to high school students at the Malonga Center, and participates in Bay Area National Dance Week. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,250.00 | MoAD | 685 MISSION ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105-4126 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 358-7212 | California's 12th congressional district | 17 | 11 | MoAD in the Classroom (MIC) is an arts-based visual literacy and cultural studies program serving third and fourth graders, focused on schools with little or no arts programming across Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, and San Francisco counties. Each class receives 10 hours of instruction: eight 1-hour visits to the classroom led by MoAD Teaching Artists and one 2-hour field trip to the museum that includes gallery tours and hands-on artmaking. Students learn visual arts vocabulary, explore current exhibitions, and engage with art of the African Diaspora. The program culminates in student-led presentations of original artwork for their classroom and Teaching Artists. All materials, transportation, and museum access are provided at no cost. CAC funding will support Teaching Artist compensation, classroom supplies, curriculum refinement, and field trip resources—expanding access to arts education for students. | MoAD in the Classroom (MIC) is an arts-based, visual literacy and cultural studies program for third grade classrooms located in the San Francisco Bay Area. A MoAD Educator makes two trips to the classroom and the students make two visits to the museum. While in the classroom, MoAD Educators teach students about museum themes, current exhibitions, and visual arts vocabulary. During the museum visits, students view current art exhibitions, learn how to view and talk about art, and participate in hands-on art activities. Poets in Residence is a 4-month writing residency from September – December for two poets of African descent who will immerse themselves in the current exhibitions and will be provided space to write using the museum as their muse. They will partner with Arise High School in Oakland to teach students creative writing poetry workshops at the high school. Our Emerging Artists Program ( EAP) highlights local, emerging, and mid-career visual artists and art collectives through solo exhibitions that reflect the cultural and artistic richness of the African diaspora. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,250.00 | Au Co Vietnamese Cultural Center | PO BOX 347042 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134-7042 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 298-3705 | California congressional | State Assemblymember | State Senate | With support from the California Arts Council, Au Co Vietnamese Cultural Center will realize a suite of 2026 events that will empower and connect San Francisco’s underserved Tenderloin district and Southeast Asian communities through preservation and revitalization of traditional arts and culture alongside integration of contemporary approaches. These events are: Thi Ca Su Viet 13: Annual concert of Vietnamese traditional and contemporary arts attracting intergenerational audiences. Featured performers will be Vanessa Van Anh Vo’s Blood Moon Orchestra and Johnny Huy Nguyen with the Asian Improv aRts Special Unit 6th Annual Multicultural Spring Festival and 17 Annual Mid-Autumn Harvest Festival: Co-produced with the Southeast Asian Arts and Culture Coalition, these free all-day events serve the Tenderloin Community with cultural exhibitions, demonstrations, and performances from Vietnamese, Lao, Cambodian, Thai, Chinese, Burmese, Filipino communities. | Au Co realizes its mission and purpose through a multifaceted suite of programs and services that foster intercultural bonds, cultural preservation, and artistic innovation to uplift the community. Our core programs and services include: – The Vietnamese Language Program offering classes for students, ranging from young children to young adults, to learn the Vietnamese language while engaging with culture and the arts |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $13,500.00 | Coachella Valley Arts Institute | 41550 Eclectic Street , Palm Desert, CA 92260 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (760) 440-5512 | 25th | 42nd | 28th | Futurenomic Resources seeks CAC General Operating Support to amplify our transformative Explore AI and arts-based out-of-school programs, serving over 500 youth annually across seven zip codes. These funds will directly support dedicated staff, innovative curriculum development, and vital community partnerships that provide safe, creative spaces for underserved youth to thrive. By integrating artistic literacy with cutting-edge technology, our programs empower participants to become confident problem-solvers and future innovators. Last year, 92% of youth reported increased engagement in the arts and STEM. With CAC’s investment, we will expand our reach, bridge critical opportunity gaps, and inspire the next generation of diverse artists and leaders who are shaping a more inclusive and imaginative future for our communities. | CVAI offers a diverse array of programs tailored to enhance literacy, artistic expression, and well-being among youth and homeless populations aged 2 and above. Our commitment to inclusivity is underscored by scholarship opportunities, ensuring access to quality arts education in underserved communities. Our programs encompass: – Vocal Training: Led by professionals employing the Seth Rigg’s method, participants receive comprehensive instruction in Speech Level Singing. – Singing Performance: Explore vocal technique, music theory, and stage presence in a supportive environment. – Dance Training: Experience a unique blend of dance styles tailored for live performances. -First 5 Movement Dance Class: Fosters literacy, balance, and coordination development. – Songwriting: Delve into song structure, vocabulary use, and self-expression. – Acting & Drama: Cultivate creativity and performance skills through immersive training. – STEM Education: Engage in hands-on classes integrating science, technology, engineering, and math with music and movement exploration, guitar craftsmanship, and music production using industry-standard software. – Art Therapy: Utilize Media Arts as a healing tool, employing rhythm, mindfulness, and energy-medicine techniques to support trauma recovery. – Painting: From perspective to composition, participants explore various painting techniques and mediums under expert guidance. – Social Media Class: Gain insights into utilizing social media platforms effectively and safely. – Music Production with Logic Class: Learn the intricacies of music and sound editing using Logic Pro, guided by professional engineers. – Adobe Illustrator Class: Master the basics of graphic design for creative expression. – Tutoring: Virtual sessions offer a wide range of educational opportunities including photography, videography, music production, website design, and marketing classes. At CVAI, we’re not just fostering artistic skills; we’re nurturing holistic development, empowering individuals to unleash their potential and contribute positively to their communities. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,250.00 | The Leela Institute | 23650 Community St. , West Hills, CA 91304 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (424) 208-9707 | California's 30th congressional district | District 45 | District 27 | With support from the California Arts Council, Leela will present a summer concert series titled “Ananda: Joy” featuring performances of the traditional kathak solo by veteran and emerging dancers and musicians. The series aims to create a space for artists and audiences in the South Asian American community to come together to celebrate their shared cultural heritage and strengthen community bonds. | Leela’s nationally touring dance company, Leela Dance Collective (LDC), has garnered critical acclaim under the artistic direction of renowned kathak artists Rukhmani Mehta, Seibi Lee, and Rachna Nivas, and engages some of today’s leading dancers and musicians, as well as collaborative artists of other genres. LDC’s repertoire represents the breadth and depth of kathak, and amplifies the voices of a new generation of female artists. Through traditional works, cross genre collaborations, and cutting edge choreography, LDC is making kathak relevant for contemporary audiences worldwide. In addition to performances in public spaces, LDC is expanding its performances in community spaces, such as libraries and local schools. In 2019, Leela joined the roster for the Music Center Performing Artists in Schools and Neighborhoods Program, a program designed to inspire creative thinking and introduce audiences K-12 to the world’s diverse cultural traditions through school performances. Through this program, LDC serves as a model for artistic excellence, inspires creative thinking, and introduces young audiences to the joy of kathak and the rich history of India’s cultural heritage. Leela’s educational arm, the Leela Academy, provides world-class education and training in kathak and Hindustani classical music to children and youth. The Leela Academy’s cornerstone program, the Leela Youth Dance Company (LYDC), serves as our elite pre-professional performing group for girls in grades 7-12. The program champions excellence in kathak while serving as a platform for youth leadership development that empowers young South Asian American women as artists, cultural ambassadors and leaders of social change. Finally, the Leela Foundation provides the financial infrastructure critical for the viability and sustainability of classical Indian artistic traditions. Through the artists, educators and programs supported, the Foundation ultimately seeks to ensure that communities worldwide and generations to come have access to the richness and depth of India’s artistic traditions. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,750.00 | EAST BAY CHILDREN'S THEATRE | 235 30TH ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131-2420 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (415) 244-4234 | California's 12th congressional district | AD14 | SD07 | With support from the California Arts Council, EAST BAY CHILDRENS THEATRE INC, the oldest continuously operating theatre company in the SF Bay Area, will produce an original musical for our fall school tour. This includes design and construction of sets and costumes; purchases and maintenance of lights, sound equipment and props; printing; storage and transportation rental. It also includes renting rehearsal space and providing travel stipends to actors. The tour consists of eleven Title 1 schools, visiting two or three schools per week. This show will be Jack and the Beanstalk and the Giant, and the Goose, and the Really Truly-Uly Rotten Day, a musical adaptation by Ron Lytle of the classic fairy tale. Public performances on weekends in rented venues provide income of which helps cover the cost of the school tour. | EBCT’s core program is touring World Premiere musical versions of classic fairy tales to underserved school districts. The musicals are written by EBCT’s resident musical playwright, award-winning Bay Area composer/writer Ron Lytle. EBCT school tours use Ron’s adaptations of these familiar stories and characters to expose young students to the joy and positive instructive power of music and theatrical performance. EBCT’s program is administered through both volunteers, and paid artists/contractors, all of whom reside in the Bay Area. Some of the volunteers come from EBCT’s board of directors who include both current and retired teachers. The paid artists/contractors are seasoned theatrical and educational professionals as well as some who come from other fields but have The school performance tour is conducted over several weeks at approximately 11 Title 1 schools. In advance of its school visits, EBCT provides the school and teachers with a comprehensive Teaching & Activities Guide created by EBCT’s Education Committee, most of whom are former teachers, who tailor each guide to the themes and issues presented in the production. Approximately 400 to 500 children are present at each performance after which the teachers are given evaluation forms to complete in order to provide feedback about the quality of the production, their measure of student engagement and enjoyment, the use and relevance of the Teaching Guide provided by EBCT for pre-performance instruction, the production’s recognition of positive values, and whether the children benefited from the musical as a learning experience. Following the school tour, the production is performed for the general public at theaters in the community, the income from which is used to help fund the cost of the school tours. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Arab Film Festival | 2 Plaza Street , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 564-1100 | California's 11th congressional district | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Arab Film and Media Institute will produce the 29th edition of the Arab Film Festival, the largest and oldest festival of its kind outside the Arab world. The 2025 festival will be held in the San Francisco Bay Area with a touring edition in Los Angeles and online screenings. | The Arab Film and Media Institute (AFMI) is the first U.S.-based organization of its kind, dedicated to supporting and showcasing Arab film and media. Rebranded from the Arab Film Festival in 2017, AFMI now operates through four core programming pillars: Exhibitions, Education, Creators, and Industry. Exhibitions include AFMI’s flagship Arab Film Festival, the largest and longest-running independent festival of its kind outside the Arab world. The festival and its year-round screenings provide a vital platform for authentic Arab stories, reaching thousands annually through in-person and virtual events. Programs like Arab Women in the Arts and Arab Love: Queer Lens highlight underrepresented voices and themes. Education brings curated Arabic-language films and discussion guides into Bay Area middle- and high-schools. AFMI also runs Takalam: Arab Youth Speak Up!, a summer filmmaking camp that empowers Arab teens to tell their stories through film. Creators supports Arab and Arab American media-makers through fiscal sponsorship, mentorship, and workshops. The Arab Creators Collective and other services help emerging filmmakers navigate the industry, build skills, and access resources. Industry efforts focus on advocacy and visibility, with events like InFocus: Arab Cinema—a partnership with the Academy of Motion Pictures and NewFilmmakers LA—connecting Arab talent to Hollywood decision-makers and fostering authentic representation. Through these integrated efforts, AFMI combats harmful stereotypes, uplifts Arab voices, and fosters community dialogue, equity, and cultural pride across California and beyond. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,500.00 | The Sound Room | 3022 BROADWAY OAKLAND , OAKLAND, CA 94611-0000 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 708-9691 | District 12 | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Bay Area Jazz and Arts Inc will present ‘Boss Guitars,’ a series of 8 free masterclasses with renowned Oakland-based guitarists from the the Black and Latinx cultural traditions of jazz, blues, R&B, gospel, Latin music, and South American folk music. ‘Boss Guitars’ will be collaboratively developed with community members and address a community-identified need to create an accessible environment for intergenerational arts learning and to center Black and Latinx artists whose cultural traditions are threatened by gentrification in the Bay Area. | Bay Area Jazz and Arts Inc is a volunteer-run non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the art forms of jazz, blues, and world music through live performance and educational programs. Our performance space, The Sound Room, offer live performances featuring jazz, blues, and world music Thursday-Sunday weekly, totaling around 30 shows monthly. We feature local artists, touring artists, and emerging youth talent. We feature workshops and masterclasses with prominent artist-educators in our community. We contribute to our community, promoting fundraisers for local arts organizations and school bands. Our intimate listening room is all ages and features the music as the core experience, not a peripheral experience. The Sound Room was selected by DownBeat Magazine as 1 of the best places to hear jazz in the World 4 years in a row and was featured in the New York Times 36 hours in Oakland and in the Wall Street Journal ‘One of a Kind Experiences in Oakland.’ We have been named the Best Live Music Venue in the Bay Area for 2023. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,300.00 | Young Audiences of Northern California | 57 Post Street #511 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104-5028 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 974-5554 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Young Audiences of Northern California will create art experiences that inspire young people, expand learning, and enliven communities; provide gainful employment and career advancement to nearly 100 California creatives; strengthen the field of arts education, and enrich more than 35,000 young lives through direct arts engagement where these youth live, learn, and play. | Young Audiences of Northern California (YANC) partners with our network of teaching artists to deliver arts education to schools and community centers through our Signature Core Programs: assembly performances, artist residencies, artist workshops, and professional development for classroom teachers. We work in four arts disciplines: visual art, music, theater, and dance. We provide maximum impact on student learning by ensuring that all of our programs are arts-focused, child-centered, outcomes-driven, and measurably effective. To achieve these qualities, all programs offer students the opportunity to: experience the art form demonstrated by a professional artist; understand the art form and its history and culture; create the art form; and connect their learning to other areas of study, and to their lives and world. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | Martinez Arts Association | PO BOX 2304 , MARTINEZ, CA 94553-0230 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (925) 300-6670 | District 8 | District 15 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Martinez Arts Association, a small arts organization, will present our inaugural Black History Month Festival in February 2026. This program, presented free for the community, will feature an intergenerational lineup of renowned local Black performers spanning jazz, blues, funk, R&B, zydeco, hip-hop, gospel, Afro-Cuban music, poetry, and spoken word as well as visual art from local Black youth artists. The program will be collaboratively developed with community members and respond to a community-defined need to uplift the cultural contributions of under-represented Black artists in the Bay Area and provide culturally responsive programming celebrating Black History Month for Contra Costa County audiences. | Martinez Arts Association (MAA) provides scholarships to local graduating seniors in the visual arts. In response to budgetary cutbacks to our public schools, the MAA offers grants to teachers for purchasing art supplies for their students. Our annual Art In the Park program, now in its 54th year, is a free community festival held every August featuring fine arts and craft booths, live music, and food trucks. This event features over 60 artists and is also a fundraising event that supports teacher grants and student scholarships. We support art exhibits in our Martinez community including at the Martinez Library, Roxx on Main, and The Campbell Theater, John Muir Hospital, and the Contra Costa County Administration Building. Our Dia de los Muertos program at Ignacio Plaza honors those who have passed away through altars, music, food, and rituals. Our SWAN (Support Women Artists Now) Day program celebrates women in the arts with live music and fine arts and crafts exhibits. Our annual Community Arts Award (now in its fifth year) recognizes local artists and arts organizations with a financial award and recognition of their contributions to the arts in Martinez. Our annual Holiday Boutique showcases over 20 local artisans, artists, and craftspeople with a two-week program at the Old Martinez Train Depot. Martinez Arts Association was instrumental in bringing the Alhambra Way Mural Project to fruition, featuring work by local artists and including a mural dedication program. Martinez Arts Association promotes local arts events, exhibits, workshops, and classes in our bi-monthly newsletters. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,600.00 | Sacramento Comedy Spot | 1050 20TH ST STE 130 , SACRAMENTO, CA 95811-3153 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 444-3137 | California's 6th congressional district | District 7 | District 8 | With support from the California Arts Council, SACRAMENTO COMEDY SPOT will use awarded funds to cover expenses related to rent and utilities for two facilities while our organization continues to work towards attaining pre-pandemic revenue levels and security. | Sacramento Comedy Spot is the first theater in Sacramento to feature improv, stand-up, and sketch comedy shows and classes. The Comedy Spot also produces original videos, films, and comedy events, and is Northern California’s largest comedy school. We host shows five nights a week, featuring students who have recently completed our school courses, and other local comedians. Performances include amateur nights, graduation shows, developing shows, one-off themed and variety shows, and established favorites. We are the home of Anti-Cooperation League, Sacramento’s longest-running comedy show, and Lady Business, Sacramento’s first all-female comedy troupe. The Comedy Spot hosts annual events such as local fundraiser Big Day of Giving, the experimental, performance marathon of Weird • Strange • Bizarre, and many recurring shows that have become audience favorites. Guests attending these events add to the local economy with their patronage of nearby establishments. For students seeking a path in performing arts, our courses help develop a strong foundation in comedy on their way to professional success. Students become eligible to enter the performance arena through existing shows, or by developing their own. Our comedy school also caters to non-performing individuals interested in improving personal skills and/or mental well-being. Improv is well-documented as providing mental health benefits in the workplace, in the classroom, and at home. Diversity scholarship opportunities are available for all of our courses. We look forward to adding to our instructor base and increasing our available courses and workshops. Our community outreach efforts include connecting talent to fundraising events and programs for area nonprofits. Team-building workshops allow outside organizations to experience improv as a way to nurture group dynamics. We also have a strong internal community of members that provide a lifeline of support to each other, on and off stage, through which we also encourage working together through volunteerism. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | Murphys Creek Theatre | 580 Algiers St. , MURPHYS, CA 95247 | Calaveras | Central Valley | (209) 728-8422 | With support from the California Arts Council, Murphys Creek Theatre will revive The Mirror Project, its summer theatre conservatory for youth ages 9–17 that mirrors our professional Shakespeare production. Participants will receive daily instruction in acting, design, movement, and more from the very artists performing in the mainstage show. Each young actor is paired with an adult cast member playing the same role, creating a unique mentorship model rooted in artistic growth and community connection. The four-week program culminates in a youth-led Shakespeare performance. CAC funds will support equitable access through scholarships and help cover the costs of artist-educators and administrative staff. This project brings high-quality arts education to rural youth who might not otherwise have access, and cultivates the next generation of creators, storytellers, and leaders through a culturally responsive, performance-based learning experience. | Murphys Creek Theatre (MCT) produces a five-play mainstage season annually, offering professionally staged productions that span reimagined classics, contemporary works, and world premieres. Every performance features Pay-What-You-Can ticketing, ensuring that cost is never a barrier to experiencing live theatre. Each show is chosen to challenge, inspire, and connect audiences through powerful storytelling. We are dedicated to new work through Quill to Act, our annual new play festival. Finalist scripts receive public readings and community feedback, with the winning play professionally produced the following season as its world premiere. The festival offers meaningful exposure and development opportunities for emerging voices. Our youth education programs offer a rotating slate of seasonal opportunities in live theatre, film, and performance. Programs are designed to serve a wide age range, introduce diverse skill sets, and keep returning students engaged with fresh experiences. We prioritize financial accessibility through scholarships and subsidized tuition. MCT also provides free use of our stage and facilities to artists who live or work in Calaveras County, supporting performances, rehearsals, and cultural events that enrich our region. Together, these core programs reflect our commitment to professional artistry, community connection, and creating accessible opportunities for participation at every level. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $13,200.00 | Avenue 50 Studio, Inc. | 3714 N Figueroa St , Los Angeles, CA 90065-2447 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 352-3010 | California Assembly district 51 | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the CAC, Avenue 50 Studio will further strengthen our 26-year legacy as an arts organization as we transition into a new location. | Avenue 50 Studio is an arts organization that promotes and presents Latina/o/x and diverse local artists and poets, and is grounded in the community, geography, history, and struggles of the Northeast/East Los Angeles urban region where we are located. We have been presenting exhibitions since 2000, having organized over 300 exhibits and over 180 literary events, celebrating a variety of artistic media and themes and shown almost 1,100 artists, poets and musicians. Through our commitment to bridge the diverse cultures of the LA area and to represent the unique artistic presence of our largely working class, Latina/o/x neighborhood, we provide a platform for local artists, writers, advocates and local audiences to express and address the complex issues we face in our communities. We present work that constructively and creatively address racial, cultural, and world issues. Our mission engages the arts in an active role to bridge cultures, build community, and empower its members. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,250.00 | Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth | 1733 BROADWAY , OAKLAND, CA 94612-2105 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 599-7774 | District 12 | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth will offer the 12-Week Youth Arts Intensive in Spring 2026. This free program, held weekly for 12 weeks, will engage Black youth ages 10-16, offering instruction in vocals and performance, guided by a restorative justice curriculum and culminating in a free community performance. The program will be collaboratively developed with community members and address a community-identified need to utilize the arts to repair historic and community harm caused by racialized oppression that relegates Black youth to futures defined by mass incarceration and institutionalization. | RJOY offers speaking, training, workshops and technical assistance to communities, schools, and justice groups in California and throughout the nation. The Restorative Art & Healing Circle, meeting every Thursday 5-7pm, is an intergenerational space for creativity, connection and care, incorporating poetry, music, theater, storytelling, collage, dance, painting, cooking, beadwork, drumming, sculpture, mixed-media, singing, and culinary arts. The Safe Space Studios Restorative Sound and Healing Circle, held every Thursday 6-8pm, is a healing circle designed for artists to receive guidance from professionals within the music industry and to create a safe space, time, and opportunities to perform at live showcases. The Music and Healing Cohort offers an opportunity for artists to dive into an individual and collective healing journey, supporting each other in turning healing stories into the music they love to write and perform. Participants record and mix their original songs and storytelling, guided by a restorative justice curriculum. The RJOY Ubusha youth program fosters restorative practices through engaging activities like community building, hands-on farm work, and rejuvenating retreats at our Ubuntu Farm and Healing Center. Participants learn the art of healing connections, sustainable agriculture, and self-discovery in a supportive environment that empowers them to contribute positively to their communities. The Restorative Justice in Schools Learning Community is designed to create a state-wide network for restorative justice practitioners, educators, and administrators. Our role in this initiative is to provide resources for developing restorative programs in schools districts across California. We are responsible for holding monthly webinars for restorative training, creating a network forum for dialogue, and providing a database with real evidence of the work being done to fight institutions that perpetuate punitive systems of oppression to black and brown children. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | Fox Cultural Hall | 8707 North Lake Boulevard , Kings Beach, CA 96143 | Placer | Upstate | (530) 582-8278 | California Assembly District 3 | District 1 | District 1 | With support from the California Arts Council, Arts For The Schools will launch Sounding the Wild, an arts and eco-literacy education program that blends music, environmental themes, and place-based learning to spark creativity, connection, and critical thinking. In this initial phase, the program will focus on our youngest learners—kindergarten through 2nd grade students in the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District—prioritizing Title I school sites and campuses ranked lowest on the California Healthy Places Index (HPI). Sounding the Wild features assemblies by world-class musicians, each centered on a distinct ecological theme, followed by in-class integration through the Musical Field Journal, a curriculum tool combining journaling, lyrics, and science-based observation. Aligned with NGSS, SEL, and VAPA standards, the program allows students to extend their learning beyond the performance and into the natural world. | Fox Cultural Hall (Arts For The Schools) now offers seven programs, operating in a new space for arts programming and community arts. Community Programs: arTRAIN- Free professional training in arts integration for classroom teachers and schools to promote equitable learning outcomes among students. The Mural Project –A collaboration of area organizations, to beautify local businesses with artistic murals, in the heart of North Lake Tahoe communities. The art conveys important local themes of environmental stewardship, history and cultural heritage, with the goal of bringing attention to local small businesses. Mexican Heritage Festival – The festival honors Mexican cultural traditions through celebration of Mexican music, dance, arts, artisan vendors, crafts, food and local businesses. In addition to supporting and celebrating Mexican culture, arts and artists, the festival promotes and supports, local LatinX-owned businesses. School- based Programs: The Performing Arts program provides performances and workshops with cultural, performing artists in K-12 schools to promote cultural learning. The program serves 10,000 students and reaches 22 schools in our service area, and supports 35-40 artists annually. The Community School program provides in-depth course work in music, visual arts, and digital arts for juvenile-justice system and vulnerable youth at school. The program serves students with in-depth fine arts and career-training course-work. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $21,900.00 | Automata | 504 Chung King Court , LOS ANGELES, CA 90012 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 356-5482 | 30th Congressional district of California. | District 54 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, AUTOMATA ARTS will strengthen our ability to uplift and highlight artists who are marginalized by economic, logistical, and language barriers. Through support for our General Operations, a percentage of the rent and utilities for our space and for staff salaries will be covered, allowing us to dedicate more time and resources to supporting the work of diverse artists and fostering a welcoming and accessible space for sharing work, as well as providing greater support for diversely-abled community members. We will also be able to expand the scope of outreach strategies including incorporating other language accessibility (predominantly Spanish/Cantonese). | Automata was founded in 2004 by artists Susan Simpson and Janie Geiser. Since that time, we have been presenting intimate performances of original work, film screenings of contemporary and historical avant-garde film, lectures, workshops, and exhibitions in a variety of spaces in Los Angeles. We have invited playwrights and composers, puppeteers and designers, visual artists, and new media experimenters to collaborate and create new works using performing objects. From 2007-2009 we operated The Manual Archives, a micro performance and exhibition space dedicated to newly invented folklore for the city of Los Angeles. Automata moved into its present Chinatown performance gallery in 2012. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,250.00 | Community Rejuvenation Project | 2721 60TH AVE , OAKLAND, CA 94605-1534 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 269-7840 | California Assembly district 18 | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Community Rejuvenation Project will partner with Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice (CURYJ) to design and produce a large-scale community mural in the Casa Sueños Building in Oakland’s Fruitvale District: CURYJ’s new hub for the Youth Power Zone and permanent supportive housing for system-impacted youth and families. The project, titled From Bars to Blossoms: Dreaming Beyond Incarceration, will be co-created with youth leaders from CURYJ’s Dream Beyond Bars, Homies 4 Justice, and Life Coaching programs. Through intergenerational storytelling workshops and community design sessions, youth, elders, and families will shape a mural that reflects cultural resilience, justice, and collective healing. CAC funds will support artist compensation, youth fellowships, supplies, and community engagement activities, ensuring the mural reflects the lived experiences, visions, and values of Fruitvale’s historically under-resourced communities. | As a pavement to policy organization, CRP develops and implements best practices around public art policy through strategy-based, on-the-ground experience in urban communities. Over the past twelve years, the collective has painted more than 300 murals throughout the Bay Area. CRP has developed an innovative and effective model for community engagement by incorporating multimedia and documentary filmmaking into its approach. In addition, CRP has advocated strongly for increased investment in public art and more sensible public art policy. CRP has also been a founding member of several community-based coalitions working on ongoing equitable development, anti-displacement, and cultural resiliency campaigns, as well as increased transparency and accountability from public officials. CRP has also been a part of important discussions, both in the municipal and public sectors, around creative placemaking, cultural equity, and new directions in public art, on both a local and national level. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,900.00 | Jacob Jonas The Company | 1922 Arizona Ave , Santa Monica, CA 90404 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 963-0248 | California Assembly district 50 | District 50 | District 26 | As a first-time California Arts Council grantee, Jacob Jonas The Company (JJTC) requests funding to support general operating costs, including subsidized equitable wages for essential administrative and artistic staff. This support will help sustain swiftly growing operations and strengthen JJTC’s capacity as a nonprofit dedicated to innovative dance performance, interdisciplinary collaboration, and community engagement. During the grant period, JJTC will premiere three new works for its 2026 season, present non-traditional performances across the region, deliver movement-based arts education and wellness programs, and expand access through digital content. Staff members are critical to the organization’s long-term sustainability and ability to provide meaningful engagement across Los Angeles and beyond. CAC funding will directly advance JJTC’s mission to make dance more accessible, relevant, and healing for diverse communities. | JJTC is a Santa Monica-based nonprofit dance organization dedicated to expanding the presence of dance through live performances, digital storytelling, and community engagement. Founded in 2014, JJTC has become a pioneering force at the intersection of dance, technology, and community, working to make high-quality, innovative dance accessible to a diverse audience. Since its inception, JJTC has redefined the possibilities of dance by bringing performances to unconventional spaces, such as the Santa Monica Pier and Getty Museum, and by engaging local communities in meaningful collaborations. A core belief in dance as a universal language drives the company to dismantle barriers to arts participation, offering a wide range of programs that bridge cultural and socio-economic divides. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $16,200.00 | WriteGirl | 1330 Factory Pl, F-104 Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90013 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 253-2655 | With support from the California Arts Council, WriteGirl will continue its mission to empower underserved teen girls and gender expansive youth through creative writing workshops, publishing and performance opportunities, one-on-one mentoring by professional writer volunteers, and college entrance guidance. Funding would support the organization as it provides year-round programming at no cost to 600 teens and young adults, ages 13-24, who reside in Southern California. Grant funds will be applied to staff costs, rent, utilities, program development, volunteer recruitment and training, staff development and other operational expenses. | Each year, WriteGirl presents nearly 100 online and in-person events for youth, including writing and educational workshops, one-on-one mentoring, leadership development, publishing/performance opportunities, and college entrance guidance. All programming is provided at no cost to participants, through two main programs: 1) The WriteGirl Core Mentoring Program presents year-round, online and in-person writing workshops that feature engaging activities, self-care segments, special guest presentations, and time for youth to write and share their creative work. More than 100 mentee-mentor pairs also meet for regular, one-hour, online and in-person writing sessions outside of workshops. The “Bold Futures” aspect of this program provides in-depth college entrance guidance to WriteGirl high school juniors and seniors, in addition to career-focused workshops and resources for 75 college-aged WriteGirl alumni and recent college graduates. WriteGirl also offers a monthly leadership training series called “Bold Leaders” to help teens develop skills in public speaking, time management and communication. 2) WriteGirl Partner Programs provide writing workshops for youth throughout Los Angeles County, in collaboration with organizations that include the Arts for Healing and Justice Network. Recent programming has included writing sessions for youth at Dorothy Kirby Center and Los Padrinos; monthly workshops for trans and nonbinary youth in Altadena; summer writing sessions for co-ed youth in the Compton Unified School District, and a series of college and job preparedness workshops for co-ed teens in the Centinela Valley Union High School District. WriteGirl mentors complete two days of intensive training in WriteGirl’s trauma- and healing-informed strategies and receive ongoing guidance to help them become effective, long-term mentors for youth. WriteGirl also works with dozens of special guest writers, musicians and performers who help maximize the impact of our work. Recent program partners have included the Japanese American National Museum, the Natural History Museum, the Wende Museum and The Autry. | |||
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | NA | 1611 S HOPE ST STE E , LOS ANGELES, CA 90015-4115 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 747-2777 | California Assembly district 53 | District 53 | District 30 | Create Now respectfully requests General Operating Support from the California Arts Council to help sustain and strengthen our core operations as we continue delivering free, high-quality arts education to underserved youth across California. Funding will support staff salaries, teaching artist compensation, program coordination, and essential administrative infrastructure that enables us to provide visual arts, music, writing, performance, and multimedia programs in schools, shelters, group homes, and juvenile facilities. This support will allow us to maintain continuity, expand reach, and deepen impact in communities where access to the arts is limited, while ensuring our programs remain culturally relevant, inclusive, and accessible to all youth. | Our unique partnership model helps Create Now provide access to the arts for youth who are most likely to miss out on impactful extracurricular opportunities and creative education. All of our programs are offered at no cost to youth and their families. Our partnerships with schools and community agencies have been built for nearly 30 years. This unique connection helps us reach youth who are underserved, experiencing homelessness, in foster care, or who have experienced the juvenile justice system. Like many other arts education organizations, Create Now relies on local schools and community agencies in underserved communities as crucial partners. A variety of our programming occurs on campus at various schools. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,250.00 | Son of Semele Ensemble | 4009 West Avenue 43 , Los Angeles, CA 90041 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 841-9151 | California's 34th congressional district | District 53 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Son of Semele Ensemble will produce “Out Loud,” a summer theatre enrichment program that gives high school students an opportunity to write and perform a play with guidance and support from a team of professional Teaching Artists. The program and presentation will take place within the brand new multi-million dollar Valley Academic and Cultural Center on the campus of Los Angeles Valley College. “Out Loud” celebrates the diverse experiences of young people, amplifying their voices through an enriching theatre arts experience that exposes them to many aspects of theatre arts, and presents their stories, dreams, and aspirations as a world premiere play of their own making. | Son of Semele Ensemble has developed three artistic programs which make up our season of ticketed events, serving thousands of Angelenos annually. These events include stage productions, co-productions, and new work festivals. All together these events feature the unique talents of hundreds of artists. In our history, we estimate that we have been at the center of 200 different events attended by over 23,000 people. Pre-pandemic, a typical season includes multiple productions and co-productions, as well as the series of Creation Festivals (new works festivals) which are curated through a no-cost, open application process. PRODUCTIONS & CO-PRODUCTIONS We present multiple productions each year that are selected and realized through our collaborative approach. Proposed by staff members, vetted by the company as a whole, and selected by the Producing Artistic Director, these productions feature the artistic work of Son of Semele Ensemble’s core company. We also produce co-productions in partnership with other venues and creative collaborators. These projects are selected based on the artistic potential of each. Our productions and co-productions each receive 8-15 performances over 2-4 weeks and have served many thousands of Angelenos through ticketed public performances. CREATION FESTIVALS We produce new work festivals (which we call Creation Festivals) periodically throughout the year, each focused on a different form of live performance (solo work, devised work, and short-form plays). Our Creation Festival series provides an opportunity for outside theatre artists to have their work presented by Son of Semele and to receive administrative, marketing, and artistic support throughout the full production process. The festival environment gives each artist exposure and a community of like-minded artists from which to grow and learn. Our Creation Festivals run 1-4 weeks and serve approximately 1,200 Angelenos annually through ticketed festival performances. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,000.00 | World Arts West | 1446 Market St. , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 474-3914 | California's 12th congressional district | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, World Arts West will produce Amazed by Grace, a new multidisciplinary performance collaboration between choreographer Nikka Maynard, West African dance company Diamano Coura (DC), composer Terrance Kelly, and the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir (OIGC). The project explores the connections between African Diasporic cultural forms from our African homelands to our current home communities in the East Bay, with a focus on the forms of Praise Dance, West African traditional drumming/dancing, and Gospel Music. | World Arts West Dance Festival Arts Equity Research Artist Service Programs Cultural Artist Visibility & Advocacy Grants Accelerator Program (GAP) Wallace Foundation National Arts Partners Regranting Cohort Special Artist Commissions |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,300.00 | World Arts West | 1446 Market St. , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 474-3914 | California's 12th congressional district | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, World Arts West will conduct artist service and advocacy programs that promote the artistic and economic development for our Northern Californian community of 600+ cultural dance companies with over 20,000 artists. Awarded funds will support World Arts West’s staff and contractors who administer and implement our capacity-building services dedicated to building a sustainable future for California’s cultural artists. Funded programming includes: Artist Service Program; Live Performance Presentations; Special Artist Commissions; Arts Equity Research; The 2026 World Arts West Dance Festival; and Artist Visibility & Advocacy programs. | World Arts West Dance Festival Arts Equity Research Artist Service Programs Cultural Artist Visibility & Advocacy Grants Accelerator Program (GAP) Wallace Foundation National Arts Partners Regranting Cohort Special Artist Commissions |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $23,000.00 | Musicians at Play | 4804 Laurel Canyon Boulevard #385, Valley Village, CA 91607 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 632-4868 | California's 29th Congressional District | District 44 | District 27 | With support from the California Arts Council, MUSICIANS AT PLAY FOUNDATION INC will provide a music mentorship program for youth at Monroe Community of Schools in North Hills, a community that has long faced chronic underfunding and limited access to the arts. This out-of-school initiative expands access to high-quality music education and meaningful artistic experiences typically unavailable to students in this underserved area. CAC funds are used to support professional mentor compensation. | Founded in 2015 by the family of renowned film composer John Williams, MAP is a vibrant community of world-class musicians and educators who partner with schools to offer tuition-free instrumental and vocal music instruction, coaching, and mentoring programs for youth ages 12-27 and free or low-cost professional community concerts in underserved communities. MAP also offers Career Technical Education training events and opportunities. It began with a single band class at New Roads HS in Santa Monica and has grown to include partnerships with schools and school districts in Burbank, Simi Valley, Los Angeles, Inglewood, and North Hills/Monroe Community. Over the past 10 years, MAP programs have impacted more than 41,000 students, teachers, parents, and community members. Its core instructional program, Artists in Schools (Instrumental Youth Orchestra and Choir), is facilitated by accredited educators who are award-winning professional local musicians working in the film, concert hall, and recording industries in Los Angeles and globally. They provide mentorship and training through sequential workshops, culminating in public performances. Fourteen disciplines of music are taught, including Choral, Trumpet, Trombone, Tuba, Horn, Sax, Clarinet, Flute, Percussion, Bass, Cello, Viola, Violin, and Piano. All programs align with California Visual & Performing Arts Standards. In spring 2022, MAP launched the RISE, an annual multi-week, high-level musicianship training and recording experience offering exposure to career opportunities in film/TV. In 2024, MAP launched the Civic Orchestra of Los Angeles (CO-LA) to provide world-class training and performance opportunities for young pre-professional musicians. In April 2024, MAP was approved for a groundbreaking, federally recognized, registered apprenticeship for “Session Musician” and is working on including all instruments within this framework as we build employer partnerships. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,600.00 | NA | 1611 S HOPE ST STE E , LOS ANGELES, CA 90015-4115 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 747-2777 | California Assembly district 53 | District 53 | District 30 | Create Now respectfully requests General Operating Support from the California Arts Council to sustain and strengthen our core programs that empower youth and young adults from underserved communities across California through transformative arts education. Grant funds will be used to support essential operational costs, including staffing, program coordination, and administrative infrastructure. This support will allow Create Now to continue delivering high-impact arts programming in music, visual arts, writing, dance, and multimedia, while expanding our reach into new communities facing economic and social barriers. As a long-standing nonprofit arts organization, this funding is critical to maintaining stability and ensuring the continuity of services that nurture creativity, self-expression, and career development for vulnerable youth statewide. | Our unique partnership model helps Create Now provide access to the arts for youth who are most likely to miss out on impactful extracurricular opportunities and creative education. All of our programs are offered at no cost to youth and their families. Our partnerships with schools and community agencies have been built for nearly 30 years. This unique connection helps us reach youth who are underserved, experiencing homelessness, in foster care, or who have experienced the juvenile justice system. Like many other arts education organizations, Create Now relies on local schools and community agencies in underserved communities as crucial partners. A variety of our programming occurs on campus at various schools. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,900.00 | New Art City Theatre | 214 JORDAN AVE , VENTURA, CA 93001-3508 | Ventura | Central Coast | (805) 242-8575 | 24th Congressional District | State Assembly District 38 | State Senate District 21 | New Art City Theatre (NACT), a professional nonprofit based in Ventura County, seeks General Operating Support from the California Arts Council to sustain core operational expenses, including salaries for full-time and part-time staff and stipends for participating artists. Grant funds will support year-round community engagement and ensure ongoing programming that provides equitable access to theatre for low-income and historically excluded local residents. This support will also strengthen NACT’s role as a Southern California arts incubator dedicated to developing new works and increasing access to professional theatre. | NACT serves two distinct groups in two key ways. For the theatre-going public, NACT makes attending professional theatre possible for low-income individuals, enriching the arts experience of the local community. For playwrights, NACT ensures equitable access for all writers and provides resources necessary to advance compelling new theatre from the page to the stage. The core programming component at NACT is the annual festival of new plays and musicals. Each project selected for the festival is chosen from hundreds of nationwide submissions reviewed by a panel of 50+ NACT volunteers. The annual festival is free and the public plays a pivotal role by providing feedback both in realtime and at the post-show talkback sessions. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,600.00 | Media Arts Santa Ana, a project of Community Partners | PO Box 1816 , Santa Ana, CA 92701 | Orange | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (888) 906-0340 | California's 46th congressional district | District 68 | District 34 | With support from the California Arts Council, Media Arts Santa Ana (MASA) will expand our free year-round community media arts programming at our TVGB instruction, presentation and production digital maker space in Santa Ana, and broaden programming at our adjoining visual arts/augmented reality gallery, MASARTE. We will strengthen our diverse, accessible and bilingual programming, including the 16th OC Film Fiesta multicultural film festival, Millennial Producers Academy (MILPA), Curator Incubator Project, SMART Walk (South Main Art Retail & Technology) Resource Fair, Youth Cinema Camp, Café MASA and Grassroots GarageBand class. In our MASARTE gallery, we will produce original exhibits that address community histories, aesthetics, and issues. MASA will deliver a robust schedule of innovative screenings, classes, workshops, networking and performance opportunities for intergenerational artists to produce and present empowering and uplifting experiences combining art, technology and community. | MASA’s core programs include the OC Film Fiesta multicultural film festival, SMART Walk (South Main Art, Retail & Technology) resource fair, the Millennial Producers Academy (MILPA), Cafe MASA, Grassroots Garage Band, MASARTE Gallery exhibits, Curator Incubator Project, the OC Teen Cinema Camp, the Youth Murals and Media Class and Taco Truck Cinema. MASA is also a presenting partner in Arts Orange County’s OC Día del Niño festival. MASA promotes self-expression, community empowerment, civic participation and cultural agility by providing affordable film screenings and discussions, media arts training and interdisciplinary workshops to underserved youth and adults in the primarily Latino immigrant and working class communities in and around Santa Ana. Media Arts Santa Ana operates the TVGB Digital Maker Space and MASARTE Gallery, located in the Santa Ana Arts Collective artist affordable housing building, located at 1666 N Main in Santa Ana. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | RCF Connects | 3260 BLUME DR STE 110 , RICHMOND, CA 94806-1960 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (510) 234-1200 | District 8 | District 14 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Richmond Community Foundation will offer our Arts Alive! after school program in Spring 2026. This free program held twice weekly for a 12-week session will engage Black youth ages 10-16, offering instruction in singing and dance from master Black women artists in our community, culminating in a free recital for the community. This project will be collaboratively developed with community members and will address a community-identified need for accessible, culturally responsive arts instruction for under-resourced youth, in alignment with our Equity for Black Women and Girls Initiative. | We facilitate the infrastructure and provide operational support for grassroots programs and partnerships designed to amplify equity in our communities, including offering fiscal sponsorship services to arts organizations and initiatives. We fund and support grassroots, equity-focused partners looking to pilot and amplify services for the community, by the community, including funding local arts programs and services. RCF Connects and its partners, Chase Bank and Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, have developed our Equity for Black Women and Girls Initiative, an incubator model tailored specifically to address the needs, struggles and obstacles Black women face when building a business and accessing capital. Our approach is guided by the belief that Black women deserve to be seen, heard, valued, and served. Sistas SOAR, led by an all-Black team, provides Black women with the support they need to have a successful entrepreneurial journey. The initiative also offers coaching and training in Sister Circles, a process that provides Black women and girls safe spaces to address issues and build communities of support. The mission of the Healthy Richmond Initiative is to help make Richmond a place where all children are safe, healthy and ready to learn. Healthy Richmond Hub staff engages, convenes and coordinates community based organizations and resident leaders in the initiative to collectively work towards increased health equity and racial justice in the community. Healthy Richmond staff provides resources and opportunities to our partners to build their advocacy capacity and supports them in keeping true to the Healthy Richmond Logic Model. Mobility Learning and Action Bets – or Mobility LABS – is a pioneering, four-year initiative to spur the development of new solutions to sustainably lift families out of poverty, and to promote dynamic leaders who will aim to change the national conversation around social and economic mobility. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | El Teatro Campesino | PO BOX 1240 705 Fourth St, SAN JUAN BAUTISTA, CA 95045-1240 | San Benito | Central Coast | (831) 623-2444 | California's 20th congressional district | District 30 | District 12 | With support from the California Arts Council, El Teatro Campesino will provide its fourth year of “Teatro de Nosotros” (“Theater of Us”) – a free bilingual Youth Theater program for Watsonville youth. Unfolding in two parts over the summer, Part 1 is a unique developmental week to inform an original script and Part Two is a three week rehearsal and production process to bring that new script to life with an all youth cast. CAC funds will support artist fees for teaching, script development, production design, directing, and physical production costs in order to support the creative development of these youth. | Founded by Luis Valdez in 1965 as the cultural arm of the UFW movement, El Teatro Campesino (ETC) functions as a multi-generational theatre company. For fifty-nine years now, ETC has been at the forefront of using theatre as an artistic generator of social change and continues to empower artists and communities from its home in San Juan Bautista. The spheres of ETC’s work can be summarized into three core areas: professional arts, arts education and community arts. Within these areas, ETC runs an annual theatre season, a developmental lab to create new work, regional/statewide tours, cultural festivals for Latino holidays, community based art making and arts education programming within schools. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,600.00 | WRITERS GROTTO | 1663 Mission St #602 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (510) 579-4504 | 12th | 17 | 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, WRITERS GROTTO will produce 1) Rooted & Written, our tuition free annual conference by and for writers of color. 2) Provide Flor Y Canto Fellowships for Black and Latinx writers, providing free membership. 3) Offer mentorship, which extends beyond Rooted & Written. Mentees can find support around a range of topics, from writing query letters and searching for literary agents to addressing racist tropes to aesthetic diversity. 4) Present 265 events, from classes to free literary readings for the SOMA/Tenderloin/Mission neighborhoods. 5) Support genre-based groups open to all members. All instructors read Craft in the Real World and The Anti-Racist Writing Workshop as a baseline. 6) Organize Craft & Career workshops on “The Pride of Craft: LGBTQ BIPOC Writing,” and “LGBTQ Parents,” “How to Build a World.” | A key part of the Writers Grotto community resource is its integration of extensive public programming through the presentation of its members’ created works and works-in-progress at public readings, literary festivals, and cultural events. The Writers Grotto also provides classes year round in all genres of literature, both free (through its Rooted & Written Conference and Fellowship for Writers of Color), and at low cost. Given the reality of continually rising rents in the Bay Area, and the gradual retraction in jobs and paying markets for writers, aspiring writers without outside income—and many well-published writers as well—are increasingly unable to find opportunities to work together in a professional setting. The Grotto provides an affordable physical community space along with rich, invaluable daily membership conversations and support provided both in person, through virtual gatherings, and through the Grotto daily listserve. 200+ classes and workshops per year are taught by Grotto members on writing fiction, essays, memoir, journalism, poetry, children’s books, screenwriting, social media, professional development and grant-writing, and more. Classes range from one afternoon to 8 weeks, and enrollment ranges from 10-30 participants per class. Classes are held in person at The Grotto, via Zoom, or as hybrid courses. The Grotto also offers low-cost, drop-in writing sessions that encourage participants to write and support each other in a communal setting. Write-ins last for 2.5 hours and are held in person at The Grotto, via Zoom, or as hybrid courses. The annual Rooted & Written Conference and Fellowship for Writers of Color anticipates featuring internationally renowned keynote speakers/luminaries (all creative artists of color based in literature), and Teaching Faculty who will offer workshops and classes in multiple genres (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, screenwriting, etc.) to 30+ Fellows, all writers of color who receive a full scholarship to the conference. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,250.00 | WRITERS GROTTO | 1663 Mission St #602 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (510) 579-4504 | 12th | 17 | 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Writers Grotto will host the Rooted & Written 2026 Conference/Fellowship by and for writers of color. The conference will serve 40 Fellows at no cost and 250+ additional participants, culminating in a national public reading and amplifying the Grotto’s mission to elevate voices of color. The Rooted & Written Conference is the only tuition-free literary conference designed for Writers of Color. It attracts international audiences to San Francisco in-person and virtually, gathering at the Writers Grotto Mission District/SOMA Headquarters for presentations and networking. Renowned for its commitment to elevating Writers of Color, the conference amplifies their creative output. The fellowship program nurtures emerging Writers of Color, providing mentorship, craft refinement, and industry connections. It awards 40 fellowships to the most promising BIPOC candidates, with participation entirely free. | A key part of the Writers Grotto community resource is its integration of extensive public programming through the presentation of its members’ created works and works-in-progress at public readings, literary festivals, and cultural events. The Writers Grotto also provides classes year round in all genres of literature, both free (through its Rooted & Written Conference and Fellowship for Writers of Color), and at low cost. Given the reality of continually rising rents in the Bay Area, and the gradual retraction in jobs and paying markets for writers, aspiring writers without outside income—and many well-published writers as well—are increasingly unable to find opportunities to work together in a professional setting. The Grotto provides an affordable physical community space along with rich, invaluable daily membership conversations and support provided both in person, through virtual gatherings, and through the Grotto daily listserve. 200+ classes and workshops per year are taught by Grotto members on writing fiction, essays, memoir, journalism, poetry, children’s books, screenwriting, social media, professional development and grant-writing, and more. Classes range from one afternoon to 8 weeks, and enrollment ranges from 10-30 participants per class. Classes are held in person at The Grotto, via Zoom, or as hybrid courses. The Grotto also offers low-cost, drop-in writing sessions that encourage participants to write and support each other in a communal setting. Write-ins last for 2.5 hours and are held in person at The Grotto, via Zoom, or as hybrid courses. The annual Rooted & Written Conference and Fellowship for Writers of Color anticipates featuring internationally renowned keynote speakers/luminaries (all creative artists of color based in literature), and Teaching Faculty who will offer workshops and classes in multiple genres (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, screenwriting, etc.) to 30+ Fellows, all writers of color who receive a full scholarship to the conference. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $11,250.00 | Iranian Women In Networking (IWIN) | 2135 ASCOT DR APT 8 , MORAGA, CA 94556-2280 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (925) 913-0313 | With support from the California Arts Council, Iranian Women in Networking (IWIN) will offer 33 two-hour, after-school workshops at Ygnacio Valley High School for approximately 35 Afghan girls (grades 9–12) and their siblings, reaching over 50 youth total. These trauma-informed “Creative Art for Well-Being” sessions integrate visual, textile, and clay art with breathwork, gentle movement, and group dialogue. Using a strength-based, culturally responsive approach, youth will build resilience, confidence, and cultural pride while exploring life skills such as boundary-setting, emotional expression, and time management. CAC funds will support artist facilitators, interpreter access, and all materials. As part of the program, students will also co-create a global public art installation—“25 Shoes / 25 Cities”—to raise awareness of gender-based violence, amplifying the voices of Afghan and Iranian women through art in San Francisco and beyond. | At IWIN (Iranian Women in Network), our core programs are rooted in the belief that art is both a tool for healing and a voice for justice. We offer culturally responsive, trauma-informed spaces where women and youth—particularly from Iranian, Afghan, and immigrant communities—can process experience, express identity, and build community. We aim to inspire the next generation to discover the artist within—and to see creative expression not only as healing, but also as a possible career path. Transformative Art workshops use visual and tactile practices—painting, textile art, clay, collage, and gentle movement or yoga-based practices—to foster emotional healing, identity exploration, and self-worth. Offered in schools, refugee centers, and clinics, these workshops have served over 400 participants, including Afghan girls, refugee mothers, and immigrant youth. Active in Contra Costa and Alameda counties. Activism Through Art channels community voices into powerful public works: community quilts composed of 18-piece panels, often featuring multilingual messages and personal stories. These works are fully inspired by the AIDS Memorial Quilt project. In 2025, we launched our own collaborative AIDS Memorial Quilt initiative, exhibited at San Francisco City Hall, Yerba Buena Center, Golden Gate Park, and other prominent Bay Area spaces—reaching over 1,000 community members and allies. To date, we have collected over 600 quilt pieces globally and assembled 52 completed panels. While this work is centered in San Francisco, it has been exhibited as far as Long Beach University and Sacramento County. Our work is as an emerging grassroots and collaborative, led by immigrant women artists,. IWIN’s founder—a polio survivor paralysis in both legs—is an Iranian engineer, single mother, and lifelong advocate. She is currently training as a lay counselor, deepening IWIN’s capacity to integrate emotional support. Through art, we build spaces of healing, expression, and belonging—one story, one workshop, and one quilt at a time. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $16,425.00 | CTN | 1471 GUERRERO ST STE 3 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110-4371 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 867-7080 | 11th Congressional District of California | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, US JAPAN CULTURAL TRADE NETWORK INC (CTN) will commission, produce, and present Memento Forest – Katami, a multimedia intergenerational performance project by dancer/choreographer Marina Fukushima. Taking inspiration from dialogues and interactions with Japanese and Asian American elders, as well as with her own family, including her late father and three generations of mothers, Marina centers and uplifts unseen bodies, unheard stories, and intergenerational relationships, transforming a personal grieving process into a communal and collective caring and healing process. Following its scheduled premiere in spring 2026 at NOHSpace in San Francisco, the artists will create a digital collage of the work, which will be published as one of the micro-seasons in the Digital Library of CTN’s 72 Seasons Project, offering continued engagement for current and future audiences. | CTN’s programs and services include: designing and delivering exemplary arts and cultural programs in San Francisco Bay Area and various communities across the U.S. and Japan through producing, presenting, and programming; building and sharing broad knowledge about artistic resources and cultural practices of the U.S. and Japan; providing access to contextual understanding for the artistic works to enhance understanding and appreciation of audiences/participants; facilitating strong working relationships between and among diverse communities, including artistic professionals in the U.S. and Japan; and providing translations, facilitation and coordination services to enable intercultural dialogues, collaborations and projects in both countries with an emphasis on the San Francisco Bay Area, where it’s based since 2007. By collaborating with regional and national network organizations as well as larger institutions and international arts festivals, our programs and services cover broad geographies and reach diverse demographics, promoting Japanese cultural traditions, artistic expressions and wisdom of the community. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $21,250.00 | Kala Art Institute | 1060 HEINZ AVE Kala Institute, BERKELEY, CA 94710-2719 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 841-7000 | California's 13th congressional district | District 14 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council Kala Art Institute will continue to provide a cohort of veteran artists custom-tailored artist residencies at Kala, invite veteran alumni to return to Kala as mentors, and new this cycle we will design course offerings and lead quarterly community-based workshops for military communities, all free and open to the public. Kala’s Veterans Initiative in the Arts includes artist residencies, exhibition and public programs opportunities for veteran artists, and quarterly art-making workshops for military families, caregivers, and the extended veterans community. Residencies include 24/7 access to Kala’s printmaking studio, digital lab, darkroom, sculpture lab and project spaces, a project stipend, technical support, opportunities for exhibition and artist talks at Kala, and resources to design and lead workshops for other veterans and for the general public. | The heart of Kala’s mission is supporting artists and engaging the community. Kala’s artist residency program offers professional facilities to those working in and across printmaking and digital media, new media, public art, sculpture, installation, and performance. Kala’s artist residency program is known for the support it offers to artists, specialized resources spanning printmaking, photography, sculpture and media arts, points of contact with accessible staff, and the caliber of work artists are able to produce and share with the community while in residence. Kala’s artist residencies provide time, space, equipment, and a knowledgeable network of artists (175+ artists a year) to foster dialogue, risk-taking, creation of new work, and community building. Kala’s exhibitions and gallery, free and open to the public Tuesday-Saturday, provide a platform for innovative presentations of contemporary art and a forum for artists and the public – sparking conversations across views and timely topics. This complex web of timely topics includes racial and social justice, displacement, the environment, community wellness, and more. Kala hosts community events, film screenings, artist talks, and performances in the galley too. Kala fosters a fresh approach to experimentation, as artists investigate the interface of digital work, work made by hand, and everything in between. A spirit of exchange and education is nurtured through all Kala’s programs. Kala offers quality arts education to the general public and local youth through its on-site art classes – after school studio art, teen studio workshops, family and community art-making sessions, summer art programs, field trips, and a robust Artists-in-Schools program, established in 1991, providing artist-led instruction to students in neighboring East Bay public schools. Providing multiple points of access to space and resources through artist residencies, exhibitions, and arts education is more important than ever as we fight for equitable engagement in the midst of these challenging times. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $20,455.00 | TODAY'S FUTURE SOUND | 666 Bellevue Ave , OAKLAND, CA 94661-0267 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 465-1850 | California's 12th congressional district | District 18 | District 7 | Today’s Future Sound (TFS) will deliver a 12-week Therapeutic Beat Making (TBM) program at Alameda County Juvenile Hall, offering two 1.5-hour sessions per week. Youth will collaborate with professional teaching artists to compose original beats, learn music production, and create a class album. Grounded in trauma-informed, culturally responsive pedagogy, the program supports emotional regulation, self-expression, and community connection. Funds will support artist stipends, program coordination, training, planning, and curriculum delivery, as well as equipment upkeep and materials needed for accessibility accommodations. TFS will also conduct a pre-program survey and post-workshop evaluations to assess growth in student engagement, confidence, and skill development. The program’s goals are to promote healing, increase access to high-quality arts education, and provide youth with meaningful tools for expression, skill-building, and future success. | Interdisciplinary, cross-cultural, therapeutic, arts education through beat making and music production that builds confidence, inspires creativity, and helps individuals create positive change. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $21,300.00 | Root Division | 1131 MISSION ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103-1514 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 863-7668 | California's 11th Congressional District | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Root Division will sustain and grow its studios, exhibitions, and arts education programs that empower emerging BIPOC artists and engage communities of color through culturally responsive practices. Funding will support 2025–26 programming, staffing, and operations, enabling us to continue our unique studios incubator, offer free visual arts classes to underserved youth, and present exhibitions that center diverse voices and narratives. Root Division remains committed to cultivating leadership and shared knowledge across our ecosystem. Our core focus is on uplifting historically marginalized communities—specifically artists, educators, curators, and youth who identify as BIPOC, immigrants, and LGBTQIA+—and providing meaningful access to creative opportunities that reflect and shape the future of San Francisco’s vibrant cultural landscape. | Root Division’s ecosystem includes 4 interconnected programs: In our unique incubator Studios Program we offer discounted space to artists who each volunteer 8 hours of service per month. Artists spend this time teaching free art classes in the Youth Education Program, instructing courses in the Adult Education Program, and/or supporting the Exhibitions & Events Program. We link various interests & audiences in a mutually beneficial relationship making art, artists & arts education more accessible while cultivating artists who give back. Since 2002, Root Division has provided 290+ artists with studios; empowered 480 artists to teach; provided 8,000+ hours of free art classes for neighborhood youth; hosted adult art classes for 4,400 students; exhibited 4,700+ artists; been a gathering place for 75,000 visitors to meet artists & see artwork; sold over $1.27M of emerging artwork; & developed partnerships with two-dozen public schools/ community centers & 180 local businesses. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $21,000.00 | Museum of Social Justice | 115 PASEO DE LA PLZ , LOS ANGELES, CA 90012-2922 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 224-8759 | California's 34th congressional district | District 54 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, the MUSEUM OF SOCIAL JUSTICE will collaborate with artist Oscar Magallanes to develop a multidisciplinary exhibition focused on the lived experiences of Indigenous youth from southern Mexico and Central America who have been separated from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border. The project will include a gallery exhibition, a short documentary film, and a public art or digital mural component. Grounded in trauma-informed collaboration, the work will center youth voices, many of whom speak K’iche’ and Mam, and reflect their cultural identities and resilience. In partnership with advocacy and legal organizations, and with guidance from a trauma-informed mental health advisor in designing healing-centered workshop components, the project will serve as both testimony and cultural preservation, using art to inform and honor communities navigating forced migration and systemic erasure. | As part of its permanent collection, the Museum showcases the work of women missionaries who established schools, medical clinics, and other services for refugees of the Mexican revolution in the early 1900’s, including the first integrated drinking fountain in Los Angeles from circa 1917. Through a collaboration with the Bradley Center at Cal State University, Northridge the museum was able to digitize over 2,000 photographs documenting life in Los Angeles for poor Latinos beginning in 1899. The museum has worked with a variety of curators to plan exhibitions on diverse social justice themes, including the Civil Rights Movement, immigration, and East L.A. student activism. In 2017, the Museum began partnering with artists from under-served communities to produce artistic responses to our major exhibitions. The museum invests in young adult leadership to act as docents, support our media needs, research our archives, develop educational components for upcoming exhibitions, etc. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | VELASLAVASAY PANORAMA | 1122 W 24TH ST , LOS ANGELES, CA 90007-1724 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 746-2166 | 37th Congressional District of California | District 57 | District 28 | With the support of the California Arts Council, Velaslavasay Panorama will partner with Community and Environment Research Lab in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at University of California Irvine to host: three artistic immersive panorama-making workshops centering on environmental awareness to envision healthy futures at multicultural community outreach events in South/East Los Angeles, including Dia de Los Muertos, and Bob Baker Day. In addition, we will host three garden sessions of healing, empowerment and transformation to increase climate awareness and resources for low-income communities of color living in proximity to inner-city oil drilling sites and manufacturing facilities. | Immersive panoramic installations are the philosophical center of the VP and are presented on a semi-permanent basis. Former works included: “Panorama of the Valley of the Smokes” (2000-2004), a surreal scene of the LA basin 200 years ago and “Effulgence of the North” (2007-2017), a hypnotic depiction of the Arctic landscape by night. “Shengjing Panorama,” (2019-present), our current panorama on view, is a visionary experience of daily life in Shenyang, China circa 1910-1930 and the first ever US-China collaborative panorama. Beyond the panorama, the VP curates highly collaborative performances, film screenings and illustrated lectures on visual art, arcane culture and experimental media. Programs include: “Union Square Florist Shop,” a living installation and performance of a bygone flower store circa 1969; an archo-historical illustrated lecture by the Shenyang Visual Archive; an evening of magic lantern performances by Charlotte Pryce; a 16mm film screen series with Jesse Lerner exploring themes of tourism, documentary, surrealism and archaeology in Mexican cinema; theatrical performances of “The Grand Moving Mirror of California,” a moving panorama tradition dating back to 1853. Our blossoming garden is an extension of immersive landscape art offering an oasis of lush, tropical foliage. Located in Council District 8, we are open to the public weekly on a by-donation basis and serve an annual visitorship of over 15,000 people. Our performances, exhibits programs are primarily focused on serving the Los Angeles community at our headquarters in West Adams/University Park but we reach additional audiences nationally and internationally by sharing our work at festivals, universities, conferences and other presenting opportunities including via postal mail. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Riverside Arts Academy | 4010 Merrill Ave. Suite B , RIVERSIDE, CA 92506 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (951) 266-5540 | California's 41st congressional district | District 61 | District 31 | With support from the California Arts Council, RIVERSIDE ARTS ACADEMY will sustain and expand its free, community-based music education program serving over 500 youth weekly across the Inland Empire. CAC funds will support local teaching artists, instrument maintenance, supplies, and transportation for 13 culturally responsive ensembles and classes—including Mariachi, Orchestra, Choir, Guitar, Strings, and a new Music 101 course. Designed for low-income, majority-Latino youth with limited access to the arts, this program fosters creativity, cultural identity, and personal growth while advancing equity and long-term participation in California’s arts ecosystem. | RAA’s core programs serve over 500 students in the city of Riverside through a flagship after school and Saturday music program at the historic Cesar Chavez Community Center and after school programs at fourteen public schools across the Inland Empire. RAA co-designs its programs with its partners including Riverside Unified, Alvord Unified, Jurupa Unified, the City of Riverside, and faculty from local postsecondary institutions. RAA programs serve students from the ages of 7 to 18 and center on music education through socio-emotional learning and culturally-responsive pedagogy. Course offerings include multiple levels of Mariachi, orchestra, band, choir, musicianship, and more. Students are enrolled an average of 3 hours per week, with some students pursuing as many as 10 hours of music education each week. RAA further supports the music education landscape in the IE through it’s signature workforce development program that helps emerging educators with professional development, classroom experience, and job placements. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | STUDIO 395 | 16275 Grand Ave. , LAKE ELSINORE, CA 92531-0395 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (951) 471-4407 | California's 42nd congressional district | District 63 | District 32 | With support from the California Arts Council, STUDIO 395 Foundation will fund an At Risk Art (ARA) Program that will focus on providing art instruction to teens and young adults who are in need of prevention and intervention services for drug/alcohol/gang involvement. We will be doing this with Art Not Drugs, a newly granted 501(c)3 developed by a STUDIO 395 board member to redirect youth in our community towards a more constructive life and positive self-image. A teen track program will be supported by school district referrals of students needing active engagement. The second track will be supported by local gang task force recommendations of youth at risk in the community. The program is focused on art as a means to express emotions and initiate healing. | STUDIO 395 is an organization comprised of artists and art enthusiasts engaged in enriching the community and its members through arts education, participation, and expression. STUDIO 395, established in 2011, has developed programs in cooperation with civic leaders, businesses, other non-profits, and through previously awarded grants, to advance artistic creation and appreciation with a focus of “art as a social practice” and community improvement. We have worked with our local government engaging community members, of all ages, who are low-income, seen as “at risk” and ethnically diverse, at venues in their neighborhoods, involving them in projects as we can. Our group maintains a business model approach, seeking donations and grants for programs, events, and venue development. Currently, we are a contracted operator for a Riverside County community center and also have a workshop space in an outdoor retail establishment that we use as a creation space for artists and can be set up for classes, workshops, and interactive events. We also sponsor an ongoing large mural program there and offer window space for local artists to display and sell their creations. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | Arts4MC | 24600 Silver Cloud Ct suite 202 , Monterey, CA 93940-6555 | Monterey | Central Coast | (831) 622-9060 | California's 20th congressional district | District 30 | District 17 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Arts Council for Monterey County (Arts4MC) will provide an enriching visual arts education program to 1-2 elementary schools in South Monterey County, a historically excluded community, where very few opportunities for the arts exist. A local community artist with many ties to these students, has been selected to design and lead these programs. | There is no organization in our county that connects more artists, students, cultural nonprofits and partners to visual and performing arts. Each year we expand our capacity to ensure that everyone benefits from high quality arts programs, including developing strategic partnerships in every supervisorial district in our community. Our guiding strategy is to support artists, teaching artists and arts organizations wherever there are substantial gaps – whether by demographics (low-income), location (rural) or by circumstances (at-risk-youth), we provide direct services. Today, we strengthen the ability of hundreds of artists, cultural groups and arts organizations to effectively serve our residents, as we present award-winning projects and programs that help address our communities’ greatest needs through the arts, serving our residents in English and Spanish. Arts Education – Our Professional Artists in the Schools is a cornerstone program providing teaching artist residencies in 40 partner schools, reaching more than 26,000 students. Our Arts as Healing program provides specialized classes for at-risk youth, people with disabilities, senior citizens and veterans, weaving creative mastery with social and emotional learning to develop their truest potential. Capacity Building – We stimulate the creative economy through the development of artists and arts organizations. Since 1985, artists, nonprofits, and cultural groups maximize their reach and deepen impact through our grant funding, training and consultations. Further support includes professional development workshops on grant writing, marketing and advocacy. We also provide affordable art studios to local emerging artists through our ArtWorks program. Community Partnerships – We are often approached to strengthen and connect arts programming to crucial community needs. We have provided services such as a hands-on arts program at the Monterey Bay Aquarium for historically-excluded Salinas teenagers, visual arts programs at Rancho Cielo Youth Center for at-risk young adults and a mural beautification project at the Veterans Transition Center. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | Pelisa Arts & Energy | PO BOX 30863 , Oakland, CA 94604 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 290-4262 | With support from the California Arts Council, Pelisa Arts & Energy will produce Rhythms of Fatherhood, an ongoing series of community events for Black and Brown fathers and children in Oakland, centered on health and wellbeing. The project was born out of Kiazi’s journey as a single father of a four-year old girl in Oakland. Our events feature music and dance performances, African Diasporic-rooted cultural workshops, and healthy Afro-Caribbean and Jamaican cuisine. | Ngoma Drumming Workshops Professional dance and music performances Rhythms of Fatherhood Social Justice & Environmental Advocacy | |||
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,000.00 | Noe Music | 1021 SANCHEZ ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114-3312 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 648-5236 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Noe Valley Chamber Music (DBA Noe Music) will connect Black and Latinx expecting mothers with world-class musicians to compose and record original lullabies for their babies, fostering community through music, strengthening maternal health, healing, and parent and child bonding. | Noe Music presents diverse artists in multi-day residencies. Our artists immerse themselves in our community by presenting public concerts for adults, interactive family concerts, and free public school workshops. The range of artists we present includes world, jazz, folk and experimental styles, as well as classical music, with a guiding emphasis on diversity and inclusion. Another core offering is the Lullaby Project—connecting pregnant women experiencing homelessness with professional Bay Area artists to compose original lullabies for their newborns. The project began as a partnership with the Homeless Prenatal Program in San Francisco and Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute. We now expand our collaborations to include Alameda Health System’s Spanish Centering and Beloved Birth Black Centering programs, running eight programs to date. Our intended audience is families of all ages. We create offerings for every stage of life, starting with the Lullaby Project in which we encourage mothers’ musical messages to reach their babies in utero. Our Noe Music Kids series offers interactive concerts tailored to young ears, for kids ages 3 to 12. We also offer free workshops to public schools in SF. At our mainstage offerings for adults, we offer discounted student tickets and complimentary childcare for those parents who would otherwise struggle to attend. All of our public offerings are wheelchair accessible. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,300.00 | GOLDEN THREAD PRODUCTIONS | 1695 18TH ST #C101 Annex , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107-2376 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 626-4061 | District 11 | District 17 | District 11 | Golden Thread will use CAC funds to support ongoing operations of the Bay Area’s only theatre company dedicated to celebrating the multiplicity of Middle Eastern perspectives and identities. CAC funds will contribute to the production of passionate and provocative plays from or about the Middle East. This will serve Middle Eastern audiences who rarely encounter meaningful reflections of their own culture in the performing arts, while exposing non-Middle Eastern audiences to the authentic voices and alternative perspectives of the region. | We fulfill our mission through rich and diverse programming, artist development, and community engagement. Our programs include the development and production of full-length plays; an annual New Threads Staged Readings series; annual events such as What do the Women Say? a celebration of International Women’s Day; and our two signature programs: the Golden Thread Fairytale Players, offering a cultural exploration of the Middle East designed for children, and the ReOrient Festival, a biennial festival of short plays highlighting the diversity of Middle Eastern perspectives and aesthetics, which also includes a ReOrient Forum, featuring discussions and performances by artists, academics, and activists. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,000.00 | GOLDEN THREAD PRODUCTIONS | 1695 18TH ST #C101 Annex , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107-2376 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 626-4061 | District 11 | District 17 | District 11 | Golden Thread Productions will present the world premiere of a new Afghan-American play titled PILGRIMAGE by Afghan-American playwright Humaira Ghilzai, co-written by Bridgette Dutta Portman and co-produced with Z Space. PILGRIMAGE tells the story of five Afghan and Muslim American women who embark on an Umrah, a minor pilgrimage, to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. As they travel together on a journey of spiritual reawakening, they navigate grief, faith, family conflict, and personal transformation. The play offers an unprecedented representation of Afghan and Muslim women rarely seen on U.S. stages. It presents a nuanced, woman-centered story that explores what it means to be Afghan, Muslim, and American today. The production will be guided and supported by Afghan-American artists, community council members, and community organizational partners who will provide cultural competency, outreach, and engagement. | We fulfill our mission through rich and diverse programming, artist development, and community engagement. Our programs include the development and production of full-length plays; an annual New Threads Staged Readings series; annual events such as What do the Women Say? a celebration of International Women’s Day; and our two signature programs: the Golden Thread Fairytale Players, offering a cultural exploration of the Middle East designed for children, and the ReOrient Festival, a biennial festival of short plays highlighting the diversity of Middle Eastern perspectives and aesthetics, which also includes a ReOrient Forum, featuring discussions and performances by artists, academics, and activists. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $13,200.00 | Black Women's Roots Festial | 3064 Richmond Blvd , Oakland, CA 94611 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (925) 658-2016 | 12th Congressional District | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Black Women’s Roots Festival will pursue our ongoing programming and operations as a small arts and cultural organization and further our mission to celebrate and promote Black women and girls in the arts through performance and educational programming, centering Black cultural traditions of roots music – jazz, blues, country, gospel, and beyond. | Black Women’s Roots Festival presents an annual festival in the San Francisco Bay Area showcasing an intergenerational lineup of Black women in blues, gospel, jazz, country, R&B, classical, hip-hop, poetry, spoken word, and beyond. The festival includes live performances, a free video livestream, a live radio broadcast in partnership with KPFA Radio, and a mentorship program for youth performers. We offer free after school youth arts programs, engaging Black youth ages 10-16 with curriculum in vocals, dance, and instrumental music. These programs are taught by renowned Black women artist-educators in our community. We present 3-4 free youth workshops and performances annually including programs with Black-women led string quartets and Black women country artists and blues artists. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $21,500.00 | Joshua Tree Living Arts | PO BOX 878 , JOSHUA TREE, CA 92252-0878 | San Bernardino | Inland Empire | (760) 910-3472 | California's 23rd Congressional District | District 47 | District 19 | Joshua Tree Living Arts’s eight-month series of Youth Tile Art Workshops brings together a professional ceramic artist, local youth, and the Twentynine Palms community—giving young people a place at the table and the opportunity to help shape a collaborative public mural. Through hands-on tile-making, students gain more than art skills—they gain a sense of authorship, agency, and the possibility of seeing their ideas made permanent in the landscape of their hometown. This isn’t just an art class—it’s a formative invitation to step into the role of artist, community builder, and cultural contributor by entering a broader civic dialogue and creating a personal tile for the City’s Freedom Plaza Tile Mural Project. | Joshua Tree Living Arts (JTLA) offers a diverse range of programs and services designed to enrich the High Desert community through arts education, creative collaboration, and sustainable practices. These initiatives aim to foster creativity, cultural enrichment, and community engagement across people of all ages and backgrounds. ARTISTS IN SCHOOLS COLLABORATIVE ART INSTALLATIONS COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS KIDS MUSIC PROGRAMS ARTIST MENTORSHIP FISCAL SPONSORSHIPS COMMUNITY LIAISON |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | Dance Brigade or Dance Mission | 3316 24TH ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110-3803 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 826-4441 | California Assembly district 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Dance Brigade (aka Dance Mission Theater) will present Liberation Academy 4.0, a comprehensive cultural dance performance initiative that addresses the urgent need for platforms to uplift, educate, and inspire new generations of dancers and cultural practitioners from the African Diasporic community. Grant funds will be utilized to run a five-month program, including a season of workshops, mentorships, classes, special performance commissions and student showcase performances designed to enhance participants’ technical skills, artistic expression, and understanding of the cultural, social, and historical contexts of the African Diaspora. | – Run a thriving inter/multicultural community arts venue, Dance Mission Theater (DMT); |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $21,300.00 | Dance Brigade or Dance Mission | 3316 24TH ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110-3803 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 826-4441 | California Assembly district 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Dance Brigade (commonly referred to as Dance Mission Theater) will expand its capacity to produce inclusive, artist-driven programming to further racial and gender equity in the arts. Funds will support the development of new works by women, LGBTQIA+ artists, and artists of color. DMT will enhance accessibility by offering affordable classes, performances, and studio rentals, ensuring economic barriers do not prevent participation. We will continue to foster partnerships with local cultural organizations, support emerging artists through showcases and residencies, and provide free dance and wellness programs for underserved communities. Additionally, funds will be used to sustain our accessibility upgrades and support our Accessibility Coordinator, ensuring all programs and services are accessible to people with disabilities. | – Run a thriving inter/multicultural community arts venue, Dance Mission Theater (DMT); |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,900.00 | RX BALLROOM DANCE | 28 AGAVE CT , LADERA RANCH, CA 92694-0877 | Orange | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 938-1620 | California's 49th Congressional District | California's 74th State Assembly District | California's 38th State Senate District | With support from the California Arts Council, Rx Ballroom Dance will be able to pay for teacher salaries, teacher professional development, student curriculum development (including bilingual curriculum and outreach materials), and evaluative student growth measurement. These funds will enable us to meet our equity and accessibility goals and further develop them; expand our program reach substantially; and continue to provide quality therapeutic ballroom dance instruction, support the senior disabled community, and reach marginalized populations in underserved locations. | Rx Ballroom Dance provides free, adaptive ballroom dance programs designed for individuals living with Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, and other neurological or age-related conditions. Our core programs blend the artistic beauty of ballroom dance with evidence-based therapeutic strategies to improve quality of life, mobility, and emotional well-being. All programs are culturally inclusive, community-centered, and accessible to people with disabilities. 1. Free Weekly Therapeutic Dance Classes 2. Care Partner Involvement 3. Student Performances & Showcases 4. Community Engagement & Education 5. Instructor Training & Evaluation Partnerships Together, these services create a joyful, empowering space for healing and artistic expression. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $13,200.00 | Poetic Justice | PO Box 3997 , San Diego, CA 92163 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 881-7334 | 53 | San Diego 78th | San Diego 39th | With funding from the California Arts Council, a general operations grant will provide critical wages for formerly-incarcerated and system-impacted teaching artists who are trained in the Poetic Justice trauma-informed and gender-responsive program that serves 455 people annually incarcerated in women’s and girls jails and prisons throughout California. Unlike many rehabilitative arts programs, Poetic Justice is committed to using its operations funding to pay $100 per class for the expertise, historic resilience, and lived experience of a team that does not necessarily have the privilege to volunteer for 4-6 hours of facilitation and travel time, weekly. The CAC-supported stipend will be a lifeline for working artists who simultaneously balance multiple jobs and/or childcare despite the ongoing and harmful effects of the prison system in their lives. By supporting their work, PJ can better support incarcerated poets. | Poetic Justice offers gender responsive and trauma informed classes in the following California carceral settings: Other PJ Work in California A typical weekly class provides gender-diverse and sensitive access by incorporating mindful breathing, trauma-responsive programming, community support, creative writing, and therapeutic visual arts. For example, participants might explore aspects of anxiety, worthlessness, shame, etc. through poetry’s grapho-motor process within a trusted community engaged in evidence-based healing because putting language to the unspeakable supports healing from root causes of trauma and PTSD, and provides pathways forward. Whereas abuse, depression, and addiction damage language centers, poetry reactivates them. In fact research indicates that poetry (rhythm, metaphor, rhyme) activates the right hemisphere. The left brain is responsible for acquisition and expression, but the right brain’s ability to integrate unrelated concepts into comprehensible metaphor with repetition and syncopation can access language pathways damaged by trauma. Research, including JW Pennebaker’s work, shows “writing about upsetting events improves physical and mental health,” but only by creating safe communities for interoception and embodied agency. The traumatized brain doesn’t remember in logical sequences; trauma memory returns in sensory experiences rooted in the limbic system rather than language centers – this is why poetry is consequential for healing. |
| State Local Partner Mentorship | 2025-26 | $45,000.00 | Fresno Arts Council | 1245 Van Ness Ave. 1245 Van Ness Ave., FRESNO, CA 93721-1711 | Fresno | Central Valley | (559) 237-9734 | California's 21st congressional district | District 31 | District 14 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Fresno Arts Council INC will continue to provide mentorship and technical assistance to members of the Kings County Arts community to lead them to the eventual establishment of the Kings County State Local Partner of the California Arts Council. | Fresno Arts Council Programs and Services |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $12,600.00 | Junior Center of Art & Science | 558 BELLEVUE AVE , OAKLAND, CA 94610-5026 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 839-5777 | California's 13th congressional district | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Junior Center of Art and Science (JCAS) will expand equitable access to arts education for East Bay youth through its high quality, hands-on after-school classes. Founded in 1954, JCAS serves over 6,000 youth and 325 families annually, with a focus on reaching low-income communities, Title I schools, and neurodivergent students who benefit from hands-on, sensory-rich learning environments. | The Center provides high quality programs in the arts and sciences. Our center hosts visitors in our five interactive learning spaces including our art studio, maker space, and animal room. Programs are provided both on-site and throughout the Oakland and East Bay Area through school and community partners. Offerings occur during the day, after school and on Saturdays. Classes are taught by professionals in their fields. We are happy to partner with over 40 school and community sites throughout the East Bay Area. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,000.00 | TWDCC | 1060 RIVER STREET , SANTA CRUZ, CA 95060-1769 | Santa Cruz | Central Coast | (831) 588-6902 | District 19 | County of Santa Cruz | District 17 | With support from the California Arts Council, TANNERY WORLD DANCE & CULTURAL CENTER (TWDCC) will continue its mission to facilitate a working home for professional world and contemporary dance artists, while providing dance education that is committed to accessibility, equity, and excellence. As the only Black led organization of its kind in Santa Cruz County, we will continue to serve a large population of Black and BIPOC artists, educators, students, and families. Building on fourteen years of service at the Tannery Arts Center, we will continue to create a stable, central hub for community engagement, after-school dance and cultural programming that centers physical and mental health, and a community center which supports the livelihood of dozens of professional artists and hundreds of dance learners and patrons each year. | Tannery World Dance and Cultural Center (TWDCC) is a cultural hub located at the Tannery Arts Center serving 500 people weekly. TWDCC presents both adult and youth dance programs that are designed to be accessible to everyone and make all students feel seen, heard, and part of something larger than themselves. The only Black led organization of its kind in Santa Cruz County, we serve a large population of Black and BIPOC artists, educators, students, and families. Our fourteen years in service at the Tannery Arts Center has created a stable, central hub for community engagement, healthy after-school dance and cultural programming, and a community support hub that umbrellas the livelihood and platform for over three dozen professional artists each year. TWDCC also provides need based scholarships to 22% of our student body, supporting young artists in their journey as leaders of tomorrow. Our Diaspora Performance Project gives professional support to 5 selected artists. Launched in 2018, the Diaspora Performance Project seeks to support our thriving community of artists of the African Diaspora, providing opportunities for the development of new work, deep and meaningful connection to our community, as well as teaching and performance opportunities. It’s a priority in our mission to sustain a dance and cultural space supporting Santa Cruz artists of the African Diaspora, and artists who have left their country of origin who are now navigating a professional career as immigrants. Our program provides direct services to securing grants, leveraging opportunities for job placement, and commissioning work for the continuation of their professional career in a new country. We produce and curate many cultural community events each year, including the World Arts Festival, the Deep Roots Dance Fest, the Winter Dance Fest, as well as host multiple African drum and dance conferences in our studios. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | Kid City Hope Place | 1021 S Hope St , Los Angeles, CA 90015 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 749-7371 | California District 37 | Assembly District 57 | Senate District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, Kid City will provide free music education to low-income, first-generation teens and young adults living in South and Central Los Angeles. For teens in high school, Kid City provides music instruction, performance group guidance, performances, workshops, and field trips with a modern band approach – which is highly engaging to young people who are fans of Spanish rock, punk, pop, and jazz. | Kid City’s robust year-round youth development programs in arts, college access, and career readiness for high school and college students includes: individual and band music lessons, band rehearsals, community performances, mentoring, tutoring, personal statement and FAFSA workshops, college admissions guidance, college and career workshops and support, advocacy training, and leadership retreats. 100% of graduating seniors involved with the music program are attending college. In its 16-year history, Kid City has helped 750+ high school students apply and attend a 2- or 4- year college. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $17,500.00 | Yerba Buena Gardens Festival | 760 HOWARD ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103-3119 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 987-1718 | District 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Yerba Buena Gardens Festival will partner with American Indian Contemporary Arts to present the 27th annual Native Contemporary Arts Festival (NCAF) on June 21, 2026. This multi-cultural gathering and Father’s Day tradition will celebrate, honor, and acknowledge the original peoples of California and around the globe. The Native Contemporary Arts Festival brings together Californian and urban Native Americans as well as the Indigenous people of the Americas from Alaska to Patagonia and the Pacific Rim through artistic presentations of music, dance, poetry, and crafts. All of the live performances and interactive art experiences will be outdoors, admission-free, family-friendly, clean and sober, ADA compliant, easily accessible by public transport, and open to the public in San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Gardens. | YBG Festival presents classical, world, and jazz music, contemporary and traditional dance, theater, children’s and family programs, and cultural events reflecting the rich cultures and creativity of the region. Artistic excellence, inclusion, diversity and innovation are at the heart of our mission. As the only curated arts park fully dedicated to the long-term presentation of free arts and cultural programs, Yerba Buena Gardens has a unique place in the cultural landscape of San Francisco. Note: YBGF is not affiliated with YBCA (Yerba Buena Center for the Arts). There is no overlap between the two entities. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | Musica Sierra | PO BOX 111 , LOYALTON, CA 96118-0111 | Sierra | Upstate | (209) 202-9238 | 1 | 1 | 1 | With support from the California Arts Council, New Vintage Baroque Inc. dba Musica Sierra will present Musical Headwaters: Hello, Cricket!, the sixth commission in its acclaimed Musical Headwaters series. This innovative program commissions new musical works inspired by the Sierra Valley, bridging nature-based education with the visual & performing arts to deepen children’s social-emotional connection to the earth. Musica Sierra will bring out The Chivalrous Crickets, a dynamic folk-Celtic ensemble, to create “Hello, Cricket!”, a story-driven musical tailored for first-grade learners. Rooted in traditional music forms, the work uses play, storytelling, and song to align with the five domains of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). The project includes a week-long residency across Sierra-Plumas School District, culminating in public performances. This collaboration highlights folk and traditional arts as powerful tools for learning and connection in rural communities. | Music education for ages 0-99 in the schools and community, music exposure through world class performance and community engagement. This is all done through the arm of Musica Sierra, based in Sierra County. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | Film2Future | 6310 San Vicente Blvd Suite 101, Los Angeles, CA 90048-5426 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (206) 418-8778 | 30th Congressional district of California | District 55 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, Film2Future will deliver its Intensive Animation Program, a free, 300+ hour filmmaking and career-readiness program for underserved and underrepresented high school students across Los Angeles. Students will learn the animation pipeline from pitch through post-production, working in teams to create original short films that reflect their lived experiences and cultural perspectives from hundreds of volunteer industry professionals. CAC funds will support staffing, mentor coordination, and instructional resources that ensure students receive individualized guidance, access to all needed filmmaking tools, and a professional-caliber training experience. All participants will receive a laptop with industry-standard software, free transportation, meals, and individualized support to remove barriers to their participation and success. Through the program, students gain creative confidence and direct connections to professionals in the entertainment industry. | The core of F2F’s program is our filmmaking intensives. Students work in teams to create short films with instruction and mentorship from 200+ industry professionals. We have provided four summer intensive courses: Narrative Filmmaking, Animation, Emerging Technologies (VR, AR podcasting) and Advertising. Year-round, we provide writing workshops, editing masterclasses, pitch practice and networking sessions. Each fall, F2F also supports college-track students in developing their college applications and completing their FAFSA. We partner with leading companies in the industry to deliver our programs, such as Lord Miller, Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures, and many more. Volunteer industry professionals give students a 360-degree view of the filmmaking industry.. They also teach life skills associated with being an artist, such as accepting feedback, overcoming disappointment and financial literacy. Speakers in our programs include leaders in their respective fields such as Kemp Powers (Writer/Director, Soul), Junkie XL (Composer, Mad Max: Fury Road), Kristen Schaal (Voice Actor, Bob’s Burgers), Will Forte (Actor, The Last Man on Earth), Thomas Kail (Director, Hamilton) and Joseph Raymond Lucero (Actor, Mayans MC). F2F’s strong industry partnerships allow us to secure paid internships and jobs in the film industry for alumni at companies such as Netflix, NBC and CBS, and shows like Glow, Grey’s Anatomy and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. To date we have secured 126 paid opportunities for alumni, also aiding them in developing their resumes and practicing their interview skills. These well-paying positions enable F2F youth to keep their artistic talents at the center of their career. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,250.00 | Youth in Arts | 917 C ST , SAN RAFAEL, CA 94901-2805 | Marin | Bay Area – Other | (415) 457-4878 | 2nd Congressional District of California | State Assembly District 12 | State Senate District 2 | California Arts Council support will strengthen Youth in Arts’ Intensive Arts Mentorship (I AM) paid arts mentorship program for teens, advancing our commitment to creative youth development and equity. CAC funds will directly support mentorship activities, public art creation and installation, teaching artist fees, and stipends for teen participants—underscoring our belief that young people deserve to be paid for their creative contributions to community. The Arts and Youth grant will help empower marginalized youth in Marin County by providing access to high-quality arts education, valuable creative job skills, and leadership opportunities, while promoting economic and community development, and offering a platform to amplify youth voice, through public art. | For 50 years, Youth in Arts has developed visual and performing arts skills in young people through innovative and meaningful programs that foster confidence, compassion and resilience in students of all abilities. Through direct education, intentional teacher/educator support, and meaningful advocacy, Youth in Arts changes the lives of thousands in and around San Francisco’s north bay as well as insisting that access to a creative life is a right for all students.Through residencies, performances, community events, and intensive mentorship programs , we help young people develop specific art skills and provide opportunities for them to share their work. We maintain a roster of Mentor Artists that is both artistically and culturally diverse, and are dedicated to the principle of “reaching all learners,” differentiating and tailor designing programs for students of diverse backgrounds and students of all abilities. Through our Arts Unite Us residencies, we are the only consistent provider of arts for special education classrooms in Marin County. Other core programs include an extensive in-school residency program, assembly and workshops programs from a culturally relevant pedagogical lens, `Til Dawn A Cappella our teen mentorship, the YIArts.COR is our creative online resource for virtual and digital learning, and the YIA Gallery, one of only a handful of galleries in the country dedicated to showcasing youth art. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,900.00 | The Great Star Theater | 636 JACKSON ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133-5007 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 735-4159 | 11th Congressional District | 19th Assembly District | 11th Senate District | With support from the California Arts Council, The Great Star Theater will continue to serve San Francisco Bay Area residents as the oldest Chinese American theater in the North America, just as it has for over a century. In 2026—the theater’s 101st year—we will present a diverse season of year-round performances including circus arts, comedy shows, magic shows, burlesque, Cantonese opera, and guzheng concerts that offer awe-inspiring cultural experiences. Additionally, CAC grant funds will enable us to distribute 700 free tickets to low-income families, seniors, and Bay Area veterans, expanding access to the arts and deepening our commitment to community engagement. | 1. Cinema Showings: Through these core programs and services, the Great Star Theater aims to be a cornerstone of cultural, educational, and social life in Chinatown, making the arts accessible and engaging for a community of diverse backgrounds and ages. |
| Individual Artist Fellowships-AO | 2025-26 | $450,000.00 | KERN DANCE ALLIANCE | PO BOX 12407 , BAKERSFIELD, CA 93389-2407 | Kern | Central Valley | (661) 491-5376 | California's 23rd Congressional District | District 34 | District 16 | With support from the California Arts Council, KERN DANCE ALLIANCE (KDA) will uplift artists across 14 counties by serving as the Administering Organization (AO) for the Individual Artists Fellowship (IAF) program in Region 4: Central Valley & Eastern Sierra. Building on a decade of transformative grantmaking, including the administration of the $4.2M KDA Creative Corps (KDACC) program, KDA will implement a two-year fellowship program celebrating artistic excellence and equity. Funds will regrant $360,000 to Emerging ($5,000), Established ($10,000), and Legacy ($50,000) Artist Fellows, with $90,000 for administration and outreach. KDA’s robust online grants management system, culturally sensitive outreach, and professional development workshops will ensure equitable access for diverse artists living in our region’s most disinvested communities. By convening fellows, producing virtual showcases, and amplifying their work, KDA will elevate voices shaping the region’s cultural ecosystem. | KDA serves a diverse population through our programs: – ADAPTIdance®: DANCE + DISABILITY offers adaptive dance classes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. – BOOKS IN MOTION®: DANCE + LITERACY links dance and literacy to inspire children to read. – CHILDREN’S DANCE EDUCATION + OUTREACH PROGRAM provides at-risk youth with an afternoon of dance at the Bakersfield Fox Theater. – DANCING with the ANGELS connects foster care families through the arts. – HealingMOTION: DANCE + THERAPY are dance therapy sessions for cancer patients and survivors. – NATIONAL DANCE DAY provides a celebratory day of dance classes for the community to enjoy. – NATIONAL HONORS SOCIETY FOR DANCE ARTS recognizes artistic merit, leadership, and academic achievement in students studying dance. – MemoryMOVES®: DANCE + THERAPY are dance therapy sessions for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. – MightyMOVERS: DANCE + THERAPY are dance therapy sessions for pediatrics patients. – OPEN STAGE affords creatives access to the Bakersfield Fox Theater’s technical staff and theater amenities for free. – Paso a Paso utilizes dance to support empowerment through life-skills workshops for Kern County high school girls, specifically Latinas. – SHINE for GIRLS: DANCE + MATH = SUCCESS combines dance with math to improve girls’ math scores and spark interest in STEAM. – Taste of Dance celebrates cultural diversity in Kern County by showcasing cultures through culinary and performing arts. – KDA Creative Corps is a $4.2 million dollar re-granting program awarded by the California Arts Council to KDA in support of arts programs that positively impact the lives of people living in the Central Valley’s lowest quartile of the California Healthy Places Index. The $4.2 million California Arts Council grant has been used exclusively for the regranting and administering of the KDACC. It has NOT be used to fund KDA’s existing programs, which will continue to operate alongside the KDACC. KDA continues to need funding and support to meet its daily and annual operating needs. www.kdacreativecorps.org |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $21,000.00 | KERN DANCE ALLIANCE | PO BOX 12407 , BAKERSFIELD, CA 93389-2407 | Kern | Central Valley | (661) 491-5376 | California's 23rd Congressional District | District 34 | District 16 | With support from the California Arts Council, KERN DANCE ALLIANCE (KDA) will produce the 10th annual Books in Motion: DANCE + LITERACY program, a free summer reading program fostering literacy through the arts for 4,000 children in Kern County’s underserved communities. Targeting unhoused, low-income, and marginalized youth, Books in Motion delivers 50+ performances across 23 Kern County Library branches and homeless shelters. Children engage with literature through performances, learn choreography, create crafts, and receive free books. With American Sign Language (ASL) services and Spanish-language offerings, Books in Motion ensures inclusivity. By integrating dance with Common Core literacy standards, Books in Motion cultivates critical thinking, cultural responsiveness, and positive self-expression, empowering youth in a region with limited arts access. Funds will support artist honorariums, books, craft supplies, and accessibility accommodations, transforming lives through equitable arts education. | KDA serves a diverse population through our programs: – ADAPTIdance®: DANCE + DISABILITY offers adaptive dance classes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. – BOOKS IN MOTION®: DANCE + LITERACY links dance and literacy to inspire children to read. – CHILDREN’S DANCE EDUCATION + OUTREACH PROGRAM provides at-risk youth with an afternoon of dance at the Bakersfield Fox Theater. – DANCING with the ANGELS connects foster care families through the arts. – HealingMOTION: DANCE + THERAPY are dance therapy sessions for cancer patients and survivors. – NATIONAL DANCE DAY provides a celebratory day of dance classes for the community to enjoy. – NATIONAL HONORS SOCIETY FOR DANCE ARTS recognizes artistic merit, leadership, and academic achievement in students studying dance. – MemoryMOVES®: DANCE + THERAPY are dance therapy sessions for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. – MightyMOVERS: DANCE + THERAPY are dance therapy sessions for pediatrics patients. – OPEN STAGE affords creatives access to the Bakersfield Fox Theater’s technical staff and theater amenities for free. – Paso a Paso utilizes dance to support empowerment through life-skills workshops for Kern County high school girls, specifically Latinas. – SHINE for GIRLS: DANCE + MATH = SUCCESS combines dance with math to improve girls’ math scores and spark interest in STEAM. – Taste of Dance celebrates cultural diversity in Kern County by showcasing cultures through culinary and performing arts. – KDA Creative Corps is a $4.2 million dollar re-granting program awarded by the California Arts Council to KDA in support of arts programs that positively impact the lives of people living in the Central Valley’s lowest quartile of the California Healthy Places Index. The $4.2 million California Arts Council grant has been used exclusively for the regranting and administering of the KDACC. It has NOT be used to fund KDA’s existing programs, which will continue to operate alongside the KDACC. KDA continues to need funding and support to meet its daily and annual operating needs. www.kdacreativecorps.org |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $16,200.00 | Give 4 Kidz | 16580 BONANZA DR , RIVERSIDE, CA 92504-5719 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (951) 345-9726 | 42 | 59 | 31 | With support from the California Arts Council, Give4Kidz will expand capacity to reach more underserved youth and families through free, culturally relevant art workshops, community art events, and art supply distributions across the Inland Empire and downtown Los Angeles. Grant funds will support increased staffing and the development of inclusive programming, including new sensory-friendly workshops like slime sculpting—designed to support neurodiverse children. Give4Kidz partners with libraries, museums, shelters, and schools to connect with families who might not otherwise access arts education. Workshops are beginner-friendly, process-focused, and available in English and Spanish. Parents are now invited to create alongside their children, fostering deeper connection through shared creative experiences. This funding will allow Give4Kidz to serve more communities, train staff in inclusive facilitation, and continue uplifting the creative voices of all children—especially those experiencing barriers to access. | Give 4 Kidz is dedicated to empowering young creatives through two main programs: ‘Art & Me’ and ‘Story Corner’. The ‘Art & Me’ program aims to nurture and support youth by offering them free art materials, workshops, events, and exhibitions. We are proud to collaborate with local artists and organizations that share our vision. The second program, ‘Story Corner’, caters to young individuals with a passion for creative writing. We provide a supportive environment where they can explore their creativity, acquire new skills, and connect with like-minded peers. Through this program, we offer access to writing supplies, events, and workshops led by experienced writers. Our aim is to inspire and foster a love for writing among youth. In this endeavor, we are delighted to partner with local bookstores, authors, and libraries. At Give 4 Kidz, our mission extends beyond traditional boundaries. We strive to reach all children who possess a love for the arts, regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds. To achieve this, we extend our services to family homeless shelters and underserved communities in California. Additionally, we have created remote participation opportunities to ensure inclusivity for all kids. Our goal is to overcome socio-economic challenges and provide equal access to our programs. By embracing diversity and focusing on the potential within each child, Give 4 Kidz is committed to nurturing the creative spirit and enabling young individuals to thrive in the arts. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | JAZZLINE INSTITUTE | 5924 ALLEN AVE , SAN JOSE, CA 95123-2620 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (415) 860-9866 | 19th Congressional District | District 28 | District 15 | WIth support from the California Arts Council, JaZzLine INSTITUTE, a small arts organization, will present ‘Blues Explosion,’ a week-long, intergenerational celebration of the Black cultural tradition of the blues, including four blues concerts featuring a 7-piece ensemble of Black vocalists and instrumentalists, a live radio broadcast, two free blues masterclasses, a free jam session, and an awards program honoring Black musical pioneers and emerging talent in our community. ‘Blues Explosion’ is collaboratively developed with community members and addresses a community need to uplift the Black cultural tradition of the blues in the Bay Area, create opportunities for accessible intergenerational learning, and center under-resourced Black Bay Area communities whose culture is threatened by gentrification. | JaZzLine INSTITUTE is dedicated to the preservation, celebration, and education of the historical and cultural significance of music out of the African-American diaspora through performance and educational programs. We produce masterclasses and workshops with visiting artists, educational programming in public schools, music scholarship fundraisers for local youth, memorial programs for departed local musicians, radio programming including live in-studio concert broadcasts, jam sessions for youth, educational events in local juvenile detention centers, and concert programming celebrating Black History and centering women in music. We recognize musical pioneers in our community, both living and departed, through our BAJABA awards. JaZzLine INSTITUTE celebrates diverse forms of music from the African-American diaspora including Negro spirituals, jazz, blues, R&B, soul, gospel, and hip-hop. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $22,750.00 | Autie Carlisle Film Productions | 5211 Woodside Dr , Mount Shasta, CA 96067-9112 | Siskiyou | Upstate | (530) 859-0600 | 1st Congressional District of California | District 1 | District 1 | Shasta Stories is an ongoing docuseries and storytelling organization that pairs film with community screening events; sharing personal stories from underrepresented and diverse voices across rural Siskiyou County. Each 20–35 minute film explores themes like identity, belonging, and what it means to call a place home—across ethnic, cultural, age, income, and gender groups. Rooted in community, each episode centers the first-hand stories of local residents—told in their own words, on their own terms. Screenings are free and facilitated for dialogue and empathy; films are also available online for free. Grant funds help us hire California-based artists to research, film, and edit episodes, and host events throughout Northern California. With focus on storytelling, listening, and place, Shasta Stories reflects the richness and complexity of home in one of the state’s most rural, misunderstood, and underfunded regions. | Shasta Stories’ primary program produces 25–40 minute documentary episodes featuring first-person stories from racially, culturally, gender-diverse, and economically under-resourced residents of Siskiyou County. Collaborating closely with culture bearers and local artists, we create films centered on social justice, community resilience, and ecological mindfulness. Episodes are paired and showcased at free community screenings designed to encourage dialogue, cultural exchange, and active participation through facilitated story circles held in safe, inclusive spaces welcoming all walks of life. We prioritize accessibility by ensuring our screenings provide accommodations such as wheelchair access, ADA-compliant facilities, and subtitles, creating an inclusive experience for all community members. Following public events, the films are accessible online at no cost, preserving local history and expanding audience reach. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $20,250.00 | Visual Communications Media | 120 Judge John Aiso Street Basement Level, Los Angeles, CA 90012-3852 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 680-4462 | California's 34th Congressional District | District 54 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Visual Communications Media’s ARMED WITH A CAMERA FELLOWSHIP will develop and support two (2) Lead Artists and six (6) Emerging Fellows to create six (6) media art works to amplify the cultures, histories, and perspectives of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in California. | Visual Communications’ programs includes: the annual Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and year‐round screenings and exhibitions; the Armed With a Camera Fellowship for Emerging Media Artists; the Digital Histories media production and storytelling program for older adults. We are home to the VC Archives, one of the largest photographic and moving image collections on Asian Pacific experiences in America. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $23,500.00 | La Luz Center | 17560 GREGER ST , SONOMA, CA 95476-3617 | Sonoma | Bay Area – Other | (707) 938-5131 | California's 5th congressional district | District 4 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, La Luz Center will offer free, high-quality summer arts camps through its Casa de la Cultura initiative, serving low-income Latino youth in Sonoma Valley. Programs include Aventura Artistica, a hands-on visual and culinary arts camp; Film Camp, where students create original short films; and Mariachi & Folklórico Camp, focused on traditional Mexican music and dance. Led by bilingual teaching artists who reflect the community, each camp engages students in culturally meaningful instruction. CAC funds will support artist stipends, supplies, and coordination. Over 100 youth, ages 7–17, will participate in these creative learning experiences during the summer. Casa de la Cultura promotes artistic development, cultural pride, and a strong sense of belonging while uplifting youth voice and fostering cross-cultural understanding in Sonoma Valley. | Founded in 1985, La Luz Center has supported Latino individuals and families in Sonoma Valley as they work to meet their basic needs. To break the generational poverty cycle, our programs and service also aim to increase the earning potential of Latino families through our English as a second language (ESL) program, employment services, and small business support program; We aim to mitigate the education gap by providing early childhood education to Latino parents and their children (ages 0-3); We support eligible immigrants through the complex immigration system, and; We create interactive cultural spaces to explore, celebrate, and share traditional and modern Latino cultures, and to raise the voice of Latino families and individuals. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,300.00 | La Peña Cultural Center | 3105 Shattuck Avenue , Berkeley, CA 94705 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 849-2568 | District 12 | District 14 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, LA PENA CULTURAL CENTER INC will fund operations and programs directed to and by Latinx, Indigenous, and Caribbean communities. La Peña is a cultural home for communities living in diaspora, an incubator for artistic talent, and a collaborative partner with groups that promote social justice and liberation. La Peña is also an internationally known performance center with programs spanning music, dance, theater and spoken-word performances; art exhibits; book talks; and public dialogues. Focusing primarily on the arts and progressive movements of the Americas, La Peña supports hundreds of working artists each year. | La Peña Presents Program (LP curated events) |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | City Hearts: Kids Say Yes to the Arts | 24404 S Vermont Ave Suite 207, Harbor City, CA 90710 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 455-2898 | California's 33rd congressional district | District 50 | District 27 | With support from the California Arts Council, City Hearts’ H.E.A.R.T. in Arts Program will provide no-cost arts education and experiences, including weekly classes, field trips, masterclasses, and public performance opportunities for low-income youth across Los Angeles County. Taught by practicing professional artists during in-school and afterschool classes on Title I school campuses, neighborhood resource centers, and at the City Hearts’ Harbor City office, the H.E.A.R.T. program aims to close academic and career exposure opportunity gaps created by a lack of access to the Arts. Healing-centered and VAPA Standards-aligned, this program provides avenues for young people to see affirming representations of their cultures and develop a stronger sense of self and appreciation for Los Angeles County’s rich artistic and cultural legacy. | City Hearts offers year-round, weekly in-school and afterschool arts programs in Dance, Guitar & Songwriting, Acting, Drawing & Mixed Media Arts, Photography, and 2D Design & Printmaking. These classes are held on the campuses of Title I schools and at local community resource centers, all at no cost to students and their families. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | The Colburn School | 200 S GRAND AVE , LOS ANGELES, CA 90012-3007 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 621-1049 | 34th District | District 54 | Senate District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Colburn School will deliver high-quality, tuition-free performing arts education to approximately 200 low-income youth in Los Angeles, ages 7 months to 18 years, through the 2025–26 Jumpstart Program. Jumpstart provides instruction in instrumental music (band, strings, piano), dance, and early childhood arts education. Students receive weekly private lessons taught by distinguished Colburn faculty and Teaching Fellows from the Colburn Conservatory of Music. The program fosters creativity, discipline, and confidence through consistent engagement in the arts. Once enrolled, students receive 100% tuition relief throughout their time in Jumpstart or until they graduate from high school, removing financial barriers to access and facilitating success in the arts. | The Colburn School is the region’s recognized leader in performing arts education. Colburn’s four academic units and community programs are: – Community School of Performing Arts enrolls 1,700 students who are between the ages of 7 months and 18 years of age, come from areas across the County and reflect the cultural diversity of Los Angeles. Colburn annually presents 350 free or affordably priced public performances both at it’s downtown campus on Grand Avenue, the art epicenter of Los Angeles, as well as across the County, engaging 36,000+ attendees. We empower our expansive network of musical and dance leaders of tomorrow by equipping them with the tools needed to build creative careers that are sustainable and relevant in our rapidly shifting cultural landscape. We contribute to the creative workforce by supporting professional artists who provide instruction, mentorship, panel discussions, musical direction, and master classes. Colburn’s community impact initiatives serve both internal and external stakeholders simultaneously. Internally, we offer robust learning and performance opportunities for Colburn students in the areas of interactive performance, community engagement, and pedagogy. Externally, we offer a suite of pipeline programs designed to equitably engage students from Title I Schools, present programing for underserved populations, and partner with culturally specific organizations on multiple projects. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Film Independent | 5670 Wilshire Blvd., 9th Floor 9th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90036 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 556-9361 | District 30 | District 55 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, FILM INDEPENDENT INC will partner with LA Promise Fund to match two public, middle-school classrooms with Film Independent’s network of professional filmmakers from underrepresented communities who will serve as classroom Mentors. Up to 60 middle-schoolers in South Los Angeles will gain hands-on filmmaking training and learn to think critically about the role of visual media in representing diverse viewpoints. Additionally, Film Independent Mentors will lead a half-day teacher training for up to 10 middle-school media arts teachers, who will gain artistic and technical skills to enhance their work with students. | Our Artist Development (AD) programs offer free labs for selected screenwriters, directors, producers, episodic content creators and documentary filmmakers to experience valuable career building and networking opportunities. We also offer over $6M per year in grants and awards and run an annual film finance market. Project Involve, our signature AD program, fosters the careers of filmmakers from communities historically excluded from the industry (including women, people from BIPOC communities, LGBTQ+ filmmakers and filmmakers with disabilities). Each year, up to 35 filmmakers are given the opportunity to hone skills, form creative partnerships, create short films and gain industry access needed to succeed as working artists. Our Education programs offer virtual and in-person opportunities to learn from renowned artists, stay up-to-date on the distribution landscape and acquire the acumen needed to secure financing. Our Future Filmmakers program serves youth creators in middle and high school, who receive mentorship from emerging and professional filmmakers and become empowered to find their voice and tell their own unique stories through film. We produce the annual Film Independent Spirit Awards, the premier awards event recognizing excellence in independent film and television, and Film Independent Presents, a year-round program offering unique virtual and in-person cinematic experiences. Through our International programs, we connect international filmmakers with leading U.S. entertainment professionals through comprehensive filmmaker education, business training, professional networking opportunities and tailored mentorships. International Fellows from all over the globe are selected for a year-long mentorship program that includes a Residency in Los Angeles, which provides master classes, industry sessions, field trips, cultural engagement and access to individual Mentors for project support and networking. We also travel abroad to better understand the global media landscape and organize in-depth workshops for filmmakers all over the world. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,300.00 | Write Out Loud | 3640 Alabama Street , SAN DIEGO, CA 92104-2720 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 944-8953 | California's 51st congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, WRITE OUT LOUD will offer literature-based programs FREE to San Diego residents and visitors. | Write Out Loud offers nine core programs throughout San Diego County: 1)Story Concerts – actors read literature aloud in a variety of venues; 2) Stories for Seniors – short story presentations in independent and assisted living facilities and senior centers; 3) Kamishibai – introduces elementary students to a Japanese teaching tradition that combines storytelling with pictures and written words; 4) Read Imagine Create – challenges students in grades 6-12 to read a particular book, respond to the book’s themes, and create a personal expression (e.g. story, poem, visual art, film); 5) Poetry Out Loud – Regional coordinator for national poetry recitation competition for High School students; 6) Let Your Voice Be Heard – K-12 poetry initiative providing poetry writing workshops and public displays of student poems; 7)Ripples From Walden Pond – a one-man play about Henry David Thoreau; 8) PoeFest – a series of performances of literature of the macabre; 9) World Kamishibai Forum – Monthly on-line workshops for educators and Kamishibai (Japanese storytelling form) artists from across the globe. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,250.00 | Museum of Dance | 77 Van Ness Avenue Ste 101 , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (520) 780-6672 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | The International Museum of Dance (IMOD) requests California Arts Council funding to expand its dance education programs serving public school students across California. Grant funds will support culturally relevant in-school residencies, community-based youth development, educator professional development, and field trips to IMOD’s interactive museum space. Centering BIPOC dance forms, the project fosters cultural identity, creativity, and belonging while addressing reduced access to arts education due to budget cuts. Building on successful partnerships with San Francisco and Berkeley Unified School Districts, IMOD will expand programming to Los Angeles and Oakland Unified. Funds will increase the frequency and duration of residencies, provide training for educators in arts integration, and create opportunities for students to engage with professional dance and cultural programming. This project advances equity and healing by empowering youth and educators through inclusive, trauma-informed dance education. | Our core programs and services include: Education Partnerships: Collaborating with local and national schools, we provide comprehensive dance education programs for students of all ages, including movement, technique, choreography, performance, and dance history. We also offer civic engagement projects and paid internships, fostering a deep connection between dance and community. Artist Partnerships: Working closely with local and national dance artists, we offer support, resources, and space for their presentations, performances, lectures, and teaching work. By nurturing these partnerships, we contribute to the growth and visibility of dance artists. Archive Partnerships: We collaborate with local and international dance archives, shining a spotlight on hidden dance archives and assisting in the interpretation and understanding of their significance. By showcasing these archives, we contribute to the broader appreciation and preservation of dance history. Exhibition Planning and Preparation: Engaging with students, local artists, national and international historians, and archivists, we design and create dynamic “Pop-Up” exhibitions that explore the connections between dance and communities. These exhibitions foster a sense of community engagement and connection. At the Museum of Dance, we are dedicated to creating an inclusive and enriching environment that celebrates the art of dance and its profound impact on our lives. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,750.00 | LRCC | 5776 LINDERO CANYON RD D289 Suite D289, WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA 91362-6428 | Ventura | Central Coast | (805) 496-9616 | California's 26th district | District 42 | District 27 | With support from the California Arts Council, Los Robles Children’s Choir (LRCC) will expand its CORO Outreach Program, a series of free, bilingual family singalong events offered in underserved communities throughout Ventura County. These events are designed to eliminate financial and cultural barriers to music education by providing joyful, inclusive, and participatory singing experiences. CAC funds will help cover personnel costs, teaching artist stipends, marketing expenses, and event supplies, enabling LRCC to sustain and scale these successful outreach efforts. This initiative aligns with LRCC’s mission to inspire, educate, and empower children through choral music and furthers CAC’s goal of promoting arts access and equity across California. | LRCC offers four levels of vocal instruction to children ages 5-18 years old on a weekly basis. We also offer choral workshops and several community concert events each season including collaborations with New West Symphony and other professional arts organizations. The choir tours both domestically and internationally every other year. We hold weekly musicianship classes where students build their theory and sight singing skills to improve their overall musicianship. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,900.00 | Visions Museum of Textile Art | 2825 DEWEY RD STE 100 , SAN DIEGO, CA 92106-6147 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 546-4872 | 52nd District | District 78 | District 39 | Visions Museum of Textile Art (VMOTA) engages diverse communities through culturally responsive exhibitions, educational programs, and partnerships that celebrate heritage, identity, and innovation in textile art. Our curatorial team presents simultaneous exhibitions featuring 100+ local, national, and international artists annually, exploring themes such as immigration, sustainability, and social issues that impact underrepresented communities. Programs are shaped in collaboration with cultural organizations to reflect the lived experiences of those we serve. VMOTA provides hands-on textile art experiences for students from Title I schools (700 students to date), introducing self-expression and creative career pathways to arts to youth facing economic barriers. VMOTA uses textile art as a tool for dialogue, cultural exchange, and storytelling, ensuring our exhibitions and programs are not only accessible, but deeply relevant. CAC funds will support curatorial/programming staff salaries and gallery rent. | Provide art exhibitions and related educational programs to the general public with a focus on textile and fiber art. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,300.00 | Luna Dance and Creativity | 931 Ashby Avenue , Berkeley, CA 94710 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 883-1118 | California's 12th congressional district | District 14 | District 7 | Funding for Luna Dance and Creativity (“Luna,” formerly Luna Dance Institute) would support culturally responsive, anti-biased dance education programs for children, families, educators, artists, and agencies from underserved communities across California. PROFESSIONAL LEARNING provides intensive, holistic training to teachers, fostering leadership, creative self-efficacy, and equity. FIELD MOVING advances justice through practice-to-policy strategies, research dissemination, and advocacy rooted in community collaboration. Through PARTNERSHIPS, Luna works with schools, districts, and organizations to build sustainable, equity-focused dance programs. Luna’s EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION program promotes developmentally informed, intercultural learning grounded in neuroscience and play theory. STUDIO LAB offers dance-making classes for children and adults, free family classes, panels, and works-in-process showcases. As a 33-year old anchor organization, Luna serves individual artists and dance organizations, who are especially at risk during our current economic uncertainty and lack of federal support. | Our ADA-accessible STUDIO LAB children’s program offers a progression of dance learning designed to nurture the choreographer in every child in a studio class structure at Luna’s studios in Berkeley. The STUDIO LAB adult program offers opportunities for and presentations on dance research, the choreographic process, and topics that expand ideas about what dance is and who can dance. PROFESSIONAL LEARNING fulfills Luna’s mission to bring all children to dance as we deepen the knowledge and practice of dance learning through workshops, courses, panel conversations, and resources designed so that creative practitioners manifest creative self-efficacy, investigate teaching practice, establish collegial communities, cultivate dance leadership, and become change agents. Luna helps the field of dance education arc toward justice through FIELD MOVING, our practice-to-policy approach that includes sharing the findings of our inquiries and research; joining with others to create impact; and relentlessly advocating for inclusion, creativity, and self-determination. Recognizing that our work is situated within systems of oppression and racial injustice, we seek change by working together in community, paying attention, staying true to our values, and placing children as the future at the center of our work. Through PARTNERS FOR CHANGE, Luna collaborates with organizations (social service and human welfare agencies, schools and school districts) throughout the region, state and nation to build capacity for enduring dance programs that support the values of each community. Luna, an expert in EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION in dance, has refined, over more than three decades, its pedagogy and curriculum to align with discoveries in neuroscience, play research, child psychology, and cultural responsiveness. As we envision a future with today’s toddlers becoming tomorrow’s leaders, early learning demands our crucial attention and focus. Luna faculty continue our research, theory-building, and practice to better understand how dance is at the convergence of all processes of learning. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF GREATER SHASTA | 803 CEDAR ST , MOUNT SHASTA, CA 96067-2110 | Siskiyou | Upstate | (530) 220-7623 | California's 1st Congressional District | California's 1st Assembly District | California's 2nd Senate District | The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Shasta seeks CAC funding to expand our arts-based social-emotional wellness program at Sisson Middle School in rural Siskiyou County—where access to arts education and mental health resources is extremely limited. As the only low cost youth program of its kind in the area, we serve low-income families through weekly, trauma-informed arts workshops in visual art, music, and storytelling. Led by teaching artists and trained staff, youth build confidence, process emotions, and explore identity through creative expression. The program culminates in a public year-end showcase, giving members a platform to share their voices and strengthen community connection. CAC support will allow us to reach more youth, support local artists, and sustain a model of creative wellness that addresses urgent needs in an under-resourced, high-poverty, youth-isolated region. | Our core programs are designed around five priority outcome areas: Academic Success, Healthy Lifestyles, Good Character & Citizenship, Creative Expression, and Career Exploration. Key programs include: Afterschool and Summer Enrichment: Operating at our Mount Shasta Elementary and Sisson Middle School sites, we serve nearly 300 youth annually through structured programming in academics, recreation, and the arts. Power Hour Homework Help: Provides tailored academic support, including coordination with school teachers and individualized attention. Creative Arts Program: A core pillar of our services, this includes weekly visual arts, performing arts, and music sessions. Members engage in painting, sculpture, collage, drama, and song—often culminating in public showcases like our annual Youth Art Show. Many of our teaching artists are local professionals or partners, bringing high-quality arts education to a rural region where access is otherwise limited. Outdoor Adventure & Leadership: Builds confidence, resilience, and teamwork through mountain biking, hiking, and nature-based exploration. Community and Cultural Events: From art showcases to family engagement nights, these events highlight youth creativity and build stronger community bonds. Our programs are equity-driven and designed to ensure every child—regardless of background—has the opportunity to thrive and express themselves. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | No Limits for deaf children | 9801 WASHINGTON BLVD SECOND FLOOR , CULVER CITY, CA 90232-2723 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 280-0878 | California's 37th congressional district | District 55 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, No Limits Theater Group Inc. will serve low-income deaf youth through our Los Angeles Theater Workshop program, which teaches theater and life-building skills with culminating public performances of our originally scripted plays. This program focuses on sharing the talents and voices of deaf youth as the country’s only theater program for deaf youth who are learning to speak. | Since its founding, No Limits has provided deaf children the vital skills to speak, read, and write. No Limits, to date, is the only organization serving oral deaf children between the ages of three and eighteen, at no cost to low-income families through our two keystone programs. The No Limits Theater Program engages deaf children and alumni in professional theatrical productions as actors, workshop teams, lighting and sound technicians, or directors. Through original, educationally based scripts, deaf children increase self-esteem, expand vocabulary, and develop public speaking skills to help them confidently move into the hearing world. The No Limits Educational Centers provide year-round comprehensive educational services at no cost to low-income families. The program offers individual speech and language therapy, literacy classes, academic tutoring, STEM, arts enrichment, weekly parent education, and a teen Leadership and Mentoring Academy. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | LA County Library | 7400 Imperial Hwy. , Downey, CA 90242-3375 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (562) 940-8400 | With support from the California Arts Council, LA County Library will conduct two six-week sessions of free group music classes for middle schoolers in acoustic guitar, keyboard, and electric drums, hosted at six libraries throughout Los Angeles County which currently have a Tool Lending Library (Rosemead, Compton, San Fernando, Malibu, Norwalk, and Lancaster). Classes will focus on music theory, sight reading, and basic playing techniques, and will utilize the library as a safe community gathering place. Participants may also borrow the instruments, free of charge, for the duration of the class, to allow for practice. The program aims to overcome financial barriers to music education, particularly in underserved neighborhoods, and promote cognitive, emotional, and social benefits through music training. | Founded in 1912, LA County Library is one of the largest and most innovative library systems in the US. It provides culturally responsive and dynamic collections, programs, and services to meet the literacy, information, personal enrichment, and entertainment needs of all residents across Los Angeles County. Dedicated to reducing barriers and increasing equitable access for all, LA County Library serves 3.4 million residents across 3,000 square miles through its 86 libraries, and mobile fleet of 15 vehicles, including 4 Bookmobiles, 6 MākMō (maker mobiles), 3 early literacy vehicles, and 2 mobile outreach vehicles. | |||
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | La Raíz Magazine | 3275 Stevens Creek Blvd Ste 301 , Santa Clara, CA 95050 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 781-6928 | With support from the California Arts Council, La Raíz Magazine will organize San José Youth Poetry Ambassadors to provide bilingual youth workshops and events designed specifically for Raza & Chicano youth in San José, Santa Clara County, and the South Bay Area, in neighborhoods with large numbers of bilingual and monolingual Spanish-speaking youth, mixed migration status households, and working-class families. The programming will prioritize ages 5-18, and serve a limited amount of participants ages 19-25, during and after school at various sites within the community, with interactive, culturally-relevant, empowering workshops, performance opportunities, and arts events. | Publication – in print and online; poetry and visual art by community members, artists, and poets. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $20,000.00 | RAMA Blueprints | 2782 5th St , San Bernardino, CA 92410 | San Bernardino | Inland Empire | (415) 312-5822 | 33rd Congressional District | District 45 | District 31 | With support from the California Arts Council, RAMA Blueprints will continue to produce free community discussions at BRAVA Theater under the banner of the Tres Generaciones/Three Voices series. This insightful initiative features panels composed of three highly experienced and respected local intergenerational community leaders, each deeply rooted in the practice of community support services. In turn, the podcasts are then archived and available to inform both interested community members and other communities and cities seeking solutions and culturally responsive practices. RAMA Blueprints takes on the crucial role of both facilitator and producer for these engaging panels. CAC funding would be used for the facilities rental costs, technical crew, marketing and promotion, in-state travel and lodging expenses, research and development for the production, and subscription costs for podcast production and archiving services. | The core programs of the RAMA Blueprints Podcast are the podcast that documents the oral histories of San Francisco community leaders as a method to pass on knowledge, wisdom, and cultural education; Tres Generacíones/Three Voices a series of live dialogues with multi-generational leaders to create narrative that addresses the persistent challenges and disparities that need to be addressed to ensure equity and opportunities for all; the RAMA Archives which consist of relevant interviews, profiles and community discussions that places and showcases the San Francisco Mission District and Latine community as an integral part of California history, shaping the present and the future generations. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,073.00 | Mental State Foundation | 7177 Brockton Ave suite 331 , Riverside, CA 92506 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (951) 267-9935 | With support from the California Arts Council, Mental State Foundation will establish our Creative Community Program to increase arts access and engagement for youth, especially those impacted by mental health challenges. This initiative includes Creative Accountability Groups that foster self-efficacy and self-expression in community with others. Our Free Art Supply program collects new and gently used art supplies to be distributed to youth at no cost, removing barriers to creativity and expression. Participants will also contribute to the Mental State Zine – a youth-focused publication showcasing creativity, sharing resources, and fighting stigma. Grant funds will support staffing, stipends, accessibility measures, and use of an accessible and consistent space for programming. The Creative Community Program, by design, includes and celebrates individuals with disabilities – especially mental/chronic illnesses through online, in-person, and asynchronous engagement options. | Creative Wellness Initiatives Support for Mental Health Professionals Community Engagement and Education Through these programs, the Mental State Foundation strives to create a supportive environment where creativity and mental wellness intersect, benefiting individuals living with mental illness and the broader community. | |||
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | Ignite Arts & STEM | 5609 YOLANDA AVE # 571255 , TARZANA, CA 91357 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 863-6035 | 32nd Congressional District | State Assembly District 46 | 27th Senate District | With support from the California Arts Council, Ignite Arts & STEM will enhance our comprehensive Art Mentoring Program, integrating The Business of Art Program and the Igniting Ideas: Emerging Artists Exhibition. This culturally responsive initiative will serve up to thirty BIPOC students in grades 6-12 across the Greater Los Angeles area, expanding access to high-quality arts learning through direct mentorship, portfolio development, and professional exhibition opportunities. CAC funds will specifically support essential program materials, exhibition costs, art framing and display, and student awards, ensuring equitable participation for all. By equipping students with vital business skills and amplifying their artistic voices, this program fosters creative expression, cultivates positive self-identity, and promotes long-term engagement in the arts, ultimately bridging the gap between artistic talent and professional readiness for a new generation of empowered young artists. | Ignite Arts & STEM is dedicated to empowering Black, Indigenous, & People of Color (BIPOC) students, focusing on comprehensive arts programming to bridge educational gaps & foster professional development. Scholarships: Ignite Arts & STEM provides crucial financial aid specifically through the Palette & Purpose Scholarship. This scholarship supports BIPOC high school seniors who are passionate about pursuing higher education & careers in the Arts, helping to alleviate financial barriers. Art Mentoring Program: Ignite Arts & STEM offers a comprehensive, year-long art mentoring program designed to cultivate young BIPOC artists in the Greater Los Angeles area. This program integrates two key components: the Igniting Ideas: Emerging Artists exhibition & The Business of Art Program. This combined approach provides a platform for showcasing artwork & equips students with crucial business skills often overlooked in traditional art education. Fall/Winter: The Business of Art Program: This 8-week program, plus an exhibition week, teaches 6th to 12th-grade students the essential business skills for marketing, selling, & professionally presenting their artwork. Weekly topics cover branding, pricing, contracts, marketing, gallery etiquette, & exhibition planning. The program culminates in a gallery-style exhibition at their school, with participating students’ art also featured in a special winter exhibition at the Rod Briggs Gallery in Long Beach. Spring: Igniting Ideas: Emerging Artists Exhibition: This annual art exhibition provides an additional professional gallery platform for thirty BIPOC students in grades 6-12 to showcase their artwork & develop vital presentation skills. Students can sell their art, with proceeds returned to them on a custom reloadable Visa gift card. Eligibility is open to students who successfully completed The Business of Art Program or those who submit an application for consideration by a panel of art professionals. Through these programs, Ignite Arts & STEM aims to transition talented young artists from hobbyists to professionals, ensuring they have the skills & opportunities to succeed in the art world. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $21,750.00 | Active Cultures | 1370 N St Andrews Pl , LOS ANGELES, CA 90028 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (917) 916-5432 | District 30 | District 51 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Active Cultures will launch galaFEST Los Angeles, a public festival of art, food, and ecologies. Developed in collaboration with the Green Art Lab Alliance (GALA), galaFEST will commission and present new artist-led projects in public outdoor sites across Los Angeles that explore climate, culture, and land. CAC funds will support artist fees, production, and staffing to realize this inaugural initiative, culminating in a series of free public programs—including performances, installations, and workshops—that foster collective imagination around ecological futures through the arts. | Active Cultures offers programming in three concentric tiers: Member and Community Programs, Public Projects, and Large-Scale Community Events. Our year-round projects provide opportunities for deep collaborations with artists over time, building public programming that centers broad and diverse artistic practice and prioritizes direct engagement with Los Angeles audiences. We embrace the concept of radical hospitality to inspire curiosity and feed empathy, while gathering communities to experience art accessibly with intention and conviviality. We operate in the public sphere to deepen our relationships to land and food, and we uplift Los Angeles as a vital hub of the international art and food movement. Food is the essential lens through which we examine fundamental questions about power, cultural expression, history, equity, climate futures, and ourselves. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | Majdal | 329 E. Main St , El Cajon, CA 92020 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 891-8081 | Grant funds from the California Arts Council will support the Majdal Center’s “Homeland and Homemaking” Arts Program. Through this program, Arab refugee and immigrant youth in San Diego will engage various cultural and multimedia art forms as a way to cultivate both individual and community-wide narratives. Utilizing various media—including film, embroidery, theatre, and intergenerational oral histories—youth participants will have the opportunity to reflect on and develop their own stories relating to themes of displacement, migration, resettlement, and diaspora through the media of their choice. This program will serve an estimated 50 to 60 youth between the ages of 14 and 22. The workshop series will culminate in a community showcase. | The Majdal Center’s services, programs, and campaigns intersect across four programmatic areas: Youth Education and Leadership; Community Health and Wellbeing; Economic Empowerment; and Advocacy and Policy. | |||
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | Calidanza | 8181 Kirkwall Ct , Sacramento , CA 95829 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 599-3441 | California Assembly district 8 | District 10 | District 8 | Calidanza Dance Company will implement culturally responsive after-school arts programs at eight K–12 sites within the Sacramento City Unified School District, engaging underserved youth ages 5–18 in traditional Mexican folk dance. Led by culturally reflective teaching artists, students will explore movement, music, and storytelling that foster self-confidence, cultural pride, and life skills. A special educational production, Navidades!, will take place on December 4, 2025, at the Crest Theater, providing students with a live, culturally enriching performance. CAC funds will support artist pay, curriculum development, and program coordination. This project removes barriers to arts access and creates inclusive, empowering learning experiences rooted in heritage. | Calidanza Mexican Dance Company is a multi-faucet community based organization that serves the artistic and cultural needs of the Latino community of Sacramento, CA. Our organization offers classes, workshops, public performances, in school arts programming and educational shows in and around the Sacramento community. The purpose of this project will be to offer the underserved Latino population of Sacramento a viable outlet to learn, observe, participate or appreciate Latino/Mexican arts programming in their own communities as well as in public venues open to the public. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Geffen Playhouse | 10886 LE CONTE AVE , LOS ANGELES, CA 90024-3021 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 208-6500 | California's 36th Congressional district | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE INC will engage approximately 2,000 youth in under-resourced LAUSD high schools through our High School Partnerships Program. Through attending plays at the Geffen Playhouse and participating in in-school workshops, students are encouraged to open their minds to diverse points of views, reflect on their own personal experiences, and build their creative voices. | Geffen Playhouse is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to enriching the cultural life of Los Angeles through plays and educational programs that inform, entertain, and inspire. Noted for its intimacy and celebrated for its renowned mix of classic and contemporary plays as well as provocative world premiere productions, Geffen Playhouse presents a body of work that garners national recognition. Our artistic programming reflects our bold commitment to transforming the landscape of contemporary American theater by prioritizing creative storytelling, new artistic perspectives, and advanced technical requirements and production design, making the Geffen Playhouse a haven for playwrights and a world-class laboratory for new plays. Geffen Playhouse is led by Artistic Director Tarell Alvin McCraney and Executive Director/CEO Gil Cates, Jr. Supporting artists is central to the Geffen Playhouse’s mission, and new play development is a cornerstone of that support. To date, Geffen Playhouse has produced more than 45 world premieres and has active commissions with 20 playwrights/writing teams. Each season we produce plays in our 500-seat proscenium Gil Cates Theater and in our flexible black box space, the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater. More than 80,000 traditional theater goers attend productions annually, and over 5,000 non-traditional theater goers attend through our education and community engagement programs, which inspire students and community members to develop a lifelong relationship with theater. We provide year-long access for over 1,000 Los Angeles high school students and community members, immersing them in rigorous learning experiences, artistic exercises, and powerful dialogues that give them a voice through theater. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,250.00 | US | 33170 ALVARADO NILES RD UNIT 795 , UNION CITY, CA 94587-5820 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (877) 522-1968 | 14th District | 20th District | 10th District | Freedom Through the Arts is The Village Method’s culturally rooted arts enrichment program that centers Black youth and families while welcoming all. This program provides weekly after-school and community-based workshops led by teaching artists in drumming, dance, visual arts, spoken word, and ancestral storytelling. CAC funds will support artist stipends, youth supplies, and coordination of up to seven (7) sites across Southern Alameda County. Freedom Through the Arts affirms identity, builds resilience, and improves school engagement by offering trauma-informed healing centered spaces that explore themes of oppression without causing depression. We uplift untold histories, promote creative expression, and cultivate pride, connection, and joy. Students will publicly showcase their growth through culminating community events. This project builds long-term pathways for healing and academic success through the power of culture, creativity, and collective memory. | The Village Method (TVM) offers culturally responsive, year-round programs that use arts and cultural education to support youth and families across Southern Alameda County—from San Leandro to Fremont and Newark. Our core services center African diasporic traditions, creative expression, and academic support. ASHÉ (Academic Support & Holistic Enrichment): Camp G.R.A.C.E.: Youth Cultural Ambassadors: Family Engagement & First Teachers Collaborative: Cascading Mentorship Program (with Chabot College): All programs are free and designed to reduce anxiety, build identity, and improve outcomes through culturally grounded arts education. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | Outside the Lens | 125 14th St , San Diego, CA 92101 | San Diego | Far South | (858) 349-7578 | District 50 | District 77 | District 39 | Outside The Lens (OTL) requests $25,000 to provide quality arts experiences and learning opportunities through NextGen Voices, an 10-week intensive media arts program serving at least 50 neurotypical and neurodivergent youth ages 13-25. CAC funds directly support Media Educator salaries, youth artist stipends, outreach, exhibitions, and assistance technology. Meeting 2 hours weekly, youth build confidence while artistically expressing their own stories through media arts. Using Hello Insight’s evidence-based tools, we track social-emotional development including self-management, positive identity, and creative confidence. The program centers youth voices through workshops driven by and adapted to participant needs and interests. Our trauma-informed approach creates safe spaces for priority population youth from juvenile justice facilities, alternative schools, and underserved communities. This culturally responsive program develops critical thinking, communication, and technical skills while transforming participants into skilled creators and arts advocates. | Outside the Lens engages the next generation of artists, storytellers, and innovators through media arts education. Through our programs, youth learn media arts skills, media literacy, socio-emotional development, vocational exploration, and civic engagement. Our Media Educators create a learning environment centered on trauma-informed practices, culturally responsive teaching, socio-emotional learning, and restorative practices. K-8 Programs: Partnering with schools and districts, we enhance students’ learning by integrating media arts and technology into core curricula (Math, Science, Social Sciences, English Language Arts) for grades K-8. These projects deepen students’ understanding of core content, cultivate media arts skills, and foster a well-rounded educational experience. Our after-school programs and summer camps offer youth opportunities to explore their passions, develop new skills, and discover the transformative power of media arts. Teens and Transitional Age Youth Programs: We provide specialized programming for teens and Transitional Age Youth (TAY) (18-25 years old) through community partnerships. Our projects enhance media literacy, promote social-emotional wellbeing, and foster intergenerational community connections. This programming develops creative pathways for career and college readiness, encourages self-discovery, and civic engagement, empowering teens to amplify their voices and effect positive change. Educator Trainings: We offer arts-integration teacher training to help educators integrate art-based lessons into their curriculum. Available for individual educators, grade level teams, schools, or districts, these trainings provide innovative ideas, practical skills, and ready-to-use projects aligned with Media Arts and Common Core standards. Summer Camps: Our Media Arts Summer Camps offer youth in grades K-8 to explore various artistic mediums, such as photography, filmmaking, graphic design, and animation. Community Workshops: Our weekend and evening media arts workshops, open to families, teens, and adults, cater to both budding artists and experienced creators seeking further skill development. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $24,000.00 | Support Black Theatre | 13636 VENTURA BLVD SUITE 415 , SHERMAN OAKS, CA 91423-3700 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 619-6322 | 32 | 44 | 27 | With support from the California Arts Council, Support Black Theatre will introduce young scholars to Black history, pride, power, and art through Black theatre and storytelling, creating pathways to personal agency, social connection, and resilient futures through unforeseen opportunities, transferable skill-building, and exposure to Black movement-building. Year-round arts exposure, arts education, and workforce development programming offered through our GroundED initiative provides 300+ youth ages 15-25 with early exposure to a wide variety of artistic disciplines and experiences, helps participants explore career options in the arts, and sets them on the path to tangible futures in the creative industries they weren’t aware were open to them. | Support Black Theatre’s four core initiatives – New Works Pipeline, Talk Forward™, Equip, and GroundED – follow the principle of “See, Create, and Invest.” Our New Works Pipeline retains the power of decision making for Black artists and theatre by developing new Black plays and securing funding for Black theatres to mount full productions of new work by Black artists. Talk Forward cultivates and nurtures Black audiences, flipping the model of the traditional post-show talkback by inviting audiences into the process of theatre making through reflective feedback long before a full production is mounted. The Equip initiative builds theatres’ executive leadership capacity through leadership courses and nonprofit management training and direct services including introductions to funders, grant writing seminars, writing letters of support. The initiative raised over $1.3 million in grant awards for Black theatres between 2021 and 2025. Equip also offers technical training and paid internships in dramaturgy, playwriting, directing, stage management, producing, and technical design. The GroundED initiative provides year-round arts workforce development and artistic opportunities, building career pathways in the arts and related fields for 300+ youth ages 15-25 each year. GroundED introduces young people to careers in Black theatre through the work of August Wilson, among other playwrights. Our annual August Wilson monologue competition for high school students includes complementary in-school education throughout the school year, culminating with late-spring performances and judging at partner Ebony Repertory Theatre. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $20,000.00 | Tenderloin Museum | 398 EDDY ST , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 351-1912 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | CAC Impact Project funding will sustain ongoing operations of “The Compton’s Cafeteria Riot Play,” building on our successful launch. Funds will support continued production costs and stabilize our operations moving forward. The play runs Friday and Saturday nights at our dedicated Larkin Street venue, providing stable employment for 21+ LGBTQ+ artists while offering free and sliding-scale tickets to ensure community accessibility. This ongoing production addresses the critical need for authentic transgender storytelling and economic opportunities for LGBTQ+ artists in the Tenderloin, home to one of San Francisco’s largest transgender populations. The play preserves and shares the pivotal story of the 1966 Compton’s Cafeteria Riot—a foundational moment in transgender civil rights history that occurred in the Tenderloin neighborhood—through community-centered programming that transforms historical trauma into collective healing and pride. | The Tenderloin Museum opened in 2015 with the intersecting goals of promoting a deeper understanding of the history of the Tenderloin neighborhood, re-imagining our collective future, and supporting our current community. To accomplish these goals, the museum enacts a three-pronged approach: a critically-acclaimed permanent history exhibition, community-driven programs and tours, and economic support in the form of local partnerships and hiring practices. To accomplish these goals, each year TLM produces 40-50 public programs, 5-7 special arts presentations (including aerial dance, theatre, and visual art exhibitions), and 50 walking tours, in addition to maintaining its critically-acclaimed permanent history exhibition. All told, these programs attract approximately 5,000 people each year. We invest in deeply collaborative relationships with organizations in the arts, humanities, and social sectors, and our success on a relatively small budget is directly linked to those efforts. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $16,800.00 | Support Black Theatre | 13636 VENTURA BLVD SUITE 415 , SHERMAN OAKS, CA 91423-3700 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 619-6322 | 32 | 44 | 27 | With support from the California Arts Council, Support Black Theatre will generate cultural capital and create a thriving Black ecosystem where theatre is at the center of mutual aid, political power, and economic growth, through grassroots community power-building campaigns that center Black storytelling. A general operating support award will fund capacity building costs for organization sustainability, including gap funding for operations, staff training and burnout prevention, executive training, board training and expansion, strategic planning, and a financial audit. Building organization capacity will result in the long-term sustainability necessary to succeed in its mission as an arts service/network organization and generate this community transformation. | Support Black Theatre’s four core initiatives – New Works Pipeline, Talk Forward™, Equip, and GroundED – follow the principle of “See, Create, and Invest.” Our New Works Pipeline retains the power of decision making for Black artists and theatre by developing new Black plays and securing funding for Black theatres to mount full productions of new work by Black artists. Talk Forward cultivates and nurtures Black audiences, flipping the model of the traditional post-show talkback by inviting audiences into the process of theatre making through reflective feedback long before a full production is mounted. The Equip initiative builds theatres’ executive leadership capacity through leadership courses and nonprofit management training and direct services including introductions to funders, grant writing seminars, writing letters of support. The initiative raised over $1.3 million in grant awards for Black theatres between 2021 and 2025. Equip also offers technical training and paid internships in dramaturgy, playwriting, directing, stage management, producing, and technical design. The GroundED initiative provides year-round arts workforce development and artistic opportunities, building career pathways in the arts and related fields for 300+ youth ages 15-25 each year. GroundED introduces young people to careers in Black theatre through the work of August Wilson, among other playwrights. Our annual August Wilson monologue competition for high school students includes complementary in-school education throughout the school year, culminating with late-spring performances and judging at partner Ebony Repertory Theatre. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $19,873.00 | Ink People Center for the Arts | 627 3rd Street , EUREKA, CA 95501-0417 | Humboldt | Upstate | (707) 442-8413 | District 2 | District 2 | District 2 | WIth support from the California Arts Council, INK PEOPLE INC will provide programming for youth ages 12-22 throughout the 2025/2026 school year. This programming will include 1) weekly drop-in activities in the Media Arts Resource Zone where youth learn digital media skills to empower their voices, 2) Queer-affirming programming centering artists with lived experience who will support youth in designing and creating chapbooks and stickers, 3) A film camp, creating a culminating experience to celebrate the completion of the school year, and 4) the development of youth leadership through the Youth Advisory Panel and Ink People Board Position | The Ink People is a community-based, grassroots, artist-run, arts and culture organization. For 44 years, we have organized our work around community access principles and the belief that art, in all its forms, is essential to the human spirit and well-being. We base our activities in a philosophy of sharing and community-building, and we work to connect community members with resources for cultural development. With over 700 subscribers, we nurture cultural enrichment through education and engagement of artists and communities. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $21,000.00 | Chico Art Center | 450 Orange St., Ste. 6 , Chico, CA 95928 | Butte | Upstate | (530) 895-8726 | California Assembly district 3 | District 3 | District California | With support from the California Arts Council, Chico Art Center will provide an after school art and entrepreneurship program. Creative Futures is a five-month series of workshops designed for high school continuation students who face systemic barriers to educational and creative opportunities. We have partnered with Fair View High School to teach weekly, hands-on visual storytelling, 2D and 3D functional art and sustainable fashion that explore students’ individual and diverse inspirations. The culminating event will exhibit and sell artwork and handmade goods at a local pop up art market. Grant funds will compensate six teaching artists, pay for art supplies and art market vendor booth fees. By removing barriers like cost and transportation, and creating pathways for artistic and personal development, Creative Futures honors students’ lived experiences and positions them as artists, storytellers, and changemakers. | CHICO ART CENTER: Services to accomplish our mission include: community engagement, education, and artist support. Providing opportunities to see art, talk to artists, to make and show art are paramount to successful community engagement. An annual open studios event gives people behind the scenes perspectives on artists by visiting their studios. We sponsor free art-making activities at a weekly community concert during the summer and other special events. We collaborate with organizations like our county Office of Education or the downtown business association to put on displays to engage new audiences and display art in unexpected places. The Center applied for, and received, multi-year funding to host public mural projects, which now grace our downtown district. We seize every opportunity to help people know who is making art, and why, and how that adds value to our community. The sheer variety of artistic expression and different mediums showcased annually in our gallery is a vital way to expand understanding and appreciation of art. Exhibitions include artist and juror statements to aid understanding what motivates artists. We field exhibitions that give artists an opportunity to respond to current social issues (fire devastation, COVID isolation, social justice) and to help viewers process their own reactions to these issues. Technology affords the opportunity to educate and expand our audience, beyond those who visit the Center, through a robust website, Zoom presentations, and social media updates. We support artists through opportunities to show and sell art, earn money by teaching classes, classroom space for group studio sessions. We seek out artists not widely represented and share their art and ideas in our gallery, website, and on social media. Through donations we are able to offer free art supplies and free access to use our facilities. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $21,000.00 | homeLA | 3760 MAYFAIR DR , LOS ANGELES, CA 90065-3209 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 709-2691 | 34th Congressional district of California | District 52 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, homeLA will provide–through its education program, inSITE–one season of free site-specific dance mentorship to students studying dance at the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Title 1 Ramón C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts. inSITE is taught by California artists to uplift historically underrepresented youth voices through site-specific dance. All facets of learning and support will happen on campus and at partnering art and cultural site, the Los Angeles State Historic Park–where students will develop, rehearse, and present their final performance to the public. | homeLA is a nomadic, site-specific performance platform that supports experimental artists in dance, performance, and media through three core programs: public performance, education, and community outreach. All cater to diverse audiences that represent the multicultural and ethnic diversity of Southern California. Public Performance: We produce two major performance events annually that enable the development and presentation of experimental work while creating space for community connection and the amplification of underrepresented histories. These projects engage dance, performance, film, video, intermedia, and sound artists through a three-month residency and rehearsal structure embedded within domestic, historic, or public architecture. Artists create original work in dialogue with site-specific histories and community narratives. Since our founding, we have made a significant investment in professional artists of Southern California, employing 220 artists and 511 collaborators, and reaching over 5,100 attendees through intimate, immersive programs. Our accompanying discursive programming fosters deeper connections between artists’ work and audiences, creating space for reflection, shared learning, and cultural exchange. Education: Launched in 2020, inSITE provides free after-school master classes in site-specific dance and film for students enrolled in Title I public high school dance programs. Led by professional California artists, students engage in critical thinking about public space, land, and belonging through collaborative choreography and site activation. inSITE has served 75 youth across multiple campuses and remains a cornerstone of our commitment to educational equity. Public Engagement: Launched in 2021, The We in Me is homeLA’s public education platform exploring homelessness, housing insecurity, and belonging through the lens of empathy, art, and civic engagement. It offers arts programming that fosters awareness, learning, and action, while amplifying voices and livelihoods of those with lived experiences of housing insecurity and system-impacted youth. It has reached over 1,800 community members through in-person and online programming. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,000.00 | Tenderloin Museum | 398 EDDY ST , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 351-1912 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | The Tenderloin Museum requests CAC operational support to sustain community-centered programming during significant growth and economic uncertainty. As we break ground this summer on our historic expansion—tripling our footprint to 10,050 square feet—CAC funds provide critical operational stability enabling us to maintain our equity-focused mission while navigating this transformative period. Grant funds will support staff salaries, utilities, insurance, and program materials across our Eddy Street museum and Larkin Street venue, where our “Compton’s Cafeteria Riot Play” celebrates transgender resistance and community. This operational foundation is essential as we manage construction complexities and ensure uninterrupted service to the Tenderloin’s diverse communities. Operational support directly enables our equity goals: maintaining free and sliding-scale programming, continuing individualized support for disabled artists, and preserving the community co-creation approach that has guided our work for nearly a decade. | The Tenderloin Museum opened in 2015 with the intersecting goals of promoting a deeper understanding of the history of the Tenderloin neighborhood, re-imagining our collective future, and supporting our current community. To accomplish these goals, the museum enacts a three-pronged approach: a critically-acclaimed permanent history exhibition, community-driven programs and tours, and economic support in the form of local partnerships and hiring practices. To accomplish these goals, each year TLM produces 40-50 public programs, 5-7 special arts presentations (including aerial dance, theatre, and visual art exhibitions), and 50 walking tours, in addition to maintaining its critically-acclaimed permanent history exhibition. All told, these programs attract approximately 5,000 people each year. We invest in deeply collaborative relationships with organizations in the arts, humanities, and social sectors, and our success on a relatively small budget is directly linked to those efforts. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Sonoma Community Center | 276 E NAPA ST , SONOMA, CA 95476-6721 | Sonoma | Bay Area – Other | (707) 938-4626 | 4th Congressional District of California | District 4 | District 3 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Sonoma Community Center will offer 3 afternoons of arts after-school enrichment during the school year for all students ages 5-17 in the Sonoma Valley region. The goal is to provide responsive art experiences that increase community connection, build self-esteem and self-expression, build artistic skills and literacy, and connect students and their families to rich artistic and cultural experiences. The program is accessible to participants of all backgrounds and fills a need for safe after-school childcare that promotes social-emotional learning and high level artistic instruction. We focus on projects and themes that promote cultural diversity that instill pride and unleash curiosity and exploration. The program utilizes multidisciplines, such as painting, drawing, hand and machine sewing, print making, culinary arts, ceramics, fiber arts, multimedia, collage, and more. | Driven by values of community, innovation, creativity, inclusion, and leadership, the Sonoma Community Center offers a broad range of programs, events, and performances that encourage people from all walks of life to create, connect, thrive, and build community together. We offer over 250 classes annually in ceramics, fine art, fiber art, printmaking, music, movement, culinary arts, and writing. We also host an Artist-in-Residence program that attracts expert artists to work and teach at the Center. Our Andrews Hall Theater offers a year-round schedule of films, live music, theater performances, and more for audiences of all ages. We also host a variety of creative community events throughout the year, including our annual Lunar New Year Celebration, Día de los Muertos celebration in early November, and our free Thanksgiving Dinner, a valued community tradition for decades now. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $16,200.00 | Village Arts | 6720 FORBES AVE , VAN NUYS, CA 91406-5512 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 926-8194 | California's 30th congressional district | District 46 | District 27 | With support from the California Arts Council, Village Arts will continue to fund three administrative positions and employ multiple teaching artists at our community arts center. All funds will be used to bring diverse arts programs to the children and families of the greater San Fernando Valley. | Village Arts is a year round community based arts education organization. We offer arts programming in the performing and visual arts. Our programs include after-school and weekend classes as well as a robust theatre program where students rehearse and perform a classic musical. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Sierra Repertory Theatre | 13891 Mono Way , SONORA, CA 95370-3030 | Tuolumne | Central Valley | (209) 532-0502 | California's 4th congressional district | District 5 | District 8 | Sierra Repertory Theatre seeks to strengthen and expand its “SRT in Schools” program for the coming year. This popular program brings live productions directly to dozens of elementary schools, reaching more than 3,000 students per year in our rural, underserved region of the Sierra foothills and Central Valley. A troupe of 3-5 professional actors and a stage manager travel to school sites throughout the region each Fall and Spring semester to present 50-minute live theater productions adapted from titles selected from the California School Reading List. The program is delivered at no cost to schools, enabling small, remote communities to bring students a high-quality introduction to the magic of live theater. CAC grant funds will offset direct costs and allow us to reach a wider range of schools, fulfilling core goals of the CAC. | Sierra Repertory Theatre (SRT) is a professional non-profit theatre in Tuolumne County, California. Nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, Tuolumne County is home to just over 54,000 residents. SRT offers the local community nine top-quality mainstage productions from its East Sonora Theatre and Fallon House Theatre in Columbia State Historic Park. The Theatre sees over 45,000 visitors every season consisting of residents primarily from Tuolumne, Calaveras, San Joaquin, and Stanislaus Counties. Sierra Rep is the only regional theatre in the area that maintains a contract with the Actor’s Equity Association, ensuring the local community can enjoy talent from across the country. With the same enthusiasm and vision, SRT is equally committed to supporting local school-age children and fostering a rich arts culture within the Tuolumne County area through its Youth Education and Outreach Program which includes SRT Jr. and SRT in Schools. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,600.00 | GYOPO | 801 S Vermont Avenue, Unit 201 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90005 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 421-7974 | California Assembly district 53 | District 53 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, GYOPO will be able to help fund salaries for part- and full-time staff members as well as rent for our organization’s headquarters in the Koreatown neighborhood of Los Angeles. Located in the lowest quartile of the Healthy Places Index, our 1,300 sq ft headquarters is a vibrant, flexible space used for public programs, community salons, internal workshops for volunteers, and office space. | Formed in the wake of the 2016 presidential election, GYOPO was impelled to develop a more vital sense of agency, progress, and connection amongst individuals of the Korean diaspora within and beyond Los Angeles. Since its founding, GYOPO has worked with a range of nonprofit art spaces, cultural institutions, schools, and other venues to organize artist talks, lectures, symposia, and performances by contemporary artists, architects, professors, curators, filmmakers, actors, writers, and other cultural producers, both emerging and internationally renowned. Through diverse programming, GYOPO aims to strike a balance between creating dedicated spaces for “gyopos” (a term in the Korean language that refers to persons of Korean descent who live outside of Korea), and providing free public forums for lively, intergenerational, intersectional, and cross-cultural discussions. GYOPO offers free, year-round programming for the public that fall under categories such as: critical discourse, artist talks, curator lectures, exhibition walkthroughs, symposiums, traditional focus, film screenings, panel discussions, and workshops. Additionally, GYOPO hosts social events for gyopos and the wider community such as the annual Chuseok fundraiser, GYOPO edition launch, welcome receptions, cultivation gatherings, and volunteer retreats. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $20,000.00 | ABD Productions / Skywatchers | 3574 22ND ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114-3419 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (781) 820-7712 | District 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Skywatchers will produce Calling Us In, a dance-based exploration of radical inclusion and community accountability, challenging myths about substance use disorder and poverty and exposing the humanity and real solutions available to us. The Skywatchers ensemble will collaborate with renowned choreographer Sarah Crowell to develop a series of 4 dance works designed to reach thousands of audience members and draw attention to San Francisco’s critical public health crises of opioid overdoses and housing insecurity. Performances are presented for free in 4 public locations in the Tenderloin: Glide Memorial Church, Faithful Fools, Tenderloin Museum, and San Francisco City Hall. | Since 2011, ABD/SKYWATCHERS—an ensemble composed largely of Tenderloin (TL) residents subject to housing insecurity, social isolation, and chronic illness—has been co-creating site-specific, multidisciplinary artworks that center and uplift the lives, histories, and urgent concerns of the residents of the TL. Ranging from little formal training to over 40 years of professional experience, ensemble members contribute our varied experience and skills to an arts-based platform of our own making. Each year over 100 Tenderloin-based performer-residents come together to engage several thousand audience participants and a substantially larger audience for web-based and video production. All events are free and held in ADA-accessible spaces. Participation is also free, and SKYWATCHERS’ open-door policy invites anyone interested in joining to drop in and participate. The organization and all our programming is dedicated to expanding the boundaries of traditional performance forms and modes of engagement. We are an ever growing and changing group of co-creators that attract audiences who may rarely enter conventional arts venues, but come to see our stories spoken, sung, and moved on SKYWATCHERS’ stage. We also attract traditional arts audiences that are engaged by the works’ themes, aware they don’t see these stories in other artwork they seek out. Over the last decade, SKYWATCHERS has made works that address the slow violences of poverty and structural disenfranchisement, mass incarceration and the war on drugs, the climate crisis and clean water, and revolutionary acts of community survival. SKYWATCHERS creates lasting impacts: |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,000.00 | ABD Productions / Skywatchers | 3574 22ND ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114-3419 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (781) 820-7712 | District 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, ABD Productions/Skywatchers will sustain its programs, staff and operations supporting our cross-cultural, intergenerational, and mixed-ability community arts program centered in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco. Awarded funds will support ABD Productions/Skywatchers staff who administer and implement our arts performances and community engagement programs dedicated to engaging and uplifting the voices of marginalized residents with lived experience of housing insecurity, economic precarity, and substance use disorder. Funded programming includes: Ongoing Weekly Mentorship Workshops; Community Grand Rounds health equity program; Annual Memorial Processional & Vigil honoring those who have died on the street; 50+ yearly community engagement events across the Tenderloin, Mid-Market, and Mission districts; and the Calling Us In multidisciplinary performance project. | Since 2011, ABD/SKYWATCHERS—an ensemble composed largely of Tenderloin (TL) residents subject to housing insecurity, social isolation, and chronic illness—has been co-creating site-specific, multidisciplinary artworks that center and uplift the lives, histories, and urgent concerns of the residents of the TL. Ranging from little formal training to over 40 years of professional experience, ensemble members contribute our varied experience and skills to an arts-based platform of our own making. Each year over 100 Tenderloin-based performer-residents come together to engage several thousand audience participants and a substantially larger audience for web-based and video production. All events are free and held in ADA-accessible spaces. Participation is also free, and SKYWATCHERS’ open-door policy invites anyone interested in joining to drop in and participate. The organization and all our programming is dedicated to expanding the boundaries of traditional performance forms and modes of engagement. We are an ever growing and changing group of co-creators that attract audiences who may rarely enter conventional arts venues, but come to see our stories spoken, sung, and moved on SKYWATCHERS’ stage. We also attract traditional arts audiences that are engaged by the works’ themes, aware they don’t see these stories in other artwork they seek out. Over the last decade, SKYWATCHERS has made works that address the slow violences of poverty and structural disenfranchisement, mass incarceration and the war on drugs, the climate crisis and clean water, and revolutionary acts of community survival. SKYWATCHERS creates lasting impacts: |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,300.00 | Rogue Artists Ensemble | 4211 Laurel Canyon Blvd apt 102 , Los Angeles, CA 91604-4706 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 259-3738 | District 29 | District 43 | District 20 | With support from the California Arts Council, ROGUE ARTISTS ENSEMBLE will provide fair wages for its part-time staff, with special emphasis on sustaining the company’s Managing Director and newly appointed Artistic Director. Staff support will underwrite the company’s leadership transition as it fortifies its operational structure, as well as the company’s new play development events and at least one world premiere production over the next year. | Rogue creates original works of theater incorporating mask, puppetry and modern technology. We believe in collaboration as an approach for creating work and frequently partner and work closely with guest artists, diverse communities and other arts organizations to realize projects. We have a strong commitment to community outreach and educational programs including school workshops and classes for adults, many of which are provided for free. Our all-ages shows have toured throughout California to small community events and schools, in addition to larger venues including The Geffen Playhouse, The Pasadena Playhouse, Segerstrom Performing Arts Center, Rio Hondo College, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and the National Puppetry Festival in Minneapolis. Rogue has received accolades from critics in LA and a UNIMA Citation of Excellence, the highest honor within the puppetry community. We have also received Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle and LA Stage Alliance Awards. We believe that storytelling is a powerful platform for social inclusion and cultural exchange. All Rogue projects are built in collaboration and conversation with our audiences across the greater community of L.A. These interactions inspire us to create responsively, with inclusion at the core of our work. We strive to include a multitude of voices and perspectives in the planning and implementation of each project’s development, as well as through the company’s administrative operations. Theater is a living art form that requires inherent intellectual and emotional exchange between audience and performers, and our values are put into practice through listening, responding, and refining. The art we create emerges in dialogue with audience feedback. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,000.00 | Rogue Artists Ensemble | 4211 Laurel Canyon Blvd apt 102 , Los Angeles, CA 91604-4706 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 259-3738 | District 29 | District 43 | District 20 | With support from the California Arts Council, Rogue Artists Ensemble will support the development and world premiere of SHELLS, a surrealist new comedy that faces the challenges of cooping with mental illness and gun violence in an increasingly chaotic reality. | Rogue creates original works of theater incorporating mask, puppetry and modern technology. We believe in collaboration as an approach for creating work and frequently partner and work closely with guest artists, diverse communities and other arts organizations to realize projects. We have a strong commitment to community outreach and educational programs including school workshops and classes for adults, many of which are provided for free. Our all-ages shows have toured throughout California to small community events and schools, in addition to larger venues including The Geffen Playhouse, The Pasadena Playhouse, Segerstrom Performing Arts Center, Rio Hondo College, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and the National Puppetry Festival in Minneapolis. Rogue has received accolades from critics in LA and a UNIMA Citation of Excellence, the highest honor within the puppetry community. We have also received Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle and LA Stage Alliance Awards. We believe that storytelling is a powerful platform for social inclusion and cultural exchange. All Rogue projects are built in collaboration and conversation with our audiences across the greater community of L.A. These interactions inspire us to create responsively, with inclusion at the core of our work. We strive to include a multitude of voices and perspectives in the planning and implementation of each project’s development, as well as through the company’s administrative operations. Theater is a living art form that requires inherent intellectual and emotional exchange between audience and performers, and our values are put into practice through listening, responding, and refining. The art we create emerges in dialogue with audience feedback. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,600.00 | MashUp Contemporary Dance Company | 2926 Gilroy St , Los Angeles, CA 90039 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 259-3289 | 30th Congressional district of California. | District 52 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, MashUp Contemporary Dance Company will sustain essential administrative and artistic leadership through funding for its full-time Executive Director. Providing strategic oversight and organizational leadership, the Executive Director will be vital to the company’s operations, driving artistic vision, program development, community engagement, communications, fundraising, and financial planning forward. Investment in this role would enable MashUp to thrive as a leader in the contemporary dance field and a change-maker for gender equity in the arts. By establishing this position, MashUp ensures the stability and growth of its programs while staying rooted in its mission to uplift and support female-identifying and non-binary artists. | MashUp sustains the following programs: International Women’s Day Dance Festival (IWDDF) — Annually in March, MashUp recognizes the advancements of women with a four-day festival, featuring an all-female and non-binary choreographer showcase, movement classes, dynamic panel discussions around gender equity in the arts, and unique networking opportunities. Highlights include one-on-one mentorship for high school students at the Women Dance Summit and the electrifying Support Women Artists Day film festival. National Women’s Equality Day (NWED) – Each August, MashUp joins forces with female-identifying creative teams, ideological partners, or social justice organizations to celebrate NWED via a performance, creation of a film, or community gathering. This program provides an opportunity for cross-disciplinary female artists and activists to collaborate, and challenges audiences to examine a current, culturally critical feminist topic. Choreographic Residency — Open to female-identifying and non-binary emerging and mid-career choreographers, the residency includes a stipend ($2K-$4K), studio time with MashUp company dancers, and a fully produced showcase with professional documentation. A direct investment in the future of the dance field, this program is one of the only LA residency opportunities that provides this level of financial and producorial support. Choreography Open Mic Nights — Quarterly events that offer eight LA-based choreographers 10 minutes to showcase their work and engage with a supportive public audience. The environment is designed to be extremely supportive, encouraging choreographers to ask for feedback and allowing audiences, including “non-dancers,” to learn how to articulate their thoughts about dance and directly interact with the artists, fostering a deeper appreciation for the art of dance. Intensives — MashUp hosts two-day dance intensives at its home studio: Frogtown Creative, as well as sends teachers out to studios to ensure access. Crafted specifically for the early career professional, these intensives include movement classes, Q&As with industry leaders, and mentorship sessions. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $21,500.00 | Playwrights Project | 3675 Ruffin Road, Ste. #130 , San Diego, CA 92123 | San Diego | Far South | (858) 384-2970 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 77 | District 39 | With the CAC’s support, Playwrights Project will implement a play development and production campaign to destigmatize the experience of incarceration, shed light on imbalances in the justice system, and celebrate our shared humanity. Teaching Artists with lived experience in the carceral system will co-facilitate playwriting workshops, engaging individuals who have returned home after incarceration and students at local high schools to gather writing about the justice system from multiple perspectives. Professional actors will perform plays at each site. Selected writing, along with work from currently incarcerated writers, will be devised together and presented in public performances at San Diego State University. After each performance, audiences will be invited to pose questions, process emotions, and reflect on the issues with a panel of returned citizens and experts in the justice system. | Playwrights Project provides playwriting workshops in schools, communities, and correctional facilities, conducts the annual California Young Playwrights Contest for writers under the age of 19, and professionally produces community readings and full productions of Plays by Young Writers and The Mosaic Festival. Playwrights Project’s programs engage underserved populations in dramatizing stories drawn from imagination and life experiences, including reflections on the impact of poverty, incarceration, addiction, foster care, and military service. Recognizing that life presents difficult situations, forces beyond our control, and challenging decisions, the programs guide individuals to reflect on past experiences with compassion, create fictional plays that examine hardships, explore positive non-violent solutions, look forward to brighter futures, and celebrate the resilience gained by triumphing over difficulties. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Shiptyard Trust for the Arts | 101 Horne Ave , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 822-0922 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | Our project will engage youth from preschool through age 25 in Bayview Hunters Point to create art and gather stories for the 2026 Semiquincentennial Crane Illumination Project at the Hunters Point Shipyard. Led by artist Shipyard William Rhodes and supported by Shipyard teaching artists, we will conduct art classes in community spaces and at the Shipyard itself, focusing on drawing, painting, quilt-making, and storytelling. Youth will connect with seniors who have personal ties to the Shipyard, sharing stories that deepen the meaning of the artwork and strengthen intergenerational bonds. Field trips to the Shipyard will encourage participants to see themselves as part of its ongoing story. This project highlights Black and historically marginalized voices, strengthens community identity and pride, and ensures youth voices shape a major community celebration. | STAR supports artists through curated exhibitions, a dedicated website and social media presence, and periodic Open Studios events that create opportunities for sales and exposure. The organization also offers professional development in presentation, pricing, sales, and marketing to strengthen artists’ careers. STAR’s Artist-in-Residence program provides 18 months of free studio space to three artists from Bayview Hunters Point. Launched in 1996, the program has significantly increased local artist participation, with more than half of residents securing permanent studios afterward. Teaching artists lead classes at nearby schools and senior centers, enriching lives through creative engagement. On-site classes, tours, and events at the Shipyard connect children, adults, and seniors with the artistic process and the site itself. Uncovering and sharing the Shipyard’s layered history—also the history of this traditionally African American neighborhood—remains a central focus. STAR maintains a free website, www.shipyardartists.com, where all Shipyard artists have individual, editable pages. Online and in-person art sales through exhibitions and auctions further support artists’ visibility and income. In 2018, construction began on a new artist building secured by STAR as a community benefit. It was halted due to falsified soil testing, delaying development. STAR continues to advocate for its completion and for upgrades to existing facilities. Our newest project, CRANE, expands this work by using public art, storytelling, and community events to highlight the Shipyard’s historical significance and deepen awareness of its relationship to Bayview Hunters Point. CRANE also invites the local community to participate in shaping the Shipyard’s future through dialogue, memory, and shared vision. CRANE will culminate in the fall of 2026 with a major light and sound installation around the landmark gantry crane. STAR also collaborates with the U.S. Navy to provide informational meetings on environmental cleanup, while hosting independent events that raise public understanding and promote long-term safety. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | The Arts Council of Kern | 1020 18th Street , BAKERSFIELD, CA 93301 | Kern | Central Valley | (661) 324-9000 | California's 20 Congressional District | District 35 | District 16 | With support from the California Arts Council, Arts Council of Kern will complete Roots & Resilience, a culturally grounded youth arts initiative that combines Indigenous traditions, behavioral health support, and Blue Zones longevity principles to empower underserved youth in Kern County. This project uses Indigenous storytelling, art, movement, and community rituals to promote identity, resilience, and wellness among young people aged 12–21. | Community Grants and Partnerships: Offer funding and technical assistance to nonprofit arts groups, schools, and collaborations to boost arts access, advocacy, and education. Arts in Corrections (AIC): Provides art classes (visual, literary, media, performing) for incarcerated individuals to foster self-awareness. A partnership between the CA Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Arts Council. COMMON GROUND: Grant-supported “first people’s” arts workshops, celebrations, and exhibitions. Builds community engagement primarily for underserved populations by underrepresented artists, sharing indigenous art forms through storytelling, visual, and performing arts. Arts Education: This countywide program expanded significantly in 2025 and is a 2026 focus. Offers arts integration classes for teachers (classroom and after-school) at the ACK Learning Center. Artists’ Catalog available for schools to choose classes. ACK Gallery: Reopened in 2024-25, hosting four shows with five planned for 2025-26. Features Celebrate Kern Arts with cash prizes for artists in each of the five supervisorial districts. ART WALK – First Friday: Monthly, dynamic, public event in downtown Bakersfield for original visual and performing artists to showcase their work. A feature of First Friday and open five days per week, Makers Markets showcases local arts and crafts for sale, rotating artists every quarter. Art4Rehabilitation (A4R): Arts programming for Kern’s juvenile justice system. Reduces violence, distress, and recidivism while promoting creative economy jobs and education. Offers internships with ACK and other arts organizations. Community Mural and Public Art Programs: Collaborates with entities like Caltrans and City Parks to enhance graffiti-prone areas. Includes community surveys and commissions vetted artists for large public art projects (32 muralists on the roster). Literary Arts: Features the Poet Laureate, Stories on the Sidewalk (historical plays in downtown Bakersfield), and First Friday open mic sessions. Increased spring recruitment for POETRY OUTLOUD is improving high school teacher interest to work with motivated students.. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,300.00 | Salastina | PO Box 4164 , Glendale, CA 91222 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 332-6874 | California's 27th congressional district | District 41 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, Salastina will continue to enrich lives through its three core programs: 1) Presenting affordable, equitable, and world-class live classical chamber music concerts in the greater Los Angeles area, offering a generous allocation of complimentary tickets to under-resourced communities | Salastina provides three areas of program activity: 1) Live performances that invite audiences into our creative space. Salastina’s programming seeks to add depth and breadth to traditional classical music. All concerts are live-streamed. Notably, our in-person audience attendance has surged 198% when comparing our last complete pre-pandemic season to the current one. On average, Salastina presents 18 to 22 performances per season. Five Main Series programs are repeated in Pasadena, West Los Angeles, and Orange County, with additional events rounding out the season. Our proprietary concert formats include: – Sounds Unknown: an exploration of the many reasons — from racism to misogyny to bad luck — why some composers never gain due recognition 2) Sounds Promising is Salastina’s tuition-free Young Artist and Young Composer apprenticeship program serving up to five young composers free of charge. All instruction occurs virtually. Most participants are local to Southern California. 3) Vital Sounds: one-on-one virtual bedside concerts for ICU patients. Since May 2020, Salastina has provided private, virtual bedside concerts to the bedsides of critically ill patients in the ICUs of UCLA and Huntington Health. Our musicians have provided over 75,000 minutes to more than 4,000 patients and their caregivers. We provide two hours of one-on-one, virtual bedside concerts five days a week at no cost to patients or hospital partners. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $13,500.00 | Berkeley FILM Foundation | 2600 10TH ST STE 427 , BERKELEY, CA 94710-3105 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 705-1481 | We give away the vast majority of our revenue as grants and maintain a very small operating budget, so BFF would use $30,000 in general operating support to strengthen our core operations and expand our impact. $4,000 would support the administration of our grant program, including application maintenance and panel management. $10,000 would fund outreach and engagement efforts targeting under resourced filmmakers in the East Bay through marketing. Critically, $6,000 would be dedicated to improving our data infrastructure—gathering and analyzing demographic information about our applicants, grantees, audiences, and the regional filmmaker landscape. This will inform more equitable funding strategies and community programming. Finally, $5,000 would fund our staff person and $5,000 for office software and telephone expenses. This support ensures BFF continues to advance diverse storytelling and inclusive filmmaking in the East Bay and beyond. | Berkeley FILM Foundation serves filmmakers who live or work along the Eastern Shore cities of the San Francisco Bay – specifically Berkeley, Emeryville, El Cerrito, Richmond, and Oakland. Equity and inclusion are at the core of our work; 47.64% of the projects we have funded were created by women, artists of color, and filmmakers who identify as disabled or part of the LQBTQIA+ community. We hold regular screenings at The New Parkway Theater in Oakland which connects filmmakers with local audiences and strengthens theatrical attendance. Our professional development program connects established filmmakers with new talent to assist on their project. And our biannual educational workshops addressing relevant industry topics and trends attract many attendees. BFF is often among grantees’ first supporters. We award grants to 20-25% of applicants each cycle, while many of our national peers’ funding rates are closer to 1-2%. BFF’s early investments in emerging filmmakers establishes a pipeline for artists to successfully apply for other programs through the lifecycle of their film as was the case with films such as “Crip Camp,” “Inequality for All,” and “Friendly Signs.” Filmmakers consistently share that BFF support was fundamental to unlocking subsequent opportunities, demonstrating our crucial role in sustaining the East Bay’s vibrant filmmaking ecosystem. As you already know, independent filmmakers in the Bay Area face significant challenges. According to a 2024 survey of Bay Area filmmakers conducted by BAVC Media, 43% of respondents believe the odds of them living in the Bay Area in three years are 50% or less, with many of these respondents citing the high cost of living. 32% of respondents described their careers as “stagnant,” and 12% as “declining.” BFF is deeply invested in serving this community, and the East Bay filmmaking community in particular, which contains a wide range of artistic visions and lived experiences. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $21,300.00 | BEYOND BAROQUE LITERARY ARTS CENTER | 681 VENICE BLVD , VENICE, CA 90291-4805 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 822-3006 | California's 33rd congressional district | District 61 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, BEYOND BAROQUE FOUNDATION will sustain the salaries of its Associate Director and Programs Manager as they manage, coordinate, curate, and assess over 100 yearly free and low-cost programs, including readings, festivals, seminars, and writing workshops. This grant will also allow the Center to implement outreach strategies and connect with underrepresented communities throughout the Los Angeles region in support of our ongoing efforts to make the literary arts accessible to all. | Since 1968, Beyond Baroque has been the key institution in the development of LA’s grassroots literary culture. Featuring a theater, bookstore, workshop space, and an art gallery, it is the central forum for literary exchange in a region whose 18.7 million residents have few other dedicated literary spaces. Committed to supporting writers and artists otherwise marginalized by traditional literary institutions, Beyond Baroque’s legendary free workshops have nurtured some of the country’s most notable writers, while its reading and performance series has hosted many of the world’s greatest writers, artists, and performers. Today it combines a rigorous commitment to artistic excellence with an equal commitment to ensuring that the literary arts remain accessible to all at little or no cost. It does so by offering an extensive array of free and low-cost workshops for writers of all levels in multiple genres, by programming over 100 yearly literary events, and by hosting eight contemporary arts shows per year in its gallery space. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $21,300.00 | Aunt Lute Books | 2180 Bryant Street, Suite #207 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 826-1300 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | CAC funds will be used to pay salaries and assist in overhead expenses as 1) we publish 4 books–including “Caramelle & Carmilla”—which features the award-winning work of California-based author Jewelle Gomez; 2) launch Aunt Lute’s first audiobook, read by California author, Ginny Berson; and 3) execute four community programs in West Oakland and San Francisco’s Tenderloin and Civic Center. All three areas have zip codes that rank in the two lowest quartiles of the Healthy Places Index. | Aunt Lute publishes 3-4 new titles a year, provides editorial support, and promotes authors through extensive programming, leveraging the power of literature to manifest connection. Our programming includes readings, workshops, and conferences, providing writing, publication, and promotional skills as well as representation on the literary stage. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,900.00 | Museum of Dance | 77 Van Ness Avenue Ste 101 , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (520) 780-6672 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | The (INTERNATIONAL-new branding name) Museum of Dance (legally names with IRS as such) requests $30,000 in General Operating Support to sustain staffing for our first public space in San Francisco, launched through the city’s Vacant to Vibrant initiative. Funds will support IMOD personnel overseeing day-to-day operations, program management, and partner coordination. IMOD will lead this new cultural hub in collaboration with San Francisco Dance Film Festival, San Francisco Dance Works, and ChromaDiverse. Together, we will offer dance education, public programming, exhibitions, artist residencies, and digital archive labs. Staff will ensure inclusive, high-quality, and community-centered programming—expanding access to vocational training, cultural preservation, and performance opportunities. This support strengthens IMOD’s capacity to manage a vibrant, shared space that serves artists, students, and the public, advancing equity and innovation across San Francisco’s dance and arts ecosystem. | Our core programs and services include: Education Partnerships: Collaborating with local and national schools, we provide comprehensive dance education programs for students of all ages, including movement, technique, choreography, performance, and dance history. We also offer civic engagement projects and paid internships, fostering a deep connection between dance and community. Artist Partnerships: Working closely with local and national dance artists, we offer support, resources, and space for their presentations, performances, lectures, and teaching work. By nurturing these partnerships, we contribute to the growth and visibility of dance artists. Archive Partnerships: We collaborate with local and international dance archives, shining a spotlight on hidden dance archives and assisting in the interpretation and understanding of their significance. By showcasing these archives, we contribute to the broader appreciation and preservation of dance history. Exhibition Planning and Preparation: Engaging with students, local artists, national and international historians, and archivists, we design and create dynamic “Pop-Up” exhibitions that explore the connections between dance and communities. These exhibitions foster a sense of community engagement and connection. At the Museum of Dance, we are dedicated to creating an inclusive and enriching environment that celebrates the art of dance and its profound impact on our lives. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | OPAC | 800 Hobson Way , Oxnard, CA 93030 | Ventura | Central Coast | (805) 385-8147 | California's 26th congressional district | 38 | 19 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Oxnard Performing Arts Center Corporation (OPAC) will fill the visual arts void in Oxnard by formalizing an exhibition space at The Mexican Consulate, providing rotating exhibitions, printed catalogs, gallery talks, and other public programs for residents and the Consulate’s 96,000 annual visitors from the Central Coast of California. Due to budget cuts, the City of Oxnard’s Carnegie Art Museum closed in 2019 and remains closed to this day, leaving residents without a public venue to appreciate/ engage with visual art. Curated by artist and educator Rafael Perea de la Cabada, the Consulate Gallery: 1) showcases artwork that speaks to Mexican/American and Latinx beauty, culture, traditions, and issues, 2) provides opportunities to local artists, and 3) makes a government building more welcoming. | OPAC, the Oxnard Performing Arts Center Corporation, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to providing dynamic cultural and community programming at the Oxnard Performing Arts & Convention Center and beyond. As a creative hub in Ventura County, we present a diverse array of events, performances, and educational opportunities that bring people together through the power of the arts. Our programming spans from large-scale mainstage productions and campus-wide festivals to intimate workshops and lectures, ensuring there is something for everyone. We proudly showcase both emerging and established local and international artists, fostering a vibrant cultural scene that enhances Oxnard’s creative landscape. Through our initiatives, we provide vital arts education, engagement, and entertainment for residents and visitors alike. Signature Events Signature Programs (All Free!) Through these programs and events, OPAC strengthens community connections, nurtures artistic expression, and ensures the arts remain accessible to all. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | OPEF | 520 3RD ST STE 109 , OAKLAND, CA 94607-3503 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 221-6968 | District 12 | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Oakland Public Education Fund (OPEF) will implement Oakland Grown, a student arts program that furthers performing arts education for Oakland youth and increases arts engagement between public schools and community. Oakland Grown was piloted in 2024 as a youth arts festival, featuring performances from Oakland TK-12 students in disciplines including dance, orchestral music, and gospel. In 2025-26, we will expand Oakland Grown into a year-round program by partnering with Town Nights, a Community-Based Organization that hosts free weekly activation events across Oakland to strengthen the social fabric of our city. Together, OPEF and Town Nights will organize Oakland Grown performances at Town Nights events throughout the year, creating valuable performance opportunities for students and providing unique avenues for students to share their artistic accomplishments with their community. | OPEF leads several key initiatives to advance educational equity. Oakland School Volunteers trains and places thousands of volunteers in public schools to support teachers with classroom management, improve students’ academic outcomes, build bonds with students as trusted mentors, and increase engagement between public schools and the surrounding community. The A to Z Fund awards educator-led grants for enrichment activities, field trips, and professional development – all of which have incredible value for students, yet are consistently underfunded. Since its launch in 2016, the A to Z Fund has awarded and managed over $1.2 million in grant funding to classroom projects in subject areas including STEM, Arts Education, Health & Wellness, and Literacy, as well as educator Professional Development grants that equip teachers with new skills to better serve their students. Other programs such as TechLink and ConstructionLink provide hands-on career learning pathways for high school students interested in technology, engineering, architecture, and construction fields. The Oakland School Emergency Fund provides rapid-response resources to schools and families in crisis, working with school site leadership and educators to identify and address urgent needs, and The New Teacher Supply Fund ensures first-time OUSD educators receive essential classroom materials that help create a welcoming, well-stocked learning environment for students. Lastly, in October 2024 we launched our latest initiative, Oakland Grown – a community-focused student performing and visual arts program in partnership with OUSD’s Visual and Performing Arts department (VAPA). Oakland Grown serves as a culminating event for VAPA’s TK-12 arts curriculum, as OUSD arts educators district-wide work with their students throughout the school year to rehearse, cultivate, and refine performances that will be showcased at Oakland Grown. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Creative Netwerk | PO BOX 22960 , Santa Barbara, CA 93121 | Santa Barbara | Central Coast | (413) 404-6505 | California's 24th Congressional District | District 37 | District 21 | With support from California Arts Council, Creative Netwerk will expand equitable access to culturally-relevant weekly Hip-Hop and Street Dance, DJ, and Wellness education programming for 2,500+ underserved youth, ages 5-18, majority Latinx and African American, across Northern Santa Barbara County. Benefiting from Creative Netwerk’s professional development seminars and mentorship by nationally-recognized master teaching artists, 10 local teaching artists will expand programs at Lompoc Unified schools, launch new artist residencies at elementary and middle schools, and provide weekly arts learning and healing for system-affected youth at Santa Maria Juvenile Hall and local community centers. Programming integrates social-emotional learning, cultural identity, and career readiness, and culminates in youth-led performances, battles, and family engagement activities, serving 3,000 audiences. With trained, culturally-competent teaching artists, this project creates long-term infrastructure for healing-centered, high-impact arts learning. | In Santa Barbara County, Creative Netwerk partners with Goleta USD, Carpinteria USD, Lompoc USD, and Santa Barbara USD, offering hip-hop, street/club dance, and DJ programs, and curricula connecting regional dance styles to wellness and family engagement, in after school weekly classes and events. CN provides access to Winter, Spring Break, and Summer Dance Camps, in partnership with A-OK and United Way, leading to performances and family dance celebrations with live music by DJs. CN currently reaches 3,500 K-12 students/year across Santa Barbara County in Lompoc, Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, Goleta, Santa Maria, Santa Ynez, Buellton, Guadalupe, Isla Vista. CN partners with Title I public schools, affordable housing, juvenile justice facilities and CBOs, finding solutions to learning loss, isolation, and trauma through dance culture, music, and community. CN’s diverse arts leaders deepen collaboration and unification of the many regional street dance forms across California. DJs, teaching artists, and community partners expand access to free, life-changing learning, dance cultural development, and family engagement events. Community partners include: United Way Fun in the Sun, One Community Bridge Project, the Theater Program at La Cumbre MS, the Dance Program at Santa Barbara HS, Santa Barbara City Parks and Recreation, Santa Maria Juvenile Hall, Notes For Notes, and more. At the Boys & Girls Club of Downtown Santa Barbara, CN teaches four days/week youth and teen Hip-Hop, Breaking, DJ, and Folklorico classes, weekly open sessions, and a monthly family class. With Lompoc HS, CN provides weekly after school programs and 20 week-long artist residency programs, sharing foundation, history, culture, and training in dance, DJing, event production, photography, videography, MCing, Music Production. In LA, CN partners with After-School All-Stars, the ICEF Drama Club, ISANA, Boys & Girls Clubs, Glendale Unified, and the Arc to serve 1,000 students/year, including education in regional dances such as Clowning and Krump. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,600.00 | Creative Netwerk | PO BOX 22960 , Santa Barbara, CA 93121 | Santa Barbara | Central Coast | (413) 404-6505 | California's 24th Congressional District | District 37 | District 21 | With support from California Arts Council, Creative Netwerk will expand after-school and summer Hip-Hop and Street Dance education programs, 1-5 days/week, for underserved youth, ages 5-18, and families of color and low-income communities across Santa Barbara County. Funds will support culturally-rooted programming in schools, affordable housing, juvenile justice facilities, and community centers, along with teacher training for local street/club artists. CN will offer 35–85 weekly classes in dance, DJing, and wellness, serving 4,000+ youth and fostering confidence, creativity, and community engagement. Youth-led performances and family/community dance celebrations reach 4,000+ audiences. CN will expand its partnership with Lompoc USD, launching artist residencies, welcoming 20+ guest artists from around the nation to lead seminars in Dance, DJing, Music Production, Wellness, MCing, Photography, Artist Career Development, Theater, connecting with hundreds of students/week. | In Santa Barbara County, Creative Netwerk partners with Goleta USD, Carpinteria USD, Lompoc USD, and Santa Barbara USD, offering hip-hop, street/club dance, and DJ programs, and curricula connecting regional dance styles to wellness and family engagement, in after school weekly classes and events. CN provides access to Winter, Spring Break, and Summer Dance Camps, in partnership with A-OK and United Way, leading to performances and family dance celebrations with live music by DJs. CN currently reaches 3,500 K-12 students/year across Santa Barbara County in Lompoc, Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, Goleta, Santa Maria, Santa Ynez, Buellton, Guadalupe, Isla Vista. CN partners with Title I public schools, affordable housing, juvenile justice facilities and CBOs, finding solutions to learning loss, isolation, and trauma through dance culture, music, and community. CN’s diverse arts leaders deepen collaboration and unification of the many regional street dance forms across California. DJs, teaching artists, and community partners expand access to free, life-changing learning, dance cultural development, and family engagement events. Community partners include: United Way Fun in the Sun, One Community Bridge Project, the Theater Program at La Cumbre MS, the Dance Program at Santa Barbara HS, Santa Barbara City Parks and Recreation, Santa Maria Juvenile Hall, Notes For Notes, and more. At the Boys & Girls Club of Downtown Santa Barbara, CN teaches four days/week youth and teen Hip-Hop, Breaking, DJ, and Folklorico classes, weekly open sessions, and a monthly family class. With Lompoc HS, CN provides weekly after school programs and 20 week-long artist residency programs, sharing foundation, history, culture, and training in dance, DJing, event production, photography, videography, MCing, Music Production. In LA, CN partners with After-School All-Stars, the ICEF Drama Club, ISANA, Boys & Girls Clubs, Glendale Unified, and the Arc to serve 1,000 students/year, including education in regional dances such as Clowning and Krump. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $20,000.00 | Jazz Organ Fellowship | 1210 HERMOSA WAY , SAN JOSE, CA 95125-3511 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 410-8265 | District 16 | District 28 | District 15 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Jazz Organ Fellowship, a small arts organization, will present “The B3 Sessions,” a series of 8 free masterclasses with master Bay Area Hammond B3 organists. This program will respond to a community-defined need to uplift marginalized master musicians from the Black cultural traditions of jazz, blues, gospel, and R&B and provide accessible, culturally relevant intergenerational learning opportunities. The program will be collaboratively developed with community members and use artistic practices to impact Black Bay Area communities whose culture is threatened by gentrification. | The Jazz Organ Fellowship (JOF) provides workshops at jazz camps and community venues with world class jazz organists; presents performances with organ combos at middle schools and high schools; promotes a jazz organ curriculum explaining the lineage of jazz organ music, its primary proponents, and the significance of this genre within the wider musical spectrum; donates Hammond organs and Leslie speakers to schools, museums, and venues; promotes an awards program including The JOF Award and The Jazz Organ Fellowship Hall of Fame honoring living and deceased jazz organists who have contributed significantly to the development of the music; and presents jazz organ concerts at festivals, concert halls, and clubs throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. JOF programs elevate the position of the organ in all aspects of the music world, centering Black cultural traditions of jazz, blues, gospel, R&B, and beyond. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | Inlandia Institute | 4178 CHESTNUT ST , RIVERSIDE, CA 92501-3539 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (951) 790-2458 | California's 39th congressional district | District 58 | District 31 | With support from the California Arts Council, Inlandia Institute will implement a pilot project in Riverside, California, for “Pura Madre”, a multi-pronged creative literary arts program for women-identifying Latine mothers and their children beginning and ending in Hispanic Heritage Month. In Mexican Spanish “pura madre” has several meanings. Literally translated into “pure mother”, “pura madre” or “madre” is a slang phrase that is used to indicate something is worthless. We’re reclaiming the phrase by creating a program that will enrich the lives of our community’s mothering creatives and their children. Latinas make up over 50% of the population of women in the Inland Empire. Pura Madre will provide both income and space for Latina mother artists/writers in the region to focus on their creative practice with their child nearby engaged in similar activities. | Organization’s Core Programs and Services: Inlandia Institute is the only regionally focused nonprofit literary arts network dedicated to the Inland Empire region. Each of our five core programs supports the artistic development of the region’s writers, from beginners through intermediate practitioners to professionals. At each level, artists share expertise through workshops, professional development activities, and outreach and engagement programs, including an award-winning publications program. Inlandia Institute’s five core programs are: Children’s Creative Literacy, Adult Creative Literacy and Professional Development for Writers, Publications, Free Literary and Cultural Programs, and Literary Laureate. Celebrating the region in word, image, and sound, Inlandia is dedicated to fostering a dynamic and successful community of artists who explore our diverse and vibrant region. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,750.00 | Contempo Ballet | 100 MONTEREY RD , S PASADENA, CA 91030-3521 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 868-0320 | California's 27th congressional district | District 41 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, Contempo Ballet offers a comprehensive, all-inclusive, dance educational arts program in partnership with community and cultural practitioners who are focused on helping underserved and under resourced youth (0-25), and/or system impacted youth residing in remote areas of southern California. The project will take place in various institutions and/or community-based settings; providing free access opportunities for participants (regardless of background or ability) to fully engage and participate in the arts. Programs, services, and activities are facilitated within safe, courageous and the least restrictive environments (LRE) while promoting healthy, positive, relatable perspectives on Latin heritage. This project is fueled by instruction, mentorship, and facilitated guidance for all youth to discover, self-express, and learn skillsets/disciplines that support, empower, restore, and transform them into successful leaders for tomorrow. | Educational Dance Programs in Schools, Community Dance Workshops, Dance and Education Performance Series, Pre and Post Performance Workshops, Master Classes, and Summer Programs. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $21,500.00 | Timken Museum of Art | 2550 5TH AVENUE Suite 500, SAN DIEGO, CA 92103-6612 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 239-5548 | California District 50 | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Putnam Foundation (DBA Timken Museum of Art) will implement Creative Choices—a trauma-informed arts program for system-engaged youth incarcerated at the Youth Transition Campus (YTC). Designed for adolescent, teen, and young adult males and females, the program features weekly art classes, guest artists, two collaborative murals, a public art exhibition, arts and culture field trips to Balboa Park, and youth internship opportunities. Creative Choices fosters self-expression, nurtures confidence, and encourages healing through creative engagement. CAC funds will compensate a teaching artist, guest artists, cover art materials and supplies, and support transportation and exhibition expenses. This program provides system-engaged youth with a constructive, empowering outlet and new ways to imagine their futures through the transformative power of art. | The following describes our core programs, all provided free of charge: Exhibitions and lecture series: 3 exhibitions annually that focus on a specific painting in our collection, positioning it in the larger context of works by a master or artistic movement. Each exhibition has a series of morning, afternoon and evening lectures, and daily docent-led tours. School programs: school tours; teacher workshops for educators to learn how art can connect to their teaching; Outreach Español (Spanish docent-guided tours for Spanish-speaking students); Creative Choices (artist-in-residency program for at-risk students in Juvenile Hall). Programs for adults, families and visitors with special needs include: tours by trained docents in 8 languages; Family Mural Making Project; Memories at the Museum (docent tours in partnership with USCD’s Shiley-Marcos Alzheimer’s Disease Center); and Creative Engagement (comprehensive art program for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder). |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $17,355.00 | E4TT | 55 Taylor St. , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (510) 684-0505 | California's 12th congressional district | 17 | 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Ensemble for These Times will present “El Tiempo Latine: Mujeres Ahora” (Latine Time: Women of Today): a project celebrating contemporary women, queer, and nonbinary Latine composers, which will include a free concert of music by eight women and LGBTQ+ composers and releasing a new recording with music by these composers; all conducted with the goal of inspiring, uplifting, and bringing increased recognition to BIPOC women composers and their work in the field of contemporary classical music. | Winners of The American Prize in 2021 in Chamber Music Performance, Ensemble for These Times (E4TT) is a contemporary chamber music group currently celebrating its eighteenth season. E4TT performs 4-6 hybrid concerts each season in the San Francisco Bay Area at various venues for an enthusiastic and growing audience; 1-2 of these concerts are offered free-of-charge to all attendees and ticket prices are kept deliberately low for the remaining concerts, with deeply discounted prices for students and the elderly, and a policy of no one turned away from attending self-presented concerts due to a lack of ability to pay. All self-presented concerts continue to be available online at no charge to viewers and are archived on YouTube for later viewing at no cost to all. The group regularly commissions new work for premiere on their annual season, and is committed to performing the works of women, people of color, members of the LGBTQIA community and by those historically oppressed or forgotten. In 2020, the group began an interview series focusing on women creative artists; the second season of the series in 2021 focused on BIPOC composers and musicians, and a third season, which started in January 2022, focused on California BIPOC women composers. The group began a podcast version of the interview series, entitled “For Good Measure,” in June 2022, which is continuing. The group also began a pilot outreach program, “Uplift,” in 2022/23. Ensemble for These Times also tours regularly, with previous engagements in New York, Boston, Southern California, Madrid, Krakow, Berlin, and Hungary, and has released five award-winning CDs, with the ensemble’s sixth recording to be released in May 2026. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $22,750.00 | Leap Arts in Education | 822 2nd Ave , Crockett, CA 94525 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 512-1899 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Leap Arts in Education will deliver free, high-quality arts education to 500 students through 20 residencies across five Title I (federally designated low-income) San Francisco public schools: Redding, Ulloa, Bessie Carmichael, Jean Parker, and Sheridan. These schools serve students facing systemic barriers, including economic hardship, language access, and limited arts programming. Leap’s professional, culturally fluent Teaching Artists will lead weekly instruction in visual arts, performing arts, and architecture. Programs are co-developed with classroom teachers to reflect student identities, integrate social-emotional learning, and align with California Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) Standards. | ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM Evolving since 1979, Leap’s program is unique in that: Leap participants develop technical discipline-specific skills, integrate arts learning with other academic subjects. make positive connections, practice and strengthen skills in critical thinking, collaboration, and problem solving. TAs create an environment in which students feel safe and supported to create art with their inherent talents, unique perspectives, and life experiences. More important than gaining specific art skills, students’ perspectives dramatically shift. They develop tools to think critically, collaborate, create, communicate, and connect with others—21st century skills that strengthen communities. EQUITY TRAINING INITIATIVE |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,300.00 | Leap Arts in Education | 822 2nd Ave , Crockett, CA 94525 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 512-1899 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Leap Arts in Education will provide free arts education to nearly 10,000 students at 33 Bay Area public schools during the 2025–26 school year. Through its Artist-in-Residence Program, Leap brings professional Teaching Artists into K–8 classrooms to deliver culturally responsive instruction in visual art, ceramics, music, dance, theater, architecture, and creative writing. Programs are co-developed with classroom teachers, aligned with California Visual and Performing Arts Standards, and tailored to reflect the strengths and needs of each student community. Each residency spans 8–16 weeks and includes weekly sessions of 1–2 hours, culminating in student-led performances or final projects. In total, Leap will provide over 4,000 hours of arts instruction across Title I (federally designated low-income) public schools, helping students build confidence, creativity, and connection through the arts. | ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM Evolving since 1979, Leap’s program is unique in that: Leap participants develop technical discipline-specific skills, integrate arts learning with other academic subjects. make positive connections, practice and strengthen skills in critical thinking, collaboration, and problem solving. TAs create an environment in which students feel safe and supported to create art with their inherent talents, unique perspectives, and life experiences. More important than gaining specific art skills, students’ perspectives dramatically shift. They develop tools to think critically, collaborate, create, communicate, and connect with others—21st century skills that strengthen communities. EQUITY TRAINING INITIATIVE |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,250.00 | Arts Benicia | 1 Commandant's Lane , BENICIA, CA 94510 | Solano | Capital | (707) 747-0131 | California District 8 | District 11 | District 3 | With support from the California Arts Council, Arts Benicia will invite teens and young adults to participate in its Printmakers’ Workshop, a signature program of the organization founded in 2001 by Bill Harsh. The project will reach out to youth in disadvantaged and diverse segments of the community to provide formative art education experiences. It will ensure the development of the next generation of California printmakers by providing access to instruction, mentoring, and equipment that would otherwise not be accessible. | Since its formation in 1987, Arts Benicia has established a compelling series of ongoing annual exhibitions, classes for adult, teens, and children, events, and public programs that have contributed significantly to the region’s cultural vitality and attract thousands of visitors each year. A community-based non-profit organization, Arts Benicia serves as a hub for the visual arts community in Benicia and the Historic Arsenal District, and it offers resources and benefits for artists, including opportunities to exhibit and promote their work. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | ARTHATCH | 317 E GRAND AVE SUITE B , ESCONDIDO, CA 92025-3301 | San Diego | Far South | (760) 781-5779 | District 50 | District 76 | District 38 | With support from the California Arts Council, ArtHatch will offer 50 creative workshops for at-risk youth, the majority of whom are currently on probation. Through these sessions, teens will have the opportunity to create, curate, and install a full-scale exhibition of their artwork, which will be featured for one month in our main gallery space. Workshops will include various forms of painting, 3D art, and creating mini graphic novels. | ArtHatch provides free opening receptions for new exhibitions, Q and A artist sessions and talks, open studios, and live music free for the public 12 times per year. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $19,000.00 | Future Leaders California | 44648 15th St W , Lancaster, CA 93534-2806 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (661) 466-6456 | 27 | 39 | 23 | Future Leaders California will implement Just-Us Film Lab: Voices Through the Lens, a yearlong arts initiative that expands on our existing Justice Sunday Arts Initiative. CAC grant funds will support youth engagement in theater and digital media arts through performance, filmmaking, and storytelling. From December 2025 to January 2026, youth will participate in the Justice Sunday performances, using story circles and cultural exploration to explore identity and justice. From February to September 2026, youth will develop original short films in a new Just-Us Film Lab, gaining hands-on experience in directing, cinematography, editing, and storyboarding. Funds will support artist stipends, youth compensation, production materials, community showcases, and more. The project promotes youth voice, justice-centered storytelling, and access to quality arts education for underserved youth in the Antelope Valley. | The Justice Sunday Arts Initiative (Est. 2016) |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $4,332.00 | Raising the Curtain Foundation | 24820 ORCHARD VILLAGE RD STE A 200 , SANTA CLARITA, CA 91355-3092 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (661) 713-7903 | 27 | 40 | 23 | While performance opportunities in the Santa Clarita Valley are plentiful, elementary students rarely get to explore the behind-the-scenes roles that bring theater to life. To fill this gap, we propose expanding A Celebration of the Performing Arts — a free, half-day event introducing students to technical and creative theater careers. Students rotate through five hands-on workshops led by industry professionals, covering lighting, sound, costumes/hair/makeup, blocking/directing, and set design. The day begins with a short story enactment, which becomes the foundation for each station. Instructors demonstrate how their specialty helps transform the story into a dynamic performance. Our goals include supplying interactive materials, creating a festive and immersive environment, increasing turnout through better promotion, and reaching students from all four local elementary school districts, private and charter schools, and homeschooling communities. | A core program is our Saturday’s Kids programming, providing quality theater for young children for a very low cost. We provide this program 3-4 times a year. Another core program has been our backstage workshop for kids. Formally known as “A Celebration of the Performing Arts”, we are looking to rebrand this event and grow it to serve more of the communities needs. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,250.00 | Neighborhood Music School Association | 358 South Boyle Ave , Los Angeles, CA 90033 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 268-0762 | 34th Congressional District of California | District 53 | District 24 | With the support from the California Arts Council, Neighborhood Music School Association will continue to grow and strengthen its highly demanded programming for the hard-of-hearing community within Los Angeles. This project will engage our already established community partners with the Bionic Ear Lab and John Tracy Center to build out more opportunities for hard-of-hearing individuals of all ages to strengthen their sense of music appreciation and develop musical skills. Our project will also provide continued one-on-one and group music workshops at the Neighborhood Music School catered specifically for hard-of-hearing folks. | Founded in 1914 by musician and composer Carrie Stone Freeman, Neighborhood Music School was first known as the Los Angeles Music Settlement and was a part of the Settlement movement, a cause which helped immigrant families to assimilate and adjust to their new home in Los Angeles. Our neighborhood of Boyle Heights is one of Los Angeles’ oldest and was known as “the Ellis Island of the West Coast” due to its large and diverse immigrant population throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. True to its original purpose over a century ago, Neighborhood Music School offers low-cost, high-quality one-on-one music instruction on a wide variety of instruments. Students at NMS typically take one private lesson per week on the instrument of their choice, and many play multiple instruments. In addition to private instruction, NMS provides collaborative, performance-based learning environments to students through our Ensemble Program and Summer Camp offerings. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $13,200.00 | Sacramento Women's Chorus | PO BOX 661705 , SACRAMENTO, CA 95866-1705 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 342-0336 | District 6 | District 6 | District 8 | With the support from the California Arts Council Sacramento Women’s Chorus (SWC) will: | SWC’s core program is choral music performance provided by women. Our |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,300.00 | Center for World Music | 2225 9th Street , Encinitas, CA 92024-6512 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 363-3007 | California's 53rd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Center for World Music (CWM) will strengthen its core operations and sustain culturally inclusive programs that foster global understanding through the performing arts. Grant funds will support general operating expenses, including rent and staff salaries, enabling CWM to continue serving historically underserved communities across San Diego County—particularly youth and families in the lower two quartiles of the Healthy Places Index. Through school programs, public concerts, and senior programs, the CWM engages participants in diverse music and dance traditions led by artists who are culture bearers. This funding will help ensure organizational stability, support a diverse arts workforce, and expand access to arts education and cultural experiences for those with the least opportunity. | Core organizational programs and services of the Center for World Music (CWM) consist of four initiatives serving San Diego County: a world music and dance concert series of 5 to 10 annual public events focused on the performing arts of Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe, and North America; workshops and performances in partnership with cultural communities and institutions; a unique World Music in the Schools program; and an Access to the Arts for Seniors program. WORLD MUSIC CONCERTS COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS AND PERFORMANCES SCHOOLS PROGRAM ACCESS TO THE ARTS FOR SENIORS |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,250.00 | Center for World Music | 2225 9th Street , Encinitas, CA 92024-6512 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 363-3007 | California's 53rd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Center for World Music will promote awareness and understanding of the rich performing arts traditions of the world through school-wide, student-interactive assemblies in underserved UTK-12 San Diego area schools. Part of the CWM’s World Music in the Schools core program, our assemblies create opportunities for schools to maximize student exposure to traditional performing arts by bringing large numbers of students together at one time to engage with teaching artists who are also culture bearers. Students experience world music and dance in an exciting format, gaining beneficial knowledge about world geography, history, cultures, languages, and traditions. | Core organizational programs and services of the Center for World Music (CWM) consist of four initiatives serving San Diego County: a world music and dance concert series of 5 to 10 annual public events focused on the performing arts of Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe, and North America; workshops and performances in partnership with cultural communities and institutions; a unique World Music in the Schools program; and an Access to the Arts for Seniors program. WORLD MUSIC CONCERTS COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS AND PERFORMANCES SCHOOLS PROGRAM ACCESS TO THE ARTS FOR SENIORS |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,750.00 | Francisco Music Mission Corporation | 2868 Mission Street c/o Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, San Francisco, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (209) 609-3512 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | Music Mission San Francisco (MMSF) requests California Arts Council (CAC) grant funds to provide 100% compensation for three teaching artists and 94% compensation for a fourth teaching artist. These artists are essential for delivering 60 weekly classes of free, intensive instrumental music instruction to underserved children (ages 7-12) in San Francisco’s Mission District. Operating from September 2025 to May 2026 at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts and the Community Music Center, our program will provide a vital creative outlet, foster significant personal and social development, and address critical gaps in arts access. | Since its inception in 2015, Music Mission San Francisco (MMSF) has provided free, high-quality after-school music education to underserved children (ages 7-14) in San Francisco’s Mission District. Operating primarily from the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts (MCCLA), MMSF established itself as a vital community resource, consistently offering around 60 classes annually and enriching the community with two to three public student concerts each year. Our commitment to accessibility was formalized in 2020 when Music Mission San Francisco officially became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our program has demonstrated consistent growth and adaptability. During the 2019-20 school year, prior to the pandemic, MMSF provided intensive instruction (four hours per week) in violin, cello, and choir to 45 students, organized into five distinct skill levels. When the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a shift in approach, MMSF demonstrated resilience by transitioning to online instruction, ensuring continuity of learning for our students during a challenging period. We proudly returned to in-person learning for the 2022-2023 school year. The 2023-24 school year marked a significant expansion. In addition to our established programs at MCCLA, MMSF opened a second site at the Community Music Center (CMC), introducing instruction in flute, clarinet, trumpet, and trombone. This growth trajectory continued into the 2024-25 school year, where MMSF achieved a record-high enrollment of 53 students. Beyond regular instruction and concerts, MMSF enriches the student experience by occasionally hosting professional musicians who perform for and with our students. Furthermore, students and their parents have been offered unique opportunities to attend rehearsals by the San Francisco Youth Symphony, broadening their exposure to the wider musical world. Throughout our history, Music Mission San Francisco has remained steadfast in its commitment to removing financial barriers: the entire program, including the provision of musical instruments, is offered free of charge to all participating families. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,900.00 | Local News Matters | 900 HILLDALE AVE , BERKELEY, CA 94708-1418 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 251-8100 | Bay City News Foundation seeks general operating support from the California Arts Council to sustain and expand nonprofit journalism that strengthens California’s arts and civic infrastructure. CAC funding would support our Arts & Entertainment and Bay City Books sections on LocalNewsMatters.org, including weekly cultural coverage, newsletters and radio appearances that spotlight local artists, performers and authors across 13 counties. Funds would also support our youth journalism programs: paid summer internships for college students and stipends for high school trainees in our Contra Costa Youth Journalism initiative. These programs cultivate the next generation of diverse journalists and ensure that arts and culture reporting remains vibrant, inclusive and accessible. In a time of deep cuts to local news, this work helps preserve essential storytelling and civic engagement for Northern California’s diverse communities. | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Our Arts & Entertainment (A&E) section amplifies local artists, musicians, performers and cultural events, ensuring the creative voices of the region receive the attention they deserve. Under the leadership of A&E editor Leslie Katz, who also reports on air with our partner Radio Sausalito, this coverage reaches diverse audiences through both digital and broadcast media, deepening community engagement with the arts. BAY CITY BOOKS Complementing our A&E coverage, our Bay City Books section celebrates literary culture by featuring author profiles, book reviews and coverage of local literary events. This platform supports the vibrant literary scene across our 13-county service area, connecting readers and writers while promoting local bookstores and literary nonprofits. YOUTH JOURNALISM TRAINING In addition to producing high-quality journalism, BCN is deeply committed to nurturing the next generation of reporters and storytellers. We offer two training programs: a paid college internship that provides hands-on experience in multimedia journalism, and Contra Costa Youth Journalism (CCYJ), a high school journalism training program that empowers students from underserved school districts with essential reporting skills. CCYJ was recently invited to cover the Lesher Newsmakers Speaker Series with funding from the Lesher Foundation. Their impressive work can be found here: CCSpin.net. Together, our editorial content and educational initiatives contribute to a more informed, connected, and culturally rich community, underscoring the vital role journalism plays as both an art form and a cornerstone of democracy. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,300.00 | Bay Philharmonic | 3375 Country Drive , FREMONT, CA 94536 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 371-4860 | District 14 | District 24 | District 10 | With support from the California Arts Council, Bay Philharmonic (Bay Phil) will unite communities and improve residents’ quality of life through dynamic performances during the 25/26 season. Funding will support our core operations, especially increased salaries for 35-45 professional musicians who deliver each show. | Founded in 1964, the Bay Philharmonic (formerly Fremont Symphony) fills a non-traditional-symphony niche in the Bay Area. Our performances at Chabot College Performing Arts Center are the most innovative musical experiences around. Three to four times a year, Bay Philharmonic (Bay Phil) presents themed, culturally-inclusive performances that have broad appeal—-from traditional symphony lovers to families, and young adults. Our shows help educate, inspire, and bring joy to all our guests. Bay Phil Youth Orchestra, launched in 2016, provides an encouraging and motivating environment for 35-50 young musicians aged 7 -18 to pursue musical excellence and gain performance experience. The students receive high-quality instruction from Bay Phil’s professional musicians. Through a variety of performance opportunities, BPYO empowers young musicians to actively engage in preserving and promoting the performing arts in our community. Our Bay Phil Guild consists of volunteers who support and promote the Bay Philharmonic and BPYO. They organize and host youth competitions and recitals throughout the year. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,250.00 | Los Cenzontles Cultural Arts Academy | 13108 SAN PABLO AVE , SAN PABLO, CA 94805-1311 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (510) 233-8015 | California's 8th congressional district | District 15 | District 9 | Los Cenzontles Cultural Arts Academy offers hands-on training in Mexican traditional and popular art forms to 150 underserved children and youth ages 4-17. Los Cenzontles trains community youth in traditional art forms and ancestral cultures, with a focus on cultivating excellence and mastery of art forms through long-term acquisition of skills. The program functions within a social context, mirroring the ways in which traditional arts have been practiced for centuries within Mexican communities, and fostering an environment in which youth can tap into the resilience of their community and culture. Classes are taught by artists from the community, many of whom were trained themselves at the academy. A teen mentorship program provides hands-on training in teaching, production and performance. | In our San Pablo/Richmond neighborhood: Nationally: And beyond – media and online production: |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | FASO | 6621 DENNY AVE , N HOLLYWOOD, CA 91606-2204 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 770-2807 | Congressional District 29 | Assembly District 43 | District 20 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Filipino American Symphony Orchestra will address segregation and its inequities by directly providing music education to youth from BIPOC communities, fostering a healthy environment and an empowering identity context. | FASO utilizes music as a unifying force to celebrate and build bridges among diverse cultures, while providing a platform for marginalized voices. Programs include: Key Accomplishments: |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,250.00 | Una Productions | 368 Richland Avenue , San Francisco, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 370-4105 | District 12 | District 17 | Disctrict 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Una Productions will develop and present the San Francisco premiere of Infinity in September 2026. Co-directed by choreographers and drag artists Fuchsia and Eric Garcia (Churro Nomi), Infinity is a multidisciplinary performance featuring Bay Area-based Queer and trans dancers, drag performers, and musicians. Set in an intergalactic cabaret, the work uses movement, live music, costume, and immersive design to explore themes of transformation, liberation, and collective imagination. Infinity addresses the systemic under-representation of trans and gender non-conforming people in the performing arts by creating equitable, paid opportunities for LGBTQIA+ artists and offering accessible public programming. The project includes free community showings and sliding-scale workshops designed to uplift Queer voices, engage local audiences, and foster inclusive, celebratory space for artistic expression, empowerment, and community healing. | Una’s core programs for the SF Bay Area include dance classes, workshops, studio showings and theater performances. The company also creates dance for film, outdoor performances and online streaming of our performances to create more accessibility to dance and performance. Una has multiple performances and free studio showings a year in San Francisco, as well as international touring, teaching and choreographic commissions. In the Bay Area, we teach ongoing classes for the LINES Ballet Training Program’s curriculum, affordable public dance classes, as well as seasonal workshops open to the public throughout the year. These classes and workshops are accessible to a range of movement backgrounds and experience levels. Una also provides mentorship for young artists, dancers and choreographers as well as outreach with public schools and youth dance programs that include workshops, showings and q&a discussions. Una is currently a partner/company in residence with Lowell Public High School in SF and Westlake School for Performing Arts in Daly City. Una has been presented by UCCS/ENT Center, Z Space, the 92NY Harkness Mainstage Series, The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, the Chutzpah! Festival/BCMAS in Vancouver, Port Hardy, Campbell River, Sointula and Alert Bay – performing for and engaging in cultural exchange with the ‘Namgis First Nation Community, Fusion International (Japan) in Kaga and Tokyo, co-presented by the ODC Theater, presented by the Spectrum Dance Festival at The Launchpad, Movement Research at the Judson Church, Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out, Springboard Danse Montreal, and more. Chuck has been an Artist in Residence of RoundAntennae, Berkeley Ballet Theater, Fusion International (Japan), Brooklyn College/CUNY Dance Initiative, The Launchpad/Dance Initiative (CO), 92nd St. Y, and a choreographic fellow for the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation NDCL. They were also a recipient of the Inaugural Illume Award, the Rainin Opportunity Fund and a USAI grant from the MidAtlantic Foundation. |
| Individual Artist Fellowships-AO | 2025-26 | $700,000.00 | ArtsOC | 17620 Fitch Avenue Suite 255, Irvine, CA 92614 | Orange | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (714) 556-5160 | 47 | 73 | 37 | With support from the California Arts Council, ARTS ORANGE COUNTY will serve as Administering Organization for Region 7 for the CAC’s Individual Artists Fellowship Program, leading a consortium of the State-Local Partners serving the region’s three counties that will assist in its implementation. | Arts Orange County fulfills its mission by offering the following programs and services: Regranting – when funds are available. During pandemic, raised private funds and secured County funding, oversaw regranting of nearly $8 million. In 2023-24, served as Administering Organization for CAC’s Individual Artist Fellowship Program in Region I (Imperial, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego counties). Orange County Arts Awards, honoring artists, arts visionaries and arts patrons Creative Edge Lecture, presenting thought-leaders in the field of creativity Imagination Celebration, county-wide, six-week festival of arts for families & children in collaboration with Orange County Department of Education Día del Niño, a free festival of Latino arts for families and children OC Jails Project, creative writing instruction to Transitional Age Youth SparkOC.com, online arts calendar Newsletter, bi-monthly ArtsOC institutional & arts community news Leadership Convenings, bringing together arts leaders of various cohorts and artists for regular online and in-person gatherings to share concerns, best practices Breaking Through, webinars for arts leaders about exemplary local programs fulfilling diversity, equity and inclusion goals Emerging Arts Leaders-OC Consulting and Project Management services on cultural planning & public art to municipalities and arts organizations |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,600.00 | Free Arts | 11099 S. La Cienega Blvd Suite 235, Los Angeles, CA 90045 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 871-5559 | California Assembly district 43 | District 61 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Free Arts for Abused Children dba Free Arts will increase the number of underserved, historically marginalized children who are engaged in trauma informed, evidenced based therapeutic art programs that have been found through peer reviewed research to reduce depression and anxiety and build resiliency and life skills. | Free Arts core programs and services are delivered through weekly, 1.5-hour, 8–12–week art workshops where youth engage in visual, dance, spoken word or clay art projects designed to support them in their recovery from trauma. Teaching artists and volunteers trained as mentors facilitate the curriculum for each workshop focused on an art medium and subject. Teaching artists create and bring samples of finished products for youth to model. Youth learn to use art supplies and art techniques while ameliorating the effects of trauma. Workshops are held for youth by age group, sometimes with their parents, grandparents or caregiver. Free Arts collaborates with other community organizations to host 2–3 art festivals in underresourced neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles annually that feature culturally responsive live music, local artists’ works, food, art activities, mindfulness, yoga, self-advocacy and community advocacy. The festivals give communities a chance to bond and learn to advocate for themselves. Free Arts helps youth use art to develop a lifelong outlet for negative emotions. Free Arts creates a safe environment where youth, through the act of creating, regain a sense of mastery, resiliency and self-esteem. Free Arts uses the creative process and trained mentors to support youth in recognizing, understanding and coping with feelings of depression and anxiety, and finding positive ways to help youth deal with their emotions. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $21,250.00 | Cinnamongirl | 1431 17th Avenue , OAKLAND, CA 94602 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 299-5622 | California's 12th congressional district | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Cinnamongirl Inc will enhance our proven Write Your Story program to serve 75 girls of color (ages 13-18) annually through our “Voices of Belonging” initiative. The $25,000 grant will strengthen our masterclass model with accomplished published authors of color while adding Community Culture Bearer sessions connecting girls with local storytellers and elders. | Cinnamongirl exists because brilliant girls of color in high-performing environments face an invisible crisis of belonging. While they excel academically, they often navigate daily exhaustion from code-switching, carry the burden of representing their entire race, and question whether they truly belong in the spaces they’ve earned access to. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $16,200.00 | Grupo de Teatro SINERGIA | 2332 W 4TH ST 2332 W 4th ST, LOS ANGELES, CA 90057-2702 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 382-8133 | 34 | District 53 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Grupo de Teatro SINERGIA will fund 2 part-time Marketing/Community Outreach people to develop a marketing strategy via social media as well as a plan to conduct outreach in the community to promote our programming and reach new audiences. | Grupo de Teatro SINERGIA (Synergy Theater Group) is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit arts organization operating out of the William Reagh Los Angeles Photography Center, located at 2332 W 4th St., in the heart of the Westlake District, one of the most densely populated and economically challenged areas of Los Angeles on the outskirts of Downtown. We organize arts programs representing the major ethnic groups residing within a five-mile radius of the Center, primarily Latino immigrant groups from Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Mexico. Throughout the years, SINERGIA has worked diligently to establish a working relationship with the surrounding community in order to integrate them as welcomed members of the company. Our focus continues to be on works and arts education programming relevant to our underserved community. We presently serve a highly transient, zero to low-income population, comprised mostly of first-generation immigrants. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,900.00 | Deborah Slater Dance Theater | 3435 Cesar Chavez #210, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110-2423 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 308-1612 | District 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Art of the Matter Performance Foundation will: continue development of new artistic work and pay our performing company members and artistic collaborators; continue our residency | Deborah Slater Dance Theater live performances |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $21,000.00 | Hidden GEM Creative Studios | 5621 Lowell St. Suite G, Oakland, CA 94608 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (206) 214-7496 | California Assembly district 15 | Funds requested will allow us to hire part-time instructors and youth interns to lead our 9-month Hidden GEM Career Pathways Program, and pay rent for our creative studio so we can continue operating our employment program which connects up to 100 alumni from our talent pool to job opportunities. This program recruits and professionally trains a cohort of up to 45 young BIPOC filmmakers (ages 18-28) in an intensive film training and mentorship program where they create content that leads to their employment or enrollment in post-secondary education. Funds support filmmakers develop portfolios/resumes and pipelines them into internships, apprenticeships and entry-level jobs, while improving outcomes as it relates to employment, housing, education and mental health. All content students produce is stipended and made in collaboration with local community leaders, non-profits, and local social justice initiatives. | CAREER PATHWAYS PROGRAM SCREENWRITERS WORKSHOP SOCIAL ENTERPRISE WORK PROGRAM | ||
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $13,200.00 | Hidden GEM Creative Studios | 5621 Lowell St. Suite G, Oakland, CA 94608 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (206) 214-7496 | California Assembly district 15 | Funds requested will allow us to hire part-time instructors and youth interns to lead our 9-month Hidden GEM Career Pathways Program, and pay rent for our creative studio so we can continue operating our social enterprise which hires up to 100 alumni from our talent pool to work on films. This program recruits and professionally trains a cohort of up to 45 young BIPOC filmmakers (ages 18-28) in an intensive film training and mentorship program where they create content that leads to employment or enrollment in post-secondary education. Funds support filmmakers develop portfolios/resumes and pipelines them into internships, apprenticeships and entry-level jobs, while improving employment, housing, education and mental health outcomes. Students are provided a stipend for their creative work and they make content in collaboration with local community leaders, non-profits, and social justice initiatives. | CAREER PATHWAYS PROGRAM SCREENWRITERS WORKSHOP SOCIAL ENTERPRISE WORK PROGRAM | ||
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | Mariposa Arts Council | 5009 CA-140 , Mariposa, CA 95338 | Mariposa | Central Valley | (209) 966-3155 | California's 4th congressional district | District 8 | District 4 | This program serves rural, severely geographically isolated youth—including a significant number of Indigenous and undocumented students, most of whom live in the lowest quartiles of the Healthy Places Index. The Mariposa County Arts Council’s SITE + VISION program builds visual literacy skills among high school students through structured engagement with curated museum exhibitions in the Bay Area. California Arts Council grant funds will support direct program costs, including curriculum development and in class artist/educator facilitation, and transportation costs. The 5-week standards-aligned unit includes in-class preparation, a museum field trip, and a creative reflection process. By teaching students to analyze visual imagery, the program fosters critical thinking, empathy, and cultural awareness. SITE + VISION offers equitable access to high-quality arts experiences that would otherwise be out of reach for this isolated and underserved student population. | The Mariposa County Arts Council (MCACI) opened its doors in 1981 and is dedicated to enriching Mariposa through the arts. Serving the county at large and working closely with our local government leaders as well as individuals, regional organizations and businesses, we develop and implement cultural policies, creative placemaking projects, arts educations initiatives and produce artistic programming designed to positively increase the visibility of Mariposa and amplify the many diverse voices in our community. Our work welcomes all local residents and visitors to engage with art experiences and is designed to facilitate personal interpretations, expression, and growth; strengthen social connections and community dialogue; connect rural Mariposa to issues, movements, and opportunities beyond its borders; and support the healthy development of individuals of all ages by engaging them in the creation and appreciation of art. MCACI’s work includes: develop cultural policy and creative placemaking initiatives; providing technical assistance to regional artists and arts organizations; developing and delivering a variety of TK-12 grade creative youth development and arts education programming to youth across Mariposa County; targeted mentoring programming for at-promise youth; special arts programming for adults with limited or no access to the arts (particularly incarcerated and geographically isolated older adults); public programming (community theatre and summer concert series); and local, regional, state, and national advocacy work. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,900.00 | City of Berkeley | Civic Arts | 2180 Milvia St , Berkeley, CA 94704-1122 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 981-7539 | With support from the California Arts Council, the City of Berkeley | Civic Arts will make additional funding awards in its grants programs. | The Civic Arts Program (Civic Arts) is housed within the City’s Office of Economic Development and implemented by the City’s Civic Arts staff. The organizational structure and work flow of the Civic Arts creates an interrelationship between elected officials, City staff, Civic Arts Commissioners and the various arts programs, activities, and policies. Civic Arts currently has three core programmatic areas: 1. Civic Arts manages a transparent and equitable grants process to distribute City funds to artists, arts organizations, and festivals in the City of Berkeley. 2. Civic Arts works with artists to produce permanent and temporary public art projects throughout Berkeley in accordance with two city ordinances; Berkeley Municipal Code Section 6.14 (which provides opportunities for the placement of site-specific public art projects in public spaces), and the Public Art on Private Development Ordinance. 3. Some of the recent strategic initiatives and partnerships Civic Arts has engaged in include: | |||
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $16,800.00 | Vatthanatham Lao Foundation | 1146 MIRROR LAKE DR , MERCED, CA 95340-0669 | Merced | Central Valley | (424) 272-5889 | With support from the California Arts council, Vatthanatham Lao Foundation will help with; | Lao New Year celebration, Lao Arts & Culture Summer camp, Lao Boat Racing Festival | |||
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,500.00 | Elemental Music | 1906 Olympic Blvd , Santa Monica, CA 90404-3816 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 220-0349 | California Assembly district 50 | District 50 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Elemental Music will support staff salaries and music teacher fees related to Encore, our free private music lesson program that serves primarily underresourced students, 100% of whom are Title I music students in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District | Since 2004, we have served over 3,000 students across 10 programs. We changed our organization name from Elemental Strings to Elemental Music in 2016 to reflect the broad variety of programs offered. Our ensemble and lesson programs comprehensively address the needs of hundreds of motivated young musicians each season. Most of our programs are ensemble-based: Prelude (3rd–4th grade beginning strings) Our ensembles perform 3 concerts annually. Ensemble students also often take part in community performances at Little League games, local cafes, movie theaters, and even a residency at a senior living community. We also have 1 private music lesson program: Bergmann Program/Encore (4th–12th grade/ free, year-round private lessons to 90 socioeconomically disadvantaged SMMUSD students who could not otherwise afford this critical tool in a musician’s development) In the 2022/23 season, we also launched three new programs: Elemental Music Teaching Fellowship (a paid fellowship for college musicians in southern California to receive hands-on teaching experience in our Santa Monica ensemble programs, mentorship, and professional development training, with the goal of expanding representation of teachers from marginalized backgrounds in the music classroom) Elemental @ Broadway (choirs for grades K–5 and string classes for grades 3–5 at Los Angeles Unified School District’s Broadway Elementary School) Elemental @ Westminster (sequential in-school general music classes for grades 3–5 at Los Angeles Unified School District’s Title I Westminster Elementary) |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $21,000.00 | Modoc County Arts Council | 212 W. Third St. , Alturas, CA 96101 | Modoc | Upstate | (530) 708-7233 | California's 1st congressional district | District 1 | District 1 | With support from the California Arts Council, Modoc County Arts Council will supports art programs that will serve to preserve and inspire marginalized groups, activate youth voices, promote wellness, and celebrate cultural diversity. Collaboration with Warner Mountain Indian Health Clinic’s Teen Wellness Cafe to create a mural that will build familial and community bonds in a sober environment. MCAC will utilize cultural assets by implementing arts events to support tribal communities rebuild the erasure of their culture from local history of boarding schools and genocide. By partnering with Modoc County Probation and CASA to reach justice-involved youth, and Pit River Indian Behavioral Health we will use art therapy to develop murals that support personal health, improve positive identity, and reflect hope for the future, and give back to the community through restorative justice. | The Modoc County Arts Council is organized into four main programs: Visual Arts, Arts Education, Performing Arts, & Culture. Under Visual Arts we have gallery shows including a student art show, and a digital art gallery (pending), Sponsorship of galleries in two Modoc towns, mural projects on buildings in Alturas and Cedarville; under Arts education we have consulting and collaborating with the Modoc High Art Classes, our Arts Instructors Program in partnership with The Art Center of Alturas, and sponsorship of local galleries in two Modoc County towns that have arts educational programs; under Performing Arts we have the Missoula Children’s Theatre one-week residency and the Poetry Out Loud programs for Modoc County, as well as partner with the Modoc Performing Arts Theater and the Modoc High School Drama Club. We have implemented the Modoc Community Concert Series and have four concerts per year – we hope to expand this to eight concerts per year with additional funding. We have a community radio station KILN 99.1 LP FM that has local content from area musicians and provides consulting and assistance with recording. Under Culture we have anticipated partnerships with the Library, Museum, local ranches, and Tribes to provide venues, events, and classes that foster the celebration and understanding, and artwork of different cultures in Modoc County. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,900.00 | Sacramento Master Singers | PO BOX 15020 , SACRAMENTO, CA 95851 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 788-7464 | California's 6th congressional district | District 7 | District 6 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Sacramento Master Singers will use grant funds to help pay for general operating expenses associated with the 2025-26 season. These expenses include venue rental fees, marketing expenses, and salaries for our artistic and administrative staff. | The Sacramento Master Singers presents three unique programs of choral music each year, covering a broad spectrum of themes, styles, and genres. These concerts take place in December, March and May, including a family holiday concert for a total of 10 performances. The Sacramento Master Singers Scholarship for Young Choral Singers was established in 2003 in memory of Asya Pleskach, a former SMS singer who passed away in a car accident at the young age of 18. The purpose of this scholarship is to encourage young, dynamic singers with strong leadership skills who dedicate their talents and energies toward their school, church or community choral programs. Winners and runners-up are recognized and perform at our May concerts. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,750.00 | JOYCE GORDON FOUNDATION OF THE ARTS | 406 14TH ST , OAKLAND, CA 94612-2702 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 823-8152 | California Assembly district 18 | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Joyce Gordon Foundation of the Arts, a small Oakland-based arts organization, will present renowned vocalist and educator Faye Carol and her ensemble in lecture/performances centering women in jazz and blues, in celebration of Women’s History Month, at 8 Title 1 public schools in historically Black, low-income communities of East Oakland, West Oakland and Richmond. This program is collaboratively developed with community members and responds to a community defined need for culturally responsive arts curricula in underserved public schools, centering Black communities whose culture is threatened by gentrification. | The Joyce Gordon Foundation of the Arts presents several core programs annually. First, we host the Oakland Youth Art Explosion (OYAE). OYAE is a two-day program consisting of a youth art exhibit and reception, along with an outdoor street festival exclusively for youth. The festival includes free workshops by professional artists, music, dance performances, spoken word, and a youth entrepreneur vendor market. The program seeks to empower and inspire youth to take an active role in the arts community here in Oakland, while also providing a platform for emerging young artists to showcase their work. Through this program, young people will gain valuable skills in curation, project management, and leadership, while also contributing to the cultural landscape in our community. Second, we host an annual Holiday Youth Jazz Benefit Concert. We employ young musicians from the Oakland School of the Arts and invite them to perform a concert for community members at the Joyce Gordon Gallery. Musicians are paid for their time and celebrated for their talents. This program also includes a youth entrepreneur vendor market during and after the show. We use funds raised from ticket sales to purchase jackets for distribution to underserved youth throughout Oakland. In 2025 we presented the Handful of Keys masterclass series, featuring a series of free 6 piano masterclasses led by master artists and educators in our community. Classes delved into the Black cultural traditions of jazz, blues, R&B, gospel, funk, and beyond. Finally, we are preparing to launch a Women in Jazz, Blues, & Beyond lecture/performance series at eight Title 1 public schools in historically Black neighborhoods of West Oakland, East Oakland, and Richmond. This free program will be offered in celebration of Women’s History Month and Jazz Appreciation Month, educating youth about the contributions of pioneering women in jazz blues, and beyond. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,750.00 | Masil | 6233 BLOSSOM AVE , SAN JOSE, CA 95123-4604 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (669) 216-0424 | Simcheong’s Secret Recipe is a bilingual, community-engaged performance project that brings together Korean American elders and younger generations through food, storytelling, and theater. Developed by Masil Theater in collaboration with Korean American Community Services and Rising Youth Theatre, the project centers on immigrant women whose stories have rarely been heard on stage. Many elders feel disconnected from their children and grandchildren due to language and cultural shifts. While younger generations may not speak Korean, food remains a shared bridge, carrying memories, identity, and care across time. Through interviews, story-based workshops, and a staged reading in San Jose, participants will create and perform original material based on their lived experiences. This work aims to reconnect generations, honor unseen labor, and spark healing dialogue within the Korean American community through the shared language of food and performance. | In the hope Art gives rest to live, and life gives breath to the Art | |||
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,250.00 | Rhythmix Cultural Works | 2513 Blanding Avenue , Alameda, CA 94501 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 865-5060 | 12th Congressional District of California | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Rhythmix Cultural Works (RCW) will present Performance, Art & Learning “PAL”, a multicultural arts education program that presents professional world music and dance assemblies to elementary school students throughout Alameda County. From October 2025 – September 2026, PAL will present 16 multicultural performances at RCW’s Alameda-based theater and neighboring school district theaters to over 4,000 students from 30+ schools in Alameda County highlighting music and dance traditions from around the globe including Africa, Asia, South America, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Supplemental curriculum materials are provided for teacher and student use. PAL helps to empower underserved youth by fostering awareness about world cultures and stimulates a sense of pride in students’ cultural heritage by deepening connections to their communities. | Rhythmix Cultural Works (RCW) serves approximately 15,000 adults and students each year through a combination of performances, classes and workshops. RCW produces events featuring artists that present a mix of contemporary and traditional arts disciplines from around the world. RCW offers a wide array of programming including free world music concerts, art walks and festivals, music appreciation classes, K Gallery art exhibits and receptions, low-cost family events, and free/low-cost world music and dance assemblies through RCW’s Performance, Art & Learning (PAL) program offered to thousands of students throughout Alameda County. Over the years, live performances of various genres have included Latin jazz, Bollywood blues, Venezuelan Rock fusion, flamenco, comedy, and free community events such as RCW’s Island City Waterways, Love Our Island Art Walks, and ‘Round the World Festivals. After emerging from the pandemic, Rhythmix expanded its live PAL assembly offerings and created new free community programs including cultural heritage festivals and a world music family concert series in local parks. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,300.00 | Rhythmix Cultural Works | 2513 Blanding Avenue , Alameda, CA 94501 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 865-5060 | 12th Congressional District of California | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Rhythmix Cultural Works (RCW) will continue to create and produce engaging and culturally relevant multidisciplinary arts programming that is meaningful and accessible to the communities that it serves. Working collaboratively with local artists and organizations, RCW’s programs reflect the cultural heritage and diversity of the Bay Area, activate public spaces, bring local history to life and honor and uplift historically marginalized populations. As the organization grows and deepens its impact, RCW is committed to strengthening its capacity to meet the evolving needs of its community. RCW remains dedicated to its mission of building community by inspiring engagement in the arts—creating opportunities for people to connect, learn from one another, and gain deeper understanding of the world through shared arts and cultural experiences. | Rhythmix Cultural Works (RCW) serves approximately 15,000 adults and students each year through a combination of performances, classes and workshops. RCW produces events featuring artists that present a mix of contemporary and traditional arts disciplines from around the world. RCW offers a wide array of programming including free world music concerts, art walks and festivals, music appreciation classes, K Gallery art exhibits and receptions, low-cost family events, and free/low-cost world music and dance assemblies through RCW’s Performance, Art & Learning (PAL) program offered to thousands of students throughout Alameda County. Over the years, live performances of various genres have included Latin jazz, Bollywood blues, Venezuelan Rock fusion, flamenco, comedy, and free community events such as RCW’s Island City Waterways, Love Our Island Art Walks, and ‘Round the World Festivals. After emerging from the pandemic, Rhythmix expanded its live PAL assembly offerings and created new free community programs including cultural heritage festivals and a world music family concert series in local parks. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,250.00 | Media Arts Santa Ana, a project of Community Partners | PO Box 1816 , Santa Ana, CA 92701 | Orange | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (888) 906-0340 | California's 46th congressional district | District 68 | District 34 | With support from the California Arts Council, Media Arts Santa Ana will launch the Santa Ana Multi-Media Institute (SAMMI), a free multi-faceted intergenerational program that teaches artists and community members how to impact positive community change via digital production skills, citizen journalism, mini-documentaries, social media commentaries, podcasts, video poems, public service announcements and innovative digital media campaigns. This program centers artists and community members to collaborate on, develop and produce a magazine-format arts and cultural affairs series that addresses community issues, such as social justice, health and wellness, housing insecurity, historical erasure/trauma, poverty and immigrant and LGBTQ+ rights. SAMMI will utilize acclaimed instructors who foster creative social change through their work to empower and inspire participants to use technology and creative expression to heal, uplift, and transform the historically under-resourced and marginalized Santa Ana community. | MASA’s core programs include the OC Film Fiesta multicultural film festival, SMART Walk (South Main Art, Retail & Technology) resource fair, the Millennial Producers Academy (MILPA), Cafe MASA, Grassroots Garage Band, MASARTE Gallery exhibits, Curator Incubator Project, the OC Teen Cinema Camp, the Youth Murals and Media Class and Taco Truck Cinema. MASA is also a presenting partner in Arts Orange County’s OC Día del Niño festival. MASA promotes self-expression, community empowerment, civic participation and cultural agility by providing affordable film screenings and discussions, media arts training and interdisciplinary workshops to underserved youth and adults in the primarily Latino immigrant and working class communities in and around Santa Ana. Media Arts Santa Ana operates the TVGB Digital Maker Space and MASARTE Gallery, located in the Santa Ana Arts Collective artist affordable housing building, located at 1666 N Main in Santa Ana. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $21,000.00 | Tuleburg Press/The Write Place | 343 E. Main St., #101 , Stockton, CA 95202 | San Joaquin | Central Valley | (209) 949-2233 | California's 9th congressional district | District 13 | District 5 | Wordstock209 is a proposed week-long, community-based literary festival that will take place in Stockton, California, in 2026. In collaboration with the Behavioral Health Program of Community Medical Centers, our team includes B.C. Leake, the Season 15 America’s Got Talent winner, Orlando “”Zeps” Molina, author of the children’s series Rhymosaurs, the four San Joaquin county poets laureate (Tracy, Stockton, Escalon and Lodi). This event will spotlight all the San Joaquin County Poets Laureate and serve as a platform to uplift local and regional voices, celebrate diverse literary traditions, and engage the public in free, accessible literary programming. The festival will feature readings, workshops, school visits, and hands-on book arts activities for youth and families. In addition to delivering meaningful community impact, Wordstock209 will further elevate Tuleburg Press as a literary leader in planning, coordination, and outreach. | Tuleburg Press publishes local authors and mentors emerging writers at The Write Place, the organization’s creative writing and book arts center. We publish 1-3 books a year. Classes and field trips for people of all ages, with specific attention to low-income and marginalized groups, are held in paper making, book binding, letter press printing and writing in fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry. We currently service between 30-40 participants a month. Tuleburg Press collaborates with other organizations to provide these same services to specific groups: one.Charter Elementary School for homeless children, Community Medical Centers and the San Joaquin Pride Center are priority partners. Finally, we work with local school districts to enhance elementary school libraries, focusing on reopening shuttered sites, funding acquisitions, and lobbying for trained library technicians. Tuleburg Press is a stakeholder in the revitalization of the downtown Stockton core and a lead organization on arts advocacy and access in Stockton. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,250.00 | Blindspot Collective | 601 11th Avenue, Unit 1103 , San Diego, CA 92101-7865 | San Diego | Far South | (405) 206-4345 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 77 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, Blindspot Collective will create, produce, and tour a brand new theatre production designed for early elementary schools in low-income, rural, or historically underserved communities in San Diego County. The production will center social-emotional skills, sustainability, and inclusive storytelling, using original characters and student participation to promote connection, joy, and imaginative play. CAC grant funds will support the development, production, and delivery of performances at local schools, ensuring access to high-quality arts experiences at no cost to participating campuses. The project aims to uplift youth, strengthen school communities, and reduce barriers to arts engagement by bringing transformative, culturally responsive programming directly to students where they are. | Since its founding in 2017, Blindspot Collective has developed new works of theatre with and for historically marginalized communities in San Diego County. We believe storytelling is a valuable tool to build human connections and foster understanding between disparate communities, as evidenced by past projects that highlighted the experiences of refugees, immigrants, people of color, transgender youth, people with disabilities, military veterans, and other marginalized groups. In addition to in-school performances, workshops, and residences serving K-12 students, we develop original work that merges artistic excellence and culturally responsive community development. Blindspot Collective has received acclaim for both its innovative original work, much of which is site-responsive or tours locally to increase community accessibility, and its development processes, which prioritize authentic community engagement and participation toward sustainable cultural change. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | Pedal Press | 2117 Esplanade , Chico, CA 95926 | Butte | Upstate | (530) 520-3110 | District 1 | District 3 | District 1 | With support from the California Arts Council, Pedal Press will expand its art-based youth programs in Butte County, focusing on justice-involved youth, particularly from Chico, Oroville, and Paradise. CAC funds will support a re-entry program in partnership with Butte County probation. Programming integrates social-emotional learning, case management, and career and technical education through screenprinting. Youth will gain hands-on skills, income, and leadership opportunities while addressing social determinants of health like economic stability, education, and community connection. Funds will also support staffing, outreach, and evaluation to measure impact and improve program delivery. | Our organization offers accessible and affordable printing services to our community. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,040.00 | Los Angeles Master Chorale | 135 NORTH GRAND AVENUE , LOS ANGELES, CA 90012-3013 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 972-3121 | California's 34th congressional district | District 53 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Los Angeles Master Chorale will increase youth participation in and access to high-quality, culturally responsive, vocal arts education through Voices Within and Youth Chorus Los Angeles. | A “perennially superb ensemble” (The New Yorker), the Grammy-Award winning Los Angeles Master Chorale is peerless, arguably the nation’s leading professional chorus. A standard-bearer for classical music performed at the highest level, the Chorale continues to balance traditional and evolving repertoire. We envision a world in which choral music is a conduit for belonging, a vehicle for participation in the arts, and a means for understanding and exploring commonalities and differences. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $21,250.00 | N/A | 1117 Mountain Blvd , Oakland, CA 94611-1958 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 846-5828 | 12th Congressional district of California | Assembly District 14 | Senate District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Hungry Ghost Productions will produce ‘Love Letter to Oakland #4,’ a collaborative mural project at Oakland Technical High School that celebrates the city’s intergenerational creative legacy through student-led public art. Led by professional muralist-educators, the project will engage over 1,800 students in nominating notable alumni and peers to feature, 50 in design workshops, and 10 for hands-on mural mentorships. Community painting days and a public unveiling event will further connect students, families, faculty, and local leaders. The mural will include a QR-linked short documentary exploring Oakland’s intergenerational cultural heritage. CAC funds will support artist fees, materials including adaptive brushes, and documentation. At a Title 1 school facing budget cuts, this project provides vital, arts-rich learning that fosters identity, representation, and pride. | PUBLIC ARTS: site specific, community-driven murals ARTS EDUCATION: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: involve community in co-creation of public art to promote representation, connection, and belonging. Encourage civic engagement and dialogue. CULTURAL AWARENESS AND PRESERVATION COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT AND REVITALIZATION |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $21,000.00 | Geoffrey's Inner Circle | 410 14th St , Oakland, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 839-4644 | 13th Congressional District of California | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Geoffrey’s Inner Circle will pursue our ongoing programming and operations as a small arts and cultural organization and further our mission as a multidisciplinary arts venue and Black cultural center to uplift and promote Black culture and diverse Black art forms in Oakland through educational and performance initiatives, engaging youth, seniors, and low-income individuals. | Geoffrey’s Inner Circle is a multidisciplinary arts venue and Black cultural center, operating as a hub of Black life in Oakland since the late 1970s and in its current downtown location since 1993. Geoffrey’s has for over 40 years consistently produced arts & culture programming including music and comedy shows, educational programs, jam sessions, festivals, community events, vocal and instrumental masterclasses with resident and visiting artists, an annual 10-week youth arts intensive, livestreams and lecture/performances for youth, and political events. Geoffrey’s centers Black art forms including jazz, blues, gospel, hip-hop, and R&B and features programming celebrating Black History Month, Black Music Month, and Kwanzaa. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,500.00 | Geoffrey's Inner Circle | 410 14th St , Oakland, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 839-4644 | 13th Congressional District of California | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Geoffrey’s Inner Circle will offer our fourth annual Youth Arts Camp in Oakland in summer 2026. This program is collaboratively developed with community members and addresses to a community-identified need for youth arts education centering Black youth and Black cultural traditions that is accessible to low-income families. Our Youth Arts Camp is a free, week-long intensive engaging Black youth ages 10-16 of all skill levels, offering a multidisciplinary arts curriculum with classes in singing, dance, rap, percussion, music theory, and visual art taught by a lineup of renowned Oakland-based artist-educators. | Geoffrey’s Inner Circle is a multidisciplinary arts venue and Black cultural center, operating as a hub of Black life in Oakland since the late 1970s and in its current downtown location since 1993. Geoffrey’s has for over 40 years consistently produced arts & culture programming including music and comedy shows, educational programs, jam sessions, festivals, community events, vocal and instrumental masterclasses with resident and visiting artists, an annual 10-week youth arts intensive, livestreams and lecture/performances for youth, and political events. Geoffrey’s centers Black art forms including jazz, blues, gospel, hip-hop, and R&B and features programming celebrating Black History Month, Black Music Month, and Kwanzaa. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,900.00 | Washington Neighborhood Center | 400 16TH ST , SACRAMENTO, CA 95814-1003 | Sacramento | Capital | (408) 648-6205 | California's 6th congressional district | District 6 | District 8 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Washington Neighborhood Center will cover increased general operating costs tied to the launch of eight new facilities in Spring 2026. Funds will support staff wages, utilities, insurance, facility maintenance, and essential administrative functions. In addition, the grant will strengthen program delivery through artist stipends, materials, equipment, and venue rentals. This support is critical to sustaining our expanded operations while ensuring all programs remain free and accessible. It reflects our ongoing commitment to equity by removing barriers related to cost, language, and physical accessibility for the communities we serve. | Our programming is based on our pillars of Cultural Art-Activism, Academic and Career Readiness, and Health and Wellness. – K-12th Grade STEAM events: Integrating science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics to foster curiosity and critical thinking skills. – Youth and all ages open mic and art gallery: Providing platforms for artistic expression and talent showcase. – Chicano Drawing Classes: Exploring identity and heritage through visual arts. – Native Garden and S.T.E.A.M. Soil Lab: Beautifying the community while educating on sustainable practices and indigenous plant species, as well as learning about biology through the soil. – Art Activism: Using creative expression as a tool for social transformation and awareness. – Open Wall: Offering a safe space for artists, including “street artists,” to create freely without fear of harassment or prosecution. – 2 Spirit queer trans job readiness empowerment sessions: Tailored support and resources for marginalized communities seeking economic independence and empowerment. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Your Neighborhood Museum | 4707 Fountain Ave , Los Angeles, CA 90029 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 788-3012 | With support from the California Arts Council, Your Neighborhood Museum will bring together Native artists, culture workers, and repatriation specialists for a 2-day convening. We will establish a cohort that will build upon the evolving role of Native artists in the repatriation of cultural items from museums and universities. Our goals are to support Native artists who are seeking informed guidance as they encounter repatriation practice in museums, foster mutual support among the cohort, build awareness of the impacts of repatriation by examining the tensions faced by Native artists who must engage with museums that are interested in their art while simultaneously falling behind on the return of ancestral remains and cultural items. The convening will empower artists to engage institutions in meaningful discussions, advocating for artists while also supporting repatriation. | We utilize mutual aid frameworks to provide museum services like conservation, archiving, exhibitions, public programs, grant writing, repatriation support, and research directly to our communities, as well as training in these areas. We do this by creating more sustainable community-led models for curation, preservation, and programming. We make these skills and resources accessible to those under-resourced and under-recognized by traditional art institutions. We leverage our skills, networks, and experience to support preservation projects led by communities. We create systems that better serve the immediate needs of communities while investigating and addressing root causes, such as inequities in preservation investments and a lack of diversified options for training and development. Our collaborators have decades of cumulative experience in social justice organizing and cultural heritage care both within and outside of traditional institutional structures. We provide training and mentorship, sacred site protection, heritage care workshops, and technical and administrative support. Previously supporting our communities as volunteers, in 2019 we began formalizing to build our capacity and received our 501c3 status in 2021. Our largest program is CARE: Caring for and Repatriating Everything, a seminar and workshop series that supports California Tribes reclaiming cultural items under the Federal and California Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Acts (NAGPRA/Cal-NAGPRA). This program covers the repatriation processes and caring for cultural materials with Know-Your-Right and skills based training, grants for cultural workers, and building networks of mutual support. Workshops with Community Partners: we offer hands-on training, like basket cleaning with CA Tribal partners, removing museum labels on repatriated items, testing for harmful pesticides on repatriated items, addressing fire and smoke damage on art and belongings in LA. Mentorship: Providing hands-on skills-building, field work, and intellectually rigorous experiences for students by utilizing existing YNM programs for training while co-developing leadership opportunities with students to facilitate programs. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $21,000.00 | Mil-Tree | P.O. Box 1762 , Joshua Tree, CA 92252 | San Bernardino | Inland Empire | (323) 791-2986 | District 23rd | District 47 | District 19 | Writes of Passage: Journeys of Service is a collaborative storytelling project that brings veterans and civilians together to share and preserve personal narratives of service. The program begins with a story hike to build connection, followed by a 2.5-day retreat led by local culture bearers. Participants then engage in writing and storytelling workshops, culminating in public performances. A consistent cohort allows participants to develop their stories over time, fostering trust and understanding. Centered in the Morongo Basin—home to a significant veteran population—this initiative is led by local, military and community-based facilitators who understand the isolation and marginalization faced by both veterans and rural residents. Stories will be recorded and archived online, uplifting underrepresented voices and strengthening community ties. CAC funds will support artist facilitators, culture bearers, venue, social worker and media production. | Mil-Tree’s core programs are creative and art-based workshops, and retreats that support our vision to provide safe spaces for veterans returning to civilian life to gather, express themselves and tell their stories in a non-judgmental environment. We do this through ongoing creative programs that engage veterans and their families, active military and the greater community. Mil-Tree is a grassroots nonprofit organization based in the High Desert community of Joshua Tree, California serving San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. The organization is inclusive and offers creative outlets in the arts and held spaces for dialogue and discussion for veterans, active military and civilians. Mil-Tree was created to welcome our veterans home not only with words by providing various opportunities of engagement with the community at large. Recognizing the loss incurred by leaving the close-knit unit formed in the military, this organization strives to help build new relationships within the community. We include active military, family members and civilians to accomplish this goal, and provide different types of art workshops and projects, including movement, writing, art, music, theater, building and rock climbing. We also provide dialogue circles and retreats to help support the ongoing transition from military service into civilian life. Our programs have a strong track record of positive impact on program participants. Those who participate feeling alone or isolated find a fun, safe and creative environment where collaboration and expression lead easily to new friendships. We have found that arts and dialogue are the best way to bridge different parts of community, building on trust and the things we have in common. Often our programs lead to personal transformation and growth, and the synergy created between our participants is recognizable and profound. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $21,300.00 | Pacific Opera Project | 125 S. Avenue 57 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90042 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 739-6122 | 34th Congressional District | District 52 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Pacific Opera Project will reinforce the staffing and programming that support education and community engagement opportunities for those with limited access to live musical performances. Following the successful pilot of our first Spanish-language music education program curriculum in spring of 2025, POP’s Education & Community Engagement Department will integrate this continuing initiative into our broader spectrum of engagement activities, supporting our first mainstage production in Spanish/English (May 2026). POP will also enhance access to live opera performances for our school partners through a touring version of our “Cinderella Story” (2024), which POP will produce on-site at six schools in FY26. | Organizational Overview Founded in 2011 by Artistic Director Josh Shaw, Pacific Opera Project (POP) produces opera in a range of venues and LA neighborhoods, especially those in Central and NE Los Angeles (NELA), to increase access for communities with historically limited exposure to opera. Since Spring 2023, POP leases a permanent office and public performance space in Highland Park, expanding its artistic and economic activity in the area. POP’s budget-conscious productions are conceived for newcomers and fans alike wishing to embrace opera with low stress and maximum entertainment value. POP has produced over 60 mainstage productions since 2011, collectively reaching 56,000+ audience members in 20+ venues. Our free online video catalog of past productions has received 337,000+ lifetime views. POP’s Education & Community Engagement Department was established in 2021; delivering free in-school programs and a low-cost summer education program to K-12 students, nearly all at Title I schools. Core Programs & Services 1. Mainstage Programs 2. K-12 Education Programs 3. Highland Park Recital Series |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,250.00 | Cultural Odyssey | 762 FULTON ST 3RD FLOOR 301 P.O. Box 156620, San Francisco, CA 94115, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102-4119 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 292-5589 | California's 11th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, IDRIS ACKAMOOR AND CULTURAL ODYSSEY (IACO) will produce “Artistic Beingness,” an innovative residency that promotes artists’ ability to thrive as working professionals in California. It includes a live performance by the world renowned Idris Ackamoor providing: (1) Three Artist Survival Seminars with networking resources to link artists to business supports; As SF’s oldest, continuously operating African American performing arts organization, IACO has employed 1000s of artists. It promotes emerging artists by facilitating the next generation to survive and retire in San Francisco. “Artistic Beingness” will be RECORDED as part of IACO’s “Don’t Drop Dead on Stage: Prosperity, Sustainability, & Success” an unprecedented curriculum that integrates 50 years of “Lessons Learned,” for future artists. | As the oldest, continuously operating African American performing arts organization in San Francisco, IACO has employed 1000s of arts professionals, contributing to the vitalization and diversity of the local arts industry. (1) Founded in 1972, Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids Ankhestra (IAPA) implements innovative arts experimentation through live productions and international publications. For example, Black History Month 2024, IAPA performed the UNDERGROUND JAZZ CABARET residency featuring movie star DANNY GLOVER and legendary actress/activist RHODESSA JONES. Sold-out audiences witnessed multidisciplinary arts, woven into historic, imminent social issues as part of SF FOUNDATION’S BAY AREA CREATIVE CHANGE program (Strut Records/iK7 April 2025 release). (2) Committed to dismantling biases and stereotypes, AFRICAN AMERICAN THEATER ALLIANCE FOR INDEPENDENCE (AATAIN) is IACO’s consortium of SF fiscal sponsorees that work together to increase inclusion of underrepresented artists in the City. In 1998, AATAIN! became a landmark project, pioneering the regranting business model to save Black theater (inspired by August Wilson). This includes Fiscal Sponsorship, Technical Assistance, development resources, and mentoring. Since 2021, AATAIN! collectively activated 17 Cultural Spaces by producing 85 public events, 28 workshops, 51 artworks, 4 exhibitions, and compensating over 100 arts professionals. Distributing $2.4 million, IACO’s highlighted regrantees have included African American Shakespeare, AfroSolo Theatre, Bay Area Theater Company, African American Art & Culture Center, and Medea Project: Theater For Incarcerated Women (an IACO founded company). (3) “Don’t Drop Dead on Stage” is a new curriculum/workshop series designed to educate artists and arts administrators to establish economic security and long-term sustainability in San Francisco. (4) Film Production: Based on its historic role in pioneering the Performance Art Theatrical Method, IACO’s tradition of ”Arts as Social Activism” continues in its public awareness films. Examples include: ”This Ain’t Your Mamas Theater Company” (women’s health/incarceration), ”Artistic Being” (imminent politics), and “We Just Telling Stories“ (theater recovery in prisons). |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,250.00 | Opera Parallele | 44 PAGE ST STE 400 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102-5975 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 626-6279 | California Assembly district 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Opera Parallèle (OP) and partners will produce the fifth iteration of Expansive, a collaboration between OP and San Francisco’s Transgender District (TGD or “the District”) that celebrates the breadth of transgender and gender nonbinary performing artists by showcasing such artists working in classical music and opera. Our partnership furthers TGD’s strategic initiatives to celebrate the culture, resilience, and resistance of transgender individuals in the city’s Tenderloin neighborhood through arts and culture programming led by and for transgender people, while offering a career-enhancing performance opportunity and compensation for transgender artists, and a boost to the local economy for LGBTQ+-friendly business owners, cultural workers, and more. | Opera Parallèle develops and performs contemporary opera, commissions new works, and re-orchestrates contemporary grand opera, breathing new life into underperformed masterworks for the 20th & 21st centuries. Embracing rituals of old while bravely finding space for the new, this tension sparks creativity – colorful collisions that inspire new ways of experiencing opera. Born in San Francisco, a city built on both old and new, between art and technology, Opera Parallèle merges tradition with innovation to reimagine the power of opera in the modern world, highlighting stories of social relevance that explore the depth of the human condition. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,600.00 | Cultural Odyssey | 762 FULTON ST 3RD FLOOR 301 P.O. Box 156620, San Francisco, CA 94115, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102-4119 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 292-5589 | California's 11th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, IDRIS ACKAMOOR AND CULTURAL ODYSSEY (IACO) will contribute to the vibrant culture of arts in California by advancing a diverse arts workforce and providing innovative community resources through three (3) goals: 1. To produce critically-acclaimed arts events that improve racial equity and access to workforce opportunities through the employment and education of artists; Implementing these goals assures IACO’s long-term continuation, across generations, by contributing effectual resources to the next generation of working artists. | As the oldest, continuously operating African American performing arts organization in San Francisco, IACO has employed 1000s of arts professionals, contributing to the vitalization and diversity of the local arts industry. (1) Founded in 1972, Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids Ankhestra (IAPA) implements innovative arts experimentation through live productions and international publications. For example, Black History Month 2024, IAPA performed the UNDERGROUND JAZZ CABARET residency featuring movie star DANNY GLOVER and legendary actress/activist RHODESSA JONES. Sold-out audiences witnessed multidisciplinary arts, woven into historic, imminent social issues as part of SF FOUNDATION’S BAY AREA CREATIVE CHANGE program (Strut Records/iK7 April 2025 release). (2) Committed to dismantling biases and stereotypes, AFRICAN AMERICAN THEATER ALLIANCE FOR INDEPENDENCE (AATAIN) is IACO’s consortium of SF fiscal sponsorees that work together to increase inclusion of underrepresented artists in the City. In 1998, AATAIN! became a landmark project, pioneering the regranting business model to save Black theater (inspired by August Wilson). This includes Fiscal Sponsorship, Technical Assistance, development resources, and mentoring. Since 2021, AATAIN! collectively activated 17 Cultural Spaces by producing 85 public events, 28 workshops, 51 artworks, 4 exhibitions, and compensating over 100 arts professionals. Distributing $2.4 million, IACO’s highlighted regrantees have included African American Shakespeare, AfroSolo Theatre, Bay Area Theater Company, African American Art & Culture Center, and Medea Project: Theater For Incarcerated Women (an IACO founded company). (3) “Don’t Drop Dead on Stage” is a new curriculum/workshop series designed to educate artists and arts administrators to establish economic security and long-term sustainability in San Francisco. (4) Film Production: Based on its historic role in pioneering the Performance Art Theatrical Method, IACO’s tradition of ”Arts as Social Activism” continues in its public awareness films. Examples include: ”This Ain’t Your Mamas Theater Company” (women’s health/incarceration), ”Artistic Being” (imminent politics), and “We Just Telling Stories“ (theater recovery in prisons). |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $16,200.00 | The Wayward Artist | 4915 Alton Parkway , IRVINE, CA 92604 | Orange | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (949) 378-0706 | District 47 | District 73 | District 37 | The Wayward Artist is a nonprofit theater company in Irvine, California, dedicated to producing innovative, inclusive, and community-driven performances. We are requesting General Operating Support to sustain our core operations, including staff wages, rent, utilities, and administrative costs. This funding will support our continued commitment to artistic excellence and equity through programming like Wayward Voices, which uplifts BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ artists, and by offering accessible, socially relevant productions. Following our move to a new shared space with Irvine United Congregational Church, we are expanding our reach and building deeper community partnerships. General Operating Support will ensure our long-term stability and growth as we remain a creative home for emerging and marginalized artists in Orange County and continue our mission to reimagine theater as a space for radical inclusion, dialogue, and transformation. | Core Programs and Services – The Wayward Artist Internship and Mentorship Programs OC Theatre Guild Membership and Collaboration Educational Outreach and Partnerships Wayward Voices: BIPOC Artist Initiative Community Engagement and Support |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,300.00 | Triton Museum of Art | 1505 Warburton Avenue , Santa Clara, CA 95050-3712 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 247-2438 | California's 17th congressional district | District 25 | District 10 | With support from the California Arts Council, TRITON MUSEUM OF ART will continue its trajectory of increasing diversity and inclusive exhibitions and art education programming to better reflect and represent the cultural, educational, and professional demographics of our regional audience. Over the past five years, the Triton Museum has made great strides in reaching out to formerly under-represented facets of our community, in its exhibition programs, its board representation, and its staff diversity. While we have come far and are reaping the rewards of new programming, we still have much to do. A grant from the California Arts Council will not only enable us to continue in these efforts, but will serve as a statement of support and validation that our efforts to be inclusive, aware, and equitable are well founded and well received. | The Triton Museum of Art is a vital community resource that provides accessible exhibition and education programs, which promote a broad range of contemporary California art. Through our multi-faceted programs, we strive to bring together the culturally diverse population of the Greater Bay Area to foster a better understanding of art and its role in building a strong community. Through its art exhibitions and collections, the Triton Museum showcases works by California artists that are aesthetically and historically significant to our region and which demonstrate the rich diversity of cultural traditions, influences, and ideas that make up our community. Education is central to the vision of the Museum and integral to the development and design of each exhibition. The Museum offers a learning environment in which curiosity, experimentation, and spirited dialogue are encouraged. Our aim is for each visitor to experience the Museum with enthusiasm, empowered by new perspectives and ideas. Art education programs for children, youth, and adults are designed to enhance the experience of art and to help develop skills of creation and appreciation. The Community is the life force of the Triton Museum of Art. Each exhibition and program is developed with the visitors’ experience as a compass. The Museum serves as a resource for the community through collaborations with local arts and service organizations, schools, universities, and local civic and corporate partners. For the entirety of its history, the Triton Museum of Art has been free to the public. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | The Center for ArtEsteem | 3111 West Street , Oakland, CA 94608 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 652-5530 | District 12 | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Attitudinal Healing Connection, Inc., doing business as The Center for ArtEsteem, will engage 1,400 children and youth in weekly, standards-based integrated arts instruction through our ArtEsteem Integrated Arts Education program. ArtEsteem integrates sequential arts education with academic subjects, both during school hours and after school, for marginalized students of color in under-resourced K-12 Oakland schools, where students lack access to arts programming. The curriculum incorporates leadership development and cultural and environmental awareness while increasing access to arts instruction for youth. ArtEsteem also integrates Attitudinal Healing principles and practices, which support students’ social-emotional wellness, inner healing, self-esteem, creativity, and self-empowerment. The program engages youth in uplifting and inspiring creative practices and art projects that benefit their mental health and emotional resilience. | ARTESTEEM Projects include: *ArtMobile *Oakland Super Heroes Mural Project *Professional Development HEALING CIRCLES COMMUNITY BUILDING |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,000.00 | ANGELS GATE CULTURAL CENTER | 3601 S GAFFEY ST BOX 1/Building A , San Pedro, CA 90731 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 519-0936 | California's 44th congressional district | 65 | 35 | With support from the California Arts Council, Angels Gate Cultural Center will continue to carry out our mission to provide space for artists to work and to engage our community through arts education, exhibitions of contemporary art, and cultural events. As a primary provider of community-based arts programming for the Los Angeles Harbor area, AGCC recognizes our responsibility to provide equitable access to artistic and cultural resources for local families. We offer high-quality, year-round arts experiences for the public and elevate artists as integral and essential to a healthy and vibrant society. Grant funds will support salaries for our diverse staff of arts professionals, who curate and implement a robust calendar of programming designed to serve LA Harbor community members of all ages. | Angels Gate Cultural Center (AGCC) is a place that unites art, community and culture through creative discovery, exploration, and enlightenment. The Center provides the Southern California community with a year-round schedule of gallery exhibitions, cultural events and community classes. Angels Gate provides quality arts programming to over 20,000 visitors each year, and over the last 20 years, we have grown the classrooms served by our Artists-in-Classrooms (AIC) program from 10 to over 100 in LAUSD. The Center emerged from a group of San Pedro artists in the 1970’s that created artist studios and exhibition space within the 1940’s era Army barracks of Angels Gate Park. After 40 years, the Center provides professional work-studio space for 52 artists, including musicians, ceramists, painters, sculptors, writers, photographers, printmakers and jewelers. Angels Gate Cultural Center is committed to thoughtful cultural diversity, equity, and inclusion within all facets of the organization: leadership, artists, programming, and community engagement. We strive to provide opportunities for all people to participate in creative expression, discovery, and exploration, including, but not limited to, indigenous people, racially and ethnically diverse individuals, and community members from all socio-economic backgrounds. AGCC believes that when the arts are truly accessible and culturally inclusive, they are a catalyst for community belonging and positive change. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Sacramento Ballet | 2420 N Street Suite 100, SACRAMENTO, CA 95816 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 552-5800 | California Assembly district 7 | District 7 | District 6 | With support from the California Arts Council, SACRAMENTO BALLET ASSOCIATION will provide 2,500 free tickets to the final dress rehearsals of NUTCRACKER (1,500 tickets) and SLEEPING BEAUTY (1,000 tickets) to students attending Title 1 Schools in Sacramento. To ensure that this is a communal experience we will also invite the families of these students to attend the performances. This will provide opportunities to experience live ballet performance for those who might not otherwise have access. | Sacramento Ballet celebrates its 70 years in 2024 as a highly regarded cultural asset renowned for artistic and production quality. We serve the entire Sacramento metropolitan region at the center of The Northern California Megaregion with a population of over 12 million, accounting for over 32% of California’s population. Sacramento Ballet is a cultural cornerstone and integral member of the Sacramento Arts community. More than 1 million people have enjoyed our performances, and many more participate in our School of Ballet, stage productions, and neighborhood, community, and scholastic outreach and engagement programs. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | Owens Valley Career Development Center | 2574 Diaz Ln , Bishop, CA 93514 | Inyo | Central Valley | (760) 873-5107 | With support from the California Arts Council, Owens Valley Career Development Center will offer Reconnecting Native Culture Through Indigenous Art, a workshop series for Native youth and families in Coleville, Lake Isabella, Lone Pine, Porterville, and Tule River. Led by a California poet and member of the Bishop Paiute Tribe, the workshops will bring together creative writing and traditional Native arts including sand painting, ribbon skirt and shirt making, pottery, basket weaving, hand games, and beading. Workshops will center around themes that encourage both personal reflection and cultural connection, using a healing-centered approach that emphasizes strength, resilience, and wellness. The series will conclude with a public art exhibit and open mic event celebrating youth creativity. Grant funding will support artist fees, workshop materials, travel to rural Tribal locations, and coordination of a final community event. | Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Early Head Start, Family Literacy, Native Languages | |||
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,300.00 | BAYCAT | 2415 Third Street Suite 230 , San Francisco, CA 94107 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 701-8228 | District 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With Support from the California Arts Council, BAYCAT will provide free digital media education to youth (ages 11-17) through our project-based film and audio production curriculum, and employ diverse young storytellers (ages 18-25) in our paid Studio internship which offers the opportunity to work with our professional in-house production team creating socially-conscious media for clients like the Golden State Warriors. Courses emphasize hands-on learning to build expertise in professional tools like Adobe Creative Suite and cutting-edge equipment, and BAYCAT interns are well-positioned to secure employment once they graduate. Our programs culminate in public screenings at our Dogpatch headquarters or local venues like the historic Roxie Theater. Showcases uplift the meaning of their work and publicly declare themselves as artists to an audience of their community. | Our award-winning Pathways model offers a continuum of opportunities to meet the needs of young creatives from their first touchpoint and throughout their careers as alumni: BAYCAT ACADEMY provides free digital media education to youth (ages 11+) year-round through our project-based film and audio production curriculum. Mentors guide youth through the creative process to generate and pitch ideas, produce short films, respond to their peer’s work, and connect projects to social justice issues. Courses emphasize hands-on learning to build expertise in professional tools like Adobe Creative Suite and cutting-edge audio/video equipment. Our advanced media makers, “The Crew,” are paid to produce pro bono media for local partners like the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and immigrant advocacy group, PODER. BAYCAT STUDIO, our professional in-house production team, creates socially-conscious media for clients like the Golden State Warriors. Our paid Studio Internship mentors diverse young storytellers (ages 18+) through hands-on experiences in six to eight-week internships focused on skills spanning pre production to post or short term intensives to train participants to apply for on-set employment. BAYCAT interns are better-positioned to secure employment once they graduate with a reel, a stronger resume, a LinkedIn profile, and a network of diverse industry professionals. Programs culminate in public screenings at our Dogpatch headquarters or local cultural venues to celebrate the impact of their work and publicly declare themselves as artists to their community. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | HELIX COLLECTIVE | 7545 Hampton Ave., # 207 , W HOLLYWOOD, CA 90046-5542 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 814-8597 | California's 28th congressional district | District 51 | District 24 | CAC grant funds will be used to support a series of educational concerts featuring the Click Clack Moosic! program set to the popular book Click Clack Moo for children ages 3 – 7. The performances will take place in East L.A. and reach up to 2,000 L.A. Unified School District elementary school students. This high-quality music programming for young children is a live musical-story time event. Students learn about musical instruments through the pre-concert curriculum and the pre-concert petting zoo. This updated version of classic programs like Peter and the Wolf covers more diverse styles of music including salsa, a ho down, waltz, and blues. Through the story, children learn about working together, collective action, and how one small voice can make a big difference. | Helix Collective formed in 2009, as a chamber music ensemble with the objective of bringing classical music to new and diverse audiences. A feature of a “helix” is the ability to recombine into many different yet related forms. Thus, Helix Collective evolves and recombines for every program. The original group included flute, oboe and piano. With this trio, we toured and recorded the critically-acclaimed album, All In. In 2012, we became a non-profit 501(c)3. We added percussion and created the World Dance Club program, an album featuring newly-commissioned international dance music. Our current core programs are the Los Angeles Live Score Film Festival, additional live score-to-screen concerts of media music, and music and storytelling concerts. We’ve developed new partnerships with the L.A. Film School for our annual festival and the Film Music Connect workshop with SAGindie, providing original, recorded scores for participating SAGindie filmmakers. The Los Angeles Live Score Film Festival pairs directors of short films with film composers. The composers write original scores for Helix Collective to perform live-to-picture at the festival. After the festival, the scores are recorded for inclusion in the final version of the films. Films for the most recent festivals were curated by SAGindie and the L.A. Film School. We also partner with the Composers Diversity Collective, an organization dedicated to increasing the visibility of composers from diverse backgrounds throughout the music industry and to mentoring emerging composers from underserved communities. Helix Collective recorded and produced “Shoutout!” a visual album of music by 12 composers from the collective, “Spotlight” a live concert featuring Composers Diversity Collective composers and Level Up game music concert featuring women and BIPOC composers. In 2024 Helix Collective made the West coast premiere of Click Clack Moosic, a children’s musical story time program at Boston Court Pasadena. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $20,000.00 | TIPEY JOA NATIVE WARRIORS | PO BOX 12033 , EL CAJON, CA 92022-2033 | San Diego | Far South | (760) 445-7726 | Tipey Joa Native Warriors offers sustained, intergenerational arts and cultural programming that supports the creative and cultural survival of Indigenous communities along the California and Baja California border. We focus on the transmission of traditional knowledge and arts—such as basket weaving, storytelling, song, dance, and plant-based practices—as essential forms of cultural continuance. These practices are not only artistic expressions, but vital ways of sustaining language, kinship, and land-based knowledge in the face of ongoing disruption. | Tipey Joa Native Warriors is a grassroots, binational nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting health, cultural preservation, and social justice within Indigenous communities, particularly among Yuman groups such as the Kumeyaay. Operating across the U.S.-Mexico border, the organization addresses systemic inequalities by providing essential resources and services to underserved tribal communities in Baja California and Southern California. Key programs include: | |||
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | SAPPA | 475 S. Oakland Ave., Suite 2 , Pasadena, CA 91101 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 641-3262 | California's 27th congressional district | District 41 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, SAPPA will provide free music instruction and performance opportunities for 100 low-income children and youth ages 7 to 22 in South Los Angeles and Watts. In the program, called the Watts Willowbrook Music Academy and Watts Willowbrook Youth Orchestra, participants learn to play violin, viola, cello, bass, guitar and keyboards, develop their musical skills and knowledge, and perform for the public. The programs take place after school and in the summer at six partner sites throughout the community. | -The Watts Willowbrook Conservatory is a collaboration with multiple organizations in South LA. In sequential group classes taught by professional musicians at each site, students ages 7-18 learn to playing violin, viola, cello and bass. Instruction is offered at the beginning, intermediate and advanced levels. Performance in the Watts Willowbrook Youth Symphony is an integral part of the educational and developmental experience. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,600.00 | Wheelchair Dancers Organization | 4584 Calle de Vida , SAN DIEGO, CA 92124-2304 | San Diego | Far South | (858) 573-1571 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 77 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, Wheelchair Dancers Organization, now locally known as Dynamic Inclusive Dance (D.I.D), will create meaningful connections through dance by providing a creative and inclusive space where dance classes are accessible to all. CAC funds will help D.I.D grow its reach, strengthen partnerships, and deliver inclusive workshops and events throughout San Diego County—ensuring that all individuals can express themselves through dance. | Wheelchair Dancers Organization (WDO) offers 6 and 8-week dance classes for wheelchair users and standing partners. All classes are provided free of charge to participants. A professionally trained dance instructor teaches the dance moves, and over the course of the classes a dance routine is perfected. Wheelchair Dancers provides dance for individuals of all ages and abilities, including children as young as age four and as old as age 90. The dancers are provided several opportunities throughout the year to participate in performances for a variety of audiences, including the WDO Showcase that takes place in September of each year and attracts an audience of nearly 500 people. We have also expanded our classes to be virtual as well. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,255.00 | Institute of Inquiry | 6875 VALLEY VIEW DRIVE , Twentynine Palms, CA 92277 | San Bernardino | Inland Empire | (760) 206-6026 | With support from the California Arts Council, Institute of Inquiry will implement Creative Fields, a 28-week arts apprenticeship program that uplifts transitional-aged youth in the Morongo Basin while providing employment and professional to creative professionals. The program fosters self-esteem, community and artistic identity for youth who often face systemic barriers to arts and career education due to mental health or socioeconomic factors. Through 115 hours of immersive studio workshops in disciplines including fiber arts, woodworking, ceramics, photography, and theater, Creative Fields offers a transformative learning opportunity rooted in mentorship, creative discovery, and collaboration. In parallel, Teaching Artists receive values-based employment, and training in youth-centered, trauma-informed curriculum design. The program culminates in an exhibition celebrating youth voice and resilience, and providing avenues for creative confidence, and stable careers—for participants and the teaching artists who guide them. | The Institute of Inquiry is a community-rooted nonprofit in the high deserts of the Morongo Basin, serving youth and families through dynamic, arts and nature-based education since 2017. We are committed to the long-term health of our vibrant but underserved region, and center youth voice, curiosity, and stewardship of our desert ecosystem across all programming. Our work cultivates a lifelong love of learning in children and families who have been historically excluded from culturally responsive, high-quality educational opportunities. Since 2020, we have expanded our mission to include accessible career pathways in the Arts and Early Childhood Education—two sectors with deep potential for community transformation and wellbeing. Our programs include: 1. Early Childhood Education Program 2. Creative Fields Program (begins Oct 2025) 3. Workforce Development in Arts & Education | |||
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,600.00 | Bay Area Music Project | 740 SANTA CLARA AVE , ALAMEDA, CA 94501-3334 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 917-6050 | California Assembly district 18 | District 18 | District 9 | With support from CAC, this fall, Bay Area Music Project (BAMP) will open our first dedicated independent facility, a new community music education center, expanding access to East Bay youth beyond our five partner school sites. The center will expand employment opportunities for teaching artists and house cutting-edge music production technology to support our growing digital audio programs. CAC funds will also support BAMP’s work at partner schools, prioritizing under-resourced students from diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, from kindergarten through high school. BAMP currently serves over 250 students and is poised to expand its on-site programming for high school students in 2026. BAMP’s student-centered model integrates socio-emotional learning to empower future leaders during their most formative years. This expansion marks a transformative step toward broader access to an inclusive creative future. | Bay Area Music Project (BAMP) serves 250 K–12 students from under-resourced communities in Alameda and Oakland, CA, where access to high-quality music education is limited. Over half of our families identify as low-income, and BAMP is committed to making music education accessible through full-tuition scholarships, free instruments, and inclusive programming. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $20,250.00 | YoloArts | 508 Gibson Road , WOODLAND, CA 95776-8250 | Yolo | Capital | (530) 309-6464 | California's 4th District | District 4 | District 3 | Using CAC funds, Community through Art (CTA) brings professional artists and supplies to increase arts engagement practices for those who are unhoused, in recovery, processing trauma, and/or struggling with their mental health. In collaboration with our partners the Recovery Cafe program of Mercy Coalition in West Sacramento (offers daily meals, classes on health and personal growth, and job skills training), 4th & Hope in Woodland (an emergency shelter, supportive housing, and substance abuse treatment center), and Davis Community Meals and Housing in Davis(a non-profit providing day-use resource center, and emergency, transitional, and permanent supportive housing), participants will engage in skill exploration in a supported environment while gaining self-confidence and creative problem-solving skills. Mediums explored each week are determined by participants and teaching artists together in the previous session. | Our support and dedication to the arts in Yolo County has its foundation in projects reflecting the cultural make-up of the county as we work to connect artists, young people, students, art supporters, the community at large, and political and business stakeholders to our developing arts culture. YoloArts promotes access to arts through our arts education programs in public schools around Yolo County, by operating two public art gallery, Gallery 625 and The Barn Gallery, sponsoring arts events and celebrations, working with local jurisdictions on community engagement and economic development through the arts, and providing professional development activities and opportunities for artists and the county-wide art community. The Art & Ag Project remains a signature creative placemaking effort for us as it connects artists with Yolo County farms, and results in an arts showcase at our annual Art Farm Gala. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | Museum of Latin American Art | 628 ALAMITOS AVE , LONG BEACH, CA 90802-1513 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (562) 216-4117 | 42 | 69 | 33 | With the support of the California Arts Council, the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) will provide arts education and interpretive programs for youth through its core APRENDE (LEARN) program. APRENDE provides access to high-quality, culturally relevant arts curriculum and experiences in the region’s schools and communities through its three-pronged approach: Tours and Workshops, Evening for Educators, and Free Family Cultural Festivals. MOLAA has noticed an increase in demand for APRENDE’s program. Funding from California Arts Council will support the growing demand through providing scholarships for low-income K-12 students, supporting teaching artists fees, professional development for K-12 educators, art materials and supplies, and bilingual translation services. | The Mission of the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) is to expand knowledge and appreciation of modern and contemporary Latin American and Latino/a art through its collection, groundbreaking exhibitions, stimulating educational programs, and engaging cultural events. Founded in 1996, MOLAA serves a significant role in the arts and culture, humanities, and museum fields as the only museum in the United States solely dedicated to the exhibition and research of national and international modern and contemporary Latin American, Latino/a and Latinx artists. The collection now includes more than 1,300 works of art in all media including painting, sculpture, drawing, mixed media, photography and video art from Latin America and throughout the United States. In 2014, MOLAA revised its mission statement to include Latino/a and Chicano/a artists and artworks in its collection and exhibition programming to represent more fully its audiences and cultural role in the local and international community. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,000.00 | San Jose Taiko | 565 N. 5th St. , San Jose, CA 95112 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 293-9344 | 19 | District 27 | District 15 | With support from the California Arts Council, San Jose Taiko will provide performance, education, and outreach programming that celebrates 52 years of artistic excellence and presents the Asian-American art of taiko as a path to social action, community development, cultural preservation, and Asian-American identity, uplifting San Jose Japantown and our larger Asian-American community. | CORE PERFORMANCES – broad reach of ~22,000 audience members EDUCATIONAL PERFORMANCES – deeper impact for ~18,500 students CORE CLASSES/TRAINING – deepest impact for ~1,100 students/trainees |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,300.00 | WIA | 1123 Pine Street , South Pasdena, CA 91030 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (619) 341-9599 | 28th Congressional district of California | District 49 | District 25 | WIA is seeking funds to elevate the visibility of women (cis and trans) and gender non-binary creatives in animation, VFX, and gaming. We offer mentorship, professional development, and industry access to underrepresented talent through programs like Mentorship Circles (500 participants/year), professional growth events (30 planned in 2026), a 6,000+ user Talent Database, a year-long Leadership Institute, and youth-specific support. Informed by community feedback, 2026 will include a six-part freelance course and live portfolio reviews to help creatives adapt and get hired. We partner with studios to increase visibility and push for inclusive hiring. | Having grown from 120 members to 12,000 creatives over the last 10 years, we are on the brink of realizing a major milestone for the animation industry: our goal is to see women and non-binary people in 50% of animation and VFX creative roles. With LA being home to the biggest animation studios in the world, it is a major focus of ours. Realizing our goal of gender-parity will not only increase representation and inclusivity in animation and visual effects, but leverage the entertainment industry’s cultural influence to move gender equity forward across California and beyond. 1) Mentorship Circles – WIA has 50 Mentorship Circles, connecting 500 women and nonbinary creatives to mentors in the animation, VFX, and gaming industries each year. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,300.00 | Pacific Arts Movement | 7675 Dagget Street, Suite 360 , San Diego, CA 92111 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 400-5911 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, Pacific Arts Movement will sustain its organizational infrastructure to continue delivering year-round public programming that centers Asian, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander stories. CAC support will help maintain staff roles essential to producing accessible cultural experiences like the San Diego Asian Film Festival, Spring Showcase, Cinemathek, and youth education programs, ensuring equitable access to media arts across San Diego. | Pacific Arts Movement (Pac Arts) is one of the largest media arts organizations in North America, specializing in Asian American and Asian international cinema. Our flagship event, the San Diego Asian Film Festival, has emerged as a leading showcase for Asian cinema in North America and a significant platform for Asian American media. This festival serves as a celebration of the diversity and breadth of the Asian and Pacific Islander diaspora, featuring everything from passionate independent voices and thought-provoking documentaries to major hits from Asia and work from cinema masters. In addition to the film festival, we operate Reel Voices, a program that has been empowering local high school students to master the art of documentary filmmaking since 2005. This program includes a comprehensive 10-week summer class and a year-round partnership with Monarch School. Through Reel Voices, we inspire and equip the next generation of storytellers, teaching them technical skills like video editing software and guiding them through all stages of production. The ultimate goal is to create socially-conscious storytellers who can authentically represent their experiences and perspectives, aligning with our mission to amplify underrepresented voices and reduce barriers to entry into the media arts. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | Pacific Arts Movement | 7675 Dagget Street, Suite 360 , San Diego, CA 92111 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 400-5911 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, Pacific Arts Movement will strengthen its Reel Voices program, an eight-week documentary filmmaking course for high school students from historically underserved communities. CAC funds will support student stipends and expanded outreach to low-income schools and neighborhoods, ensuring access, mentorship, and public storytelling opportunities that foster cultural pride, healing, and civic engagement. | Pacific Arts Movement (Pac Arts) is one of the largest media arts organizations in North America, specializing in Asian American and Asian international cinema. Our flagship event, the San Diego Asian Film Festival, has emerged as a leading showcase for Asian cinema in North America and a significant platform for Asian American media. This festival serves as a celebration of the diversity and breadth of the Asian and Pacific Islander diaspora, featuring everything from passionate independent voices and thought-provoking documentaries to major hits from Asia and work from cinema masters. In addition to the film festival, we operate Reel Voices, a program that has been empowering local high school students to master the art of documentary filmmaking since 2005. This program includes a comprehensive 10-week summer class and a year-round partnership with Monarch School. Through Reel Voices, we inspire and equip the next generation of storytellers, teaching them technical skills like video editing software and guiding them through all stages of production. The ultimate goal is to create socially-conscious storytellers who can authentically represent their experiences and perspectives, aligning with our mission to amplify underrepresented voices and reduce barriers to entry into the media arts. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,600.00 | Bell Arts Factory | 432 N VENTURA AVE STE 101 , VENTURA, CA 93001-1953 | Ventura | Central Coast | (805) 641-3132 | California Assembly district 37 | District 37 | District 19 | With support from the California Arts Council, Bell Arts Factory is dedicated to harnessing the power of the arts to celebrate and showcase the rich diversity of thought and culture within our community. Our mission goes beyond artistic expression – we seek to inspire and promote acts of kindness and social good that resonate throughout the region. Situated at the crucial intersection of the arts and nonprofit work, we are committed to ensuring that all community members, regardless of background or circumstance, have meaningful access to creative experiences. By fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment, we empower individuals to express themselves, build connections and contribute to a vibrant compassionate community. | After-school art programs English and Spanish , Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturdays. Summer Spanish Art Programs. We also offer offer monthly community events, low cost artist studios, and monthly gallery openings. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,924.00 | YG2D | 375 Elsie St Lower Unit, San Francisco, CA 94110-5519 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (310) 948-8900 | With support from the California Arts Council, YG2D will expand and sustain our Songs for Life program, which connects professional musicians with hospice patients to provide evidence-based musical comfort, companionship, and legacy creation during end-of-life care. Currently serving the San Francisco Bay Area with volunteer staff and musicians, CAC funding will enable us to launch sustainable operations in Los Angeles while strengthening existing Bay Area services through equitable compensation for participating musicians and dedicated program managers. | “Songs for Life” is a heartfelt program connecting professional musicians with hospice patients to provide musical comfort and companionship. Adding meaning to life’s final chapter, musicians create original music inspired by and in honor of each patient’s life. “ALIVE INSIDE” is a transformative program that establishes a symbiotic relationship between local artists and the incarcerated community through music and poetry. Facilitated by YG2D trained personnel, led by local artists, and in collaboration with prison health and wellness programs, YG2D offers this marginalized community the uncommon opportunity to express grief and honor loss through creative mediums in the context of a safe and powerful communal listening space. The shared experiences within these sessions foster large-scale communion as both artists and inmates connect through their vulnerability and sharing of personal experiences of grief, ultimately amplifying the voices of the incarcerated population both within and beyond prison walls. “Weekly Community Grief Release”: YG2D facilitates a weekly online gathering space where individuals share and witness grief within a supportive community. The event features music and poetry from local artists and time for communal sharing in a safe virtual space. “You’re Going to Die” Podcast: YG2D’s weekly podcast navigates conversations on grief, loss, and mortality through personal stories, insights, and reflections shared by a variety of guests, including activists, authors, musicians, and individuals who have experienced profound loss. “You’re Going to Die” Open Mics: Poetry, Prose, and Everything Goes; Mourning Our Mothers/Fathers; All The Feels, and more! YG2D’s beloved open mic events have been the main attraction of YG2D since its inception. Now held live monthly in the Lost Church in San Francisco and virtually every quarter, YG2D continues to provide communal space to explore and embrace mortality through live music and poetry performed by local artists while celebrating the joy of being ALIVE together. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,300.00 | DISCO RIOT | 7849 Wing Span Dr. , SAN DIEGO, CA 92119 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 244-2324 | 51 | 78 | 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, DISCO RIOT will continue to support and produce a wide range of artists through our innovative programming. DISCO RIOT has developed a shared leadership model that includes a collaborative staff and board support system. Funds from CAC will supplement the compensation of key staff members, including our Operations Coordinator, Education & Outreach Coordinator and Producing Artists, as well as be used to continue fair wages for our teaching and tech staff. These funds help us support our team which in turn provides sustainability, increased impact, and professional development, particularly for BIPOC, 2SLGBTQIA+, and transitional youth artists in our community. | We achieve our mission through a combination of activities that create opportunities for movement-artists to develop their practice that also invite the general public to explore the impact of movement in their own lives. These activities include classes, artist residencies, networking events, performance opportunities, and online projects. Our key programs like Choreo & _____, S P A C E Alliance Studio Residencies, Queer Mvmnt Fest, Summer and Fall Workshops, and ongoing donation-based classes allow the larger arts community and the public to come together with socially conscious dance as the fulcrum. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,600.00 | San Diego ART Matters | 2820 Roosevelt Rd #104 #100-618, San Diego, CA 92106 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 358-3585 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, San Diego ART Matters will provide an annual schedule of free and low-cost programs and services to individual artists, cultural practitioners, nonprofit arts and culture organizations, and other members of San Diego County’s arts and culture sector to include, advocacy training and engagement, coalition building and networking, professional and career development, marketing and communications, research and intermediary services. | SDAM’s core programs and services support our mission through education, advocacy initiatives, strategy development, coordinated communications, research, convenings, coalition building, and public forums. PROGRAM: Education and Advocacy – SDAM serves all county residents through education and advocacy in support of arts and culture in the following ways: PROGRAM: Member Services – SDAM serves coalition members through a variety of programs, including but not limited to the following: PROGRAM: Intermediary Services- SDAM helps ensure grants and impact investments reach artists and other “hard-to-reach” communities: |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,900.00 | Clarion Alley Mural Project (CAMP) | 1250 Page Street, Apt. 5 1250 Page Street, Apt. 5, San Francisco, CA 94117 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 351-8193 | District 11 | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Clarion Alley Mural Project will support: 1) a series of five new murals on Clarion Alley in celebration of our California farmworkers; 2) a community celebration for the new murals with music, poetry, and food; and 3) a series of poetry readings by local California poets. | Since 1992, CAMP has produced over 900 murals and worked with many talented artists, many of whom are just starting their careers and looking for opportunities to publicly display their work – some would identify themselves as primarily muralists or public artists, for others it’s a chance to create public work for the first time. In addition to works directly on Clarion Alley, CAMP has produced a number of offsite projects in collaboration with community partners, including two international exchange and residency projects with Yogyakarta, Indonesia in 2003 and 2018-2022. CAMP has worked with many collaborative initiatives, including La Casa de las Madres, Poor Magazine, Creativity Explored, the San Francisco Print Collective, Oasis For Girls, Horizons Unlimited, the American Indian Movement Youth Council, the Anti-Eviction Mapping Project, the South of Market Community Action Network (SOMCAN), Hospitality House, WRAP (Western Regional Advocacy Project), San Francisco Poster Syndicate, Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC), and Art Forces. In addition to its direct work with artists and organizations through the production of murals, CAMP has been very active in the community through participation in public presentations about public art and its role in social activism. Specifically, Clarion Alley Mural Project provides the following programs and services: |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,250.00 | ArtsOC | 17620 Fitch Avenue Suite 255, Irvine, CA 92614 | Orange | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (714) 556-5160 | 47 | 73 | 37 | With support from the California Arts Council, ARTS ORANGE COUNTY will present its annual “Día del Niño,” a free admission festival celebrating the artistic richness and cultural heritage of OC’s Latinx community through engaging arts experiences for all ages, featuring participatory workshops and performances by award-winning professional artists, community groups and young artists. | Arts Orange County fulfills its mission by offering the following programs and services: Regranting – when funds are available. During pandemic, raised private funds and secured County funding, oversaw regranting of nearly $8 million. In 2023-24, served as Administering Organization for CAC’s Individual Artist Fellowship Program in Region I (Imperial, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego counties). Orange County Arts Awards, honoring artists, arts visionaries and arts patrons Creative Edge Lecture, presenting thought-leaders in the field of creativity Imagination Celebration, county-wide, six-week festival of arts for families & children in collaboration with Orange County Department of Education Día del Niño, a free festival of Latino arts for families and children OC Jails Project, creative writing instruction to Transitional Age Youth SparkOC.com, online arts calendar Newsletter, bi-monthly ArtsOC institutional & arts community news Leadership Convenings, bringing together arts leaders of various cohorts and artists for regular online and in-person gatherings to share concerns, best practices Breaking Through, webinars for arts leaders about exemplary local programs fulfilling diversity, equity and inclusion goals Emerging Arts Leaders-OC Consulting and Project Management services on cultural planning & public art to municipalities and arts organizations |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $20,750.00 | Shoong Family Chinese Cultural Center | 316 9TH ST , OAKLAND, CA 94607-4212 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 452-1204 | With support from the California Arts Council, SHOONG FAMILY CHINESE CULTURAL CENTER will launch the “From Source to Future” Community art project, which will culminate in a large-scale mural on its historic building in Oakland Chinatown. The project includes multi-generational, bilingual storytelling and calligraphy workshops with our community. The contributions of local youth, artists and elders will shape a collective narrative spanning the Center’s past, present, and future, as a community center in Chinatown since 1953. This creative intervention reclaims space for cultural pride, visibility, and belonging. It aims to amplify underrepresented voices, foster intergenerational connection, and spark civic revitalization in a neighborhood impacted by systemic inequities and the pandemic. The mural will stand as a lasting symbol of resilience and healing—strengthening community ties and anchoring Oakland Chinatown’s cultural identity for future generations. | We serve over 500 youth per week through these programs: | |||
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | About Productions | 145 N. RAYMOND AVE. , PASADENA, CA 91103 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 396-0920 | California's 27th congressional district | District 41 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, ABOUT PRODUCTIONS will conduct the intergenerational “Social Justice Residency” which will engage 4 East L.A. area community leaders in interviews conducted by 25-30 high school students at Roosevelt High School’s Math, Science, and Technology Magnet Academy (MSTMA) in Boyle Heights (East L.A.). Students will be mentored by a team of teaching artists to collaboratively write 4 plays based on the interviews, collectively titled “Seeds of Resistance: Social Justice Plays by Youth Inspired by Community Leaders’ Stories.” A production of the 4 plays, directed by the teaching artists and the classroom teacher will be performed by the students and professional actors, presented at Roosevelt High School Performing Arts Center for a community audience with a post-play panel of the 4 community leaders. | Now in our 36th year, our itinerant company’s critically acclaimed INTERDISCIPLINARY THEATERWORKS have been seen extensively in Greater L.A., in the U.S. and Canada, and on national TV. We collaboratively create and present innovative original theaterworks with community performing and visual artists to unearth and illuminate cultural histories of Latin America, the Southwest, California and L.A., and explore the human spiritual condition. We are one of the few companies that brings affordable theater to low-income, under-served communities by mining seldom-tapped regional histories that address relevant issues and under-represented voices. In partnership with performing arts and cultural centers, community-based arts organizations, and educational institutions, we have collaborated with many of the region’s leading community artists — performing, media, and visual — authors and historians. Our interdisciplinary productions have integrated media, music, dance, and innovative storytelling and lighting design. Presented in numerous L.A. County neighborhoods, our productions have also been featured in festivals such as the International Hispanic Theatre Festival in Miami, Telluride Theatre Festival in Colorado, New Voices Festival at The Public Theater in New York City, and SXSW in Austin. Our successful 20+ year YOUNG THEATERWORKS program serves L.A. area highest-risk and educationally disadvantaged youth with standards-based intensive residencies and workshops to impact their academic achievement, creative engagement and connection to their community. The program improves literacy, communication and collaboration skills as students explore personal identity, family and community history, and social issues. Working with committed principals and classroom teachers in the L.A. and Pasadena Unified School Districts we provide free or low-cost 6-10 week residencies and workshops. In conjunction with our original theaterworks we also provide workshops that engage students in the content and artistic strategies of these theaterworks, giving them the opportunity to see professional work and directly connect them to professional artists in their community. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,300.00 | Youth Art Exchange | 1950 Mission St , San Francisco, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 574-8137 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Youth Art Exchange (YAX) will operate community-driven art spaces in San Francisco and engage youth of color, artists of color, and their diverse communities of all ages through exceptional multidisciplinary arts programming, events, and exhibitions. Funds will be used to support general operating expenses, including critical salary support for key staff positions for two arts centers housing specialized multidisciplinary studios and gallery spaces in 100% affordable housing sites in the Excelsior and Mission. As we celebrate 25 years of arts education and experiences in San Francisco, we will activate these spaces and make the arts accessible with workshops, classes, and interactive artist residencies, provide paid opportunities for artists, and contribute to San Francisco’s vibrancy. | Our core youth and community programming is free to increase accessibility to the arts. High school programs in disciplines like architecture, fashion design, film photography, music production, and printmaking include after school studio classes, in-school residencies, summer intensives in the arts and architecture, and paid summer creative workforce internships. We also have a Youth Advisory Board, teaching assistantships, and alumni internships. Our programs provide a safe third space for youth to explore themselves, build positive relationships, develop a foundation in the arts, connect to cultural traditions, and make San Francisco thrive. Within our new arts centers, we have expanded program offerings to include younger students and more adult activities too. We have strong ties and connections with the communities of our core constituency, particularly in underserved areas of San Francisco. Our priority for low income youth and youth of color to shape their city has led to several notable public projects including youth designed and built parklets, public art projects such as murals, installations, creative disruptions, and events. We have convened the annual San Francisco Youth Arts Summit for 15 years to bring together youth artists and arts educators across the Bay Area for creative exchange and community building. We have an active role in arts advocacy and the representation of youth artists in San Francisco. Integral to our work is the experience of the artists who teach in our programs. We value their ability to further their own practice, both in partnership with their students and through residencies, public projects, exhibitions, and exchange with other artists. Through youth programming, exhibits, public projects, our annual participatory (415) Public Gallery, events, adult classes and community workshops, we serve 600+ enrolled youth, 30 artists, and 7000+ audience members per year. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $16,200.00 | Green Room Theatre Company | 74300 OLD PROSPECTOR TRL , PALM DESERT, CA 92260-5618 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (442) 215-7039 | 41st Congressional District | California's 47th State Assembly District | California's 18th State Senate District | With support from the California Arts Council, GREEN ROOM THEATRE COMPANY will bring theatre and dance performances and training directly to under-resourced communities, enhancing career skills, literacy, and community connections. Funds will be used primarily for the following: (1) mount a New(ish) Shakespeare festival, introducing the Bard’s magic to new audiences through a bilingual adaptation of “As You Like It” and a drama based on “Othello” focusing on inclusion and the Black male experience in theatre and beyond, (2) provide mental health and theatre literacy education of special value to Latine youth, based on our recent successful production of Luis Alfaro’s “Black Butterfly,” and (3) expand ballet folklorico training to children and youth. | GRTCCV provides: (1) classes for children, youth, and adults; (2) touring productions; (3) staged readings; (4) ballet folklorico training; and (5) performances of reinvented classics at pivotal Coachella Valley venues. Now in its 16th season, GRTCCV is focusing especially on serving the Central and East Coachella Valley, providing employment development training. Many alumni of our training programs have found paid theatre work in the Coachella Valley and beyond, or majored in theatre at colleges and universities. For many years, the summer conservatory’s large Broadway musical trained 60 young actors and technicians. However, responding partly to changes wrought by the pandemic, recently Green Room has focused on projects that combine bilingual theatre productions with youth discussion groups to address important social issues. The successful 2023 “Novio Boy” project used an engaging Spanish-English romantic comedy and supporting discussion groups to boost teen literacy and social-emotional skills. The recent “Act Against Bullying” project similarly combined an award-winning play with discussion groups focused on bullying prevention/response. In a typical year, GRTCCV sponsors several other projects. These include Shakespeare/classical productions, performances to celebrate Black History Month and other diversity initiatives, and classes throughout the year. Recently we expanded ballet folklorico classes in Indio public schools and spotlighted folklorico performances along with our theatre productions. GRTCCV is innovative in its performance venues, themes, and approaches. For example, we recently devised a play about the history of “Section 14,” addressing a controversial episode when the City of Palm Springs in the 1960s forcibly evicted hundreds of mainly Black and Latine residents from a planned downtown redevelopment site. This innovative project used oral history and a community advisory committee to help develop the play. Our performances have been held in a 400-seat auditorium, a brew pub, bookstores, and even a cemetery in order to reach diverse audiences. |
| Individual Artist Fellowships-AO | 2025-26 | $450,000.00 | Commission for Arts and Culture / Cultural Affairs | 1200 Third Ave., Ste. 924 , San Diego, CA 92101 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 236-6800 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 77 | District 39 | With support from California Arts Council, City of San Diego Cultural Affairs and its advisory body, Commission for Arts and Culture (Commission) will serve as Region Administering Organization for the Region 8 Individual Artists Fellowship Program (IAFP), serving San Diego and Imperial counties. In alignment with the recently adopted Creative City cultural plan vision, the initiative will elevate the visibility of artists and cultural bearers, affirming their vital role in our bi-county, border region’s culture, ecologies and traditions. IAFP offers seldom-provided financial resources, applying our belief that artists build thriving practices and community-change impact through access to funding, networks, and support. By harnessing its regional network, Commission seeks to sustain and invest in Region 8’s dynamic arts ecosystem, amplifying the voices of its diverse and innovative artistic communities—an essential part of the region’s identity. | Through the Commission, the City invests in San Diego communities through grantmaking, placemaking, accessible arts and cultural experiences, global cultural initiatives, performance spaces, and individual artists/culture bearers. The goal is to enrich every neighborhood through arts, culture, and creativity through each community’s self-determination. Over the last 37 years, this investment has been disseminated through two core programs, Public Art and Funding. The Public Art Program transforms the human experience of the city’s built environment through public art. The Commission stewards the Civic Art Collection of over 950 objects, integrates art into capital improvement projects, and ensures the inclusion of art or cultural space in private development projects. The Commission is the largest arts grantmaker in the region and annually awards funds for general operating and project-specific support. These grants are fundamental to the sustainability of many organizations. This general operating support is often the most significant annual grant and the sole multi-year funding to organizations of all sizes. For project support, the City’s grant is routinely awarded over multiple years, also providing continuity for festivals and events such as Pride San Diego and many of San Diego’s film festivals. Initiatives focus on data collection and field assessments, cultural planning, cultural tourism, creative youth, cultural space, technical assistance for organizations, and training and support for artists, and poet laureateship and municipal photography fellowship programs. Historically recognized for supporting arts and culture organizations, Commission now focuses on the broader creative sector – including creative industries and individual artists- and community-wide issues where the arts can play an essential role, such as civic engagement and social justice. In 2025, through the Commission the City adopted the Creative City cultural plan, a long-term plan to advance arts, culture and creativity for the benefit of San Diegans as well as the the greater Cali-Baja megaregion. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,300.00 | Pacific Chamber Orchestra | 2145 Donald Drive #12 , Moraga, CA 94556 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (925) 324-2775 | 15th Congressional Distrcit | District 16 | District 5 | With support from the California Arts Council, the PACIFIC CHAMBER ORCHESTRA will be able to plan, promote, and perform our main season and Dream American emerging composers’ concerts as well as to carry out our multi-generational music and educational programs. The funds will support artistic, operational and educational program expenses. | PCO is a resident company of Livermore’s Bankhead Theater and also performs in Lafayette and before the pandemic and great recession also served the Antioch, San Francisco and Napa. PCO’s atmosphere is friendly and welcoming to all audiences reaching directly to low-income seniors, families and communities in need, low HPI areas, and through our educational programs title 1 schools introducing students to the wonders of classical music. PCO’s current offerings include: |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | AIMUSIC.US | 22051 Regnart Road , Cupertino, CA 95014-4842 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 921-1862 | California Assembly district 28 | District 28 | District 15 | With support from the California Arts Council, Aimusic.us will offer the free “Chinese Instrumental Music Education for Youth” program to 20–30 youth ages 7–13, primarily from underserved communities. This culturally responsive program provides 30 group lessons led by award-winning California artists, along with weekly music fundamentals classes. The program fosters positive social and emotional development in a safe and inclusive environment, emphasizing youth voice and cultural pride. By engaging students in traditional Chinese music, the project promotes cultural connection, life skills development, and equitable access to quality arts education. Collaboration between artists, families, and the community ensures a supportive learning experience that empowers youth to become confident creators and advocates in the arts. | Founded 30 years ago as Firebird Youth Chinese Orchestra (FYCO), Aimusic.us services our multicultural community by providing performances, festival concerts, and Chinese music classes. Providing unique Chinese music performances is our first core program. Aimusic is one of the few Asian-American art groups in the nation highly-demanded by our communities. Before the pandemic, we gave over 40 performances and served more than 10,000 residents in the grand San Francisco Bay Area annually. After back to in-person, 5 teaching artists and 40 FYCO young musicians have brought 23 performances to the community last year and the same amount so far this year. We are invited by public libraries, schools, community centers, senior homes, high-tech companies, and cultural celebrations held by government agencies and nonprofit organizations. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | Bithiah's Family Services | 12345 MOUNTAIN AVE SUITE N 208 , CHINO, CA 91710-2783 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (909) 671-4113 | Bithiah’s Family Services is seeking CAC grant funding to support “Healing Through Art: Messy Art Nights,” a recurring evening event at our Pomona Resource Center designed specifically for youth impacted by the foster care system. This program offers a therapeutic and creative space where children can engage in expressive art activities led by trauma-informed clinicians, helping them process emotions and build confidence through artistic exploration. While youth participate in guided art therapy sessions, their caregivers are provided with a much-needed evening of respite. Grant funds will support clinician facilitation, high-quality art supplies, and program coordination. This initiative promotes emotional healing and well-being for youth while strengthening the caregiving environment by offering rest and relief to foster, adoptive, kinship, and biological families involved in the child welfare system. | Bithiah’s Family Services offers a comprehensive array of core programs and services that address the unique needs of individuals impacted by the foster care system. These services are grounded in a trauma-informed approach and are designed to promote healing, independence, and long-term stability. Our core programs include: 1. Housing Program for Transitional Aged Youth (TAY): 2. Pomona and San Marcos Resource Centers: 3. Holiday and Back-to-School Drives: | |||
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $20,440.00 | DFD | 1048 IRVINE AVE 213 , NEWPORT BEACH, CA 92660-4602 | Orange | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (949) 478-3224 | With support from the California Arts Council, Down For Dance will expand our reach and deepen our impact by providing inclusive, high-quality dance, movement, and art programming for individuals of all abilities—especially those with Down syndrome and other disabilities who have been historically excluded from the arts. Grant funds will support general operations, including hiring and training additional instructors, securing studio rental space in professional dance environments, and expanding scholarship support to ensure financial barriers do not prevent participation. These investments will allow DFD to reduce waitlists, reach more communities across Southern California and beyond, and provide students with transformative opportunities to build confidence, express themselves creatively, and connect with others through the arts. This work fosters inclusion, equity, and representation in California’s cultural landscape, empowering individuals to thrive on and off the stage. | DFD offers a variety of inclusive, high-quality, low-cost art and dance classes to more than 215 individuals with Down syndrome and other disabilities annually. Based in Southern California, DFD delivers more than 9,500 student-hours of direct programming each year through our core programs which include year-round instruction and performance opportunities in traditional dance styles (musical theater, tap, and ballet), modern dance styles (hip hop and jazz contemporary), and visual arts. | |||
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | QWOCMAP | 1014 Torney Avenue Suite 111 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94129-1755 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 752-0868 | California's 12th congressional district | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, QUEER WOMEN OF COLOR MEDIA ARTS PROJECT-QWOCMAP will activate youth voices, narratives, and perspectives through the Film & Freedom Academy, which provides FREE artistically rigorous, culturally responsive filmmaking workshop that provides social/emotional learning for LBTQIA+ BIPOC Youth ages 18-24 (African descent/Black; Native American/American Indian, Indigenous, First Nations; Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander; Asian, incl. Southeast Asian & South Asian; Latinx, incl. indígena & afrodescendiente; Southwest Asian, North African, Arab, “Middle Eastern,” & Muslim; and multi-ethnic & multi-racial people of color). QWOCMAP will offer creative experiences in a safe, healthy, and appropriate learning environment that empowers youth, fosters creative abilities, and cultivates transferable leadership skills through this workforce development program. | QWOCMAP transforms film into a tool for systemic change by and for LBTQIA+ BIPOC communities through three core programs: 1. Filmmaker Training Program IMPACT: – 507 new films created by LBTQIA+ BIPOC filmmakers – 80+ free professional workshops delivered – 632 filmmakers trained – $226,125 paid to Black filmmakers in 2024 – $95,427 in stipends since 2018 – Trauma-informed and access-centered instruction, meals, and support services Testimonial (Dr. Yvonne Welbon): 2. International Queer Women of Color Film Festival IMPACT: – 754 films screened – 94 FREE fully accessible screenings featuring open captions, audio description, ASL, fragrance-free spaces, and trauma support – 28,324 attendees since 2007 – $50,000 in filmmaker support since 2003 Testimonial: 3. Boutique Film Distribution Program IMPACT: – 25,000+ people reached across 6 continents – Custom-curated programs for schools, movements, and media institutions |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,500.00 | Red Poppy Art House | 2698 Folsom St , SF, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (510) 512-0022 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the CAC, Red Poppy Art House (RPAH) will present the 22nd Anniversary Season of the Mission Arts Performance Project (MAPP), a series of FREE-bimonthly, multidisciplinary, intercultural arts events. Funds will support artists, and administrative costs for MAPPs at RPAH which includes performances, exhibitions/site-specific Installations, updating the second exterior mural and the FREE family-Art program. MAPP at RPAH engages the community with arts-programs focused on current social-themes, facilitating artists and audience collaboration. Incubated in 2003 by the Red poppy Art House Artists, the Mission Arts & Performance Project (MAPP) is a homegrown bi-monthly, multidisciplinary, intercultural event that takes place in the Mission-District of San-Francisco. Started at RPAH and expanded to the neighborhood, on the first Saturday of every even-month, the MAPP transforms ordinary-spaces into pop-up performance/exhibition sites for an intimate-scale artistic and cultural exchange. | Red Poppy Art House produces more than 150 multi-disciplinary events each year including music, poetry, dance, literary events, art exhibitions, workshops and lectures that showcase the talent of local and far-flung artists. The Poppy is known locally, nationally and internationally as a venue that welcomes artists from all backgrounds to share the music of their culture, allowing the changes and fusion that naturally comes from performing in the diversity of San Francisco. Operating from a neighborhood storefront, The Poppy’s intimate performing space is ideal for listening and creating diverse art forms. In addition to its performing program, The Poppy serves emerging arts professionals through its Professional Development Track, which provides training in community arts presentation through workshops and internships. Finally, the Poppy serves neighborhood youth through its monthly free Family Art afternoons. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,900.00 | Red Poppy Art House | 2698 Folsom St , SF, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (510) 512-0022 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, we at Red Poppy Art House (RPAH) celebrate our 22nd anniversary and will produce another year-long program of in-person multidisciplinary performances, featuring music, poetry, dance, literary events, visual and performing workshops, art-exhibits, and lectures. We will continue offering our free, bi-monthly Mission-Arts-Performance-Project (MAPP) and free family-art classes, while also completing the final steps of becoming a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and will begin preparations for applying to the Legacy-Business-Registry as a long-standing, community-serving organization that contributes meaningfully to the history and identity of the Mission. These funds are critical to sustaining our operations, deepening our impact in the community, and supporting our continued-growth. | Red Poppy Art House produces more than 150 multi-disciplinary events each year including music, poetry, dance, literary events, art exhibitions, workshops and lectures that showcase the talent of local and far-flung artists. The Poppy is known locally, nationally and internationally as a venue that welcomes artists from all backgrounds to share the music of their culture, allowing the changes and fusion that naturally comes from performing in the diversity of San Francisco. Operating from a neighborhood storefront, The Poppy’s intimate performing space is ideal for listening and creating diverse art forms. In addition to its performing program, The Poppy serves emerging arts professionals through its Professional Development Track, which provides training in community arts presentation through workshops and internships. Finally, the Poppy serves neighborhood youth through its monthly free Family Art afternoons. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,300.00 | West Edge Opera | 1700 SHATTUCK AVE NO 312 , BERKELEY, CA 94709-3402 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 841-1903 | California's 13th congressional district | District 15 | District 9 | West Edge Opera (WEO) seeks 30K in General Operating support from the California Arts Council October 1st, 2025 – September 30th, 2026 in order to continue organization’s mission to develop new operas with California themes, and in order to bolster the WEO annual opera festival in downtown Oakland that employs over 100 local artists and technicians each year. New Operas: Opera Festival: | West Edge Opera was founded in 1979, initially as Commedia dell’Opera, then as Berkeley Opera. In 2012, the organization became West Edge Opera led by General Director Mark Streshinsky. In its 39-year history, West Edge Opera has presented 100 complete operas by 63 different composers. In 2014, West Edge Opera (WEO) focused all programming on an annual Summer Opera Festival, presenting fully staged and fully orchestrated operas performed in repertory. To present these operas, WEO turned toward unique venues of East Bay cultural history. Previous festival venues have included The 16th Street Train Station in Oakland, The Craneway Pavilion in Richmond, The Bridge Yard, in Oakland. In 2017, WEO launched a standing Winter program called SNAPSHOT – a presentation of new operas at the Ed Roberts Campus, Berkeley, and the Wilsey Center for Opera, San Francisco. Since 2017, WEO has presented excerpts from 16 new operas by new and established librettist/composer teams from the West Coast region. In 2020, WEO began commissioning and developing new operas toward world premieres. In 2020, WEO announced the commission of Bulrusher from Eisa Davis and Nathaniel Stookey (based on her play by the same name) and in 2024 the opera premiered at the WEO Summer Opera Festival in downtown Oakland. In 2021, WEO announced the commission and development of Dolores by Nicolás Lell Benavides and Marella Martin Koch and in August 2025 the opera will premiere in downtown Oakland with Dolores Huerta in attendance. 2 more commissions are due for upcoming premieres. Each year, WEO serves approximately 90 local artists and 5,000 audience members in the Bay Area. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $22,800.00 | SAINT REMY ARTS AND CULTURE | 3805 SUFFOLK CT , PICO RIVERA, CA 90660-5906 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (562) 551-2590 | State Assembly District 38 | State Assembly District 56 | State Assembly District 30 | Saint Remy Arts & Culture seeks General Operating Support to sustain and expand its trauma-informed, culturally-rooted arts programs serving individuals with mental illness, PTSD, and suicidal thoughts, especially within Latinx, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, veterans and the unhoused communities. CAC funds will support staff salaries, artist fees, free public workshops/classes, and administrative costs to deepen our impact across Los Angeles County and beyond. This support will help us continue fostering safe, inclusive spaces for healing through visual and performing arts while building long-term capacity for community leadership, intercultural collaboration, and systemic change. | My name is Joshua J. Ramirez and I am the founder and executive director of Saint Remy Arts & Culture, a LatinX led 501c3 organization with a mission to provide transformative spaces for individuals with mental illness, PTSD, and suicidal thoughts through art and advocacy. At Saint Remy, we believe in cultivating safe and authentic spaces that builds trust and connection with the community we serve, in an effort to raise the visibility of unseen and unheard communities. Through the tenants of empathy, compassion, and transparency, we provide free culturally responsive visual and performative classes and workshops that foster growth, healing, and recovery through art. As a people first organization, it is important to liberate economic resources and provide them to invisible communities. There is an element of activism in everything we do, and through long term and consistent efforts, we have built strong relationships with the mental health community and partnering organizations, such as Tri-City Mental Health, NAMI, LGBTQ+ Center, MOMA, Mental Health America of LA and many more. Through our social justice-based initiatives, we wish to continually expand our reach, while continuing to provide free visual and performative art services to the homeless/unhoused, veterans, LGBTQ+, the neurodivergent community. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,300.00 | SAN FRANCISCO BOYS CHORUS | 333 HAYES ST STE 116 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102-4455 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 861-7464 | Congressional District 12 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, SAN FRANCISCO BOYS CHORUS (SFBC) will provide access to in-depth, sequential, after-school choral arts instruction and performance opportunities to 190+ students at four sites (San Francisco, Marin, East Bay, San Mateo) during the grant period (10/1/25-9/30/26). SFBC will focus on helping choristers strengthen their vocal technique and performance skills. Choristers will participate in a series of community performances, working with guest artists and SFBC’s partner performing arts organizations to bring choral music to diverse local audiences. SFBC will also continue to provide tuition assistance for choristers from low-income families, reflecting its mission to provide access to arts engagement and learning opportunities and an avenue for choral arts training for young people from all backgrounds in the region. CAC funds will help underwrite artist fees for the project. | SFBC’s choral arts training program provides after-school instruction to young people (ages 5-18) in San Francisco and at three regional rehearsal sites in the East Bay, Marin, and San Mateo. Students from the three regional sites regularly travel to San Francisco for large group rehearsals, concerts, and performances. The choral arts training program has four components: 1) Instruction; 2) Performance; 3) Recording; and 4) Touring. Training is sequential, divided into six tiers based on age and skill: Chorus School (Levels 1-4); Concert Chorus (Level 5); and Graduate Chorale (Level 6), for older choristers (grades 9-12). SFBC also has a Handbell Program for interested students. SFBC is committed to the preservation and revitalization of the boys’ chorus tradition, a gender-specific art form that is many centuries old, and to providing a safe and nurturing space for boys to explore and develop their artistic capabilities. At the same time, SFBC maintains an open-door policy, welcoming students across the gender spectrum to participate in and benefit from the Chorus experience. Veteran conductor and Artistic Director Emeritus Ian Robertson, who served as SFBC’s Artistic Director for many years, resumed the position of Artistic Director on August 1, 2022, to spearhead the SFBC’s 75th Anniversary celebration in 2023. Under Maestro Robertson’s direction, SFBC celebrated its 75th Anniversary with a major 75th Anniversary Concert, held at the Calvary Presbyterian Church in San Francisco in June 2023, as well as a 75th Anniversary Concert Tour to the United Kingdom and France, in July 2023. Robertson continues to oversee the artistic staff and repertoire as the Chorus continues to rebound from the pandemic, rebuild enrollment, and reestablishing a strong public presence through a robust live performance schedule. In July 2025, he will lead SFBC’s summer concert tour to Italy. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | Luther Burbank Center for the Arts | 50 Mark West Springs Road , Santa Rosa, CA 95403 | Sonoma | Bay Area – Other | (707) 800-7505 | California's 2nd congressional district | District 2 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, Luther Burbank Memorial Foundation will provide free Mariachi Summer Camps and a free year-round Ensemble where 310 youth from historically underserved communities will learn music fundamentals and cultural practices of this culturally responsive art form while developing and deepening vital life skills. These programs deliver much-needed free music education and engagement to underserved youth during critical out-of-school hours, helping them to discover and develop their unique talents, foster their personal identity, and build their communication and teamwork skills. Working with outstanding teaching artists and mentors through a culturally significant creative outlet, youth achieve success, gain confidence, build healthy relationships, and learn new arts skills. Instruction, instruments, meals, uniforms, books, and academic tutoring are provided at no cost to the students or their families. | LBC is the North Bay’s premier arts and events center presenting world-class performances, nationally-recognized education programs, contemporary visual art, and many popular community events. A 501(c)(3) private non-profit organization, the Center is ranked among the world’s top 100 performing arts presenters hosting performances in music, theater, dance, comedy, family programming and renowned speaker events; and serving more than 50,000 children annually through its Education Through the Arts programs. Located in the heart of the Sonoma wine country, the Center is owned and operated by the Luther Burbank Memorial Foundation, and relies on the generosity of members, donors, and sponsors to achieve its mission to enrich, educate, and entertain the North Bay community. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $21,300.00 | Women's Audio Mission | 542-544 NATOMA ST #C-1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103-2817 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (800) 926-1338 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Women’s Audio Mission (WAM) will continue scaling our award-winning music production training, artist recording residencies, mentorship, and performance programs to Los Angeles to meet ever-growing demand for our programs in Southern California. Serving 2,500+ California women/girls/gender-expansive artists from under-resourced communities (96% low-income, 93% BIPOC) every year, WAM addresses the staggering gender inequity in the music and media industries, where fewer than 5% of the people creating the sounds, music, and media in the soundtrack of our lives are women/gender-expansive. Named “Best Hope for the Future of Music” by the SF Weekly, WAM has been an essential part of the Northern California music ecosystem/community for over 22 years. | WAM has consistently engaged thousands of women, girls, and gender-expansive individuals every year from historically marginalized communities over the last 22 years: ● Girls on the Mic (GotM) annually provides 2,000+ girls/gender-expansive youth from the most under-resourced communities in Northern California (96% low-income/93% BIPOC/ages 11-18) with free music production and media arts training that inspires them to amplify their voices and creativity. ● Local Sirens Concert Series serves 30-40+ under-represented women artists every year (majority low-income; 100% BIPOC) with performance opportunities at premier venues like Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, SF Jazz, Brava, Dolby, The Independent, Rickshaw Stop, etc to audiences of 2,000+ ● WAM’s Artist Residency programs provide free recording studio services and artist mentorship/development in WAM’s professional recording studios to 4-5 local female/gender-expansive artists each year, as well as digital distribution and promotion to expand their audience. ● WAM Core Training/ Adult Education provides music production and industry certification training to 500+ women/gender-expansive students every year ● Paid Internship program: WAM’s paid internship program serves 90 college-age women/gender-expansive young adults (94% low-income; 84% BIPOC)/year with education, career counseling, mentorship and job placement in creative careers at companies like Dolby, Pixar, Pandora, NPR, Sony, Disney, ESPN, etc. ● WAMCon is a national recording arts conference series for women/gender-expansive aspiring recording engineers and music producers. WAM has hosted dozens of conferences in Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, Boston, and virtually reaching 2,000+ women/gender-expansive people from 30+ countries and featuring music producers, songwriters and recording engineers who have worked with everyone from Selena Gomez to Cardi B to P!nk and Rihanna. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $15,800.00 | Uprise Theatre | 541 MERLIN DR , SAN DIEGO, CA 92114-2337 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 821-5340 | California's 51st congressional district | State Assembly District 79 | State Senate District 40 | Uprise & Grind cultivates the power of community by centering locally-owned neighborhood coffee shops as the venue for our groundbreaking theatre and arts program. A special Uprise Theatre project, Uprise & Grind collaborates with five coffee shops around San Diego, to bring the artistic and innovative teaching of legal rights to the people. | Uprise Theatre’s Core programs are: Theatre/Art Program: Our flagship program is a 16-week legal course that teaches topics including domestic violence (DV), sexual assault (SA), LGBTQ+ rights, 4th and 5th Amendment rights, and gang and conspiracy charges. Participants, turned peer-educators, re-teach the information they have learned to the community through live performances. Equal Access to Justice Legal Program: Uprise has grown from its flagship program to include pro-bono legal services for criminally impacted families. As a founding member of San Diego’s Participatory Defense group (based on the pioneering work of Raj Jayadev and Silicon Valley De-Bug in San Jose), Uprise founder, Annie Rios, has provided legal consultations and coaching for individuals and loved ones affected by the criminal justice system. Cultural Advocacy Response/Ability (CARA) Training Series: In addition to direct-service programs, Uprise provides a series of trainings to other community organizations/legal-aid programs that work with vulnerable clients. A five-part training, with topics that include (1) implicit bias, (2) cultural humility, (3) client centered services and trauma informed care, (4) grounding and motivational interviewing, and (5) self-care, is given free to organizations that provide pro bono services to people experiencing trauma. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $21,000.00 | AAW&A | 6315 IMPERIAL AVE , SAN DIEGO, CA 92114-4201 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 249-8557 | 52nd Congressional district | State Assembly District 79 | State Senate District 39 | African American Writers & Artists (AAW&A) seeks funding for “Poems from Within the Teenage Soul,” also known as the S.O.S. (Saving Our Stories) project. This program offers FREE creative writing workshops for foster youth, youth in the juvenile justice system and alternative schools, and those in San Diego’s Promise Zones. Led by culturally responsive teaching artists and supported by mental health professionals, youth will explore healing through self-expression. The program culminates in a professionally designed anthology featuring participants’ original work. Focusing on marginalized voices—especially African American youth—the project promotes empowerment, literacy, and mental wellness. Grant funds will support teaching artists, mental health staff, interns, program materials, and accessibility needs. Funding will also provide youth incentives and help host a ceremony to recognize and celebrate the creative achievements of participating youth. | Yearly artist exhibitions |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | N/A | 4504 51st Street , San Diego, CA 92115 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 230-5556 | California's 51st congressional district | District 79 | District 40 | “Counter Surveillance” will collaborate with emerging artists and cultural bearers, specifically those of immigrant/refugee backgrounds, in a 6-month fellowship to creatively tackle the racialized impacts of San Diego’s rapidly advancing surveillance technologies, such as the newly installed “smart” streetlight cameras. These cameras disproportionately impact San Diego’s most vulnerable communities, equipped with facial recognition and artificial intelligence that turn people into searchable data. We will engage fellows and our community in educational workshops dissecting key components of surveillance. Under the lead artist’s guidance, fellows will create media arts projects based on their learnings. The project will then become a traveling pop-up exhibit shown throughout San Diego to unite and educate different neighborhoods while inviting them in for further dialogue. | The AjA Project has a strong reputation of delivering high-quality, high-impact programs to young people from diverse cultural, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds. This includes in-school and after-school programs as well as participatory workshops in collaboration with cross-sector partner organizations. AjA’s programs support young people to process experiences, understand their social and political landscapes and use the arts as a tool for creative self expression and social change. This year we have provided programming to newly arrived refugees, teen mothers, youth in detention, young people in military families, and youth across San Diego. The work at AjA remains grounded in the power of photography and visual arts as a tool for all youth, regardless of background, to see themselves as agents of change. AjA remains committed to igniting individual and social change from a grassroots, creative approach. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,750.00 | Lovers Lane | 57 Balmy Alley , San francisco, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 632-2029 | 11th Congressional District | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, lead artist Lucia Gonzalez Ippolito and the Lovers Lane SF artist collective will curate our 5th annual Lovers Lane artisan street fair where thousands attend to support 70+ artisans of all kinds and create 100s of art pieces on the spot for free! Lovers Lane 2026 will take place on Valentine’s Day in the Mission District’s Balmy Alley. In addition to our artisan vendors, we will provide free resources in the form of a health and wellness section, children’s art and physical activities, and all day performances by local artists. Our event represents radical love for our communities, cultures, and families as we come together to celebrate, connect, and create through a day full of joyful resistance in honor of San Francisco’s artistic and activist legacies. | We aim to bring diverse and vibrant collaborative projects that celebrate love, compassion, and the rich heritage of the Mission District. Lovers Lane is a collective made up of cultural keepers, revolutionary organizers, multidisciplinary artists, and community youth and elders. We truly strive to obtain seven core values of trust, respect, service, creativity, safety, collaboration and community. Through a combination of visual art, music, lowriders, community resources, all ages activities, food, and health/wellness spaces, Lovers Lane aims to foster a sense of togetherness and appreciation for both all types of relationships and the broader community. By embracing the intersectional Latino culture that thrives in the Mission District, Lovers Lane seeks to create an atmosphere of multiculturalism, welcomeness, and safety during any space we occupy. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,000.00 | Joe Goode Performance Group | 499 ALABAMA ST # 150 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110-1967 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 561-6565 | California Assembly district 12 | District 17 | District 11 | Funding from the CAC would support JGPG’s Resilience Project, which provides free, weekly Mindful Movement classes for veterans and veteran service providers. These trauma-informed classes focus on breath, gentle movement, and mind-body awareness to foster resilience, healing, and connection. Accessible online and adaptable for all mobility levels, the program requires no prior experience. It integrates expressive movement and storytelling to reduce isolation and support healing. Facilitators work to cultivate lasting community bonds, directly addressing the loneliness many veterans face. This program offers a vital, inclusive space where participants can connect, heal, and build a sense of belonging. | Creation and presentation of new work of dance theater, by Joe Goode and local choreographers. Movement for Humans, a gentle accessible movement class for people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities Resilience Project, a program which interviews a specific group of participants – originally Veterans – and using their stories about resilience to develop participant-specific new dance theater work. The Joe Goode Annex. An affordable studio theater rental program for individual artists, community arts groups, and other small nonprofits. Workshops and classes at the Annex and online, for people of all ages, backgrounds, and interests. Inspired Bodies. JGPG offers teens at several school sites the opportunity to train with company member and create original dance theater works. D.R.A.G | Divination, Rainbows, and Glitter is led by JGPG company member and teaching artist, Wailana Simock/Magdelena workshop participants explore new ways to express themselves through drag, movement and story-telling and honor ancestral and indigenous knowledge of sex and gender identities. GUSH Dance Festival serves dance-makers and audiences in the SF Bay Area with a particular focus on LGBTQ+ and QTPOC artists. This biannual community-centered project is aligned with equity, social justice and decolonizing the art-making experience by providing an open platform for artists to create work that voices their distinct history, culture and artistic imprint. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | BAVC Media | 145 9th St Ste 101 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 861-3282 | CA 12th District | District 17 | District 11 | BAVC Media requests $25,000 to support nine months of staffing for our Youth and Emerging Media Maker (YEMM) Programs. YEMM programs have been a staple in the Bay Area community, providing systematically under-served California youth ages 11-25 with access to media arts education for over twenty years. We offer in-school, afterschool, and summer programs ranging from courses for those with no media-making experience to “earn and learn” workforce training programs. YEMM programs intervene in systemic inequities in media arts education by providing under-resourced youth tools and opportunities to express themselves and build confidence in safe and supportive environments. Through mentorship and project-based, hands-on, collaborative learning models, YEMM programs also support participants practice vital soft-skills such as problem-solving, conflict resolution, and communication, all of which serve their academic, professional, and social-emotional development. | BAVC is a community hub and resource for media makers in the Bay Area, California and across the country, serving over 7,500 freelancers, filmmakers, job-seekers, activists, and artists every year. BAVC provides access to media making technology and education, storytelling workshops, a diverse and engaged community of makers and producers, advisory and AV production services, media making grants and other resources. BAVC advocates for those whose stories aren’t being told, and provides the resources for anyone to create and share, and amplify their stories and those of their communities. BAVC’s diverse, inclusive, and innovative programs lead the field in media training for youth and educators, technology and multimedia focused workforce development, visually-driven new media storytelling and audio-visual preservation. BAVC has been a trusted community educator, collaborator, incubator, community builder and resource for the media arts world since 1976. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $16,200.00 | Contemporary Art Review Los Angeles | 10866 WASHINGTON BLVD UNIT 850 , CULVER CITY, CA 90232-3610 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (858) 442-1047 | With support from the California Arts Council, CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW LOS ANGELES will prioritize bolstering key operations that sustain the health of the nonprofit organization, which is centrally anchored by Carla magazine, a quarterly publication published in print and online that exists as an active source of critical dialogue on L.A.’s art community, and is available for free in over 170 galleries and art spaces around the city. Beyond production costs, this grant funding will support critical strategic planning which will help our nonprofit work towards the longer-term goals of bringing on additional staff (such as full-time operational support and a membership and development employee), raise compensation to writers and other contributors, and allow us to produce more community events. | The materials in Carla’s archive include published reviews, essays, and podcast episodes that | |||
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | Senderos | 840 N BRANCIFORTE AVE , SANTA CRUZ, CA 95062-1028 | Santa Cruz | Central Coast | (831) 854-7740 | D-CA 19th District | District 28 | District 17 | With support from the California Arts Council, Senderos (meaning pathways) will provide equitable access to baile folklórico (Mexican folkloric dance) and Oaxacan banda de viento (wind band) with free after-school classes for Latino youth and all who are interested in participating in Santa Cruz County. Linking young people to their cultural heritage enhances self-esteem and promotes family unity as they learn about, embrace, value, and share traditions together. For over 20 years Senderos has presented community events sharing Indigenous traditions of Mexico, particularly from Oaxaca, like the Guelaguetza cultural arts festival, creating a sense of belonging and pride for Latino youth and families and increasing understanding of diversity in our region. | Senderos core programs and services are: |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,250.00 | MashUp Contemporary Dance Company | 2926 Gilroy St , Los Angeles, CA 90039 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 259-3289 | 30th Congressional district of California. | District 52 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, MashUp Contemporary Dance Company will develop and present the company’s 10th Annual International Women’s Day Dance Festival (IWDDF), a four-day celebration of women in dance. Featuring performances, screenings, classes, mentorship, and community events across Los Angeles, IWDDF centers feminist perspectives while welcoming participants of all identities. Grant funds will play a critical role in sustaining the festival and supporting the celebration of its 10th anniversary, and in particular, the cornerstone Showcase event. As MashUp celebrates its 15th year as a company, and the 10th year of IWDDF, this investment advances the company’s mission to uplift underrepresented voices and provide sustainable, paid opportunities for artists. With over 400 attendees annually, IWDDF fosters cultural exchange, expands dance literacy, and strengthens LA’s creative ecosystem through inclusive, accessible programming. | MashUp sustains the following programs: International Women’s Day Dance Festival (IWDDF) — Annually in March, MashUp recognizes the advancements of women with a four-day festival, featuring an all-female and non-binary choreographer showcase, movement classes, dynamic panel discussions around gender equity in the arts, and unique networking opportunities. Highlights include one-on-one mentorship for high school students at the Women Dance Summit and the electrifying Support Women Artists Day film festival. National Women’s Equality Day (NWED) – Each August, MashUp joins forces with female-identifying creative teams, ideological partners, or social justice organizations to celebrate NWED via a performance, creation of a film, or community gathering. This program provides an opportunity for cross-disciplinary female artists and activists to collaborate, and challenges audiences to examine a current, culturally critical feminist topic. Choreographic Residency — Open to female-identifying and non-binary emerging and mid-career choreographers, the residency includes a stipend ($2K-$4K), studio time with MashUp company dancers, and a fully produced showcase with professional documentation. A direct investment in the future of the dance field, this program is one of the only LA residency opportunities that provides this level of financial and producorial support. Choreography Open Mic Nights — Quarterly events that offer eight LA-based choreographers 10 minutes to showcase their work and engage with a supportive public audience. The environment is designed to be extremely supportive, encouraging choreographers to ask for feedback and allowing audiences, including “non-dancers,” to learn how to articulate their thoughts about dance and directly interact with the artists, fostering a deeper appreciation for the art of dance. Intensives — MashUp hosts two-day dance intensives at its home studio: Frogtown Creative, as well as sends teachers out to studios to ensure access. Crafted specifically for the early career professional, these intensives include movement classes, Q&As with industry leaders, and mentorship sessions. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | Chance Theater | 5522 E LA PALMA AVE , ANAHEIM, CA 92807-2108 | Orange | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (888) 455-4212 | California District 40 | District 59 | District 37 | With support from the California Arts Council, CHANCE THEATER will offer their 2025 six-week summer workshop series “Teens Speak Up” and “Spectrum Speak Up” for a total of three workshops designed to provide a safe, nurturing space for teens, including those on the autism spectrum, to explore creative expression through writing, storytelling, and theater arts. Each workshop culminates in an original student-written and performed show before a live audience. The program encourages students to creatively express thoughts, feelings, and experiences that may be difficult to communicate otherwise, and does so in an environment that focuses on collaboration with peers and community-building. To ensure equitable access to arts education, the program will be offered free of charge to all participants, and will actively seek to represent students from diverse backgrounds. | Our production season presents socially-conscious, provocative, intimate theater experiences for a diverse audience. Our post-show audience engagement program hosts discussions after every performance. Furthering our goal to provide audiences with access to the creative process, our OTR “On the Radar” new works development series consists of 3-4 readings and 1-2 workshops per year. Designed to foster the educational and emotional growth of young people, our Theater for Young Audience (TYA) series have adult actors performing work geared towards young people. With our Veterans Initiative, we continue our outreach to vets by giving them a voice through storytelling workshops. Finally, our education programs are designed to reinforce the truth that theater is a place for expression and connection. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | Páah Áama Paddle Club | 1109 West Gate Dr , Eureka, CA 95503 | Humboldt | Upstate | (707) 476-3710 | State Assembly District 2 | State Senate District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, Páah Áama Paddle Club will connect Indigenous youth in the Klamath River basin with opportunities to embrace traditional river-based culture, helping them harvest cultural materials and learn from Karuk master basket weaver Wilverna Reece. They will learn from Storytellers within their own tribal communities who will share cultural stories of how the River has sustained Native cultures from time immemorial and then learn to create their own stories that this generation of youth can pass on to the next. With last year’s completion of the largest dam removal in history, the Klamath River is now flowing freely for 300+ miles for the first time in a century so this Project allows Native youth to directly experience the revitalization not only of the watershed, but also their traditional cultures. | Our core programs provide exposure to healthy river-based activities, livelihoods and culture for local Native youth in our communities. This includes building confident river based navigation skills on the water, creating river-based community events, creating opportunities for youth to participate in traditional cultural activities, including inter-generational Storytelling with opportunities for Native youth to publicly share their own stories from their own cultural perspective, and leadership development. | |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,300.00 | ArtReach | 1065 University Avenue , San Diego, CA 92103 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 940-7278 | California's 53rd Congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, ArtReach will provide free and low-cost visual arts programs for over 7,000 young people annually, focusing on those with limited access to creative opportunities, including youth from low-income families, newcomer and refugee communities, Native youth, and LGBTQIA+ youth and families. General Operating Support will help sustain ArtReach’s in-school and community-based programs and strengthen the team’s capacity to meet growing demand across San Diego County. Funding will support staffing, artist wages, and the continued activation of ArtReach’s new community arts center in Hillcrest, an inclusive and intergenerational space that welcomes diverse communities, especially those living in the lowest quartiles of California’s Healthy Places Index. This support is vital to ensure long-term sustainability and equitable access to arts engagement for historically marginalized populations. | ArtReach San Diego is a nonprofit organization committed to increasing access to visual arts education for youth, especially those from under-resourced schools and communities. ArtReach offers the following programs: In-School Programs: These programs utilize an inquiry-based, standards-aligned, and sequential curriculum designed to foster creativity, critical thinking, and self-expression. With a strong focus on supporting social-emotional learning goals, the lessons help students build confidence, resilience, and emotional awareness through artistic exploration. Mural Programs: ArtReach engages youth in collaborative public art projects, where they design and create large-scale murals that promote teamwork, community pride, and artistic achievement. Additionally, ArtReach offers commercial mural projects that provide youth apprentices with real-world work experience, helping to support reduced-cost murals for Title I schools. Community Programs: ArtReach hosts accessible art workshops and classes for families and individuals in a variety of settings, including our two in-house art studios, libraries, and community centers. These workshops focus on process-based techniques led by local artists, creating opportunities for authentic connection through the arts. ArtReach employs local artists as teaching artists, ensuring that its programs not only deliver valuable arts education but also support the local creative economy. These programs are offered county-wide, providing free or low-cost services to Title I schools and underserved communities across San Diego County. |
| Individual Artist Fellowships-AO | 2025-26 | $300,000.00 | Arts Council Santa Cruz County | 1070 River Street , Santa Cruz, CA 95060 | Santa Cruz | Central Coast | (831) 475-9600 | California's 20th congressional district | District 28 | District 17 | With support from the California Arts Council, ARTS COUNCIL SANTA CRUZ COUNTY will serve as AO for the Central Coast’s Individual Artists Fellowship program, collaborating with arts councils and agencies from Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura County. Our goal is to increase access to funding for underrepresented artists, affirm their intrinsic value for fellowships, and develop their skills for future opportunities. We will implement a streamlined online application and award system. Comprehensive artist assistance, including virtual workshops and personalized partner support, will be provided. Targeted outreach, utilizing culturally relevant materials and community networks, will engage diverse artists. Fellowships will be awarded through five peer review panels. We will organize fellow convenings in Northern and Southern regions to celebrate deserved acclaim, build community, inspire future artists, and enrich California’s cultural landscape. | Guided by its 2022-27 Strategic Plan, Arts Council Santa Cruz County will build, support, and sustain a dynamic, responsive, and inclusive arts culture in Santa Cruz County as characterized by: Through grants to artists and arts organizations, arts education programs that serve more than 18,000 youth across Santa Cruz County, and community initiatives such as Open Studios, the Tannery Arts Center, and the Watsonville Center for the Arts, we help Santa Cruz County thrive. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,250.00 | Arts Council Santa Cruz County | 1070 River Street , Santa Cruz, CA 95060 | Santa Cruz | Central Coast | (831) 475-9600 | California's 20th congressional district | District 28 | District 17 | With support from the California Arts Council, ARTS COUNCIL SANTA CRUZ COUNTY will enhance arts education for youth, especially those from systemically disinvested communities. We’ll ensure access to high-quality, culturally relevant arts experiences by training local artists and teachers, mentoring youth, and offering school-based programs, directly addressing inequities. | Guided by its 2022-27 Strategic Plan, Arts Council Santa Cruz County will build, support, and sustain a dynamic, responsive, and inclusive arts culture in Santa Cruz County as characterized by: Through grants to artists and arts organizations, arts education programs that serve more than 18,000 youth across Santa Cruz County, and community initiatives such as Open Studios, the Tannery Arts Center, and the Watsonville Center for the Arts, we help Santa Cruz County thrive. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,750.00 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center | 388 9TH ST STE 290 , OAKLAND, CA 94607-4295 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 637-0455 | 12th Congressional district of California | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Oakland Asian Cultural Center will hold its third annual Lunar New Year x Black History Month Celebrating Asian and African-American Solidarity. Free to the public, we will showcase dance and music from the Asian and African diaspora. Our partners Eastwind Books and Marcus Books will run a cross cultural children’s zone that will provide a story time, children’s books with solidarity and anti-racist themes, and an educational art project. We will also offer a marketplace where BIPOC artists and small businesses will sell food, art, and handmade products to the public. This event engages community members in cross-cultural exchange, developing cultural pride, and engaging in solidarity and healing that is grounded in a space that rejects racism, colorism, and xenophobia. | Before the pandemic, we welcomed 25,000+ guests each year to our center through affordable or no-cost, unique, and easily accessible multi-ethnic and multidisciplinary art and cultural programs. Programs include: (1) Artist in Residence; (2) Classes/Workshops/Seminars; (3) Exhibitions; (4) Festivals; (5) Performances and Other Special Events; (6) School Tours & Community Outreach |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | Living Jazz | 1728 San Pablo Avenue , Oakland, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 858-5313 | District 12 | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Living Jazz will sustain RootED (formerly the Living Jazz Children’s Project), a culturally responsive music education program serving 1,500 TK–12 students across 21 public schools in Alameda and West Contra Costa Counties. Following a period of substantial growth (14 to 21 schools), this support will help ensure program continuity and sustainability. RootED provides free, year-round instruction in choir, rhythm, movement, and vocal expression, led by diverse teaching artists who reflect the students they serve. Over half of partner schools are in the lowest two quartiles of the Healthy Places Index, and many higher-HPI schools enroll students from low-HPI neighborhoods, with up to 76% qualifying as low income. CAC funds will support teaching artist and staff compensation, curriculum development, and consistent program delivery that fosters creativity, confidence, and belonging. | “In the Name of Love” is the East Bay’s only non-denominational musical tribute honoring Dr. King Jr. Launched in 2002, the annual event celebrates the talents of local artists in a themed program highlighting social justice and has showcased 80+ prominent solo guest artists, commissioned and premiered new works, provide a platform for first-time collaborations, attracted sell-out audiences of ~1300 and celebrated the cultural, racial and ethnic diversity of Oakland’s public school system through performances by the Living Jazz Children’s Project choir. On hiatus since a 2021 online concert during the pandemic, ITNOL was re-imagined in 2024, with the 20th anniversary concert featuring the musical theme of Stevie Wonder and his activism, a sold-out much larger venue, and a larger roster of artists representing Oakland’s various communities of color. Living Jazz RootED (formerly The Living Jazz Children’s Project) is a free in-school performing arts education and performance program serving ~1,200 Oakland and West Contra Costa public elementary, middle, and high school students. Created in 2005, the program includes choral, vocal, and rhythm music components and a dance component that builds fundamental music and dance skills while teaching students about cultural diversity and social justice. Jazz Camp West is a nationally acclaimed jazz immersion program known for its culturally diverse curriculum; multi-generational, racially diverse student body; supportive, collaborative environment; renowned faculty artists; and spectacular outdoor setting. The eight-day program is now entering its 41st season and serves ~250 people ages 15 and up. Jam Camp West is a supportive, nurturing seven-day alternative, sleep-away music camp for youth, modeled after Jazz Camp. LJ debuted the program in 2008 to serve youth with and without prior musical training. It features diverse urban-influenced contemporary music styles (spoken word, Afro-Cuban percussion, steeldrum, songwriting, ukulele, beatbox) in a beautiful redwood setting for ~125 youth ages 10-17. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,900.00 | Create Peace Project | 6231 Bernhard Ave , Richmond, CA 94805 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (415) 385-4065 | California Assembly district 15 | District 15 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Create Peace Project will amplify its impact on youth development and community building through facilitating the creation of eight student-led murals within elementary schools throughout the San Francisco Bay Area in the 2025-2026 academic year. Over a focused 4-6 week period for each mural, our comprehensive program will immerse the entire student body of each participating school in dynamic creative arts and peace education initiatives. This deeply collaborative approach, expertly guided by resident artist Ross Holzman and his team, will empower students, educators, and the school community to actively participate in every stage of the mural process, from initial concept to final execution, fostering a sense of ownership and collective achievement. The resulting large-scale artworks will serve as enduring visual testaments to collective creativity and strengthened community spirit. | Create Peace Project’s core programs are the peace Exchange, Banners for Peace, Community Murals, the Singing Tree Project, Peace Flags, Peace Media Project, and More Love. More Peace. The Peace Exchange is an international exchange of art and messages of peace using where students are asked to artistically express their visions for peace on postcards that are used in a global cross-cultural exchange. Banners for Peace is a collaborative painting workshop focused on promoting positive messages and uplifting art into the schools on giant canvases. Community murals transform school yards and barren walls into educational and inspirational works of art. Many of these murals are youth inspired, bringing entire communities together to create a cohesive vision of peace for the entire school population to engage. The Singing Tree Project is a STEM visual arts and writing workshops for students ages 8+. Students work together to create a leaf for the school tree mural to share their individual vision of peace with the school community. Peace Flags are a visual art activity for school children of all ages. Students are prompted to create their vision of peace on piece of fabric. The pieces are sewn together to create a finished flag that is hung in the school. Our Peace Media project translates these works of art onto traditional advertising spaces, to promote the visions of our youth to the general public. More Love. More Peace is a cross-cultural, virtual education platform launched in 2020 to provide students with a space to share their vision of peace through art. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,250.00 | Artist As First Responder | 1240 Minnesota St , San Francisco, CA 94107 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (303) 260-9209 | 11th Congressional District | 17 | 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Artist As First Responder will continue programming for the AfroPortals Project Space & Archive—an interactive arts, design, media, literary, and archive lab located in East Oakland. This artist-led, place-based initiative centers storytelling, healing, and global connection while addressing community-identified needs related to displacement, grief, joy, cultural erasure, and climate resilience . | Exhibitions: Salt to Catch Ghosts (2022), Collective Arising: The Insistence of Black Bay Area Artists (2022), and Black Joy Story Windows (2021 and ongoing), a self-guided multi-media public art exhibition installed in 30+ storefronts in Downtown Oakland that highlights the work of more than 20 local Black Artists, Cultural Organizations, and businesses. Site-specific Ceremonies: A Meditation for Black Lives (2020) and Art of Defense #Shield Build (2020) took place to honor Black Lives in the wake of the murders of George Floyd, Brianna Taylor, and Ahmaud Aubrey, and Black Women in Mourning & Joy Collective (2022-ongoing) offers space for Black Femmes, Trans, and Non-Binary family to process their mourning through different arts rituals and practices. Print and Public Talks: Since 2000, AAFR authored and facilitated the forum and live zine series Blatant. It centers on the radical imagination of Black women artists and cultural workers creating across disciplines and geography. The series has been sold at the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco, the Berkeley Museum of Fine Art, Bandung Books, and the San Francisco Museum of Fine Art. The AfroPortals Project Space & Archive: an experimental, interactive Art and Design Lab rooted in the principles of Afrofuturism, Black Memory, and Collective Liberation, housed in two retrofitted shipping containers in East Oakland. AfroPortals fosters resilience and builds power within communities by cultivating belonging, storytelling, and radical imagination. The space blends art and technology to inspire community healing. A monthly Men’s Wellness Fellowship gathering, a space of courage and safety for Black and Brown men in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2024, Artist As First Responder produced two print publications, created a site-responsive ceremony, hosted 64 public forums and 13 exhibitions, partnered with five global activation sites, and facilitated five community activations through the Climate Justice Artist in Residence. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,300.00 | Remainders Creative Reuse | 787 East Washington Blvd. suite 101, PASADENA, CA 91104-5055 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 532-0537 | California's 27th congressional district | District 41 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, Remainders Creative Reuse will be able to increase organizational capacity by providing a salary for a part time Director of Finance and two new teaching artists. Having reached annual revenues of over $1,000,000 in 2024, we feel it is imperative to have a staff member dedicated to overseeing all financial activity. Also, adding two teaching artists will enable us to increase the number of affordable art classes, workshops, and community events, some of which are free or subsidized through scholarships, enabling us to reach more individuals across all age groups and backgrounds. The Remainders budget has allocated the matching amount of $30,000, providing for these salaries. | Remainder’s Creative Reuse is a Pasadena-based nonprofit and creative reuse center that supplies abundant low and no-cost arts and crafts materials to a diverse and inter-generational audience as well as educational resources and active arts programming. We provide art opportunities to people of all ages and economic levels, engaging them in maker culture as a means for creative expression, personal growth and well-being while educating artists, artisans and teachers to include creative reuse in their work and training them to teach others. Remainder’s is an inter-generational space where seasoned local artists and makers work side by side with younger generations providing a space for connection and community. New learners benefit from the open sharing of knowledge and experience and older adults benefit from being able to connect and serve the community through our volunteer and workshop programming. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,900.00 | Noorani Dance | 56 LORELEI LN , MENLO PARK, CA 94025-1754 | San Mateo | Bay Area – Other | (650) 704-0987 | California's 18th congressional district | District 24 | District 13 | With support from the California Arts Council, Noorani Dance will utilize general operating funding for personnel expenses for our Artistic/Executive Director, School Administrative Director, Administrative Manager, Marketing Manager, Development Manager, and Administrative Assistant. | Noorani Dance is committed to enlightening minds and hearts through the arts by (i) presenting traditional and innovative performances of kathak dance, (ii) offering training in kathak dance, and other traditions related to South Asian classical arts (iii) participating and presenting works of collaborative partnerships across other forms of performing arts. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Keshet Chaim Dancers | 4155 DIXIE CANYON AVE , SHERMAN OAKS, CA 91423-4337 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 784-0344 | 30-CA | 46 | 18 | With support from the California Arts Council, KESHET CHAIM DANCERS will provide competitive wages to its actors, director, tech crew, and administrator for the high school tour of SURVIVORS by Wendy Kout. | CONCERTS: KCDE develops and presents productions of original works by resident and guest choreographers and performed locally, nationally, and internationally. We have performed locally at venues including Kodak Theater, Disney Concert Hall, Ford Amphitheatre, Hollywood Bowl, and Paramount Studios. TOURING: Nationally, KCDE has traveled to NYC, San Francisco, San Diego, and Washington DC as headliners for large festivals. Tour locations include New York, Texas, Florida, Moscow, Mexico City, and Tel Aviv. HOLOCAUST EDUCATION: Our Holocaust education program is centered around a one-act play called SURVIVORS by Wendy Kout. The play shows the history of Holocaust through eyewitness testimony of ten adolescent survivors, presenting it from their points of view. The show stresses the importance of speaking up and acting against hatred and bullying in our world today. It gives the students a stark warning, connecting WWII Nazis to present-day racists in politics, sports, and the media. After the show, we host a talkback with the playwright and actors, hosted by trained Holocaust educator from The Museum of Tolerance and Stand With Us. They are sometimes joined by a Holocaust survivor which makes an even more impactful impression on the students. COMMUNITY DANCE: Folk dance workshops are held through the week at temples, schools, and community centers in LA. These classes introduce students to Israeli dance and music. Locations include American Jewish University, and Pasadena Jewish Temple. COLORS OF ISRAEL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM: Colors of Israel uses dance and music to teach elementary-school students about Israel, history, and culture. This program has been in public and private schools since 2006.Currently, we provide this program to all students at Lashon Academy, a Hebrew language LAUSD school. |
| Individual Artist Fellowships-AO | 2025-26 | $300,000.00 | Teatro Nagual | 15 MOSES CT , SACRAMENTO, CA 95823-6368 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 549-3341 | 6 | 10 | Sacramento | With support from the California Arts Council, Teatro Nagual will create an equitable, multilingual regranting program to distribute $240,000 in unrestricted fellowship awards to emerging, established, and legacy artists in Region 2. Drawing on our experience managing the Sacramento Artists Corps and leading the Capital Region Creative Corps—where, as a City of Sacramento employee, I administered $3.75 million in support of 208 artists and 25 organizations—we will implement a culturally responsive selection process centered on artistic excellence, equity, and social impact. CAC funds will support outreach, technical assistance, adjudication, and artist convenings, while amplifying the visibility of awardees. Our approach prioritizes trust, transparency, and cultural competency to ensure historically underserved artists across the region access vital support to sustain and elevate their work. | We were founded in 2006 when we opened the very successful musical, “Let the Eagle Fly,” about the life of Cesar Chavez. Besides doing full-length plays, we organize bi-lingual theatre classes for youth and for adults. We are frequently commissioned by other organizations to write and perform plays concerning environmental and social justice concerns. Additionally, we hold Cabarets at the Sofia, Home of B Street Theatre and regular mixers for all Sacramento artists every other month at the ReUnion Underground in Old Sacramento. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $21,900.00 | Maya's Music Therapy Fund | PO BOX 7110 , BERKELEY, CA 94707-0110 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 704-8476 | With support from the California Arts Council, Maya’s Music Therapy Fund will provide free and low cost music therapy to 101 youth and adults with developmental disabilities in individual and group sessions throughout the Bay Area. Through consistent weekly music therapy sessions, participants will develop artistic, cognitive, and social skills based on individualized goals. | Maya’s Music Therapy Fund’s board certified music therapists work with people with disabilities such as autism, cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome, brain injury, hearing and vision impairment, ADHD, Rett syndrome, and other developmental disabilities. Experiencing the unique power of music to engage our brains and our bodies, clients gain physical and social skills while building self-esteem and confidence during individual and group music therapy sessions. MMTF also collaborates with agencies and existing programs that serve people with disabilities from Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco Counties in Northern California. | |||
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Middletown Art Center | 21456 State Hwy 175 , MIDDLETOWN, CA 95461-1616 | Lake | Upstate | (707) 809-8118 | California's 5th congressional district | District 4 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, EcoArts of Lake County DBA Middletown Art Center (MAC) will deliver YÓMI–PLACE, providing Title I public school students with free field trips to an exhibit of contemporary Native American art at MAC. Field trips center inquiry-based, standards-aligned gallery tours led by a culture bearer together with a seasoned teaching-artist, paired with creative arts studio activities using traditional and contemporary materials led by cultural educator and emerging artist Way-La Brown. All activities model the power of arts integration and kinesthetic experiences to enhance core curriculum and diverse learners’ voices and understandings in an exhibition with profound and meaningful content that grounds them in place-based natural history and Native American cultural heritage. Students will demonstrate their understandings through written and spoken observational notes, dialogue, and art making. | Community-focused, MAC offers a range of visual, cultural, literary, and performing arts programming to the people of rural Lake County. We prioritize cross-cultural exchange and engagement onsite and within underrepresented communities. We reach, serve, connect, and uplift people of diverse backgrounds and cultures in an economically challenged, geographically dispersed, and isolated region where arts resources are few. Prioritizing community outreach, inclusion, and engagement, we offer free, community-engaged art at festivals and centers of activity in underrepresented communities. Events at MAC include cultural celebrations, concerts, dances, open mics, and readings. Cultural arts workshops and projects are collaboratively designed with and led by culture bearers and BIPOC artists. We offer workshops in visual arts, writing, drumming, and artists’ professional development (promotion/documentation). In partnership with Woodland Community College, MAC hosts accredited art classes. MAC hosts field trips and initiates artist-in-schools programs. Students are exposed to contemporary art and cultural expressions through inquiry-based learning and creative arts expressions of understanding. Teachers are exposed to arts integration and students’ diverse learning modalities. Families have access to affordable summer art camps, homeschool, and after-school classes. Artist opportunities include curated thematic exhibits, Art Talks, installations at the EcoArts Sculpture Walk at Trailside Park, promotion, documentation, and web presence. Musicians and poets can perform. Artists are invited to teach, submit public art proposals, and collaborate on project design. Youth are mentored in teaching, mural-making, event management, and promotion. All engagement options are free, by donation, or low-cost to increase and ensure equitable access. MAC has generated a burgeoning local art scene where artists and art appreciators coalesce. We have innovated, adapted, and responded to years of regional wildfires, seasonal power cuts, and COVID-19. We uplift Lake County’s diverse communities, celebrate our resilience, and strengthen our sense of interconnectedness through the power of the arts and shared cultural experiences. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,600.00 | Hero Theatre | PO BOX 26275 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90026-0275 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 206-6415 | 30 | 52 | 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, HERO Theatre will use grant funds for staff salaries, artist fees, rent for office and storage space, overhead, and programming costs to support our commissioning, development, and production work. | HERO’s goal is to create programming that has a lasting impact on audiences and helps shape a better society. We produce elaborately staged readings, full productions of plays, and special events like FESTIVAL IRENE: a 2-week festival honoring the life and legacy of Cuban playwright Maria Irene Fornés. We commission bold, innovative new work. In 2019, HERO launched OUR AMERICA new play commissioning series, in which BIPOC playwrights explore real stories of cities in America undergoing vast socio-economic change. Under this, HERO produced Amina Henry’s TROY, inspired by THE TROJAN WOMEN and based on true stories of unhoused women in L.A. HERO partnered with local shelters to invite more than 300 unhoused women to attend and provided free tickets, round-trip transportation, concessions, and a post-show talkback with artists. HERO’s 2023 production of Henry’s NOTHING, NOTHING continues these partnerships and responds to audience desire to celebrate Black women and joy. In 2021, HERO launched NUESTRO PLANETA (NP), a multimedia new works initiative rooted in research around ecological concerns in Latine countries and the U.S. and how Latine American families are directly affected. In September 2021, HERO presented an elaborately staged reading of FLEX by Candrice Jones about a Black high school girls’ basketball team that explores such themes as teen pregnancy and abortion. In 2022, we produced Velina Hasu Houston’s TEA and also RISE: An Immersive Exploration of Gun Violence in Schools which received critical acclaim. HERO’s education programming serves elementary through high school students in the L.A. school district, specifically through Inner-City Arts and solo writing and performance classes at Homeboy Industries for formerly incarcerated youth. HERO’s Dukakis Mentorship Program, provides early career artists and administrators one-on-one mentorship; 50+ artists served. HERO frequently invites communities represented in the work on our stages to attend our programming for no cost. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,000.00 | Intersection for the Arts (fiscal sponsor) | 1446 Market Street , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 269-0073 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, StageWrite will strengthen organizational infrastructure with expanded administrative roles, while supporting the immediate needs of our partner school communities with residencies, educator workshops, and teaching artist training to support equitable access for youth to engage with drama as a crucial means of self-expression, identity-building, and well-being. | StageWrite serves approximately 1000 students annually in San Francisco public elementary schools. StageWrite’s Building Literacy through Theatre sequential drama program begins with kindergarten and 1st grade students participating in story dramas based on social issues; 2nd and 3rd graders explore narrative story elements creating performances that reimagine grade-level texts; and 4th and 5th grade students write original work, including monologues and one-act plays, which are performed by the students and by professional actors. Our ADAPTS (Autism & Drama with Artists, Parents, Teachers & Students) program serves students with autism in inclusive residencies to engage students in creative play, improve communication, and encourage personal growth. All StageWrite programs are designed and implemented using student-centered methodology. It is our belief that students learn the most from examining their own thoughts and feelings, and thinking critically about the world. We believe in theatre as a tool for social change, and a means of empowering students and communities. This principle of StageWrite’s work has been a guiding force for 20+ years and has been essential in informing our response to the challenges of today. As a response to the pandemic, StageWrite developed, piloted, and refined two new curricula: “Zoom-a-Rama: Community Through Drama,” designed for distance learning at the start of the pandemic, and “Room-a-Rama” which re-imagined our curriculum to use improvisational drama games and collaborative storytelling activities to build classroom communities and support social emotional learning as students returned in-person, serving 45 classrooms at 6 San Francisco public elementary schools. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | Hero Theatre | PO BOX 26275 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90026-0275 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 206-6415 | 30 | 52 | 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, HERO Theatre will provide a free 15-session participatory performance, writing, and dance workshop with the Youth Group at Alexandria House, a transitional residence that provides safe and supportive housing for women and children experiencing homelessness and trauma, in their community room. It will run a minimum of fifteen 2-hour sessions, meeting twice weekly. The project will culminate with a devised play that the Youth Group and HERO will present to the residents and staff of Alexandria House. In addition, props and costumes will be made during the workshops, and we’ll invite adult residents and smaller children to join, engaging multiple generations at Alexandria House in the project. | HERO’s goal is to create programming that has a lasting impact on audiences and helps shape a better society. We produce elaborately staged readings, full productions of plays, and special events like FESTIVAL IRENE: a 2-week festival honoring the life and legacy of Cuban playwright Maria Irene Fornés. We commission bold, innovative new work. In 2019, HERO launched OUR AMERICA new play commissioning series, in which BIPOC playwrights explore real stories of cities in America undergoing vast socio-economic change. Under this, HERO produced Amina Henry’s TROY, inspired by THE TROJAN WOMEN and based on true stories of unhoused women in L.A. HERO partnered with local shelters to invite more than 300 unhoused women to attend and provided free tickets, round-trip transportation, concessions, and a post-show talkback with artists. HERO’s 2023 production of Henry’s NOTHING, NOTHING continues these partnerships and responds to audience desire to celebrate Black women and joy. In 2021, HERO launched NUESTRO PLANETA (NP), a multimedia new works initiative rooted in research around ecological concerns in Latine countries and the U.S. and how Latine American families are directly affected. In September 2021, HERO presented an elaborately staged reading of FLEX by Candrice Jones about a Black high school girls’ basketball team that explores such themes as teen pregnancy and abortion. In 2022, we produced Velina Hasu Houston’s TEA and also RISE: An Immersive Exploration of Gun Violence in Schools which received critical acclaim. HERO’s education programming serves elementary through high school students in the L.A. school district, specifically through Inner-City Arts and solo writing and performance classes at Homeboy Industries for formerly incarcerated youth. HERO’s Dukakis Mentorship Program, provides early career artists and administrators one-on-one mentorship; 50+ artists served. HERO frequently invites communities represented in the work on our stages to attend our programming for no cost. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $10,750.00 | Fuse Theatre | 364 Lorraine Blvd , San Leandro, CA 94577-2727 | San Mateo | Bay Area – Other | (650) 701-3873 | District 15 | District 21 | District 13 | With funds from the CAC General Operating Support grant, Fuse Theatre will bolster the administrative, marketing, and communications infrastructure necessary for the sustainable operation of our three core programs: Community Connections, Connect and Play, and Ignite Artists. These programs are the backbone of Fuse Theatre’s mission to create meaningful theatre experiences that expand perspectives and foster civic engagement. Supporting this operational capacity through the grant is crucial for planned strategic expansion and fulfilling Fuse Theatre’s commitment to equity, justice, and inclusion for all. It directly contributes to engaging and uplifting historically under-resourced communities and ensuring that Fuse events and programs align with accessibility standards for people with disabilities. | Fuse collaborates with local groups and individuals to present theatre for social awareness, justice and change. We work to make theatre accessible to all communities and inspire our audiences with stories that matter in our world. We have four programs: Ignite Artists Initiative, Community Connections, Connect and Play and Theatre for Trees – working within the three strategies of Education, Performance and Partnerships. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,750.00 | WHIPPOORWILL ARTS INC | 201 Martina Ave. , Richmond, CA 94801 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (510) 708-3147 | Whippoorwill Arts appreciates the CAC’s consideration of a $30,000 general operating support grant for your continued support of two critical part-time staff positions: Tiara Amar, Team Co-Director of Advocacy and Fellows, and Gabriel Block, Team Co-Director of Music aLIVE. Tiara leads our Fair Play Initiative—a diverse, artist-led coalition advancing fair pay, professional protections, and equitable hiring practices for musicians—and manages our Fellows Program, which provides $25,000 fellowships to a talented and diverse cohort of artists. Gabriel directs artist engagement and production for Music aLIVE, which brings free live music to underserved schools, elder care centers, and community partners. With CAC’s renewed partnership, Whippoorwill Arts will continue to support an outstanding cohort of musicians, foster more inclusive audiences, and bring the joy of live music directly to communities where it is needed most. | Whippoorwill Arts invests in US-based roots musicians; uplifts their talent, gifts, and hard work; and through collective effort, seeks to transform the music ecosystem for more equitable and ethical pay and professional protections. Whippoorwill Arts believes in asking musicians what they need, and in response to their stated needs has developed four core programs: 1. Music aLIVE creates performance opportunities with guaranteed pay for musicians in free concerts. The concerts are curated for underserved communities in non-traditional settings through partner agencies such as senior centers, prisons, rehab centers, veterans’ homes, and K-12 public schools. Each musician receives $200 for a concert that is free to the partner agency and community. More than 300 concerts serving more than 15,000 community members and 600 musicians have been funded to date. 2. Whippoorwill Arts Fellowships recognize and support musicians who are under the radar talent, and have demonstrated a sustained level of accomplishment, commitment, and artistic excellence. The fellowship awards $25,000 to each musician over two years. Fellows undertake a professional musical project, and join the Whippoorwill Fellow community for professional development, retreats and performance opportunities. To date, 11 fellowships have been awarded. 3. Collaborative Festival – annual festival, past partners include Freshgrass and NorthWest FolkLife; 4. Advocacy – created equitable pay and professional protection guidelines for musicians in partnership with the Center for Music Ecosystems and 4A Arts; currently working with RAMPD (Recording Artists & Music Professionals with Disabilities) and DisArt to better advocate for disabled musicians. | |||
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Create CA | 85 S. Grand Ave., , Pasadena, CA 91105 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 578-9315 | California's 28th congressional district | District 41 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, Create CA will produce two Arts + Activism Days for current California high school students. These events, taking place at the California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA), provide access to meaningful, culturally responsive workshops that activate young changemakers. Guided by Create CA’s youth program participants, Arts + Activism Days will connect 550 students to half-day workshops with community artists. Workshops provide engagement in the arts and social justice, providing students with leadership skills to communicate the importance of the arts. 50% of participants are located in the lower two quartiles of the Healthy Places Index and represent the economic, cultural and ethnic diversity of all 58 California counties. Students will collaborate on art with a purpose, gaining creative skills for life. | Create CA works to fulfill its mission through three programs: The Arts Now program trains advocates to work with local school boards, design strategic arts education plans, and improve resources for arts education. Participants receive strategic coaching, training, communications support, and micro-grants. The Student Voices program provides leadership training and advocacy opportunities for current public school students. Our annual Student Arts Advocacy Day is the largest arts advocacy training event for high schoolers in California. Lastly, Create CA’s public will program influences decision-makers, raises awareness about the benefits of arts education, and increases access to and participation in the arts. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,600.00 | San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra | 536 W. 11th Street , San Bernardino, CA 92410 | San Bernardino | Inland Empire | (909) 381-5388 | California's 31st congressional district | District 40 | District 23 | With support from the California Arts Council, the San Bernardino Symphony Association will fund office rent, utilities, and a parttime administrative staff member to assist with ticket sales, music rentals, and the Association’s Youth Orchestra. | The San Bernardino Symphony actualizes our mission through engaging and culturally/artistically relevant programming. We also provide a variety of educational enrichment programs, including concerts for the schools serving over 1,700 students annually, introductory workshops on orchestral instruments for every local third grade class (roughly 5,000 students each year), online educational videos, and our San Bernardino Symphony Youth Orchestra, a 70+ piece orchestra dedicatd to the performance of works by underrepresented composers. We also offer certificated Symphony Teens programs providing job skills training to local high school students. The vast majority of these students are of minority decent and considered at-risk due to economic circumstances. The Symphony also operates the Guthrie Music Rental Library providing low cost orchestral parts to other orchestras, schools, and choral groups. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,000.00 | Kids & Art Foundation | 1443 Howard Ave, Suite 218, Burlingame, CA 94010 | San Mateo | Bay Area – Other | (650) 877-2750 | California's 15th Congressional District | District 21 | District 13 | With support from the California Arts Council, Kids & Art Foundation will advance strategic priorities that strengthen our capacity and expand our impact. This includes key staffing hires to enhance operational efficiency and fundraising; improvements to infrastructure and accessibility, including a transition to a more functional office space to support our growing ArtKit program; investment in monitoring and evaluation systems to better assess impact and inform program design; and deeper partnership engagement through travel, collaboration, and professional development. These efforts will ensure we remain a responsive, equity-driven arts organization serving pediatric cancer patients and their families. | Our programs provide opportunities for connection, enrichment, self-expression, and community for pediatric cancer patients and their families at no cost. Integral to our program design are professional artists, offering a unique, collaborative, and inspiring experience of creative engagement for the children. Current programs: Amaeyzing ArtKits: all-in-one art experiences blend art/wellness projects containing materials, written instructions, and QR codes for pre-recorded instruction videos. Projects are about process, encouraging families to explore materials, ideas, and techniques, create together, and express themselves in meaningful ways. We are able to support thousands of pediatric patients through art in partnership with child life and health care providers. ArtKits are distributed remotely at 21 hospital partners and at-home. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,250.00 | Synchromy | 1390 North Arroyo Blvd , Pasadena, CA 91103 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (360) 305-7825 | California Assembly district 43 | District 43 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, SYNCHROMY will produce Urban Birds: The Plasticine with San Pedro-based artist Ashton Phillips by holding ten oral history workshops designed for San Pedro’s marginalized community members who are disproportionately impacted by Diesel Particulate Matter. The workshops will equip participants with the tools to carry out their own oral history practice and create intercommunity archives of stories that may otherwise be erased. With permission from workshop participants, the sound and language of the participant’s stories will become the fabric of a performance built through collaboration, experimentation, and care at Angels Gate Cultural Center in San Pedro, California. This project draws out previously untold, unheard human and ecological stories to notice the interconnection between humans and our environments, and to localize these stories to the immediate environment. | LIVE MUSIC PROGRAMMING SUPPORT FOR COMPOSERS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | San Diego Opera | 233 A ST STE 500 , SAN DIEGO, CA 92101-4095 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 232-7636 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, San Diego Opera will implement its flagship Words & Music program, a dynamic in-school arts residency that empowers youth in grades 3–12 to create and perform original operas and songs inspired by their personal stories. Grant funds will support professional teaching artists, curriculum development, and supplies needed for student performances in eight partner schools. The program enhances arts access for students from under-resourced communities, cultivates cultural literacy, and nurtures creativity, confidence, and collaboration through songwriting, storytelling, and musical performance. | San Diego Opera (SDO) is a widely respected member of the international opera community and an invaluable cultural resource to the San Diego region. San Diego Opera Association was incorporated in 1965 as a producing company and presented its first staging of La Bohème in the newly opened San Diego Civic Theatre. Led since 2015 by General Director David Bennett, the Company has embarked on a series of community-based initiatives, free public performances, and family-friendly operas with world-renowned opera stars to better serve the diverse San Diego region. In 2016, the Company premiered its wildly popular dētour Series, which explores the expressive nature of opera with the potency of intimate theater. SDO’s commitment to providing a valuable artistic service to our community extends to our offstage work including: Words and Music, an artist residency program that serves hundreds of San Diego youth with in-school, after-school, and summer arts instruction; Opera Hack, a hackathon that brings together leaders in the arts and technology to improve the production and performance of opera; an Artist-in-Residence program where residents of City Heights and San Ysidro create artistic works together that tell their stories, and; an Opera en Español initiative dedicated to building partnerships with arts organizations and artists in Mexico and the U.S. and commissioning, producing, and presenting Spanish-language opera. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,600.00 | Heidi Schwegler | 57275 Canterbury St , Yucca Valley, CA 92284 | San Bernardino | Inland Empire | (503) 789-8050 | California's 8th congressional district | District 42 | District 16 | With support from the California Arts Council, Yucca Valley Material Lab (YVML) will continue its dedication to hands-on making, material exploration, and cultural exchange for people of all abilities. Funds will support the five pillars of the organization including: the musician and artist residency programs; public workshops in rare materials such as glass, metals, neon, and more; Yucca Alta, YVML’s music program, recording studio, record label; the Living Library, Tool Library, and archive resources; and exhibitions of regional artists in Lazy Eye Gallery, a 64 sq. ft. micro gallery inside of a repurposed water tower. Additional funds will support ongoing organization-wide accessibility efforts, the 2025 Intertribal Noise Symposium, and creative opportunities, collaborations, and partnerships that fall outside of YVML’s planned 2025 programs and events. | Established in 2019, Yucca Valley Material Lab (YVML) provides a diverse range of programs including artist and musician residencies, instructional workshops, an art gallery, library and recording studio, and free public events. The instructional workshops can last anywhere from one to five days and cover a diverse range of materials including glass, metal, textile, wood and sound. We offer up to 9 funded visual artist residencies a year which provide an opportunity to explore diverse materials such as metal, glass, fiber, clay, and neon. These two week residencies include lodging, studio access, technical assistance, and opportunities for community engagement. Our Musician-in-Residence program supports underrepresented artists with an emphasis on BIPOC artists engaged in experimental music. With a current capacity of one per year, the program provides lodging, recording studio access, and professional recording. It concludes with a free, public performance for the local community. Our organization is steered by a small but passionate team comprising a full-time Director and four part-time positions that include the Music Director, Facilities Manager, Program Coordinator and Philanthropy Officer. Our Board of Directors consists of a Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary, who are supported by an advisory board featuring artists, musicians, a legal expert, and an accountant. The Board meets quarterly to make key decisions with guidance from the Director. The Director collaborates with the Music Director to oversee the music programs. Furthermore, the Director supervises all staff, ensuring the efficient day-to-day management of our organization and its facilities. YVML actively pursues a policy of nondiscrimination and equal opportunity. Our commitment to racial equity is evident in our programs and services. In 2020 we established an invitational residency for a BIPOC musician. Since 2019, there have been 33 artists and musicians in residence, one third of whom identified as BIPOC and three of whom were international. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $21,300.00 | AXIS Dance Company | 1370 Tenth Street N/A, Berkeley, CA 94710-1510 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 625-0110 | 12th Congressional district of California | District 14 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, AXIS Dance Company will ensure our ongoing core programs and accessibility throughout. These include: Open Community Classes and Access in Motion—free, accessible workshops led by D/deaf, disabled, non-disabled, and neurodivergent artists supporting creative expression and community wellness; Artistic Advancement, including our Summer Intensive, Company Technique Classes, Choreo-Lab, and Teacher Trainings to uplift artists across a range of embodiments and experiences; Home Season and Touring, which bring inclusive dance to local and national audiences through performance, workshops, and panels; and dissemination of our Access Guide, a national resource advancing accessibility in performing arts. These programs cultivate a thriving ecosystem that increases visibility and opportunity for D/deaf, disabled, non-disabled, and neurodivergent artists. | Our Artistic Advancement Program serves as a training ground for professional D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists and consists of our Summer Intensive, Company Appreniceship, Choreo-Lab, and Teacher Trainings. Our Summer Intensive, now entering its seventeenth year, provides professional development for dancers at all levels of their growth through a multi-day experience that connects participants. Our Choreo-Lab paves the way for D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent choreographers to elevate their artistry through mentoring, networking, and peer support while producing original work. We have built a robust professional development suite of services that deepens Choreo-Lab participants’ understanding of the craft, including grants & fellowships, budgeting, production, presenting, and disability justice workshops, an enhanced year-round mentorship component, and opportunities to connect with Choreo-Lab Alumni and meet with presenters to learn from them. Through our Choreo-Lab program, we have a unique capacity to increase the representation of D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists in the dance field. Many educators lack the tools or training to confidently create inclusive learning spaces for D/deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent students. AXIS bridges that gap. We pair 45-minute integrated dance performances with artist-led discussions, introducing young audiences to disability representation and the expressive power of movement. These experiences are joyful, interactive, and often a student’s first encounter with professional dance. In tandem, we equip educators with tools to create inclusive classrooms through movement-based exercises and dialogue about language, access, and belonging. Our focus on youth programming furthers our goal to introduce new populations to integrated dance. In 2024, AXIS reached 8,000 K-12 students in the Bay Area. 50% of participants were from low-income communities and 80-100% of participants were BIPOC. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,250.00 | Long Beach Camerata Singers | PO BOX 90511 , LONG BEACH, CA 90809-0511 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (562) 900-2863 | California's 47th congressional district | District 69 | District 33 | With support from the California Arts Council, CAMERATA SINGERS OF LONG BEACH INC will present the Peace4Youth program, centering environmental justice issues, to students in three Long Beach School District Middle Schools. | Camerata Singers of Long Beach (CSLB) is a 90-voice classical music chorus completing its 58th season. The organization is led by Grammy-winning Artistic Director, Dr. James K. Bass, Director of Choral Studies at UCLA. It produces 4 concerts per year, including the annual Peace Project, examining social justice topics, an annual performance of Handel’s Messiah, ChoralFest Long Beach in the Spring, and Evening of Song to finish the season. CSLB is the artistic partner of the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra. In the summer months, LBCS presents its free, community based outdoor concert series, The Front Porch Concerts. LBCS also runs two education programs. The Camerata Children’s Music Academy provides three weekly workshops teaching music fundamentals to pre-K children at the Long Beach YMCA Early Education Program, which runs state-funded child development centers for low-income families. Peace4Youth is presented in partnership with the Long Beach Unified School District, and brings the Peace Project into Middle and High Schools. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,900.00 | San Diego Museum Council | 1270 Cleveland Ave Unit B136, San Diego, CA 92103-3379 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 850-8698 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | San Diego Museum Council would use CAC funds to present three major regional programs that remove economic barriers for families throughout the San Diego region: – Museum Month in February (half-off admission for all) – The Big Exchange in May (free reciprocal member admission) – Kids Free San Diego in October (free admission for ages 12 and under). We are small yet have a big impact. Last year, we served more 220,000 people including more than 40,000 people in historically and systemically underserved communities and rural and inland areas of San Diego County (lower two quartiles of CA Healthy Places Index), plus more in the Tijuana cross-border region. Funding will also help provide professional development, marketing support, networking, free artist housing/event space, and advocacy for more than 80 museums and cultural sites in the San Diego region. | San Diego Museum Council is comprised of more than 80 member museums, aquariums, gardens, historic sites, gardens, parks, and more across San Diego County. We connect hundreds of thousands of residents and tourists each year to a range of arts, culture, history, and science offerings that is diverse, vibrant and unique to the region. Each year, San Diego Museum Council delivers three promotional programs including “Museum Month” in February, “The Big Exchange” in May and “Kids Free San Diego” in October. These signature programs are designed make our museums more accessible by reducing financial barriers for families. The programs include educational, professional development and outreach events and are supported by integrated marketing campaigns. All year round, San Diego Museum Council provides its members with collaborative marketing, professional development, and networking opportunities. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,600.00 | N/A | 4504 51st Street , San Diego, CA 92115 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 230-5556 | California's 51st congressional district | District 79 | District 40 | With support from California Arts Council, The AjA Project will urgently expand our mission of collective empowerment through participatory storytelling, focusing on youth, emerging artists, and cultural bearers from refugee and immigrant backgrounds in San Diego. In a time of rising stigma and hateful rhetoric against these communities, our work is more critical than ever. Funding will be used to deliver accessible media arts workshops, fellowships, and community exhibitions that challenge exclusion, uplift lived experiences, and foster resilience and belonging. By offering a safe, creative space, we empower underrepresented youth to share their stories, preserve cultural heritage, and strengthen intercultural understanding through artistic expression. | The AjA Project has a strong reputation of delivering high-quality, high-impact programs to young people from diverse cultural, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds. This includes in-school and after-school programs as well as participatory workshops in collaboration with cross-sector partner organizations. AjA’s programs support young people to process experiences, understand their social and political landscapes and use the arts as a tool for creative self expression and social change. This year we have provided programming to newly arrived refugees, teen mothers, youth in detention, young people in military families, and youth across San Diego. The work at AjA remains grounded in the power of photography and visual arts as a tool for all youth, regardless of background, to see themselves as agents of change. AjA remains committed to igniting individual and social change from a grassroots, creative approach. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | Marin Theatre Company | 397 Miller Ave. , Mill Valley, CA 94941 | Marin | Bay Area – Other | (415) 388-5200 | California Assembly district 10 | District 10 | District 2 | Marin Theatre seeks funding to achieve two key goals 1) expand our theatre education programming and reach young people from the developmentally disabled community in the Bay Area and 2) build our organizational capacity to bring the arts to the disabled community by expanding access accommodations. To do this successfully, we will partner with AXIS Dance, a Berkeley-based advocacy group and ensemble of disabled and neurodiverse performers, along with the Marin-based chapter of The Arc, a national organization supporting access to education, workforce development, and enrichment opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Marin Theatre will offer weekly theatre workshops with young adults from The Arc and enlist training and consultation from AXIS Dance to reimagine our theatre’s accessibility and equip our teams with revised best practices for disabled equitable language and accommodations. | MTC is a professional theatre in the North Bay serving 30,000 patrons and nearly 3,000 students annually. We are committed to the development and production of new plays, including a comprehensive New Play Program with productions of world premieres, two nationally recognized annual playwriting awards, and readings and workshops by the nation’s best emerging and established playwrights. MTC’s robust arts education program stems from the belief that there is a profound connection between education and art with each inspiring and reinforcing the other. Arts education classes provide a creative, diverse and supportive environment where students can take risks and grow. Students are given the opportunity to explore their imaginations, build self-esteem, practice public speaking, and develop teamwork and cooperation skills, which will enrich their lives, build a strong work ethic, develop self-confidence, and set them on a path to success in school and in their communities. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,600.00 | Clockshop | 2806 CLEARWATER ST , LOS ANGELES, CA 90039-2808 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 915-4311 | District 30 | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Clockshop will use funding to underwrite the salaries of our highly-trained Artistic Project Director and Curatorial Associate due to the diminishing availability of arts funding at the local and federal levels. Both have significant experience working with artists on commission and in public space, and have training in equity and accessibility measures for presenting contemporary art to broad audiences and in collaboration with community. They also have formed deep relationships with our Parks partners and local neighborhood organizations and the arts community, which are crucial to presenting rigorous, ambitious, and accessible contemporary art in public spaces. | As a Los Angeles-based arts and culture nonprofit, Clockshop produces free public programming and commissions contemporary artist projects on public land to better connect Angelenos to the land we live on. We address the climate crisis as a cultural problem that requires equitable cultural solutions. Through long-term collaborations with artists, like-minded partners, and local stakeholders, Clockshop promotes ecological stewardship and climate resilience among the communities we serve. Our projects center working-class communities of color in Los Angeles and aim to support the wellbeing and vitality of multiple communities. Whether Indigenous, African American, Latinx, Asian American, Pacific Islander, or immigrants living in LA, we shape the city’s future together. We bring this mission to our work at Los Angeles State Historic Park in Chinatown, and Rio de Los Angeles State Park (“The Bowtie”) in Glassell Park, in collaboration with California State Parks. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,263.00 | Trails and Vistas | 10309 CROMLEY SQ , TRUCKEE, CA 96161 | Nevada | Upstate | (213) 500-7758 | California Assembly district 1 | District 1 | District 1 | With California Arts Council support, Trails and Vistas will collaborate with Artist/Culture Bearers on five projects: a. Four days of Dreaming Tree Field Trip, which will take 400+ third grade students on accessible, interactive art walks (music, poetry and visual arts) with Culture Bearers, environmental leaders and California artists, and partial printing of our field journal. | Art in Nature Field Trips – an interactive art hike for 400+ California and Nevada third grade students with music, poetry, environmental studies, and visual art. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | California Symphony | 100 Pringle Ave., Ste. 540 , Walnut Creek, CA 94596 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (925) 280-2490 | 11th Congressional District | District 16 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, CALIFORNIA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA INC will reach more students by increasing accessibility to violin, cello, vocal, and musicianship instruction for 2nd-6th graders and will compensate Teaching Artists for increased annual hours from 170 to 261, honoring school leadership requests. Sound Minds will expand the number of days/hours into the school day in addition to existing after-school programming. The benefit of additional hours of instruction will amplify the depth of programming for participating youth. More hours will also serve to: 1) accommodate more advanced learning for 5th and 6th graders in preparation for middle-high school advancement into regional partnership youth orchestras, 2) help students resist the inclination to select soccer or other competing after-school activities instead, and/or 3) recruit youth who might have not approached the after-school opportunity beforehand. | California Symphony is a cornerstone producer at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek and presents its 10-concert subscription series in the 785-seat Hofmann Theatre. The orchestra musicians also regularly perform with the San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera, and San Francisco Ballet, among others. California Symphony is distinguished by its vibrant concert programs that combine classics alongside American repertoire and works by living composers, and for presenting emerging talents. Outside of the concert hall, California Symphony actively supports music education as a driver for social change through its El Sistema-inspired Sound Minds program, which brings intensive music instruction in an area where 91% of students qualify for the federal free or reduced-price lunch program. The orchestra also hosts the highly competitive Young American Composer-in-Residence program and has launched the careers of some of today’s most well-known artists and composers. Its newest education program, Fresh Look, aims to fill the gap left by a lack of arts education for the “classically curious” adults in our community. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | DSTL Arts | 1069 W. Avenue 37 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90065 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (760) 521-7018 | California's 34th congressional district | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the CAC, DSTL Arts will execute a limited series of free, arts-based, civics-themed workshops focused on examining the significance of the U.S. Bill of Rights & supporting the production & public presentation of community-generated literary & visual artwork inspired by the theme, “We the People,” ultimately culminating in the publication of “Art Block Zine; Vol. 11: We the People” in July 2026 to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the U.S.’s declaration of independence. | DSTL Arts fulfills its mission to inspire, teach, and hire emerging artists from underserved communities through a variety of arts-based programs, mentorships, and publishing opportunities for emerging writers and artists. This includes our Poet/Artist Development Program offering mentorships, professional development, and publishing opportunities to emerging poet/artists, ages 18 and older, specifically from historically-marginalized communities. Furthermore, our Art Block Zine and Aurtistic Zine publications feature emerging writers and artists from Los Angeles County and beyond, and in particular, neurodivergent artists from ages 6 and older through Aurtistic Zine. Our Conchas y Café bilingual community writing workshop series produces a biannual zine of the same name featuring the work of bilingual (English/Spanish) and monolingual (Spanish-speaking) adults learning new skills and techniques in creative writing. Lastly, our Creative Impact community-based, social justice-themed arts workshops provide paid teaching artist internships to select emerging poet/artists enrolled in our Poet/Artist Development Program and poet/artist-led, intergenerational, social justice-focused, arts workshops and publishing opportunities for our broader community. To make all of these programs accessible to our community, DSTL Arts offers our Mobile Art Lab as an additional resource, bringing a uniquely fitted vehicle to community settings where access to large-format scanners/printers, tablets, and WiFi is limited, thereby addressing the digital divide our community members often experience. And to further engage and celebrate our community and program participants, we host a monthly podcast that highlights local artists and featured artists from our zines, as well as provide all of our workshops as both in-person and virtual programs that exist in perpetuity on our YouTube channel where individuals are welcome to continue their learning experience. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,246.00 | Jail Guitar Doors - USA | 842 N FAIRFAX 2ND FLOOR , LOS ANGELES, CA 90046-7208 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 852-0457 | California's 28th congressional district | District 50 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Jail Guitar Doors (JGD) will create a multi-discipline project celebrating evolving expressions entitled “Queer Liberation Series & Exhibition.” Curated by five LGBTQIA+ artists within our community, the project includes a free culminating public performance, short documentary, and art exhibition at JGD’s CAPO Center located in Hollywood, CA. The project will provide resources to develop an original performance piece and exhibition that celebrates the healing, stabilization, uplifting and transformation of the LGBTQIA+ community. Through workshops led by gay icons and legends in the drag, ballroom, and punk communities, participants will explore historically groundbreaking music, art, fashion, and movement disciplines rooted in the expression of queer identity. Visual arts curation, including photography of the ballroom workshops, will be supported by local gender expansive and non-conforming artists who specialize in building exhibitions. | JGD provides music education programs for current and potential system-involved youth. The two main programs include Songs and Beats Workshops and Community Arts Programming & Outreach (CAPO) Project. Songs and Beats is a 12-week songwriting workshop for incarcerated youth that Weekly prompts are focused on age-appropriate themes that are designed to help youth heal past traumas, learn to positively experience their emotions, and improve their relationships with others as well as themselves. CAPO was created as an extension of JGD’s Songs and Beats Workshop to support youths’ successful return to their community. Not solely for formerly justice-involved youth, CAPO is an originative reentry and diversion program that is also open to marginalized and at-risk youth ages 12-22. CAPO delves beyond the 12-week workshop to gain a comprehensive working knowledge of the many facets of the music and entertainment industry. Classes and workshops include music production, engineering, composition and arranging, recording and editing, licensing, marketing and promotions, and digital design. At CAPO, each participant will have a mentor who will help them develop a Personal Program Log (PPL) with an Individual Service Plan (ISP) and Individual Program Plan (IPP). Together, these tools create a holistic approach that include well-being, probation, life-skills, emotional support, transportation plan, and any plans for therapy/sobriety to support youth in successful completion of their probation and reaching their individual goals. Taught by music industry professionals, youth have the opportunity to develop mastery in their chosen fields of interest. JGD also fosters relationships within its extensive network to create an advisory board of music and entertainment industry professionals to serve as mentors to assist in CAPO participants in entering the field through internships that provide hands-on working experience. Prior musical training is not required. Programs are open to all races, denominations, genders, and sexual orientation. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | COMPASSPOINT MENTORSHIP | 318 Morse Ave , Sunnyvale, CA 94085-4329 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 478-0683 | District 14 | district 26 | District 13 | COMPASSPOINT MENTORSHIP will empower 40+ high school youth across two projects- particularly from Asian American and Latinx communities – to create two collaborative public murals across Silicon Valley. CAC funds will support two professional lead artists providing mentorship in traditional and contemporary painting techniques while integrating environmental education. The project includes community engagement through 50+ resident surveys, collaborative design sessions, intensive 5-15 day painting camps, and community celebrations. Grant funds will provide full scholarships for 10-20+ students covering materials, meals, and transportation, ensuring economic barriers don’t prevent participation. This project addresses youth civic disengagement and cultural isolation while creating lasting public art that deters graffiti, enhances community spaces, and celebrates local heritage. These two murals will serve as a permanent testament to youth leadership and cross-cultural collaboration, building bridges between communities while developing culturally competent leaders. | leadership opportunities / ownership: Youth take charge through our issue-based committees, designing and leading projects that address real community challenges. Students develop leadership skills while creating meaningful change that bridges cultural divides. hands-on learning: Through innovative community projects like AI integration and public murals, youth build STEM skills and confidence while making tangible contributions that connect diverse neighborhoods. cross-cultural connection: Year-round camps, cultural festivals, and collaborative projects bring together youth from Asian, Latinx, and other backgrounds, with full scholarships ensuring all can participate in experiences that celebrate shared histories and build lasting connections across communities. mentorship and training: Experienced mentors from diverse professional and cultural backgrounds provide guidance through career workshops, leadership training, and college preparation support that honors students’ cultural identities. community-responsive partnerships: We develop relationships with organizations that share our nimble, youth-centered approach, creating networks that amplify youth voice and community impact across geographic and cultural boundaries. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,600.00 | Djerassi Resident Artists Program | 2325 BEAR GULCH RD , WOODSIDE, CA 94062-4405 | San Mateo | Bay Area – Other | (650) 260-1025 | California Assembly district 24 | District 24 | District 13 | With support from the CAC, the Djerassi Resident Artists Program continues their 42-year mission to give artists the gift of time and space to develop their work in a unique setting of protected nature. In 2025 and onward, DRAP expand their programming with the intention of widening impact and lowering barriers to entry, by creating new opportunities for site access for the public, specifically for diverse communities. At the same time, DRAP extends its programming outward with satellite exhibits ranging from San Jose to San Francisco and beyond. | The Program provides – free of charge to artists – studio space, room, meals, and administrative support to 70 artists each year in the disciplines of visual art, media art, writing, music composition, choreography, and science. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,250.00 | David Herrera Performance Company | 447 Minna St , San Francisco, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (310) 528-2040 | California Assembly district 17 | With support from the California Arts Council, David Herrera Performance Company will present Galán, a 60-minute immersive dance performance at Z Space in San Francisco. The production reevaluates and recontextualizes the familiar galán (“heartthrob /hero”) persona found in Latinx telenovelas and popular culture. Galán empowers gender and sexual fluidity through the celebration, honoring, and uplifting of non-patriarchal and queer identities in Latinx communities. | David Herrera Performance Company’s core programs are multi-fold consisting of 1) performances, 2) community engagement offerings such as LatinXtensions and Latinx Hispanic Dancers United, 3) community collaborations/partnerships, and 4) the development of new programs. Performances: Community Impact: LatinXtensions is our 12-month mentorship program for emerging dance makers. LatinXtensions offers culturally-sensitive capacity building in the areas of non-profit management, grant writing, equity practice, outreach, budgeting, artistic creation, and community building. Established POC dance artists serve as guest speakers and mentors throughout the cycle. Latinx Hispanic Dancers United is a network in which dance artists, scholars, and administrators come together to build regional and national community and support systems. The network provides a pipeline through which resources and ideas are exchanged among members, creating discourse and collaboration, building community, and developing political power. LHDU has grown to engage over 200 artist through Bay Area LHDU and the LHDU National branches. Collaborations: | ||
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | The Michael's Daughter Foundation | 23638 LYONS AVE 233 , NEWHALL, CA 91321-2513 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (347) 989-7654 | District 40 | With support from the California Arts Council, Michael’s Daughter Foundation will offer the “Dream Forward Arts in Residency”, an arts education program that teaches filmmaking to underserved youth ages 12–24 in Title 1 schools and juvenile detention facilities across LA County. The program includes in-school learning, arts education for justice-impacted youth, creative youth development, and arts exposure through field trips, guest speakers, and interactive activities. | The Michael’s Daughter Foundation offers a diverse range of arts programs, including filmmaking, animation, puppetry, creative writing, original play creation, performance art, monologue development, short films, documentaries, and music. We also provide financial literacy workshops for all ages in partnership with local banks. These programs are held year-round across various communities in Los Angeles. Additionally, we are committed to offering college scholarships to students impacted by incarceration or with an incarcerated loved one, as well as providing emergency support to families affected by incarceration. | ||
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $22,200.00 | Marin Society of Artists | 1515 3RD ST , SAN RAFAEL, CA 94901-2710 | Marin | Bay Area – Other | (415) 454-9561 | California's 2nd congressional district | District 12 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, MARIN SOCIETY OF ARTISTS INC will foster opportunities with and for people of differing backgrounds and life experiences to incorporate the arts in their lives, with particular focus on opportunities and access for the immigrant population of color in the nearby San Rafael Canal community. | We support art makers and creators in all stages of development & foster activities encouraging the general public, whether they consider themselves creators or not, to incorporate arts, culture and human enrichment in their lives. Core programs at the Art Center in San Rafael, CA include: free or affordable visual arts exhibitions; classes, critiques & workshops in a broad range of arts & enrichment activities; small ensemble, voice & performance; poetry/literature; health & life improvement. Our Crossroads Program makes the Art Center available for diverse community use. We provide space and services for artist studios, youth & under-served communities, and other arts & community groups. We partner with Blind & Vision Impaired of Marin to host & provide workshops with 1 to 1 assistance for vision challenged artists. We partner with agencies like Alchemia.org & Canal Alliance.org and The Canal Arts.org to support creative efforts of developmentally challenged artists, & in newcomer communities of color such as the Canal district of San Rafael. We sponsor art activities for youth. Programs are on-line, at the Art Center, in local schools, at the Boro Community Center in the Canal and elsewhere in the community. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | Tandy Beal & Company (TBC) | 221 Olympia Station Rd , felton, CA 95018 | Santa Cruz | Central Coast | (831) 335-5973 | California Assembly district 28 | District CA-19 | District California | Tandy Beal & Company(TBC) will produce our integrated arts education program, ArtSmart, in 3 Central Coast counties that have limited access to the arts, featuring: *Interactive School-Concerts by excellent California-based artists in world music, dance and circus, with unique study guides for each event. *6-12 week Public School Residencies: “Dance Around the World”, “The Kindness Project”, “Wide Wide World” and creative movement. All VAPA aligned. *Teaching-artist training workshops—“Expanding Horizons”—and ongoing mentorships, fostering professional growth and enhancing the quality of arts education provided to students. *Continuing Education Units available for schoolteachers to enrich their arts commitment (and salaries). *Outdoor public free world arts festival. *Online evaluations. To deepen the goals and their success, TBC partners include County Offices of Education, district superintendents, arts councils, principals, teachers and artists. This multi-platformed approach helps anchor arts in schools. | After 40 years of touring internationally, TBC currently focuses on regional art-making. LIVE CONCERTS: 2) “Keep on Truckin’”: free 20-minute family shows (Music and Circus), outdoors and covid-safe, with diverse artists and forms: Gospel, Brazilian, Balkan, Latin Percussion, Celtic, Moroccan. Classical, Americana, Old Timey Music, Body Music & Banjo, Circus, Chinese Magic. In parks, schools and senior centers. 3) “HereAfterAfter: a self-guided tour of eternity” on the subject of our mortality(’18, ’24) with 15 outreach events. Partner: Hospice 4) Other new TBC concerts. Examples: “Scoville Units”-’20, “In C”-’22, New Music Works-’24. 5) Free annual Multicultural Fair. Partner: local schools and Chamber of Commerce. ARTS EDUCATION: •”Dance Around the World” 8-week VAPA-aligned residencies furthering kinesthetic and socio-emotional learning; language development; engagement with the beauty of diverse world cultures; and dance. •”The Kindness Project” focuses on caring for others and the broader community. After movement exercises, reflecting, writing, and listening to each other’s essays, students collaborate to choose where they want to expand kindness in the community. Then TBC gives them a check for a non-profit that champions their intentions and choice. •“WideWideWide World” introduces classrooms to different world artists each week. •“Expanding Horizons”-Teaching-Artist Training open to public, partnering with Cabrillo College and Arts Council. Selected teaching-artists receive individual mentorship as paid assistants. Schoolteachers can receive Continuing Education Units to support their commitment to arts-learning. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $17,500.00 | San Francisco International Hip Hop DanceFest | 5800 Tehama Ave , Richmond, CA 94804 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 297-9740 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the CAC, funding will support Know Yourself 4.0, a free, day-long intergenerational arts and wellness workshop rooted in the theme To Be Seen, Heard, and Understood. Designed for BIPOC youth and their caregivers in Bayview-Hunters Point and East Oakland, and co-presented with ANYxMEANS, an Oakland-based BIPOC and Queer music organization, the program integrates dance, music, and mindfulness to strengthen cultural identity, emotional well-being, and family connection. Participants engage in youth and family sessions, culminating in a community reflection circle and creative showcase that honors their voices and stories. All materials, meals, and artistic support gifts are provided at no cost. In an ADA-compliant venue with full accommodations, CAC funds will support artist stipends, production coordination, accessibility services, meals, and outreach, ensuring a trauma-informed space where healing and joy thrive. | Founded in 1999 by Micaya, The SF International Hip Hop DanceFest exists to support the cultural artistry and theatrical integrity of hip hop dance. The core programmatic goals of the SFIHHDF are to: > Support the evolution of hip hop dance by presenting a range of innovative, high-caliber dance companies with world-class production values. Through these efforts, our goal is to garner positive attention for this rich artistic genre from dancers, audiences and the media. > Broaden understanding of both dance and hip hop culture on the part of our audience and the Bay Area community, and use SFIHHDF as a vehicle for bringing together 3,500-4,000 culturally and economically diverse audiences to the theater. > Contribute to the ongoing development and evolution of the genre by providing a consistent forum for its artists; by facilitating connections among hip hop dance artists, and providing mentorship opportunities for young dancers, and emerging artists and companies. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,000.00 | San Francisco International Hip Hop DanceFest | 5800 Tehama Ave , Richmond, CA 94804 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 297-9740 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | The San Francisco International Hip Hop DanceFest (SFIHHDF), a project of Micaya Presents, will produce its 27th annual festival at the Palace of Fine Arts, featuring 8–12 world-class hip hop dance companies. CAC funds will support artist fees, production, accessibility services, and community engagement. The festival includes mainstage performances, a kids’ freestyle circle, an audience dance battle, an after-party, and ASL interpretation. Year-round programs include “Mission in the Mix” (local artist showcase), the “RESPECT!” Podcast (free hip hop dance history), and “Know Yourself,” a free arts and mindfulness workshop for underserved BIPOC youth and families. By centering cultural equity, accessibility, and representation, this project ensures that historically excluded artists and audiences can participate in high-quality, inclusive arts experiences that reflect and celebrate their communities. | Founded in 1999 by Micaya, The SF International Hip Hop DanceFest exists to support the cultural artistry and theatrical integrity of hip hop dance. The core programmatic goals of the SFIHHDF are to: > Support the evolution of hip hop dance by presenting a range of innovative, high-caliber dance companies with world-class production values. Through these efforts, our goal is to garner positive attention for this rich artistic genre from dancers, audiences and the media. > Broaden understanding of both dance and hip hop culture on the part of our audience and the Bay Area community, and use SFIHHDF as a vehicle for bringing together 3,500-4,000 culturally and economically diverse audiences to the theater. > Contribute to the ongoing development and evolution of the genre by providing a consistent forum for its artists; by facilitating connections among hip hop dance artists, and providing mentorship opportunities for young dancers, and emerging artists and companies. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $23,500.00 | RuckusRoots | 2630 Crestmoore Place , Los Angeles, CA 90065 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 967-2766 | California Assembly district 51 | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, RuckusRoots will offer our Wild Art program to approximately 200 3rd-8th grade students at Isana Octavia Charter School in spring 2026. We are excited to expand this offering to a larger group of students after launching a successful partnership with the school in 2025. One of RuckusRoots’ flagship programs, Wild Art employs a professional teaching arts to lead students in fundamentals of design, color theory, drawing and painting, with integrated lessons on local Los Angeles wildlife, creative reuse and conservation, resulting in a collaboratively-made art piece (mural or collage). Funds will be utilized to support the teaching artist, program-specific staff hours and purchase supplies, ensuring that students engage in high-quality arts programming that they otherwise do not receive as part of their regular school day. | RuckusRoots’ programs fall into three categories: In-School, Apprenticeship and Public, all working to achieve the following goals: 1. Co-create arts programming in communities where it is needed and wanted. Main programs: -In-School: Wild Art, TRASHformation and A.L.I.V.E.: Art Living in Vibrant Environments are offered as enrichment or expanded learning opportunities to elementary and middle school-students. Our multi-week programs last 1-6 months, with students aged 5-13 led by professional local artists. Programs aim to build age-appropriate visual arts skills in the areas of painting, drawing, sculpture, design and/or creative reuse, and social-emotional skills of collaboration, creative confidence and change-making. Each program results in a collaboratively-built, large-scale final artwork, ie: a mural, creative-reuse collage, or sculpture, and culminates with a public showcase i.e.: open house, community event or art walk. Teen / Young Adult: For high-school and transition-aged youth, these programs (The Rebel Garden Project and Public ARTivism Apprenticeship) offer smaller groups of students (10-40) deeper learning and mentoring experiences with practicing artists. Themes of art as activism and as a profession are explored; students gain experience creating artworks as well as in professional development and entrepreneurship (artist statements, documentation, branding, design and project management). Public Workshops: We offer free, youth or multigenerational, multi-series or one-time workshops (Garden Magic, From Earth to Art) in which the public is invited to learn techniques and sustainability-uses of specific mediums (fabric, ceramics, non-toxic paint, biodegradable and natural materials) from local artists and experts. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,600.00 | ESMoA | 14929 Hawthorne Blvd , Lawndale, CA 90260-1502 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (424) 277-1020 | 43 | District 61 | District 35 | With support from the California Arts Council, ARTLAB21 FOUNDATION will operate the Experimentally Structured Museum of Art (ESMoA) in Lawndale, fostering creativity and greater cultural equity and access through (1) entirely free admission and programming, (2) exhibition models and civic art projects that push artistic boundaries and enliven non-traditional spaces, (3) arts education for K-12 public school students, and (4) artist residencies/exchanges. | ESMoA believes that many people should contribute to the interpretation and creation of art in an atmosphere that is free – we do not charge fees for admissions or programs – and freeing to visitors and artists. Since 2023, we have been headquartered in Lawndale, where 40% percent of residents are immigrants and 63% identify as Latinx. We are its first-ever visual arts space, with a gallery and art workshop studio. At our weekly drop-in Art Maker Space, visitors create art – collages/lino prints/drawings/paintings – at long tables, family-style. A weekly session for young children (3+) combines storytelling and artmaking. Experiences – our word for exhibitions – offer curated presentations of contemporary art. One recent show was XICANA!, a cross-generational look at the Chicana Arts Movement featuring 67 artists, which travels in June to Escondido with an expanded checklist of San Diego artists. In the upcoming Experience GRIEF, our guest curator will trace stages of grief. As with each Experience, ESMoA will commission new works of art. ESMoA nurtures artists. Through the LAB Residency, local artists create new work to accompany Experiences and lead workshops. We have just initiated an international exchange program. For Experience 62: STATIONS (2025), undergraduates from El Camino College collaborated with visiting students from the University of Fine Arts Münster, Germany, on a mural. Under an initiative called EXTENSION, ESMoA organizes Experiences beyond our four walls. Our first such venture was EDGE (2024), which brought together the work of L.A. graffiti writers/muralists. To commemorate Juneteenth, we partnered with the organization Black in Mayberry on the exhibition FREEDOM. ESMoA is integrated into the community’s fabric. Our team leads a school library-based Story Artlab sessions as well as workshops at the City’s Youth Day Parade, Day of the Dead festivities, and “Chalk Away” muralmaking on City Hall Plaza. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $13,200.00 | HELIX COLLECTIVE | 7545 Hampton Ave., # 207 , W HOLLYWOOD, CA 90046-5542 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 814-8597 | California's 28th congressional district | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council Helix Collective will invest in live workshops and artistic programs, and strengthen our marketing to better reach a wider audience. This support will allow us to pay contractors to achieve these aims including artists, videographers, and for marketing, administrative support, and online tools. | Helix Collective formed in 2009, as a chamber music ensemble with the objective of bringing classical music to new and diverse audiences. A feature of a “helix” is the ability to recombine into many different yet related forms. Thus, Helix Collective evolves and recombines for every program. The original group included flute, oboe and piano. With this trio, we toured and recorded the critically-acclaimed album, All In. In 2012, we became a non-profit 501(c)3. We added percussion and created the World Dance Club program, an album featuring newly-commissioned international dance music. Our current core programs are the Los Angeles Live Score Film Festival, additional live score-to-screen concerts of media music, and music and storytelling concerts. We’ve developed new partnerships with the L.A. Film School for our annual festival and the Film Music Connect workshop with SAGindie, providing original, recorded scores for participating SAGindie filmmakers. The Los Angeles Live Score Film Festival pairs directors of short films with film composers. The composers write original scores for Helix Collective to perform live-to-picture at the festival. After the festival, the scores are recorded for inclusion in the final version of the films. Films for the most recent festivals were curated by SAGindie and the L.A. Film School. We also partner with the Composers Diversity Collective, an organization dedicated to increasing the visibility of composers from diverse backgrounds throughout the music industry and to mentoring emerging composers from underserved communities. Helix Collective recorded and produced “Shoutout!” a visual album of music by 12 composers from the collective, “Spotlight” a live concert featuring Composers Diversity Collective composers and Level Up game music concert featuring women and BIPOC composers. In 2024 Helix Collective made the West coast premiere of Click Clack Moosic, a children’s musical story time program at Boston Court Pasadena. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,600.00 | Vita Art Center | 28 West Main St. 28 West Main St., Ventura, CA 93001 | Ventura | Central Coast | (805) 644-9214 | 26th congressional district | Steve Bennett | 19th State Senate district | With support from the California Arts Council, Vita Art Center will strengthen its capacity to deliver inclusive, high-impact arts programming that serves Ventura’s diverse communities. General Operating Support will sustain core operations, support staff and teaching artists, and ensure continued access to free art classes for youth, adults, and seniors. Funding will expand our partnership with the San Buenaventura Housing Authority, supporting weekly off-site programs and a new initiative with their HOMEKEY community. We will continue our ceramics class for children with disabilities and expand culturally grounded Chumash led traditional arts workshops. CAC support will also help us revitalize a previously blighted lot into a vibrant outdoor art garden and gathering space enhancing community wellness, connection, and engagement through the arts. Our growing campus includes 32 artist studios, three galleries, and a ceramics studio. | Since 2008, Vita Arts Center has been a cornerstone for quality art education, impactful community outreach, and vibrant exhibits. We connect Ventura to enriching art programs with a special focus on the families that live in our immediate neighborhood. In the primary community we serve, 46% of households are below the poverty level and 75% are Hispanic. Our outreach strategies aim to ensure that our entire community has access to quality arts education and programming. Vita Art Center’s high-quality enrichment experiences in the visual arts are taught by local teaching artists, each specializing in their area of expertise, sharing their knowledge and passion with our community. With 20 programs per week, we provide students with a solid foundation in art. Students develop critical-thinking skills, creativity, visual literacy, self-esteem, and an appreciation of art. By teaching fine art skills, we equip students with the tools they need to express their creative voices. We’re committed to breaking down barriers through scholarships, free programming, and mentorships. Our facilities include four galleries, a dedicated teen exhibition wall, a ceramics studio, and an outdoor classroom, creating a vibrant space for learning and expression. Vita Art Center hosts 16 exhibitions annually that blend local and international talent. We inspire and educate the community via school trips, workshops, and tours. Our Teen Programs include Friday Night Studio, Ceramics, Metalsmithing, Summer Intensives and volunteer opportunities. Our Youth Programs offer after-school activities, summer camps, on-site school programs, and family art workshops aimed at fostering early artistic engagement. For adults, Vita Art Center presents a range of opportunities, from ceramics studio classes and memberships to wellness-themed arts programming and workshops in Metalsmithing, painting, drawing, and sculpting. Vita Art Center is dedicated to enhancing lives through the arts, championing inclusion, and nurturing creative potential across all ages. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,480.00 | Poetic Justice | PO Box 3997 , San Diego, CA 92163 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 881-7334 | 53 | San Diego 78th | San Diego 39th | With support from the California Arts Council, POETIC JUSTICE will use poetry, a simple technology, to restore and save lives. By writing and sharing poetry, people impacted by juvenile incarceration in youth facilities create communities rooted in mental health, physical safety, and rehabilitation. Through poetry, multimodal therapeutic art, and somatic mindfulness activities, Poetic Justice artists support young artists incarcerated in San Diego’s Youth Transitional Center (YTC) as they learn to access the root causes of trauma and harm in their lives and become participants in their personal and community transformation. CAC funding will make it possible for PJ to implement the “Free Verse” poetry project to girls and gender-diverse youth, ages 13-24. YTC has already requested that PJ scale the program for the boys’ cottages and high security East Mesa in 2026. | Poetic Justice offers gender responsive and trauma informed classes in the following California carceral settings: Other PJ Work in California A typical weekly class provides gender-diverse and sensitive access by incorporating mindful breathing, trauma-responsive programming, community support, creative writing, and therapeutic visual arts. For example, participants might explore aspects of anxiety, worthlessness, shame, etc. through poetry’s grapho-motor process within a trusted community engaged in evidence-based healing because putting language to the unspeakable supports healing from root causes of trauma and PTSD, and provides pathways forward. Whereas abuse, depression, and addiction damage language centers, poetry reactivates them. In fact research indicates that poetry (rhythm, metaphor, rhyme) activates the right hemisphere. The left brain is responsible for acquisition and expression, but the right brain’s ability to integrate unrelated concepts into comprehensible metaphor with repetition and syncopation can access language pathways damaged by trauma. Research, including JW Pennebaker’s work, shows “writing about upsetting events improves physical and mental health,” but only by creating safe communities for interoception and embodied agency. The traumatized brain doesn’t remember in logical sequences; trauma memory returns in sensory experiences rooted in the limbic system rather than language centers – this is why poetry is consequential for healing. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | HAVEN ACADEMY OF THE ARTS | 3827 W Rosecrans Ave , Hawthorne, CA 90250 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 504-4132 | California's 33rd congressional district | District 62 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Haven Academy of the Arts will continue our year-round, tuition-free youth arts programming at our LA City Branch. | Haven Academy of the Arts consists of two main branches: Haven South Bay and Haven LA City Programs… Haven Academy’s curriculum offers three core programs: Musicals, Camps, and Classes. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,600.00 | Magic Theatre, Inc. | 2 MARINA BLVD BLDG D , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123-1284 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 441-8822 | 11th Congressional district of California | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Magic Theatre will continue its value-driven mandate to serve historically excluded artists and organizations through partnerships, commissions, and residencies. We believe that giving local artists and organizations a theatrical home fights displacement and ensures the continued representation of all voices in our region. Recognizing that companies and artists lacked a permanent home because of demographic and economic shifts in the Bay Area, the Magic Theatre developed long-term partnerships with multi-year residencies, subsidized rental programs, institutional partnerships, administrative support, and community-oriented gatherings. We are the only producing San Francisco theatre with a facility that has prioritized support at this level. The Magic’s education program, Making Magic: Art & Community, is a year-round literacy education program for youth and adults situated in the Tenderloin district. | Magic Theatre’s core artistic programs provide writers with the practical resources they need to develop new works from conception to performance. We support commissioned artists during the early stages of play development with public readings of the script, casting support, fundraising, workshops, previews, and present the world premiere. Additional support comes through structured partnerships with local organizations connected to the play’s themes. We make long-term investments in the playwright by presenting premieres throughout the writer’s career as they build a body of work and promoting the plays to our nationwide network to build a writer’s career with other theaters. Recognizing that BIPOC companies lacked a permanent home because of demographic and economic shifts in the Bay Area, the Magic has prioritized persons of color in all aspects of our organization- from staffing to creative support and partnerships. We revised our programs to better serve artists with multi-year residencies, organizational partnerships, and subsidized rental programs. We provide space, infrastructural, technical, and labor support; the artists and organizations are responsible for the creative and production elements of the performances. Each artist and organization we present reflect a different BIPOC experience, culminating in a tapestry of powerful work that is often ignored by mainstream theaters. The Magic believes that the long-term vitality of our field is achieved through art education that inspires and motivates students and cultivates new audiences for theater. Making Magic: Art and Community partners with community service organizations to provide a standards-based literacy and art education program for youth and adults in the San Francisco Tenderloin, one of the city’s most vulnerable neighborhoods. Through partnerships with Code Tenderloin, Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Center, Larkin Street Youth Center, the Southeast Asian Development Center, Bayview Opera House, and the SF AIDS Foundation, we encourage students of all ages to make their voices heard. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center | 3351 W. 43rd. St. , LOS ANGELES, CA 90056-0237 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 449-0128 | California's 37th congressional district | District 54 | With support from the California Arts Council, Fernando Pullum Community Arts Council (“Pullum Center”) will provide performing arts instruction for more than 1,400 students, ages 5 – 20. Pullum Center serves underserved youth in historically and systemically underserved communities located in South Los Angeles, which are in the lower two quartiles of the Healthy Places Index. | The Pullum Center provides free arts instruction in 24 areas of study to more than 1,400 students, ages 5 to 20, at our headquarters and partner schools. Classes are offered in music, acting, dance, and music recording. | |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $21,300.00 | San Diego Children's Choir | 402 W Broadway, Suite 1240 , SAN DIEGO, CA 92101 | San Diego | Far South | (858) 587-1087 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, the San Diego Children’s Choir will strengthen operations and expand access to choral music education for more than 1,500 children, ages 1–18, primarily from historically and systemically underserved communities across San Diego County, including inland neighborhoods and areas ranked in the lower two quartiles of the Healthy Places Index. CAC funds will support salaries for diverse teaching artists and staff, facility costs, and delivery of inclusive, community-centered programs. Over 70% of participants receive free, culturally responsive, singing-based music education through school and community-based programming. The Choir’s weekly Kodály-based instruction and performances foster musical growth, self-expression, and belonging. This investment will sustain a vital arts workforce, deepen cross-sector partnerships, and ensure that children from all backgrounds can access transformative arts experiences—strengthening the region’s cultural vitality and future. | SDCC was founded in 1990 to give children access to music education that had been diminished or removed from public schools. SDCC has met this need by providing accessible, comprehensive music education and performance experiences to San Diego County children. Each year, 1,500+ children participate in a progressive ensemble program (grades 1-12), an early years introductory music program (ages 1-6), and a school outreach program (PreK-5th grade). SDCC believes no child should be denied access to music education. To this end, we place sites across the county in neighborhoods of varying ethnic and socio-economic composition, and provide free programming for underserved children. Over 70% of SDCC’s participants either participate in our outreach program at their Title 1 school or qualify as low-income based on Federal Poverty Guidelines. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Shasta County Arts Council | 1313 Market St. , Redding, CA 96001 | Shasta | Upstate | (530) 241-7320 | California's 1st congressional district | District 1 | District 1 | With support from the California Arts Council, SHASTA COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL will produce “World Beats” concert series featuring distinct world music performances, each showcasing a different genre, hosted at Old City Hall in the heart of Redding Cultural District, downtown Redding. | Shasta County Arts Council (SCAC) is housed in the City of Redding’s National Registry 1907 City Hall – 8,000 sq. feet that includes a classroom, ballroom, television studio, administrative offices and a pocket park next door. Our gallery features 13 exhibits annually including High School & Middle School Juried Art Competitions where 20+ schools participate. SCAC was the first arts council in the state to manage a public access television station (SCAC.tv) and we now teach digital media arts skills to at-risk youth and interested public members. Our ballroom is host to classical music monthly (we own a Yamaha Grand piano), ballroom, ballet & modern dance classes weekly, concerts, performances as well as theater throughout the year. We also host community meetings & rentals, using our space 300+ days per yr. SCAC is the lead agency for the newly formed Redding Cultural District which is one of 14 districts throughout the State of California. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $13,200.00 | Mil-Tree | P.O. Box 1762 , Joshua Tree, CA 92252 | San Bernardino | Inland Empire | (323) 791-2986 | District 23rd | District 47 | District 19 | With support from the California Arts Council, Mil-Tree Veteran Project will continue to strengthen its organizational capacity to better serve veterans and their families in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. Grant funds will be used to partially support salaries for co-executive directors, an administrative assistant, an outreach and research assistant, and accounting services. These key roles will enable us to implement a leadership succession plan and begin using validated tools—such as surveys and screenings—to measure the long-term impact of our programs on participants. | Mil-Tree’s core programs are creative and art-based workshops, and retreats that support our vision to provide safe spaces for veterans returning to civilian life to gather, express themselves and tell their stories in a non-judgmental environment. We do this through ongoing creative programs that engage veterans and their families, active military and the greater community. Mil-Tree is a grassroots nonprofit organization based in the High Desert community of Joshua Tree, California serving San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. The organization is inclusive and offers creative outlets in the arts and held spaces for dialogue and discussion for veterans, active military and civilians. Mil-Tree was created to welcome our veterans home not only with words by providing various opportunities of engagement with the community at large. Recognizing the loss incurred by leaving the close-knit unit formed in the military, this organization strives to help build new relationships within the community. We include active military, family members and civilians to accomplish this goal, and provide different types of art workshops and projects, including movement, writing, art, music, theater, building and rock climbing. We also provide dialogue circles and retreats to help support the ongoing transition from military service into civilian life. Our programs have a strong track record of positive impact on program participants. Those who participate feeling alone or isolated find a fun, safe and creative environment where collaboration and expression lead easily to new friendships. We have found that arts and dialogue are the best way to bridge different parts of community, building on trust and the things we have in common. Often our programs lead to personal transformation and growth, and the synergy created between our participants is recognizable and profound. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $16,200.00 | Benkadi, a project of Community Partners | 1000 N Alameda St Ste 240, Los Angeles, CA 90012-1804 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 258-9245 | With the support of the California Arts Council, Benkadi, a project of Community Partners, will continue to provide high-quality West African Drum, Dance, and Culture programs to schools in under-resourced and underserved communities in Los Angeles County to promote academic growth and cultural diversity. The program delivers equitable access to art education by offering weekly African drum, dance, and culture classes as part of the curriculum to all students regardless of income, background, prior experience, or abilities. Beyond the classroom, Benkadi supports the broader community through experiential events and workshops, collaborating with local organizations in these areas. The requested funding will support the administrative capacity of the program, including an update of the strategic plan, professional development for staff, and the completion of custom-created state-standard-compliant learning tools and aides for students. | Benkadi brings West African drum, dance and culture programs to schools of economic and social need in Los Angeles County and provides experiential events and learning opportunities to the wider community. Benkadi is fiscally sponsored by Community Partners. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,900.00 | Artist As First Responder | 1240 Minnesota St , San Francisco, CA 94107 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (303) 260-9209 | 11th Congressional District | 17 | 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Artist As First Responder (AAFR) will strengthen its organizational capacity and sustain community-centered arts programming that amplifies the work and leadership of artists who heal communities and save lives. CAC funding will support general operations, including staffing, administration, and core programs across Exhibitions, Artist Residencies, Public Forums, and Community Archive Building. This support will enable AAFR to deepen its impact, advance equity, and expand opportunities for collective healing and creative leadership within the San Francisco Bay Area’s cultural landscape. | Exhibitions: Salt to Catch Ghosts (2022), Collective Arising: The Insistence of Black Bay Area Artists (2022), and Black Joy Story Windows (2021 and ongoing), a self-guided multi-media public art exhibition installed in 30+ storefronts in Downtown Oakland that highlights the work of more than 20 local Black Artists, Cultural Organizations, and businesses. Site-specific Ceremonies: A Meditation for Black Lives (2020) and Art of Defense #Shield Build (2020) took place to honor Black Lives in the wake of the murders of George Floyd, Brianna Taylor, and Ahmaud Aubrey, and Black Women in Mourning & Joy Collective (2022-ongoing) offers space for Black Femmes, Trans, and Non-Binary family to process their mourning through different arts rituals and practices. Print and Public Talks: Since 2000, AAFR authored and facilitated the forum and live zine series Blatant. It centers on the radical imagination of Black women artists and cultural workers creating across disciplines and geography. The series has been sold at the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco, the Berkeley Museum of Fine Art, Bandung Books, and the San Francisco Museum of Fine Art. The AfroPortals Project Space & Archive: an experimental, interactive Art and Design Lab rooted in the principles of Afrofuturism, Black Memory, and Collective Liberation, housed in two retrofitted shipping containers in East Oakland. AfroPortals fosters resilience and builds power within communities by cultivating belonging, storytelling, and radical imagination. The space blends art and technology to inspire community healing. A monthly Men’s Wellness Fellowship gathering, a space of courage and safety for Black and Brown men in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2024, Artist As First Responder produced two print publications, created a site-responsive ceremony, hosted 64 public forums and 13 exhibitions, partnered with five global activation sites, and facilitated five community activations through the Climate Justice Artist in Residence. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,000.00 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center | 388 9TH ST STE 290 , OAKLAND, CA 94607-4295 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 637-0455 | 12th Congressional district of California | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, API Cultural Center, Inc. will build vibrant communities by providing high-quality Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) focused arts and cultural programs including performances, workshops, festivals, classes and exhibitions. These programs will nurture inter-generational and cross-cultural dialogue and understanding, collaboration, and social justice. API Cultural Center, Inc. dba Oakland Asian Cultural Center (OACC) is the oldest pan-Asian performance and arts space in the East Bay Region of the San Francisco Bay Area. OACC provides easy access to unique, affordable or free, multi-ethnic and multidisciplinary arts and cultural programs. | Before the pandemic, we welcomed 25,000+ guests each year to our center through affordable or no-cost, unique, and easily accessible multi-ethnic and multidisciplinary art and cultural programs. Programs include: (1) Artist in Residence; (2) Classes/Workshops/Seminars; (3) Exhibitions; (4) Festivals; (5) Performances and Other Special Events; (6) School Tours & Community Outreach |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,489.00 | Benkadi, a project of Community Partners | 1000 N Alameda St Ste 240, Los Angeles, CA 90012-1804 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 258-9245 | With support from the California Arts Council, Benkadi will provide an 18-week in-school African Drum, Dance, and Culture program to 80 students in 5th and 6th grade at Gil Garcetti Learning Academy in South Central Los Angeles. This program aims to foster creative expression, introduce African arts and culture, enhance cognitive development, and improve mental and physical well-being. It also seeks to cultivate cross-cultural understanding and empathy. | Benkadi brings West African drum, dance and culture programs to schools of economic and social need in Los Angeles County and provides experiential events and learning opportunities to the wider community. Benkadi is fiscally sponsored by Community Partners. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,300.00 | Long Beach Camerata Singers | PO BOX 90511 , LONG BEACH, CA 90809-0511 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (562) 900-2863 | California's 47th congressional district | District 69 | District 33 | With support from the California Arts Council, Camerata Singers of Long Beach (CSLB) will support the second half of it’s 60th Anniversary season. | Camerata Singers of Long Beach (CSLB) is a 90-voice classical music chorus completing its 58th season. The organization is led by Grammy-winning Artistic Director, Dr. James K. Bass, Director of Choral Studies at UCLA. It produces 4 concerts per year, including the annual Peace Project, examining social justice topics, an annual performance of Handel’s Messiah, ChoralFest Long Beach in the Spring, and Evening of Song to finish the season. CSLB is the artistic partner of the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra. In the summer months, LBCS presents its free, community based outdoor concert series, The Front Porch Concerts. LBCS also runs two education programs. The Camerata Children’s Music Academy provides three weekly workshops teaching music fundamentals to pre-K children at the Long Beach YMCA Early Education Program, which runs state-funded child development centers for low-income families. Peace4Youth is presented in partnership with the Long Beach Unified School District, and brings the Peace Project into Middle and High Schools. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $21,300.00 | Intersection | 1446 Market Street , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 626-2787 | California's 11th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Intersection for the Arts will celebrate our 60th Anniversary, continuing to deliver robust programs and services that strengthen the Bay Area’s diverse arts ecosystem. CAC funding will sustain Intersection’s fiscal sponsorship, professional development offerings, and affordable shared administrative and creative space in the heart of San Francisco, serving a wide range of artists and cultural workers. Specifically, funds will support Intersection’s capacity-building initiatives for artists and small arts organizations, including our Fiscal Sponsorship Program and Artist Empowerment Program. Through these programs, Intersection will offer engaging professional development opportunities such as THRIVE: A BIPOC Arts Leadership Program, Arts Finance Empowerment Camp, Art of the Hustle marketing cohort, Coaching Cohort Circles, Grants Coaching, and our Annual Membership Meeting, ensuring equitable access to resources and tools that empower artists to thrive. | For six decades, Intersection for the Arts has served as a bedrock institution in the San Francisco Bay Area, providing critical support to artists and small arts organizations across disciplines. As a nonprofit deeply rooted in the region’s artistic landscape, Intersection offers a unique blend of services that empower artists and cultural workers to bring their creative visions to life. At the heart of Intersection’s work is our Fiscal Sponsorship Program, which enables over 145 artists and arts organizations working in visual arts, literary arts, music, theater, dance, arts education, advocacy, and emerging art forms to access funding, grants, and administrative support. This program helps artists navigate the often-complex nonprofit funding landscape while focusing on their creative work. Intersection’s Artist Empowerment Programs are designed to equip artists with the tools and skills they need to thrive. Offerings include THRIVE: A BIPOC Arts Leadership Program, the Arts Finance Empowerment Camp, the Art of the Hustle marketing cohort, Coaching Cohort Circles, Grants Coaching, and an Annual Membership Meeting. These programs strengthen artists’ entrepreneurial skills, financial literacy, and leadership capacity. In addition, Intersection offers low-cost administrative and creation space in the heart of San Francisco, providing affordable co-working, rehearsal, and event space where artists can collaborate, experiment, and build community. Through these core programs and services, Intersection ensures that Bay Area artists and cultural workers have access to the vital resources, networks, and learning opportunities they need to grow. With a passionate team of artists supporting artists, Intersection upholds our mission of helping the arts sector thrive, building a more vibrant, inclusive, and resilient cultural ecosystem in the process. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,000.00 | The University of California, Berkeley | 119 California Hall # 5940 , Berkeley, CA 94720 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 642-0120 | U.S. Congressional District: 12th | District 14 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Regents of the University of California at Berkeley/Cal Performances will present Berkeley/Oakland AileyCamp in 2026, a nationally-acclaimed summer program that uses dance as a vehicle for developing self-esteem, creative expression, and critical thinking skills among underserved or at-risk middle school students ages 11-14. | Cal Performances brings the best of music, dance, and theater from around the globe directly to Bay Area audiences, fostering life-affirming encounters with the performing arts, as well as countless opportunities to ignite discovery. Cal Performances is known for the unmatched quality and variety of our programming—every season, we present approximately 80 world-class performances ranging from classical music to jazz to musical traditions from around the world, from ballet to contemporary dance, from large-scale multidisciplinary works to intimate theater, to spoken word, and everything in between. Located on the UC Berkeley campus, we engage as deeply with our campus community as we do with the broader Bay Area, including by welcoming UC Berkeley students into our halls, offering special access programs for students and others associated with the University, and creating links between our programming and the rich intellectual life of the campus. Additionally, our Cal Performances Classroom initiatives plant the seeds for future generations of performing arts lovers by offering a variety of avenues for local K-12 youth to engage with our programming. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,872.00 | Maya's Music Therapy Fund | PO BOX 7110 , BERKELEY, CA 94707-0110 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 704-8476 | With support from the California Arts Council, Maya’s Music Therapy Fund will provide free weekly music therapy sessions to youth with developmental disabilities at two East Bay after-school program sites. Through music therapy sessions and performing at our Spring Music Festival, participants will foster creative self-expression and gain new musical, cognitive, and social skills. | Maya’s Music Therapy Fund’s board certified music therapists work with people with disabilities such as autism, cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome, brain injury, hearing and vision impairment, ADHD, Rett syndrome, and other developmental disabilities. Experiencing the unique power of music to engage our brains and our bodies, clients gain physical and social skills while building self-esteem and confidence during individual and group music therapy sessions. MMTF also collaborates with agencies and existing programs that serve people with disabilities from Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco Counties in Northern California. | |||
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $21,000.00 | Izcalli | 4219 E. Overlook Drive , SAN DIEGO, CA 92115 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 857-1148 | California's 53rd congressional district | District 79 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, Izcalli will empower youth to create and perform original live theater centered on the theme of freedom at the Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center in the heart of San Diego’s Barrio Logan Cultural District. The Museum and Chicano Park—home to an Izcalli organization mural and a site with a powerful history of successful resistance—will serve as relevant and meaningful rehearsal and performance venues for amplifying youth voices and demonstrating effective strategies for community empowerment. | Teatro Izcalli, a Chicanx comedy troupe, has been performing throughout the United States at various conferences, theater venues and community spaces for over 25 years. Teatro Izcalli follows in the tradition of el Teatro Campesino and Culture Clash and presents the traditions, opportunities, and issues related to the Chicanx/Latinx community. Our actos (sketches) and plays address issues such as racism, identity, higher education, and immigration. Additionally, for the past five years Teatro Izcalli had a residency teaching teatro to the next generation of social justice storytellers in San Diego middle schools. Beyond Teatro Izcalli, Izcalli provides deeper intervention services and assistance for middle and high school students through Circulo de Hombres (Circle of Men), an on-campus after school program that support Latino youth with making positive choices and becoming more engaged in school by providing them with male role models and enriching cultural programming. The organization also offers Circulo de Mujeres (Circle of Women) that connects girls to women mentors and a community of support within their schools. In addition to art making activities both programs use a “talking circle” format to engage youth in dialogue and reflection about their issues, such as sexuality, teen pregnancy, and the violence that impacts their communities. Program Goals: |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | Chopsticks Alley Art | 38 S 2nd Street , San Jose, CA 95113-2501 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (831) 239-9710 | California Assembly district 18 | District 25 | District 15 | With support from the California Arts Council, Chopsticks Alley Art will produce “Flavors of the Diasporas: A Culinary Journey of Belonging”, a multidisciplinary exhibition featuring immigrant and first-generation American artists navigating bicultural identities from Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Iran, India, and the Philippines now living in the Bay Area. Each artist will create new work exploring their personal migration stories through visual art, dance performance, spoken word, and culinary storytelling. The project will culminate in a free public exhibition, live performances, and a community gathering centered around food and cultural exchange. CAC funds will support artist stipends, materials, venue rental, and community outreach. Flavors of the Diasporas provides a platform for underrepresented immigrant voices, fosters cross-cultural understanding, and creates a welcoming space for dialogue, connection, and healing through the arts. | Founded in 2014, Chopsticks Alley Art (CAA) creates educational arts programming that celebrates and addresses the needs of Southeast Asian Americans to celebrate their cultural heritage while engaging in social issues affecting our communities. Past programs have included art classes, gallery exhibits, free cultural festivals, and pubic art-making events. CAA has an established record of programing successful and accessible cultural events that appeal to a demographically diverse and inter-generational audience. One of our primary first initiatives, Chopsticks Alley Eats, organized community members to promote volunteerism in support of homeless children. Chopsticks Alley has an online, multimedia publication to share the voices of young Vietnamese and Filipino Americans through talk shows, podcasts, and other media. Building from this online platform, we launched Chopsticks Alley Arts as a 501(c)(3) organization in 2017, furthering the impact of our programming. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | Luna Dance and Creativity | 931 Ashby Avenue , Berkeley, CA 94710 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 883-1118 | California's 12th congressional district | District 14 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Luna Kids Dance, Inc. dba Luna Dance & Creativity (formerly Luna Dance Institute) will offer dance integration strategies to early childhood education (ECE) teachers in Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) to meet their | Our ADA-accessible STUDIO LAB children’s program offers a progression of dance learning designed to nurture the choreographer in every child in a studio class structure at Luna’s studios in Berkeley. The STUDIO LAB adult program offers opportunities for and presentations on dance research, the choreographic process, and topics that expand ideas about what dance is and who can dance. PROFESSIONAL LEARNING fulfills Luna’s mission to bring all children to dance as we deepen the knowledge and practice of dance learning through workshops, courses, panel conversations, and resources designed so that creative practitioners manifest creative self-efficacy, investigate teaching practice, establish collegial communities, cultivate dance leadership, and become change agents. Luna helps the field of dance education arc toward justice through FIELD MOVING, our practice-to-policy approach that includes sharing the findings of our inquiries and research; joining with others to create impact; and relentlessly advocating for inclusion, creativity, and self-determination. Recognizing that our work is situated within systems of oppression and racial injustice, we seek change by working together in community, paying attention, staying true to our values, and placing children as the future at the center of our work. Through PARTNERS FOR CHANGE, Luna collaborates with organizations (social service and human welfare agencies, schools and school districts) throughout the region, state and nation to build capacity for enduring dance programs that support the values of each community. Luna, an expert in EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION in dance, has refined, over more than three decades, its pedagogy and curriculum to align with discoveries in neuroscience, play research, child psychology, and cultural responsiveness. As we envision a future with today’s toddlers becoming tomorrow’s leaders, early learning demands our crucial attention and focus. Luna faculty continue our research, theory-building, and practice to better understand how dance is at the convergence of all processes of learning. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $13,200.00 | IAMA Theatre Company | 3269 Casitas Avenue , Los Angeles, CA 90039 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (917) 312-9282 | 30th Congressional District of California | District 52 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, IAMA THEATRE COMPANY will sustain its innovative and inclusive new play development programs and expand its community outreach throughout Los Angeles. Funds will be used to offset increased rental and operation costs, pay artists and staff a living wage, and invest in more accessibility and audience engagement services that will increase our impact, with a focus on providing more free and low-cost performances, culturally responsive community events, and student scholarships. Our 2025/2026 season will include: the creation and presentation of 1 World Premiere mainstage production; our annual New Works Festival, featuring 8 new plays by L.A. based playwrights that engages over 50 local artists; 2 public, staged workshops of new plays by underrepresented writers; and our arts education platform, designed to support emerging artists from historically underserved communities. | For 17 seasons, IAMA Theatre Company has produced over 40 World and West Coast Premieres of new plays for the American theater, and developed over 100 more through our unique, ensemble-driven work and collaborative, new play development process. In addition to our mainstage productions, we program a variety of theatrical events, community engagement initiatives, education programs, and development opportunities for L.A. based artists and audiences including: • The IAMA New Works Festival, our leading new play development program that features an annual series of staged reading workshops, public presentations, and post-show community discussions. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | The Cypher Spot | 12844 Hawthorne Blvd , HAWTHORNE, CA 90250 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (424) 577-0321 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Cypher Spot will expand our free and affordable arts programming for youth in Hawthorne and surrounding communities. Grant funds will support culturally rooted street dance classes—including Krump, Breaking, Hip Hop, and Afrobeats—as well as growing visual art offerings like screen printing, drawing, and painting. All classes are led by professional artists who reflect the backgrounds and experiences of the youth we serve. Funding will go toward artist pay, equipment, community outreach, and expansion of programs, ensuring access for families facing financial and social barriers. Our goal is to provide a safe, uplifting space where youth can explore their creativity, build confidence, and connect more deeply to their culture and community through the arts. | The Cypher Spot has been a home for many since we opened in Inglewood in 2016. We build character, skill, confidence, and perseverance in our students using the elements of urban culture (dance, art, and media). We host daily classes for our students in Hip Hop, Breakdance, Krump, House, Popping, painting, video production, and much more. We foster creative abilities of youth through programs focused on learning foundational knowledge and having them apply it to their own personal art. Students are often challenged to create their own dance choreography, create original pieces of art, and compete and showcase freestyle/improvisational dance. Not only do we teach our students the application of the art but we also focus on the history behind it too. This empowers the youth to see that even they can create an art form, a dance style, or an art piece that can change the world and reach past the borders of our city. Many styles of dance that we focus on originated and/or blossomed in the streets, parties, and backyards of Los Angeles that now stretch all around the world. We love to teach the history of these cultures so that our students may find representation in them. Through our classes and events, our goal is to encourage our students to challenge themselves through new styles in dance and art which in return will encourage critical thinking, problem solving, leadership, collaboration, and creativity. In this we provide our students a chance to share their voice, release, and their energy. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Level Ground | 1920 Hillhurst Avenue #V939 , Los Angeles, CA 90027 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (630) 913-7264 | California's 30th congressional district | District 52 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Level Ground will produce and exhibit a two-week culminating gallery show for our Social Practice Labs — a new program featuring artist-led book clubs, seminars, workshops, and events inspired by revolutionary texts that lead us towards social and cultural change. Inspired by our 18-month engagement with Octavia E Butler’s “Parable of the Sower,” this culminating gallery show titled “Season of the Sower” includes work from 10 Black and trans emerging and mid-career artists selected by Lead Curator yétúndé olagbaju. | We run three distinct, interdependent programs. The specific events and projects within each program may evolve or even change year-to-year on account of our capacity, budget, and strategic decision-making, but these programs provide the consistent scaffolding for where Level Ground directs our resources. Our Residency Program provides emerging visual artists and cultural stewards with financial, creative, and care support to produce and exhibit a new body of work. A rotating selection committee curates each residency cohort, and every program cycle culminates with a free public offering from the residents. Our Production Incubator supports experimental and nonfiction filmmakers making work about critical socio-political issues. We create opportunities for collaboration and provide resources for project development, production, and distribution. Our Social Practice Labs are artist-led humanities seminars and workshops inspired by revolutionary texts where our larger communities join the Level Ground Collective to study and practice frameworks of collective liberation and abolition. Each year, the lab is documented in an annual group publication and/or exhibition. Alongside our programs, Level Ground maintains a Mutual Aid Network that offers responsive, ongoing, and direct material support specifically and exclusively for the Level Ground Collective (i.e. emergency grants, health stipends, project materials). |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $22,750.00 | Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego | 700 Prospect Street , San Diego, CA 92037 | San Diego | Far South | (858) 454-3541 | California's 52nd Congressional District | District 78 | District 39 | With funding from California Arts Council, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego will deliver the Teen Art Collective (TAC), a 75+ hour after-school program that brings together diverse high school students for a transformative experience in contemporary art, identity, cultural preservation. In partnership with the Balboa Art Conservation Center, TAC fosters youth voices through hands-on workshops, mentorship with California artists, and field trips to artists’ studios and cultural institutions. Students engage with professionals—many reflecting their own backgrounds—and explore museum collections, conservation science, and creative careers. The program is free to all participants and emphasizes culturally responsive learning, emotional growth, and collaborative artmaking. TAC culminates in a student-curated exhibition at MCASD, activating youth narratives and cultivating critical thinking, leadership, and respect for diverse cultures in a safe, supportive environment. | MCASD provides an unprecedented variety of exhibition spaces and experiences for the community, showcasing an internationally recognized collection and a dynamic schedule of exhibitions and public programs. The Museum presents a rotating schedule of exhibitions annually and has a strong history of touring exhibitions to prestigious national and international venues. Youth are a key audience and, since 2007, MCASD has offered free admission to all visitors ages 25 and under. Programs for young people include the Extended School Partnership, Teen Art Collective, Family Art Labs, and monthly Family Free Days, as well as interactive night time event series. The Museum’s Reflections creative aging program serves older adults. On Free Third Thursdays the Museum offers extended hours with a changing roster of films, talks and perfromances. Play Days take place on the second Sunday of the month are also free for all and offer dedicated family programming and artmaking. The Museum’s La Jolla campus reopened to the public in April 2022 after a significant expansion which quadrupled the gallery space. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,000.00 | Media Arts Center San Diego | 1100 Market Street Suite 326, San Diego, CA 92101 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 230-1938 | California's 53rd congressional district | California's 80th District | 78th District | With support from the California Arts Council, MEDIA ARTS CENTER SAN DIEGO (MACSD) will serve underrepresented youth (ages 6-25) in San Diego County through the Young Producers Project (YPP), a visual storytelling and media literacy initiative. YPP programs include the Teen Producers Project, Emerging Makers, City Heights IdeaLab, Youth Creators Media Camp, student outreach screenings, Teen Filmmaking Bootcamps, In-School and Library Workshops, and Workforce Development Initiative. During the past thirty-two years, our programs have experienced remarkable growth, paralleled by an increasing demand from our community. Funds from this grant will help MACSD improve its capacity to best serve youth who lack access to culturally resonant media stories and digital tools. Through hands-on programs, filmmaking, screenings, free field trips, and mentorship, we teach participants how to transform their communities through the power of media arts. | MACSD programs, events, and film festivals are inclusionary—designed with audiences, participants, and community collaboration in mind. A summary of core organizational programs and services can be broken down into three categories: WATCH—San Diego Latino Film Festival (SDLFF) celebrates its 32nd anniversary in March 2025 introducing viewers to contemporary US-Latino and Latin American cinema. Additional programming includes the Que Viva Outdoor Cine Latino Series, and daily screenings of at our Digital Gym Cinema. LEARN—Media education programs for youth include: Teen Producers Project, Youth Media & Tech Camps, ¡Tu Cine! Student Film Showcase, the iVIE Awards & Student Film Festival and in-school media programs. CREATE—Tools for community-based media production and collaboration include: Frontera Filmmakers, a grassroots training course for independent filmmakers; and Video Production Services, helping community groups make digital media presence accessible and affordable. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,250.00 | N/A | 6417 S. Main St , Los Angeles, CA 90003-1525 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 459-1420 | California Assembly district 53 | District 53 | District 30 | With support from the California Arts Council, PIECE BY PIECE will provide free, therapeutic mosaic workshops for Veterans from across Los Angeles County. While some success has been made to house more Veterans – housed or unhoused – they are still among our most at-risk citizens suffering isolation, mental and physical health issues, PTSD, and depression. By engaging in the meditative process of mosaic arts in a supportive community Veterans, from all branches of the military and years of service have an opportunity to process complex emotions, and find satisfaction in the transformative, creative practice of art without judgement or expectation – and in a highly accessible medium that does not require prior experience. Funds will support the trauma-informed teaching staff, all mosaic materials and tools, and workshop set up providing full accessibility for disabled vets. | Programs include: – Artisan Certification Program: Progressive skill-building course guiding participants through four certification levels in mosaic. – Directed Studies: Multi-week sessions focusing on advanced techniques led by Piece by Piece instructors and professional Visiting Artists. – Open Studio: Open session for active participants to create personal projects, refine skills, and receive support from instructors. – Community Outreach: Group projects with community members in an inviting, low-commitment setting. – Social Enterprise: Artisans complete orders and commissioned projects, receiving an hourly wage for their work. – Studio Prep Associates Program: The organization employs individuals who have experienced homelessness to provide program support sorting, preparing, and managing donated mosaic materials. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,300.00 | PALENKE ARTS | 1713 Broadway Ave. , SEASIDE, CA 93955-4609 | Monterey | Central Coast | (831) 333-6612 | With support from the California Arts Council, Palenke Arts wil continue its work of community transformation through the arts. Thus we’ll provide high-quality multicultural arts classes and events to underserved youth and families in the city of Seaside who would otherwise not have access to them. Our goal for 2025-26 is to serve 275 + unduplicated students both during school hours and after school at both our sites: the Martin Luther King School of the Arts and our brand new Teen Arts Center. | Palenke Arts is a multicultural arts organization founded in 2016 by a committed group of artists, educators and community members who wanted to address the lack of affordable multicultural arts programs for the youth in the city of Seaside. For the past seven years, we have provided high quality multidisciplinary arts, music and dance classes and workshops to many families who would traditionally not be able to pay for them. In addition to our educational programs, Palenke Arts offers an awe-inspiring concert series that features local and international artists (México, Morocco, Cuba, Iran, Brazil, Vietnam, Spain) including Grammy and Emmy winners. Thus, over the past 7 years we have organized and participated in countless community events such as our own annual Palenke Arts Festival presenting to over 5,000 audience members yearly. Palenke Arts exists to create a safe, vibrant and inclusive multicultural arts center in the city of Seaside that will benefit all of the Monterey Peninsula. We aim to uplift youth voices, inspire creativity and transform our community into a place where everyone feels seen, valued and welcomed through the healing power of the arts. In recognition of our work, in 2019, we received the award as the Nonprofit of Year in Arts and Culture from the Nonprofit Alliance of Monterey County. In 2022 our Executive Director Juan L. Sánchez obtained the Champion of the Arts Award from the Arts Council of Monterey County. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $21,600.00 | Deaf West Theatre | 4531 Tujunga Ave. , Studio City, CA 91602 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 762-2998 | California's 30th congressional district | District 38 | District 27 | With support from the California Arts Council, Deaf West Theatre will continue its long history of working to fully integrate Deaf artists and audiences into the world of live Theater through its productions, training, education and advocacy programs. | Productions in Amercian Sign Language with simultaneous voice translation |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,600.00 | Unearth and Empower Communities | 1317 N Pearl Ave , Compton, CA 90221 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (424) 242-8383 | 43rd | 65th | 35th | With support from the California Arts Council, UNEARTH AND EMPOWER COMMUNITIES will sustain and expand its community-based arts programming in Compton, California, by providing year-round creative experiences for youth and families. CAC grant funds will support core operational costs including teaching artist stipends, program supplies, and administrative infrastructure essential to delivering our free Community Art Camp, Little Creators early childhood program, Houses of Steam, DiscoverU, and Compton Mural Project. These initiatives engage youth ages 0–18 in culturally relevant visual and performing arts that promote creative expression, civic engagement, and healing through the arts. Funding will help ensure equitable access to high-quality arts education in a historically under-resourced region, centering racial equity, youth leadership, and community pride. This general operating support will strengthen UEC’s capacity to serve over 400 youth annually and deepen its long-term impact. | Community Arts Program Little Creators Compton Mural Project Houses of STEAM STEAM Tech Center Pathways Program |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Unearth and Empower Communities | 1317 N Pearl Ave , Compton, CA 90221 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (424) 242-8383 | 43rd | 65th | 35th | With support from the California Arts Council, Unearth and Empower Communities (UEC) will offer a youth-centered public art initiative that engages BIPOC students in grades 7-12 in a transformative, arts-based learning experience. The Compton Mural Project is a collaborative effort between UEC, The Makers Hub, and Compton District 2 Councilmember Andre Spicer. This 10-week high-impact program provides participants with an intensive 30-hour curriculum that combines hands-on mural design and creation with civic education, cultural heritage exploration, and artistic skill-building. Our plan is to offer two cohorts, one in the fall and one in the spring, thereby serving approximately 30 youth. | Community Arts Program Little Creators Compton Mural Project Houses of STEAM STEAM Tech Center Pathways Program |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $16,200.00 | Izcalli | 4219 E. Overlook Drive , SAN DIEGO, CA 92115 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 857-1148 | California's 53rd congressional district | District 79 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, Izcalli Escuela de la Raza will expand its staff and programs. General operating support will allow the organization to continue its mission of promoting cultural consciousness through the arts, education, and community dialogue, specifically by supporting culturally relevant theater education, professional performances by Teatro Izcalli, restorative arts trainings for educators, and Indigenous Restorative Circles that foster rehumanization and cultural reconnection. | Teatro Izcalli, a Chicanx comedy troupe, has been performing throughout the United States at various conferences, theater venues and community spaces for over 25 years. Teatro Izcalli follows in the tradition of el Teatro Campesino and Culture Clash and presents the traditions, opportunities, and issues related to the Chicanx/Latinx community. Our actos (sketches) and plays address issues such as racism, identity, higher education, and immigration. Additionally, for the past five years Teatro Izcalli had a residency teaching teatro to the next generation of social justice storytellers in San Diego middle schools. Beyond Teatro Izcalli, Izcalli provides deeper intervention services and assistance for middle and high school students through Circulo de Hombres (Circle of Men), an on-campus after school program that support Latino youth with making positive choices and becoming more engaged in school by providing them with male role models and enriching cultural programming. The organization also offers Circulo de Mujeres (Circle of Women) that connects girls to women mentors and a community of support within their schools. In addition to art making activities both programs use a “talking circle” format to engage youth in dialogue and reflection about their issues, such as sexuality, teen pregnancy, and the violence that impacts their communities. Program Goals: |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $21,500.00 | Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center | 934 BRANNAN ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103-4906 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 829-9467 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | In celebration of the 30th anniversary of our United States of Asian America Festival’s (USAAF), the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center (APICC) will curate a landmark visual arts exhibition at SOMArts Cultural Center, showcasing three decades of arts-based community building, diasporic cultural memory, and collective resilience and advocacy across Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities in the Bay Area. This exhibition will feature archival materials, artist retrospectives, and participatory public programming that illuminate the stories of historically underrepresented communities. CAC funds will support curatorial labor, venue costs, and accessibility services, ensuring equitable participation across AANHPI diasporas, including LGBTQIA2S+, refugee, immigrant, and mixed-race artists. This project reflects APICC’s commitment to cultural preservation, intergenerational healing, and equity in the arts, and will serve as a vital platform for reflection, resistance, and imagining collective futures. | Through collaboration, productions, and presentations, APICC supports the development and growth of the diverse artistic endeavors of the San Francisco Bay Area Asian/Pacific Islander (API) community. Founded in 1998, our primary purpose is to heighten the visibility of artists and address the interests of San Francisco’s underserved API audiences. By means of technical services for our community’s emerging artists and arts groups, APICC collaborates with emerging and well-established groups with special focus on mid-career artists, allowing them access to production and fundraising expertise, performance and rehearsal space, as well as organizational consulting. APICC’s anchor program, the annual United States of Asian America Festival (USAAF), presents artists and organizations representing a diverse range of ethnic and cultural groups. All disciplines are represented: theater, music, dance, film, literature, visual arts, and more. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $20,000.00 | ELM | 2960 KERNER BLVD , San Rafael, CA 94901 | Marin | Bay Area – Other | (415) 870-9053 | California's 2nd congressional district | District 10 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, ENRICHING LIVES THROUGH MUSIC will launch the Music and Memory Project, a cultural and creative initiative that honors students’ heritage by collecting and exploring their families’ traditional lullabies and the stories behind them. Students will collaborate with teaching artists and guest composers to study the musical structure and cultural context of these lullabies, then use this knowledge to compose original chamber ensemble pieces. These compositions will be performed in community gatherings and formal concerts, celebrating cultural identity through shared storytelling and music-making. | Enriching Lives through Music (ELM) is a multi-year, tuition-free, community-based music program primarily for first generation Latine students in San Rafael, California. We promote social change through the ambitious pursuit of musical excellence. ELM currently offers 170+ children ages 8-18 instruction on orchestral instruments, year-round, for their entire childhood – providing increasing layers of support to them and their families as they grow older. We plan to admit a new cohort of 25-30 third grade students each year. ELM is based on a model of inclusivity, equity, and intensity. Students participate in ELM for 10 hours, four days per week. After school, students study their primary instruments (violin, cello, flute, clarinet, oboe, trumpet, trombone), participate in enrichment classes, and receive academic support. In addition to instrument-specific classes, all students have weekly sectionals, weekly ensemble (orchestra) rehearsals, and musicianship/theory classes. On Saturdays the ELM community joins together to rehearse in orchestras. ELM creates opportunities for students to thrive creatively, academically, socially, and emotionally. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,750.00 | Haemil Performing Group | 1220 CRENSHAW BLVD , LOS ANGELES, CA 90019-3128 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (714) 576-9284 | 37th Congressional district of California | 54 | 30 | With support from the California Arts Council, Daroo Korean Performing Arts and Culture (Daroo KPAC) will present the 12th Annual Korean Traditional Music & Arts Festival, also known as the Roar Cultural Festival, in November 2025. This multi-day, multicultural celebration will feature traditional and contemporary performances, community workshops, cultural exhibitions, and interactive arts education activities. Grant funds will support artist stipends, cultural programming, and community engagement efforts that center immigrant voices, intergenerational participation, and cross-cultural understanding. The festival provides a platform for Korean American and other underrepresented artists while fostering inclusive, community-driven dialogue around identity, belonging, and heritage. By deepening access to traditional arts and encouraging active participation from historically underserved communities, Daroo KPAC seeks to use this project to elevate cultural equity and visibility, especially among youth, seniors, and multilingual families in Southern California. | 1. The Annual Roar Cultural Festival, held since 2022, promotes Korean performing arts to both Korean and non-Korean communities. Its goals are to: |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $21,500.00 | Legends Purpose | 3734 BRADVIEW DR , SACRAMENTO, CA 95827-9702 | Sacramento | Capital | (530) 355-2256 | District 6 | District 7 | District 6 | With support from the California Arts Council, Legend’s Purpose will expand its Creative Empowerment Lab to deliver free, high-quality, culturally responsive arts programming to underserved youth ages 12–24 across Sacramento County. This initiative centers system-impacted youth—including those in foster care, the justice system, or experiencing economic hardship—and engages them in self-reflective and expressive art forms such as visual storytelling, spoken word, and collaborative public art. CAC funds will support teaching artist stipends, materials, youth transportation, and community-based art showcases. Through this work, Legend’s Purpose will foster personal growth, creative skill-building, and community pride—using the arts as a vehicle for healing, empowerment, and leadership. | 1. Creative Empowerment Lab (Self-Reflective & Expressive Arts) |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Flyaway Productions | 1068 Bowdoin St. , San Francisco, CA 94134 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 672-4111 | U.S. House of Representatives district 15 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, FLYAWAY PRODUCTIONS will create FREEDOM COMES WHEN ONE WALKS THROUGH IT, a dance-based public art project connecting public libraries -designed to freely nourish people, and prisons -designed for punishment and isolation. FREEDOM COMES will be created in coalition with Empowerment Avenue, incarcerated writer April Harris, and composer Kalyn Harewood. It will explore testimony from currently incarcerated women regarding their specific paths to freedom via commutation, parole, 1170 resentencing, appeals, legislation (like the Racial Justice Act), activism, and art creation. It will uplift their struggle and honor how the soul gets free. The project will culminate in multiple aerial performances in/on SF Library branches starting in 2026. This is Flyaway Productions’ eighth project with systems-impacted people and second collaboration with women behind the walls. | PERFORM: We make dances that are site-specific, off the ground, and justice-driven. We perform in unlikely places, activating the sides of buildings above bleak city streets. Discarded needles; unhoused bodies lining sidewalks. This is where we create. Our site-specific dances impact neighborhoods because they unfold at the very place where conflict lives. For us, a building is a witness. It holds the complexity of a neighborhood’s history in its “hands,” I-beams, or concrete walls. Our tools include coalition building, an intersectional feminist lens, and a body-based push against the constraints of gravity. From 2017-2023, Flyaway created The Decarceration Trilogy: Dismantling the Prison Industrial Complex One Dance at a Time. We continue to create new work centering incarcerated artists and exploring prison systems change. TEACH: We offer year-round classes to adults, teens, and youth. We offer GIRLFLY, a Youth Art & Activism Program, integrating dance-making and activism. Our training with youth offers some remedy for the ways women and girls/GNC youth remain underserved in public culture as a whole. We also offer teaching residencies that link social justice content, school curriculum, and movement innovation, where your young artists are our collaborators. ADVOCATE: We provide a bridge between the arts, gender justice, racial justice, and everyday life. We are constantly developing new forms for community engagement and coalition building with activists and non-arts partners. COLLABORATE: We have worked with Bay Area Dance Artists Bianca Cabrera, Quinn Dior, Clarissa Dyas, Laura Elaine Ellis, Sonsherée Giles, MaryStarr Hope, Megan Lowe, Jhia Jackson, Saharla Vetch and natalya shoaf. We also work in collaboration with designer Sean Riley, rigger Dave Freitag, and over a dozen women/nonbinary composers, including Pamela Z, Madlines, Jewlia Eisenberg, Carla Kihlstedt, Van Anh Vo, Melanie DeMore, and Theresa Wong. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,300.00 | 82-2363154 | 2728 Sixth Avenue , SAN DIEGO, CA 92103 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 738-1232 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from California Arts Council, Voices of Our City Choir (Voices) will advance our mission to amplify the voices of people impacted by homelessness through music and the arts. Funds will be used to enhance and expand the capacity of our program service model, which integrates welcoming, healing music/artistic programs into person-centered, culturally responsive outreach and case management to foster empowerment and respect, help unsheltered artists meet basic needs, and transform cultural narratives about homelessness. A grant from CAC will 1) increase the number of unsheltered San Diego artists we engage in musical programming that is incorporated into case management/wraparound support; 2) increase the visibility of San Diego artists experiencing homelessness to public audiences; and 3) elevate lived experiences of our Choir Members during performances to reframe public perceptions/stigmas around homelessness and catalyze change. | San Diego-based musician Steph Johnson co-founded Voices as a Performance Choir in 2017, in collaboration with local musicians and people experiencing homelessness. Our Choir has performed in more than 150 events, including San Diego Symphony Orchestra, San Diego Master Chorale, and America’s Got Talent (AGT), where Members received the Golden Buzzer award and inspired San Diego’s Board of Supervisors to declare June 2nd “Voices of Our City Day.” To build upon the success of our choir, Voices expanded our arts and creative offerings to include songwriting and music production workshops and wraparound services that link Members to housing/social supports. We offer songwriting workshops to engage Members in creating new, original productions for our Choir to perform in community events. We also provide Members access to our in-house studio to learn music recording, engineering, video, and production skills. In 2022, we formalized the structure of our case management, wraparound service referrals, and basic needs services into a Choir Member Services program. Through our musical programs, Members develop trusting, authentic relationships with our Member Services staff; these connections provide a critical avenue for staff to identify Members’ housing, food, and mental health needs and provide a symphony of resources to meet them. In this way, Voices uses the rhythm of musical programs to move Members through the hierarchy of basic needs and help them realize their full potential. In the process, Voices evolved from a performance ensemble to a nonprofit using musical programming to help unsheltered neighbors meet basic needs. Voices has received excellence awards from Mayor Todd Gloria and the San Diego Psychological Association. Voices also received the 2022 Peacemaker award from the National Conflict Resolution Center. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $13,500.00 | Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls San Diego | PO BOX 232342 , ENCINITAS, CA 92023-2342 | San Diego | Far South | (760) 390-3972 | California's 49th congressional district | District 76 | District 36 | With support from the California Arts Council, Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls San Diego will hire a seasoned non-profit Executive Director, who will intentionally grow and activate our organization in innovative ways. We will branch out beyond our signature Gxrls Rock! Summer Camp and hold year-round workshops to activate multiple community venues across San Diego. And, we will aim to triple our scholarships so that girls and non-binary youth, who are most disconnected from engagement with the arts, are able to have access to and participate in quality music programming. | Currently, our signature program/activity of Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls San Diego is to produce our annual week-long Gxrls Rock! Summer Camp for 50-55 girls and non-binary youth ages 8-17 during the month of June. In one week, we provide over 40 hours of direct programming. Campers receive fun and engaging music education, they form bands, write original songs, and learn an instrument. We also hold unique workshops during camp, working on a community impact project with other nonprofits. Campers are mentored by 15 inspirational professional artists, and participate in a live showcase performance at a professional venue, in front of over 250 audience members. As of 2024, Gxrls Rock! Summer Camp has created 65 youth bands, and 65 original songs have been written by our camp attendees, and we have served over 350 youth, and performed to over 2,000 family and community members. With additional capacity, we hope to provide quarterly year-round workshops (e.g., vocals, songwriting, ukulele). |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | transcenDANCE Youth Arts Project | 5700 El Cajon Blvd , San Diego, CA 92115-3737 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 310-5330 | California's 53rd congressional district | District 79 | District 38 | With support from the California Arts Council, TRANSCENDANCE YOUTH ARTS PROJECT will engage up to 70 youth from underserved communities in our CREATE Performance Group program from October 2025 – August 2026. In accordance with our ongoing, successful program model, students ages 9-19 years will experience a holistic and culturally affirming creative process with professional Teaching Artists through a robust Creative Youth Development program. The students and artists will co-create an original dance theatre production that will be presented at a culminating performance on a professional San Diego Stage in Spring 2026, and we will offer additional community outreach performances during Summer 2026. Through this programming we will address community-identified needs including youth mentorship, access to youth-tailored creative spaces, making art with an equity lens, and providing a platform to amplify youth voice and vision. | transcenDANCE programs provide youth development opportunities through a unique three-tiered program model: CONNECT, CREATE, CONTRIBUTE. transcenDANCE CONNECTS to youth and communities through in-school and out-of-school time dance classes, artist-in-residency programs, outreach performances, and summer camps. CREATE is the heart of the transcenDANCE programs. Youth explore dance and the performing arts through rigorous dance training and immersion in a social change and social emotional learning curriculum over 9 months, which culminates in an annual performance on a professional San Diego stage. transcenDANCE alumni CONTRIBUTE to transcenDANCE through performances, teaching and choreography assistantships and paid roles, and mentoring of incoming students. All students have access to mental health services, mentorship, and leadership development opportunties. Our students’ transformative experience develops their leadership skills, social and emotional resilience, and confidence to change the trajectories of their lives and positively impact the communities they live in. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,600.00 | Hijos del Sol Arts Productions | 443 E Alisal St, Suite C , Salinas, CA 93905-4514 | Monterey | Central Coast | (831) 210-2552 | 18th Congressional District of California | District 29 | District 17 | With support from the California Arts Council, HIJOS DEL SOL ARTS PRODUCTIONS will expand access to culturally rooted arts education for over 2,250 youth participants and over 1,100 audience members in East Salinas and surrounding communities. ALL are welcome to join our free studio programs, school-based residencies, and community events that celebrate creativity, heritage, and identity. Youth receive unlimited art supplies, instruction, healthy snacks, and mentorship to support their educational and creative journeys. Programs culminate in annual student exhibits—A Toda Madres, Garabatos, and Día de Muertos—where young artists share and sell their work. Through community murals and paid apprenticeships, older youth also gain leadership skills and hands-on experience. Our work transforms public spaces and builds pride across generations, fostering connection, resilience, and opportunity through the arts. | Hijos del Sol, meaning “Children of the Sun,” embodies a philosophy of interconnectedness and sharing. Established in 1994 by Native American and Latino migrant artists in East Salinas, our award-winning organization has been repeatedly recognized by city, county, and state officials for impactful programming. At Hijos del Sol, every participant is encouraged to explore their creativity freely, fostering authentic self-expression and personal empowerment. In 2024, we reached 2,979 youth and engaged over 2,442 community members in our events. Recent survey results demonstrate that Hijos del Sol fosters artistic growth, confidence, and community. The findings highlight our impact in nurturing both creativity and a supportive community. 76.9% feel a strong sense of belonging HIJOS DEL SOL EXPERIMENTAL ARTS STUDIO is our unique model key for youth to find freedom of expression. With our hub in East Salinas, participants create without fear, unleashing their emotions, imagination, and enthusiasm. HIJOS DEL SOL TRAVELING EXPERIMENTAL ARTS STUDIOS are set up on school grounds for all students to access and rotate into the experimental studio environment. In the coming year, we expect to continue to work with all 14 schools of the Salinas City Elementary District and more. HIJOS DEL SOL CULTURAL EVENTS WITH ARTS EXHIBITS work with students throughout the year fosters a sense of belonging and cultural appreciation. At these events, we keep our traditions alive, preserving our heritage. 1) A Toda Madres, 2) Dia de los Muertos, and 3) Garabatos. HIJOS DEL SOL TRANSFORMATIVE COMMUNITY MURALS include vibrant, symbolic images that reflect the strength of our people, uplift our community, and spread messages of unity and hope. HIJOS DEL SOL APPRENTICES are a cohort under the guidance of Arts Director Jose G. Ortiz and Jose “Pepe” Nolasco. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | URBAN VOICES PROJECT | 420 S SAN PEDRO ST #423, LOS ANGELES, CA 90013-2192 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 741-1887 | CA-34 | District 57 | Distract 28 | Rooted in Skid Row through music, community, and openhearted inclusion of the most marginalized members of society, Urban Voices Project amplifies artistic expression to improve well-being, strengthen social networks, and inspire individuals to be their own best advocates. Our programming consists of community singing, performing ensemble choir, music education classes, music wellness workshops, and recurring events designed to build community and strengthen access to resources for individuals experiencing homelessness. Funding from the California Arts Council will support general operating costs, including employee training and professional development, paying local artists and choir members, expanding program offerings to other healthcare and social service sites to reach more community members, and training teaching artists/facilitators in this community-driven instructive methodology behind impactful and culturally competent UVP programming. | To place music & singing community spaces in every medical and social service site across Los Angeles, to create community and a more comprehensive, holistic system for engaging individuals coping with the conditions of homelessness. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $16,316.00 | SCARF | 1060 UPPER PACIFIC DR , WHITETHORN, CA 95589-9117 | Humboldt | Upstate | (760) 420-2296 | Second Congressional District | State Assembly District 2 | State Senate District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, the SHELTER COVE ARTS AND RECREATION FOUNDATION (SCARF) will offer 10 free art classes to under-resourced communities* in Shelter Cove and Southern Humboldt. Our goal is to foster a sense of community by encouraging creative collaboration and helping participants develop an appreciation for the area’s natural beauty, biodiversity, and history. Through a diverse range of art classes, we will honor the work of local research and conservation organizations, as well as the rich heritage of indigenous peoples, their preservation practices, and their impact on the community. These classes will introduce artistic mediums, providing students with opportunities to explore their creative potential while being guided through the artistic process. | Management of the Lost Coast Artist’s Art Gallery located at the Inn of the Lost Coast in Shelter Cove, CA |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | Nevada County Arts Council (NCArts) | PO BOX 1833 , NEVADA CITY, CA 95959-1833 | Nevada | Upstate | (530) 718-0727 | California's 3rd congressional district | District 1 | District 1 | With support from the California Arts Council, Nevada County Arts Council will deliver Bass Dojo—a therapeutic, culturally responsive music program for system-engaged youth at Nevada County’s only remaining residential facility for high-needs students, Mountain Valley Child and Family Services. Led by professional bassist and seasoned educator Pancho Tomaselli, the program provides in-school instruction centered on improvisation, collaboration, and personal expression. Youth will find their voice, and together build resilience, emotional literacy, and a sense of agency through creative practice. Grant funds will support artist compensation, curriculum development, instrument rentals and evaluation. Bass Dojo serves students in a deeply remote, rural area ranked in the lowest HPI quartile and historically underfunded by state arts resources. It directly addresses a critical service gap—meeting CAC priorities through equity-focused, healing-centered arts engagement in one of California’s most underserved communities. | As Nevada County’s umbrella organization for the arts, we serve as convenors, consultants, researchers, strategists, advocates, supporters, funders, promotors, policy wonks, and general arts and culture cheerleaders for our community. We offer Arts Incubator, providing fiduciary oversight, financial management, and other administrative services to help build the capacity of cultural initiatives or emerging arts collaboratives who may not yet have their 501(c)(3) status. We offer grant making services and an artist relief fund; we offer pro-bono grant writing consulting; and lead creative sector emergency preparedness and disaster response. We engage in ongoing countywide cultural planning and evaluation, and regional and statewide peer learning and advocacy. We manage the county’s arts directory and community arts calendar, and engage in ongoing promotion of the arts sector through multiple channels. We administer two California Cultural Districts. Grass Valley-Nevada City Cultural District and Truckee Cultural District were redesignated by the State in 2023 for an additional five years, implying a tremendous responsibility to grow and sustain authentic grassroots arts and cultural opportunities, increase the visibility of local artists, nourish community participation in local arts and culture, promote socioeconomic and ethnic diversity, and work against by-products of placemaking such as gentrification, displacement, and racism. We run multiple Arts Education programs; MUSE, a new widely distributed annual guide to arts and subcultures in Nevada County; an we are the Administering Organization for Upstate California Creative Corps, regranting 3.38m in state funds over 19 counties. |
| State Local Partner Mentorship | 2025-26 | $50,000.00 | Nevada County Arts Council (NCArts) | PO BOX 1833 , NEVADA CITY, CA 95959-1833 | Nevada | Upstate | (530) 718-0727 | California's 3rd congressional district | District 1 | District 1 | With support from the California Arts Council, Nevada County Arts Council will continue to mentor a new a county-designated local arts agency in Glenn County. Glenn County Arts & Culture (GCAC)—now a 501c3—will build infrastructure, deepen community partnerships, and will plan for culturally inclusive programming guided by input from multilingual Listening Sessions held across the county. Year Two activities include formalizing a strategic plan, expanding board and advisory leadership, launching public programs centered on youth and Latinx culture, and strengthening systems for outreach and accessibility. Grant funds will support local staffing, mentorship, public engagement—and shared office space in Orland. Under continued mentorship from Nevada County Arts Council, GCAC will document its progress toward meeting CAC’s requirements for State-Local Partner designation, including securing a Board of Supervisors resolution and demonstrating two years of arts programming and services. | As Nevada County’s umbrella organization for the arts, we serve as convenors, consultants, researchers, strategists, advocates, supporters, funders, promotors, policy wonks, and general arts and culture cheerleaders for our community. We offer Arts Incubator, providing fiduciary oversight, financial management, and other administrative services to help build the capacity of cultural initiatives or emerging arts collaboratives who may not yet have their 501(c)(3) status. We offer grant making services and an artist relief fund; we offer pro-bono grant writing consulting; and lead creative sector emergency preparedness and disaster response. We engage in ongoing countywide cultural planning and evaluation, and regional and statewide peer learning and advocacy. We manage the county’s arts directory and community arts calendar, and engage in ongoing promotion of the arts sector through multiple channels. We administer two California Cultural Districts. Grass Valley-Nevada City Cultural District and Truckee Cultural District were redesignated by the State in 2023 for an additional five years, implying a tremendous responsibility to grow and sustain authentic grassroots arts and cultural opportunities, increase the visibility of local artists, nourish community participation in local arts and culture, promote socioeconomic and ethnic diversity, and work against by-products of placemaking such as gentrification, displacement, and racism. We run multiple Arts Education programs; MUSE, a new widely distributed annual guide to arts and subcultures in Nevada County; an we are the Administering Organization for Upstate California Creative Corps, regranting 3.38m in state funds over 19 counties. |
| Individual Artist Fellowships-AO | 2025-26 | $300,000.00 | Nevada County Arts Council (NCArts) | PO BOX 1833 , NEVADA CITY, CA 95959-1833 | Nevada | Upstate | (530) 718-0727 | California's 3rd congressional district | District 1 | District 1 | With support from the California Arts Council, Nevada County Arts Council will will partner with its entire peer network of State-Local-Partners across our 19-county Upstate Region, building on our regranting and grantmaking experience to implement an equitable, accessible multilingual program that supports artists whose work demonstrates artistic merit, community impact, and a commitment to practice. Funds will be used to grant Fellowships directly to individual artists, with remaining funds supporting outreach, technical assistance, panel facilitation, and program administration. Our approach will prioritize historically underserved communities across 47,000 square miles of rural Northern California through inclusive application and review processes that center multiple equity lenses. Together with county arts agencies in every county, we will elevate artists as essential voices in advancing community well-being and shaping the cultural vitality and capacity of our Upstate Region. | As Nevada County’s umbrella organization for the arts, we serve as convenors, consultants, researchers, strategists, advocates, supporters, funders, promotors, policy wonks, and general arts and culture cheerleaders for our community. We offer Arts Incubator, providing fiduciary oversight, financial management, and other administrative services to help build the capacity of cultural initiatives or emerging arts collaboratives who may not yet have their 501(c)(3) status. We offer grant making services and an artist relief fund; we offer pro-bono grant writing consulting; and lead creative sector emergency preparedness and disaster response. We engage in ongoing countywide cultural planning and evaluation, and regional and statewide peer learning and advocacy. We manage the county’s arts directory and community arts calendar, and engage in ongoing promotion of the arts sector through multiple channels. We administer two California Cultural Districts. Grass Valley-Nevada City Cultural District and Truckee Cultural District were redesignated by the State in 2023 for an additional five years, implying a tremendous responsibility to grow and sustain authentic grassroots arts and cultural opportunities, increase the visibility of local artists, nourish community participation in local arts and culture, promote socioeconomic and ethnic diversity, and work against by-products of placemaking such as gentrification, displacement, and racism. We run multiple Arts Education programs; MUSE, a new widely distributed annual guide to arts and subcultures in Nevada County; an we are the Administering Organization for Upstate California Creative Corps, regranting 3.38m in state funds over 19 counties. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,500.00 | KeyNote/SDYS | 1650 El Prado 207A , San Diego, CA 92101 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 233-3232 | California's 53rd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, KeyNote will provide music education programs in Chula Vista, reaching early childhood (0-5) through the Chula Vista Elementary School District Office of Early Childhood Development, Opus Project after-school music ensembles in four Elementary Schools, and music enrichment for students up to age 18 through a special pathway to join the San Diego Youth Orchestra. | Celebrating 80 years in 2024-25, KeyNote/SDYS is San Diego’s comprehensive provider of cradle-to-college music education opportunities through: Our flagship ensemble program, housed in San Diego’s historic Balboa Park, features thirteen orchestras and bands for musicians of all levels and provides additional depth through chamber music, theory, composition, second instrument camps, and summer opportunities. KeyNote’s Community Opus Project has partnered with Chula Vista Elementary School District for more than ten years to restore music education programs to more than forty schools and is a national model for community engagement through music education. Lastly, KeyNote’s early childhood program, Chimes, works with infants, toddlers, and their families to promote creative youth development, pre-literacy, and school readiness through music education and pre-ensemble training. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | On the Margins, Inc. | 245 Kentucky St Suite E, Petaluma, CA 94952-2877 | Sonoma | Bay Area – Other | (415) 212-9064 | 11th Congressional district of California | State Assembly District 17 | State Senate District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, ON THE MARGINS INC is expanding ¡DALE!, a multicultural arts program designed to cultivate young artists and activists. ¡DALE! provides meaningful and culturally responsive arts experiences for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ youth aged 14-18 in Sonoma County. The program bolsters youth leadership, art and organizing skills, empowering youth to work towards a more inclusive and equitable California. Grant funds will specifically support youth engagement with the arts, communiy artists and menors and expand the program to include increased recruitment efforts of differently abled youth maintaining the priority on underserved target populations from communities of color and LGBTQIA2+ youth. | Arts-based interventions are at the very center of our work at On the Margins (OTM), an organization deeply rooted in Sonoma County, within the broader San Francisco Bay Area. We passionately believe in the transformative power of artists and creative expression as a vital tool for healing, liberation, and community building, particularly within historically marginalized communities. Our commitment extends across a range of impactful programs: ¡DALE! empowers youth through art to address social justice issues; SER utilizes artistic modalities in its bilingual, family-oriented approach to support identity and intergenerational healing; HEAL employs creative practices in peer support for processing trauma and fostering well-being; and RISE integrates artistic exploration into culturally responsive career counseling. Furthermore, LA ASAMBLEA, a collaborative initiative we spearhead, centers arts-based engagement as it distributes grant funds to Sonoma County BIPOC and Queer artists, supporting their economic stability, access to creative spaces, educational advancement, and overall health through grants and a variety of artistic events and workshops. Even within our therapy, clinical training, and consultation services, we prioritize and incorporate arts-based approaches, recognizing their unique ability to facilitate emotional processing, build resilience, and foster connection in accessible and profound ways, making art an integral and invaluable aspect of everything we do to cultivate a more equitable and liberated future. One of our strategic priorities is to cultivate a network where BIPOC and Queer artists can share knowledge, deepen skills, and nurture connections |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,600.00 | Turnaround Arts: California | 12541 Beatrice Street , LOS ANGELES, CA 90025-1078 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 482-3131 | District 36 | District 55 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, Turnaround Arts: California will work with 20 elementary and middle schools in underserved communities, providing training and resources to help educators integrate the arts into every classroom and across the broader school environment, building engagement and access to learning for all students. | Turnaround Arts: California’s programming is community-driven, culturally responsive, and focused on long-term sustainable school transformation through the arts. Our statewide network brings artists and arts organizations together with our partner schools to leverage and develop our collective expertise in arts education and arts integration. Together we cross-pollinate learnings, ideas, and data to move forward a new vision for public education across California. Our core community arts programs and services include: Retreats and Convenings: Network-wide convenings for principals, teachers, teaching artists, and arts organizations provide time for exchange around challenges and successes in advancing equity through the arts in public schools, while supporting strategic arts planning and arts-based professional development. Coaching: Our coaching program, in partnership with our network of arts organizations, helps principals and teachers build their knowledge of arts integration, strengthen their leadership through the arts, align the arts to meet school district priorities, and become effective advocates for equity. Professional Development: Professional development workshops provide teachers, principals, and teaching artists/arts organizations with strategies – centered in culturally responsive teaching and learning practices – they can immediately implement at school sites. Arts Integration Lesson Labs: Lesson Labs bring together partnering teachers and teaching artists/arts organizations to study new instructional strategies, and design, implement, and evaluate lesson plans that integrate arts standards with subjects such as math and science. Support for Special Projects & In-kind Supplies: We provide flexible funding, in-kind supplies, and strategy support to help partner schools and arts organizations collaborate to implement special projects at individual school sites such as artistic residencies, family art nights, community engagement projects, school musicals, arts-based field trips, additional professional development for teachers, etc. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,250.00 | LA Commons | 4343 Leimert Blvd. , Los Angeles, CA 90008 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 792-0366 | 37th Congressional District of California | District 55 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, LA Commons will leverage the power of our Day of the Ancestors: Festival of Masks to celebrate Blackness and promote healing in Leimert Park as community members across the generations engage with cultural traditions from across the African diaspora. | LA Commons programs engage residents of neighborhoods where most live below the poverty line and are new immigrants struggling to find their place in Los Angeles. Target audiences are artists and culture bearers, youth ages 15–25, and residents of all ages. Participating neighborhoods include MacArthur Park, Leimert Park, and greater South Los Angeles. By engaging community members in our core “Neighborhood Story Connection” program, we create a space where stories & voices are heard and then transformed into dynamic public art that reflects local hopes, dreams & identities. Relationships developed through these public art projects are leveraged to engage people of all ages in the stories of our Los Angeles, through resident led neighborhood tours, public art campaigns, and other culturally informed experiences that support local businesses and artists, and share opportunities to experience authentic food, music, festivals and rich cultural histories across Los Angeles. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | UC Riverside | 245 University Office Building , RIVERSIDE, CA 92521-9800 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (951) 827-5535 | California's 41st congressional district | District 58 | District 31 | With support from the California Arts Council, the REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT RIVERSIDE / UCR ARTS will have the critical funds necessary to help a new generation of high-school aged filmmakers to develop their own voices by providing them with artist mentorship, filmmaking technologies, and a college-level curriculum through its OFF THE BLOCK summer documentary filmmaking workshop. | UCR ARTS is the University of California, Riverside’s internationally recognized photography museum and art center. UCR ARTS produces an average of 14 exhibitions, 150 screenings, and 20 performances annually, serving 33,000 visitors, students, and community members each year. Its rich history extends back to the founding of the Sweeney Art Gallery in 1963, the California Museum of Photography in 1973, and the Barbara and Art Culver Center for the Arts in 2010. With over 750,000 photographs, photographic imaging technologies, and contemporary artworks in its collection, these entities comprise one of premiere university art museums and centers in the country. From major thematic exhibitions, historical photography exhibitions, artist projects, new work by emerging artists/curators, and touring exhibitions, UCR ARTS strives to cover the range and diversity of photography and contemporary art and the cultural heritage in the region. Additionally, the center houses the only independent cinema in the area, bringing foreign, independent, experimental, documentary, and exemplary Hollywood film to Riverside in its 72-seat theater. UCR ARTS’ mission complements the University’s greater mission to provide opportunities and educational success for students from under-represented communities by bringing world-class visual arts to the area, and marrying these national and international activities to significant, local community initiatives with hands-on, in-depth educational opportunities. Beyond UCR ARTS’ multiple galleries, exhibition spaces, and screening room, the facility houses a media editing lab, with extensive capabilities for the creation of film and web-based media, 360 video, virtual reality, among others. UCR ARTS also houses two dance studios, a black box theater equipped with green screen and full theatrical lighting, and a sound recording studio with full mixing and mastering capabilities. UCR ARTS’ staff consists of 16 arts professionals dedicated to bringing a slate of diverse and dynamic exhibitions, performances, educational opportunities, and related programming to its region. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $21,000.00 | Variety Children's Charity of the Desert | 42600 COOK ST STE 150 , PALM DESERT, CA 92211-6108 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (760) 773-9800 | 41 | 47 | 19 | With support from the California Arts Council, VARIETY CHILDREN’S CHARITIES OF THE DESERT TENT 66 will expand its free, inclusive arts programming for underserved and disabled children ages 5–18. Monthly Adaptive Art and Sensory Art classes will be offered at our Palm Desert center and introduced in high-need communities through Family Resource Centers in Mecca and Desert Hot Springs. CAC funds will support art supplies, bilingual teaching artist stipends, and program staffing to ensure equitable, culturally responsive, and accessible arts experiences for youth who face barriers due to disability, illness, income, or geography. | Variety Children’s Charity of the Desert delivers direct, transformative services for children (ages 0–18) across Riverside County’s Coachella Valley, with physical offices in Mecca, Palm Desert, and Desert Hot Springs. We focus on children with special needs and those facing economic hardship, providing critical support across four core program areas. 1. Freedom Program Adaptive Bikes: Custom-designed mobility bikes and equipment for children with disabilities such as cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and autism, fitted by trained medical volunteers. Bikes for Kids: Rewards academic achievement in under-resourced fourth-grade students with bicycles, helmets, and locks—impacting over 8,900 students to date. Recycled Rides: Provides reliable vehicles to families in need, ensuring access to care, education, and community life. 2. Future Program 3. Care Program Caring Connections: Offers early childhood developmental screenings (ages 0–5) using ASQ-3, plus referrals, tools, and guidance for families. Certified Autism Resource Center: Staff are trained in best practices to serve autistic children and their families with empathy and effectiveness. 4. Outreach Program |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,300.00 | KULARTS | 65 Langton St , San Francisco, CA 94103-3915 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 295-2677 | California Assembly district 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, KULARTS will conduct artist service and advocacy programs that promote the artistic and economic development of our Bay Area Pilipinx diaspora community. Awarded funds will support KULARTS staff and partners who administer and implement our arts and education performances and programs dedicated to engaging and uplifting the voices of the Bay Area’s 500,000 Pilipinx community members. Funded programming includes: KULARTS Presents; Making Visible Project; Agos Community Engagement and Education Program; Philippine Master Artists-in-Residents; Art Dialogue in the Pilipinx Diaspora; Kularts Curatorial Continuum Program; and building capacity towards the opening of our new APICC/KULARTS Community Arts Space in 2027. | Every season, KULARTS provides various participatory programming, activities for artists and the greater community including: KULARTS PRESENTS THE MAKING VISIBLE PROJECT AGOS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,250.00 | KULARTS | 65 Langton St , San Francisco, CA 94103-3915 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 295-2677 | California Assembly district 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, KULARTS will support the winter/spring 2026 semester of our Agos program, a community-led initiative fostering Creative Youth Development among Pilipino American youth through arts-based education, mentorship, and cultural exploration. Established in 2009, Agos engages youth in ages 12-24 with a dynamic curriculum that combines Pilipino folkloric dance, music, historic education, and political discourse to build self-identity, community connection, and leadership skills. Agos activities include after-school programming for ages 12-17 and young adult engagements for ages 18-24, rooted in the traditions of the Pilipino diaspora. | Every season, KULARTS provides various participatory programming, activities for artists and the greater community including: KULARTS PRESENTS THE MAKING VISIBLE PROJECT AGOS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | White Hall Arts Academy | 2812 W 54TH ST , LOS ANGELES, CA 90043-4824 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (424) 235-0665 | California Assembly district 55 | District CA-37 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, White Hall Arts Academy Foundation will expand Saturday Sessions, JAMM-U, and Soundworks programs to provide free and low-cost arts education for youth ages 4–18 and workforce training for transitional-aged youth 18–24 in South LA. Grant funds will support instructors, materials, and outreach to ensure equitable access to music, dance, acting, and technical training for underserved and justice-impacted and foster youth. | Soundworks is a workforce development program that trains justice-affected and transitional aged foster youth ages 18–24 in audio engineering, lighting design, and video production. Participants gain technical skills and hands-on experience in live entertainment, positioning them for apprenticeships and careers in the creative economy. Saturday Sessions combines the HeARTbeats and Project MuszEd programs to deliver inclusive arts education year-round. HeARTbeats serves ages 4–12 with group classes in drums, violin, guitar, piano, singing, and dance. Project MuszEd offers conservatory-level instruction in music production, acting, and songwriting for teens and young adults. Each cycle serves over 60 students and culminates in a showcase to foster confidence and community pride. Funding supports class materials, instructors, and outreach. Classes run in 4- and 8-week sessions. Private Music Lesson Scholarships provide over $20,000 annually in free lessons for children in underserved communities and youth impacted by foster care. H.O.P.E. Choir and Ensemble are intergenerational performing groups that empower participants to engage in community through music. These groups uplift audiences with performances for organizations like United Airlines, LA Metro, CASA-LA, and the Taste of Soul Festival. JAMM-U brings music instruction to youth with limited access to instruments. Students receive training in guitar, vocals, and production at partner sites across South Los Angeles, including Crete Academy, Watts Learning Center, and Birdie V. Lee Bright Elementary School. Rock The Block is our signature annual wellness festival, drawing over 3,000 attendees to celebrate music, community empowerment, and wellbeing. With live performances, panel discussions, health services, youth activities, and clean energy showcases, the event reflects our mission to strengthen South LA through the arts. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $21,600.00 | White Hall Arts Academy | 2812 W 54TH ST , LOS ANGELES, CA 90043-4824 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (424) 235-0665 | California Assembly district 55 | District CA-37 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, White Hall Arts Academy Foundation will expand access to year-round, culturally responsive arts education and workforce development programs for youth and young adults in South Los Angeles. Grant funds will support instructor compensation, curriculum materials, and community outreach across our core initiatives. | Soundworks is a workforce development program that trains justice-affected and transitional aged foster youth ages 18–24 in audio engineering, lighting design, and video production. Participants gain technical skills and hands-on experience in live entertainment, positioning them for apprenticeships and careers in the creative economy. Saturday Sessions combines the HeARTbeats and Project MuszEd programs to deliver inclusive arts education year-round. HeARTbeats serves ages 4–12 with group classes in drums, violin, guitar, piano, singing, and dance. Project MuszEd offers conservatory-level instruction in music production, acting, and songwriting for teens and young adults. Each cycle serves over 60 students and culminates in a showcase to foster confidence and community pride. Funding supports class materials, instructors, and outreach. Classes run in 4- and 8-week sessions. Private Music Lesson Scholarships provide over $20,000 annually in free lessons for children in underserved communities and youth impacted by foster care. H.O.P.E. Choir and Ensemble are intergenerational performing groups that empower participants to engage in community through music. These groups uplift audiences with performances for organizations like United Airlines, LA Metro, CASA-LA, and the Taste of Soul Festival. JAMM-U brings music instruction to youth with limited access to instruments. Students receive training in guitar, vocals, and production at partner sites across South Los Angeles, including Crete Academy, Watts Learning Center, and Birdie V. Lee Bright Elementary School. Rock The Block is our signature annual wellness festival, drawing over 3,000 attendees to celebrate music, community empowerment, and wellbeing. With live performances, panel discussions, health services, youth activities, and clean energy showcases, the event reflects our mission to strengthen South LA through the arts. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,250.00 | Prescott Circus Theatre | 1721 Broadway #201 , Oakland, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 350-7207 | 12th Congressional District | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Prescott Circus Theatre will provide 10 months of | Prescott Circus Theatre provides no-cost, year round public school and community based programs for youth representing historically oppressed and marginalized communities (primarily low-income, Black and Children of Color) in partnership with professional artists, public schools, and other local organizations. Our culturally responsive programs apply standards based curriculum with youth development best practices to support students’ learning to perform their best on stage and in life. School programs take place at as many as seven Oakland public schools with complimentary weekly training for older youth and an annual summer circus arts and academic program. School programs serve students in general and special education classes with some exclusively for students with disabilities. The organization produces two free public productions each year in the spring and summer. The Prescott Circus Youth Performing Company performs and make appearances at over twenty events annually from civic parades to visits to senior centers. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,250.00 | Children's Fairyland | 699 BELLEVUE AVE , OAKLAND, CA 94610-5055 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 452-2259 | With support from the California Arts Council, Children’s Fairyland will develop, deliver, and evaluate a new suite of arts learning programs for children ages 2 to 8 that use puppetry to foster social and emotional learning (SEL) and early language and literacy development. The “Puppet Education” program builds on Fairyland’s 69-year history of presenting original puppet shows, and includes: 1) add-on field trip workshops featuring original puppet storytimes and interactive dramatic play; 2) in-classroom workshops that adapt the field trip program for the classroom; and 3) puppet-based teacher training opportunities for early childhood educators. The program targets under-resourced children in and near the city of Oakland, and will be provided free for groups in need. We anticipate serving roughly 1,400 under-resourced children, caretakers, and teachers over the course of the grant period. | Children’s Fairyland provides a safe, screen-free space for all children to learn, grow, and play. The park boasts 40 whimsical fairytale-themed exhibits, the oldest continuously operating puppet theater in the United States, gentle animals, and eight acres of lush gardens. We offer family friendly performances and educational programs all year long that celebrate and enrich our Oakland community. Fairyland has seen significant shifts in focus and priorities in recent years. Guided by our strategic plan, we are integrating more diverse stories in our core programs. Daily original puppet shows are one of the most popular park experiences, and we are collaborating with cultural consultants and native voice actors to produce authentic cultural tales that make every child feel seen and represented. Our community programs include a year-round calendar of cultural heritage events featuring performers, crafts, and food; book celebrations highlighting local authors and a rich tapestry of stories; and a lighthearted cooking series that pairs Fairyland’s puppet mascot with guest chefs to take families on cultural culinary adventures. We strengthened what we offer field trip participants, with the launch of a curriculum-based preschool puppet workshop that will soon make its way to Oakland classrooms. The program complements our Fairyland Flora & Fauna program serving early elementary classes. We are telling stories that celebrate differences, and reaching more under-resourced youth through our Children’s Theatre program, Youth Writers Workshop, weekly Toddler Storytimes, and Summer Day Camps. We employ and train about 30 Park Ambassadors each year, mostly young Oaklanders of color, to develop professional skills that will help them on their life’s journey. Taken together, all the elements of Fairyland combine to serve as a vital resource for children and families to help them prepare for school, develop emotionally within a supportive community, and unleash their creativity. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $22,000.00 | Lieder Alive | 14 IMPERIAL AVE , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123-3604 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 561-0100 | 11th Congressional District of California | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Lieder Alive and the San Francisco VA Medical Center will launch Finding Voice and Vision: Empowering Veterans through Music, Writing, and Film. This bold, arts-driven initiative transforms the lives of veterans through the healing power of creative expression. Designed for those most often left behind—women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+ individuals, and those in rural or low-income communities—this free, 3-month online program helps participants process trauma, rediscover identity, and reconnect with others. Creative prompts focused on trauma and resilience are inspired by the poetry of veteran Brian Turner and music by Kurt Erickson. Veterans create, reflect, and share work in a culminating public event that engages communities, fostering awareness, connection, and recognition. More than a workshop, it’s a transformative lifeline—restoring dignity, supporting reintegration, and empowering veterans to reclaim stories through art. | *The organization is preparing its14th season of presenting chamber music, including known and new vocal and instrumental artists. *At the core of our Lieder Alive Amici Educational Program is an immersive and intimate environment for professional and aspiring professional vocal artists, pianists, and other instrumental musicians to explore their craft. This includes intensive coaching sessions and performance opportunities with Lieder Alive. *The organization has evolved into an organization with a much broader and more extensive outreach serving new and historically under-served audiences. Multiple languages are being presented, and the authenticity of the artists is primary. Both elements have prompted a change to the mission statement embracing the global aspect of the organization. *A concerted effort is being made to engage historically marginalized groups. We seek to create engaging opportunities for under-served groups of community members who would benefit from the healing experience of poetry put to music – the essence of Lieder. *Lieder Alive has a collaboration with an online music distributor |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $13,800.00 | Table Mountain Rancheria | 23736 Sky Harbour Road , Friant, CA 93626 | Fresno | Central Valley | (559) 325-0351 | 20th District of California | CA 8th Assembly District | CA Senate District 12 | With support from the California Arts Council, Table Mountain Rancheria will continue to develop its museum project, which is currently in the design stage. During the 2025-2026 fiscal year, key staff will revise its policies and procedures and draft the museum’s strategic plan, which will include increased accessibility to onsite exhibitions. The funds will be used for research visits to California collections where Native culture and history are presented to the public. Awarded funds will also support the reinstallation of exhibitions in the Rancheria’s Fort Miller buildings (1851-1865), where the history of the Alta California missions, early American military and settler occupation, and unratified treaties are presented from the Native perspective using photographs, artifacts, and didactic materials. These buildings, alongside its educational Native plant trail, form the first phase of the tribe’s museum complex. | Table Mountain Rancheria offers a variety of public and community-based programs such as workshops and classes on California Central Valley Native art practices and languages, exhibitions on local history and California Native basket weaving at CSU Fresno and Fresno City College, and at the Tribes annual intertribal powwow. Table Mountain Rancheria also maintains a series of historical mid-19th century structures known as the Fort Miller buildings that were relocated, reconstructed, and restored on tribal land as the site of educational exhibitions and tours for local community members and school-aged children. Adjacent to this site is a Native plant trail and reconstructed structures modeled on those used by tribal ancestors that collectively serve as an educational resource and include a cedar bark house, a grass house, and the excavated site of a sweat lodge once used by local Native doctor William Taucha. Table Mountain Rancheria also maintains an archive of local historical documents, photographs, recordings, videos, and transcribed oral histories, which is open to tribal members and researchers by appointment. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,300.00 | BAVC Media | 145 9th St Ste 101 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 861-3282 | CA 12th District | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC Media) will continue to serve as a mulit-disciplinary media arts hub for youth and adult film and media makers – providing advanced training and workforce development programs, artist support services, preservation and digitization services, and access to facilities, equipment and broadcasting through our community media program. For 49 years, BAVC Media’s programs have evolved with emerging technologies and industry shifts in production, exhibition and distribution. CAC’s general operating support will help BAVC Media continue to serve diverse independent media makers, and to sustain our organization financially. | BAVC is a community hub and resource for media makers in the Bay Area, California and across the country, serving over 7,500 freelancers, filmmakers, job-seekers, activists, and artists every year. BAVC provides access to media making technology and education, storytelling workshops, a diverse and engaged community of makers and producers, advisory and AV production services, media making grants and other resources. BAVC advocates for those whose stories aren’t being told, and provides the resources for anyone to create and share, and amplify their stories and those of their communities. BAVC’s diverse, inclusive, and innovative programs lead the field in media training for youth and educators, technology and multimedia focused workforce development, visually-driven new media storytelling and audio-visual preservation. BAVC has been a trusted community educator, collaborator, incubator, community builder and resource for the media arts world since 1976. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | Everyday Arts | 12046 Peoria Street , Sun Valley, CA 91352 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 669-9049 | California's 34th congressional district | District 53 | District 30 | With support from the California Arts Council, Everyday Arts will implement “Everyday Arts in El Sereno,” a multi-disciplinary arts initiative aimed at giving students at Huntington Drive Elementary School (a free public school in LAUSD, 27.5% Healthy Places Index) the chance to develop their social-emotional competencies through inclusive arts integration. Our holistic, multi-tiered approach includes: Class Visits, where we facilitate weekly visual and performing arts integration activities with students; Professional Learning, where we train classroom teachers in our methodology, so they can continue incorporating arts integration after the residency; and Bilingual Family Events, where students and caregivers create art together to increase family resilience. We use the CASEL “core competencies” (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making) as our framework, and utilize Universal Design for Learning to ensure accessibility for all students. | Our core program offerings are: Everyday Arts prides itself on delivering fun, hands-on workshops that include collaborative art-making, group discussion, reflective practice, and lesson-planning. Participants learn inclusive teaching strategies, utilizing music, visual arts, drama, and movement activities aligned to the California Arts Standards. Our curriculum is adaptable for a wide range of populations, including students with autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disabilities, multiple disabilities, emotional disturbance, and learning disabilities, and has been shown to have a positive effect on reaching Individualized Educational Plan goals in self-contained classrooms as well as inclusion settings. We utilize the principles of Universal Design for Learning as well as the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning “Core SEL Competencies” to help students with diverse learning needs reach their goals. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | Vital Arts | 1831 SOLANO AVE UNIT 7612 , BERKELEY, CA 94707-5032 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (408) 933-8692 | 12 | 14 | 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Vital Arts will commission Dabke Drag Drums Against Displacement, an experiment in the synthesis of Dabke (dance tradition from Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria) drag, contemporary dance and advocacy. Created by choreographer Shams Amal, the project draws on ancestral strategies of their Bedouin ancestors for placemaking: rhythm, storytelling, migratory land tending, and textile. The work incorporates belly dance, folk dance, Sufi whirling, and the subculture of queer and Black diaspora and Latine dances including ballroom, vogueing, and Cumbia. The project develops through a year-long community-engaged process beginning in Fall 2025, culminating in August 2026 with a community processional event beginning at Oscar Grant Plaza in Oakland, traveling up and down Telegraph Avenue, and ending with a processional, full-length performance, and celebration at BAM House Cultural Center, Oakland. | Current programs designed to combat the displacement of artists and preserve their essential contributions to their communities’ culture and economy include: Artist Space Trust (AST): Partnering with the Northern California Land Trust, AST provides permanently affordable housing and creative spaces for artists, using a community land trust model to facilitate intergenerational transfers of property, ensuring affordable ownership and control. (www.artistspacetrust.org) Artist Displacement Prevention Grant: A one-time grant offering up to $2,500 to artists facing urgent financial emergencies and displacement risks, serving artists in Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco counties. Trust-Centered Mutual Aid and Technical Assistance: We support the most historically underserved artists including LGBTQ+, disabled, unhoused, and BIPOC artists, collectives, and small organizations in operational, development, and financial stabilization. Bay Area Artist Census (BAAC): A 3-year initiative gathering data to support the local artist community, focusing on BIPOC, trans, and disabled artists. The first year emphasizes community engagement, educational outreach, and gathering input on census design. Advocacy: Collaborating with regional and statewide agencies to draft and propose legislative policies supporting artist housing and workspace, partnering with organizations like Safer Spaces DIY to adapt legal structures for artist spaces. Artist Displacement Data & Information: As a regional hub, Vital Arts combines data on artist displacement with quarterly stakeholder meetings to formulate and implement strategies preventing displacement. Resource & Information Sharing: Networking with local stakeholders to share knowledge and resources tackling housing and economic challenges for artists. Supported by a team of volunteer experts in various fields. AB 812 Community Toolkit Development: Assisting in developing resources to implement CA Bill AB 812 for artist housing near cultural zones, enhancing the availability of affordable housing for artists statewide. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $21,300.00 | Vital Arts | 1831 SOLANO AVE UNIT 7612 , BERKELEY, CA 94707-5032 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (408) 933-8692 | 12 | 14 | 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Vital Arts will fund full time salaries for our Executive Director, Program & Operations Coordinator, and Communication Manager to support our core programming including our ongoing Bay Area Artist Census, Artist Housing Advocacy support programs, development of our 10th anniversary Ghost Ship memorial event at Grace Cathedral and producing our Dabke Drag & Drums performance commission. | Current programs designed to combat the displacement of artists and preserve their essential contributions to their communities’ culture and economy include: Artist Space Trust (AST): Partnering with the Northern California Land Trust, AST provides permanently affordable housing and creative spaces for artists, using a community land trust model to facilitate intergenerational transfers of property, ensuring affordable ownership and control. (www.artistspacetrust.org) Artist Displacement Prevention Grant: A one-time grant offering up to $2,500 to artists facing urgent financial emergencies and displacement risks, serving artists in Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco counties. Trust-Centered Mutual Aid and Technical Assistance: We support the most historically underserved artists including LGBTQ+, disabled, unhoused, and BIPOC artists, collectives, and small organizations in operational, development, and financial stabilization. Bay Area Artist Census (BAAC): A 3-year initiative gathering data to support the local artist community, focusing on BIPOC, trans, and disabled artists. The first year emphasizes community engagement, educational outreach, and gathering input on census design. Advocacy: Collaborating with regional and statewide agencies to draft and propose legislative policies supporting artist housing and workspace, partnering with organizations like Safer Spaces DIY to adapt legal structures for artist spaces. Artist Displacement Data & Information: As a regional hub, Vital Arts combines data on artist displacement with quarterly stakeholder meetings to formulate and implement strategies preventing displacement. Resource & Information Sharing: Networking with local stakeholders to share knowledge and resources tackling housing and economic challenges for artists. Supported by a team of volunteer experts in various fields. AB 812 Community Toolkit Development: Assisting in developing resources to implement CA Bill AB 812 for artist housing near cultural zones, enhancing the availability of affordable housing for artists statewide. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $19,000.00 | THE HOUSE OF MAGIC FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS INC | 15500 W TELEGRAPH RD STE B15 , SANTA PAULA, CA 93060-3050 | Ventura | Central Coast | (855) 300-4422 | 26TH DISTRICT | AD37 | DISTRICT 19 | The House of MAGIC Foundation for the Arts requests funding to expand Magic Mentor, a STEAM-focused initiative that teaches underserved and at-risk youth in Santa Paula and the Santa Clara River Valley through the art of magic. This innovative program uses age-appropriate magic tricks to engage students in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math concepts in a hands-on, memorable way. CAC grant funds will support the delivery of free and low-cost Magic Mentor workshops, including curriculum materials such as a teacher’s guide, student handouts, and instructional videos. Funds will also support educator stipends, specialized supplies, and facility costs essential to delivering consistent, high-quality instruction. This support will help The House of MAGIC Foundation provide an accessible, intellectually stimulating experience that fosters curiosity, critical thinking, and confidence in students often left behind in traditional settings. | Educational classes and showcases in Performing Arts. We also develop programs to help educate kids about bullying, saying no to drugs, staying out of gangs, the dangers of social media, self-respect, and more. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,250.00 | AXIS Dance Company | 1370 Tenth Street N/A, Berkeley, CA 94710-1510 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 625-0110 | 12th Congressional district of California | District 14 | District 7 | With support from CAC, AXIS Dance Company will expand its Youth Performance program to offer four 45-minute youth performances followed by interactive discussions for K–5 students at partnering venues in systemically under-resourced areas of Contra Costa, San Francisco, Alameda, and Santa Clara Counties. These engaging matinees feature performances by disabled, D/deaf, , non-disabled, and neurodivergent professional dancers who share personal stories and demonstrate integrated choreography that redefines traditional ideas of who can dance. Youth Performances offer educational insights on disability and accessibility, followed by dancers sharing their personal journeys. Introducing the K-5 audience to integrated dance, many youth’s first dance performance experience. Students will leave with an expanded understanding of dance and disability and the empowering message that if you have a body, you can dance. | Our Artistic Advancement Program serves as a training ground for professional D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists and consists of our Summer Intensive, Company Appreniceship, Choreo-Lab, and Teacher Trainings. Our Summer Intensive, now entering its seventeenth year, provides professional development for dancers at all levels of their growth through a multi-day experience that connects participants. Our Choreo-Lab paves the way for D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent choreographers to elevate their artistry through mentoring, networking, and peer support while producing original work. We have built a robust professional development suite of services that deepens Choreo-Lab participants’ understanding of the craft, including grants & fellowships, budgeting, production, presenting, and disability justice workshops, an enhanced year-round mentorship component, and opportunities to connect with Choreo-Lab Alumni and meet with presenters to learn from them. Through our Choreo-Lab program, we have a unique capacity to increase the representation of D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists in the dance field. Many educators lack the tools or training to confidently create inclusive learning spaces for D/deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent students. AXIS bridges that gap. We pair 45-minute integrated dance performances with artist-led discussions, introducing young audiences to disability representation and the expressive power of movement. These experiences are joyful, interactive, and often a student’s first encounter with professional dance. In tandem, we equip educators with tools to create inclusive classrooms through movement-based exercises and dialogue about language, access, and belonging. Our focus on youth programming furthers our goal to introduce new populations to integrated dance. In 2024, AXIS reached 8,000 K-12 students in the Bay Area. 50% of participants were from low-income communities and 80-100% of participants were BIPOC. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Foglifter Press | 1200 CLAY ST APT 4 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108-1428 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 710-6537 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Foglifter Press will produce the 2025-26 Start a Riot! Chapbook Prize for San Francisco Bay Area 2SLGBTQIA+ BIPOC (QTBIPOC) literary artists, including a $4,000 prize, publication, promotion, and a free, accessible public release event. Designed in response to the displacement and erasure of QTBIPOC+ writers in the Bay Area, this artist-led program uplifts historically excluded voices, supports community connection, and advances equity in the literary arts. CAC funds will support artist pay, ASL interpretation, venue and event production, and promotion. | Foglifter operates four core programs: 1) Annually publishes two issues of our Foglifter literary journal featuring the original work of 60–80 2SLGBTQIA+ literary artists who receive honorariums for publication; 2) Annually publishes one Start a Riot! chapbook with prize winning authors receiving honorariums/royalties); 3) Annually produces at least four free literary events each featuring at last six 2SLGBTQIA+ writers who receive honorariums; 4) Invests in the professional development of 2SLGBTQIA+ literary artists through our programming, workshops, social media outreach and guest editorships featuring paid honorariums. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,600.00 | Chrysalis Studio/Queer Ancestors Project | 934 Brannan Street , San Francisco , CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 826-9697 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from CAC, Chrysalis/Queer Ancestors Project will offer four workshops for transitional age LGBTQ2S+ artists: our 18-week QAP PRINTS! program on visual storytelling and queer printmaking; 10-week Kaleidoscope literary workshop with Still Here San Francisco exploring identity and memory; 18-week QAP RESISTS! series focused on interdisciplinary art and activism; and 4-week Comix workshop in the spirit and tradition of resistance. | Chrysalis Studio annually organizes 2 group exhibitions showcasing the work of 30 to 40 printmakers, conducts free Queer Ancestors Project (QAP) printmaking and writing workshops, offers 15+ printmaking workshops to the public, and holds an artist panel and a public reading showcasing the work of our QAP artists and writers. QAP promotes artistic exploration for historically excluded transitional-age youth (TAY) through printmaking and writing cohorts that foster creative community. These free programs for queer and trans youth combine arts with Queer and Trans history, to forge relationships between LGBTQ2S+ people and our ancestors. QAP originated to address the lack of arts programs serving emerging LGBTQ2S+ transitional age artists and provides experiences that build community, artistic development, and personal resilience. QAP provides sustenance – workshops, training, space, equipment, critical feedback, and camaraderie – to young LGBTQ2S+ artists whose work is dedicated to social justice. Our 2023-24 free in-person programming included 2 exhibitions presenting work created in our 20-week QAP PRINTS! and QAP RESISTS! Workshops, public receptions for both exhibitions, an artist panel carving space for LGBTQ2S+ intergenerational community building, a community printmaking party with free printing on t-shirts, and a public reading showcasing the literary work of participants from our 10-week QAP Kaleidoscope workshops in collaboration with Still Here San Francisco. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $21,000.00 | Southland Sings | 1320 Calle Galante , San Dimas, CA 91773 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 235-2596 | California Assembly district 48 | District 48 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, Southland Sings will present “My Story, My Voice: Poetry to Song” for children and youth with disabilities at three sites: Oak Grove Center in Murrieta, Dohallen Elementary School in Rialto, and to students in the Orange County Department of Education’s ACCESS program. | Southland Sings offers two programs: “My Story, My Voice: Poetry to Song” and our new “From the Page to the Stage.” Both programs serve K-12 children, children with disabilities, children undergoing residential psychiatric treatment, children experiencing homelessness, and system-engaged youth. “My Story, My Voice: Poetry to Song” teaches children to become writers, composers, singers, and performers of their own original musicals. Working together, the students improvise and write melodies with original accompaniment, and then merge their musical creation with their own lyrics. The finished piece contains 5-8 original short songs and poems, dialogue, movement, and narration. There is also an optional component that allows students to create original animations of their work. “From the Page to the Stage” uses the same methodology as “My Story, My Voice: Poetry to Song,” but the students create a play instead of a work of musical theater. In both programs, students determine the theme and plot of their work, create characters, dialogue, and narration based on their life experiences or on a common classroom subject. Students work both individually and in small groups over 10-14 consecutive 60-minute weekly sessions. The project culminates with a student-performed show for a live audience. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $21,300.00 | Bloom Arts Foundation Inc | 2116 COLORADO BLVD , LOS ANGELES, CA 90041-1222 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 262-8838 | 34 | 52 | 26 | Bloom Arts Foundation will use CAC General Operating Support funds to deliver inclusive, culturally relevant music and dance education to PreK–6th grade students across Los Angeles County, with a focus on underserved Title I public schools. Funds will support weekly in-school classes, Interactive Assemblies, professional development for educators, and global exchange initiatives through our Futures in Tune program. Our sequential curriculum is grounded in the philosophy of Orff Schulwerk and inclusive of students with disabilities through adapted instruments and sensory support. CAC support enables us to expand access to communities historically excluded from arts learning, uplift cultural heritage through performances by culture-bearer Teaching Artists, and build long-term partnerships that center joy, creativity, and belonging. By embedding arts deeply into school culture, we foster student confidence, connection, and lifelong engagement in the arts. | In-School Weekly Classes: Interactive Assemblies: Futures in Tune: Professional Development for Educators: Why This Matters: |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,853.00 | The Short Centers | 5051 47th Avenue , Sacramento, CA 95824 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 456-5166 | District 7 | District 10 | District 8 | Developmental Disabilities Service Organization seeks CAC funding to help establish ALL IN: The Festival of Accessible Theater as an annual cultural event in the Sacramento region. DDSO launched the festival in 2024 as an outreach project funded by a Creative Corps grant. Given the community’s positive response, DDSO will present a second festival in late June of this year. CAC grant funding would support a third festival in June 2026. Grant funds would help compensate the festival’s artistic and administrative directors; audio describers for festival performances; speaker fees for the Forum on Accessible Theater during the festival; venue rental; photography, videography and graphic design services; and printing and advertising. Grant funding would also support training in technical and performance skills for actors from Short Center Repertory, InnerVision Theater and Theater V58. | DDSO runs four multidisciplinary art centers serving Sacramento and San Joaquin Counties, and one life skills program for adults with severe and profound disabilities. Outreach programs include a touring theatre company (The Short Center Repertory), a public art mural project, and an online archive of artists with developmental disabilities. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,900.00 | SACRA/PROFANA | 3502 Clairemont Dr , SAN DIEGO, CA 92117 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 432-2920 | California's 53rd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, SACRA/PROFANA will produce its 17th artistic season. Since its inception, SACRA/PROFANA has worked to bring contemporary and innovative choral repertoire to the greater San Diego area through concerts and educational programs. We’re dedicated to providing experiences that create and celebrate the power of choral music and strive to ensure that these choral experiences are accessible to artists, patrons and students. Season 17 will feature five concerts and provide workshops and mentoring for hundreds of middle and high school students. One of the most impactful educational outreach programs is the Summer Choral Intensive week-long choral camp, in its 12th season. Funds would be used specifically for artistic and education staff, singers, accompanists, teaching artists and choral artistic leadership. Funds would also support important operational activities underlying those programs. | San Diego’s only year-round professional chorus, SACRA/PROFANA was founded in 2009 by New York native Krishan Oberoi, quickly rose to become “San Diego’s go-to choral ensemble” (U-T San Diego). Described by KPBS as “choral music for the iPod generation”, the dynamic choral group has collaborated with the Chieftains, Producer Carlton Cuse (of ABC’s hit show Lost), Japanese composer Nobou Uematsu, and many other prominent creative minds. The SACRA/PROFANA Education Outreach programs strive to aid teachers and students in the pursuit of knowledge in music, discipline, focus, language skills and community. We do this through: |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,250.00 | A PLACE OF HER OWN | 1890 Bryant St., 302 1890 Bryant St., 302, SF, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 722-4296 | District 11 | District 17 | District 11 | CAC funding will support PLACE alumni with new workshops and a culminating exhibition. “Travel Diaries”: Journeys from Chronic Heartache towards Resilience invites alumni to artistically reflect on their overarching healing journey inspired by their PLACE experience. Using mixed media, installation, and storytelling, participants will explore their growth, epiphanies, and challenges. The project will culminate in an exhibition and community events with virtual options. Guided workshops will help alumni create intuitively, while learning curatorial practices and public event production for leadership development. All programming is free, ensuring accessibility for under-resourced communities. PLACE nurtures multi-generational, culturally rooted artists, leaders, and healers. | We offer both hybrid, online and in-person lectures, workshops, art exhibitions, lectures and artists’ talks sharing intuitive art making processes for self-reflection, and group discussions that help explore and release generational family trauma. Participants learn to recognize and release family patterns, including links to cultural and societal dysfunction. To claim aspirations, and grow self-agency, the art workshops, artists’ talks and exhibitions provide platforms to artistically answer the question: “If you had a place of your own, what would it be?” This is an artistic exercise in “self-agency”. Leadership Development: |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $20,250.00 | Dan Froot & Company | 11405 BIONA DR , LOS ANGELES, CA 90066-3307 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 766-4942 | “Essay Whaat?” is a series of free Saturday morning arts events designed to activate and connect under-resourced Los Angeles neighborhoods through theater, music, and dialogue. Led by Dan Froot & Company in partnership with local venues in Watts, Orange Heights, Sun Valley, Westlake, Inglewood, and West Adams, each event features professional actors performing original interpretations of community-curated texts, as well as live music by neighborhood-based artists, and locally prepared food and drink. CAC funds will support compensation for actors, musicians, community participants, project coordination, artistic direction, venues, and production costs. “Essay Whaat?” offers a replicable model for inclusive, community-driven arts programming that deepens local relationships and builds cultural networks across some of LA’s most vibrant neighborhoods. | 501 (see three) ARTS develops and tours original, ensemble-devised performance works that often address pressing social issues. These works are typically developed through community-based research and storytelling, culminating in performances that blend theater, movement, and music. Our performance events often double as community forums, fostering dialogue among audience members on topics ranging from food insecurity to gun violence to plastic pollution. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $16,800.00 | Dan Froot & Company | 11405 BIONA DR , LOS ANGELES, CA 90066-3307 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 766-4942 | With support from the California Arts Council, 501 (see three) ARTS will hire its first General Manager to implement strategic initiatives, manage budgets, and oversee fundraising efforts. This position will expand our capacity to develop socially engaged, artist-led dance, music, and theater projects that serve, among others, communities across California most impacted by environmental injustice. The GM will align financial strategies with our values of equity and inclusion, facilitate cross-sector collaborations, and help ensure low-barrier community access to arts participation. They will also lead inclusive strategic planning and support efforts to embed ensemble members in civic, institutional, and community settings as we expand and deepen our reciprocal partnerships. This position will help build the organizational backbone needed to sustain long-term relationships, center community relevance, and uphold equitable practices across all programming. | 501 (see three) ARTS develops and tours original, ensemble-devised performance works that often address pressing social issues. These works are typically developed through community-based research and storytelling, culminating in performances that blend theater, movement, and music. Our performance events often double as community forums, fostering dialogue among audience members on topics ranging from food insecurity to gun violence to plastic pollution. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,600.00 | Fern Street Circus | 4063 Polk Ave , San Diego, CA 92105-1436 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 320-2055 | 52nd congressional district of California | District 79 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, Fern Street Community Arts (FSCA) will enhance its organizational infrastructure to meet community demand for its core programs. Grant funds will support salaries of key staff (Program Director, Operations Manager, and Social Work Educator) who ensure FSCA’s effectiveness, sustainability, and impact. These leaders are vital to program delivery as well as responsible financial stewards who uphold strong governance, operational accountability, and people-centered practices. Their work reflects FSCA’s core values: investing in human potential, nurturing a cooperative community culture, and maintaining responsible, mission-driven operations. FSCA’s initiative, Fern Street Circus (FSC)—offers free, year-round circus arts education and public performances, primarily in City Heights. This funding will support the essential infrastructure that enables artists to bring accessible, high-quality arts directly into the community, using circus for connection, learning, and joy. | Founded in 1990, Fern Street Circus (FSC) has built a legacy of circus in San Diego through a series of annual shows in Balboa Park, Golden Hill, City Heights, and in neighborhoods across San Diego County. EDUCATION. FSC’s education programs focus on serving communities mostly through City recreation centers. At Mid-City Gym in City Heights, we teach low-income youth free-of-charge, emphasizing skill building, conditioning, team work and cultural understanding. PERFORMANCE. Known for creating performances with a playful sense of place, the Circus mixes adult professionals with after-school students. Anchor elements include live music; sets conceived and built by locally known visual artists; and a bi-lingual, non-linear narrative. FSC’s Neighborhood Tour takes place each spring, with free shows in Mid-City San Diego neighborhood parks. COMMUNITY. The Circus is resident in City Heights, interacting daily with and supporting activists and their constituents from around the world. In September 2023, FSCA moved into a recently vacated elementary school in City Heights, Central. At the former Central campus, FSCA has a 2,500 square foot gym with wood floors,, 20′ ceiling, natural light and a stage, as well as 4 classrooms for training, storage and an office. This is FSCA’s first-ever dedicated indoor space. Fern Street Community Arts was named Live Well San Diego’s Central Region “Public Health Champion” of 2025. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Fern Street Circus | 4063 Polk Ave , San Diego, CA 92105-1436 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 320-2055 | 52nd congressional district of California | District 79 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, FERN STREET COMMUNITY ARTS will provide free-of-charge opportunities for circus education and performance to historically underserved youth in City Heights, San Diego. Programming includes our year-round After-School Circus Program, Central Elementary Minimum Day Program, and Fern Street Family Services. Youth performance opportunities include the annual month-long Neighborhood Tour to parks in underserved neighborhoods and community-driven performances throughout the year. Through teaching and performing of circus arts, we seek to build vibrant, visible community, and enliven public spaces, with a primary focus on Creative Youth Development. | Founded in 1990, Fern Street Circus (FSC) has built a legacy of circus in San Diego through a series of annual shows in Balboa Park, Golden Hill, City Heights, and in neighborhoods across San Diego County. EDUCATION. FSC’s education programs focus on serving communities mostly through City recreation centers. At Mid-City Gym in City Heights, we teach low-income youth free-of-charge, emphasizing skill building, conditioning, team work and cultural understanding. PERFORMANCE. Known for creating performances with a playful sense of place, the Circus mixes adult professionals with after-school students. Anchor elements include live music; sets conceived and built by locally known visual artists; and a bi-lingual, non-linear narrative. FSC’s Neighborhood Tour takes place each spring, with free shows in Mid-City San Diego neighborhood parks. COMMUNITY. The Circus is resident in City Heights, interacting daily with and supporting activists and their constituents from around the world. In September 2023, FSCA moved into a recently vacated elementary school in City Heights, Central. At the former Central campus, FSCA has a 2,500 square foot gym with wood floors,, 20′ ceiling, natural light and a stage, as well as 4 classrooms for training, storage and an office. This is FSCA’s first-ever dedicated indoor space. Fern Street Community Arts was named Live Well San Diego’s Central Region “Public Health Champion” of 2025. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,750.00 | Longshadr Productions | 1102 Warren Creek Road , Arcata, CA 95521 | Humboldt | Upstate | (707) 223-0265 | With support from the California Arts Council, Longshadr will engage members of the Blue Lake and Arcata communities in a collective creation process using the plays of John B. Keane as a vehicle for storytelling. Keane’s plays’ themes include capitalism’s effects on rural communities, emigration and nomadship, and addictions. Real stories from community members will be interwoven into a devised piece of theater and performed by both community members and professional actors, titled CAPITAL & KIN: STORIES FOR SALE. | Longshadr’s programs and productions are all community-developed. | |||
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | The High Steppers Drill Team, Inc. | 3919 TEAK ST , SAN DIEGO, CA 92113-2868 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 742-0369 | District 52 | District 79 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, The High Steppers Drill Team, Inc. will provide social-emotional creative experiences in safe and nurturing environments through our proposed project and core program, The High Steppers Drill Team. The High Steppers Drill Team empowers youth through the preservation, revitalization, and reclamation of the cultural practice of Step, a traditional artistic and cultural practice that dates to the aftermath of the slave rebellion of 1739 and is shaped out of the African American college movements at the turn of the 20th century. In addition, The High Steppers integrate Drill and Dance into their movement-based programs, with wraparound services such as mental health and wellness and academic support. | Our organization supports 3 core programs with wraparound services including, but not limited to, academic awareness and mental health support. Six staff members and 4 teaching artist alumni — all members of the Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) community — oversee and manage The High Steppers programs and day-to-day operations within the organization. In service of our mission, our organization directly serves approximately 75 young people per year. One of our core programs is our Drill Team, which utilizes the art of military drill technique, dance, and step routines as an access point for creative youth development. Our team of 10-30 participants per semester, ranging from 3 to 17 years old, engages in 2-hour practice sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays each week during our 16 week-long spring semesters, 4 week summer boot camps, and 12 week fall semesters. Co-Founder and Executive/Artistic Director Charolette Patton-Logan leads the Drill Team program. Grounded and rooted within their community, The High Steppers have a long-standing tradition of cultivating relationships with community members and service providers working across sectors. Student alumni and graduates from the organization’s programs work alongside The High Steppers Co-Founder and Executive/Artistic Director, Charolette Patton-Logan, as Junior Step Instructors and Step Masters in training. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,000.00 | Manilatown Heritage Foundation | 868 Kearny Street , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 312-7239 | California's 11th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Manilatown Heritage Foundation will continue sustaining the historic International Hotel Manilatown Center—a gallery, creative studio, and multidisciplinary community gathering space in San Francisco, California. Grant funds will support communication accessibility services for our collaborators and audience members, utility expenses for our Center, and salaries for our existing staff across gallery operations, administration, education, and arts programming. Manilatown Heritage Foundation’s core programs honor the legacies of San Francisco’s Historic Manilatown and the 1977 International Hotel Anti-Eviction Movement, preserving a critical chapter of Asian American civil rights history. In addition, our Center serves as a cultural incubator, uplifting the activist artistic visions of today’s Filipino and Asian American communities through live music, spoken word, visual arts, and pre-colonial Philippine cultural practices. | The Manilatown Heritage Foundation’s core program is to maintain the legacies of San Francisco’s historic Manilatown neighborhood and the 1977 International Hotel Eviction by maintaining the International Hotel Manilatown Center as both a memorial to these legacies and as a multipurpose community gathering space for creative expressions relevant to today’s community. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $13,200.00 | In The Band | 2118 WILSHIRE BLVD STE 1170 , SANTA MONICA, CA 90403-5704 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (424) 320-8585 | California's 36th congressional district | District 51 | District 24 | With support from California Arts Council, In The Band (formerly Sound Art) will use general operating relief to sustain our infrastructure and overhead costs of supporting our music education and career readiness programs for vulnerable youth in underserved L.A. neighborhoods. With professional musicians as teaching artists, our mobile Music Education program uses contemporary music to teach the fundamentals of musicianship to K-12 students. Utilizing teaching teams of professional composers and audio engineers, our School to Career Readiness program provides music education and mentorship in songwriting, recording and production using the latest industry-standard Digital Audio Workstation technology, to at-promise youth, homeless young adults and foster youth in transitional housing, ages 17-24. | Our core programming provides on-site mobile music education to underserved students from K through 12th grade and at-risk, homeless and foster youth, ages 17 – 24, using contemporary music to teach the fundamentals of musicianship. Through one-on-one interaction, demonstrations and instruction from professional musicians, composers and audio engineers, we offer age-appropriate instruction in alignment with VAPA standards for school aged students. In The Band also offers songwriting, recording and production for homeless and foster youth, ages 17-24. School aged students will learn to play a minimum of four quality pieces of music and will master an instrument within one year, while our older youth will write, produce and record music. In addition, students will have opportunities to release music on the internet and perform at events throughout the city. In The Band curriculum includes the following topics: Tempo; Dynamics; Techniques specific to each instrument; Techniques for audio production and recording; Rhythmic concepts; Understanding and Reading musical notation; Writing musical notation; Understanding ‘beat’ and measures in 4/4 and other time signatures; Introduction to the music of world cultures; Introduction to rhythmic concepts (reading and writing); and Introduction to ensemble playing; and Introduction to performance. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,750.00 | Drawing Together | PO Box 972 , Wrightwood, CA 92397 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 657-0065 | California's 28th congressional district | District 41 | District 23 | With support from the California Arts Council, Drawing Together will partner with a community-based organization in Pasadena to deliver a series of workshops focused on intuition and authenticity as a way to facilitate healing after the Eaton fires in January of 2025. The goal will be to create one authentic artwork that will then inspire a series of saleable items to address economic impact, which will be presented at one of the Pasadena ArtNights. | Drawing Together offers the following opportunities to connect to your creative side: |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $22,200.00 | Mariachi Women’s Foundation | 5280 E. Beverly Blvd. Unit C , LOS ANGELES, CA 90022 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (858) 847-5419 | 40th Congressional District of California | State Assembly District 51 | State Senate District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Mariachi Women’s Foundation (MWF) will strengthen its general operations, support a diverse and vibrant arts workforce, and sustain its infrastructure through grant funding for staffing. This support will allow the MWF to continue delivering culturally relevant arts programming to East Los Angeles—a historically and systemically underserved community ranked in the lowest quartile of the Healthy Places Index. The MWF remains committed to its mission by offering mariachi performances, youth mariachi instruction, and community engagement programs that highlight the vital and growing role of women in preserving and advancing the mariachi tradition. | Core Programs and Services include: 1. MARIACHI MUSIC PERFORMANCE 2. MARIACHI MUSIC EDUCATION 3. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,900.00 | Gamelan Sekar Jaya | 3023 Shattuck Ave , Berkeley, CA 94705 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 655-1227 | California Assembly district 15 | District 15 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Gamelan Sekar Jaya (GSJ) will build our institutional capacity by expanding staffing, and strengthening our education and performance programs to sustain and improve the accessibility of our programs for historically under-resourced community members, including Indonesian Americans, economically disadvantaged communities, and disabled ensemble members and students. This support will allow GSJ to strengthen and expand the accessibility of our many programmatic activities, including regular open houses with free community workshops, sliding scale public classes for all ages, residencies, workshops, and assemblies at local public schools with artists-in-residence and local teaching artists, Balinese cultural events in collaboration with the Indonesian consulate in San Francisco, as well as our free and low-cost performances across the Bay Area and beyond that reach an audience of approximately 10,000 people annually. | Direct artistic interaction is key to GSJ’s unique programming. Many of Bali’s most renowned performing artists have joined GSJ for extended residencies over the past 40 years. The artist-in-residence program is the only US program outside of a university or consulate to regularly host Balinese artists for extended residencies, making it an important resource for the public. Artists-in-residence share their artistic skills, experience, and creativity with these shared goals: direct artistic interaction with performers, students, and audiences; dissemination of major works from the living tradition of Balinese arts; enriching historical, cultural, and artistic understanding in a setting emphasizing artistic excellence and mutual respect. GSJ has presented hundreds of concerts locally and internationally, and each year GSJ introduces thousands of children, youth and adults to Balinese arts and culture through classes, school programs, and other outreach activities. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,250.00 | Gamelan Sekar Jaya | 3023 Shattuck Ave , Berkeley, CA 94705 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 655-1227 | California Assembly district 15 | District 15 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Gamelan Sekar Jaya will conduct three residencies in Title 1 Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) schools, engaging Oakland students in collaborative musical and choreographic composition grounded in the Balinese performing arts tradition. These residencies will be a collaboration between Balinese culture bearers, local dancers and musicians, OUSD faculty, and OUSD students. | Direct artistic interaction is key to GSJ’s unique programming. Many of Bali’s most renowned performing artists have joined GSJ for extended residencies over the past 40 years. The artist-in-residence program is the only US program outside of a university or consulate to regularly host Balinese artists for extended residencies, making it an important resource for the public. Artists-in-residence share their artistic skills, experience, and creativity with these shared goals: direct artistic interaction with performers, students, and audiences; dissemination of major works from the living tradition of Balinese arts; enriching historical, cultural, and artistic understanding in a setting emphasizing artistic excellence and mutual respect. GSJ has presented hundreds of concerts locally and internationally, and each year GSJ introduces thousands of children, youth and adults to Balinese arts and culture through classes, school programs, and other outreach activities. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,000.00 | Media Arts Center San Diego | 1100 Market Street Suite 326, San Diego, CA 92101 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 230-1938 | California's 53rd congressional district | California's 80th District | 78th District | With support from the California Arts Council, Media Arts Center San Diego (MACSD) will continue to accomplish its mission of providing new media tools and channels to create equitable and engaged communities where underserved voices are heard. MACSD serves populations in the lower two quartiles of the Healthy Places Index in the San Diego region through our Education, Exhibitions, and Community Production programs. Funds from this grant will support our general operating costs (staff salaries, program costs, admin expenses, overhead fees, facility rentals), and support the professional development of media artists; thereby sustaining transformative community-oriented artistic programs and a creative workforce in San Diego and beyond. | MACSD programs, events, and film festivals are inclusionary—designed with audiences, participants, and community collaboration in mind. A summary of core organizational programs and services can be broken down into three categories: WATCH—San Diego Latino Film Festival (SDLFF) celebrates its 32nd anniversary in March 2025 introducing viewers to contemporary US-Latino and Latin American cinema. Additional programming includes the Que Viva Outdoor Cine Latino Series, and daily screenings of at our Digital Gym Cinema. LEARN—Media education programs for youth include: Teen Producers Project, Youth Media & Tech Camps, ¡Tu Cine! Student Film Showcase, the iVIE Awards & Student Film Festival and in-school media programs. CREATE—Tools for community-based media production and collaboration include: Frontera Filmmakers, a grassroots training course for independent filmmakers; and Video Production Services, helping community groups make digital media presence accessible and affordable. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | TuYo Theatre | 2971 Greyling Dr , San Diego, CA 92123 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 944-2719 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, TUYO THEATRE INC will produce Everything You Need to Know About Abortion in One Hour or Less and tour it in San Diego’r South Bay Communities. | The core programming of TuYo Theatre is a community and professional theatre company. TuYo Theatre produces plays, staged-readings, theatrical developmental workshops, and educational theatre programs. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,000.00 | The Crow | 2525 MICHIGAN AVE UNIT F4 , SANTA MONICA, CA 90404-4014 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (424) 322-8017 | 36 | 51 | 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Crow Comedy Inc. will produce a season of Storyectomy: American Heroes. This project is a six-week, in-person storytelling arts course dedicated to amplifying the lived experiences of military veterans, their families, and the medical personnel who serve this population. ‘American Heroes’ is an extension of Storyectomy—an umbrella of workshops that raise awareness for mental health equity in our communities. The interdisciplinary curriculum encompasses creative writing and storytelling arts, including concept design, plot, arc, punchlines, performance techniques, and the fundamentals of comedic arts, offering a transformative experience for both storytellers and audiences. Funding from the CAC will help offset production costs: sound, lighting, videography, photography, and stipends for arts instructors and guest performers. The final performance will be filmed and published online on our YouTube Channel and website. | Arts Enrichment Programming for Youth/Teens – Adult Arts Programming Classes in Stand Up Comedy and Storytelling. Scholarships are also available. – Open Mic and Boys Drool – an ongoing audition and access program to give female-identifying and nonbinary comics exposure and amplification – Bergamot Comedy Festival – held each Spring – amplifying the voices of 50+ emerging comics and over 750+ audience members providing professional development and growth opportunities to the festival comics and is open to the community. – Ongoing Community Programming – workshops, networking events, panels that are provided free to the community |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,900.00 | Golden Gate Men's Chorus | 116 Eureka Street , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114-2435 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 668-4462 | California Congressional District 12 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Golden Gate Men’s Chorus will produce a series of six choral performances in San Francisco during the grant period of October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026, including promotion expenses (marketing, printing, postage, graphics) and production expenses (rehearsal and performance venue, music purchase, licensing, artists’ compensation, audio/visual recording engineer). | The GGMC presents spring, summer, and winter programs of men’s choral music annually, in addition to guest and community benefit performances throughout the year. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | MUSYCA Children's Choir | 21019 Gresham St #18 , Canoga Park, CA 91304 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 554-9937 | California's 32nd congressional district | District 40 | District 27 | With support from the California Arts Council, MUSYCA will expand equitable access to high-quality choral music education and culturally responsive arts programming for youth ages 4–25 across Los Angeles County. Grant funds will support inclusive music instruction, performance opportunities, and creative workshops designed to empower youth from underserved communities. The program will engage participants in active music-making, foster cross-cultural understanding, and promote their personal and artistic growth. | MUSYCA Children’s Choir is a multiracial, multicultural choral music education organization, shaping the future by making a difference in the lives of children and youth through musical excellence. MUSYCA rehearsals, music classes, and performances take place during after-school hours and on weekends in a community setting. The children study and perform a varied musical repertoire, consisting of high-quality, age-appropriate choral music for young people, varied in style, time period, and character. MUSYCA In-School program serves children in partnership with local schools, providing instruction in choral singing, musicianship, and recorders. The choir provides many performance and recording opportunities for the students throughout each year and participates in outreach and collaborations with community organizations, performing arts groups, composers, and artists. MUSYCA’s student-led outreach initiative, Nurturing Association of Young Artists (NAYA) provides senior citizens in nursing homes with intergenerational activities and performances. MUSYCA serves children and youth ages 3-21 in Los Angeles County and neighboring communities. Most of the students come from financially disadvantaged families and attend Title 1 public schools. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Encore Programs, Inc. | 15239 SPRINGDALE ST , HUNTINGTN BCH, CA 92649-1156 | Orange | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (714) 898-8184 | 47th Congressional District of California | State Assembly District 72 | State Senate District 36 | With support from the California Arts Council, ENCORE PROGRAMS INC A NONPROFIT PUBLIC BENEFIT CORPORATION will continue and expand our unique arts based therapeutic program in Orange County. This Arts Exposure Project, first funded by CAC in 2023-24, ressurected our long standing commitment to arts based DEI oriented services, after a long interruption due to state budget cuts and the Covid pandemic. The financial support has resulted in many first time ventures and further support will allow us to greatly expand our reach into new culturally based events, workshops, and exhibits. Our participants have greatly benefited from these excursion, but they have been confined to nearby events due to transportation costs. Further support will allow to travel further afield, and participate in additional events. | Encore Programs offer two programs based on the creative arts: Encore as a vocational and occupational program and Creative and Vocational Arts (CAVA) as a therapeutic arts program for dual diagnosed adults who are developmentally disabled. Encore Programs uses an Arts based approach (Visual, Music, and Drama) to teach the skills necessary to integrate more closely with their surrounding communities. To that end , students are trained in the arts, given opportunities to enter and participate in exhibits and performances and learn about the Arts Industry should they ever apply for volunteer programs or jobs. They use the therapeutic components of our approach to manage their own behaviors and life stressors. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $13,200.00 | Children's Discovery Museum of the Desert | 71701 GERALD FORD DR , RANCHO MIRAGE, CA 92270-1934 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (760) 321-0602 | U.S. Representative | California State Representative | Senator | With support from the California Arts Council, the Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert will expand its Museum on the Go initiative to underserved communities in the Eastern Coachella Valley (ECV)—a region facing systemic inequities, limited transportation access, and few arts education opportunities. This mobile program directly delivers hands-on, bilingual arts and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) experiences to children and families in schools, parks, and community spaces. With a strong emphasis on visual and performing arts, the program highlights cultural relevance and creative expression while building community connections. Grant funds will support local educator and artist salaries, supplies, and culturally responsive programming. By engaging families in joyful, creative learning and hiring local talent, Museum on the Go supports educational equity and contributes to the ECV’s cultural and economic vitality. | Our Values Learning |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,500.00 | Intersection for the Arts (fiscal sponsor) | 1446 Market Street , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 269-0073 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, StageWrite will deepen our partnerships with two San Francisco public elementary schools, Glen Park Elementary and William Cobb Elementary, providing classroom drama residencies in General Education, Spanish Bi-Literacy and Special Education classrooms. StageWrite will also provide interactive, arts integration professional development workshops for partnering classroom teachers, enhancing the collaborative relationships between artists and teachers while building a body of shared knowledge in theatre-in-education pedagogy. StageWrite’s engagement with school partners will also extend to students’ families via facilitation of Community Drama Events, further strengthening our collaboration between teachers, teaching artists, students, and families. | StageWrite serves approximately 1000 students annually in San Francisco public elementary schools. StageWrite’s Building Literacy through Theatre sequential drama program begins with kindergarten and 1st grade students participating in story dramas based on social issues; 2nd and 3rd graders explore narrative story elements creating performances that reimagine grade-level texts; and 4th and 5th grade students write original work, including monologues and one-act plays, which are performed by the students and by professional actors. Our ADAPTS (Autism & Drama with Artists, Parents, Teachers & Students) program serves students with autism in inclusive residencies to engage students in creative play, improve communication, and encourage personal growth. All StageWrite programs are designed and implemented using student-centered methodology. It is our belief that students learn the most from examining their own thoughts and feelings, and thinking critically about the world. We believe in theatre as a tool for social change, and a means of empowering students and communities. This principle of StageWrite’s work has been a guiding force for 20+ years and has been essential in informing our response to the challenges of today. As a response to the pandemic, StageWrite developed, piloted, and refined two new curricula: “Zoom-a-Rama: Community Through Drama,” designed for distance learning at the start of the pandemic, and “Room-a-Rama” which re-imagined our curriculum to use improvisational drama games and collaborative storytelling activities to build classroom communities and support social emotional learning as students returned in-person, serving 45 classrooms at 6 San Francisco public elementary schools. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $17,750.00 | Fresh Meat Productions | PO BOX 460670 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94146-0670 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (707) 563-1117 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Fresh Meat Productions (FMP) will organize and produce our 25th Anniversary FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL of transgender and queer performance June 18-20, 2026 (Z Space, SF). All performances will feature ASL interpretation. Our FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL is a beloved community gathering with artists creating and performing new work at the intersections of transgender, racial and disability justice. CAC funds will support Artist Fees of the festival’s 10 performing artists and ensembles, and will also support our festival’s annual commissioning program, FRESH WORKS! — FMP will award FRESH WORKS! commissions of $5,000 each to 4 BIPOC transgender, gender-nonconforming and queer artists, to support the creation of new work. FMP will present the world premiere of these 4 commissioned works at the 25th Anniversary FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL. | Fresh Meat Productions (FMP) will celebrate our 25th Anniversary Season during this CAC grant period! Based on our commitment to trans/racial/disability justice, Fresh Meat Productions’ year-round programs and events are all either FREE or $0+ sliding-scale with no one turned away for lack of funds. Our programs: support the creative expression, artistic advancement, professional development, and cultural leadership of transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) and queer communities; empower and connect audiences; foster dialogue and learning; promote the evolution of transgender arts and culture; and build vibrant, resilient, connected communities. Our programs include: THE CREATION AND PERFORMANCE OF NEW WORK: PERFORMING ARTS PROGRAMS & EVENTS: ENGAGEMENT AND EDUCATION: ADVOCACY: |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $14,800.00 | Tomato Sage Consortium | 1002 Marcheta St , Altadena, CA 91001 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 394-6001 | 27 | 41 | 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, Tomato Sage Consortium, with Francis Wong as Project Director, William Roper as Lead Artist, Steven L. Isoardi, Ph.D. as advisor, will produce “Up from the Ashes”, an oral history and community engagement project exploring the experiences of multiple generations of musicians and composers in Altadena who lost everything in the Eaton Wildfire. Through video interviews of ten artists in Altadena, the project will document the contributions of these important culture bearers at this critical time, uncovering their reflections on the loss of home, their life’s work, and potentially generational wealth, as they fight to maintain the spirit, vision, and artistic legacy of jazz music and community in the aftermath of the fires. The project culminates with a film and public programming in Altadena, Pasadena and Los Angeles. | Tomato Sage Consortium’s core program and services is to cause the creation, performance, documentation and distribution of new works of art particularly but not limited to the disciplines of composed and improvised music, performance art, dance, theatre and video works. Our primary service is to make available to the public documentations of live performances, studio recordings and video works through the media entity Tomato Sage Consortium Records. |
| Individual Artist Fellowships-AO | 2025-26 | $1,000,000.00 | Los Angeles Performance Practice | 110 Judge John Aiso St. #722 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90012 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (401) 640-1651 | California Assembly district 34 | District 45 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, Los Angeles Performance Practice (LAPP) will act as an Administering Organization in Region 6 (Los Angeles County) to administer funds for the Individual Artist Fellowships program, a program that is fully aligned with our core mission of supporting independent artists in the region. Los Angeles Performance Practice successfully served as the Administering Organization for the Individual Artist Fellowships program for Los Angeles County during the program’s most recent round in 2022-2024. | I. Programs for Artists FREE ADVICE | Open consultations with staff and guest advisors from LA arts institutions to encourage a generous exchange of ideas, practices, knowledge, and resources. WORKSHOPS | Professional development sessions cover practical skill-sets such as grant writing and budgeting, as well as creative topics like devising performance and dance practices. RESEARCH + DEVELOPMENT (R+D) | Early project support gives time and space to multidisciplinary artists developing new projects. Includes childcare. ACCELERATOR | A cohort of independent artists meet monthly to deepen self-producing skills and resource new work. CASUAL | Artists show experimental work in early development to viewers for critical feedback. II. LIVE ARTS EXCHANGE [LAX] FESTIVAL III. CREATIVE PRODUCING IV. FIELD INITIATIVES INDIVIDUAL ARTIST FELLOWSHIPS | We administered unrestricted funds to a broad range of LA County artists as an Administering Organization for the California Arts Council in 2023. RESEARCH IN THE ARTS | A comparative study of contemporary performance-making examining geographic funding disparities, now expanded to include institutional networks for alternative governance in the arts. BRIDGE THE GAPS | An artist recovery initiative offering microgrants and residencies to wildfire-impacted artists in Los Angeles, in partnership with the City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs. MENTORSHIP | Through the LA County Department of Arts and Culture, we offer paid internships focused on production and development in the arts. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,600.00 | Los Angeles Performance Practice | 110 Judge John Aiso St. #722 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90012 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (401) 640-1651 | California Assembly district 34 | District 45 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, LOS ANGELES PERFORMANCE PRACTICE (LAPP) will sustain and strengthen its artist-centered infrastructure that supports a network of independent artists working in contemporary, experimental, and multidisciplinary performance. CAC funds will directly support LAPP’s core programs and initiatives, including free artist consultations, professional development workshops, research and development support, creative producing partnerships, fiscal sponsorship, mentorship, wildfire relief, and a cohort program providing peer-to-peer artist support. General Operating Support will allow LAPP to maintain responsive, equity-driven services that build resilience, capacity, and creative agency for Los Angeles artists navigating ongoing precarity. | I. Programs for Artists FREE ADVICE | Open consultations with staff and guest advisors from LA arts institutions to encourage a generous exchange of ideas, practices, knowledge, and resources. WORKSHOPS | Professional development sessions cover practical skill-sets such as grant writing and budgeting, as well as creative topics like devising performance and dance practices. RESEARCH + DEVELOPMENT (R+D) | Early project support gives time and space to multidisciplinary artists developing new projects. Includes childcare. ACCELERATOR | A cohort of independent artists meet monthly to deepen self-producing skills and resource new work. CASUAL | Artists show experimental work in early development to viewers for critical feedback. II. LIVE ARTS EXCHANGE [LAX] FESTIVAL III. CREATIVE PRODUCING IV. FIELD INITIATIVES INDIVIDUAL ARTIST FELLOWSHIPS | We administered unrestricted funds to a broad range of LA County artists as an Administering Organization for the California Arts Council in 2023. RESEARCH IN THE ARTS | A comparative study of contemporary performance-making examining geographic funding disparities, now expanded to include institutional networks for alternative governance in the arts. BRIDGE THE GAPS | An artist recovery initiative offering microgrants and residencies to wildfire-impacted artists in Los Angeles, in partnership with the City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs. MENTORSHIP | Through the LA County Department of Arts and Culture, we offer paid internships focused on production and development in the arts. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Institute of Arts Music & Science | 16415 Clark Avenue , Bellflower, CA 90706 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (562) 920-7119 | California's 38th congressional district | District 58 | District 32 | We propose a 6 month, tuition-subsidized music education program providing weekly private lessons to 15 youth from under-resourced families, including children with autism and other developmental differences. Students select one instrument—piano, violin, cello, guitar, drums, or voice—and receive individualized instruction from trained teaching artists. The program promotes creativity, confidence, and emotional well-being, and culminates in a student recital that showcases participants’ progress and celebrates their achievements with family and community. CAC grant funds will be used to compensate teaching artists, provide instruments and learning materials, support administrative costs, and ensure accessibility for students with disabilities. This project increases access to high-quality, inclusive arts education, supports youth development, and uplifts communities by centering the arts as a powerful tool for connection, healing, and personal growth. | We have 18 highly qualified instructors and staff, many with advanced degrees from USC; 5 have earned their PhD. We have 2 buildings on site. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company | 300 S. Raymond Ave., Suite 9 , Pasadena, CA 91105 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 739-0768 | California's 28th congressional district | District 41 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, UNUSUAL SUSPECTS THEATRE CO (USTC) will deliver five total 12-week Youth Theatre Conservatory performance residencies at four arts-poor, Title 1 school sites and one community-based site. These 5 after-school residencies will provide 100+ LA County high-school students opportunities to create and perform original plays based on their personal experiences and shared culture. Each residency will provide an intensive, youth-driven creative process that combines a standards-based and culturally-responsive curriculum with deep mentorship to increase access to formative arts education in under-resourced LA County communities for youth (ages 14–19; 98% BIPOC). Each residency will culminate in 1-3 public youth performances—with an additional final “Best of Fest” event—attended by peers, families, neighbors, and site partners. Funds will support key USTC staff and Teaching Artists (TAs) who implement the Conservatory program. | USTC believes that the future of theatre lives in Los Angeles, and has developed a 5-year plan (2024-2028) to increase the quality and reach of our programs. We are adding partners and updating curricula to better connect with and meet the needs of today’s young people and provide the best possible platform for learning and creating theatre-arts. Through cross-training services and deepening partnerships, USTC also strives to support equity in disenfranchised communities holistically, promoting systemic change beyond our own work. For example, USTC is a founding member of the Arts for Healing and Justice Network (AHJN), an interdisciplinary collaborative of 15 arts organizations working to build resiliency and wellness, eliminate recidivism, and transform the juvenile-justice system. Programs include: YOUTH THEATRE CONSERVATORY: Our flagship program offers experiential theatre-arts education and mentoring via two sequential 10-week after-school residencies per site (playwriting then performance) wherein youth collaborate to create and perform an original play. The program is expanding into a sequential, multi-year model to engage high school students across four academic levels. YOUTH THEATRE RESIDENCY: Standards-based workshops in-and-out of the classroom that help students build teamwork, communication, and socialization skills. VOICES FROM INSIDE PROGRAM (VIP): Provided in partnership with AHJN, our site-adaptive VIP offers healing-informed, standards-based theatre-arts education and mentoring for incarcerated, justice-involved, and other trauma-impacted minors. NEIGHBORHOOD VOICES PROGRAM: Intergenerational community residents (ages 11-65+) create and perform an original, modernized morality play that addresses local issues. VOCATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAM: Offered in tandem with select residencies to provide hands-on training and skill-building opportunities in distinct theatrical disciplines (e.g. Costume/Scenic Design). THEATRE & CULTURE ACCESS PROGRAM: Free field trips introduce students and families from low-income communities to professional theatre. YOUTH JOURNALISM FELLOWSHIP: In collaboration with Stage Raw, the Fellowship provides select students (ages 15-25) with professional critical writing instruction/mentoring and opportunities to publish original pieces. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | Meztli Projects | 6615 Easton Street , Los Angeles, CA 90022 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 637-4375 | California's 40th congressional district | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Meztli Projects will provide IndigenARTS & Wellness, a project blending art, Indigenous practices, with mental health and wellness support. Using a variety of contemporary and traditional art forms, we generate dialogue around intergenerational trauma & resiliency, sexual & gendered violence, systemic violence, and art as medicine and a tool for healing to process, reflect, and work towards individual & collective wellness. Guided by artists, culture bearers, and Elders, IndigenARTS & Wellness offers culturally relevant and competent free arts programming centering collaborative artmaking, connectivity, ……………… to increase wellness as-well-as employ arts practitioners rooted in Indigenous practices. (64 words) | Meztli Projects provides culturally relevant and competent arts programming to Native/Indigenous populations as well as the general public. Workshops range from printmaking such as screen printing and lino block printing to beading, drum making, mural painting, and zine making. Youth Development: Meztli Projects’ (Ready 2 Rise Project) is a unique set of interlocking programs between youth, artists and cultural workers from East Los Angeles who have been impacted by street violence and incarceration, developed to specifically center impacted youth by building a framework for participation, decision-making, apprenticeship, and entrepreneurship. The suite of programs include a Cultural Worker Apprenticeship program, a Youth Arts & Action Workshop Series and a 10-month program focusing on Arts-Based Healing Practices. Each program folds into the next creating a pathway for employment and wellness through art making, opportunities to assist program facilitators, and mentorship. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | Hanford Multicultural Theater Company | 119 1/2 North Douty Street , Hanford, CA 93230 | Kings | Central Valley | (559) 997-3838 | California Assembly district 33 | District 33 | District 16 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Hanford Multicultural Theater Company will expose our diverse youth to spoken word, storytelling, poetry, playwriting, puppetry, and performance skills, empowering them to create their own original work to perform for the public. The engagement will be at two locations: the Lil’ Brick Theater and the Santa Rosa Rancheria Tachi-Yokut Tribe Educational Center. | Our goal is to enhance the livability of our community and ensure equal access to the arts. We offer high-quality, free acting classes, improvisation, puppetry, Shakespeare, and scene-study classes for all ages, abilities, and cultures. We organized the annual Hanford Dia de Los Muertos cultural community event, which invited folklorico and Aztec dancers, and artisans to share their skills. The new Story Slam and ‘Whatever Open-Mic’ for area storytellers, poets, comedians, and musicians is a hit with our community. We also present new one-act plays, marionette puppet shows, improv shows, and encourage the community to feel safe creating in our space. We are an all-inclusive entity that welcomes our disabled and mentally challenged community. Our participant age range is from 4 to 93. We draw participants from Hanford, Armona, Stratford, Kettleman City, Fresno, Avenal, Lemoore, Dinuba, Pixley, Tulare, Visalia, Corcoran, Laton, Kingsburg, Riverdale, and NAS-Lemoore service people and their families. We provide a nurturing and welcoming environment for all individuals. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,500.00 | Dance Resource Center / DRC | 3773 Crenshaw Blvd , Los Angeles, CA 90016 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 425-3463 | 37 | 55 | 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Dance Resource Center of Greater Los Angeles (DRC) will continue to empower and bolster Greater LA and Southern California’s creative economy via DRC’s HomeGrown Community Space; Residency and Performance Opportunity. HomeGrown is a multi-site collaboration with local artists, dance studios, small businesses and community driven organizations across the County to provide free, accessible, sustainable, well-furnished studio space to multi-discipline, multicultural and all ability individual artists and dance companies from predominantly marginalized groups at varying stages of career. Through HomeGrown, with support from CAC, DRC will respond to direct and vital need via thoughtful strategic partnerships and shared resources, strengthening art programming and delivering on the organizations mission as an effective centralized service organization, resource hub, network and advocacy center for arts, culture, and the professional creative community. | DRC serves a varied constituency consisting of small to mid-sized dance companies, choreographers, independent artists, presenting venues, educators, agents and administrators, and regularly engages with the substantial and diverse population of Los Angeles. DRC is the central source, voice, and advocate for dance in a variety of community spaces. DRC is the only discipline specific dance service organization in LA County that offers specialized and creative options to meet the significant and vast infrastructural needs of its constituents. DRC’s events and programs expand opportunities for growth that foster leadership within dance, performing and cultural arts. DRC’s resources provide infrastructure in communities to not only evolve dance, but allow dance to be self-sustaining within communities. DRC believes in providing a platform for dance throughout Los Angeles so that communities have the creative control to formulate relative programming and art making, in order to best serve and represent their respective communities. Via nuanced, reliable, high quality and trusted services and programs, DRC actively supports leaders and stakeholders in Los Angeles so that there may be a comprehensive representation in arts leadership. DRC has a considerable membership program that offers discounts on dance events, conferences, showcases, one-on-one meetings with mentors, the ability to reach dance audiences through marketing services, and priority access to resources and opportunities. DRC advocates for LA dance on local, regional, and national levels through research and advocacy addressing the unique aspects that effect the LA-area dance and movement sector. Importantly, DRC collaborates with organizations across various sectors. DRC’s current programming has three areas of focus: Community (online calendar; convenings; weekly LA Moves newsletter; Day of Dancer Health; comprehensive Dance Directory; Marketplace); Administrative Support (consultations; fiscal sponsorship; marketing services; staffing; technical assistance) and Artistic Development (supported performances, HomeGrown residencies, and showcases). Additionally and as needed, DRC offers Emergency Relief Microgrants. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,300.00 | VOLTI | PO BOX 15576 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115-0576 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (510) 847-6010 | With support from the California Arts Council, Volti will continue its mission to champion living composers and push the boundaries of contemporary vocal music through bold, adventurous programming. CAC funds will support general operations and Season 47 activities, including three distinct concert programs and a landmark interdisciplinary collaboration with Del Sol Quartet and the Oakland Ballet. Exploring themes of memory, nature, play, and transformation, the season features recent works by Sarah Kirkland Snider, Marcos Balter, Žibuoklė Martinaitytė, and Chris Castro; composers whose music exemplifies Volti’s commitment to innovation and expressive depth. CAC funding will help ensure fair compensation for artists, sustain educational programs like the Volti Choral Institute, and strengthen community engagement efforts, ensuring Volti remains a vital incubator for groundbreaking vocal music in the Bay Area and beyond. | Volti’s core program is presenting concerts and creating recordings of leading-edge unaccompanied music for vocal ensemble. In addition, Volti enjoys frequent collaborations and partnerships with groups including Kronos Quartet, Del Sol Quartet, ODC/Dance, Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, Festival Napa Valley, and Cal Performances. Another core service is educating young singers through the Choral Institute, centered on an annual retreat gathering several high school choirs for an intensive weekend of music-making. Volti singers serve as faculty and offer coaching and voice lessons to the student singers. The Choral Institute often includes working with a composer in residence on a piece commissioned for the occasion. We offer discounted participation in the Choral Institute to the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts, serving students from low-income and marginalized communities. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,000.00 | Arms Wide Open | 237 East Main Street , El Cajon, CA 92020 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 579-6197 | California's 53rd congressional district | District 71 | District 38 | With support from the California Arts Council, Arms Wide Open (AWO) will pay operating expenses that include studio rent, teaching artists, and production expenses, including those for productions by Rising Stars (exclusively for people with disabilities) and the Inspire program that offers individuals who are especially talented more challenging performance experiences. While the majority of AWO’s programs are designed solely for people with disabilities, INSPIRE is designed for people both with and without disabilities, giving each participant the chance to learn from others who share the same love of performance and who can offer valuable life lessons. Grant funding will also support AWO’s first satellite site in North San Diego County that expands its geographic reach by making it possible for people from other parts of the region to participate…a long-time vision realized! | Arms Wide Open provides a wide range of classes (e.g. Hip-Hop; Jazz; Health & Fitness; Tap; Voice; Percussion) designed specifically for individuals with disabilities to provide them opportunities for engagement in activities that improve their health and can lead to a positive and busy social life. AWO serves 200+ individuals with autism, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, brittle bone disease, and other developmental delays and physical challenges. They are from many cultural/socio-economic backgrounds and live in a variety of settings (e.g. group/foster homes, with families). They come to East County from throughout San Diego, and now North County residents can take classes at AWO’s new site at the California Center for the Arts. A team of master teaching professional artist/choreographer, musician/vocal coach director/drama instructors teach classes six days a week at the main studio and one day a week at the new North County site.. For many years, a highlight of AWO’s programming was its annual theatrical productions at the Lyceum Theatre. Due to Covid-19, performances at a professional theatre could not take place, but AWO transformed a dance studio into a theatre seating 80 people. Over the past several years, AWO presented four musicals – most recently, Wizard of Oz (Fall 2023). AWO now offers two large scale production programs: Rising Stars serves people with special needs or disabilities by producing and creating annual musicals. Most productions feature a cast of 80+ actors. Because these productions are so popular there are several casts so that everyone who is interested can participate. Unlike Rising Stars, INSPIRE is designed for people with and without disabilities, giving each participant the chance to learn from others who share the same love of performance and who can offer valuable life lessons. In May 2024 AWO returned to a large stage with performances of Newsies: The Musical. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $21,600.00 | Alliance for California Traditional Arts | 744 P ST STE 307 , FRESNO, CA 93721-2713 | Fresno | Central Valley | (559) 237-9812 | California, District 21 | Assembly District 31 | Senate District 14 | With support from the California Arts Council, ACTA will continue to serve California’s diverse traditional arts ecosystem through statewide programs, services, and grantmaking that center historically underrepresented artists and cultural communities. As a hybrid arts service organization and direct program provider, ACTA invests in cultural transmission and community well-being through initiatives like the Apprenticeship Program, Living Cultures Grant Program, Traditional Arts Roundtable Series, Arts in Corrections, and Reentry Through the Arts. General operating support will sustain ACTA’s work in rural and urban regions, prioritizing communities in the lowest quartiles of the California Healthy Places Index. Funding will bolster ACTA’s ability to provide direct support to traditional artists, technical assistance, and field-building efforts statewide that affirm culture bearers as essential contributors to community health, racial equity, and collective resilience across California’s cultural landscape. | Founded in 1997, ACTA has developed the infrastructure to offer programs and services supporting the diverse traditional cultural expressions of California’s traditional arts field. As a statewide arts organization, we have long-standing relationships with community collaborators cultivated through a steady development of grantmaking to culture bearers, a robust Arts in Corrections program, and public programs that increase community wellbeing and health equity. Our Apprenticeship Program offers $5,000 contracts to mentor artists for 1-on-1 training of apprentices, contributing to cultural and artistic knowledge transmission. The Living Cultures Grant Program supports pathways that nurture, sustain, and engage participants in traditional arts, with grants of $7,500 to individuals and $10,000 to California-based nonprofits, fiscal sponsors, and Tribal Nations. As the CAC administering organization for Folk & Traditional Arts since 2022, making larger and individual grants to traditional artists possible for the first time. Our work as an intermediary involves regranting from government and foundations to individuals and organizations, as well as providing those entities with capacity building, training, technical assistance, convening, and field-building activities. Grounding our programs is field research, documentation, publications, and creating/maintaining a vast, unparalleled archive. This work may involve participatory cultural asset mapping, and program design and curation, which actively engages the community. ACTA also works at the intersection of traditional arts, health equity, and social change by addressing education, mental health, displacement, and prevention through our Building Healthy Communities and La Cultura Cura programs. Sounds of California is a collaborative recording, composing, and community engagement initiative, inviting locals to participate in field recordings, analysis, and soundscape celebrations. Our Art Breaks In program brings traditional arts to incarcerated individuals in 11 state prisons and to recently incarcerated participants in reentry sites in Los Angeles and the Antelope Valley—supporting cultural restoration in some of California’s most vulnerable communities. |
| Folk and Traditional Arts | 2025-26 | $828,415.00 | Alliance for California Traditional Arts | 744 P ST STE 307 , FRESNO, CA 93721-2713 | Fresno | Central Valley | (559) 237-9812 | California, District 21 | Assembly District 31 | Senate District 14 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA) will strengthen and uplift traditional artists, culture bearers and cultural communities throughout California by providing responsive grant support, informed care-centered assistance, peer convenings and professional development opportunities in its Living Cultures Grant Program (LCGP). The Living Cultures Grant Program (LCGP) supports pathways that nurture, sustain, and engage participants in traditional arts, with grants of $7,500 to individuals and $10,000 to California-based nonprofits, fiscal sponsors, and Tribal Nations. Through this program, we honor the breadth and vitality of cultural practice and artistic expression in California’s cultural communities as foundational sources of social belonging, power and justice for all Californians. | Founded in 1997, ACTA has developed the infrastructure to offer programs and services supporting the diverse traditional cultural expressions of California’s traditional arts field. As a statewide arts organization, we have long-standing relationships with community collaborators cultivated through a steady development of grantmaking to culture bearers, a robust Arts in Corrections program, and public programs that increase community wellbeing and health equity. Our Apprenticeship Program offers $5,000 contracts to mentor artists for 1-on-1 training of apprentices, contributing to cultural and artistic knowledge transmission. The Living Cultures Grant Program supports pathways that nurture, sustain, and engage participants in traditional arts, with grants of $7,500 to individuals and $10,000 to California-based nonprofits, fiscal sponsors, and Tribal Nations. As the CAC administering organization for Folk & Traditional Arts since 2022, making larger and individual grants to traditional artists possible for the first time. Our work as an intermediary involves regranting from government and foundations to individuals and organizations, as well as providing those entities with capacity building, training, technical assistance, convening, and field-building activities. Grounding our programs is field research, documentation, publications, and creating/maintaining a vast, unparalleled archive. This work may involve participatory cultural asset mapping, and program design and curation, which actively engages the community. ACTA also works at the intersection of traditional arts, health equity, and social change by addressing education, mental health, displacement, and prevention through our Building Healthy Communities and La Cultura Cura programs. Sounds of California is a collaborative recording, composing, and community engagement initiative, inviting locals to participate in field recordings, analysis, and soundscape celebrations. Our Art Breaks In program brings traditional arts to incarcerated individuals in 11 state prisons and to recently incarcerated participants in reentry sites in Los Angeles and the Antelope Valley—supporting cultural restoration in some of California’s most vulnerable communities. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $16,200.00 | Playhouse Merced | 452 W. Main Street , Merced, CA 95340 | Merced | Central Valley | (209) 725-8587 | California's 16th congressional district | District 21 | District 12 | With support from the California Arts Council, Playhouse Merced will sustain its year-round community theater productions, youth conservatory training, and outreach programs in Merced County—a culturally diverse, historically underserved region of California’s Central Valley. Grant funds will support core operational costs, including staff salaries, utilities, and production expenses, allowing the organization to offer affordable performances, need-based scholarships, and inclusive programming that reflects the community it serves. This funding will help Playhouse Merced strengthen organizational capacity, maintain accessibility for Title I school partners and older adult performers, and provide a welcoming space for creative expression and mental well-being. As one of the only producing theaters in the region, Playhouse Merced plays a vital role in ensuring local access to the arts and inspiring the next generation of performers, technicians, and creative leaders. | Playhouse Merced provides on-site educational services through classes and workshops in acting, dance, voice, playwriting and instrumental music as well as off-site programming by providing trained teaching artists to schools. In addition, Playhouse Merced presents a 10-show season on-site, off-site alternative work and episodic programming. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2025-26 | $63,100.00 | ARTS AND CULTURE ALPINE COUNTY | 760 Hot Springs Rd #31, Markleeville, CA 96120 | Alpine | Central Valley | (619) 993-2606 | With support from the California Arts Council, Arts and Culture Alpine County (ACAC) will offer arts and culture opportunities to the residents and visitors of Alpine County. Library Arts Shows featuring local area artists, workshops and classes taught by local area artists, Alpine County schools’ student events, an arts and culture walk at Grover Hot Springs State Park, and Washoe storytelling performances are some of the program offerings. All of Alpine County is in the lowest quartile of the California Healthy Place Index (HPI). | Arts and Culture Alpine County offers art shows, crafts fairs, workshops and classes in music, painting, sketching, and other arts media for the citizens and visitors of Alpine County. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,900.00 | SACRAMENTO FINE ARTS CENTER | 5330 GIBBONS DR, STE B , CARMICHAEL, CA 95608-1671 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 971-3713 | California's 7th congressional district | District 6 | District 6 | With support from the California Arts Council, Sacramento Fine Arts Center will be able to fully sustain its operations in 2025/ 2026 with enough personnel to continue meeting its community goals and expand programs in an effective and efficient manner. | The Sacramento Fine Art Center (Sac Arts), established in 1986, is a nonprofit organization located in Carmichael and is one of the largest community art centers in the unincorporated area of Sacramento County. With a membership of over nearly 400 artists, 50% percent in the over 60 age group, Sac Arts provides over 7000 square feet of exhibit, classroom, and studio space. Sac Arts provides exhibits, classes, workshops, art opportunities, and events as a major art facility serving Sacramento and surrounding counties. Sac Arts is home to a collaboration of art groups, including Northern California Arts (NCA), representing artists of all media and styles, and Watercolor Artists of Sacramento Horizons (WASH), supporting water media artists. Our members come from nearly every Sacramento county zip code as well as thirteen other California counties. The Galleries are open 32 hours per week, at no cost to visitors. Sac Arts is run by volunteers, with a very small staff, and is self-supporting through show and class revenue as well as several annual fundraising activities. Our programs include juried exhibitions, group exhibitions, and solo shows. The organization also offers a variety of classes and demonstrations. Sac Arts hosts 36 juried exhibits were held in the larger galleries with 26 separate artist-led courses and workshops presented for 215 sessions in the studio. Artist receptions are held on the second Saturday of every month with live music and food provided. Approximately 10,000 people visit Sac Arts annually. Monthly club meetings for (WASH) and (NCA) provide free art demonstrations by noted artists. Members are apprised of activities through a bimonthly newsletter and social media announcing shows, classes, and special projects. Sac Arts offers free quarterly lectures on business development for artists and low-cost bimonthly tech assistance for artists. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,750.00 | The Regents of the University of California, Santa Cruz | 1156 HIGH ST , SANTA CRUZ, CA 95064-1077 | Santa Cruz | Central Coast | (831) 419-1123 | California's 19th congressional district | District 28 | District 17 | With support from the CAC, the Mary Porter Sesnon Art Gallery at UC Santa Cruz will launch Art Hustle To Go (AHTG), a program for undergraduate and high school students, to attend high-quality exhibitions in local and regional arts venues, learn to mentor others, and expand their museum and gallery experiences. AHTG’s goal is to serve students who may not have had access to such experiences due to socio-economic status, geographic region, or other aspects of students’ life experiences that elevate the impact of having opportunities to engage with these cultural assets. AHTG experiences will also include campus events and workshops led by arts and culture practitioners. ATHG is part of Art Hustle, the Sesnon career development initiative that focuses on giving students direct experiences in the art industry that complement their academic experience. | |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,250.00 | The Francisco Homes | 1224 W 40th Place , Los Angeles, CA 90037 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 293-1111 | 37th Congressional District | 59th District | 28th District | With support from the California Arts Council, Starfish Stories Inc DBA The Francisco Homes (TFH), will continue to engage TheatreWorkers Project (TWP) to implement LIFER: Stories from the Inside/Out enabling men on parole from serving life sentences to express themselves through a two-part incentivized, rehabilitative theatre process that will begin with a writing component to be used as the basis for a script. The second phase will include acting coaching, rehearsals and 2 performances, each followed by “Second Act” participant-audience dialogues. The performances will be documented and streamed to multiple audiences. The participants may choose to join both the writing and performance components of the program or conclude their creative journey with the writing portion. Stipends will be paid for each workshop, rehearsal and performance they participate in. | The Francisco Homes provides housing and an environment where our residents have a full range of daily choices and an individualized service plan which is their road map to a successful transition from prison to freedom. We provide case management, counseling, groups, workshops and life skills classes along with opportunities for community service. We greet them with a hug and the simple statement, “Welcome Home.” |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $22,200.00 | RuckusRoots | 2630 Crestmoore Place , Los Angeles, CA 90065 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 967-2766 | California Assembly district 51 | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, RuckusRoots Inc will strengthen our capacity to deliver inclusive, community-centered, and environmentally-focused arts programming across Los Angeles. Funds will be used to support our core operations, including staff salaries, teaching artist fees, and administrative infrastructure such as our studio rental space, insurance and essential supplies. We plan to invest further in strategic planning efforts, program evaluation procedures, and professional development to ensure our programs remain equitable, impactful, and accessible. With this crucial funding, RuckusRoots can build long-term sustainability, better supporting both our team of teaching artists and small core staff, and amplify the voices of youth and community members through our intersectional approach to climate resilience through art-making. | RuckusRoots’ programs fall into three categories: In-School, Apprenticeship and Public, all working to achieve the following goals: 1. Co-create arts programming in communities where it is needed and wanted. Main programs: -In-School: Wild Art, TRASHformation and A.L.I.V.E.: Art Living in Vibrant Environments are offered as enrichment or expanded learning opportunities to elementary and middle school-students. Our multi-week programs last 1-6 months, with students aged 5-13 led by professional local artists. Programs aim to build age-appropriate visual arts skills in the areas of painting, drawing, sculpture, design and/or creative reuse, and social-emotional skills of collaboration, creative confidence and change-making. Each program results in a collaboratively-built, large-scale final artwork, ie: a mural, creative-reuse collage, or sculpture, and culminates with a public showcase i.e.: open house, community event or art walk. Teen / Young Adult: For high-school and transition-aged youth, these programs (The Rebel Garden Project and Public ARTivism Apprenticeship) offer smaller groups of students (10-40) deeper learning and mentoring experiences with practicing artists. Themes of art as activism and as a profession are explored; students gain experience creating artworks as well as in professional development and entrepreneurship (artist statements, documentation, branding, design and project management). Public Workshops: We offer free, youth or multigenerational, multi-series or one-time workshops (Garden Magic, From Earth to Art) in which the public is invited to learn techniques and sustainability-uses of specific mediums (fabric, ceramics, non-toxic paint, biodegradable and natural materials) from local artists and experts. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $6,450.00 | International Orange Chorale of San Francisco | 77 VAN NESS AVE STE 101 PMB 2222 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102-6042 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 378-9365 | With support from the California Arts Council, INTERNATIONAL ORANGE CHORALE OF SAN FRANCISCO will sustain and expand its commitment to performing and commissioning new choral music by living composers. Funding will support general operations, including the production of our 2025 world premiere of A Dominion of Light: Requiem for the Estranged by Tarik O’Regan and our signature Freshly Squeezed program, which exclusively features new works by underrepresented composers. Our performances are free to the public and presented in accessible venues, removing financial barriers to attendance. CAC support will help us reach broader Bay Area audiences by adding concerts in the SF South Bay, expanding beyond our current footprint in San Francisco and the East Bay. This support will help ensure that cutting-edge choral music continues to flourish and resonate with California communities. | The International Orange Chorale of San Francisco has performed world premieres of dozens of choral works and has also presented regional premieres of multiple works, including Milton Babbitt’s Music for the Mass, Jake Heggie’s Faith Disquiet, Fredrik Sixten’s Missa Brevis, Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Unremembered, Nico Muhly’s Lorde Heare My Prayer Instantly, and Pulitzer Prize-winner Caroline Shaw’s Fly Away I. To date, IOCSF has: | |||
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $22,000.00 | School of The Getdown | 1804 Russell St , Berkeley, CA 94703 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (925) 658-2016 | 13th Congressional District of California | District 15 | District 9 | With support from California Arts Council, School of The Getdown, a small arts organization, will celebrate Black Music Month in June 2026 by presenting the fifth annual Black Music Month Festival: A Cultural Mosaic. Presented free for the community, the program be collaboratively developed with community members, featuring a multigenerational, cross-genre array of Black Oakland-based musical acts. The program is collaboratively developed with community members and addresses a community defined need to uplift under recognized Black artists and cultural traditions and foster an environment for intergenerational collaboration in the arts, centering Black Bay Area communities whose culture is threatened by gentrification. | School of The Getdown offers a weekly vocal workshop series; private lessons in singing, instrumental music, performance, and music history; an annual multidisciplinary youth arts summer camp; vocal and instrumental masterclasses with resident and visiting artists; and masterclasses and lecture performances in schools, prisons, and educational programs worldwide. We produce multicultural and intergenerational concert series, free community programming, commissioned artistic works, festivals, and lecture performances, and thematic programming celebrating Black history and Black culture, primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | EOYDC | 8200 INTERNATIONAL BLVD , OAKLAND, CA 94621-2234 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 569-8088 | District 12 | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, East Oakland Youth Development Center (EOYDC) will invite East Oakland youth, ages 12 to 18, to engage in positive, culturally resonant, and artistic expression with Onyx AfroDance Ensemble. By creating and performing original choreography rooted in West African tradition, Black and Brown youth dance their stories; through community arts presentations, they share their hopes and aspirations. In doing so, they cultivate a better Oakland – and a better California – for all. | In 1978, East Oakland community leaders collaborated with former Clorox CEO Robert Shetterly to found EOYDC. In partnership, they defined the mission and vision of EOYDC which, for nearly five decades, has served as an anchor educational and community East Oakland institution, advancing opportunities for East Oakland youth to develop as responsible citizens and dynamic leaders in this community. EOYDC remains a stabilizing force that offers direct educational support, leadership development, arts, and wellness services to local children and youth. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $21,000.00 | Immersive Arts Center | 1039 S OLIVE ST , LOS ANGELES, CA 90015-1601 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 669-5767 | With support from the California Arts Council, IMMERSIVE ART COLLECTIVE will present the third annual Creative Bend Summer Camp—a FREE, two-week multidisciplinary arts program for youth ages 6–12 from low-income communities in Downtown Los Angeles. Led by professional teaching artists and volunteers, the camp offers immersive instruction in world-building, set design, movement, drumming, and storytelling. Participants collaborate to create and perform an original piece for family and community, celebrating their growth and creativity. CAC grant funds will support artist stipends, program supplies, meals, and administrative costs, ensuring equitable access to high-quality arts education and empowering young people through creative expression. | Immersive Art Collective empowers creatives from disadvantaged backgrounds through collaborative arts workshops and theatrical productions intended to introduce participants to a variety of art forms, provide a safe space for expression and exploration, encourage healing, and supply education and skills training. In addition to these services, we have a collective of artists in a Discord forum where they can facilitate networking and social events. Moreover, in the past year, Immersive Art Collective has been able to produce over 12 unique theatrical events which have funded therapeutic art workshops and art-form instruction for group homes, trauma centers, and recovery houses. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,600.00 | Youth Speaks | 265 Shotwell St , San Francisco, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 255-9035 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Youth Speaks will sustain and expand its year-round arts education, public performance, youth-led narrative strategy, and artist development initiatives. As a multidisciplinary arts service organization, Youth Speaks not only supports young artists through spoken word and performance-based programming, but also strengthens the field by supporting uplifting BIPOC artists. CAC funds will support program delivery, curriculum development, artist pay, and infrastructure that enables culturally responsive, artist-led engagement. Youth Speaks trains and mentors emerging artists, offers professional development, and builds capacity through fellowships, narrative change campaigns, and community partnerships. Through our youth-centered, equity-driven approach, Youth Speaks cultivates a vibrant arts ecosystem that amplifies emerging voices and advances creative leadership across generations. | For 29 years, Youth Speaks has created safe spaces that challenge young people, especially those from communities where opportunities for creative expression have been historically and systemically eliminated, to find, develop and apply their voices as creators of societal change. Founded in 1996 in San Francisco, Youth Speaks is a leading presenter of Spoken Word performance, education, and creative youth development programs. Trailblazers of local and national youth poetry slams and festivals, and a leading presenter of Spoken Word performance, education, and creative youth development programs, Youth Speaks has helped create partner programs in 47 cities across the United States. As the founder and lead convenor of the Brave New Voices Festival and Brave New Futures Network, Youth Speaks has significantly invested in the entire field of literary performance programs that intersect arts education, youth development and public narrative practices. Youth Speaks created even more opportunities for BIPOC artists at the intersection of arts and culture, ancestral and indigenous practices, and multi-racial movement work to be networked as we were selected to be a California Arts Council Administering Organization for Individual Artists Fellows. Through this initiative, Youth Speaks convened over 500 Artists in webinars and learning sessions over 3 months, completed an application process, reviewed applications for over 1,000 prospective grantees, and led a rigorous schedule of Professional Development for the Artist Grantees. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Fostering Dreams Project | 5440 TUJUNGA AVE APT 1109 , N HOLLYWOOD, CA 91601-4978 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 284-3506 | California Assembly district 39 | District 39 | District 18 | With the support from the California Arts Countil, Fostering Dreams Project will provide a 12-week culturally responsive dance and music program at the Children’s Center of Antelope Valley serving up to 25 foster, unhoused, and system-impacted youth ages 8–18. This program will use healing-centered arts education to foster self-expression, cultural identity, and social-emotional growth. Youth will engage in diverse dance styles, storytelling, and music therapy while building confidence, leadership, and connection to community. | At Fostering Dreams Project our mission is to transform the lives of youth in foster care through the healing art of dance and performing arts. By providing a structured curriculum aligned with the California VAPA Standards that produces positive outcomes for youth, our purpose is to ensure foster and at-risk youth make measurable progress in the areas of: Through the combination of dance instruction, history, and meditative and self-reflective practices, “soft skills,” such as leadership, teamwork, motivation, self- expression, emotional wellbeing, and self-discipline are developed throughout the program. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,250.00 | NAKA Dance Theater | 44 Gough St. Suite 201 , San Francisco, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (650) 759-8770 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, NAKA will create and present performances of Ja weya ob’aj wij, ex weya nchemaj/Mi Historia, Mi Telar/My Story, My Weaving. Our work is a new narrative-based dance-theater performance project, created in collaboration with women from the Indigenous Maya Mam immigrant community of East Oakland, CA. Our project integrates personal and collective narratives, movement, textile art, and poetry into a full-length touring dance-theater performance project featuring the voices and visions of the Mam community in Oakland. | -Producing LIVE ARTS IN RESISTANCE, a series of performance showcases, artist residencies and community town halls that address racial inequity & white supremacy in popular culture. -Creating and touring experimental performance works; including Y Basta Ya!, a series of touring dance performances and movement workshops to shine a light on the stories of Latine and Indigenous Maya Mam women and their experiences with invisibility, labor rights, domestic violence, and sexual abuse. Y Basta Ya! Is funded by a New England Foundation for the Arts National Dance Production award, Rainin Fellowship and Guggenheim Fellowship. -Research residencies in Japan and Mexico as part of NAKA’s work in community-based ritual practices -Producing Dismantling Tactic X artist residency and philanthropic forums – convening a cohort of radical, social-practice artists who center their work on the topic of race and white supremacy. -Co-Facilitating ongoing Circulos de Aprendizaje (Collaborative Learning Circles) with San Francisco Latina and Indigenous Maya Mam (Guatemala) immigrant women – using art for healing and addressing issues such as racism and colorism in the Latine community. -Pro-Bono Language Justice Access Consulting, to arts and social justice organizations who want to hire in-person or online sign language interpreters. This includes: referrals for culturally appropriate interpreters who would be a good match for the situation (including trilingual Spanish-English-ASL / Chinese-English-ASL interpreters); sharing best practices about publicity and outreach (best done by Deaf-led organizations); sharing best practices about budgeting for interpreters, necessary prep information that interpreters will need prior to an assignment, interpreter placement, lighting; advocacy for the hiring of Deaf Interpreters. On occasion, NAKA Artistic Co-Director, Debby Kajiyama will serve as a pro-bono coordinator of interpreter services for events, such as the KH FRESH Festival (2023, 2024) Jess Curtis’ Memorial service and Melissa Lewis Wong’s recent show, flowers and fog. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $21,300.00 | Urban Jazz Dance Company | 1446 Market Street , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (510) 575-9711 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Urban Jazz Dance Company will sustain and expand our Deaf-led, intersectional programming from October 2025 through September 2026. We will produce our 18th annual Home Season, present the 12th Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival, deliver performances and workshops at schools across California, and continue our virtual #DeafWoke series, elevating BIPOC Deaf and Disabled stories. CAC funds will support essential staff, artist fees, and production costs, enabling us to meet increased demands for accessible programming that centers Deaf leadership, racial justice, and disability justice. Our work amplifies the voices of those most impacted by systemic oppression, bridges Deaf, hearing, and Disabled communities, and deepens cultural equity in the performing arts. We will ensure our programs remain accessible, inclusive, and rooted in community leadership. | UJDC educates audiences about current events, empowering minorities, lack of early access to language for Deaf children and social justice. We provide educational workshops/performances at Deaf schools, mainstream programs, Universities, state colleges and seniors homes in the process, creating a healing space for many who have experienced domestic abuse. UJDC passionately visits over 70 schools per year, local to International, working with both hearing and Deaf people of all ages and abilities. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | 18th Street Arts Center | 1639 18th Street , Santa Monica, CA 90404 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 453-3711 | CA District 3636 | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, 18th Street Arts Center will present a series of community events honoring Japanese American resilience during WWII incarceration through the “Manzanar Baseball Project Grand Opening” led by artist Dan Kwong, with partners Great Leap and the Manzanar National Historic Site. The project includes a live-streamed broadcast of the cultural celebration featuring vintage-style baseball games at the Manzanar Internment Camp site, offering accessible remote viewing. A local screening event, community workshop, and culminating multi-media performance by Kwong will all be held at 18th Street Arts Center in Santa Monica. Using baseball — a symbol of both Americana and quiet defiance — the project pays tribute to the spirit and resistance of those unjustly imprisoned, supporting cultural memory, healing, and resilience. Funding supports artist compensation and production expenses. | 18th Street provides a hub for contemporary artmaking through two program areas that reflect its mission: |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $21,000.00 | The Compton Arts Project | 306 W Compton Blvd #200A , COMPTON, CA 90220 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (315) 514-2253 | 43 | 64 | 35 | With support from the California Arts Council, CAKECUTTER INSTITUTE (The Compton Arts Project DBA) will expand its Cultural Preservation Project through a six-part community engagement series. Artists from Compton Cipher and Reading the City will collaborate with residents to inspire five new public art sites, 7–10 traffic light box installations designed by lead partner Sēpia Artist Collective. Each piece will include augmented reality (AR) elements linked to the Compton Memory Map, a growing digital archive of neighborhood memory and civic identity. Centering Black, Latinx, and differently abled communities, the project offers paid creative roles, accessible cultural programming, and inclusive workshops. It also includes media documentation, public reflection events, and a forthcoming publication. Through art, storytelling, and technology, this initiative aims to foster community wellbeing, honor personal histories, and build lasting pride in Compton’s cultural legacy. | Cakecutter Institute serves as the managing partner of The Compton Arts Project (DBA), activating creative projects across Compton and surrounding communities. Our work is delivered through four core program areas: 2. Creative Placemaking & Public Art 3. Cultural Programs & Storytelling 4. Healing Arts & Environmental Justice |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,500.00 | COMMUNITY MUSIC CENTER | 544 Capp Street , San Francisco, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 647-6015 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Community Music Center (CMC) will continue offering the tuition-free Mission District Young Musicians Program (MDYMP) to 25 primarily Latinx youth ages 11 – 18, outside of school time. This bilingual program is designed to engage and empower students through the music of Latin America. Youth receive a comprehensive Latin music education including private lessons, ensemble rehearsals, theory classes, and performances, with a focus on social-emotional learning and creative expression. MDYMP is critical to CMC’s efforts to amplify the voices of black and brown students and faculty. Inspired by their training and MDYMP’s Latinx teaching artists, students become skilled musicians, creative leaders, and community culture-bearers. This program’s NEA grant for FY2025 was terminated on May 2, 2025, and CMC does not expect its FY2026 request to be funded. | CMC provides: |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,250.00 | SAN FRANCISCO CHILDRENS ART CENTER | 2 Marina Boulevard Fort Mason Center, Building C, San Francisco, CA 94123 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 771-0292 | California's 12th congressional district | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, San Francisco Children’s Art Center (SFCAC) will provide in-school programming with 12 week visual arts residencies in 30 San Francisco Unified School District and Head Start Early Education classrooms, serving youth in San Francisco’s economically vulnerable and historically marginalized communities and increasing equitable access to creative experiences. Funding will also support expanded community outreach programs that will enhance SFCAC’s connections with San Francisco families via family artmaking workshops hosted at San Francisco Public Library branches in the same under-resourced neighborhood communities where we are providing in-school programming. | Annually, SFCAC serves approximately 1200 San Francisco children, ages 2-10 years old, and their teachers and families. Our students are predominantly from economically vulnerable families (70%) and students of color (90%). SCHOOL PROGRAMS: OUT-OF-SCHOOL ART CLASSES & CAMPS: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: COMMUNITY OUTREACH: |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,250.00 | Dancers Group - Fiscal Sponsor for Grown Women Dance Collective | 44 Gough Street, Suite 201 , San Francisco, CA 94103 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (925) 680-4400 | California's 12th congressional district | District 15 | District 7 | With support from California Arts Council, Grown Women Dance Collective will collaborate with community mobilizers and social justice organizations in Contra Costa County and Oakland to produce arts and wellness programs supporting disinvested communities, especially those impacted by incarceration, Long Covid, and voter disenfranchisement. We will present a world-class dance performance, teach 200 community arts and wellness classes to children 3-18, adults and seniors, help mobilize voters with a #DanceTheVote campaign, and support high school and transition-aged interns. Programs will support cultural resistance, resilience, self-empowerment, and joy, celebrating and strengthening Black and Brown communities. All programs will be free. | Our programs celebrate resistance, resilience, self-empowerment and joy. Performances & Narrative Shift Choreography: We create world class performances led by dancers of color in our 50’s and 60’s, centered around African American experiences and achievements. Our choreography shifts the narrative on important societal issues such as mass incarceration, homelessness, voting rights, and environmental justice. We challenge stereotypes, create cross-cultural, intergenerational, and cross-class bridges, catalyze new conversations and community action, and create a forum for healing based on art, justice, and human connection. Dance and Healthy Movement Instruction in Under Resourced Communities: Pilates Certification Training and Mentorship for Underestimated Community Members: |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | San Diego Civic Youth Orchestra | 2975 WAHUPA RANCH RD , ESCONDIDO, CA 92029-5800 | San Diego | Far South | (760) 728-1977 | With support from the California Arts Council, CIVIC YOUTH ORCHESTRA (CYO) will collaborate with the Escondido Union School District to provide “Allegro” an after-school strings program providing no cost, professional instruction to Title 1 elementary school students, grades 3-5. This CAC grant will make it possible for 1,250 underserved students to be enrolled in the Allegro program and grow within a structured performing arts program. | Since 1956 the Civic Youth Orchestra has enriched the lives of aspiring musicians, from those who are just beginning their musical experience to the most advanced, through a stair-step program designed to inspire and cultivate excellence through music and an appreciation for the arts. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,600.00 | Dancers Group - Fiscal Sponsor for Grown Women Dance Collective | 44 Gough Street, Suite 201 , San Francisco, CA 94103 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (925) 680-4400 | California's 12th congressional district | District 15 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Grown Women Dance Collective will produce world-class dance performances, community arts and wellness classes for children, adults, and seniors in under-resourced communities, and dance and movement-based workforce development training. Funds will support artists and staff, increasing our capacity to empower BIPOC artists, center the voices of historically marginalized community members, and strengthen our organizational partners’ missions through art. We will celebrate and strengthen Black and Brown communities; support cultural resistance, resilience, self-empowerment, and joy. Support will help create spaces that inspire a sense of belonging, dignity, trust, joy, collaboration, and innovation, and empower folks from historically disinvested groups to leverage their strengths, imagine new possibilities, achieve goals, reinvest people-power back into our communities, and collectively create a more just future. | Our programs celebrate resistance, resilience, self-empowerment and joy. Performances & Narrative Shift Choreography: We create world class performances led by dancers of color in our 50’s and 60’s, centered around African American experiences and achievements. Our choreography shifts the narrative on important societal issues such as mass incarceration, homelessness, voting rights, and environmental justice. We challenge stereotypes, create cross-cultural, intergenerational, and cross-class bridges, catalyze new conversations and community action, and create a forum for healing based on art, justice, and human connection. Dance and Healthy Movement Instruction in Under Resourced Communities: Pilates Certification Training and Mentorship for Underestimated Community Members: |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | LAMusArt | 3630 E 3RD ST , LOS ANGELES, CA 90063-2409 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 262-7734 | California's 40th congressional district | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, LAMusArt will sustain the provision of the Tuition-Free Music Ensembles program, which serves East LA youth with free, weekly music education. | Since its inception, LAMusArt has created equitable opportunities to engage in free and/or low-cost quality arts programming for students as young as age 4 continuing to seniors 65+. Across four disciplines, we offer dozens of weekly (private and group) classes (both low cost and no cost) held on our campus, an 11,000 square foot facility in the heart of East Los Angeles which includes over 20 classrooms, an audio recording studio, and an outdoor performance space where events, performances, exhibits, etc. take place. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | Liberty Arts | 108 W. Miner St. , Yreka, CA 96097 | Siskiyou | Upstate | (530) 842-0222 | California's 1st congressional district | District 1 | District 1 | With support from the California Arts Council, LIBERTY PAINTING CORP will offer arts education opportunities to all Siskiyou County students through the gallery’s Explorations program. Class visits are structured using the California Arts Education Framework, following the definition of an advanced comprehensive art program and are adaptable for all learners. The liberty arts education team has made it a priority to reach out to remote communities that have been recognized as historically underserved and direct our resources towards those facing disparities in art education opportunities. Through our LIBERTY ART DAYS, 8-12 artists travel to schools up to 75 miles away, bringing projects and supplies- even a printing press, to spend a day sharing projects with students not normally tackled in a classroom. Grant funding will support educators and materials. | Our core programming is through our exhibition schedule, which is generated from our community, and includes: LOCAL FOCUS- exploring work by regional artists; BRIDGE SHOWS- bringing new work and ideas in from metropolitan areas, and OPEN-CALL opportunities inviting the community to participate (often for the first time) in curating, creating and exhibiting work. Annually, members are invited to propose a show. As future curators, they prepare a presentation, outlining the theme/invitation/artists to be exhibited. All proposals are considered, with a vote by community participants selecting the most promising for inclusion in our upcoming exhibition schedule. Art education is delivered through our Explorations outreach classes, which introduce students/visitors to art in a gallery setting, with local artists often sharing their knowledge and creative inspiration. Students are introduced to work through context, language and process. They have the opportunity to individually view the art, and come together for discussion. They then create personal work related to the themes and processes in our dedicated studio. During COVID, we developed relationships with three outlying schools in our county. Now, Liberty Arts transports 8-12 artists with supplies (including a printing press), into these schools for projects not normally seen in a classroom. We have made the 150-mile round trip journeys to school in the lowest HPI quartile areas or so remote they have no score. Liberty Arts also serves our community as a venue for performance and special events, hosting musicians and biennial fashion extravaganzas on the adjacent City Plaza. This year we held “Special Delivery” events which featured twelve speakers who introduced audiences to a wide range of topics through 18-slide presentations. We shared The Red Dress Project/MMIP, The Living Memorial Sculpture Garden honoring veterans, Language of Monsters, and the Art of Burning Man among the 24 subject themes. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,600.00 | CITY OF CALEXICO - RECREATION DEPARTMENT | 608 HEBER AVENUE , Calexico, CA 92231 | Imperial | Far South | (760) 768-7487 | 25th Congressional District of California | State Assembly District 36 | State Senate District 18 | With support from the California Arts Council, the City of Calexico’ s Cultural Arts Division will continue sustaining operating expenses in the form of key essential supporting staff salaries and funding of general expenses, while providing arts and culture exposure and opportunities to the community – specially those who are underserved. | The City of Calexico Cultural Arts Division (CCAC) operates under the City’s Recreation Department, serving as a vital hub for artistic and cultural expression. Since its inauguration in February 2008, the CCAC has been committed to providing accessible and enriching artistic opportunities for the community. Our core programs and services include: Art Exhibits – CCAC hosts diverse art exhibitions, inviting children, youth, and adult artists from various backgrounds to showcase their work. These exhibits foster creativity, encourage artistic expression, and provide the community with exposure to different artistic styles and perspectives. Workshops & Classes – We offer meaningful and affordable arts education, including papel picado workshops, inclusive art programs for developmentally challenged individuals, dance and music courses, poetry circles, photography, acrylic painting, and themed painting nights among others. Community & Cultural Events – CCAC plays a central role in celebrating cultural heritage through festivals, themed exhibits, and heritage events. Our programs highlight Mexican American and Latino traditions, featuring mariachis, rondallas, and handicrafts, as well as featuring other cultures and traditions. Concert Series – The arts center hosts live music performances, including concert nights that provide cultural enrichment and entertainment for the community. Youth & Senior Arts Engagement – We design specialized programs to foster artistic expression among youth and senior citizens, ensuring accessibility and engagement across all age groups. Mural Projects – CCAC coordinates public art initiatives, issuing calls for artists to install murals at key locations throughout the city. These murals serve as visual narratives reflecting the city’s values, history, and cultural identity, instilling community pride. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,250.00 | Kearny Street Workshop | 1246 Folsom Street, Suite 1 , San Francisco, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (510) 789-5966 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Kearny Street Workshop will launch year 2 of a community-responsive arts fellowship for Asian Pacific American (APA) visual artists (AVA Lab) providing community-based education and wellness practices, culminating in a healing retreat with award-winning faculty and facilitators, and a year-end exhibition. | KSW makes artists out of community members and community members out of artists. For the past 50 years, KSW has nurtured the creative spirit, offered an important platform for new voices to be heard, and built artistic communities. We prioritize racial justice and healing, prioritizing art that expands liberation for all people, especially Asian Pacific Americans. KSW’s core programs include: |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $21,000.00 | Academy of Special Dreams Foundation | 115 W CALIFORNIA BLVD 326 , PASADENA, CA 91105-3005 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 235-9387 | California's 27th congressional district | District 41 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, ACADEMY OF SPECIAL DREAMS FOUNDATION will present an inclusive art exhibition celebrating traditional Indigenous embroidery and textile arts. Featuring artists with disabilities from California and beyond, the project uplifts cultural heritage, promotes disability inclusion, and showcases the resilience of underrepresented voices through art rooted in tradition. | The Academy of Special Dreams Foundation is dedicated to promoting the creative talents of people with disabilities. To achieve this mission, the foundation employs three key strategies: Encouraging artistic expression through open-call competitions: The foundation organizes and administers competitions that invite individuals with special needs to showcase their artistic talents through various artistic mediums. Providing financial support for artists with disabilities: The foundation offers scholarships, cash awards, and other forms of financial support to artists with disabilities, in order to promote their continued involvement in the arts. Showcasing artistic expressions: The foundation hosts art exhibitions in the community, as well as web-based virtual galleries and exhibitions and produces videos that highlight the works of artists with disabilities. Additionally, the foundation offers an art therapy program to promote mental health. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | Humboldt Arts Council | 636 F Street 636 F Street, Eureka, CA 95501 | Humboldt | Upstate | (707) 442-0278 | California's 2nd congressional district | District 2 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Humboldt Arts Council will send experienced poet-teachers into local K-12 schools to teach poetry reading, writing, performance, and publication. Our program will bring poetry—a source of coping, creativity, empowerment, and healing through crises—to over 1,000 students and the larger community. Schools will include those with a high percentage of Native American students near the Hoopa and Yurok Reservations, adjacent to Karuk land tracts; and a significant percentage of students representing a cross-section of cultures: Latinx, Asian (particularly Hmong), Black, and those with disabilities. | A private, nonprofit arts agency, the Humboldt Arts Council was formed in 1966 to serve in a rural county with a vibrant arts community. HAC incorporated as a private, California 501©3 in 1971, became the state/local partner of the California Arts Council in 1987, and became owners and operators of the Morris Graves Museum of Art in 2000. HAC is also the owner of the Romano Gabriel Sculpture Garden in Eureka, acquired in 2012. As a lead participant in community arts planning for over five decades, HAC has contributed significantly to the current level of maturity and vitality of Humboldt arts and culture. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,750.00 | San Diego Creative Youth Development Network | 1100 Market St Ste 326, San Diego, CA 92101 | San Diego | Far South | (816) 853-7466 | California's 50th Congressional District | District 77 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, the San Diego Creative Youth Development Network will deliver a Restorative Practices Training Program for Creative Youth Development organizations and practitioners, led by Macedonio Arteaga, Jr., Lead Artist & Restorative Practitioner/Trainer. This training program is specifically designed to strengthen the relational and cultural foundations of organizations serving young people through the arts, especially those navigating systemic inequities, trauma, and structural harm. | Creative Youth Development (CYD) is a holistic approach to deeply engaging young people through the arts and creativity to promote personal well-being and support them in reaching their full potential. SDCYD Network is a coalition of providers, partners, and young people dedicated to harnessing their collective strength to build the field of creative youth development to maximize impact for youth. We achieve this by: Building public awareness of the impact of youth arts programs as drivers of personal and community change. • Initiate and conduct field research & evaluation Sharing expertise and best practices with youth arts programs. • Provide leadership & professional development Cultivating new pathways of support that benefit all local youth arts programs. • Advocate for policy & systems change |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $22,200.00 | San Diego Creative Youth Development Network | 1100 Market St Ste 326, San Diego, CA 92101 | San Diego | Far South | (816) 853-7466 | California's 50th Congressional District | District 77 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, the San Diego Creative Youth Development Network will provide direct programming and services, including but not limited to, convening & networking opportunities, arts advocacy, information and research, professional development opportunities, and marketing, promotion, audience development services to our Network of community-based artists, creators, tradition bearers, educators, and arts/culture organizations who are direct providers of creative youth development programming. These include the organizations and the people who lead, support and provide artistic (e.g., in dance, music, theatre, playwriting, photography/film) and cultural programming. | Creative Youth Development (CYD) is a holistic approach to deeply engaging young people through the arts and creativity to promote personal well-being and support them in reaching their full potential. SDCYD Network is a coalition of providers, partners, and young people dedicated to harnessing their collective strength to build the field of creative youth development to maximize impact for youth. We achieve this by: Building public awareness of the impact of youth arts programs as drivers of personal and community change. • Initiate and conduct field research & evaluation Sharing expertise and best practices with youth arts programs. • Provide leadership & professional development Cultivating new pathways of support that benefit all local youth arts programs. • Advocate for policy & systems change |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $19,500.00 | Asian Improv aRts | 456 MONTGOMERY ST STE 1350 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104-4711 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 908-3636 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Asian Improv aRts with multidisciplinary lead artist, Truc Nguyen, will produce “Ordinary People”, a 45-minute multimedia film / video performance April 2026 at Dresher Ensemble Studio, marking over 50 years since Vietnamese refugee resettlement at the end of the Vietnamese-American War in 1975. Additionally Truc will create a companion 15-18 minute video/audio work that can live on its own and be accessible after the in-person performances. | Asian Improv aRts goals: 1) To make it possible for artists to create innovative works that are rooted in the diasporic experiences of Asian and Pacific Islander heritage. 2) To engage a next generation of community members in the arts through arts education. 3) To enable sustainability for artists and arts organizations in a challenging economic environment. 4) To facilitate creative collaborations that bring together major institutions, artists, and multigenerational audiences and participants. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Ventura County Arts Council | 646 County Square Drive Suite #154, Ventura, CA 93003 | Ventura | Central Coast | (805) 658-2213 | California's 26th congressional district | District 37 | District 19 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Ventura County Arts Council (VCAC) will establish mini art galleries inside three county libraries. The galleries will be curated by VCAC, offering opportunities for local artists to display their work. All three branches are situated in the lower quartile of the California Healthy Places Index: the Albert H. Soliz Library in El Rio, the Fillmore Library in Fillmore, and the Ray D. Preuter Library in Port Hueneme. The branches were chosen because no local art galleries or public art spaces currently exist for the communities residing there. | VCAC runs several programs. We re-grant funds to arts organizations and artists when they are available and recently with NEA grant money matched by our county government. Artists in the Classroom is a multi-disciplinary arts education program serving K-8 schools countywide which we took over administering from the county’s Office of Education. Our Arts & Youth Justice program teaches arts to youth in the system, at several locations in the county and at the court school in the Juvenile Justice Center. We administer Poetry Out Loud locally and established a county Poet Laureate and Youth Poet Laureate program. The Atrium Gallery is a public art program and for that we curate three floors in the Government Center in collaboration with the County’s DEI council focusing on exhibitions that highlight artwork by people outside of the mainstream. VCAC prioritizes partnering with arts organizations and artists serving marginalized and underrepresented people and working in the communities where they reside. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,900.00 | NAKA Dance Theater | 44 Gough St. Suite 201 , San Francisco, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (650) 759-8770 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, NAKA will sustain its programs, staff and operations from October, 2025 through September, 2026. Supported programs will include: Maya Mam Weaving Project performances and gallery presentations; Dismantling Tactic X performances; Publication of a new book commissioned by Maggie Allessee National Center for Choreography; Voces Feministas workshops and public events; Live Arts in Resistance performance series collaboration with EastSide Arts Alliance; and the publishing of the NAKA Dance Theater 25th Anniversary Photo Book. | -Producing LIVE ARTS IN RESISTANCE, a series of performance showcases, artist residencies and community town halls that address racial inequity & white supremacy in popular culture. -Creating and touring experimental performance works; including Y Basta Ya!, a series of touring dance performances and movement workshops to shine a light on the stories of Latine and Indigenous Maya Mam women and their experiences with invisibility, labor rights, domestic violence, and sexual abuse. Y Basta Ya! Is funded by a New England Foundation for the Arts National Dance Production award, Rainin Fellowship and Guggenheim Fellowship. -Research residencies in Japan and Mexico as part of NAKA’s work in community-based ritual practices -Producing Dismantling Tactic X artist residency and philanthropic forums – convening a cohort of radical, social-practice artists who center their work on the topic of race and white supremacy. -Co-Facilitating ongoing Circulos de Aprendizaje (Collaborative Learning Circles) with San Francisco Latina and Indigenous Maya Mam (Guatemala) immigrant women – using art for healing and addressing issues such as racism and colorism in the Latine community. -Pro-Bono Language Justice Access Consulting, to arts and social justice organizations who want to hire in-person or online sign language interpreters. This includes: referrals for culturally appropriate interpreters who would be a good match for the situation (including trilingual Spanish-English-ASL / Chinese-English-ASL interpreters); sharing best practices about publicity and outreach (best done by Deaf-led organizations); sharing best practices about budgeting for interpreters, necessary prep information that interpreters will need prior to an assignment, interpreter placement, lighting; advocacy for the hiring of Deaf Interpreters. On occasion, NAKA Artistic Co-Director, Debby Kajiyama will serve as a pro-bono coordinator of interpreter services for events, such as the KH FRESH Festival (2023, 2024) Jess Curtis’ Memorial service and Melissa Lewis Wong’s recent show, flowers and fog. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,300.00 | Grand Vision Foundation | 434 W. 6th Street , San Pedro, CA 90731 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 833-4813 | California's 44th congressional district | District 65 | District 35 | With support from the California Arts Council, GRAND VISION FOUNDATION will sustain its operations as a vital arts and culture hub in the underserved LA Harbor area, providing live music experiences in the community and music education in public schools. | Grand Vision Foundation (GVF) is a music-focused community arts organization, founded in 1996 to save and restore the historic Warner Grand Theatre, a 1,500 seat art deco movie palace. Today, the City of LA owns and operates the Theatre, hosting 100+ events annually, GVF serves as Theatre’s Friends’ Group, partnering with the City on ongoing events and promotion. Since 2008, we’ve seen our vision come to life at the Grand Annex Music Hall, our 150-seat cabaret style storefront theatre, where we present an ongoing concert series of innovative global, Latin, jazz, and American roots music artists. The Annex has become a hub for the L.A. Harbor and South Bay communities, where residents and visitors can find a range of high quality and accessible cultural experiences. In addition to the indoor stage, GVF regularly collaborates with other community organizations to co-produce free outdoor music and arts festivals. GVF engages the next generation through Meet the Music (MTM), a robust in-school youth education program, serving approximately 2,500 elementary school students annually with innovative musical skill building and engagement curricula. Founded in 2009, MTM provides equitable access to music education through sequential standards-based instruction and participatory live music experiences. MTM helps to close the arts education opportunity gap (compared to students in affluent districts) while deepening student capacity for creative learning. We serve under-resourced LA Unified School District schools with a focus on the LA Harbor area, providing innovative musical skill-building and engagement curricula. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,250.00 | Grand Vision Foundation | 434 W. 6th Street , San Pedro, CA 90731 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 833-4813 | California's 44th congressional district | District 65 | District 35 | With support from the California Arts Council, GRAND VISION FOUNDATION will sustain its Roots of Music Program (RoMP) which exposes students to live music concerts in partnership with professional, community-based artists, while providing rich music learning through in-school lessons and student recital performances. RoMP is part of Grand Vision’s Meet the Music (MTM) education program, which provides standards-based, culturally relevant weekly music instruction in underserved elementary schools in the LA Harbor area and beyond, as well as arts integration training to classroom educators. | Grand Vision Foundation (GVF) is a music-focused community arts organization, founded in 1996 to save and restore the historic Warner Grand Theatre, a 1,500 seat art deco movie palace. Today, the City of LA owns and operates the Theatre, hosting 100+ events annually, GVF serves as Theatre’s Friends’ Group, partnering with the City on ongoing events and promotion. Since 2008, we’ve seen our vision come to life at the Grand Annex Music Hall, our 150-seat cabaret style storefront theatre, where we present an ongoing concert series of innovative global, Latin, jazz, and American roots music artists. The Annex has become a hub for the L.A. Harbor and South Bay communities, where residents and visitors can find a range of high quality and accessible cultural experiences. In addition to the indoor stage, GVF regularly collaborates with other community organizations to co-produce free outdoor music and arts festivals. GVF engages the next generation through Meet the Music (MTM), a robust in-school youth education program, serving approximately 2,500 elementary school students annually with innovative musical skill building and engagement curricula. Founded in 2009, MTM provides equitable access to music education through sequential standards-based instruction and participatory live music experiences. MTM helps to close the arts education opportunity gap (compared to students in affluent districts) while deepening student capacity for creative learning. We serve under-resourced LA Unified School District schools with a focus on the LA Harbor area, providing innovative musical skill-building and engagement curricula. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $16,800.00 | Guitars Antiqua Music Program | 1402 W. 180th Street , Gardena, CA 90248 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 880-6613 | 43rd congressional district | District CA-66 | District California | With support from the California Arts Council, GUITARS ANTIQUA MUSIC PROGRAM will expand and enrich its free classical guitar youth program through a series of workshops, lectures, a field trip, and outreach performances. These activities are designed to enhance the musical knowledge of our youth participants, particularly for those in middle to high school grades, providing a close insight into the field of music. The project aspires to offer music-centered activities that will not only educate our participants beyond the limits of our regular guitar lessons, but also spark their interest in further education and open doors to possible career paths. Beneficiaries from the Lawndale and Hawthorne communities will acquire higher knowledge in the arts. | Guitars Antiqua Music Program was established in 2017 as a parent and community initiative with the sole intent to provide a 100 % tuition-free, after-school music program for youths living in the underserved communities of Gardena, Lawndale, and Hawthorne, all part of the greater Los Angeles County. We offer group guitar lessons to youth ages 9 yrs old to 17 yrs old. The program aims to engage students with fewer resources for music education and offer a quality experience and opportunity regardless of their families’ economic status. We offer two main programs: (1) Group lessons at our local park, where we have classes for beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels. All participants are provided a guitar package (on a loaner basis) to extend their music education at home. We offer 32 weeks of instruction during the school calendar year and an addition six-week summer session. (2) Thanks to our partnership with the Lawndale Elementary School District, we provide guitar lessons at all six elementary school sites in the district and are currently serving over 100 students every school year. During our program sessions, we offer many opportunities for students to explore their music curiosity and enhance their artistic development. Our work has been recognized and supported by private and public arts organizations such as the California Arts Council, Los Angeles Department of Arts and Culture, D’Addario Foundation, Guitar Center Music Foundation, and Find Your Light Foundation. Our after school classes conducted at Bodger Park in Hawthorne, California are made possible through our Core Community Partnership with the Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation. While guitar education is our top priority, Guitars Antiqua allows and encourages students to experience the highest expression of themselves creating the true transformative impacts in their lives. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $21,000.00 | TheatreWorkers Project | 1795 La Loma Rd , Pasadena, CA 91105 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 319-1020 | California's 28th congressional district | 41 | 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, TheatreWorkers Project (TWP) will continue to provide Theatre Inside, a rehabilitative, literacy-building arts program, for residents of California State Prison, Los Angeles County (LAC). Theatre Inside will enable participants to explore and reframe their narratives, culminating in a theatre piece written and performed by the participants, presented to audiences of their peers, families, and the public.In accordance with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), TWP’s program will support the goal of facilitating “the successful reintegration of individuals …back to their communities equipped with the tools to be drug-free, healthy, and employable members of society.” | Using theatre to illuminate social and political issues has been our goal since 1983 when founder Susan Franklin Tanner was awarded a CAC Artist in Communities grant to create theatre with unemployed steelworkers in southeast LA. With that grant, Tanner founded TheatreWokers Project (TWP) and pioneered a form of documentary theatre where the participants, supported by professional artists, provided the content and became the storyteller/actors. TWP went on the create theatre projects with and/or about shipbuilders, meat packers, longshoremen, critical nurses and Latinx immigrant workers. Over time, our focus expanded to include collaborating with community-based re-entry programs serving the formerly incarcerated and prison programs serving incarcerated youth and adults, workshops for community and university medical centers, and providing classical and contemporary theatre experiences for youth through ongoing school residencies and performances. COVID-related restrictions have prompted us to embrace and incorporate filmed performance collages, virtual program delivery and correspondence courses as centerpieces of our programming. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Muses & Melanin | 180 Steuart Street Box 190206, San Francisco, CA 94119 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 420-3886 | 11 | 17 | 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Muses & Melanin (M&M) will admit and graduate the 2026 cohort of talented BIPOC writers. This program, an eight-month professional development practicum for California creative writers of color, is designed to advance the trajectory of their literary careers. Funding will go towards: | We provide professional development via our 8-month career-accelerator practicum that helps talented creative writers of color establish sustainable literary careers in a #PublishingSoWhite industry. Our program launches participants into the literary profession with a series of professional development workshops, writing workshops, guest speakers, and co-working sessions, culminating in a public graduation and readings ceremony and reception. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,750.00 | Neococo Collective | 3854 BEETHOVEN STREET , LOS ANGELES, CA 90066-4199 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (316) 737-7585 | With support from the California Arts Council, Neococo Collective will expand its arts-based empowerment program for forcibly displaced women and nonbinary individuals in Los Angeles. Through collaborative textile arts, storytelling, and entrepreneurship workshops, participants will gain creative expression, job training, and economic opportunity in a trauma-informed, multilingual environment. CAC grant funds will support teaching artist fees, culturally responsive materials, supportive services and stipends for participants, ensuring accessibility and sustained engagement. The program will culminate in a community exhibition celebrating participants artistic work and personal narratives, fostering cross-cultural dialogue and inclusion. This initiative not only nurtures artistic practice but also builds pathways to economic stability and community integration for immigrants navigating new lives in California. | Neococo Collective’s core programs and services center on empowering forcibly displaced women and nonbinary individuals through art, economic opportunity, and community building. Our primary initiatives include: | |||
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $21,500.00 | KARMIC ACTION RETRIBUTION MANAGEMENT AGENCY | 3547 HILLVIEW PL , LOS ANGELES, CA 90032-1404 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 326-3226 | 34 | District 52 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, KARMIC ACTION RETRIBUTION MANAGEMENT AGENCY will host LA Rooted: Art, Healing & Rhythmic Resistance, a culturally grounded summer program for youth ages 13–16. Led by local artists and cultural bearers—Susana Figueroa (SONJIART), Christine Jimenez, and Ana Ruth Yela Castillo—this program connects youth to ancestral knowledge and creative expression through visual art, dance, storytelling, and nature-based practices. Participants will explore themes such as Art in Liberation, Healing, and Motion through hands-on workshops, mural-making, plant-based art, and community storytelling. By centering BIPOC youth voices and lived experiences, LA Rooted fosters identity, belonging, and emotional wellbeing. This program will activate cultural resilience and leadership in youth, cultivating a deeper connection to land, heritage, and the transformative power of art within their communities.CAC funds will support artists, materials, coordination, and accessibility. | Projects of KARMA: Roots in Motion (RIM) cultivates intergenerational health and resilience in low-income communities of color through outdoor adventures and movement-based activities. As part of Karmic Action Retribution Management Agency, RIM celebrates diverse identities and ancestral heritages, creating empowering programs that foster wellness, creativity, and community connection. Since 2013, we’ve offered year-round initiatives like youth camps, bike trips, and backpacking journeys, providing spaces for self-growth and nature-led connections. Bicilibre Community Bicycle Shop stands in solidarity with day laborers, the unhoused, and local organizations by providing vital bike repair services and support. Our mission is to empower these communities through accessible transportation, fostering mental wellness and economic resilience. By challenging health disparities and systemic inequality, we use the bicycle as a tool for community strength, mobility, and justice. KARMA’s fiscal sponsorship program- A grantor-grantee structure, sponsored projects remain independent from KARMA and manage their own tax reporting and liabilities, while KARMA facilitates the receipt and distribution of grants and tax-exempt donations to help realize the project’s purpose. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $21,000.00 | Art Bias | 1700 INDUSTRIAL ROAD , SAN CARLOS, CA 94070-4155 | San Mateo | Bay Area – Other | (650) 593-3177 | California's 14th congressional district | District 21 | District 13 | With support from the California Arts Council, Art Bias will offer the 3rd year of a free, life-changing group and individual mentorship program consisting of hands-on art making, portfolio development, field trips, curatorial, and professional growth opportunities to guide underserved students at Sequoia High School into the advanced, college level International Baccalaureate (IB) art program. Based at Art Bias in our community space and co-designed with the Sequoia High School art teachers, each mentee receives at least 40 weekly meetings of 2 hours (80 hours annually) of instructional time including painting, weaving, felting, photography, Chinese brush painting, Japanese calligraphy, Mexican milagritos, linocut, portraiture, and more, directly from professional artists. In addition to creative work, youth receive one-on-one guidance and individual support for network building, college applications, interview prep, and introductions to paid work. | We provide 50 artist studios, professional development resources and events, classes, exhibition opportunities, teaching opportunities, and a thriving community of artists amplifying art’s positive impact on society. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,600.00 | WESTWIND BRASS INC | PO BOX 601502 , SAN DIEGO, CA 92160-1502 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 665-9125 | California's 53rd congressional district | District 79 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, Westwind Brass seeks General Operating Support to sustain our vital role in San Diego’s cultural ecosystem. Aligned with the CAC’s commitment to broad reach and equity, we provide diverse musical experiences, enriching our community. This funding will directly support our ongoing operations, including essential expenses like staffing and facilities, ensuring our capacity to deliver high-quality performances and educational programs. As a dedicated arts organization, this support is crucial for maintaining our organizational strength and continuing to contribute to California’s vibrant arts landscape, fostering accessibility and engagement for all. | Through our outreach programs, our goal is to not only help provide a well-rounded education for children and create a healthier community, but also, by offering students the chance to participate in this learning process, we help build the future arts audience. WWB strives to achieve its mission by building and satisfying a worldwide following of dedicated individual and organizational supporters, professional peers, music educators, and public audiences that: (a) organize, stage and attend concerts of outstanding classical and contemporary brass chamber music; (b) encourage instructional presentations and discussions of brass chamber music; (c) stimulate and foster creation, research and presentation- both live and recorded- of brass chamber music of the highest artistic and professional quality. |
| State Local Partner Mentorship | 2025-26 | $50,000.00 | Amador Arts | 110 Broad Street (Inside the Historic Grammar School) , Sutter Creek, CA 95685 | Amador | Central Valley | (209) 256-8166 | District 5 | District 1 | District 4 | With support from the California Arts Council, the AMADOR COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL (Amador Arts) will mentor the San Joaquin creative community and the Stockton Art League toward establishing the State Local Partner for this county. Modeling best practices in Anti-Racism, Tribal Land acknowledgments, safe space holding, cross-disciplinary arts business resources, and technical assistance services, Amador Arts will partner with the Stockton Art League, using an OF/BY/FOR ALL approach to serves the people, especially those in the bottom quartile of the Healthy Places Index. This includes: | The Amador County Arts Council (Amador Arts) keeps the arts central to Amador’s life through programs, services, and initiatives. (1) PUBLIC OFFICE: Our accessible public office is open to the public and is located at registered historic site #456, the Sutter Creek Grammar School, where anyone is welcome to visit with staff, use free art supplies, and enjoy some creative time in a beautiful historic setting, perhaps while visiting the ghost girl who lives on site. Our “STUDIO” programming offers targeted open hours for families (Wednesdays from 12-2 when they have “early release”) and for teens (Tuesdays from 3-5). (2) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE: One full-time employee equipped to provide a suite of technical assistance to artists and arts organizations needing support on California Arts Council grants or arts business matters. (3) PRODUCING PERFORMANCES: Since its establishment, Amador Arts has played a central role in performing arts throughout Amador County. Most notably, since 1998, our “TGIF Free Summer Concerts” have brought live music to thousands of people in outdoor places where it is otherwise not available, including Pioneer California—9th percentile on the Healthy Places Index. Producing Poetry Out Loud since 2016 with multi-generational poetry opportunities in addition to the traditional competition. Free performances of historically significant literary arts and music for local events and fundraisers. (4) ARTS CLASSES AND ARTS EDUCATION PLANNING: Amador Arts is a trusted consultant to Amador County Unified School District providing support and administration for the district Arts Plan and the rollout of Prop 28. Additionally, since 2012, Amador Arts has been teaching visual arts classes to 100% of the public school students at the 6 public elementary schools within Amador County, including Chinese cultural arts education and the principles of art. (5) PROMOTING THE ARTS: Weekly newsprint, monthly radio, social media, blog covering impacts of the arts. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $21,000.00 | California Chamber Orchestra | 43460 Ridge Park Drive, Ste. 220 , Temecula, CA 92590 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (909) 496-3030 | California's 50th congressional district | District 75 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, GOLDEN VALLEY MUSIC SOCIETY INC will present “Orchestra Experience Live!” for all 4th grade students in the Murrieta Valley Unified School District featuring the California Chamber Orchestra, Conductor Dana Zimbric, and local artists in the Murrieta Mesa High School Gershwin Performing Arts Center. | The California Chamber Orchestra (CCO), operating under the umbrella of the Golden Valley Music Society, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 2005. Led by Artistic Director and Conductor Dana Zimbric, CCO hosts nearly 20 professional concerts and recitals annually, distinguishing itself as the primary professional orchestra in the Temecula/Murrieta area. Comprised of leading professional musicians from across southern California, CCO has maintained a collective bargaining agreement with the American Federation of Musicians Local 325 since 2023. From 2005 to 2019, CCO collaborated with the Old Town Temecula Community Theater to present an annual seven-concert Classical Series, four of which showcased the orchestra. Since July 1, 2019, the orchestra has shifted its focus to the Gershwin Performing Arts Center in Murrieta for its annual concert series. Since October 2008, CCO has hosted Classics at The Merc, a Sunday afternoon series featuring chamber recitals by professional soloists and small ensembles. Held in the intimate setting of the Old Town Temecula Community Theater, this series offers a unique musical experience for audiences. In the upcoming 2024-2025 season, the series will highlight the region’s premier chamber musicians in a monthly recital format. Since 2012, CCO has been dedicated to providing music education to over 20,000 students in the Temecula and Murrieta communities. This includes live theater performances of classical works like “Peter and the Wolf” and “Carnival of the Animals,” as well as interactive assemblies for elementary students. Additionally, the organization offers coaching for middle and high school orchestras, master classes, and affordable or complimentary tickets to CCO performances. Collaborations, such as the “Just Add Jazz” project with acclaimed jazz vocalist Sherry Williams, further enrich the educational experiences provided by CCO. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra | 536 W. 11th Street , San Bernardino, CA 92410 | San Bernardino | Inland Empire | (909) 381-5388 | California's 31st congressional district | District 40 | District 23 | With support from the California Arts Council, the San Bernardino Symphony Association will operate a Youth Symphony Orchestra dedicated to the performance of works by systemically underrepresented composers. | The San Bernardino Symphony actualizes our mission through engaging and culturally/artistically relevant programming. We also provide a variety of educational enrichment programs, including concerts for the schools serving over 1,700 students annually, introductory workshops on orchestral instruments for every local third grade class (roughly 5,000 students each year), online educational videos, and our San Bernardino Symphony Youth Orchestra, a 70+ piece orchestra dedicatd to the performance of works by underrepresented composers. We also offer certificated Symphony Teens programs providing job skills training to local high school students. The vast majority of these students are of minority decent and considered at-risk due to economic circumstances. The Symphony also operates the Guthrie Music Rental Library providing low cost orchestral parts to other orchestras, schools, and choral groups. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,000.00 | Bay Area Creative | 1389 Jefferson St Apt C505 , Oakland, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (949) 285-9086 | California Assembly district 20 | District 20 | District 10 | With support from the California Arts Council, BAY AREA CREATIVE BAC will strengthen its SPARC Creativity program, delivering year-round arts education to over 7,000 K-12 youth across the Bay Area. Grants fund will sustain culturally responsive, trauma-informed workshops in spoken word poetry, hip hop dance, visual arts and filmmaking, led by professional artists rooted in the communities they serve. This support will allow BAC to deepen its impact in underserved neighborhoods, maintain fair compensation for artists, expand bilingual and accessible programming, and invest in the organizational infrastructure needed to deliver transformative art experiences that affirm identity, foster resilience and build community pride. | SPARC Creativity offers spoken word poetry, dance, filmmaking workshops and performances tailored for underserved youth aged 5-18. Our comprehensive services encompass weekly arts workshops conducted during the school day, after school, and throughout the summer. Additionally, SPARC teaching artists lead impactful school day performances that showcase the creative expressions of our participants. Revisions stands as a beacon of therapeutic arts for youth and families, providing essential services such as facilitating writing groups in Juvenile Hall, facilitating creative support groups for social workers, leading conferences focused on substance abuse prevention, and performing at mental health symposiums. Educators for Empathy is dedicated to professional development for both classroom teachers and teaching artists. Our impactful sessions take the form of in-service school district-wide half and full-day training sessions. We extend our reach by collaborating with other nonprofits, offering monthly one-on-one coaching sessions to empower educators with transformative teaching practices. Spoken works delivers local creative professionals to provide team building sessions that |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $15,000.00 | Bay Area Creative | 1389 Jefferson St Apt C505 , Oakland, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (949) 285-9086 | California Assembly district 20 | District 20 | District 10 | With support from the California Arts Council, Bay Area Creative (BAC) will deliver transformative arts programs that ignites self-expression, healing, and social change. Founded by nationally ranked spoken word poets, BAC provides steady work for over 30 artists each year abd reaches over 14,000 low-income youth and adults through free workshops and events in spoken word poetry, urban dance, and visual arts. Led by professional artists from the same communities they serve, these programs offer vital spaces for participants to process their experiences, build resilience, amplify their voices and share their creative works for the betterment of society. Through school-day residencies, after-school programs, summer workshops, and weekly community performances; BAC fosters a new generation of artists and leaders, strengthening the Bay Area’s arts ecosystem and cultural fabric. | SPARC Creativity offers spoken word poetry, dance, filmmaking workshops and performances tailored for underserved youth aged 5-18. Our comprehensive services encompass weekly arts workshops conducted during the school day, after school, and throughout the summer. Additionally, SPARC teaching artists lead impactful school day performances that showcase the creative expressions of our participants. Revisions stands as a beacon of therapeutic arts for youth and families, providing essential services such as facilitating writing groups in Juvenile Hall, facilitating creative support groups for social workers, leading conferences focused on substance abuse prevention, and performing at mental health symposiums. Educators for Empathy is dedicated to professional development for both classroom teachers and teaching artists. Our impactful sessions take the form of in-service school district-wide half and full-day training sessions. We extend our reach by collaborating with other nonprofits, offering monthly one-on-one coaching sessions to empower educators with transformative teaching practices. Spoken works delivers local creative professionals to provide team building sessions that |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | Playhouse Merced | 452 W. Main Street , Merced, CA 95340 | Merced | Central Valley | (209) 725-8587 | California's 16th congressional district | District 21 | District 12 | Playhouse Merced’s Conservatory provides theater education, scholarships, and accessible performances for diverse youth in Merced County. | Playhouse Merced provides on-site educational services through classes and workshops in acting, dance, voice, playwriting and instrumental music as well as off-site programming by providing trained teaching artists to schools. In addition, Playhouse Merced presents a 10-show season on-site, off-site alternative work and episodic programming. |
| Impact Projects | 2025-26 | $18,500.00 | Cooperation Humboldt | 39 5th St , Eureka, CA 95501-0333 | Humboldt | Upstate | (707) 840-4641 | 2nd Congressional District | State Assembly District 2 | State President Pro Tempore | With support from the California Arts Council, Black Humboldt will implement the Arts & Legacy Project—an 18-month, humanities-informed arts and culture initiative that uplifts the creative legacies and living narratives of Black and Brown communities on California’s rural North Coast. The project blends public art, showcases, performances, intergenerational storytelling, and community-based archiving to foster cultural belonging, healing, and visibility in historically underserved areas creating culturally relevant art and dialogue in rural communities where BIPOC stories are often erased. Grant funds will be used to: | Arts & Culture Programming – visual arts exhibitions, performance showcases, cultural festivals, and educational lectures focused on Black and Brown contributions to arts and culture. Uses creativity as a tool for wellness, expression, and community building. Community Events & Celebrations- Intentional social gatherings designed to cultivate connection, joy, and solidarity among local Black and Brown residents. Leadership Development & Community Advocacy- Programs designed to develop leadership among Black and Brown individuals in Humboldt, with a focus on equity, representation, and civic engagement. Network-building initiatives connecting local grassroots organizers and BIPOC-led groups to share resources and strengthen community infrastructure. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $16,200.00 | Museum of the American Indian | 2200 NOVATO BLVD , NOVATO, CA 94947-2079 | Marin | Bay Area – Other | (415) 897-4064 | California's 2nd congressional district | District 10 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Museum of the American Indian will work towards our mission of uplifting, supporting, and making visible the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas through authentic educational programs and cultural resources for Marin and the Greater Bay Area. In the coming fiscal year, our organization aims to move forward in four key areas: (1) Educational programming, including our Field Trip program which serves 4,000 youth annually and traditional crafts workshops with Native culture bearer honoraria; (2) Collections work which continues our collaboration with the Coast Miwok Tribal Council on provenance research; (3) Supporting Indigenous California artists through special exhibitions in our Contemporary Native Artists Gallery, with dedicated artist stipends; and (4) Organizational sustainability through new financial management systems, upgraded technology, a new comprehensive revenue strategy. | For over 50 years, the Museum has served the Bay Area community as an educational and cultural center dedicated to supporting the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas. The Museum was founded in 1967 when an excavation of Miwok Park unearthed masses of artifacts related to the Coast Miwok people. From our location on unceded Coast Miwok land, we are dedicated to ensuring that our exhibits and programming bring greater awareness to this community, their place in our shared history, and their cultural contributions. Working with the Coast Miwok Tribal Council, the Museum’s permanent collection has been carefully curated to focus on two key themes: the Coast Miwok people have a living culture that has evolved from their distant past to the current day; and their culture can be a source of inspiration and wisdom for all peoples now living in Marin, especially as it pertains to living in relationship with the natural world. Beyond visitors to our permanent collection and rotating exhibits, the Museum is an institution for the youth of the Bay Area. Prior to our COVID-related closure, the Museum welcomed between 4,000 and 5,000 elementary school children as a part of our field trip programs, the majority of whom were from Marin County Public Schools. After re-opening, we aim to provide co-curricular activities that support key learning objectives for State of California students in the 4th and 9th grades. In addition to our field trip programs, the Museum partners with the local Native community to address issues specific to them – this may include hosting educational workshops facilitated by Native-led organizations, or working with Native artists to curate contemporary exhibits in our gallery. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $16,200.00 | Cooperation Humboldt | 39 5th St , Eureka, CA 95501-0333 | Humboldt | Upstate | (707) 840-4641 | 2nd Congressional District | State Assembly District 2 | State President Pro Tempore | Black Humboldt is seeking general operating funds to sustain and expand our culturally responsive programming, administrative capacity, and community engagement efforts throughout California’s Northern Coast. CAC grant funds will support the staffing and operations required to continue our core programs—including the Arts & Legacy Project, Juneteenth Cultural Festival, The Black Aesthetic podcast, and youth-centered archival work—while enhancing organizational sustainability. Funding will help us provide stipends for artists and culture bearers, increase outreach to underserved areas like Trinity and Del Norte Counties, and invest in the infrastructure needed to expand our impact. This support ensures Black Humboldt remains a vital hub for Black and Brown creatives, storytellers, and community leaders across rural and coastal Northern California. | Arts & Culture Programming – visual arts exhibitions, performance showcases, cultural festivals, and educational lectures focused on Black and Brown contributions to arts and culture. Uses creativity as a tool for wellness, expression, and community building. Community Events & Celebrations- Intentional social gatherings designed to cultivate connection, joy, and solidarity among local Black and Brown residents. Leadership Development & Community Advocacy- Programs designed to develop leadership among Black and Brown individuals in Humboldt, with a focus on equity, representation, and civic engagement. Network-building initiatives connecting local grassroots organizers and BIPOC-led groups to share resources and strengthen community infrastructure. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $20,500.00 | Street Poets | 2116 Arlington Ave. Suite 310 , Los Angeles, CA 90018 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 737-8545 | District 37 | District 55 | District 28 | With support from the CAC, Street Poets will facilitate weekly Beats and Rhymes music/poetry sessions . Youth will record tracks for our annual album and perform at the Open Mic. Funds also support our Music Fellowship program that engages our standout youth and provides lessons/mentorship around music production, business and more. | Street Poets programming consists of transformational poetry/music workshops designed specifically for system-impacted youth. These include those in LA County’s juvenile detention facilities, community centers, and underserved public school, and at our Street Poets office and via our Poetry in Motion Van. Weekly workshops are supplemented by leadership training and mentoring, open-mic events, poetry performances and poetry reading series, as well as youth-driven books, CD and DVD projects that amplify/illustrate the kind of fearless creative work that inspires young people. Annually, we reach approximately 650 at-risk youth, ages 11-18, through our long and short-term workshops, and over hundreds more via one-time Street Poets performances at schools and in the community. We also reach thousands of additional youth and adults via our Poetry in Motion Van programming. After 30 years of facilitating healing, transformational poetry, writing, and music production workshops; hosting inspirational community open mic events; and providing mentoring support and leadership retreats for youth and young adults in Los Angeles, Street Poets has put down permanent roots in the city it has served so well. Street Poets’ future arts/cultural center sits directly across the street from John Adams Middle School just south of downtown Los Angeles. Slated to open in 2025, the future Street Poets’ permanent home begins an exciting new chapter in our evolution as a culture-shaping, system-changing community-based organization. |
| General Operating Support | 2025-26 | $12,300.00 | Association of California Symphony Orchestras | 633 W 5th St., Ste 6000 c/o LBBS, LOS ANGELES, CA 90071 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (800) 495-2276 | California's 34th Congressional District | District 54 | District 28 | strengthen California’s orchestra and music ecosystem by building the capacity of the staff, board, musicians, and volunteers within its workforce. Through professional development, advocacy, and knowledge-sharing, we empower 115 orchestras and their workforce of 2,600+ to navigate change, seize opportunities, and deepen their impact for communities in every corner of of the state, ensuring all Californians have access to the transformative power of music. | The Association of California Symphony Orchestras (ACSO) is the collective force for orchestral music in California and the West. Founded in 1969, ACSO is the longest-running and largest membership-supported organization of its kind in the United States and is the preeminent leader in connecting, providing resources and education, and advocating for its community. Guided by its commitment to be the voice, the forum, and the network for a growing community of orchestras, choruses, festivals, youth and university orchestras, aligned businesses, and orchestra professionals, ACSO provides essential leadership, networking, and learning through its annual conference; year-round educational, networking, and advocacy programs; and customized research and technical support. Advocacy Professional Development Capacity Building Peer-to-Peer Learning |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Silicon Valley Shakespeare | 775 E. Brokaw Road , SAN JOSE, CA 95112-1014 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 289-1901 | California's 17th congressional district | District 25 | District 10 | With support from the California Arts Council, Silicon Valley Shakespeare will create the program “Shakespeare Is Us,” bringing culturally, financially, and geographically accessible afterschool theatre residency programs and student matinees to middle- and elementary-schoolers at Title I schools. Through the original curriculum “Shakespeare Through Your Eyes,” this identity-centered approach invites students to explore and reinterpret Shakespeare’s stories through their own cultures, languages, and lived experiences. Using movement, ensemble-building, and personal storytelling, students build confidence, communication skills, and a sense of creative ownership, connecting them to and giving agency over a 400-year-old artistic legacy and language shared across the globe. The program culminates in student matinees and public performances of an adapted Shakespeare play, reimagined entirely through their own voices. | OUR CORE PROGRAMS *Free Shakespeare in the Park – produce one Shakespeare play, free to the public, at Willow Street Park in San José each spring (9 performances). *Winter Production – produce one classic, winter-themed production in the South Bay (11+ performances). *Education – provide a summer Shakespeare Camp for kids, workshops, assemblies, and after-school programs to over 2,000 students in local schools, and an immersive trainee/mentorship program for local high-school and college students to develop professional skills. *Special events including an annual 48-hour Play Festival of locally developed new works, in partnership with a local college or university. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,500.00 | San Francisco Youth Theatre | 3106 Folsom Street , San Francisco, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 571-1234 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, San Francisco Youth Theatre (SFYT) will build on existing partnerships by providing theatre arts training to Marshall Elementary School (grades K-5), and continue our long-time engagement with young children (PreK/Tk) in six SFUSD Early Childhood schools and classrooms. School populations include 460 youth from low-income households, ELL Spanish-speakers, and students with disabilities. Residencies will be taught by teachers who reflect the student population at each school, and will explore a wide range of theatre arts in both English and Spanish–acting, music, movement, story telling and dance, infusing joy and creativity into children’s school day. | Founded in 2014, SFYT provides fully-accessible arts training and performance opportunities for youth ages 4-24 onsite at its Mission District location and through SFUSD schools and Community-based organizations. Primary beneficiaries are grades PreK–College low-income youth with limited access to theatre arts, including youth who are low income, LGBTQ+, youth with disabilities, newcomers, and English language learners. Transitional-aged youth (18-24) participate in SFYT’s Emerging Theatre Professional Program which provides a pathway to arts careers through internships and employment opportunities. SFYT serves ≈1200 students in year-round school day and after school programs. SFYT offers a broad array of activities that include skill-building classes in acting, music, dance, movement, visual art, playwriting, and production. Fall skill-building classes evolve into spring performance ensembles for elementary through college-aged students. All onsite classes and ensembles are on a sliding scale, with no one turned away for lack of funds. School programs are offered at no fee to students. SFYT’s ongoing creative programs, onsite and at SFUSD, include: |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $17,500.00 | Arts & Learning Conservatory (ALC) | 151 Kalmus Drive, Suite G-3 SUITE G3, COSTA MESA, CA 92626-5988 | Orange | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (714) 728-7100 | California's 48th congressional district | District 74 | District 37 | With support from the California Arts Council, Arts & Learning Conservatory (ALC) will provide a high-quality, comprehensive musical and technical theatre education program, encompassing theatre, dance, vocal instruction, and tech design at two schools, Letha Raney Intermediate School and Corona Fundamental Intermediate School, where approximately 80% of students face socioeconomic barriers. This initiative will serve 70 students (35 per school) ages 12-14, and reach an estimated audience of 1,300 community members. Designed to nurture self-awareness, build self-esteem, and enhance social-emotional learning, the program also equips students with tools for academic success and fosters meaningful community connections. For over two decades, Arts & Learning Conservatory has delivered world-class arts instruction directly to under-resourced schools, reviving creativity and opportunity in places too often silenced by budget cuts and systemic inequities. | Key ALC programs include After School Arts Program (ASAP); Arts Connect; Theatre and Music Camps; Youth Mainstage Theatre Productions; smaller programs conducted at the ALC studio. All ALC teachers have Bachelor of Arts degrees and 60% have earned Master of Arts degrees. Their time teaching with us ranges from 3 to 15 years with a combined experience of 48 years. As professional and accomplished artists, they are role models and mentors for the students. 50% of our instructors are of color, representing those they serve. Our students, staff, and Master Class hosts reflect the community we serve including the deaf. ALC utilizes American Sign Language interpreters or full closed captions during designated performances. Staff and students of all abilities know that our conservatory listens with intent to the needs of the community to create support and artistic opportunities. Founded in 2004, ALC exists to ensuring equitable access through the transformative power of the arts. Grounded in our “Arts for All” mission, ALC delivers immersive, culturally responsive arts education that champions diversity, and cultivates student talent. ALC serves as a creative catalyst through sustained partnerships such as Think Together, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Central Coast. Our programs reach students in public and charter schools alike, many of whom come from historically underserved communities, and provide access to high-quality performing arts and Technical Theatre instruction. By intentionally casting students of all backgrounds in both lead and supporting roles, ALC ensures that every child has a voice and a stage. Our youth-centered curriculum not only builds artistic skill and confidence but also opens career pathways in the arts and beyond. These programs dismantle systemic barriers and stereotypes, preparing students, particularly students of color, with the tools they need to thrive in school, in the workforce, and in their communities. |
| Arts and Youth | 2025-26 | $18,000.00 | Mono Arts Council | 437 OLD MAMMOTH ROAD, SUITE M , MAMMOTH LAKES, CA 93546-0056 | Mono | Central Valley | (760) 914-2731 | California's 3rd congressional district | District 8 | District 4 | With support from the California Arts Council, Mono Arts Council will continue to provide all elementary and middle school students of the Eastern Sierra Unified School District with an engaging, community driven, hands-on music program. Started in 2022, the Crescendo Music Program has provided over 300 students in these rural Mono County communities with access to a sequential, standards-based music education they would not otherwise receive. | Mono Arts Council offers arts programs to all residents and visitors of Mono County. We continue to create awareness of MAC activities through public outreach, our Gallery & Art Center, and our Art Festivals.Through the MAC Gallery & Arts Center we create a space for local, regional and emerging artists to exhibit their work. MAC offers art education in all Mono County schools. We provide free in school art instruction, free after school art and Kids Summer Art Camps. MAC reaches all students through in-school programs such as the Create With the Greats and Crescendo Music program. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | IN THE MARGIN | 2700 Capitol Ave , Sacramento, CA 95816 | Sacramento | Capital | (310) 923-4306 | With support from the California Arts Council, our proposal aims to empower marginalized communities through a culturally immersive playwright residency. The grant funds will be utilized exclusively within the U.S., focusing on the development of plays and stage readings following an ITM residency. Funds will support artists’ stipends, administrative costs, and travel within California. Our project centers on fostering collaboration between local artists and community members, prioritizing the voices of historically underrepresented groups. By creating inclusive spaces for artistic expression and cultural exchange, we seek to address social inequalities and promote healing and empowerment. Through ongoing evaluation and responsiveness to community needs, we aim to create a transformative and sustainable impact on California’s cultural landscape. | ITM core programming includes educational workshops for professional development and skill building, new work development, and arts programming (theatre, film, multimedia). | |||
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $6,481.00 | Front Porch Music | 716 ST MARYS RD , LAFAYETTE, CA 94549-5339 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (510) 616-8512 | With support from the California Arts Council, Front Porch Music will build on its successful track record of networking acoustic musicians across Contra Costa, Alameda, Solano, Marin, and San Francisco counties. Since 2019, our core programs—including monthly open mic nights and affordable public performances—have been serving senior musicians, emerging artists, and folk music lovers throughout the region. Our network has grown from 20 to 250 members. This grant will enable us to add and maintain robust web features for musician profiles, collaboration and performance opportunities, and gig listings. Additionally, it will support nonprofit partnerships for a volunteer corps of Front Porch musicians to bring the joy of acoustic music to charitable events for marginalized communities. This grant will help ensure musicians are well-connected, fostering inclusivity, meaningful performances, and intergenerational connections for the community at large. | The flagship program of Front Porch Music is a monthly open mic, now in its sixth year, which provides a regular platform for musicians of all skill levels to perform, connect, collaborate, and share their music with each other and the community. It is free to participate, with a suggested donation for those who can afford it. For two years, we have produced a highly affordable quarterly public performance series in partnership with the Town Hall Theatre in Lafayette (a letter of support is attached), showcasing the region’s amazing, non-professional musical talent nurtured through the Front Porch open mics, and giving musicians a chance to participate in a polished show on a big stage with great lighting, sound, videography, and sold-out seats. The Town Hall shows also feature a professional musical group to cap off the evening, further inspiring audiences and regional musicians. Our website and e-newsletter serve as a digital hub for the community, offering news, updates, and resources related to local music events, opportunities, and Front Porch Music initiatives. This year, we transitioned to 501(c)(3) status and are developing a series of workshops with regional performers on songwriting, stage performance, playing in a group, and so forth. These will help musicians improve their craft and gain confidence. Additionally, we are developing a gift guitar program to ensure that music is accessible to everyone by providing guitars to individuals who might not otherwise have the opportunity to play. At present, we have six gifted guitars in-house ready for their new homes, with many more to come. Our goal for late ’24 and through ’25 is to expand our capabilities as a regional network for folk musicians and members of the community through this grant request. | |||
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | $18,517.00 | Arts Education Alliance of the Bay Area | 1446 Market Street Intersection for the Arts, San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (619) 993-5147 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | The mission of the Arts Education Alliance of the Bay Area (AEA) is to connect and catalyze arts education communities for a more just and creative Bay Area. With support from CAC, AEA will provide a hands-on, standards aligned arts integration workshop series across three Bay Area school districts for a total of six workshops. Districts include San Francisco-, Oakland-, and West Contra Costa Unified School Districts and will be open to all K-5. The content of the workshop series will be informed by Creative Youth Development and Culturally Responsive teaching practices and tailored to community specific needs to further develop the ability of teachers to implement responsive arts integrated curriculum. Our goal is to share best arts integration strategies and practice while deepening community connection within and across district educator networks. | The Arts Education Alliance of the Bay Area CONNECTS and CATALYZES local arts education coalitions for a more just and creative San Francisco Bay Area. We serve as a regional hub and unifying voice for local coalitions of teaching artists, school districts, student and their families, community arts organizations, cultural institutions, city and county agencies, funders, business leaders, and arts education advocates throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Our regional work aligns with Create CA’s state arts education efforts as well as the national efforts of the National Guild for Community Art Education and Arts Education Partnership. The Arts Education Alliance of the Bay Area supports our members to cultivate responsive leadership and advocate for arts education through ongoing convening events, professional learning workshops, monthly newsletters, and advocacy resources. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | Queer Cultural Center | 934 Brannan St , San Francisco, CA 94103-4906 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 295-2474 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the CAC, QCC will promote the artistic and economic development of the SF Bay Area’s LGBTQ2S+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and two-spirit) arts community by: 1) publishing 12 monthly newsletters; 2) providing fiscal sponsorship and grant writing services to 12 emerging LGBTQ2S+ arts groups and individual artists; 3) and conducting 8-12 capacity-building workshops. Additionally, funding will support an active assessment of the current Fiscally Sponsored Project program in order to increase its effectiveness, capacity, and reach, with a focus on extending QCC’s ability to support QTBIPOC (queer and transgender black, indigenous, and people of color) artists and arts organizations throughout California. | Since 1998, QCC has curated and produced 26 month-long National Queer Arts Festivals that have featured over 2500 LGBTQ2S+ artists in 1150+ different arts events. QCC’s arts services comprise artistic program planning, fiscal sponsorship, free/low-cost grant-proposal and report writing, marketing strategies, capacity-building workshops, and free/low-cost strategic/development planning services to emerging queer and trans arts organizations with a focus on organizations led by BIPOC, trans and gender non-conforming people, and lesbians, who are all marginalized in LGBTQ2S+ arts funding. To date, our arts services program has enabled over 46+ Bay Area LGBTQ2S+ arts organizations to raise over $8,600,000. QCC’s arts services support the next generation of emerging Queer and Trans artists to acquire the skills to develop, finance, and stage work addressing LGBTQ2S+ Civil rights and social justice issues. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Healing Rhythms | 12561 Palm Dr Ste. D, Desert Hot Springs, CA 92240-4521 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (619) 917-2101 | With support from the California Arts Council, Healing Rhythms will facilitate an after school West African drumming program for children, ages twelve-fourteen two days a week. This program will be a series of workshops on Thursdays and Fridays at two different after school programs in the underserved community of North Palm Springs. | Core Programs Services | |||
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | East LA Rising | 324 N MCDONNELL AVE , LOS ANGELES, CA 90022-1127 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 590-8881 | With support from the California Arts Council, EAST LOS ANGELES BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB will address the evolving needs of students in our underserved communities and our system-impacted, at-promise youth through an important resource. high-quality creative arts education. We will use our four complementary concepts: (1) Social Emotional Learning through the Arts (2) Development of life skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, leadership, and collaboration. | ELABGC has been a community pillar, tirelessly dedicated to serving those in greatest need. Our youth programs, including Mentoring with Case Management in the M.E.N.T.O.R. initiative, uniquely blend with the Department of Education’s A-G curriculum. Our A-G approach provides youth with essential tools for success: mentors and holistic care. Our diverse programs span Academic Enrichment/STEM, The Arts, Athletics, Anti-Bullying, Buddies (mentors), Character Development, Cultural Awareness, College/Career Prep, Community Advocacy, Dealing With Your Feelings, Drug Prevention, Employment, Environmental Science, Food and Fitness, Financial Literacy, Family Resources, Gang Prevention, Gender-based Rites of Passage courses, and Health & Wellness. Our programs are evidence-based and all contain character development principles and social-emotional learning. | |||
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Mariachi Scholarship Foundation | 3757 SWEETWATER RD , BONITA, CA 91902-1137 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 888-9509 | 53rd | 79th | 18 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Mariachi Scholarship Foundation will be able to fund 250 students’ participation in the 2025 San Diego International Mariachi Summit at Southwestern College. Participation includes instruction from the best mariachi and ballet folklórico performers in the world (former members of Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernandez, and others), tickets to four concerts (Gala Concert, Folklórico Performance, Welcome Concert with Southwestern College Mariachi Garibaldi, Student Showcase), a guided tour of the largest-in-the-world mariachi history museum, and performance opportunities for the students. The fee of $100 per student includes instruction, instructional materials, tickets to all 4 concerts, and three meals while onsite. | Core programs include annual conferences to teach the study of instruments including trumpet, violin, guitar, vihuela, guitarron and harp and to provide mariachi music education from some of the most famous mariachi performers in the world. We also provide ballet folklorico dance training to students at his annual conference with the most famous ballet folklorico teachers in the world. We then provide college scholarships annually to those students who participate in the Mariachi in the Schools programs and the Southwestern Community College District and the ballet folklorico programs in the same schools. The foundation also provides opportunities for these students to perform with world famous mariachis and ballet folklorico dancers in various large theatre venues in California. During the pandemic, being unable to meet in person, the foundation provided a virtual mariachi summit, providing over 200 videos to instructors to teach students, reaching over 20,000 students in California, throughout the United States and all over the world. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,989.00 | People's Conservatory | 6738 BANNING DR , OAKLAND, CA 94611-1561 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (917) 806-9606 | 12th Congressional District | District 14 | District 7 | With support of the California Arts Council, The People’s Conservatory (TPC) will facilitate an outstanding Community Arts Summer Intensive program in 2025- offering 3 weeks/15 days of high-quality cultural-based professional arts classes to Youth, in grades K-12, in the Jingletown and Fruitvale areas of Oakland, CA 94606. This area has an HPI score of 26.6 and a block from15.3 HPI. We want to pour into these youth and offer them skills across artistic disciplines. TPC’s Summer Arts Intensive will take place during June 5-23, 2023. This program will be focused on enhancing neighborhood vibrancy and community cohesion, will offer a variety of multidisciplinary arts classes, be taught by TPC’s Staff of locally based Master Teaching-Artists and be FREE to participants. | TPC currently serves over 2000 students at 6 school sites directly and several additional schools throughout the East Bay. We offer fully-integrated school day arts programming, after school arts academies, homeschool programming, weekend arts classes, one-day workshops, teacher trainings, and school showcases. 92% of our students are of African American and/or Latinx descent, 85% free/reduced lunch, and mostly reside in Oakland’s lower economic areas including East Oakland, West Oakland and Fruitvale. TPC’s curriculum is rooted in ethnic and cultural studies that honors our students’ backgrounds and inherent artistic voices. Our culturally and community responsive techniques are designed to develop professional arts knowledge and skills, as well as cultivate imagination, creativity, self-knowledge, and social awareness. It is Visual and Performing Arts Standards aligned, Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) aligned, and is informed by Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP) and Arts Integration research. |
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | $18,517.00 | CoTA (Collaborations: Teachers and Artists) | 342 Euclid Ave, Ste 406 #110 , San Diego, CA 92114 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 677-0751 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, CoTA (Collaborations: Teachers and Artists) will coach 21 teachers (TK-6th grade) at Barton Elementary on planning, implementing and assessing arts integrated projects to support student learning in the classroom. Each grade-level team will be trained in two art strategies (visual arts, creative movement and/or creative drama) and each teacher will lead two arts integrated projects with their students. Projects will address language arts and/or math standards as well as California visual and performing arts standards. Celebrations of Learning will be presented to share student learning with the broader school community. | Our core work involves professional development over a three-year period with every teacher in our partner schools. Each teacher is strategically paired with one of our highly-trained teaching artists. CoTA works incrementally with each classroom teacher by providing differentiated one-on-one lesson design and co-teaching over an annual ten-week period. Students receive 60 minutes per week of direct artist instruction (10 hours). Teachers receive an additional 30-45 minutes per week of training/coaching from Teaching Artists (project planning, reflections, and lesson study). CoTA’s design is built around a model of gradual release of responsibility that incrementally shifts the classroom teacher into a leadership role in the arts integration process. This individual work with teachers is complemented by whole school workshops and lesson study involving the entire staff at key points during the school year. In 2018, the Centers for Research on Creativity (CRoC) completed a three-year study on the impact of arts integration implementation in three San Diego school districts employing a process methodology developed by CoTA. CRoC’s findings synthesized quantitative outcomes employing the Next Generation Creativity Assessment (NGCA) created by Principal Investigator and CRoC founder, the late James Catterall. Qualitative analysis gleaned from structured observations, questionnaires and interviews of teachers, artists, principals, and school district superintendents was also undertaken by CRoC research associates in the field. CRoC concluded that the three-year findings are promising for students with sustained, statistically significant growth in demonstrated creativity, creative self-efficacy, and empathy. Additionally, in the final year, students experienced a very large significant gain in critical thinking. CRoC suggests that the CoTA program builds upon creative skills sequentially, targeting general creativity in the early years, followed by deep critical thinking in the final year of the program, after solidifying general creativity, collaboration, and empathy. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $17,360.00 | Fua Dia Kongo | 1428 Alice Street , Oakland, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 629-9382 | California Assembly district 18 | District 18 | District 9 | The Kizingu project by Fua Dia Kongo empowers African descent youth in California through an innovative performing arts and leadership program. Rooted in Kongolese dance, drumming, and traditions, Kizingu celebrates cultural identity, fosters creativity, and nurtures leadership among ages 9-19. With CAC grant funds, Kizingu offers comprehensive arts education including dance, drumming, theater, storytelling, and staging training. The program provides apprenticeship opportunities for mentorship in traditional arts, leading to performance experience. Participants share their talents through staged performances, sharing cultural heritage. Grant funds cover instructor fees, materials, venue rentals, administrative costs, and apprenticeship support. Kizingu aims to preserve cultural heritage, empower youth, and promote social change, aligning with Creative Youth Development goals in California. | MalongaFest, Community Dance & Drum Classes at the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, Embrace Kongo, Ballet Kizingu Youth Ensemble |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Center for World Music | 2225 9th Street , Encinitas, CA 92024-6512 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 363-3007 | California's 53rd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Center for World Music will promote awareness and understanding of the rich performing arts traditions of the world through school-wide, student-interactive assemblies in underserved PreK-12 San Diego area schools. Part of the CWM’s World Music in the Schools core program, our assemblies program brings maximal numbers of students into contact with teaching artists who are also culture bearers. Students experience world music and dance in an exciting format, gaining beneficial knowledge about world geography, history, cultures, languages, and traditions. | Core organizational programs and services of the Center for World Music (CWM) consist of four initiatives serving San Diego County: a world music and dance concert series of 5 to 10 annual public events focused on the performing arts of Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe, and North America; workshops and performances in partnership with cultural communities and institutions; a unique World Music in the Schools program; and an Access to the Arts for Seniors program. WORLD MUSIC CONCERTS COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS AND PERFORMANCES SCHOOLS PROGRAM ACCESS TO THE ARTS FOR SENIORS |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,989.00 | Teatro Visión | 565 N. Fifth St. , San Jose, CA 95112 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 294-6621 | District 19 | District 27 | District 15 | With support from the California Arts Council, Teatro Visión will continue the development of a new work of live theater created through a series of conversations and workshops with community members in East San José in collaboration with poet and activist, Yosimar Reyes, currently serving as Poet Laureate of Santa Clara County. Reyes and Teatro Visión will conduct interviews and poetry-writing workshops with local community members to capture their experiences, historical and regional knowledge, and their place in the cultural landscape of our community. Weaving these narratives together, Reyes will work with Teatro Visión and other artists, incorporating local history and music, to create a flexible performance piece that elevates community voices and inspires continued civic engagement in our region. | Teatro Visión was founded in 1984 by members of Women in Teatro, a statewide network of Chicano theaters. Today, Teatro Visión continues to raise a unique, bilingual voice in Bay Area theater. Our core programs include: Our annual Día de Muertos production is a high caliber professional theater performance, a performance opportunity for community actors of all ages, and the anchor for a series of events that bring our community together around the themes of the play. Our annual youth production offers a cast and crew of young people aged 10 to 18 the opportunity to build skills, confidence, and community connections by participating in a professional theater production. Our smaller productions and events, including La Hora del Mitote and events produced in collaboration with partner organizations, build community while highlighting Latinx artists and artists from other underrepresented groups. Our community-based new work development programs draw on the diverse voices in our community to create unique, relevant works of theater that position Teatro Visión as an innovator in community engagement and theater creation. Our teatro classes teach performance as a tool for social change, strengthening the critical thinking, self-confidence, communication, and problem-solving skills that students need to make positive changes in our community. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $17,360.00 | EPACENTER | 1950 Bay Rd , East Palo Alto, CA 94303 | San Mateo | Bay Area – Other | (650) 313-2626 | California Assembly District 16 | District 21 | District 13 | With support from the California Arts Council, EPACENTER will build on its rich history as a youth arts organization, created by youth and for youth in San Mateo County, and develop a new Youth Leadership Program with the aim of creating a vibrant arts district in the city of East Palo Alto. EPACENTER will invest in a diverse cohort of young adults, ages 18-24, who will participate in a series of visioning exercises and art projects for the community. During first phase of this project, EPACENTER’s Youth Fellows will identify how arts and culture can address the needs of East Palo Alto, and the role that EPACENTER can play in creating a vibrant arts district in the city. The second phase will include large scale arts events that uplift local artists and showcase youth leadership. | EPACENTER offers free programming to youth ages 6-25 along four developmental pathways, including: • Arts education classes that help students develop their 21st Century skills like creativity, teamwork, and perseverance Through our programming, we are working towards a vibrant Silicon Valley where anyone can explore their talents, realize their creative potential, and enjoy the arts in all forms. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $17,360.00 | The David's Harp Foundation, Inc. | 705 16th Street , San Diego, CA 92101 | San Diego | Far South | (858) 707-5855 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, The David’s Harp Foundation will empower justice-involved youth at East Mesa and Kearny Mesa Juvenile Detention Facilities through culturally relevant media production programs. This initiative aims to elevate the voices of marginalized youth, especially those reintegrating into the community after the closure of state facilities. By offering art-making opportunities, mentorship from trusted adults, and equitable access to the local creative economy, we provide a holistic support system for these young individuals. Grant funds will be used to employ graduates of TDHF who have successfully completed probation, hiring them as beat-making instructors to work alongside our Artist Mentors within all county juvenile detention facilities. This ensures continuity of support and the development of a strong, positive community for youth both during and after their time in the detention facilities. | The David’s Harp Foundation (TDHF) is a Creative Youth Development organization dedicated to transforming the lives of youth affected by homelessness, incarceration, and the foster care system. We offer comprehensive programs in digital music (Hip-Hop) and multimedia production, creating safe, culturally relevant spaces where young people can develop meaningful relationships with our Artist Mentors while learning industry-standard media production techniques. Our core programs and services include: The Student Studio: This program offers six-week project-based learning cycles in music production, tech literacy, and academic support. Youth build long-term mentoring relationships with Artist Mentors, creating a nurturing space for personal and academic growth. Graduates can join the Biz Pod Program, gaining insights into the business side of the music industry. Beats Behind the Wall: This initiative brings our recording studio programming to incarceration facilities. Through a six-week modular curriculum, youth learn music production and receive mentorship from Artist Mentors. Post-release, they can pursue audio engineering internships and job opportunities, guided by our Artist Mentors. Biz Pod Program: A creative content business incubator for youth aged 18-24, this program offers entrepreneurial training and practical experience in video content creation for high-profile clients. Participants earn a livable wage, gain academic credits through UCSD Extension, and receive mentorship, fostering resilience and leadership. The program has successfully launched five youth-led businesses. Studio Nights: In partnership with San Diego Youth Services, this program offers nightly creative engagement youth who are unhoused where they can explore music and poetry. Youth transitioning from the shelter can join other TDHF programs, ensuring continuity of support. Transformation House (The LaunchPad): An innovative housing solution for transitional-aged youth in the Biz Pod Program, this initiative provides affordable housing with financial empowerment. Youth contribute $500/month rent, saved in escrow and returned after 12 months as $6,000 for moving expenses. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | Lyrical Opposition | 132 Visitacion Avenue , Brisbane, CA 94005 | San Mateo | Bay Area – Other | (424) 260-3650 | 15th Congressional District | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Lyrical Opposition will be able to expand and further our equity goals through our project, Re-Entrification. We plan to use a multi-phase approach, starting with creating spaces that center artists and community voices while promoting equity through inclusive storytelling around the concept of Re-Entrification, which addresses the intersections of housing insecurity, displacement, gentrification, and the need for affordable housing for artists and community members. This project will use film screenings, Q&A discussions, and live art exhibits to promote community engagement, raise awareness, facilitate dialogue, and empower advocacy for equitable housing solutions. Re-Entrification will utilize the arts to continue next steps, including research, funding acquisition, and capital campaigns for artist villages, to long-term sustainability and equity, increasing the likelihood of creating lasting, equitable affordable housing and artistic expression solutions. | Lyrical Opposition develops lyrical artists, activists and educators through personal and professional development. Lyrical Opposition also partners with communities of color in order to curate events centered around joy, liberation, and healing. Lyrical Originals are curated artistic spaces, where Lyrical Opposition organizes events and platforms where artists, musicians, poets, and filmmakers can showcase their work and share messages of hope, empowerment, and social justice. These events are often admission-free, making them accessible to a wider audience. Lyrical Studios is our physical space where we offer artists and filmmakers equipment and software use to create new works. We encourage and support artists who use their creative talents to raise awareness about social issues, challenge systemic oppression, and inspire positive change in their communities. Lyrical Opposition provides resources needed to thrive as a professional artist in the marketplace. Lyrical Academy leads and engages in educational programs and workshops aimed at empowering individuals, particularly youth, to use creative expression as a tool for personal growth, self-expression, and advocacy. Lyrical Open is a monthly open space for creatives to connect, collaborate and network with other artists and community members. Lyrical Opposition aims to create these spaces where people can come together, celebrate their creativity, and find solace and inspiration in the midst of challenging societal issues. Lyrical Vinyl is a nonprofit record store that exists to serve as space for artists to work for supplemental income in between gigs and performances. As well as being a space in the community with the intent of preserving the arts and physical mediums. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | Intersection | 1446 Market Street , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 626-2787 | California's 11th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Intersection for the Arts will continue to offer our robust programs and arts services including fiscal sponsorship, professional development, and low-cost shared administrative and creation space in the heart of San Francisco to diverse Bay Area artists and cultural workers. CAC funding will support Intersection’s capacity building programming for the Bay Area’s artists and small arts organizations including our Fiscal Sponsorship Program and our Artists Learning in Community Program which will offer the following professional development programs: BIPOCArts Leadership Program, Arts Finance Empowerment Camp, Art of the Hustle marketing cohort, Coaching Cohort Circles, Grants Coaching & Proposal Reviews, and our Annual Membership Meeting. | For six decades, Intersection for the Arts has served as a bedrock institution in the San Francisco Bay Area, providing critical support to artists and small arts organizations across disciplines. As a nonprofit deeply rooted in the region’s artistic landscape, Intersection offers a unique blend of services that empower artists and cultural workers to bring their creative visions to life. At the heart of Intersection’s work is our Fiscal Sponsorship Program, which enables over 145 artists and arts organizations working in visual arts, literary arts, music, theater, dance, arts education, advocacy, and emerging art forms to access funding, grants, and administrative support. This program helps artists navigate the often-complex nonprofit funding landscape while focusing on their creative work. Intersection’s Artist Empowerment Programs are designed to equip artists with the tools and skills they need to thrive. Offerings include THRIVE: A BIPOC Arts Leadership Program, the Arts Finance Empowerment Camp, the Art of the Hustle marketing cohort, Coaching Cohort Circles, Grants Coaching, and an Annual Membership Meeting. These programs strengthen artists’ entrepreneurial skills, financial literacy, and leadership capacity. In addition, Intersection offers low-cost administrative and creation space in the heart of San Francisco, providing affordable co-working, rehearsal, and event space where artists can collaborate, experiment, and build community. Through these core programs and services, Intersection ensures that Bay Area artists and cultural workers have access to the vital resources, networks, and learning opportunities they need to grow. With a passionate team of artists supporting artists, Intersection upholds our mission of helping the arts sector thrive, building a more vibrant, inclusive, and resilient cultural ecosystem in the process. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | Rios to Rivers | 100 tomorrow lane , Somes bar, CA 95569 | Humboldt | Upstate | (707) 798-0386 | 2nd congressional district | District 1 | Dahle | With support from the California Arts Council, the Paddle Tribal Waters Storytelling Project will honor the largest dam removal in history underway on the Klamath River by lifting up voices of Native youth as they prepare to be the first to paddle the River as it flows freely for the first time in a century, documenting their journey, supporting them as storytellers and the next generation of leaders to help restore cultural river-based identities. The program equips Indigenous youth to confidently express the importance of this historic moment through verbal, written and visual storytelling – including documentary film and photography – and draws upon ancestral cultural traditions through inter-generational community celebrations. The program reinforces Narrative Sovereignty, allowing Native peoples historically excluded from telling our own stories to have authority over our own identities and cultures. | Our core program with the USA is Paddle Tribal Waters. Paddle Tribal Waters is a positive way to celebrate the removal of the Klamath dams and support the sovereignty of the Klamath Basin tribal nations by ensuring that more of their youth have a voice in the dam removal process. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Healing Heels | 3053 Freeport Blvd suite 402 , Sacramento, CA 95818 | Sacramento | Capital | (510) 423-1041 | 7th congressional District | District 06 | District 08 | With support from the California Arts Council, Healing Heels will be able to create a meaningful production, highlighting artistic expression and mental health awareness. This grant will enable us to provide comprehensive training and performance opportunities for our diverse group of youth participants. The artists involved will benefit from industry-level mentorship and development, enhancing their skills and boosting their confidence. By offering professional training and resources, we empower these young artists to reach new heights in their creative journeys, fostering a sense of achievement and career pathways in the arts. The community will also reap significant benefits from this showcase. It will serve as a unifying event that celebrates the “art saves lives” mantra. Moreover, the showcase will spark important conversations around mental health and cultural identity, contributing to a more inclusive and understanding community. | Say hello to healing through the arts, because the arts saves lives. Art forms we are provide: Through the arts we provide assemblies, residences, summer camps, and pre/professional productions to ages 4 & up all over Sacramento region, next is the Bay Area and Los Angeles. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $23,147.00 | Nava Dance Theatre | 80 Turk Street , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (925) 457-1140 | 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Nava Dance Theatre will produce our fourth iteration of Unrehearsed: Artist Residency and Commissioning Program (URP) which confronts systemic structural prejudices in the Indian performing arts community by curating art-centered interactive work in progress showings, performances, and discussions to make dialogue around these issues more accessible. Unrehearsed will center in-person presentations in San Francisco, along with public workshops by the residents for community members/dancers and non-dancers. CAC funds will support three California based resident artists and their production expenses, project personnel and project venue costs for presenting their work in San Francisco. | Nava Dance Theatre (NDT), led by Artistic Director Nadhi Thekkek, is a Bharatanatyam company using South Indian dance as a medium for reflection and discovery. We focus on two main programs: original dance works and our Unrehearsed: Artist Residency and Commissioning program. We also offer subsidized workshops, co-produce the Varnam Salon, and organize classes as part of our community engagement. Highlights include residencies at CounterPulse and A.C.T., two commissions from Oakland Ballet, and support from the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project. Our work has also been funded by the MAP Fund, National Endowment for the Arts, California Arts Council, San Francisco Arts Commission, and more. Since 2013, we’ve performed nationally at venues such as La Mama (NYC), National Steinbeck Center, SF Ethnic Dance Festival, Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, UC Davis Mondavi Center, and UMass Amherst Fine Arts Center. NDT creates immersive, community-centered performances rooted in South Asian storytelling through Bharatanatyam and experimental movement. Our blend of dance, music, and narrative reflects the lived experiences of Indian and South Asian communities. Drawing from oral histories and interviews, we explore themes like migration, identity, and justice. Through responsible, culturally responsive storytelling, we center underrepresented voices and invite audiences to reflect, connect, and take pride in our shared histories. |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | YOSAL | 1122 E Alisal St , SALINAS, CA 93901-2406 | Monterey | Central Coast | (831) 756-5335 | California's 20th congressional district | District 30 | District 12 | With support from the California Arts Council, EL SISTEMA USA SALINAS INC (DBA YOSAL) will continue to fund crucial operational needs such as space rental, teacher salaries for equity focused music educator development. This support enables us to sustain our exceptional music education programs—OrcheSTARS!, Da Capo, and Symphony Orchestra—that serve over 250 underserved students annually in Salinas and surrounding areas. Our programs are crafted to accommodate various skill levels and age groups, providing a transformative experience that fosters discipline and teamwork among predominantly Latino youth. This operational support is vital for continuing to deliver high-quality, transformative music education and for strengthening YOSAL’s impact, reshaping community perceptions through the power of outstanding musical learning. | YOSAL’s primary goals are to make classical and orchestral music accessible to the city’s low-income youth and to provide a safe space and community through which they can also access mental health resources, such as counseling. YOSAL provides instruments, weekly music classes, ensemble rehearsals, choir, music theory, and music history classes, all free of charge to students in 1st through 12th grade. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Raizes Collective | PO BOX 8606 , SANTA ROSA, CA 95407 | Sonoma | Bay Area – Other | (707) 486-6300 | California's 5th congressional district | District 10 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, RAIZES COLLECTIVE will invite 15-20 students to attend 4 excursions in the academic year of 2024-2025. RAIZES will arrange in-person workshops with 4 prominent Bay Area Artists before witnessing major artistic works at The Brava Theater, YERBA Buena Center for the Arts, The San Francisco Symphony, and the Youth Speaks Poetry Slam. We work weekly with 250 students, who have self-identified as 35% housing insecure, 10% impacted by the criminal or juvenile justice system, 10% in foster care, and 25% are enrolled in Restorative Justice classes on their campus. Field Trips will be all-inclusive covering the costs of entrance fees, Artist Stipends, Transportation, meals, chaperone stipends, and a 10% Administration expense. With the help of matching funds, Field trips will range from $6000 – $8000 each. | COSECHA PROGRAM; YOUTH EMPOWERMENT. This program brings together SUPPORT FOR ARTISTS OF COLOR. Raizes provides artist members support, like showcasing and offering opportunities to exhibit or perform. ALMAS LIBRES; A membership organization, ALMAS Libres offers Immigrant and Indigenous women access to information, know-your-rights training, leadership development and policy campaigns. COMMUNITY CULTURAL EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES. Murals and cultural gatherings. COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT. Raizes offered critical outreach and information to communities of color during natural FISCALLY SPONSORED ARTISTIC AND CULTURAL PROJECTS |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $23,147.00 | MID-CITY COMMUNITY MUSIC | 4011 Ohio Street , San Diego, CA 92104 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 268-1312 | California's 53rd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, Mid-City Community Music (MCCM) will provide a free of cost music performance workshop to under-resourced youth in Central San Diego. MCCM connects middle and high school aged youth in weekly group music lessons and performance rehearsals. Students prepare a 30 to 45 minute set filled with songs they selected, learned, and interpreted as a group. Every 12 weeks, students are given an opportunity to perform alongside other MCCM artists in a concert for family, friends, and community members. Funding from the CAC would ensure that this program can continue to be accessible and allow for growth in enrollment. | MCCM serves San Diego’s Mid-City neighborhoods through the following programs: Juvenile Court and Community Schools (JCCS) Instrument Instruction Community Concerts Mid-City Entrepreneurs |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | City of Sacramento Office of Arts & Culture | 915 I. Street, City Hall, 3rd Floor , Sacramento, CA 95814 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 808-3992 | With support from the California Arts Council, Sacramento Office of Arts and Culture will invest in funding and capacity building in unincorporated areas of Sacramento. With a population of over 600,000, these unincorporated communities include some of the lowest quartile census tracts in Sacramento County and, historically, have not received the level of city and county funding support as the incorporated areas. This investment will provide much needed resources for arts and cultural activities and creative sector activation within these neighborhoods. Funds will also support implementation of the county-wide Poetry Out Loud high school poetry recitation competition. | The five core programs of the Office of Arts and Culture (OAC) are: 1.) GRANTS AND CAPACITY BUILDING – grants and programs in support of individual artists, arts organizations, and creative businesses, including Cultural Arts Awards, ARPA Nonprofit Recovery Grants , California Capital Region, Creative Corps program, Arts Journalism Grant, Creative Entrepreneurs Program, and professional development opportunities in support of these programs and communities; 2.) ARTS EDUCATION – management of Artlook, an equity driven arts education database and mapping tool for Sacramento schools; 3.) ART IN PUBLIC PLACES (APP) – management of APP, responsible for expanding public experiences of visual art by installing artworks in public spaces, management of a collection of 700 works of art, commissioning of new work, overseeing the development of a public art master plan, long range planning, policy and procedures and reviews, and approving artist selection and projects with the community in creative placemaking activities; 4.) SACRAMENTO FILM + MEDIA – management of Sacramento’s film office, responsible for permitting film productions, supporting the expansion of filmmaking activity, and dissemination of Film Grants and incentives for filmmakers operating within the City; and 5.) SPECIAL PROJECTS – including the management of the City of Sacramento Poet Laureate program, partnership with the California Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts to mount the annual Poetry Out Loud high school poetry recitation competition, curation of artwork through the City Gallery Program, Emerging Curator Fellows program, and partnerships with public and private entities, such as Capitol Area Development Authority, Center for Sacramento History, Visit Sacramento, and others. | |||
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Greater Bay Area Arts and Cultural Advocacy Coalition | California for the Arts, 1731 Howe Avenue , Sacramento, CA 95805 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 800-5881 | With support from the California Arts Council, California for the Arts will serve as the fiscal sponsor of the Greater Bay Area Arts and Cultural Advocacy Coalition. The Coalition delivers advocacy programming in the form of in-person convenings, monthly calls, and financial support of professional development for advocates. The Coalition builds the capacity of artists, arts organizations, and arts supporters in the region to engage in the public policy making process at city, county, and state levels. The education activities equip members to take action in two issue areas: 1) equitable investment and capacity building for artists and small and BIPOC-led organizations and 2) community economic and cultural resilience. The Coalition aims to strengthen Greater Bay Area communities by shaping arts, cultural, and community development agendas and developing recommendations that inform policy implementation. | Strategically, the coalition engages in opportunities like advocacy actions, fellowships, and sub-regional projects. We are expanding our network with new members and deepening policy engagement to drive change. Future directions include developing core narratives with artists as strategists, expanding membership diversity, and strategizing around state-regional policy efforts. These efforts aim to ensure a sustainable, inclusive, and equitable future for the arts and cultural communities across the Greater Bay Area. The coalition commits to the following values in action in our collective work: | |||
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | Theatre Bay Area | 499 Alabama St. #450 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 430-1140 | 11th Congressional District of California | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Theatre Bay Area will pursue our mission of service and support for the Bay Area theatre community by providing grants, programs, services, convening for the field, and audience-building activities across 13 counties. | TBA’s array of programs and activities encompasses: – Professional Development: Includes monthly webinars, roundtables, and the weekly Writers’ Room, in partnership with Z Space. TBA’s major convenings include the annual General Auditions, which connects 200+ actors with over 100+ producers and casting directors, and the annual TBA Conference, which convenes over 200 theatremakers for a full day of learning and community building. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $23,147.00 | Aunt Lute Books | 2180 Bryant Street, Suite #207 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 826-1300 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Aunt Lute Books will partner with Yaffa A.S. and the Muslim Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity to execute a three-part program serving trans and queer Palestinians as well as others who have been impacted by or displaced by genocide, especially those racialized as Arab or Muslim and Black and Indigenous folks. We will host: a panel on how culture workers, artists, and writers can move society towards more equitable and just conditions, centering trans Palestinian voices and including queer, Black, and Indigenous culture workers; a workshop for trans and queer, Palestinian, Arab, and Black artists and writers training them on how to use art to move toward utopia; and a reading of works written during that workshop. | Aunt Lute publishes 3-4 new titles a year, provides editorial support, and promotes authors through extensive programming, leveraging the power of literature to manifest connection. Our programming includes readings, workshops, and conferences, providing writing, publication, and promotional skills as well as representation on the literary stage. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | ArtReach | 1065 University Avenue , San Diego, CA 92103 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 940-7278 | California's 53rd Congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, ArtReach will expand the Youth ArtReach Studio (Y.A.S.) program. Y.A.S. provides youth-centered after-school visual art workshops that teach traditional arts and cultural practices through contemporary mediums and showcase artists and art practices from marginalized communities. Y.A.S. aims to reach at-promise youth populations ages 5-25 in San Diego County for whom extracurricular art activities are inaccessible due to financial barriers, the school they attend, or an absence of mediums in which they are interested. Funds awarded for Y.A.S. will cover the cost of materials for 44 workshops serving up to 1,320 youth, Teaching Artist and Culture Bearer fees, and the staff wages required for teaching and administrative tasks directly related to Y.A.S. for the duration of the grant cycle. Workshops will take place at the newly expanded ArtReach Studios. | ArtReach San Diego is a nonprofit organization committed to increasing access to visual arts education for youth, especially those from under-resourced schools and communities. ArtReach offers the following programs: In-School Programs: These programs utilize an inquiry-based, standards-aligned, and sequential curriculum designed to foster creativity, critical thinking, and self-expression. With a strong focus on supporting social-emotional learning goals, the lessons help students build confidence, resilience, and emotional awareness through artistic exploration. Mural Programs: ArtReach engages youth in collaborative public art projects, where they design and create large-scale murals that promote teamwork, community pride, and artistic achievement. Additionally, ArtReach offers commercial mural projects that provide youth apprentices with real-world work experience, helping to support reduced-cost murals for Title I schools. Community Programs: ArtReach hosts accessible art workshops and classes for families and individuals in a variety of settings, including our two in-house art studios, libraries, and community centers. These workshops focus on process-based techniques led by local artists, creating opportunities for authentic connection through the arts. ArtReach employs local artists as teaching artists, ensuring that its programs not only deliver valuable arts education but also support the local creative economy. These programs are offered county-wide, providing free or low-cost services to Title I schools and underserved communities across San Diego County. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | Theatre Bay Area | 499 Alabama St. #450 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 430-1140 | 11th Congressional District of California | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Theatre Bay Area will sustain and expand its Arts Leadership Residency (ALR), which funds aspiring artistic directors and managing directors in residence at Bay Area theatres for a 12-16 week period during which the residents are mentored by the artistic and/or managing directors and lead a significant mainstage project during the season. Unfortunately, the past corporate sponsor of this program is no longer able to continue their support, so a grant from the CAC will ensure this important leadership pipeline program continues into 2025. The ALR provides $12,000 in funding per resident to the host companies, facilitating deep and substantive mentorship for emerging arts leaders from historically marginalized groups — a vital investment in the long-term sustainability of the Bay Area theatre workforce. | TBA’s array of programs and activities encompasses: – Professional Development: Includes monthly webinars, roundtables, and the weekly Writers’ Room, in partnership with Z Space. TBA’s major convenings include the annual General Auditions, which connects 200+ actors with over 100+ producers and casting directors, and the annual TBA Conference, which convenes over 200 theatremakers for a full day of learning and community building. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | People's Conservatory | 6738 BANNING DR , OAKLAND, CA 94611-1561 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (917) 806-9606 | 12th Congressional District | District 14 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, The People’s Conservatory will provide dynamic, empowering, high-quality, professional, culturally-based professional afterschool arts programming for marginalized youth in the proposed schools in Oakland, CA. This programming will serve students across levels in grades K-8, fom January 6 through May 29. 2025 | TPC currently serves over 2000 students at 6 school sites directly and several additional schools throughout the East Bay. We offer fully-integrated school day arts programming, after school arts academies, homeschool programming, weekend arts classes, one-day workshops, teacher trainings, and school showcases. 92% of our students are of African American and/or Latinx descent, 85% free/reduced lunch, and mostly reside in Oakland’s lower economic areas including East Oakland, West Oakland and Fruitvale. TPC’s curriculum is rooted in ethnic and cultural studies that honors our students’ backgrounds and inherent artistic voices. Our culturally and community responsive techniques are designed to develop professional arts knowledge and skills, as well as cultivate imagination, creativity, self-knowledge, and social awareness. It is Visual and Performing Arts Standards aligned, Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) aligned, and is informed by Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP) and Arts Integration research. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,989.00 | JOYCE GORDON FOUNDATION OF THE ARTS | 406 14TH ST , OAKLAND, CA 94612-2702 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 823-8152 | California Assembly district 18 | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Joyce Gordon Foundation of the Arts will present ‘Keys to the Kingdom,’ a series of 8 free masterclasses with Oakland master pianists, organists, and keyboardists. This program will create a platform for master Black and Latinx artists to pass on their cultural legacy to their community – particularly Black and Latinx youth – and center Black and Latinx Bay Area communities whose culture is threatened by gentrification. | The Joyce Gordon Foundation of the Arts presents several core programs annually. First, we host the Oakland Youth Art Explosion (OYAE). OYAE is a two-day program consisting of a youth art exhibit and reception, along with an outdoor street festival exclusively for youth. The festival includes free workshops by professional artists, music, dance performances, spoken word, and a youth entrepreneur vendor market. The program seeks to empower and inspire youth to take an active role in the arts community here in Oakland, while also providing a platform for emerging young artists to showcase their work. Through this program, young people will gain valuable skills in curation, project management, and leadership, while also contributing to the cultural landscape in our community. Second, we host an annual Holiday Youth Jazz Benefit Concert. We employ young musicians from the Oakland School of the Arts and invite them to perform a concert for community members at the Joyce Gordon Gallery. Musicians are paid for their time and celebrated for their talents. This program also includes a youth entrepreneur vendor market during and after the show. We use funds raised from ticket sales to purchase jackets for distribution to underserved youth throughout Oakland. In 2025 we presented the Handful of Keys masterclass series, featuring a series of free 6 piano masterclasses led by master artists and educators in our community. Classes delved into the Black cultural traditions of jazz, blues, R&B, gospel, funk, and beyond. Finally, we are preparing to launch a Women in Jazz, Blues, & Beyond lecture/performance series at eight Title 1 public schools in historically Black neighborhoods of West Oakland, East Oakland, and Richmond. This free program will be offered in celebration of Women’s History Month and Jazz Appreciation Month, educating youth about the contributions of pioneering women in jazz blues, and beyond. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center | 934 BRANNAN ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103-4906 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 829-9467 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center will collaborate with San Francisco based filmmaker and photographer Harvey Magsaysay Lozada to produce and present “The Low & Slow Movement” a short film documentary and photo exhibition that will premiere at the 28th Annual United States of Asian America Festival in San Francisco, California in June 2025. “The Low & Slow Movement” documentary and photo exhibition tells the story of the San Francisco LowRider Council, an organization founded in 1981 to unite all LowRider clubs in the San Francisco Bay Area. The film will document the cultural contributions made by the Lowrider community to San Francisco and highlights their struggles to transform negative stereotypes surrounding communities of color while addressing structural violence and police brutality by holding space in the community. | Through collaboration, productions, and presentations, APICC supports the development and growth of the diverse artistic endeavors of the San Francisco Bay Area Asian/Pacific Islander (API) community. Founded in 1998, our primary purpose is to heighten the visibility of artists and address the interests of San Francisco’s underserved API audiences. By means of technical services for our community’s emerging artists and arts groups, APICC collaborates with emerging and well-established groups with special focus on mid-career artists, allowing them access to production and fundraising expertise, performance and rehearsal space, as well as organizational consulting. APICC’s anchor program, the annual United States of Asian America Festival (USAAF), presents artists and organizations representing a diverse range of ethnic and cultural groups. All disciplines are represented: theater, music, dance, film, literature, visual arts, and more. |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | Diversionary Theatre Productions Inc. | 4545 Park Blvd , San Diego, CA 92116-2668 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 220-6830 | California's 50th congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, DIVERSIONARY THEATRE PRODUCTIONS INC will continue its mission to provide an inspiring, inclusive, and empowering space for community to celebrate and explore complex, provocative, and diverse LGBTQIA+ stories which contribute to the larger cultural discussion. We will do this in FY25 through our Performing Arts Programs, including our mainstage season of LGBTQIA+ plays and musicals, as well as through our nine free Arts Education and Community Engagement Programs. | Diversionary Theatre produces plays and musicals and develops new works that explore the issues, characters, and stories of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) community in all its complexity and diversity. By exploring stories of what sets our culture and history apart, as well as stories that focus on LGBTQIA+ people’s humanity rather than their sexuality, we are in a unique position in which we can help bridge the gaps of cultural understanding. Diversionary specializes in uncovering new work by emerging LGBTQIA+ writers, developing their work, and producing World, West Coast, and San Diego Premiere productions on our Mainstage that are subsequently produced on stages across the country and around the world. Additionally, Diversionary offers a total of nine Arts Education programs serving the entire range of San Diego’s population from Elementary School students to Senior Citizens. All of our Arts Education programs are offered 100% free of charge for our community. Activities are integrated throughout Diversionary’s mainstage productions, providing stand-alone programming in our historic site in University Heights, and in classrooms at participating schools, serving thousands of young people and senior citizens across San Diego County. Diversionary is proud of the reputation that we have established by producing quality Mainstage productions and hundreds of other arts events in our Clark Cabaret throughout the year, nurturing new works of LGBTQIA+ theatre, providing a home to some of San Diego’s most talented established and up-and-coming artists, regularly collaborating with local arts and LGBTQIA+ organizations, providing contextualization to and fostering conversations sparked by our productions, and involving the wider community in our mission. |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | Latino Center of Art and Culture | 2700 FRONT STREET , SACRAMENTO, CA 95818-1118 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 446-5133 | California's 6th congressional district | District 6 | District 8 | With the support from the California Arts Council, LATINO CENTER OF ART AND CULTURE will fund essential areas such as staff salaries, ensuring the retention of experienced and dedicated personnel crucial for program success. It will support translation services and bilingual marketing materials, facilitating effective communication and engagement with both English and Spanish-speaking community members. Furthermore, LCAC will enhance volunteer engagement by providing resources for training and coordination, maximizing community involvement and it will carry out the Section 504 evaluation process to improve accessibility, ensuring inclusive participation for individuals with disabilities. | LCAC produces El Arte del Pueblo, a multidisciplinary series of events that engage community in art creation, and strengthens identity through the interpretation of significant Latino cultural traditions including El Panteón de Sacramento/Dia de los Muertos, Dia del Niño, and Fiesta de Frida. Our Visual Arts Program uses our gallery space to support and amplify local and emerging artists. Artists are supported with a stipend and provided with mentorship. Our Community Service Program offers our space to organizations in need of exhibitions, events, or performance space. Our Volunteer Engagement Program offers community service and leadership opportunities to youth and adults. Our program supports academic and court-mandated community service. Our Individual Artist Program provides low cost studio space to artists. Our Youth Program teaches youth traditional dances from Mexico and leadership skills to strengthen positive and community identity. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,989.00 | Pony Box Dance | 3687 Hackett Avenue , Long Beach, CA 90808 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (562) 256-0198 | California's 47th congressional district | District 70 | District 33 | With support from California Arts Council, Pony Box Dance Theatre will With support from CAC, PBDT will provide therapeutic dance classes, at the Downtown Women’s Center, a shelter for unhoused, and GEMS Uncovered, a nonprofit serving individuals that have experienced trafficking. Choreographer/Childhood Abuse Survivor Jamie Carabetta will lead “my/story” workshops, reframing traumatic events through dance. | 1. Pony Box Dance Theatre, Professional Repertory Company 2. Best Foot Forward, Cultural Enrichment Program 3.The Dance Renewal Project |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $18,517.00 | Bob Baker Marionette Theatre | 4949 YORK BLVD , LOS ANGELES, CA 90042-1609 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 250-9995 | California Assembly district 51 | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Bob Baker Marionette Theater (BBMT) will offer low- and no-cost field trips throughout the school year for Title 1 schools which run in-tandem with our current major productions along with an arts enrichment workshop facilitated by a local artist(s) and complementing one production’s content. Along with our shows, the enrichment workshops celebrate local culture and artistry. For example, for our Spring/Summer show, Hooray LA, BBMT partners with Gabrieleno artist Lazaro Arvizu who guides students in making and performing with traditional clapper sticks – musical instruments used by the First Peoples of Los Angeles. Enrichment workshops for our show, ¡Fiesta!, are facilitated by local artist collective Kalli Arte, and students learn the art of mask-making. | Our annual programming focuses on performances, educational workshops and cultural events. We inspire and educate over 100,000 intergenerational Angelenos annually through world-class puppetry performances in-theater, touring shows, community and civic events, field trips and educational workshops in collaboration with artist partners, our annual free community festival, Bob Baker Day, traveling exhibitions, and special musical and performance events with cultural partners. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits (BAAITS) | 415 Valencia St , San Francisco, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (702) 481-2536 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | Support from CAC’s Impact grant will will provide support for Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits (BAAITS) to organize the Two Spirit Powwow Week of Events series of arts and culture programming focused on Two-Spirit and LGBTQIA+ Indigenous communities in the days leading up to their annual Powwow, which draws more than 5,000 people. Events such as our Water Ceremony, talking circles, Indigequeer drag shows, potlucks, hand drum contests, and “State of the Two Spirit Movement” panels will allow Two Spirit and allied community members to create meaningful collaborations around the Powwow, acting as a cultural incubator for Two-spirit communities from around California and beyond. | BAAITS largest program is our annual Two-Spirit Powwow. At this Powwow all Two-Spirit identified Native American, American Indian, and T-SLGBTQI people and their allies get a chance to come together to celebrate culture, build community, and express themselves. The BAAITS Powwow was the world’s first public Two-Spirit Powwow and we are now the world’s largest. The BAAITs Two Spirit Powwow is modeled after a traditional Oklahoma style Powwow and is an intertribal event that also invites non-Native guests to experience Native cultures. On the day of and the months leading up to the event, we have contact with thousands of people who identify as Two-Spirit, American Indian, Indigenous and allies. We reach them, spread our mission, and gather people from all over the US and Canada to celebrate and heal. Powwow participants feel “ohno cochico”, community love or the way that one feels when they are amongst their tribe. It is a place where we can truly restore and reclaim the role of Two-Spirit people. We do this through cultural expression, getting back in touch with our culture, and ceremony. Our oldest program, the BAAITS Drum is an all-gender big drum group that meets once a month. BAAITS Drum participates in drumming and community events throughout the year, and drums at our annual Powwow. BAAITS organizes social gatherings, Two Spirit Artist & Cultural Bearer’s workshops and TS Talking Circles throughout the year and marches in the annual San Francisco Pride Parade. In addition to the social gatherings, BAAITS organizes and participates in panels, cultural and artistic performances, and offers classes and workshops leading up to our annual Powwow, such as bead working, regalia making, protocol, and cultural dances for American Indian and non-Two-Spirit allies. BAAITS also participates in national and international meetings with other Two-Spirit societies and Native American organizations. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | San Luis Obispo County Arts Council | 810 Orcutt Rd --, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 | San Luis Obispo | Central Coast | (805) 544-9251 | California's 24th congressional district | District 30 | District 17 | With support from the California Arts Council, SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL will retain professional staff and systems to expand access to the visual, literary, and performing arts, lifelong arts education, and related cultural activities in the region, recognizing the role the arts play in enhancing neighborhoods, quality of life, community placekeeping, cultural understanding, and local economy. | SLOCAC promotes and advocates for the arts through youth educational initiatives, public art installations, event planning and promotion, re-granting opportunities, and artist networking and professional development. Our primary programs and services include the following: Art After Dark: Free, self-guided art walks throughout the county. Local businesses and organizations participate as venues, which strengthens relationships and reinforces a strong arts economy. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | ARTS | 200 E 12TH ST , NATIONAL CITY, CA 91950-3314 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 297-2787 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 80 | District 18 | With support from the California Arts Council, A Reason to Survive (ARTS) will elevate the Creative Youth Development framework with young people in South County San Diego through meaningful, culturally responsive arts-learning experiences: We co-create an environment where young people have creative experiences that will help them become confident, compassionate, and courageous as they see themselves in the role of community builders. Our “Create, Connect, and Catalyze” framework our work, impact and partnerships, and culture align with our mission, and include: 1) high-quality creative youth development programming, for youth ages 8-24, centering social justice, youth voice, and collective action; 2) mobilizes arts and culture within our and community committed to self-care, health equity, and justice; and 3) grows our Community of Care network of partners offering services, rooted in healing-centered engagement. | A Reason To Survive (ARTS) offers arts programming and creative workforce opportunities for youth and young adults (ages 8-24) living the south county region of San Diego. Through our program initiatives – Community ARTS, ARTS 4 Justice, ARTS On Campus, and ARTS @ Work — young people gain exposure to a range of artistic disciplines (visual arts, media arts, music, and industrial arts in our Maker Workshop), while deepening their social-emotional development through meaningful relationships and mentorship provided by teaching artists and ARTS staff. Through our innovative Community of Care model, we integrate social-emotional supports into our program / curricula design and into the overall design of learning spaces, exhibitions, and performances at the ARTS Center. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | Kala Art Institute | 1060 HEINZ AVE Kala Institute, BERKELEY, CA 94710-2719 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 841-7000 | California's 13th congressional district | District 14 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Kala Institute will serve as a regional hub, broadening the scope and services offered to individual artists including teaching artists and arts administrators working in the artist residency field or other non-profit art spaces who share similar missions to support artists work over the long arc of their careers. Services offered to the network include professional development classes, art workshops, artist and arts administrators meet-ups and resource sharing, teaching artist training, artist residencies field sharing, fiscal sponsorship, art sales and consulting, and sharing of gallery and classroom space. | The heart of Kala’s mission is supporting artists and engaging the community. Kala’s artist residency program offers professional facilities to those working in and across printmaking and digital media, new media, public art, sculpture, installation, and performance. Kala’s artist residency program is known for the support it offers to artists, specialized resources spanning printmaking, photography, sculpture and media arts, points of contact with accessible staff, and the caliber of work artists are able to produce and share with the community while in residence. Kala’s artist residencies provide time, space, equipment, and a knowledgeable network of artists (175+ artists a year) to foster dialogue, risk-taking, creation of new work, and community building. Kala’s exhibitions and gallery, free and open to the public Tuesday-Saturday, provide a platform for innovative presentations of contemporary art and a forum for artists and the public – sparking conversations across views and timely topics. This complex web of timely topics includes racial and social justice, displacement, the environment, community wellness, and more. Kala hosts community events, film screenings, artist talks, and performances in the galley too. Kala fosters a fresh approach to experimentation, as artists investigate the interface of digital work, work made by hand, and everything in between. A spirit of exchange and education is nurtured through all Kala’s programs. Kala offers quality arts education to the general public and local youth through its on-site art classes – after school studio art, teen studio workshops, family and community art-making sessions, summer art programs, field trips, and a robust Artists-in-Schools program, established in 1991, providing artist-led instruction to students in neighboring East Bay public schools. Providing multiple points of access to space and resources through artist residencies, exhibitions, and arts education is more important than ever as we fight for equitable engagement in the midst of these challenging times. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,989.00 | Trinity County Arts Council | PO BOX 1887 , WEAVERVILLE, CA 96093-1887 | Trinity | Upstate | (530) 623-2760 | California's 2nd congressional district | District 2 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, Trinity County Arts Council and collaborative partners the Nor-Rel-Muk Wintu Nation, Yurok Tribe Community & Environment Division, and Hmong Hayfork Cultural Committee will address community-identified needs of the lowest HPI geographic and cultural regions of Trinity county by 1) bolstering community and ecosystem resilience, 2) promoting ecological land stewardship, 3) facilitating intergenerational learning, 4) enhancing cultural knowledge and skills, and 5) strengthening community health, by preserving and stabilizing important cultural lifeways through arts-driven revitalization of cultural heritage, and fostering year-round intergenerational, community-driven education and practice in traditional arts, customs and practices of the Indigenous Peoples whose Ancestral Lands we reside on today, and of the diverse cultures of people that make up the fabric of our rural communities and way of life, including the Wintu, Yurok, and Hmong. | Trinity County Arts Council represents a deeply rural and underserved community and has an abiding commitment to prioritize social and racial equity. Outreach and Access to our underserved communities is highly prioritized and underlies all of our programming, including those regions in the lowest 15% HPI, and underserved cultural communities including the Hmong, Native American, Latinx, LGBTQ+, and the geographically remote. All TCAC programs and services are designed, evaluated, and regularly improved in order to equitably reach all of our citizens, provide direct access to the arts and culture by diverse ages and demographics, and assist in the development of professional artists and community arts organizations while promoting Trinity County as an Arts & Culture Destination. We facilitate arts education for all ages through workshops offered locally and outside of Trinity. We prioritize youth arts education through the Festival of Light Art Music & Dance Scholarship, and Artists in Schools Programs, augmenting k-12 arts education, and involvement in the North State Together internship program. We provide opportunities for musicians and artists to network, exhibit and sell their art through the signature events that we produce. These events have a proven track record for attracting residents and visitors from beyond Trinity County; Monthly Art Walk, Artists in Action, Wintu We Are Still Here Project, Get To Know Your Neighbors Storytelling and Culture Project; Festival of Light Crafts Event and Art, Music and Dance Lessons Scholarship Program, Art 4 Arts Sake, Music in the Park, Trinity Alps Chamber Music Festival, and Trinity Heritage Days Festival. Artists enjoy increased exposure to a wide audience through the Art in Public Places Program. |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | In Lak'ech Dance Academy | 450 Lee Street #1, Oakland, CA 94610 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (415) 314-6364 | California Assembly district 18 | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, In Lak’ech Dance Academy will hire a full-time operations manager to oversee programs and facilities at our newly acquired dance studio. This addition will enable us to significantly expand our class and production offerings, reaching more community members and enhancing our efforts to create safe spaces for queer and transgender individuals. The operations manager will play a crucial role in managing daily operations, coordinating events, and supporting our mission to celebrate and uplift marginalized voices through dance and cultural expression. | In Lak’ech Dance Academy is the first Afro-Latin dance academy in the U.S. created by and for queer and trans people and their allies. We offer weekly classes in Salsa, Bachata, Merengue, Cumbia, and Afro-Caribbean movement that center joy, cultural reclamation, and accessibility. Our structured cohort model supports progression from beginner to advanced levels, leading to instructor training, leadership development, and performance opportunities. We host Queer Sabor socials, seasonal showcases, and original projects like Morir Soñando and ChingonaX, which amplify the stories of queer and trans BIPOC dancers through choreography and collective reflection. Our programs foster holistic health, cultural pride, and belonging. Students report improved physical, emotional, and mental well-being, along with deeper connections to identity and community. At every level, we offer a transformative space where LGBTQ2S+ dancers can reclaim their culture, express their full selves, and build a stronger, more inclusive world—one step at a time. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | InterMusic SF | 135 Main Street, Suite 1140 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 818-2825 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, InterMusic SF will continue to promote artistic and cultural engagement by providing vital resources for artists, and bolstering access for community members to live music throughout the Bay Area region. InterMusic SF empowers music creators and cultural bearers to serve as the foundation for a sustainable creative environment that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. InterMusic SF will remain steadfast in its founding commitments of providing capacity-building services to community members, enabling artists and cultural bearers and practitioners to continue to be active community-engagers that passionately bring people together for shared musical experiences. Now in its 26 year, InterMusic SF’s programming includes: Fiscal Sponsorship Program; Musical Grant Program; Professional Development Workshop Series; and InterMusic Presents, producing admission-free performances like, SF Music Day and the Listen Local Concert Series. | InterMusic’s core programs include paid performance opportunities, grantmaking, fiscal sponsorship, professional development, and free live performances for Bay Area audiences. InterMusic SF annually hosts SF Music Day, a free public music festival that features 25 Bay Area-based ensembles and attracts roughly 3,000 local audience members for 7 hours of continuous music at the historic SF War Memorial & Performing Arts Center. Launched in 2008, SF Music Day showcases diverse cultural and musical traditions, including blues, chamber-folk, classical/Western European (early, classical, romantic, and new), experimental, gospel, hip-hop, jazz, R&B, tango, world music, and countless genres that have resulted from the blending of multiple traditions. SF Music Day captures the scope of diversity and excellence that defines the Bay Area as a leader of arts and culture. Our Musical Grant Program uses an open application process, funding 25 Bay Area musical projects annually, and has cumulatively awarded $1.2MM, supporting nearly 400 local projects. InterMusic SF believes that musicians, composers, and concert presenters face financial barriers to creating, celebrating, and practicing the art of small ensemble music making. With 86 Affiliate artistic entities that include individuals, ensembles, composers, concert presenters, and community-rooted art organizations, InterMusic SF serves as a trusted fiduciary and provides Affiliates with pathways to grant funding opportunities and tax-deductible donations. Affiliates also receive access to professional development opportunities including free technical assistance sessions for musicians by industry experts. InterMusic SF’s professional development workshops are free and open to the public. They feature experts who engage with local artists to assist and support musicians in building and sustaining careers in the arts. Topics include Engaging the Press, Grant Writing, Body-Awareness Practices, Performance Contract Drafting, and Musical Entrepreneurship. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,849.00 | Casa Circulo Cultural | 3090 Middlefield Rd. , Redwood City, CA 94063 | San Mateo | Bay Area – Other | (650) 346-8468 | California Assembly district 22 | District 22 | District 13 | With support from the California Arts Council, Casa Circulo Cultural will present the 2024 Day of the Dead Festival: “Sueño de una Tarde Dominical en la Alameda Central.” This event will offer an immersive cultural experience inspired by Diego Rivera’s mural. Grant funds will be utilized for cultural performances, artistic workshops, historical exhibits, and an interactive altar display. The festival aims to educate and connect the community, celebrating Mexican history and art through accessible and inclusive programming. It will also feature a vibrant procession, traditional food and craft vendors, and comprehensive accessibility features to ensure participation for all community members. | CCC provides Spanish language programs for families that instill multicultural competencies. Activities show students the beauty of their Hispanic roots. CCC doors are open 45 hours each week offering 25 classes averaging 32 students in each. Individual lessons are also offered on guitar or piano. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $23,147.00 | 826LA | 1714 W SUNSET BLVD , LOS ANGELES, CA 90026-3225 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 413-3388 | California Assembly district 51 | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, 826LA will facilitate our Field Trips program at our Writing Labs in Los Angeles and traveling field trips to Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) schools, introducing over 3,100 students to the literary arts annually. In our improv-style program, “Barnacle and Barnacle Publishing” is owned and operated by the mysterious Professor Barnacle who engages 826LA volunteers to help students learn the fundamentals of storytelling-including plot, characters, setting, and dialogue–and publishing. Students work collaboratively and independently, and at the end of each field trip, leave as published authors, taking home a copy of the book they worked together to write. | We provide after-school tutoring, evening and weekend workshops, in-school tutoring, help for English language learners, and assistance with student publications. All of our programs are challenging and enjoyable, and ultimately strengthen each student’s power to express ideas effectively, creatively, confidently, and in their individual voice. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,989.00 | Back to the Start | 1187 Coast Village Road Suite 101 , Santa Barbara, CA 93108 | Santa Barbara | Central Coast | (415) 317-5255 | California Assembly district 37 | District CA-24 | District 21 | With support from the California Arts Council, Back to the Start will, in collaboration with incarcerated artists, host narrative and story telling workshops at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center (previously known as San Quentin State Prison). Centering equity and justice through first hand accounts, our program is producing narratives that highlight our nation’s systemic and racial inequities across a life time. Leveraging story telling and the arts, Back to the Start advocates for upstream policy solutions at the intersection of poverty, trauma, and systemic racism. The funds will allow us to host our third incarcerated cohort as well as build out and refine our curriculum for future cohorts which can be scaled and expanded to other sites. | Back to the Start produces powerful narratives underscoring the need for critical investments in early childhood and family resources. Co-led by incarcerated individuals at San Quentin and a former Chief Physician and Surgeon of California’s prison health care system, the new narrative series is written by incarcerated persons reflecting on the arc of their lives from childhood to incarceration. This initiative is grounded in the power of stories and provides a historically |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,989.00 | Luke Madrigal Indigenous Storytelling Non Profit | 31805 TEMECULA PKWY NUM 552 , TEMECULA, CA 92592-8203 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (909) 262-8325 | 48 | 71 | 32 | With support from the California Arts Council, the LUKE MADRIGAL INDIGENOUS STORYTELLING NONPROFIT will Produce and oversee the touring production of Isabella Madrigal’s new play “Skywomen,” a semi-autobiographical multi-media performance piece that explores Anishinaabe and Cahuilla water and migration stories passed down by a mother to her daughter. This project is designed to support Indigenous cultural revitalization and arts-based climate justice efforts. We will perform the play at a minimum of three venues in the Southern California Riverside/San Bernardino Area: the Dorothy Ramon Learning Center (an Indigenous cultural center in Banning, CA), Noli Indian School, and Sherman Indian High School. Following each performance, this interactive play will feature community talkbacks that allow audience members to imagine a future where Indigenous peoples, specifically Indigenous women, are centered in climate conversations. | We support a wide range of storytelling modalities, including theater, film, and arts workshops, to amplify Indigenous voices and foster community healing, balance, and resilience. Founded in 2020 by Sophia Madrigal (Cahuilla/Chippewa) during the COVID-19 pandemic to honor her father’s legacy, the organization began with virtual workshops titled Healing Through the Indigenous Art of Storytelling. In that same period, Sophia wrote and released Wildflower: Indigenous Spirit, a film exploring grief and loss in Native communities, which has reached over 10,000 viewers online. Her sister, Isabella Madrigal, writer of the acclaimed play Menil and Her Heart, serves as co-director of the organization. Menil and Her Heart first began as a grass-roots effort to highlight Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People. The theater ensemble that performs Menil and Her Heart consists of eighteen community members, mostly Indigenous people. The winner of the 2020 Yale Young Native Storytellers Contest, Menil and Her Heart has been performed at 16 venues across the nation and was featured at the United Nations’ Girls Speak out Event in 2019 and at the California State Capitol in 2022 for legislators. In 2024, Isabella received a grant from the Center for Cultural Power to go towards the creation of a short film version of Menil and Her Heart. We also offer arts and culture workshops, which have been hosted in educational spaces, including Noli and Sherman Indian Schools, as well as at the Dorothy Ramon Learning Center, a Native American community center. Additionally, the LMISN recently served as the Master of Ceremonies for the Tribal Ecological Knowledge Region Nine Tribal EPA Conference. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,989.00 | Ophelia's Jump Productions | 2009 Porterfield Way, Suite H , Upland, CA 91711-2525 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (909) 734-6565 | California's 28th Congressional District | District 41 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, Ophelia’s Jump Productions will partner with three nonprofit organizations to produce free bespoke performances to raise awareness and/or funds in support of their missions. The three partner organizations are AgingNext which supports Seniors with resources and assistance to allow them to age at home, Shoes that Fit which identifies children in need and sources new well fitting athletic shoes for them, and Crossroads for Women that provides housing, education, support, counseling, and employment readiness in a homelike environment for women who have been incarcerated. | OJP produces 4 “main stage” shows annually at our 70 seat theater in Upland and additional programming in our 50 seat studio theatre; we also present staged readings of works in development, and each July we put on the Midsummer Theatre Festival at the Sontag Greek Theatre in Claremont which is co-produced with Pomona College. We have a strong improv and “alternative performance” program and present improv, open mic, performance art, and a wide variety of music shows (such as Flamenco, Appalachian, Middle Eastern and other culturally specific music) on weekends when our main productions are dark. OJP’s Theatre for Good program partners with other nonprofit organizations to raise funds for social justice and community welfare projects by presenting free staged readings of plays coupled with informative presentations and talkbacks. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Washington Neighborhood Center | 400 16TH ST , SACRAMENTO, CA 95814-1003 | Sacramento | Capital | (408) 648-6205 | California's 6th congressional district | District 6 | District 8 | With support from the California Arts Council (CAC) grant, the Washington Neighborhood Center proposes holistic Chicano, Native, Latinx, 2-Spirit, LGBTQ+ cultural arts and S.T.E.A.M. education for low-income youth and families. This addresses the lack of free, accessible arts programming for marginalized communities and the disinvestment of Sacramento’s oldest Chicano cultural arts center. Utilizing grant funds, the project will create education videos, cultural events, Aztec dance workshops, Chicano drawing classes, Native garden sessions, LGBTQ+ dance, art entrepreneurial classes, S.T.E.A.M. and literacy programs, yoga, and writing workshops. This aims to engage 500 California youth and community with the Chicano and Native art activism and education, cultural art and muralism techniques, and the significance of preserving Center as a site of Chicano Art Activism movement to encourage more appreciation and investment in the Washington Neighborhood Center. | Our programming is based on our pillars of Cultural Art-Activism, Academic and Career Readiness, and Health and Wellness. – K-12th Grade STEAM events: Integrating science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics to foster curiosity and critical thinking skills. – Youth and all ages open mic and art gallery: Providing platforms for artistic expression and talent showcase. – Chicano Drawing Classes: Exploring identity and heritage through visual arts. – Native Garden and S.T.E.A.M. Soil Lab: Beautifying the community while educating on sustainable practices and indigenous plant species, as well as learning about biology through the soil. – Art Activism: Using creative expression as a tool for social transformation and awareness. – Open Wall: Offering a safe space for artists, including “street artists,” to create freely without fear of harassment or prosecution. – 2 Spirit queer trans job readiness empowerment sessions: Tailored support and resources for marginalized communities seeking economic independence and empowerment. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,989.00 | Del Sol Performing Arts Organization | 751 47TH AVE , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121-3205 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 374-0074 | California's 12th congressional district | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Del Sol Performing Arts Organization will produce “Songs of the Diaspora,” a multi-disciplinary poetry and music performance that explores the Chinese diaspora experience through the female voices. New poetry by Genny Lim will interweave with music by Theresa Wong, Vivian Fung, and Meilina Tsui, performed by the Del Sol Quartet, against a background of visual and laser projections by Mark Hellar and Olivia Ting. DSPAO will mount 1 large-scale performance in San Francisco, with 3 community events in San Francisco and Oakland Chinatowns. | Each season Del Sol performs 50-70 concerts, including its own local productions, concerts sponsored by other Bay Area presenters, and national and international engagements. Del Sol has commissioned and premiered hundreds of works from a diverse range of contemporary composers. It has released thirteen full-length albums of new works, including recents albums of North Indian, experimental pop, and Iranian collaborations. Their brand-new post “Sounds Current” is an official selection the 2024 Tribeca Festival. Del Sol has a long history of presenting concerts and collaborative productions in the Bay Area, including both large scale, multi-day music festivals and smaller explorative programs such as “Pacific Pythagorean Music Festival” (bringing together musicians using non-Western tuning systems) and the first-ever Angel Island Immigration Station concert series uplifting immigrant communities. Recent productions include internationally-acclaimed “Angel Island Project” with Chinese-American composer Huang Ruo uses the poems of detainees held on the island during the Chinese Exclusion Act to explore the history of discrimination and immigration. “The Resonance Between” collaboration with world-renowned North Indian musicians Alam Khan, Arjun Verma, and Nilan Chaudhuri. Our “Joy Project” brings newly composed music onto the streets and into the parks in short, outdoor concerts. “The Jingwei Bird” is an collaboration exploring climate change through bilingual poetry with “The Last Hoisan Poets.” Deeply committed to education and community outreach for nearly thirty years, Del Sol has reached thousands of students through inventive school performances, workshops, coaching programs and residencies, locally and nationally. Recent programs include our “Composer Incubator” for promoting equity in early-career composers, an ongoing collaboration with the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music in Boonville, California, a multi-disciplinary arts and music program in a SF elementary school focusing on Angel Island, and our community outreach program, “Angel Island Insight,” in collaboration with various Chinese community organizations and artists. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $23,147.00 | Center for Urban Excellence | PO BOX 5543 , VALLEJO, CA 94591-0555 | Solano | Capital | (707) 731-4243 | California's 5th congressional district | California's 11th State Assembly district | Senate District 3 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Center for Urban Excellence will reignite the weekly “Art is Resilience” program to engage 30 system-impacted youth and young adults ages 12-25 in Solano and Contra Costa Counties. Professional Teaching Artists, Music Professionals, wellness practitioners, and Juvenile Justice professionals will create a space for youth to channel their strength, resilience, and hope through a poetry, visual, and recording artivism. We empower young artists to lead, create, and articulate their vision for the future, strengthening their voices and promoting positivity. Through these vibrant artistic expressions, we illuminate the inherent power of our youth, sparking an enduring beacon of resilience in their communities. | At the Center for Urban Excellence (CUE), our work is structured around five key pillars of service that all aim to empower and support youth, young adults and their families: Healing Arts Education: We provide a platform for youth to express themselves creatively. Our arts programs range from poetry, spoken word, emcee and movement classes to visual and mixed media arts workshops. We also facilitate participation in performances and exhibitions, nurturing youth and young adult artistic talents and providing a creative outlet. Programs: “Art is Resilience” poetry and visual arts in 3 Golden Gate Community Schools Contra Costa COE. Fostering Resilience Framework and Training: We provide dynamic programs to help youth develop essential resilience skills. This includes mindfulness training, art activities, stress management techniques, and problem-solving strategies, all aimed at equipping our youth with the ability to navigate life’s challenges. College and Career Readiness: In partnership with Solano County WDB, we offer comprehensive programs to prepare 24 youth and young adults for success in higher education and the workforce. This includes college application and financial aid assistance, career counseling, job readiness training, and more. Critical Media Literacy Workshops: We believe in the importance of informed media consumption. Our workshops equip youth with the skills to critically evaluate media, fostering informed decision-making and promoting active engagement with the media landscape applying “The Media and Me: A Critical Media Literacy Guide for Young People.” |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | N/A | PO BOX 56226 , SAN JOSE, CA 95156-6226 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 230-5199 | Chamber Music Silicon Valley proposes to use the 2024 Arts Education Exposure Grants funds to produce 10 educational performance workshops featuring the Common Sounds Ensemble. These workshops will showcase traditional Arabic and Palestinian music, as well as original compositions, targeting Title 1 schools and incarcerated youth. The project aims to provide culturally enriching experiences, foster a deeper understanding of diverse musical traditions, and engage underrepresented students through interactive and educational performances. | Concert experiences that blend classical chamber music with multi-disciplinary and cross-cultural art practices, incorporating civic and social engagement elements. The annual Emerging Artist Fellowship Program, which provides fellows with professional development education and performance opportunities while also challenging them to explore unconventional paths in their musical careers Collaborative community engagement and social justice initiatives in diverse settings, such as the U.S./Mexican Border, supporting unhoused women, California’s farmworkers, and the Juvenile Hall Systems. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | In Lak'ech Dance Academy | 450 Lee Street #1, Oakland, CA 94610 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (415) 314-6364 | California Assembly district 18 | District 18 | District 9 | The Impact Project grant will support, In Lak’ech Dance Academy (ILDA) in producing the 7th annual Queer Afro Latin Dance Festival (QALDF). Featuring over 50 queer and transgender Black, Indigenous, and people of color (QTBIPOC) artists and attracting nearly 2,000 attendees, QALDF is a transformative cultural event that celebrates Queer Afro-Latin arts and culture. QALDF provides vital educational, artistic, and community-building opportunities. Attendees can engage in workshops, film screenings, panel discussions, and more, all within a safe and inclusive environment. CAC funds will enhance our accessibility efforts and support additional festival staff, ensuring QALDF’s continued growth and profound impact. | In Lak’ech Dance Academy is the first Afro-Latin dance academy in the U.S. created by and for queer and trans people and their allies. We offer weekly classes in Salsa, Bachata, Merengue, Cumbia, and Afro-Caribbean movement that center joy, cultural reclamation, and accessibility. Our structured cohort model supports progression from beginner to advanced levels, leading to instructor training, leadership development, and performance opportunities. We host Queer Sabor socials, seasonal showcases, and original projects like Morir Soñando and ChingonaX, which amplify the stories of queer and trans BIPOC dancers through choreography and collective reflection. Our programs foster holistic health, cultural pride, and belonging. Students report improved physical, emotional, and mental well-being, along with deeper connections to identity and community. At every level, we offer a transformative space where LGBTQ2S+ dancers can reclaim their culture, express their full selves, and build a stronger, more inclusive world—one step at a time. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,989.00 | SOMArts | 934 BRANNAN ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103-4906 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 863-1414 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, SOMArts Cultural Center will present ‘Reclaiming Our Image Through Muralism’ in collaboration with lead artist Chris Gazaleh. This project will explore the diaspora of Palestinian identity during a volatile time of censorship, misinformation, and discrimination. Addressing issues surrounding the ongoing vandalism of Gazaleh’s public murals, this project will feature a visual exhibition of his murals and paintings in a setting that ensures the artist and his work will be presented in a safe environment. A complimentary select group of artists will exhibit alongside Gazaleh, while a series of related programming will engage poets, film makers, and performers to celebrate the intersectionality of the Palestinian community with the diverse SOMArts arts community. | Our core programs include: As a cultural center, we administer: |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center | 241 S ANAHEIM BLVD , ANAHEIM, CA 92805-3821 | Orange | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (714) 765-6450 | California's 46th congressional district | District 69 | District 34 | With support from the California Arts Council, Muzeo will implement an After High School Art Appreciation Program. This initiative will offer classes in painting, drawing, and photography to high school students. The program aims to foster creativity, enhance cultural awareness, and provide a constructive outlet for young adults. Funding will be utilized to secure qualified instructors, purchase necessary art supplies, and host monthly workshops. These workshops will culminate in a public art exhibition showcasing the participants’ works, providing them with a platform to display their talent. Through this program, Muzeo seeks to engage the community, support emerging artists, and contribute to the cultural enrichment of Anaheim. | Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center (Muzeo) operates at the intersections of art, culture, education, and civic life. Muzeo serves 20,000 to 30,000 visitors each year through presentations of traveling and community-produced exhibitions, art workshops, literary programs, field trips for local school children, and free public festivals. We are located in Anaheim’s redeveloped downtown district, bringing vibrant cultural experiences to a burgeoning local business and residential corridor. The heart of our operation is the Historic 1908 Carnegie Library, where we present exhibitions of community artists and arts organizations free to the public. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,989.00 | Viver Brasil Dance Company | 2141 N Gower Street , Los Angeles, CA 90068 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 804-1466 | 28th Congressional District | State Assembly District 43 | State Senate District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Viver Brasil (VB) can build on its tradition of offering a master-level dance class at no charge to low-cost, donation-based to Angelenxs from all walks of life. Since our inception in 1997, VB has embraced a socially engaged artistic approach to how we represent and share Afro-Brazilian culture and ancestral wisdom. We stay tethered to our spiritual and cultural elders in our sister city, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil and yet also work to remain socially responsive to the needs of the most disadvantaged communities of LA. Our free Community Class has served as a lifeline for many residents, meeting a clear healing justice need especially in light of recent pandemic conditions. With CAC’s generous support we will provide this rich experience to over 1,000 Angelenxs during the grant period. | Samba in the Streets, VB’s free community engagement program teaches Afro-Brazilian traditional dances modeled on Blocos Afro, Afro-Brazilian parading organizations that introduce communities to Afro-Brazilian history through traditional and contemporary dance and music. Cooking Samba, VB’s signature family program is a narrated 45-minute show that include the royal orixa dances, riveting capoeira, joyful samba and Bahian carnaval with live music and an interactive dance workshop. Community Class, is a weekly Afro-Brazilian technique dance class led by founding artistic directors Linda Yudin and Luiz Badaro accompanied by live music. Dancing at the Source is a 15-day cultural immersion program to Salvador, Bahia, Brazil where participants experience: daily Afro-Brazilian dance, music, and culture classes taught by experienced faculty who are master cultural workers, that reflects VB’s role as a bridge between the U.S. and Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | SAPPA | 475 S. Oakland Ave., Suite 2 , Pasadena, CA 91101 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 641-3262 | California's 27th congressional district | District 41 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, SAPPA will provide free musical instrument instruction and performance opportunities for 100 low-income youth in South Los Angeles and Watts. In the program, called the Watts Willowbrook Music Academy and Youth Orchestra, participants learn to play orchestral instruments, develop their musical skills and knowledge, and perform for the public. | -The Watts Willowbrook Conservatory is a collaboration with multiple organizations in South LA. In sequential group classes taught by professional musicians at each site, students ages 7-18 learn to playing violin, viola, cello and bass. Instruction is offered at the beginning, intermediate and advanced levels. Performance in the Watts Willowbrook Youth Symphony is an integral part of the educational and developmental experience. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | Arts Education Alliance of the Bay Area | 1446 Market Street Intersection for the Arts, San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (619) 993-5147 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Arts Education Alliance of the Bay Area (AEA) will connect and catalyze arts education communities of artists, community arts organizations, educators, young people, families, and advocates across all five regions of the San Francisco Bay Area. Through arts advocacy events and resources, networking events, professional learning opportunities, and ongoing communications our programs will provide practical services for each of our constituents. Through these offerings, we serve as a regional hub and unifying voice for local coalitions of teaching artists, school districts, students and their families, throughout all nine counties of the Bay Area. We align our regional work with state and national efforts to ensure best policies and practices that are responsive to the culturally specific and geographic needs of our diverse communities. | The Arts Education Alliance of the Bay Area CONNECTS and CATALYZES local arts education coalitions for a more just and creative San Francisco Bay Area. We serve as a regional hub and unifying voice for local coalitions of teaching artists, school districts, student and their families, community arts organizations, cultural institutions, city and county agencies, funders, business leaders, and arts education advocates throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Our regional work aligns with Create CA’s state arts education efforts as well as the national efforts of the National Guild for Community Art Education and Arts Education Partnership. The Arts Education Alliance of the Bay Area supports our members to cultivate responsive leadership and advocate for arts education through ongoing convening events, professional learning workshops, monthly newsletters, and advocacy resources. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | San Diego Performing Arts League | 28 HORTON PLZ , SAN DIEGO, CA 92101-6143 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 234-2787 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, the San Diego Performing Arts League (SDPAL) will enable our organization to focus on long-term sustainability by contracting with a development consultant, and invest in strategic marketing initiatives centered around increasing accessibility to the arts. If granted, these funds would benefit all of our member organizations and individuals, but especially those organizations and individuals with smaller budgets. Nearly 50% of the arts organizations in San Diego County operate with budgets less than $100,000 per year, and limited resources for marketing. Our unique, collaborative marketing model enables us to provide marketing support for these organizations that they otherwise could not afford. This ultimately builds audience development, impacts economic growth in the arts and is helping SDPAL become more relevant to the region. | SDPAL programming is focused on enabling access to the arts, promoting audience development and providing professional development and job opportunities for arts professionals. Through ArtsTix, the only not-for-profit ticket service in San Diego, we offer discount performance tickets to offer tickets that otherwise may go unsold, and enabling access for all San Diegans. Theatre Month is a month-long celebration of the arts, where tickets to performances are offered at discount prices and marketing efforts are targeted to underserved communities. Through our Cast and Crew program, we offer job training, professional development and job placement assistance for performing arts professionals. Our combined membership encompasses nearly 300 performint arts organzations and performing arts professionals throughout San Diego county. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Berkeley Art Center | 1275 WALNUT ST , BERKELEY, CA 94709-1406 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 644-6893 | California Assembly district 15 | District 15 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Berkeley Art Center will pilot its Curatorial Youth Coalition, supporting a cohort of 7 Bay Area transitional age youth in developing curatorial & cultural organizing values/statements and gaining skills in exhibition making and public programming. This program will activate youth voices, narratives, and perspectives by influencing BAC’s core exhibitions programs, and cultivates skills of community responsive cultural organizing, critical curatorial frameworks, and administrative skills needed to develop, organize, and implement exhibition programs. | Berkeley Art Center is a hub for contemporary art and community building. By virtue of its location in an urban park, BAC emphasizes an approach to art and artists that values their work as an important part of daily life and a vital contribution to the good of the community. Its serene setting invites visitors to approach the gallery as a space of reflection and contemplation, while also forging a more intimate connection between artist and viewer. BAC is committed to making contemporary art by local artists approachable and accessible. It produces visual art exhibitions, artist talks, art-making workshops, performance and social practice projects, film and video screenings, symposia and other social gatherings throughout the year. Educational programs for teens connect art with activism, while professional development workshops for artists provide opportunities to build skills and networks to sustain their careers. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,989.00 | Arts Bridging the Gap | 1433 North Hayworth Avenue #5 , West Hollywood, CA 90046-3860 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 244-0720 | 30th Congressional District | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Arts Bridging the Gap (ABG) will bring its multidisciplinary and holistic Arts+Wellness Program to Fairfax High School, its ecosystem, and surrounding community. Aiming to develop mindfulness and mental health tools, democratize learning for BIPOC youth and youth from other marginalized communities, and explore young people’s creativity through new mediums, this program will result in three new murals on campus co-created with local Los Angeles artists: Ethel Zafranco, Amani Holbert, and Gilyon Brace-Wessel. | Since its founding in 2014, Arts Bridging the Gap has administered 900+ art classes for 2,030 young people and spearheaded the creation of 70 murals. The organization strongly believes that consistent, reliable programming is essential to system-level change; therefore, ABG’s work is codified into four primary programs (below) in deep collaboration with long-term partners. Arts+Wellness — Built in response to compounding effects of COVID-19 on under resourced communities, this multidisciplinary program focuses on healing trauma and supporting high school students in developing their wellness and mindfulness. Aiming to spark empathy building, trauma healing, restorative justice, creative expression, and civic leadership, the students help select the art forms and societal issues explored, together. Each series of classes have a creative focus such as: Art for Social Change (Fairfax High School, LA High School, Maywood Academy High School), Culinary Arts (LA High School), and Urban Farming (LA High School). LA Street Art Initiative — A socio-emotional arts program that gathers youth, artists, and community members together to design, co-create, and paint public murals. Aiming to install 150 murals across LA before 2025, this program empowers people to engage with their community, build understanding, and spark essential dialogue to support collective healing. The participants experience ABG’s Empathy Curriculum, and during the 5-8 week program, they grow in their confidence, awareness, and sense of ownership for how their art can create change in their community. Futures Rewired — An after school program for 12-18 year old female-identifying, non-binary, and gender expansive youth that explores immersive technology as an interest and career path; this program is in residence at GALA: Girls Academic Leadership Academy. PenPal Art Share — An art sharing program that connects ABG’s LA participants with youth across the globe. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Side Street Projects | 145 N RAYMOND AVE , PASADENA, CA 91103 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 798-7774 | California's 27th congressional district | District 41 | District 25 | With Support from the California Arts Council, Side Street Projects will deliver a public art curriculum to all 2nd graders in PUSD. The program pairs artist –led public art field trips with an in-classroom public artmaking project. This curriculum is a part of a sequential k-6 program in PUSD. | Side Street Projects is mobile artist run organization that connects artists to communities. We do this through programs that nurture relationships to promote creativity, wellbeing and the potential for collective growth. “The Woodworking Bus” teaches children design and fabrication. We lead local 2nd graders on public art walking tours and that inspire collaborative public art for the schools. Every Saturday we host free Skill Shares and Artist Projects. Everything we do encourages creative problem solving in a hands-on art-making context, which is reflected in our unusual operating model. Our offices are solar powered vintage trailers and modified shipping containers. We use mobility to meet folks where they are. We believe that deep collaboration between community, government agencies, and organizations makes our whole greater than the sum of its parts. We maintain a horizontal dialogue with our artists and community that continuously shapes the organization and its programs. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,989.00 | Freedom Forward | 198 Potrero Ave , San Francisco, CA 94103-4813 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 525-4438 | District 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Freedom Forward’s Hip Hop HEALS program engages youth aged 14-24 through artistic outlets that enhance their social and emotional development and strengthen community bonds. Based in the HYPE Center and in collaboration with Hip Hop For The Future, the initiative integrates hip-hop culture with holistic wellness programs to serve 300 unique youth annually. The HYPE Center operates as a multi-service drop-in space designed by and for youth, promoting access to resources under one roof in service to preventing commercial sexual exploitation. The project includes Youth-led Open Mic Nights and Hip Hop Education Workshops, which are designed to empower youth by providing them with leadership roles and opportunities to express themselves creatively. The program also focuses on quarterly outreach events that connect youth with essential community services and resources. | The cornerstone of our intervention strategies is the HYPE (Helping Young People Elevate) Center, inaugurated in 2019 as a sanctuary designed by and for the youth. This multi-service drop-in center was conceived to directly confront and dismantle the barriers that vulnerable youth in San Francisco encounter. By centralizing a suite of services from peer partners—including legal support, mental health counseling, workforce development, and alternative healing practices—alongside providing essential resources such as showers, nutritious food, clothing, and laundry facilities, HYPE stands as a beacon of hope and transformation. The center operates on both a feedback-driven model, ensuring that the voices and needs of the youth are not only heard but are central to the ongoing evaluation and adaptation of our services, and a collaborative healing-focused peer service providers. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $13,888.00 | Coachella Valley Arts Institute | 41550 Eclectic Street , Palm Desert, CA 92260 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (760) 440-5512 | 25th | 42nd | 28th | With support from the California Arts Council, FUTURENOMIC RESOURCES INCORPORATED DBA Coachella Valley Arts Institute (CVAI) will bridge arts education inequity for HPI underserved communities. Our “Explore AI” project offers free art programs to unhoused youth, integrating art therapy and AI technology in music, animation, and special effects. This initiative promotes racial equity, social justice, and youth voices, fostering healing and mental well-being through rhythm, mindfulness, and energy-medicine techniques. We will document the journey and transformation of participating youth, culminating in a final project from each student. CAC grant funds will cover program costs, including AI technology, art supplies, and professional instructors. By offering these programs, CVAI aims to improve self-esteem, mental health, and economic status among low-income, at-risk youth, and BIPOC communities, empowering them to explore creativity and build resilience. | CVAI offers a diverse array of programs tailored to enhance literacy, artistic expression, and well-being among youth and homeless populations aged 2 and above. Our commitment to inclusivity is underscored by scholarship opportunities, ensuring access to quality arts education in underserved communities. Our programs encompass: – Vocal Training: Led by professionals employing the Seth Rigg’s method, participants receive comprehensive instruction in Speech Level Singing. – Singing Performance: Explore vocal technique, music theory, and stage presence in a supportive environment. – Dance Training: Experience a unique blend of dance styles tailored for live performances. -First 5 Movement Dance Class: Fosters literacy, balance, and coordination development. – Songwriting: Delve into song structure, vocabulary use, and self-expression. – Acting & Drama: Cultivate creativity and performance skills through immersive training. – STEM Education: Engage in hands-on classes integrating science, technology, engineering, and math with music and movement exploration, guitar craftsmanship, and music production using industry-standard software. – Art Therapy: Utilize Media Arts as a healing tool, employing rhythm, mindfulness, and energy-medicine techniques to support trauma recovery. – Painting: From perspective to composition, participants explore various painting techniques and mediums under expert guidance. – Social Media Class: Gain insights into utilizing social media platforms effectively and safely. – Music Production with Logic Class: Learn the intricacies of music and sound editing using Logic Pro, guided by professional engineers. – Adobe Illustrator Class: Master the basics of graphic design for creative expression. – Tutoring: Virtual sessions offer a wide range of educational opportunities including photography, videography, music production, website design, and marketing classes. At CVAI, we’re not just fostering artistic skills; we’re nurturing holistic development, empowering individuals to unleash their potential and contribute positively to their communities. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $23,147.00 | Film2Future | 6310 San Vicente Blvd Suite 101, Los Angeles, CA 90048-5426 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (206) 418-8778 | 30th Congressional district of California | District 55 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, Film2Future will provide an Intensive Animation Program that provides students underserved Los Angeles youth hands on experience creating short films and prepares them for careers in media arts by growing students’ professional creative skills and industry network. | The core of F2F’s program is our filmmaking intensives. Students work in teams to create short films with instruction and mentorship from 200+ industry professionals. We have provided four summer intensive courses: Narrative Filmmaking, Animation, Emerging Technologies (VR, AR podcasting) and Advertising. Year-round, we provide writing workshops, editing masterclasses, pitch practice and networking sessions. Each fall, F2F also supports college-track students in developing their college applications and completing their FAFSA. We partner with leading companies in the industry to deliver our programs, such as Lord Miller, Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures, and many more. Volunteer industry professionals give students a 360-degree view of the filmmaking industry.. They also teach life skills associated with being an artist, such as accepting feedback, overcoming disappointment and financial literacy. Speakers in our programs include leaders in their respective fields such as Kemp Powers (Writer/Director, Soul), Junkie XL (Composer, Mad Max: Fury Road), Kristen Schaal (Voice Actor, Bob’s Burgers), Will Forte (Actor, The Last Man on Earth), Thomas Kail (Director, Hamilton) and Joseph Raymond Lucero (Actor, Mayans MC). F2F’s strong industry partnerships allow us to secure paid internships and jobs in the film industry for alumni at companies such as Netflix, NBC and CBS, and shows like Glow, Grey’s Anatomy and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. To date we have secured 126 paid opportunities for alumni, also aiding them in developing their resumes and practicing their interview skills. These well-paying positions enable F2F youth to keep their artistic talents at the center of their career. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $17,360.00 | Youth Orchestras of Fresno | 2503 W Shaw Ave #103 , Fresno, CA 93711-3309 | Fresno | Central Valley | (559) 512-1726 | California's 21st congressional district | District 31 | District 14 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Youth Orchestras of Fresno will partner with local art teachers to involve high school students in a project-based learning experience creating stage sets inspired by and illustrative of the music programmed at concerts during our 75th Anniversary season. | We are a youth music organization running two distinct but symbiotically connected programs: our youth orchestras themselves (260 participants in three orchestral ensembles rehearsing weekly and producing a minimum of four concerts per season); our FOOSA Summer Music Academy (a two-week immersive program featuring internationally acclaimed faculty from some of the best music schools in the world and offering a tour to Los Angeles to perform at Disney Hall) |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $9,735.00 | ACCIS | 2740 Fulton Ave #129 , SACRAMENTO, CA 95821-5115 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 672-1183 | 6 | 6 | 6 | With support from the California Arts Council, Arab Community Center for Integration Services (ACCIS) will enhance integration programs for refugees in Sacramento. Founded in 2019 but active since 2014, ACCIS has supported over 6,000 Arab refugees through Referral Services, Women and Youth Empowerment Programs, and Cultural Integration Activities. Our proposal targets Youth Enrichment and Community Involvement. Funds will expand our youth programs like Cultural Summer Camp, Artistic Expression Workshops and Dabke Dance sessions. ACCIS aims to minimize cultural shock and create a welcoming environment, empowering immigrants to thrive in their new community while preserving identity. This project will unite children and youth in a healthy environment promoting cultural exchange, inclusion, social, emotional, and artistic development. It will provide equitable resources to underserved youth, celebrate cultural heritage, and empower refugees to thrive in their new community. | Core programs are Referral Services, Women and Youth Empowerment Programs, and Cultural Integration Activities. Navigating a new community is challenging, especially when confronted with unfamiliar systems. Our Referral Services Program in Sacramento is designed to provide vital resources to newly arriving immigrants and refugees to ease the process through key components such as employment assistance, health referrals, and immigration support. Our focus is on fostering community connections through cultural integration activities. The Youth & Children Enrichment Program in Sacramento plays a vital role in supporting young individuals, especially immigrant and refugee youth facing unique challenges being caught between two cultures and dealing with emotional trauma from war and resettlement to a new environment. The program empowers them to thrive, succeed, and contribute positively to their communities. We addresses these challenges through wellness activities focused on emotional intelligence, cultural-related events, outdoor team-building activities, mentoring, and coaching at low or no cost, ensuring inclusivity for participants facing financial constraints. ACCIS is dedicated to creating a welcoming space for immigrants and refugees in Sacramento, empowering them to seamlessly integrate into the community and fostering a sense of belonging. Through active participation in events, ACCIS celebrates diversity and contributes to the well-being of immigrants and refugees, building a strong, inclusive community through shared experiences. |
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | $18,517.00 | Guitars and Ukes in the Classroom | 1286 University Ave. #389, SAN DIEGO, CA 92103-3312 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 840-1010 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, Guitars and Ukes in the Classroom will implement high quality, consistent, culturally responsive and inclusive professional development training in music integration and leadership for literacy, math, and social emotional learning with teachers serving in UTK and TK classrooms in schools of greatest need and concern in San Diego Unified School District. We will offer instruction and facilitation through 8 cohorts, meeting monthly, each serving 20+ teachers, in partnership and collaboration with the district’s department of Visual and Performing Arts. General, Special, and Music Education teachers will team up in these neighborhood cohorts and will learn to teach and lead developmental music together, strengthening each others’ skills, and areas of knowledge for the upliftment of San Diego’s youngest students in many of our most under-resourced and marginalized communities. | GITC offers free, ongoing training in music making through musically-integrated academic instruction and social emotional learning with a special emphasis on inclusion and student empowerment. We offer year-round after school professional development classes for teachers, in-classroom teaching artist residencies, and we supply educational materials, access to instruments and musical accessories. GITC nurtures and promotes the joy of learning through the power of strumming, singing and songwriting across the academic and arts curriculum. GITC’s programs are free to teachers. We envision a future in which making music is a vital part of every child’s education. Our motto is “Better Learning through Music.” |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | VECA | 25251 CAMPUS DR , HAYWARD, CA 94542-1119 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 390-2410 | Hayward city | District 20 | District California | With the generous support of CAC, the Vietnamese Education & Cultural Association (VECA) and the Blood Moon Orchestra (BMO) are proud to present a workshop series for underserved youth in the East Bay area through the exploration of traditional music. Led by esteemed master traditional artist Van-Anh Vo, this series comprises 10 workshops spanning six months. Beyond cultivating musical proficiency, these sessions are designed to cultivate a profound appreciation for the cultural heritage woven into the music, fostering the growth of future cultural ambassadors. Van-Anh Vo brings over a decade of experience in mentoring youth and conducting music and cultural education workshops throughout California. Our initiative is specially tailored to address the needs of marginalized youth in the East Bay Area, offering access to music education and cultural insights often overlooked in mainstream educational settings. | VECA offers a number of essential cultural and educational programs to its participants. One of our primary goals is to expand our youth participants’ horizons and bridge gaps in their education. Education and Culture Focus: Leadership Courses Life Skills Courses Culture and Music Appreciation Workshops Summer program (camping, arts and crafts) Community Focus: City-wide community service program (city clean up day, etc.) Charitable fundraising for victims of natural disasters |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | San Francisco Arts Commission | 401 Van Ness Avenue Suite 325, San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 252-2266 | California's 11th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With the support of the California Arts Council, the San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) will expand its partnership with the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA) by creating a monthly series of artist-led workshops for migrant newcomer communities. San Francisco is a sanctuary city that promotes trust and cooperation among residents and the City is seeing an increase in the number of migrant families and asylum seekers. This year-long program aims to enhance and build artistic skills and equip participants with the knowledge and resources needed to enhance their income from their crafts. Led by local practicing artists, these workshops will be interactive, combining theoretical instruction, demonstrations, hands-on practice sessions, group discussions, feedback sessions, and professional development. The workshops will be organized throughout San Francisco in locations that are welcoming to migrant communities. | SFAC’s major programs are Community Investments (including a funding program that supports eleven grant categories for individual artists and organizations, arts education, and seven cultural centers; and an Artist Vendor Licensing Program); and Urban Infrastructure, including the award-winning Public Art Program, SFAC Galleries, Civic Design Review (an oversight body for all public development projects) and the Civic Art Collection which manages, conserves and maintains approximately 4,500 artworks owned by the City. The Monuments and Memorials Advisory Committee is a priority initiative launched in 2021 that will impact the Public Art Program and the Civic Art Collection moving forward. It is a mayoral directive and charges SFAC to administer a partnership with the Human Rights Commission and the Recreation and Parks Department that convenes community members to create criteria and guidelines by which to determine the fate of historic monuments in the collection and the basis for commissioning public art memorials in the future. The SFAC implements programs and policies that demonstrate cultural and racial equity values across all agency functions. We continue to develop as a local, national and international leader and resource for advancing racial equity practices in arts and culture services—both for the community and for the agency’s own infrastructure. In January 2019, SFAC became the first City & County of San Francisco agency to have passed a racial equity statement and plan. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $46,293.00 | BAVC Media | 145 9th St Ste 101 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 861-3282 | CA 12th District | District 17 | District 11 | Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC Media) requests CAC grant funds to expand the Bay Area Media Maker Summit (BAMMS), a collaborative project that BAVC Media co-created and launched in 2021 to cultivate a healthy and inclusive Bay Area filmmaking community through learning, connection and local exhibition events. With support from CAC, the initiative will become more accessible to a wider geography of the Bay Area, and will become more sustainable with paid staffing support to manage outreach and operations. | BAVC is a community hub and resource for media makers in the Bay Area, California and across the country, serving over 7,500 freelancers, filmmakers, job-seekers, activists, and artists every year. BAVC provides access to media making technology and education, storytelling workshops, a diverse and engaged community of makers and producers, advisory and AV production services, media making grants and other resources. BAVC advocates for those whose stories aren’t being told, and provides the resources for anyone to create and share, and amplify their stories and those of their communities. BAVC’s diverse, inclusive, and innovative programs lead the field in media training for youth and educators, technology and multimedia focused workforce development, visually-driven new media storytelling and audio-visual preservation. BAVC has been a trusted community educator, collaborator, incubator, community builder and resource for the media arts world since 1976. |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | The David's Harp Foundation, Inc. | 705 16th Street , San Diego, CA 92101 | San Diego | Far South | (858) 707-5855 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, the David’s Harp Foundation will expand its impactful Digital Arts program to ensure equitable access and empower a new generation of leaders. We will hire a talented alum from our Biz Pod program as an Artist Mentor (teaching artist) to guide elementary and high school-aged youth at risk of justice system involvement. This grant will cover their training and salary, allowing them to mentor and inspire at-risk youth through digital music and multimedia production. In line with our organization’s goal to transition executive directorship to a program graduate by 2031, this initiative fosters leadership from within the community, creating a powerful ripple effect of transformation and empowerment through creative expression and professional development. | The David’s Harp Foundation (TDHF) is a Creative Youth Development organization dedicated to transforming the lives of youth affected by homelessness, incarceration, and the foster care system. We offer comprehensive programs in digital music (Hip-Hop) and multimedia production, creating safe, culturally relevant spaces where young people can develop meaningful relationships with our Artist Mentors while learning industry-standard media production techniques. Our core programs and services include: The Student Studio: This program offers six-week project-based learning cycles in music production, tech literacy, and academic support. Youth build long-term mentoring relationships with Artist Mentors, creating a nurturing space for personal and academic growth. Graduates can join the Biz Pod Program, gaining insights into the business side of the music industry. Beats Behind the Wall: This initiative brings our recording studio programming to incarceration facilities. Through a six-week modular curriculum, youth learn music production and receive mentorship from Artist Mentors. Post-release, they can pursue audio engineering internships and job opportunities, guided by our Artist Mentors. Biz Pod Program: A creative content business incubator for youth aged 18-24, this program offers entrepreneurial training and practical experience in video content creation for high-profile clients. Participants earn a livable wage, gain academic credits through UCSD Extension, and receive mentorship, fostering resilience and leadership. The program has successfully launched five youth-led businesses. Studio Nights: In partnership with San Diego Youth Services, this program offers nightly creative engagement youth who are unhoused where they can explore music and poetry. Youth transitioning from the shelter can join other TDHF programs, ensuring continuity of support. Transformation House (The LaunchPad): An innovative housing solution for transitional-aged youth in the Biz Pod Program, this initiative provides affordable housing with financial empowerment. Youth contribute $500/month rent, saved in escrow and returned after 12 months as $6,000 for moving expenses. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $17,360.00 | Healthy Black Families Inc | 2927 Adeline St , BERKELEY, CA 94703 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 285-6689 | District 12 | District 14 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Healthy Black Families will produce an After-School Arts Program in early 2025. This free program prioritizing Black youth ages 10-18 will offer classes in spoken word/rap and drum corps, and will take place twice weekly for a series of 10 weeks, culminating in a free final performance for the community. | Healthy Black Families offers programs empowering individuals, families, and organizations to advance social equity and justice in the Black community through social programs and support groups, lifestyle educational programs, and educational and performance programs in the arts. Our upcoming free After-School Arts Program will offer free classes in vocals and visual art, prioritizing Black youth ages 10-16. Our Sisters Together Empowering Peers program began in 2002 and is a peer-led support and empowerment group that addresses health and social inequities for African American parenting women in our community, providing education in areas such as access to essential goods and services, housing, education, job training, school readiness, and health information. Our Thirsty 4 Change program works with community partners to engage African-Americans in South and West Berkeley to support improved health including community gardening, shopping at farmer’s markets, education in nutrition and cooking, and a youth water ambassador program to increase community knowledge about the health impacts of sugar sweetened beverages. Through the Telling Our Stories program, we offer participants a safe space to address stressors associated with motherhood through self-expression in a communal writing space. This program has completed nine rounds of healing writing circles, culminating in eight self-published books. Our Kindergarten Readiness program provides African-American parents with educational information through community empowerment groups, educational forums, expert presentations, and workshops. Our free Soul Line Dancing program with dance instructor Valid Holmes and our free Gentle African Caribbean Movement program with dance instructor Karma Smart are each held weekly, providing instruction and a forum for community expression in African Diaspora dance styles for participants of all ages and levels. Our Celebrating the Bay Area’s Black Musical Heritage program premiered in 2019, presenting free programs honoring our Black musical legacy through live performances with living legends and tributes to departed heroes. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,989.00 | N/A | 6417 S. Main St , Los Angeles, CA 90003-1525 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 459-1420 | California Assembly district 53 | District 53 | District 30 | With help from the California Arts Council, Piece by Piece will continue offering therapeutic art workshops for Veterans empowering them to create a community of healing. Since 2007 we have provided free, mosaic workshops staffed with trauma informed professionals – where individuals who have experienced trauma from being unhoused, military service, poverty, or physical/mental/emotional disabilities have an opportunity to heal through participation in the creative arts. We practice mosaic arts – easily accessible and requiring no prior experience – workshops led by Piece by Piece Artistic/Program Director, Dawn Mendelson ensure that veterans, their families, and/or care givers can participate and benefit. The curriculum was created by Dawn in collaboration with Village for Vets and James G, a veteran and Certified Piece by Piece artist. Funds will directly support materials, staff, and accessibility for all abilities. | Programs include: – Artisan Certification Program: Progressive skill-building course guiding participants through four certification levels in mosaic. – Directed Studies: Multi-week sessions focusing on advanced techniques led by Piece by Piece instructors and professional Visiting Artists. – Open Studio: Open session for active participants to create personal projects, refine skills, and receive support from instructors. – Community Outreach: Group projects with community members in an inviting, low-commitment setting. – Social Enterprise: Artisans complete orders and commissioned projects, receiving an hourly wage for their work. – Studio Prep Associates Program: The organization employs individuals who have experienced homelessness to provide program support sorting, preparing, and managing donated mosaic materials. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles | 4301 W 3RD ST , LOS ANGELES, CA 90020-3809 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 380-6448 | With support from the California Arts Council, the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles will expand its Youth Institute for Media Arts (YIMA) program to reach underserved communities. This initiative will provide low-income youth with hands-on training in digital arts, including filmmaking, graphic design, and music composition. Participants will gain access to state-of-the-art equipment and mentorship from industry professionals. The program aims to enhance academic success, career readiness, and social-emotional development through creative expression. By empowering youth with digital skills and fostering a supportive community, Youth Institute of Media Arts will create pathways for future success and civic engagement, ultimately contributing to the cultural and economic vitality of Los Angeles. | The Los Angeles YMCA offers a diverse and comprehensive range of programming designed to support the health, wellness, and development of community members across all age groups. Central to its mission, the LA YMCA provides extensive fitness programs including group exercise classes, personal training, swimming, and youth sports, all aimed at promoting physical health and fostering a sense of community. Additionally, the LA YMCA is deeply committed to youth development, offering after-school programs that provide children and teenagers with a safe and nurturing environment. These programs include homework assistance, arts and crafts, and various educational workshops that emphasize leadership and personal growth. The YMCA also runs summer camps that offer youngsters the chance to explore new activities, develop new skills, and build lasting friendships in a supportive setting. Community support is another pillar of the YMCA’s offerings. It provides a variety of programs designed to help individuals and families from all walks of life, including support groups, job training initiatives, and wellness seminars. These programs are tailored to meet the diverse needs of the community, ranging from mental health support to nutritional guidance. | |||
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Via International | 1955 JULIAN AVE , SAN DIEGO, CA 92113-1125 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 432-5086 | California's 51st congressional district | District 80 | District 40 | With support from the California Arts Council, Via International will expand our successful pilot program, Somos La Voz Arts & Cultural Heritage, to offer contemporary and folkloric art programming to approximately 60 Mexican, Chicano, and Latinx at-promise youth in historic barrios of San Diego. Through this program, Mexican and Chicano teaching artists will offer intensive courses in art mediums representative of Chicano and Mexican cultures, such as Son Jarocho, Aztec Dance, Graffiti Art, Painting, and more. These classes will 1) introduce youth to specific art techniques representative of Chicano and Mexican cultures and theory of art as a tool for social justice and 2) connect youth with their unique cultural legacy. Somos La Voz will empower youth who face discrimination and erasure to harness the power of art as an expression of activism and social justice. | Via works through the paradigm of asset-based community development (ABCD), which is a development practice that centers the community of focus, building on already-present strengths, leadership, and community assets. ABCD works to bring resources to communities of focus to invest in community-sourced and led solutions. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $18,517.00 | East West Players | 120 Judge John Aiso St. 4th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90012 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 625-7000 | California's 34th congressional district | District 54 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, East West Players will enhance its Theater for Youth (TFY) program, reaching more students across Los Angeles County. TFY commissions new plays focused on significant AAPI historical figures and social issues, providing free or low-cost performances to schools, libraries, and community partners. The 2024/25 academic year selection focuses on Rep. Patsy Mink of Hawaii, the first woman of color elected to Congress and co-author of Title IX. This support will help us serve 7,000 students through 40 performances. Additionally, funding will enable us to collect teacher feedback and provide teacher support, ensuring the program’s effectiveness and enriching students’ understanding of AAPI history and culture while promoting empathy and critical thinking skills. | EWP’s signature programs are its mainstage productions. Each season they produce three to five original and classic works (including one musical and at least one world premiere), hire hundreds of creative and technical personnel, and nearly 20,000 audience members, all of which contribute to the Little Tokyo community and its businesses. To supplement EWP’s mainstage productions, throughout the year they program free community conversations, readings, and workshops of new works to explore current issues affecting our society, such as immigration, houselessness, and mental health. EWP’s largest arts education programs are Theatre for Youth (TFY) and EWPlay!: TFY commissions playwrights to devise a script centered around notable Asian American historical figures. It is fully produced and performed in schools, libraries, and community centers all over Los Angeles County at little to no cost for host venues. Performances are 45 minutes. Pre-performance teaching artist visits are being piloted with the 2024-25 tour and are accompanied by a standards-based study guide in English and Spanish to help educators frame and explore the themes of the play in the classroom. EWPlay! is an after-school program for middle schoolers that introduces youth to the theatre arts and connects students with AAPI culture and experience. More than 60% of student audiences are from underserved Title I schools. As one participant from Palms Middle School explains: “One thing I learned is to be myself no matter what anybody else thinks of me, and no matter who is judging me, to be myself because if they’re not gonna like me for who I am, they don’t deserve to know me. What I liked about these classes were how free we were to be ourselves and how we could express ourselves in the way I personally loved.” |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $140,979.00 | Arts Connection - The Arts Council of San Bernardino County | 536 W 11th St , San Bernardino, CA 92410 | San Bernardino | Inland Empire | (909) 381-1900 | California's 31st congressional district | District 40 | District 23 | With support from the California Arts Council, Arts Connection will continue shaping an equitable future in which communities’ arts & cultural priorities are incorporated into county and local civic policies, planning, granting and development practices. AC will continue working with our county partners to facilitate Poetry Out Loud, and further work to create the first Teen Poet Laurette with SB County Schools, expanding opportunities for in-class and afterschool arts education programming, promoting pathways for teaching artists and identifying more future arts educators. AC will continue working on our current collaboration with Just SB, advocating for and creating equitable jobs, an arts and cultural center, and education pathways for artists and creatives regionwide. Grant funds will directly support staff costs and operating expenses associated with this program facilitation and continued advocacy work. | Arts Connection offers a comprehensive slate of programs that uplift artists, expand access to the arts, and strengthen San Bernardino County’s creative economy. As the State-Local Partner of the California Arts Council, we serve as a central hub for arts education, workforce development, and public engagement throughout the region. Our commitment to arts education is exemplified through Arts Avenue, an after-school program operated in partnership with San Bernardino City Unified School District. This initiative brings high-quality, standards-based instruction in ceramics, music, visual art, and media arts to K–12 students while employing and training Community Teaching Artists from the region. The program fosters creativity, confidence, and skill-building in students, while investing in the local creative workforce. We support creative career development through several key initiatives. Estudio Aire is a residency program that provides BIPOC and LGBTQ+ artists with free studio space, mentorship, and customized professional development. Our Professional Development Workshop Series equips artists with skills in branding, pricing, portfolio building, and fundraising. The Inland Film Festival offers training opportunities for filmmakers—covering everything from pre-production to post-production. In addition to regranting over 20k in microgrants to artists. Arts Connection also leads public art and cultural planning efforts across the county. We have spearheaded projects like Sole Alley, a creative revitalization effort in downtown San Bernardino. Our team regularly supports cultural asset mapping and creative placemaking projects that promote community-led planning and investment in cultural infrastructure. We provide fiscal sponsorship, technical assistance, and capacity-building support to more than a dozen grassroots arts organizations and collectives. This includes grant management, strategic advising, and mentorship to help scale their programs and deepen their impact. Our advocacy efforts at the city, county, and state levels ensure that artists and creative professionals have access to the funding, infrastructure, and career pathways they need to thrive. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | CA for the Arts | 1731 Howe Ave #585 , SACRAMENTO, CA 95825-2209 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 296-1838 | California's 6th congressional district | CA-6 | CA-6 | With support from the California Arts Council, CA for the Arts champions arts and culture as essential to vibrant communities through statewide programming, services, and advocacy networks that foster public awareness, center equity, and generate resources to cultivate a thriving arts and cultural sector. Unique in a cross-sectoral approach, bridging connections, empowering arts and cultural communities, and uplifting marginalized voices, CA for the Arts translates public need to public policy. CA for the Arts understands that arts and culture are essential to the wellbeing of society and embedded in community life and we advocate for policies where arts, culture and creativity intersect with broader policy change to reshape systems toward equity and justice. CA for the Arts’ diverse approach holds space for the arts ecosystem to articulate vision, strategy, and equity across the cultural sector. | Each April, we direct Arts, Culture & Creativity Month, an annual month-long spotlight on the arts to raise visibility and awareness about the value of our sector, to empower arts advocates to take action, and to spur greater investments in our industry and workforce. We celebrate and elevate our impacts through media campaigns and calls to action that increase our visibility and change the way that the arts are perceived. We lift these impacts to the Capitol during Advocacy Week, where arts delegates meet with legislators to press for their support. We activate the state with training and toolkits that spur local actions and increase advocacy capacity of the sector. We inform the field of latest policy news and advocacy resources and provides opportunities for the field to share their challenges with us through our Regional Conversations programs, held in eleven regions across the state. We provide information year-round through consistent social media engagement and awareness campaigns and publicity to inform the public of issues and news from our sector. We offer professional development webinars on policy and legislation, funding opportunities and tools for the field to be informed and effective advocates. We produce impact surveys and offer data aggregation to support case making. Producing original content, we bring together thought leaders and practitioners around arts and culture impact themes to share their change making work and to discuss new strategic possibilities and the policy changes that we should be thinking about. We partner, supports, and builds coalitions with statewide arts organizations and artists, monitors legislation and budget allocations, brings California perspectives to national arts advocacy by serving as the group selected by Americans for the Arts (AFTA) to lead the state’s delegation to the annual Arts Advocacy Day in Washington, DC, among many other arts policy leadership affiliations. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Young Musicians Foundation | 1044 East Jefferson Boulevard, Suite A , Los Angeles, CA 90011 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 987-0065 | California's 37th congressional district | District 57 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council the Young Musicians Foundation (YMF) will deliver music and media arts education, experience and workforce development training to underserved, underpresented youth in South and East Los Angeles. The first track are programs that fall under Creative Career Pathways programs for at-promise transitional aged youth (TAY) ages 16 – 24, and justice system impacted TAY re-entering the community. These programs are healing-based and founded on principles of student-led, culturally responsive pedagogies. They emphasize creative self-expression while also providing skills and experience in utilizing music and media arts production technologies, laying foundational skills required for participation in the creative economy. | YMF provides year-round tuition-free music, media arts, creative career pathway classes and workforce development training to the communities of South Central Los Angeles through our newly completed, state-of-the-art facility in Historic South Central Los Angeles. In-school programs are delivered weekly to over 6,000 students at 26 partner schools in under-served, high-need communities across Los Angeles. Community programs originate from the YMF Center for Music and Creative Technologies (CMCT). Classes are free of charge and open to the the communities of South Central Los Angeles and beyond. Offerings include classes keyboard, guitar, violin, trumpet, flute clarinet, drums, and percussion, composition/songwriting, music technology/production, songwriting, and filmmaking. The CMCT features a multimedia lab/classroom, audio/visual control room, and a production studio/sound stage that comprise the heart of our Creative Career Pathways and Workforce Development Programs. Creative Career Pathway programs were created to serve at-risk and system impacted youth ages 16 to 25 by developing creative self-expression through lyric writing, storytelling and digital music and video creation while also providing the foundational skills needed for participation in the creative economy. In-school programs bring tuition-free, weekly, music instruction directly to over 5,200 students at 24 partner schools in South LA, Eastside LA, and Downtown LA. Programs run throughout the academic year and over the summer. Many of these programs are dual-language. In-school programs are guided by benchmark Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) Standards. YMF’s proprietary curricular planning tools integrate the domains of Social/Emotional Learning (SEL) with musical skill development. Specialized classes include Music Fundamentals for pre-k through 4-th Grade, and Music Technology and Production, Songwriting, Strings, (including guitar and ukulele), Brass, Woodwinds, and Percussion for grades 4 – 12. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $46,293.00 | Media Arts Center San Diego | 1100 Market Street Suite 326, San Diego, CA 92101 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 230-1938 | California's 53rd congressional district | California's 80th District | 78th District | With support from the California Arts Council, Media Arts Center San Diego (MACSD) will strengthen its long-running Frontera Filmmakers initiative that serves diverse, underrepresented filmmakers; and helps to grow the filmmaking industry in the San Diego County border region, with professional trainings to develop skills, exhibition opportunities, networking to enhance industry relationships, work-readiness opportunities, and fiscal sponsorship for filmmakers’ projects. | MACSD programs, events, and film festivals are inclusionary—designed with audiences, participants, and community collaboration in mind. A summary of core organizational programs and services can be broken down into three categories: WATCH—San Diego Latino Film Festival (SDLFF) celebrates its 32nd anniversary in March 2025 introducing viewers to contemporary US-Latino and Latin American cinema. Additional programming includes the Que Viva Outdoor Cine Latino Series, and daily screenings of at our Digital Gym Cinema. LEARN—Media education programs for youth include: Teen Producers Project, Youth Media & Tech Camps, ¡Tu Cine! Student Film Showcase, the iVIE Awards & Student Film Festival and in-school media programs. CREATE—Tools for community-based media production and collaboration include: Frontera Filmmakers, a grassroots training course for independent filmmakers; and Video Production Services, helping community groups make digital media presence accessible and affordable. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $140,979.00 | Mariposa Arts Council | 5009 CA-140 , Mariposa, CA 95338 | Mariposa | Central Valley | (209) 966-3155 | California's 4th congressional district | District 8 | District 4 | With CAC support, Mariposa County Arts Council (MCACI) will leverage the arts for constructive community engagement; support historically underrepresented communities; build and grow partnerships; and, served the creative interests of residents and visitors through a range of public cultural and arts education programming, creative placemaking initiatives, local/regional/statewide advocacy, network developments at the local, regional and state level, cultural policy leadership and provide granting and technical assistance to local artists and grassroots arts organizations. | The Mariposa County Arts Council (MCACI) opened its doors in 1981 and is dedicated to enriching Mariposa through the arts. Serving the county at large and working closely with our local government leaders as well as individuals, regional organizations and businesses, we develop and implement cultural policies, creative placemaking projects, arts educations initiatives and produce artistic programming designed to positively increase the visibility of Mariposa and amplify the many diverse voices in our community. Our work welcomes all local residents and visitors to engage with art experiences and is designed to facilitate personal interpretations, expression, and growth; strengthen social connections and community dialogue; connect rural Mariposa to issues, movements, and opportunities beyond its borders; and support the healthy development of individuals of all ages by engaging them in the creation and appreciation of art. MCACI’s work includes: develop cultural policy and creative placemaking initiatives; providing technical assistance to regional artists and arts organizations; developing and delivering a variety of TK-12 grade creative youth development and arts education programming to youth across Mariposa County; targeted mentoring programming for at-promise youth; special arts programming for adults with limited or no access to the arts (particularly incarcerated and geographically isolated older adults); public programming (community theatre and summer concert series); and local, regional, state, and national advocacy work. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | Inland Empire Community Foundation | 3700 6TH ST STE 200 , RIVERSIDE, CA 92501-2885 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (951) 241-7777 | California Assembly district 58 | District 58 | District 31 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF) in partnership with San Bernardino Arts Connection (SBAC) and Riverside Arts Council (RAC)) will build capacity for the Inland Empire Arts Partnership (IEAP), formed with input from 74 artists, arts & cultural administrators and culture bearers to create a collective vision of cooperation among the IE creative bloc and to provide a long-term direction and framework with actionable strategies for advancing the arts, culture, and creative industries sector in the Inland Empire region. IEAP will evaluate the impact this grant has in advancing equity for the communities across the Inland Empire region by co-creating an equity framework with concrete actionable strategies and objectives within each of the committees | In the past, IECF has provided capacity building grants through its endowed Community Impact Fund (CIF). In March 2020, adopted a focus on racial, gender, and economic equity. This means ensuring our staff and Board reflect the communities we serve and that our grantmaking builds the voice and power of our grantees to transform their communities. It also means listening to and incorporating the lived experiences of people who daily struggle to achieve safety, health, and prosperity in the Inland Empire. In doing this work, IECF will rely on data that shows where disparities exist to drive our grantmaking, programs, and partnerships. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Long Beach Opera | 115 Pine Ave, Ste. 550 , LONG BEACH, CA 90802-4450 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (562) 470-7464 | California Assembly district 69 | District CA-42 | District 33 | With support from the California Arts Council, Long Beach Opera (LBO) will offer multiple performances of Acquaprofonda, an opera for children dealing with subjects of environmental conservation, at the Aquarium of the Pacific (AoP) in Long Beach in July 2025. In preparation for the performances, we will offer curricular materials to be shared with all registrants before the performances. We will recruit our audience from Long Beach schools where we have performed during the school year, local after-school programs, and past and current participants in AoP’s educational programs. After the opera, we will offer an opportunity to take environmental action with a beach clean-up for children and families sponsored by the Surfrider Foundation. | Founded in 1979, the Long Beach Opera is the oldest operatic producing company in the metropolitan Los Angeles/Orange County region. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Joe Goode Performance Group | 499 ALABAMA ST # 150 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110-1967 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 561-6565 | California Assembly district 12 | District 17 | District 11 | With the support from the California Arts Council, Joe Goode Performance Group (JGPG) will create an original dance theater performance piece elevating the stories and experiences of middle-high school age youth using JGPG’s signature creative methodologies. This free program supports youth in training and creating alongside dance theater professionals. | Creation and presentation of new work of dance theater, by Joe Goode and local choreographers. Movement for Humans, a gentle accessible movement class for people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities Resilience Project, a program which interviews a specific group of participants – originally Veterans – and using their stories about resilience to develop participant-specific new dance theater work. The Joe Goode Annex. An affordable studio theater rental program for individual artists, community arts groups, and other small nonprofits. Workshops and classes at the Annex and online, for people of all ages, backgrounds, and interests. Inspired Bodies. JGPG offers teens at several school sites the opportunity to train with company member and create original dance theater works. D.R.A.G | Divination, Rainbows, and Glitter is led by JGPG company member and teaching artist, Wailana Simock/Magdelena workshop participants explore new ways to express themselves through drag, movement and story-telling and honor ancestral and indigenous knowledge of sex and gender identities. GUSH Dance Festival serves dance-makers and audiences in the SF Bay Area with a particular focus on LGBTQ+ and QTPOC artists. This biannual community-centered project is aligned with equity, social justice and decolonizing the art-making experience by providing an open platform for artists to create work that voices their distinct history, culture and artistic imprint. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $17,360.00 | East Bay Center for the Performing Arts | 339 11TH ST , RICHMOND, CA 94801-3105 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (510) 234-5624 | California's 8th Congressional District | District 14 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, EAST BAY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS will deepen the quality of its Young Artist Diploma Program (YADP) by fostering holistic youth development through trauma-informed, cross cultural, multidisciplinary performing arts education. The program aims to engage Richmond adolescents in intensive, culturally resonant artistic training, support their academic and personal growth, and promote equity and community well-being. | 1) Training/Instruction: Year-round comprehensive courses, private instruction, recitals & student support services at the Center’s state-of-the-art facility nurture 350 students ages 3-18, including 110 Young Artist Diploma Program students, who represent the most committed 7th-12th graders in our program. The Center provides them with an intensive year-round, 6-year, tuition-free, cross-cultural, cross-disciplinary (music, theater, dance) performing arts program. 2) School Partnerships: Provides foundational music, dance and theater instruction for 3,700 students at 17 Title I TK-12 public schools & 4 community centers, along with professional development for 50 public school classroom. 3) Artistic Productions: The Center’s “Call & Response” program involves our 7 youth/young adult performing resident companies (90+ students) reaching local audiences of 20,000+ annually through more than 75 community gatherings, recitals and the creation of new work. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | Elevate Oakland | 1661 20th St suite 3 , Oakland, CA 94607-3390 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (925) 878-1831 | California Assembly district 15 | District 15 | District 9 | With the support from the California Arts Council, 51OAKLAND will partner with a collective of local performing artists and the Castlemont High School Alumni Association for the “Deep East Oakland Vocal Project”, an intergenerational community effort to revive the legacy of choral music in Deep East Oakland through music education, performance and storytelling. Program elements include weekly classroom instruction for more than 150 students along a continuum of Deep East Oakland Elementary, Middle and High Schools led by community teaching artists, an archival storytelling project conducted in partnership with local artists and Castlemont alumni, as well as a series of community performances that will culminate with the Deep East Oakland Vocal Festival at Castlemont High School in the Spring of 2025. | Founded in 2011 by a group of acclaimed artists–including legendary percussionist Sheila E. and Yoshi’s Jazz Club founder Yoshie Akiba–and creative professionals with a shared vision of providing inspiration and mentorship to Oakland’s youth, we operate with the goal of bolstering students’ engagement in school while fostering creative self-expression and improving all-around student mental health. We believe in the transformative power that opportunities in music and the arts can have on developing youth, especially those living low-income or high-trauma communities and contexts. Across our programs, our primary focus is not on creating professional musicians, but instead on utilizing music and the arts as a conduit to get students excited about learning and invested in their education. Elevate Oakland supports students by using this excitement to get kids to school, engage them in learning, and support the development of skills that will help them succeed both within and outside of the classroom. Our foundational Artists in Residence (AiR) program embeds renowned artists from within the Bay Area community into Oakland public school classrooms, providing mentorship and learning opportunities for students and teachers alike throughout the school year. This program is built on a long-term (typically semester or year-long) partnership between school educators and one or more teaching artists who help develop and support the school’s music or arts curriculum throughout the school year. Our AiR programs typically culminate in a variety of performance opportunities for students throughout the year at different public venues, including Yoshi’s Jazz Club, the Oakland Museum of California and a variety of community-led festivals and events. In addition to our Artists in Residence program, we also host immersive workshops, masterclasses, demos and speaker series that are offered to student groups in partnership with artists, arts professionals and community educators. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | RACE Matters SLO County | PO BOX 5215 , SN LUIS OBISP, CA 93403-5215 | San Luis Obispo | Central Coast | (415) 264-8641 | 24th District | 30 | District 17 | With support from the California Arts Council, R.A.C.E. Matters will fund our “Untold Coastal Stories” project. Through this project, we will amplify Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) who live, work and recreate on the Central Coast of California, including but not limited to African American surfers and fisherfolk, Latino farmworkers, and the yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini (YTT) Northern Chumash Tribe. Through this artistic rendering of physical, place-based, culturally-significant benches that are installed along coastal, high-trafficked locations coupled with an auditory, storytelling experience, we intend to create awareness and space for marginalized people. This grant will help support the purchasing of the benches, compensation for artists and storytellers, engineering the audio experience, and creating a landing page to engage visitors. | We fulfill our mission through the production of events and media content, cultural activations, response to social and racial injustice, and support of others in the community working in this space. In May 2023 R.A.C.E. Matters will open an operational and creative hub that will house programs and special events. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | Arts Council Napa Valley | PO Box 2782 , Napa, CA 94558 | Napa | Bay Area – Other | (707) 257-2117 | California's 5th congressional district | District 4 | District 3 | With support from the California Arts Council, Arts Council Napa Valley (ACNV)will continue connect, advocate and lead the arts community countywide. This is accomplished through our network of advocates, by organizing policy initiatives, and empowering the industry through education, information, and resources. ACNV will also continue to enact our change plan to increase diversity, inclusion and equity with the arts ecosystem with the vision of an arts scene that matches the diversity of our County. ACNV’s core programs are The Community Grant Fund, supporting artists and small arts organization through twice yearly grants; The Arts Education Alliance, supporting arts student and teachers as well as selecting the arts student of the month and year; and The Napa County Creative Directory, connecting working artists with hirers. | As the official local arts agency in Napa County, it is our role to connect, advocate and lead the arts community countywide. By building a network of advocates, organizing policy initiatives, and empowering the industry through education, information, and resources, we serve to benefit all residents with a more sustainable, accessible and quality local arts scene. Arts Council Napa Valley’s core programs are The Community Grant Fund, supporting artists and small arts organization through twice yearly grants; The Arts Education Alliance, supporting arts student and teachers as well as selecting the arts student of the month and year; and The Napa County Creative Directory, connecting working artists with hirers. |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | Santa Cecilia Orchestra | 2759 W BROADWAY , LOS ANGELES, CA 90041-1038 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 259-3011 | California's 34th congressional district | District 52 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Santa Cecilia Orchestra will enhance its ability to provide exceptional musical experiences and educational programs to our community. The grant funds will be used to cover general operating expenses, including rent, utilities, staff salaries, and program development. This support will enable us to maintain our high standards of artistic excellence, expand our outreach initiatives, and ensure the sustainability of our educational programs, which aim to inspire and educate the next generation of musicians. | The Orchestra consistently performs sell-out orchestral concerts and has an extensive education program that introduces children to classical music to provide an outlet for expression and awareness of cultural heritage. It consists of three components: a basic introduction for elementary schools that includes classroom visits by musicians, duets and trios playing in the classroom and free tickets to Orchestra concerts; a String Program for elementary school children to learn to play violin and viola; and a mentorship program for middle schools and high schools that pairs professional musicians with students. We also have an honors program for gifted students of all ages with free lessons on an instrument. The basic education program reaches approximately 16,000 students each year |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,989.00 | Kearny Street Workshop | 1246 Folsom Street, Suite 1 , San Francisco, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (510) 789-5966 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Kearny Street Workshop will launch year 2 of a community-responsive arts fellowship for Asian Pacific American (APA) visual artists (AVA Lab) providing community-based education and wellness practices, culminating in a healing retreat with award-winning faculty and facilitators, and a year-end exhibition. | KSW makes artists out of community members and community members out of artists. For the past 50 years, KSW has nurtured the creative spirit, offered an important platform for new voices to be heard, and built artistic communities. We prioritize racial justice and healing, prioritizing art that expands liberation for all people, especially Asian Pacific Americans. KSW’s core programs include: |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,099.00 | Green Room Theatre Company | 74300 OLD PROSPECTOR TRL , PALM DESERT, CA 92260-5618 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (442) 215-7039 | 41st Congressional District | California's 47th State Assembly District | California's 18th State Senate District | With funds from California Arts Council, Green Room Theatre Company Coachella Valley will provide the Black Butterfly Resiliency Project to under-resourced schools, churches, Boys and Girls Clubs, and other youth institutions to educate students in literacy and mental health strategies based around the bilingual play “Black Butterfly.” GRTCCV has provided outstanding theatre education for 15 years. This request builds on recent accomplishments partnering educational programs with bilingual youth-oriented plays (“Maggie Magalita” and “Novio Boy”). CAC funding will bring a performance-component based, educational, mental health program into public schools to help at-risk students in high need areas relate to, process, and learn emotional resiliency skills based on thematic issues raised in “Black Butterfly” and the Californian Latina teen characters’ lives. Students will also learn resiliency skills through direct instruction, through peer interaction, and through peer support. | GRTCCV provides: (1) classes for children, youth, and adults; (2) touring productions; (3) staged readings; (4) ballet folklorico training; and (5) performances of reinvented classics at pivotal Coachella Valley venues. Now in its 16th season, GRTCCV is focusing especially on serving the Central and East Coachella Valley, providing employment development training. Many alumni of our training programs have found paid theatre work in the Coachella Valley and beyond, or majored in theatre at colleges and universities. For many years, the summer conservatory’s large Broadway musical trained 60 young actors and technicians. However, responding partly to changes wrought by the pandemic, recently Green Room has focused on projects that combine bilingual theatre productions with youth discussion groups to address important social issues. The successful 2023 “Novio Boy” project used an engaging Spanish-English romantic comedy and supporting discussion groups to boost teen literacy and social-emotional skills. The recent “Act Against Bullying” project similarly combined an award-winning play with discussion groups focused on bullying prevention/response. In a typical year, GRTCCV sponsors several other projects. These include Shakespeare/classical productions, performances to celebrate Black History Month and other diversity initiatives, and classes throughout the year. Recently we expanded ballet folklorico classes in Indio public schools and spotlighted folklorico performances along with our theatre productions. GRTCCV is innovative in its performance venues, themes, and approaches. For example, we recently devised a play about the history of “Section 14,” addressing a controversial episode when the City of Palm Springs in the 1960s forcibly evicted hundreds of mainly Black and Latine residents from a planned downtown redevelopment site. This innovative project used oral history and a community advisory committee to help develop the play. Our performances have been held in a 400-seat auditorium, a brew pub, bookstores, and even a cemetery in order to reach diverse audiences. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | Yeah, Art! | 8414 Holly Street , Oakland, CA 94621 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 938-9096 | 12th Congressional district | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Yeah, Art! will expand our in-class arts education programs in schools across the Bay Area, continuing our focus on low-income districts and communities of color. Our initiative, spearheaded by local professional artists of color, aims to establish artistic career pathways for disadvantaged youth. With this funding, we seek to expand to at least (2) additional schools: Oakland School for the Arts and Oakland High School. This year, we plan to emphasize the following disciplines: Art Appreciation, Songwriting (including Pop Songwriting and Protest Songwriting), Music Production, and 3D Modeling. | Arts Education for a New Generation™. Yeah, Art! seeks to empower Bay Area youth with premium arts education that emphasizes technology, creativity and equitable access. The problem: With school budget cuts, arts programs are often the first thing to get dropped, leading the most vulnerable students to miss out on essential creative skills. The solution: Yeah, Art! provides accessible, innovative arts programs to underserved communities, equipping students with skills in Music Production, Animation, 3D Modeling and more. Yeah, Art! offers technology-driven arts education programs tailored for underserved schools, with a focus on students of color in low-income Bay Area districts. Services are delivered by professional, local artists of color who bring their expertise directly to classrooms, creating an engaging and culturally relevant learning environment. Yeah, Art! equips students with in-demand creative skills, fostering both artistic growth and future career opportunities in the arts. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Infinite Flow Dance | 14622 VENTURA BLVD STE 102-373 , SHERMAN OAKS, CA 91403-3662 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (949) 267-8751 | 32nd Congressional district of California | District 44 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, INFINITE FLOW DANCE will support Infinite Flow Kids, an inclusive kids dance company, where kids with and without disabilities dance and grow together, cultivating young leaders and dancers, and shaping a new generation where inclusion is the new standard. | Pillar 1: YOUTH EDUCATION. Pillar 2: WORLD CLASS DISABILITY INCLUSION DANCE ENTERTAINMENT. Pillar 3: DANCE TEACHER TRAINING. Pillar 4: COMMUNITY. COLLECTIVE LIBERATION. |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | Root Division | 1131 MISSION ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103-1514 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 863-7668 | California's 11th Congressional District | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Root Division will continue to sustain and enhance studios, exhibitions, and arts educational programming that supports emerging BIPOC artists while engaging communities of color in authentic, intentional, and culturally responsive ways. Funds will be used to support Root Division’s 2024-25 programming, staffing, and operational costs as the organization continues its unique studios incubator, offers free dynamic youth arts programming, develops new projects and exhibitions, and supports the continued development of empowering leadership and shared knowledge. Across its core programs, RD is focused on supporting and nurturing historically marginalized communities, specifically artists, educators, curators, and youth who identify as BIPOC, immigrants, and LGBTQIA+. | Root Division’s ecosystem includes 4 interconnected programs: In our unique incubator Studios Program we offer discounted space to artists who each volunteer 8 hours of service per month. Artists spend this time teaching free art classes in the Youth Education Program, instructing courses in the Adult Education Program, and/or supporting the Exhibitions & Events Program. We link various interests & audiences in a mutually beneficial relationship making art, artists & arts education more accessible while cultivating artists who give back. Since 2002, Root Division has provided 290+ artists with studios; empowered 480 artists to teach; provided 8,000+ hours of free art classes for neighborhood youth; hosted adult art classes for 4,400 students; exhibited 4,700+ artists; been a gathering place for 75,000 visitors to meet artists & see artwork; sold over $1.27M of emerging artwork; & developed partnerships with two-dozen public schools/ community centers & 180 local businesses. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Root Division | 1131 MISSION ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103-1514 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 863-7668 | California's 11th Congressional District | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, ROOT DIVISION will provide free visual arts education to 800+ San Francisco youth. We will recruit, train, place, and support 15 Studio Artists/Fellows to teach in 8 after-school partner sites, serving low-income, BIPOC, English-Language Learners, and/or immigrants in Mission/SOMA/Tenderloin neighborhoods. This program provides access and opportunities for safe social-emotional art experiences, fosters creative abilities through culturally and linguistically responsive arts learning, and activates youth voices, narratives, and perspectives. The program includes space for youth to connect meaningfully with professional artist-mentors, empowering youth in the creation, presentation, and celebration of visual art-making. | Root Division’s ecosystem includes 4 interconnected programs: In our unique incubator Studios Program we offer discounted space to artists who each volunteer 8 hours of service per month. Artists spend this time teaching free art classes in the Youth Education Program, instructing courses in the Adult Education Program, and/or supporting the Exhibitions & Events Program. We link various interests & audiences in a mutually beneficial relationship making art, artists & arts education more accessible while cultivating artists who give back. Since 2002, Root Division has provided 290+ artists with studios; empowered 480 artists to teach; provided 8,000+ hours of free art classes for neighborhood youth; hosted adult art classes for 4,400 students; exhibited 4,700+ artists; been a gathering place for 75,000 visitors to meet artists & see artwork; sold over $1.27M of emerging artwork; & developed partnerships with two-dozen public schools/ community centers & 180 local businesses. |
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | $23,147.00 | Bloom Arts Foundation Inc | 2116 COLORADO BLVD , LOS ANGELES, CA 90041-1222 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 262-8838 | 34 | 52 | 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Bloom Arts Foundation will expand its arts integration professional development for Pre-Kindergarten (PreK) and Transitional Kindergarten (TK) classroom teachers across Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD). The grant will enable us to provide comprehensive professional development to PUSD educators, including one-on-one mentoring and tailored arts integration resources designed by our Executive Director, Laura Porter. Funds will also support the implementation of digital surveys at the beginning and end of the program to gather essential feedback from educators and families. Finally, the project includes weekly PreK and TK inclusive music and dance classes, during school hours, aligned with California Arts Standards, professional development workshops, and live student presentations to foster community engagement. Our program aims to enrich early childhood education for all students and provide training opportunities for educators. | In-School Weekly Classes: Interactive Assemblies: Futures in Tune: Professional Development for Educators: Why This Matters: |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | White Hall Arts Academy | 2812 W 54TH ST , LOS ANGELES, CA 90043-4824 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (424) 235-0665 | California Assembly district 55 | District CA-37 | District 28 | Funds will support our Soundworks workforce development program that trains justice-affected and transitional aged foster youth in live sound engineering and lighting, then provides internship opportunities within the entertainment industry. Soundworks aims to equip young individuals with valuable technical skills and work experience in the entertainment industry preparing them to participate in the creative economy. We strive to bridge the gap between mental health, social emotional learning, arts development, and creative expression by creating educational arts programming to youth and young adults with the end goal of producing quality live and digital productions. | Soundworks is a workforce development program that trains justice-affected and transitional aged foster youth ages 18–24 in audio engineering, lighting design, and video production. Participants gain technical skills and hands-on experience in live entertainment, positioning them for apprenticeships and careers in the creative economy. Saturday Sessions combines the HeARTbeats and Project MuszEd programs to deliver inclusive arts education year-round. HeARTbeats serves ages 4–12 with group classes in drums, violin, guitar, piano, singing, and dance. Project MuszEd offers conservatory-level instruction in music production, acting, and songwriting for teens and young adults. Each cycle serves over 60 students and culminates in a showcase to foster confidence and community pride. Funding supports class materials, instructors, and outreach. Classes run in 4- and 8-week sessions. Private Music Lesson Scholarships provide over $20,000 annually in free lessons for children in underserved communities and youth impacted by foster care. H.O.P.E. Choir and Ensemble are intergenerational performing groups that empower participants to engage in community through music. These groups uplift audiences with performances for organizations like United Airlines, LA Metro, CASA-LA, and the Taste of Soul Festival. JAMM-U brings music instruction to youth with limited access to instruments. Students receive training in guitar, vocals, and production at partner sites across South Los Angeles, including Crete Academy, Watts Learning Center, and Birdie V. Lee Bright Elementary School. Rock The Block is our signature annual wellness festival, drawing over 3,000 attendees to celebrate music, community empowerment, and wellbeing. With live performances, panel discussions, health services, youth activities, and clean energy showcases, the event reflects our mission to strengthen South LA through the arts. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | The Sofia, Home of B Street Theatre | 2700 Capitol Avenue , Sacramento, CA 95816-3212 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 443-5300 | California's 6th congressional district | 7 | 6 | With support from the California Arts Council, B Street Theatre will produce four fully professional plays for its 2023-2024 Student & Family Matinee Series. Over 40,000 K-12 students and families, from multiple counties, will attend a performance during the school year. | Since its inception in 1986, B Street Theatre has been recognized as one of California’s top professional theatres. As a resident new works theatre and core member of NNPN, B Street produces an acclaimed adult theatre series featuring new works and contemporary plays enjoyed by over 60,000 patrons each year. B Street is the regions only resident children’s theatre and LORT member, producing a children’s series that serves over 40,000 k-12 students annually. The Family & Student Matinee Series features adaptations classic stories, novels & tales, depictions of historical figures and new plays while the touring production turns student-written plays into professional productions, bringing high quality theatre directly to schools across Northern California and serving about 200,000 students annually. The Sofia offers a presenting series featuring a range of live performances by world-renowned artists including music, dance, comedy, speaking engagements, and more. It also provides performance space to many local artists, nonprofits and performing arts groups. Upstairs at the B patrons enjoy new play readings, improv, story slams and smaller musical acts in an eclectic and flexible space that supports more experimental work and emerging artists. This space also hosts B Street’s annual New Comedies Festival. Central to B Street’s mission is its outreach and education programming. Professional teaching artists provide up to 500 customizable in-school workshops each year, serving over 3,000 k-12 students. B Street offers hundreds of onsite classes at The Sofia, as well as after-school programs and professional development training. Workshops have been adapted to serve everyone from refugee students developing English skills to men and women on probation, and children coping with hospital stays through Sutter Hospital’s Child Life program. Other educational opportunities include an immersive internship for college graduates pursuing careers in theatre and a robust volunteer program with over 300 participants. |
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | $18,517.00 | Turnaround Arts: California | 12541 Beatrice Street , LOS ANGELES, CA 90025-1078 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 482-3131 | District 36 | District 55 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, Turnaround Arts: California will engage teachers and principals at two Title 1 public elementary schools in our Lesson Labs program to develop their capacity to create, implement, and evaluate arts-integrated lesson plans that are rigorous, standards-aligned, culturally responsive, engaging, and build equity and access for their students. | Turnaround Arts: California’s programming is community-driven, culturally responsive, and focused on long-term sustainable school transformation through the arts. Our statewide network brings artists and arts organizations together with our partner schools to leverage and develop our collective expertise in arts education and arts integration. Together we cross-pollinate learnings, ideas, and data to move forward a new vision for public education across California. Our core community arts programs and services include: Retreats and Convenings: Network-wide convenings for principals, teachers, teaching artists, and arts organizations provide time for exchange around challenges and successes in advancing equity through the arts in public schools, while supporting strategic arts planning and arts-based professional development. Coaching: Our coaching program, in partnership with our network of arts organizations, helps principals and teachers build their knowledge of arts integration, strengthen their leadership through the arts, align the arts to meet school district priorities, and become effective advocates for equity. Professional Development: Professional development workshops provide teachers, principals, and teaching artists/arts organizations with strategies – centered in culturally responsive teaching and learning practices – they can immediately implement at school sites. Arts Integration Lesson Labs: Lesson Labs bring together partnering teachers and teaching artists/arts organizations to study new instructional strategies, and design, implement, and evaluate lesson plans that integrate arts standards with subjects such as math and science. Support for Special Projects & In-kind Supplies: We provide flexible funding, in-kind supplies, and strategy support to help partner schools and arts organizations collaborate to implement special projects at individual school sites such as artistic residencies, family art nights, community engagement projects, school musicals, arts-based field trips, additional professional development for teachers, etc. |
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | $23,147.00 | Artist Magnet Justice Alliance | 1600 3rd Ave Apt 29 , Oakland, CA 94606 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (661) 802-1546 | 13th Congressional district of California | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Artist Magnet Justice Alliance will contract teaching artists, Bernard Brown, Jessica Moneá Evans and Latrice Postell, to provide dance integration training, titled ART HIPPIE MOVES, for teachers at Foshay Learning Center in South LA and Incarnation Parish School in Glendale, CA. | AMJA provides the following free arts services: (1) annual virtual professional development and networking events in which emerging arts leaders have the opportunity to engage established arts practitioners to network, receive mentorship and discuss important issues relevant to the industry; Artist Magnet Justice Alliance’s core programs are targeted to support emerging arts-makers from marginalized communities, centering QTBIPOC artists. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $23,147.00 | Urban Jazz Dance Company | 1446 Market Street , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (510) 575-9711 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Urban Jazz Dance Company will produce the 13th annual Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival (BAIDDF) to be held August 2025 in collaboration with Dance Mission Theater. The 2025 BAIDDF will feature over 60 Deaf and Hard of Hearing (D/hoh) artists for an audience of 500. The 13th Annual BAIDDF will consist of three performances, three workshops, and an Artist Q&A for Deaf and Hearing audiences and students. While primarily featuring dance, BAIDDF will also include poetry and music. The first of its kind in the Bay Area, BAIDDF is a highly anticipated annual event and fosters shared understanding by highlighting the contributions that Deaf artists make to our community and raising Deaf awareness. | UJDC educates audiences about current events, empowering minorities, lack of early access to language for Deaf children and social justice. We provide educational workshops/performances at Deaf schools, mainstream programs, Universities, state colleges and seniors homes in the process, creating a healing space for many who have experienced domestic abuse. UJDC passionately visits over 70 schools per year, local to International, working with both hearing and Deaf people of all ages and abilities. |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | Urban Jazz Dance Company | 1446 Market Street , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (510) 575-9711 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Urban Jazz Dance Company (UJDC) will present our October 2024-September 2025 programming including our 17th annual Home Season to take place in November 2024, perform at 15 schools, produce 10 #DeafWoke episodes and present other QTBIPOC Deaf and/or Disabled artists. CAC funds will go towards staff salaries and will support UJDC to produce 2 annual dance productions, the ongoing virtual #DeafWoke and a series of dance performances and workshops in San Francisco. As members of the Deaf community, UJDC founders and staff are of the very communities we serve. We believe in access for all, center diverse historically excluded communities most impacted by oppression in our programming, and deeply embed access in our work. UJDC will bring real Deaf stories to the stage. | UJDC educates audiences about current events, empowering minorities, lack of early access to language for Deaf children and social justice. We provide educational workshops/performances at Deaf schools, mainstream programs, Universities, state colleges and seniors homes in the process, creating a healing space for many who have experienced domestic abuse. UJDC passionately visits over 70 schools per year, local to International, working with both hearing and Deaf people of all ages and abilities. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | Los Angeles Ballet | 11755 EXPOSITION BLVD , LOS ANGELES, CA 90064-1338 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 477-7411 | With support from the California Arts Council, Los Angeles Ballet (LAB) will provide programming with, and cultivate the growth of, a network of artists, creators, and culture bearers committed to ballet. As the only professional ballet company in Los Angeles and the largest dance company in Southern California, LAB believes that ballet is a transcendent art form that should be shared with and enjoyed by as many people as possible. LAB is committed to Los Angeles’ imaginative spirit of what is possible, what is unique, and what is the future. Through our network of professional dancers, theatrical designers, composers, choreographers, emerging artists, and community partners, LAB’s objectives are to: 1) Present bold, innovative works; 2) Collaborate with a diverse array of artists; 3) Expand people’s knowledge of and appreciation for ballet. | LAB’s core programs are anchored in professional productions and community engagement. Our professional productions are shaped as annual seasons that include approximately 30 performances for 30,000 audience members throughout Southern California. Our seasons include a combination of classical ballets, contemporary choreographic masterpieces, and commissioned world/national/regional premieres by renowned choreographers—including 16 world premieres since our founding. LAB annually employs a company of 25 dancers and operate a scholarship dancer trainee program in partnership with Westside School of Ballet for eight dancers. LAB’s Dance Engagement activities are currently centered on two long-standing programs. Power of Performance (POP!) was launched in 2006 and provides at least 10% of each season’s, to under-resourced community members, free-of-charge. We identify these community members by partnering with nonprofit, social service, and community-based organizations focused on supporting and enriching the lives of vulnerable groups, including foster children, senior citizens, U.S. military veterans, formerly incarcerated adults, and more. This season, approximately 3,000 free tickets will be provided through POP. LAB’s other primary Dance Engagement program is A Chance To Dance (ACTD), established in 2012. ACTD is an arts learning program that provides monthly free dance classes to the public, regularly engaging community members ages 4 and up, with attendees frequently in their 70s. ACTD features age- and skill-appropriate dance instruction, with all classes taught by LAB company dancers. ACTD also includes wellness and nutrition coaching, as well as conversations that encourage personal creative and artistic growth. ACTD has historically engaged approximately 500 attendees annually; in 2024 we are expanding the program to serve 1,000 individuals by doubling the program’s operations from occurring monthly for six months per year to year-round. In addition to doubling our traditional ACTD programming, in Spring 2024 LAB re-activated ACTD in public schools as part of an ongoing partnership with Turn Around Arts. | |||
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | California Humanities | 538 9th Street Suite 210, Oakland, CA 94607 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (415) 391-1474 | California's 13th congressional district | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, California Humanities will support the cultural ecosystem of California through statewide grant making that amplifies public programs at the intersection of the arts and the humanities. | The California Documentary Project supports high-quality media projects that seek to document California in all its complexity. We support film, radio, and interactive media projects that inform and engage broad audiences though multiple platforms. The Humanities for All grant making program supports locally-initiated public humanities projects that respond to the needs, interests, and concerns of Californians and aims to promote understanding among our state’s diverse peoples. The Literature & Medicine program brings together hospital staff and visiting scholar facilitators – in hospitals throughout California – to explore the human element of medicine through conversations about literature, art, and other media. The Library Innovation Lab allows libraries to field test new programs to engage immigrants in their communities. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $17,356.00 | Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy | BUILDING 201 FORT MASON , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123-0000 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 561-3000 | Congressional District 11 | Assembly District 19 | Senate District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy will fund an emerging artist specializing in Media Arts and supporting staff to collaborate with Urban Trailblazers at the Crissy Field Center on a media project. This project will explore the themes of community, identity, and leadership through digital media. The Urban Trailblazers program (UTB) will delve into these themes during a summer-long media program in 2025. Under the guidance of media artist Koby Park, 44 middle school-aged youth from underserved communities in the San Francisco Bay Area will engage in photography, videography, and digital audio projects. These activities aim to help the participants develop as leaders and elevate their narratives through visual storytelling. | The Parks Conservancy has a 35-year history of leading science-based conservation and stewardship programs, both as a partner to the National Park Service in the SF Bay Area and more recently as the backbone organization for a regional cross-boundary collaboration – One Tam, and for the statewide California Landscape Stewardship Network. Currently, Conservancy scientists and ecologists lead landscape-scale restoration and climate adaptation projects, regional monitoring, seed production and early detection programs within almost 100,000 acres of diverse ecosystems. Central to this work has been creating pathways and programs to broaden the diversity of future environmental stewards. These include environmental internships, restoration-based work force development, youth career development programs and school-based community science opportunities. Since the earliest days of the National Park Service, artists have drawn inspiration from these parks. Through Art in the Parks, visitors experience a wide range of site specific experiences that reflect and respond to the beautiful setting and unique history of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Art in the Parks has been highlighted as an element of the National Park Service Director’s Call to Action, a strategic vision for the agency that encourages national parks to illuminate the meaning of parks to new audiences through dance, music, visual arts, writing, and social media. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | FASO | 6621 DENNY AVE , N HOLLYWOOD, CA 91606-2204 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 770-2807 | Congressional District 29 | Assembly District 43 | District 20 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Filipino American Symphony Orchestra will address segregation and its inequities by directly providing music education to youth from BIPOC communities, fostering a healthy environment and an empowering identity context. | FASO utilizes music as a unifying force to celebrate and build bridges among diverse cultures, while providing a platform for marginalized voices. Programs include: Key Accomplishments: |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $17,360.00 | Danza Floricanto/USA | 2900 Calle Pedro Infante , Los Angeles, CA 90063 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 466-2611 | California's 34th congressional district | District 53 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, FLORICANTO DANCE THEATRE will provide after school | Concert presentations, Festivals, Lecture Demonstrations., Workshops, dance classes, student recitals, hosting of local artists for the community, |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $17,082.00 | Women Who Submit | 5619 N Angelus Ave , San Gabriel, CA 91776 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 484-0582 | California's 28th congressional district | District 49 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, Women Who Submit will produce the Writers Spotlight Project. This project features writers from historically underrepresented communities including women, nonbinary, queer, BIPOC, disabled, and senior citizens through online publications and in person events. Writers Spotlight Project includes professional opportunities for our writers through the WWS Blog series, PUBLISHED! Reading series, WWS Open Mic, and the WWS Chapters Reading Regrant, which distributes funds to a selection of California-based WWS Chapters to produce readings in their regions. | WWS offers free public workshops lead by local, professional writers and orientations to submission strategies every other month. Topics for these workshops have included applying for academic jobs, applying for artist workshops, residencies and fellowships, strategies for submitting to contests, strategies for performing in public, pitching an essay, and strategies for writing while mothering. We also host private submission parties aka community coworking events on the off months for our members in private homes around Los Angeles. These submission parties are the core vision of our organization. In 2009, Vida, Women in Literary Arts published the first VIDA Count, which gave quantitative evidence of the disparity between men and women representation in top tier journals. The “submission party” was created as an action to change those numbers by creating a safe and supportive space for women and nonbinary writers to share resources and submit their work with community support. |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | Dimensions Dance Theater Incorporated | 1428 Alice Street, Suite 308 , OAKLAND, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 465-3363 | California Assembly district 12 | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Dimensions Dance Theater will continue its community-centered arts programming that fulfills our mission to preserve and perpetuate African Diaspora dance through dance education, the creation of collaborative productions that shift perspectives, and communal events that uplift systemically underserved African American communities in the Oakland Bay Area, bringing communities together, breaking down cultural barriers, and create a sense of belonging through shared humanity. | Dimensions engages the community year-round through carefully designed programs and stage concerts: The professional company produces an annual season and performs throughout the community. Rites of Passage is a comprehensive educational outreach program, serving youth ages 8-18 years. The program offers free classes in Oakland Public schools, and year-round low-cost classes after school and on Saturdays. This program also provides life skills workshops and art exposure field trips. Dimensions Extensions Performance Ensemble for ages 13-19 provides a more advance level of dance training and is the youth company of DDT. Apprentice and Internship Program is for ages 15-20 and for participates that are interested in dance as a career. Throughout the year, Dimensions provides four community dance classes per week; numerous community workshops; five free outside dance experience classes to high school students at the Malonga Center, and participates in Bay Area National Dance Week. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | ARTE AMERICAS THE MEXICAN ARTS CENTER | 1630 VAN NESS AVE , FRESNO, CA 93721-1129 | Fresno | Central Valley | (559) 268-6130 | California's 21th congressional district | District 31 | District 14 | With support from the California Arts Council, Arte Américas will expand our successful Bilingual Storytime and Art program to establish bilingual curriculum resources for educators engaged with TK-6th grade students, bridging the gap between the classroom and Arte Américas, which supports positive self-identification and respect for diverse cultures. This program fosters creative abilities of youth through culturally and linguistically responsive arts learning and connects children and families with the vibrant community of professional artists that exists in the Central Valley. Interdisciplinary artistic processes inspired by children’s literature will inspire young people to use their own voices and share their own unique narratives, and perspectives all while deepening parent-child bond through creative problem solving and self expression. | With multiple exhibitions a year in four gallery spaces, an outdoor music series, indoor concerts, receptions, lectures and community festivals, Arte Américas is the largest Latinx Cultural Center in the Central Valley. Major opportunities to engage include our annual dia de muertos programs and exhibitions, a Mothers’ Day Mariachi Brunch and Summer Concert Series (6 per year) in an outdoor venue known as Plaza Paz. We facilitate biweekly bilingual storytime and art workshops as well as biweekly artmaking workshops so that every weekend, our community can connect at Arte Américas. We function as fiscal sponsor for scaling organizations including an ongoing program of Mexican folkloric dance groups in the valley, Danzantes del Valle. We contract with Fresno Unified School District to teach after school and winter break arts enrichment programs for youth. |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | NA | 1611 S HOPE ST STE E , LOS ANGELES, CA 90015-4115 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 747-2777 | California Assembly district 53 | District 53 | District 30 | With support from the California Arts Council, Create Now will fulfill its equity-centered mission to reach young artists facing the highest barriers to arts education and creative expression. Our year-round, no-cost arts programming helps transform the lives of Los Angeles’ most vulnerable youth (ages 3-24) by fostering a love for the arts across diverse backgrounds. Create Now partners with local schools and charitable organizations to provide arts education, and experiences. Our equity model unites schools, social services, and professional artist mentors to deliver arts education directly to the most vulnerable. We also host vibrant arts festivals, giving under-served youth a platform to showcase their talents along with our Cultural Journeys program. By prioritizing equity and cultural relevance, Create Now helps youth discover their artistic voices and thrive in a diverse, inclusive creative world. | Our unique partnership model helps Create Now provide access to the arts for youth who are most likely to miss out on impactful extracurricular opportunities and creative education. All of our programs are offered at no cost to youth and their families. Our partnerships with schools and community agencies have been built for nearly 30 years. This unique connection helps us reach youth who are underserved, experiencing homelessness, in foster care, or who have experienced the juvenile justice system. Like many other arts education organizations, Create Now relies on local schools and community agencies in underserved communities as crucial partners. A variety of our programming occurs on campus at various schools. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Museum of Children's Art | 1221 Broadway LL - 49 , OAKLAND, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 465-8770 | California's 13th congressional district | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, MUSEUM OF CHILDREN’S ART will teach art-focused curriculum, plan for, and execute four field trips that will expose 105 Oakland Unified School District high school youth, who participate in its Community Futures School, to high-quality museum and arts-tech interactive exhibits by facilitating attendance and engagement with their peers and arts educators. For under-resourced students who would particularly benefit, the field trips will help cultivate appreciation for the arts and understanding of themselves as the next generation of world citizens; and promote culturally responsive learning through the arts to support students’ positive self-identification within and respect for diverse cultures. | MOCHA annually serves 30,000 Bay Area children, youth and their families, in three core program areas: School Programs, through which professional teaching artists lead sequential art lessons in classrooms and after school programs and provide professional development to teachers; Museum Programs, which include exhibits, open studios, field trips, art parties, art camps and family workshops in our downtown Oakland museum; and Community Programs, through which we bring interactive art making and family programming to libraries, recreation centers, festivals and other public venues. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | Latino Arts Network | 1443 EAST WASHINGTON BLVD 224 , PASADENA, CA 91104-2650 | Sacramento | Capital | (415) 846-3179 | California's 27th congressional district | District 41 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Latino Arts Network will implement the project “Advancing California’s Traditional Artists” which will create a directory of California traditional artists who interpret dances related to Mexican cultural celebrations. The directory will include fees, contact information and images and be distributed by LAN to cultural centers, and college and university presenters. Additionally, LAN will provide technical support in the areas of budget development and employment requirements to organizations who wish to tour. | The Latino Arts Network of California (LAN) is a statewide alliance of community cultural centers, artists, advocates and patrons. LAN was founded in 1997 to support and strengthen Latino Arts in California and promote the cultural well being of the communities and artists we serve. Our focus includes arts advocacy; arts research and marketing; arts education; cultural presenting and touring; and technical assistance for artists and organizations. Our public programs include the LAN Maestro Awards which recognize unsung community heroes in arts and cultural leadership throughout the diverse statewide communities and the LAN Catalyst in Residence Program enacting mentorship residencies that pair up organizations seeking support with leaders in the field to serve as a source and resource in a range of capacities from technical assistance to aesthetic inspiration. |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | Bay Philharmonic | 3375 Country Drive , FREMONT, CA 94536 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 371-4860 | District 14 | District 24 | District 10 | With support from the California Arts Council, Bay Philharmonic (Bay Phil) will bring communities together and improve residents’ quality of life with transportive performances during the 2024-25 season. We will use this funding to support our operations, especially musician salaries for 40-50 professionals who perform each show. We present inclusive, high-quality, and accessible shows (we don’t call them concerts) that engage and inspire every guest. Our shows embrace different cultures, traditions, and music genres. Bay Phil musicians, accompanied by guest soloists and other professional performers, including choruses, dancers, actors, and storytellers, deliver imaginative, relatable performances to over 1,400 audience members. Professional musicians are the heart of our success. This grant will help Bay Phil continue to hire the best Bay Area musicians, maintain artistic excellence, and offer beautiful music in the region. | Founded in 1964, the Bay Philharmonic (formerly Fremont Symphony) fills a non-traditional-symphony niche in the Bay Area. Our performances at Chabot College Performing Arts Center are the most innovative musical experiences around. Three to four times a year, Bay Philharmonic (Bay Phil) presents themed, culturally-inclusive performances that have broad appeal—-from traditional symphony lovers to families, and young adults. Our shows help educate, inspire, and bring joy to all our guests. Bay Phil Youth Orchestra, launched in 2016, provides an encouraging and motivating environment for 35-50 young musicians aged 7 -18 to pursue musical excellence and gain performance experience. The students receive high-quality instruction from Bay Phil’s professional musicians. Through a variety of performance opportunities, BPYO empowers young musicians to actively engage in preserving and promoting the performing arts in our community. Our Bay Phil Guild consists of volunteers who support and promote the Bay Philharmonic and BPYO. They organize and host youth competitions and recitals throughout the year. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $18,462.00 | Cal Shakes | 100 California Shakespeare Theater Way , Orinda, CA 94563 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (510) 548-3422 | California's 11th congressional district | District 16 | District 16 | With support from the California Arts Council, California Shakespeare Theater (Cal Shakes) will conduct one, full programmatic term of its Student Discovery Program, supporting a subsidized youth matinee series built around Cal Shakes’s 2025 production, THE TEMPEST, at its award-winning venue, The Bruns Memorial Amphitheater. This matinee series will be made accessible to Cal Shakes’s partner schools, and will involve complementary programming, including Interactive Study Guides, a picnic lunch and pre-show educational activities, and a Q&A with production actors. | Cal Shakes brings together people from all walks of life to connect with our shared humanity through its work onstage, in schools, and in community. Our Main Stage season runs May – October at the outdoor, solar-powered Bruns Amphitheater. Artistic Learning programs engage young people through Student Discovery matinees at our Theater, our summer Conservatories, and theater-based artist-led residencies in classrooms. Artistic Engagement programs are developed in partnership with people from a wide range of communities to expand opportunity for the artist in everyone, claim and tell our own narratives through theater-based activities, and spark intersectional conversation around the plays on our stage. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,813.00 | SWOP-LA | 837 W WASHINGTON BLVD , LOS ANGELES, CA 90015 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 720-9019 | 37th District | District 57 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, TOGETHER IN SERVICE (operating as SWOPLA) will host creative workshops through the project, “Geographies of Utopia”, involving locals from South Central to reflect the lived histories and utopian visions of the community. Our participants include sex workers who work on the South Figueroa corridor (90003), owners of family-run motels lining the corridor, and residents who live near Figueroa. These participants will be compensated to attend workshops over a span of 12 months. Each workshop invokes a temporality (past, present, or future) in relationship to the local geography, applying a different artistic technique (i.e. developing creative writing prompts, collecting field recordings, constructing mixed-media maps, etc). The produced materials from these workshops will then be aggregated and re-presented in a form determined by the working group participants. | We are sex workers dedicated towards fighting for the fundamental human rights of all sex workers and our communities. While our pre-Covid, in-person support groups once only served the local population of LA sex workers, in 2020 we expanded our service virtually to serve sex workers across the US. Part of our mission is to fight anti-sex worker stigma, which is inevitably tied towards gender oppression. Our fight is concurrent with many social justice movements intersectional to our own, including but not limited to Black Lives Matter, disability rights, drug and immigration reform, gender equality and the LGBTQ movement, and the rights of the working class. SWOPLA sustains a wide variety of ongoing projects to support and advocate for sex workers in the city of Los Angeles, the state of California, and beyond. While some of our projects have immediate impacts on the health and mental health of our community members, others are oriented towards longer term political or systemic change. Our current ongoing activities can be categorized into three main strategies: 1) Direct Services and Mutual Aid, 2) Community Building and Representation, and 3) Research, Education, and Political Action. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | Chrysalis Studio/Queer Ancestors Project | 934 Brannan Street , San Francisco , CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 826-9697 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Chrysalis Studio will conduct Queer Ancestors Project PRINTS!, a free 18-week series of printmaking and LGBTQ2S+ history workshops taking place in Fall 2024 and Winter 2025 at San Francisco’s SOMArts Cultural Center for 10 Queer and Transgender young artists age 18-26, who will create and disseminate prints exploring the roots of their own individual experience of Queerness. The workshop series will culminate in a Group Exhibition and Artist Panel at STRUT, a health center serving LGBTQ2S+ people in San Francisco’s Castro LGBTQ+ Cultural District. CAC funds will support project costs including project personnel, guest artists, project materials, and the culminating exhibition expenses. | Chrysalis Studio annually organizes 2 group exhibitions showcasing the work of 30 to 40 printmakers, conducts free Queer Ancestors Project (QAP) printmaking and writing workshops, offers 15+ printmaking workshops to the public, and holds an artist panel and a public reading showcasing the work of our QAP artists and writers. QAP promotes artistic exploration for historically excluded transitional-age youth (TAY) through printmaking and writing cohorts that foster creative community. These free programs for queer and trans youth combine arts with Queer and Trans history, to forge relationships between LGBTQ2S+ people and our ancestors. QAP originated to address the lack of arts programs serving emerging LGBTQ2S+ transitional age artists and provides experiences that build community, artistic development, and personal resilience. QAP provides sustenance – workshops, training, space, equipment, critical feedback, and camaraderie – to young LGBTQ2S+ artists whose work is dedicated to social justice. Our 2023-24 free in-person programming included 2 exhibitions presenting work created in our 20-week QAP PRINTS! and QAP RESISTS! Workshops, public receptions for both exhibitions, an artist panel carving space for LGBTQ2S+ intergenerational community building, a community printmaking party with free printing on t-shirts, and a public reading showcasing the literary work of participants from our 10-week QAP Kaleidoscope workshops in collaboration with Still Here San Francisco. |
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | $9,844.00 | C5 Studios Community Arts Center | 250 Sneden St 250 Sneden Street, Bishop, CA 93514 | Inyo | Central Valley | (760) 873-7360 | California Assembly district 26 | District 26 | District 8 | With support from the California Arts Council, Eastern Sierra Artists dba C5 Studios Community Arts Center will partner with local districts and schools in Inyo County to provide Arts Integration Training to teachers, managers and educators with a specific focus on cultural and linguistic responsiveness and relevancy. | Eastern Sierra Artists (formerly the Bishop Mural Society), believes that art has the ability to transcend traditional boundaries, reaching individuals from all walks of life. It is a powerful tool for dialogue, connection, and cultural appreciation. Eastern Sierra Artists supports and connects artists throughout the Eastern Sierra region by funding and facilitating public art and events. Eastern Sierra Artists works with local artists, community members, and civic organizations to co-create public art projects to connect the public to our unique cultures and landscape; sponsors events in Downtown Bishop to build and support community; and is proud to support C5 Community Arts Center to bring artists together through shared studio spaces, gallery shows, and expansive arts education programming for children and adults. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | Media Arts Center San Diego | 1100 Market Street Suite 326, San Diego, CA 92101 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 230-1938 | California's 53rd congressional district | California's 80th District | 78th District | With support from the California Arts Council, Media Arts Center San Diego (MACSD) will produce Connected Voces, a collaborative digital media storytelling initiative and work readiness opportunity for system-engaged young adults ages 18-30 living in Encanto, a neighborhood in Southeast San Diego. MACSD will collaborate with Second Chance, a non-profit that offers reentry services for formerly incarcerated individuals, and local filmmaker Amada Torruella, to guide program participants through an intensive filmmaking course designed to produce short documentaries about mental health in the age of COVID-19 and in the aftermath of flooding that affected the Encanto community in January 2024. Torruella will collaborate with participants on the structure and direction of the media projects. Participants will earn stipends and may be eligible for apprenticeship, internships, and/or future work through MACSD community partnerships. | MACSD programs, events, and film festivals are inclusionary—designed with audiences, participants, and community collaboration in mind. A summary of core organizational programs and services can be broken down into three categories: WATCH—San Diego Latino Film Festival (SDLFF) celebrates its 32nd anniversary in March 2025 introducing viewers to contemporary US-Latino and Latin American cinema. Additional programming includes the Que Viva Outdoor Cine Latino Series, and daily screenings of at our Digital Gym Cinema. LEARN—Media education programs for youth include: Teen Producers Project, Youth Media & Tech Camps, ¡Tu Cine! Student Film Showcase, the iVIE Awards & Student Film Festival and in-school media programs. CREATE—Tools for community-based media production and collaboration include: Frontera Filmmakers, a grassroots training course for independent filmmakers; and Video Production Services, helping community groups make digital media presence accessible and affordable. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $17,360.00 | Community Arts & Empowerment | 240 MAPLE AVE , WATSONVILLE, CA 95076-4815 | Santa Cruz | Central Coast | (831) 498-6048 | “With support from the California Arts Council, COMMUNITY ARTS & EMPOWERMENT will continue operating a free mosaic arts center where both paid and volunteer high school youth create public art mosaics for the City of Watsonville at the Muzzio Mosaic Arts Center located in Muzzio Park. We will use the CAC grant funds to further our community-engaged arts practice by creating 200 square feet of mosaics to be installed on the outside of our Arts Center. The mosaics will be designed by high school youth who will be paid a stipend for their designs and fabricated by high school volunteers and student interns. | Through community engagement we help identify the values of a neighborhood and the visual aesthetics of its members. We seek out local artists to assist in the design of local community-based public artwork and facilitate community builds for the fabrication of permanent public art. Our process empowers communities by encouraging its members to spend time with each other defining their social and physical identities. Returning individuals teach and learn new skills together for the benefit of the all; transforming a physical space into a magical place. We operate a free afterschool mosaic arts center in Watsonville for youth aged 11-22. We are open 5 days a week for 25 hours. Youth are engaged in all the phases needed to create public art mosaics in thier community. Our current project is called Watsonville Brillante and when completed will consist of 12,500 square feet of mosaics covering the Watsonville Civic Parking Garage. | |||
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | Stanislaus Arts Council | 1315 J St , Modesto, CA 95354-0924 | Stanislaus | Central Valley | (209) 529-3369 | California's 5th congressional district | District 22 | District 5 | With support from the California Arts Council, CENTRAL CALIFORNIA ART LEAGUE | Central California Art League, dba Stanislaus Arts Council operates a small gallery in downtown Modesto, provides classes for youth and adults at the gallery, and throughout the community by collaborating with other arts and cultural organizations, organizes a monthly Art Walk for the community of artists, local businesses and residents, and administers a teaching artist program (CLASS) that provides art instruction in elementary schools throughout Stanislaus County. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,989.00 | Youth Art Exchange | 1950 Mission St , San Francisco, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 574-8137 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Youth Art Exchange (YAX) will partner with lead artist Leonard Reidelbach and additional printmakers to create a free popup community printshop with open hours for community members to explore printmaking as a medium for protest, amplifying voice, and self-expression. By facilitating free access to printmaking tools and skills over a 6-month period, Leonard aims to disrupt barriers to the discipline and center creative exchange between artists and community. The popup will occur in YAX’s youth printmaking studio on the ground floor of a 100% affordable housing site in the vibrant and diverse Excelsior neighborhood in San Francisco. | Our core youth and community programming is free to increase accessibility to the arts. High school programs in disciplines like architecture, fashion design, film photography, music production, and printmaking include after school studio classes, in-school residencies, summer intensives in the arts and architecture, and paid summer creative workforce internships. We also have a Youth Advisory Board, teaching assistantships, and alumni internships. Our programs provide a safe third space for youth to explore themselves, build positive relationships, develop a foundation in the arts, connect to cultural traditions, and make San Francisco thrive. Within our new arts centers, we have expanded program offerings to include younger students and more adult activities too. We have strong ties and connections with the communities of our core constituency, particularly in underserved areas of San Francisco. Our priority for low income youth and youth of color to shape their city has led to several notable public projects including youth designed and built parklets, public art projects such as murals, installations, creative disruptions, and events. We have convened the annual San Francisco Youth Arts Summit for 15 years to bring together youth artists and arts educators across the Bay Area for creative exchange and community building. We have an active role in arts advocacy and the representation of youth artists in San Francisco. Integral to our work is the experience of the artists who teach in our programs. We value their ability to further their own practice, both in partnership with their students and through residencies, public projects, exhibitions, and exchange with other artists. Through youth programming, exhibits, public projects, our annual participatory (415) Public Gallery, events, adult classes and community workshops, we serve 600+ enrolled youth, 30 artists, and 7000+ audience members per year. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Youth Art Exchange | 1950 Mission St , San Francisco, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 574-8137 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from California Arts Council, Youth Art Exchange will partner with its Youth Advisory Board, artists, and community partners in the activation of YAX’s new high school youth lounge on the ground floor of a 100% affordable housing site in San Francisco as a creative third place for youth to hang out, engage in arts learning, and connect to others. Through this space, we are prioritizing overall well-being and aiming to reduce isolation and provide a safe space to come during out-of-school time where they feel a sense of belonging and creative inspiration. Youth will engage in multidisciplinary arts learning centered on racial equity and open studios as they explore social justice issues, youth-driven social action, and how to express themselves through the arts. The project will engage both youth as facilitators and participants. | Our core youth and community programming is free to increase accessibility to the arts. High school programs in disciplines like architecture, fashion design, film photography, music production, and printmaking include after school studio classes, in-school residencies, summer intensives in the arts and architecture, and paid summer creative workforce internships. We also have a Youth Advisory Board, teaching assistantships, and alumni internships. Our programs provide a safe third space for youth to explore themselves, build positive relationships, develop a foundation in the arts, connect to cultural traditions, and make San Francisco thrive. Within our new arts centers, we have expanded program offerings to include younger students and more adult activities too. We have strong ties and connections with the communities of our core constituency, particularly in underserved areas of San Francisco. Our priority for low income youth and youth of color to shape their city has led to several notable public projects including youth designed and built parklets, public art projects such as murals, installations, creative disruptions, and events. We have convened the annual San Francisco Youth Arts Summit for 15 years to bring together youth artists and arts educators across the Bay Area for creative exchange and community building. We have an active role in arts advocacy and the representation of youth artists in San Francisco. Integral to our work is the experience of the artists who teach in our programs. We value their ability to further their own practice, both in partnership with their students and through residencies, public projects, exhibitions, and exchange with other artists. Through youth programming, exhibits, public projects, our annual participatory (415) Public Gallery, events, adult classes and community workshops, we serve 600+ enrolled youth, 30 artists, and 7000+ audience members per year. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Yeah, Art! | 8414 Holly Street , Oakland, CA 94621 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 938-9096 | 12th Congressional district | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Yeah, Art! will provide tuition-free after-school arts education programming to schools in Oakland, with an emphasis on low-income districts and communities of color. Our program, led by local professional artists of color, is designed to create artistic career pathways for disadvantaged youth. This year, we plan to emphasize the following disciplines: Art Appreciation, Songwriting (including Pop Songwriting and Protest Songwriting) , Music Production, and 3D Modeling. | Arts Education for a New Generation™. Yeah, Art! seeks to empower Bay Area youth with premium arts education that emphasizes technology, creativity and equitable access. The problem: With school budget cuts, arts programs are often the first thing to get dropped, leading the most vulnerable students to miss out on essential creative skills. The solution: Yeah, Art! provides accessible, innovative arts programs to underserved communities, equipping students with skills in Music Production, Animation, 3D Modeling and more. Yeah, Art! offers technology-driven arts education programs tailored for underserved schools, with a focus on students of color in low-income Bay Area districts. Services are delivered by professional, local artists of color who bring their expertise directly to classrooms, creating an engaging and culturally relevant learning environment. Yeah, Art! equips students with in-demand creative skills, fostering both artistic growth and future career opportunities in the arts. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Art Tonic | 8101 La Riviera Dr , Sacramento, CA 95826 | Sacramento | Capital | (530) 665-9076 | With support from the California Arts Council, Art Tonic will strengthen our network beyond Sacramento County. We will also increase our partnerships in neighboring California counties, including Placer County, Nevada County, Yolo County, and Alameda County. We will strengthen and increase collaborations with underserved artists, arts organizations, and businesses that hire artists, fostering a thriving regional network that enriches the California arts ecosystem. By creating connections among these partners, we will cultivate a supportive region where all artists can thrive. | Artistic Pathways: Networking and Moderated Discussion Series for Artist Business Owners Professional Development Workshops Application Help and Feedback: For Artists Professional Writing: For Artists and Organizations Project Management: For Artists and Organizations One-to-One Mentorship: For Artists (in development) | |||
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $17,360.00 | Senderos | 840 N BRANCIFORTE AVE , SANTA CRUZ, CA 95062-1028 | Santa Cruz | Central Coast | (831) 854-7740 | D-CA 19th District | District 28 | District 17 | With support from the California Arts Council, Senderos will provide equitable access to after school performing arts to 80 Latino immigrant youth ages 5-24 with free Mexican folkloric dance (Centeotl Danza y Baile) and music (Ensamble Musical) instruction, particularly from Indigenous Oaxacan cultural traditions. Working with experienced bilingual teaching artists, youth will learn Mexican cultural arts, teamwork and leadership skills, deepen their connection to their family heritage, gain self-confidence and a stronger sense of self-identity, and showcase their talents with pride at over 20 school and community events, including Senderos’ signature annual Vive Oaxaca Guelaguetza festival. | Senderos core programs and services are: |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | The Sidewalk Project | 800 MCGARRY ST 421 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90021-1950 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (415) 654-7905 | District 37 | District 57 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Sidewalk Project will train lived-experience Skid Row residents as filmmakers who will plan and produce short-form documentaries about the rich creative life and artistic skills of their unhoused and formerly unhoused neighbors. These films will be shared in Skid Row at local screenings, in trailers on Sidewalk’s social media platforms, and in full-length short films on the project’s dedicated YouTube channel, which will serve to counter harmful stereotypes and reporting about Skid Row and celebrate the many artists who live undiscovered in this creative community. | Our syringe service program, which started unofficially in 2019 and became city-sanctioned in 2020, emerged in response to a profound unmet need. As we built relationships with hundreds of unhoused and drug-using residents of Skid Row, and later, MacArthur Park, harm reduction came to include MAT, social service referrals, healthcare linkages, and building relationships with street and agency partners. Sidewalk’s new Skid Row walk-in crisis center for women and gender-expansive people will open in 2024, offering system navigation, a safe space, and community-building opportunities among unhoused women, sex workers escaping intimate partner violence/street violence, who use drugs and/or live with serious mental illness. In addition to daily harm reduction outreach, Sidewalk has historically held monthly events including food, hygiene supplies, music, and art, as well as organizing summer music festivals and underwriting mural painting. Sidewalk’s county-funded three-year project to interrupt violence and reclaim public housing, through art, music, and organizing, takes place in an apartment building abandoned by the now-defunct Skid Row Housing Trust and occupied by medically vulnerable, formerly unhoused older adults. The grant also funds the build-out of the number-one item on every Skid Row wish list: A music recording studio. All activities come with participation stipends. A central harm reduction strategy for Sidewalk is job creation for unhoused local residents. Sidewalk promotes intersectionality and equity through diversity in hiring. Peer advocacy breaks down the barrier of the participant-provider construct, restores dignity, and aids self-determination. Providing day labor pay for folks with limited employment opportunities is the first step toward regular work and is our most effective leadership-building strategy. Sidewalk provides support and supplies to a wide network of smaller mutual aid organizations (including regranting relationships with Water Drop LA and Blue Hollywood Street Sanctuary) to serve local unhoused, drug-using, and sex worker populations. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Stanford Live | 3145 Porter Dr , Palo Alto, CA 94304-1224 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (650) 723-2551 | California Assembly district 23 | District CA-16 | District 13 | With support from the California Arts Council, THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY (for Stanford Live) will present student matinee performances representing a broad range of art forms and world cultures. CAC funds will support artist fees, production costs, and bus transportation subsidies for schools. | Stanford Live was founded as Stanford Lively Arts in 1969 as the performing arts presenter at Stanford University. We present up to 150 performances each season on the Stanford campus featuring classical, jazz, and world music, dance, theater, and multimedia. We also present an outdoor summer concert season with genres from classical to hip-hop. Our seasons are guided by unifying themes such as “Art and Politics.” We present some of the world’s leading performing artists, along with regional, national, and world premieres each year. We also present dozens of free community and campus engagement events each season featuring visiting and local artists, Stanford faculty and guest scholars. These programs increase access to the arts and offer insights into the artists and works we present. Our K-12 education and community engagement programs include student matinees; professional development workshops for teachers; interactive workshops, artist talks and performances on campus and at community partner sites; and an artists-in-schools program in nearby East Palo Alto. We primarily serve the communities of Silicon Valley, with 82.5% of our audiences from the Peninsula and South Bay regions. Among other audience members, about 5% each come from San Francisco, the East Bay (Berkeley/Oakland), and locations outside California, and the remaining 3% are from areas in California outside our immediate region. In January 2013 we opened Bing Concert Hall, an 842-seat, state-of-the-art space. The hall has become a vital Bay Area resource, acclaimed for its extraordinary acoustics, stunning architecture, and intimate audience experience. In summer 2019 we reopened Stanford’s renovated 8,000-seat Frost Amphitheater, adding an outdoor summer season to become a year-round presenter. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Million Little | 25050 Avenue Kearny #212 , Valencia, CA 91355 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (661) 240-9163 | California Assembly district 38 | District 38 | District 21 | With support from the California Arts Council, Million Little will advance equity in arts education and promote healthy social-emotional development for students in kindergarten through third grade from historically underrepresented and under-resourced schools. | Million Little empowers and supports the healing process of children and youth (ages 4-25) who have experienced trauma through the power of creativity. We offer strengths-based arts programming, youth resources, educational workshops and trainings in partnership with school districts, department of probation and community based social services organizations. We also work closely with teachers, care givers and professionals who are involved in the lives of our children through our professional development trainings and workshops on a various topics such as creativity, mindfulness, trauma and self-care. Our strengths-based arts programming is offered at juvenile detention camps, community based social services organizations and schools. Youth experiencing Incarceration, homelessness, those in poverty and those suffering from violence/adversity are all part of the population that Million Little serves. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $19,443.00 | West Coast Songwriters Association | 303 Twin Dolphin Drive, Floor 6 , Redwood City, CA 94065 | San Mateo | Bay Area – Other | (650) 654-3966 | California's 14th congressional district | With support from the California Arts Council, WEST COAST SONGWRITERS ASSOCIATION (WCSA) will build on its historic, 45 consecutive years of artist support and programmatic work to deliver targeted professional services to the organization’s members and inclusive, statewide community of independent singers/songwriters/musicians. All services are designed and delivered with a prominent focus on the association’s priorities for ever-increasing diversity across age, culture, ethnicity, socioeconomics status, sexual orientation and gender identity. Funds will be allocated to support community outreach along with content design, editorial, and production for WCSA’s robust schedule of workshops, trainings, conferences, networking events, creative collaborations and peer reviews, in-community performance showcases with professional hosts and moderators, online forums and publications, competitions, professional skills | West Coast Songwriters is a membership-based organization, providing its members with access to education and networking events involving a community of dedicated and supportive industry professionals, educators, musicians and booking agents. Each year, the organization presents hundreds of opportunities for its members to participate, network, learn and grow through classes, workshops, song screenings, special events and an annual conference highly regarded as one of the music world’s pre-eminent education and professional networking events for songwriters. | ||
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,989.00 | Barcid Foundation | 2811 Scott Place , Los Angeles, CA 90026 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 504-4897 | California Assembly district 34 | District 43 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Barcid Foundation will bring together a collection of experienced Native American artists and community members to foster a new and genuine approach to depicting Native American representation in the arts. This innovative project will be designed with workshops, mentorship opportunities, and access to cutting-edge resources. The program will nurture artistic growth and provide tools to express unique voices through a wide range of literary techniques that focus on mental and behavioral health. | The Barcid Foundation offers genuine career building programs, workshops and additional opportunities that advance Native American artists and youth. We have developed successful relationships with tribes, art foundations, studios and networks to offer career building art initiatives for Native Americans. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | Madera County Arts Council & Circle Gallery | 424 North Gateway Drive , Madera, CA 93637 | Madera | Central Valley | (559) 661-7005 | California's 16th congressional district | District 5 | District 12 | With support from the California Arts Council, Madera County Arts Council & Circle Gallery will continue to support and promote the arts throughout our communities. Partnering with Madera County school district and bringing arts education to our local schools, offering in-house arts education, visual and performing arts classes, and community enrichment programs and acting as a catalyst for arts project throughout our County. SLP funds provide vital operational support toward salaries and rental of our facilities including our 5,000 square foot gallery and classroom space, where we hold six art exhibits per calendar year., plus additional classes, workshops, meetings and events. | We provide art instruction to schools in Madera County. We provide a gallery to allow artists to show and sell their work. We also offer on-site classes and workshops in all types of art, visual and performing. In addition, we work toward getting art created in public spaces through a partnership with the Madera County Arts Authority. Most recentlly, in partnershp with Madera Unified School District, we launched Madera Theatre Project,, a community-like live theatre group. |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | OUTWORDS | 3108 Glendale Blvd #522 , Los Angeles, CA 90039-1806 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (424) 261-9171 | 34th Congressional District | District 54 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Outwords Archive will continue to record, preserve, and share the stories of LGBTQ+ elders, to build community and catalyze social change. OUTWORDS’ overarching focus is using the media arts and storytelling to promote social equity of all types and to address systemic inequities in American society and beyond. OUTWORDS functions simultaneously as a media production company (for the purpose of gathering new interviews), an archive (for the purpose of organizing and preserving our assets), and a distribution company (for the purpose of sharing our extraordinary elder stories with the LGBTQ+ community and beyond through multiple channels). Our distribution occurs primarily through a robust array of public events, corporate DEI trainings, partnerships with LGBTQ+ organizations, and social media. | OUTWORDS is the first and only national organization dedicated to recording professional-quality, on-camera interviews with LGBTQ+ elders across the United States. OUTWORDS was founded in 2016 on the belief that these unique narratives are essential to preserve as a priceless record of an unprecedented American social change movement. We use media arts and storytelling to promote social equity of all types and to address systemic inequities in our society. To date, OUTWORDS has recorded more than 345 interviews with LGBTQ+ elders in 45 states and Washington D.C. We share our full interviews (transcripts + video) on our website which functions as an online digital archive. We record 40-50 new interviews per year. An average of 4,850 unique users visited the OUTWORDS site per month or 158 users per day in 2023. OUTWORDS functions simultaneously as a media production company (for the purpose of gathering new interviews), an archive (for the purpose of organizing and preserving our assets), and a distribution company (for the purpose of sharing our extraordinary elder stories with the LGBTQ+ community in LA and beyond through multiple channels). Our distribution occurs primarily through our website (www.theoutwordsarchive.org) and through an array of public events in CA and beyond, corporate DEI trainings, partnerships with LGBTQ+ organizations, and social media. 50% of our interviews come from the trans, gender non-conforming, and intersex (TGI) community and 60% of our interviews feature Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA) | 9574 MOSS GLEN AVE , Fountain Valley, CA 92708 | Orange | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (714) 914-2260 | California Assembly district 72 | District 72 | District 34 | With support from California Arts Council, the Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association (VAALA) will successfully conduct the Youth in Motion Filmmaking Workshop, providing a free-of-charge and an invaluable platform for youth to explore and express their creativity through film. This support enables VAALA to offer high-quality instruction, access to necessary equipment, and a collaborative environment where young participants can develop their storytelling skills. The funding also facilitates outreach efforts to engage the young participants, fostering an inclusive community that celebrates cultural heritage and artistic innovation. As a result, the workshop not only nurtures budding filmmakers but also strengthens the cultural fabric of the community. | VAALA organizes cultural events such as art exhibitions, book signings, concerts, plays, workshops for the youth, and the annual Viet Book Fest and Viet Film Fest, at little to no cost, for the community. Currently, our programming consists of four pillars: Gallery Beyond Walls: Visual arts program focused on engaging the community in the arts, facilitating dialogue, revitalizing marginalized communities, and highlighting freedom of expression. Youth Programs: Year-round art workshops in a variety of art forms for local underserved youth in Southern California. Our objectives are to enhance creativity and self-expression, build confidence and self-esteem, develop a sense of community-orientation. Viet Film Fest: The largest and only film festival in the world that celebrates Vietnamese stories and voices in cinema. Viet Film Fest draws an annual, onsite audience of over 5,000 people. The festival features films by persons of Vietnamese descent or productions that focus on the Vietnamese experience. Viet Book Fest: an annual book festival that promotes Vietnamese voices in literature. |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | Los Angeles Filmforum | 1465 Tamarind Ave #155 , Los Angeles, CA 90028-8412 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 377-7238 | 30 | 51 | 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Filmforum inc. will produce and present twenty (20) or more screenings per year with guest filmmakers in conversation. The artists and films will come from California and around the world, including films by multiple communities, including African-American, Asian-American, Latino-American, and LGBTQ, as we have done for 49 years. 2025 will be our 50th year. | Filmforum is currently the longest-running venue in Southern California dedicated exclusively to the ongoing, non-commercial exhibition of independent, experimental, and progressive cinema. We screen films, sponsor independent experimental films, and communicate about other screenings in the county |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $17,360.00 | Everybody Dance LA! | 2955 Wilshire Blvd. , LOS ANGELES, CA 90010 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 365-2491 | CA-034 | District 54 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Everybody Dance LA! (EDLA!) will provide 150 low-income students with the Middle and High School Enrichment Program, which offers students advanced dance instruction, opportunities to choreograph original work, field trips, master classes, mentoring, and assistantships and internships. | Current programs include: • Our year-long After-School Program fosters a culture that promotes discipline, high expectations, performance, community building through parental involvement, and sequential, long-term training, allowing students to work toward technical mastery of specific dance forms through leveled classes that meet twice weekly. We also give students opportunities to perform, attend professional dance shows, participate in master classes, and more. All students perform in an end-of-year recital. The four-week Summer Session introduces new students to our dance program and allows returning students to try new dance styles. We serve 615 students ages 4 to 19 at five different sites in Los Angeles. • Our In-School Program uses dance as a tool for learning, where instructors bring the standards-based curriculum to life in high-energy classes for K-12 students. As part of the school day, we provide weekly one-hour dance classes, working with the schools we serve to determine our mutual goals. For 23-24, we have confirmed contracts with 27 school campuses serving 6,121 students in grades TK – 8. We served an additional 452 students at five LA Unified School District Schools and one charter school during the December 2023 Winter Academy Days. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $17,360.00 | DANCE AND DIALOGUE | 11645 GORHAM AVE APT 206 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90049-4756 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 909-3565 | California Assembly district 50 | District 50 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Dance and Dialogue will host its after school Community Centered Program at Wisdom Elementary School. This program will focus on Folklórico as a means of dialogue and expression to empower youth and their families to cultivate joy, cultural pride, and collaboration within their community. | Since its founding in 2012, D&D has reached 40,000+ young people via its primary programs: ALL CITY Workshops — Established in 2013, this full day workshop gathers middle and high schoolers from across the region in one location for cultural exchange, dance, and dialogue. In School Residencies — Launched in 2018, this program consists of 8-12 week dance residencies for 3rd-12th grade students during/after school. Combining evidence-based methods of social emotional learning, mindfulness practices, and dance, D&D’s Residency Curriculum focuses on exploring relevant, age-appropriate themes through the arts. Summer Leadership Intensive — A week-long immersive experience for high school students interested in the intersection of community building and the arts. This program is relaunching in summer 2022, with a specific focus on serving LGBTQIA+ youth. Community-Centered Programs — Started in April 2022, this after school enrichment program is crafted for students grades 3-6. Delivered in collaboration with schools’ Parent & Family Centers, D&D provides a range of creative classes (dance, spoken word, poetry, sign language, drumming) that intersect with therapeutic dialogue and community building practices. heARTs in the Community Series — Launched in April 2022, this program offers Saturday morning art classes to families across the County via zoom. Teacher Drop in & Fill Up — This series for educators and administrators offers teachers tools for the post pandemic classroom, including redirection strategies, student support and overall classroom management. Training focuses on helping teachers with creative strategies to keep the classroom flowing with less disruption, bringing curiosity, wonder and engagement front and center. Peer Mentoring Training Workshop — This series trains students in peer-to-peer mentoring skills and offers opportunities for hands-on experience helping professional instructors during D&D workshops; mentorship has a proven-track record of reducing fear and judgment and increasing self esteem for both mentors and mentees. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | Ink People Center for the Arts | 627 3rd Street , EUREKA, CA 95501-0417 | Humboldt | Upstate | (707) 442-8413 | District 2 | District 2 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, Ink People Inc will deepen professional development opportunities for the 100+ projects fiscally sponsored within the DreamMaker Program, will support regional leadership opportunities for cultural practitioners and creatives, and will collaborate with allied organizations and artist-leaders to further establish connectivity amongst cultural leaders throughout the region. The Ink People will also continue to develop advocacy and networking efforts throughout the region and State. | The Ink People is a community-based, grassroots, artist-run, arts and culture organization. For 44 years, we have organized our work around community access principles and the belief that art, in all its forms, is essential to the human spirit and well-being. We base our activities in a philosophy of sharing and community-building, and we work to connect community members with resources for cultural development. With over 700 subscribers, we nurture cultural enrichment through education and engagement of artists and communities. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Chamber Music Unbound | 289 Wagon Wheel Rd. PO BOX 1219, MAMMOTH LAKES, CA 93546-1219 | Mono | Central Valley | (760) 934-7015 | California Assembly district 8 | District CA-3 | District 4 | With support from the California Arts Council, Chamber Music Unbound will implement “Roll Over Beethoven” in the underserved school communities of the Eastern Sierra. The project facilitates in-person interactions between students of all ages and teaching artists, who guide students in forging a meaningful relationship with instrumental music as a “language-without-words”. | Core Chamber Music Unbound programs are: |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $46,293.00 | KALEIDOSCOPE | 1818 Thayer Ave. #301 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90025-4142 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 795-9051 | California Assembly district 50 | District 50 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra will provide musicians and composers in California with crucial opportunities for career advancement and professional development through our call for scores program. | Founded in 2014, Kaleidoscope has performed over 300 concerts throughout Southern California from venues ranging from Walt Disney Concert Hall to homeless shelters on Skid Row. Kaleidoscope has been especially known for their commitment to diversity and new music, with premieres of over 100 works, substantial programming of music by women and people of color, performances of large orchestral works like Mahler and Shostakovich Symphonies without a conductor, and frequent performances at schools, hospitals, homeless shelters, and other community organizations. To address income inequality and help build new audiences for classical music, most of Kaleidoscope’s public concerts are free admission with a suggested donation. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $140,979.00 | San Benito County Arts Council | 35 5th St. Suite D , HOLLISTER, CA 95023 | San Benito | Central Coast | (831) 636-2787 | California's 18th congressional district | District 29 | District 17 | With support from the California Arts Council, the SAN BENITO COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL will increase arts and cultural equity, impact and accessibility for all residents in San Benito County through expanded programs, services and funding. CAC Funds will be applied to general operations, including salaries and rent, and Poetry Out Loud. | The San Benito County Arts Council’s signature programs and services include: |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $46,293.00 | POETS & WRITERS INC | 3452 2nd Ave , Los Angeles, CA 90018 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 481-7195 | California Assembly district 55 | District CA-37 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, Poets & Writers will strengthen the vibrant literary network built over decades of work with California writers and literary presenters. We will regrant $25,000 to support literary events in big cities and small towns throughout the state, convene two regional roundtable meetings for California writers and literary presenters to exchange information and ideas and make connections, manage regional listservs to facilitate communication between members of the state’s diverse literary communities, provide technical assistance to support writers and presenters planning literary events statewide, and host online tools that connect California writers with opportunities throughout the state and beyond. | The Readings & Workshops program provides small grants to support readings and writing workshops throughout California and New York State. In California alone, last year we distributed $23,250 in the form of writers fees to 114 writers participating in 216 literary events in partnership with 55 organizations located in 20 counties across the state, reaching an audience of more than 10,000. Through our flagship publication, Poets & Writers Magazine, as well as our website, pw.org, we serve as the creative writer’s go-to resource for trustworthy information and advice about writing and publishing. Our website draws 1.7 million unique visitors annually, 10% from California. Poets & Writers Magazine has a readership of 100,000, 10% in California. We also sponsor awards for writers, including the Jackson Poetry Prize and the Writers Exchange Award; past winners of these two prizes include 15 California writers. We offer unique professional development opportunities for writers, including online courses that demystify the publishing process and help writers delve deeper into craft, and Get the Word Out, a publicity incubator for early career authors. Countless writers have told us that discovering Poets & Writers Magazine is what first helped them shape their writing goals, so to inspire the next generation we distribute free subscriptions to high school students who show dedication to creative writing, in partnership with groups that recognize achievement in young writers, and to high school creative writing teachers for classroom use. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,989.00 | Los Angeles Poverty Department | 250 S Broadway , Los Angeles, CA 90012-3605 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 259-1038 | 28 | District 54 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, LOS ANGELES POVERTY DEPARTMENT will promote cultural equity for the Skid Row community by producing LAPD’s annual Festival for All Skid Row Artists, (FASRA). The free 2-day event held annually (since 2010) in a public park in the heart of the underserved Skid Row neighborhood will showcase the work of roughly 150 artists and arts organizations, and give 1,500 attendees opportunities to make and enjoy art, build social cohesion and celebrate the cultural vitality of their community. | Founded by director, performer and activist John Malpede, LAPD was the first performance group in the country made up of homeless and formerly homeless people and the first sustained arts initiative in Skid Row. For 38 years, LAPD has been one of the foremost cultural and artistic resources of the community. LAPD presents live theatrical productions, organizes public discussions and presentations, public art programs, parades and festivals, curates and creates installations and exhibitions, all addressing the lives of the neighborhood residents and the issues they face. LAPD’s performances and theater pieces are developed and realized through an extensive and inclusive process that employs research and engagement strategies and activities designed to enlist and disseminate community wisdom, and which typically take place over the course of more than a year. LAPD makes work to change the narrative about people living in poverty. LAPD’s actively maintained (by professional archive staff) Skid Row History Archive documents the history of the Skid Row neighborhood and its achievements and is utilized by scholars, journalists, filmmakers, and community members. The archive is a bulwark against community displacement. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | JAZZLINE INSTITUTE | 5924 ALLEN AVE , SAN JOSE, CA 95123-2620 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (415) 860-9866 | 19th Congressional District | District 28 | District 15 | With support from California Arts Council, JaZzLine INSTITUTE will present a series of 8 free Black History Month lecture/performances at local Title 1 public schools, bringing renowned local Black jazz and blues artists to underserved schools in historically Black, low-income communities of East Oakland, West Oakland, Richmond, Pittsburg, and Antioch. | JaZzLine INSTITUTE is dedicated to the preservation, celebration, and education of the historical and cultural significance of music out of the African-American diaspora through performance and educational programs. We produce masterclasses and workshops with visiting artists, educational programming in public schools, music scholarship fundraisers for local youth, memorial programs for departed local musicians, radio programming including live in-studio concert broadcasts, jam sessions for youth, educational events in local juvenile detention centers, and concert programming celebrating Black History and centering women in music. We recognize musical pioneers in our community, both living and departed, through our BAJABA awards. JaZzLine INSTITUTE celebrates diverse forms of music from the African-American diaspora including Negro spirituals, jazz, blues, R&B, soul, gospel, and hip-hop. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,989.00 | CELEBRATION ARTS | 2727 B ST , SACRAMENTO, CA 95816-3212 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 455-2787 | California's 6th congressional district | District 6 | District 8 | With support from the California Arts Council, Celebration Arts will remount TEEN MAGIC, eight-week performing arts camps providing African American teens (13-17) with quality arts education in Sacramento. Once a vital resource in the community, TEEN MAGIC can be revived with this grant, addressing budget cuts and limited resources in underserved schools preventing quality arts education. This program will engage youth in positive, creative activities that explore Black culture and experiences, fostering teamwork, communication, problem-solving, and creativity. Unlike other costly theatre programs, TEEN MAGIC will offer affordable access and center Black culture. The grant will enable us to lower fees, increase production budgets, and pay teaching artists, contributing to the creative economy. | Celebration Arts offers transformative arts education and performance opportunities that inspire creativity, build confidence, and elevate underrepresented voices—particularly within the Black community. At the heart of this work is the ACTivate! Arts Academy, which provides engaging arts experiences for K–12 students: Kids’ Time is an eight-week program for up to 50 children ages 6–12. Through music, movement, and drama, participants grow in confidence, discipline, and creativity. The program concludes with a live performance that celebrates their achievements. Teen Magic serves up to 50 African American teens ages 13–17, addressing the lack of arts education in many underserved schools. Over eight weeks, teens explore theater, music, and dance while building teamwork, leadership, and communication skills in a culturally affirming environment. School Field Trips bring nearly 3,600 K–12 students to Celebration Arts annually. These visits expose young people to live theater and the transformative power of storytelling. Celebration Arts also stages six theatrical productions each year, showcasing works by award-winning Black playwrights. These plays center the Black experience and foster dialogue around culture, identity, and community. In addition, the organization hosts two annual dance concerts, highlighting local and regional performers. These events celebrate the depth and diversity of Black artistic expression through powerful movement and storytelling. Through its performances and educational programs, Celebration Arts nurtures the next generation of artists and storytellers. The organization remains deeply committed to creating space for creativity, connection, and the amplification of Black voices in the arts. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Honey Art Studio | 1981 Sutter St , San Francisco, CA 94115-3113 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 699-6555 | California's 11th congressional district | District CA-11 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Honey Art Studio will offer the Creative Edge Lab project, a 12-week workshop series for young adults in San Francisco’s Fillmore neighborhood. Ten participants will receive 108 hours of instruction in entrepreneurship, Interior Design, Fashion Design, and Culinary Arts to create pathways into creative careers for under-represented members of San Francisco’s BIPOC communities. | Each year, thousands of youth and adults take part in programming including: |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $140,979.00 | Ventura County Arts Council | 646 County Square Drive Suite #154, Ventura, CA 93003 | Ventura | Central Coast | (805) 658-2213 | California's 26th congressional district | District 37 | District 19 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Ventura County Arts Council will further advance a burgeoning partnership with our county government, a relationship that recently provided several re-granting opportunities. We will maintain our programmatic focus on DEI and on grant giving. We’ll assist smaller arts non-profits and community arts organizations and individual artists with capacity building and help them to expand their practices. In partnership with the newly created County Arts & Culture Manager, we will increase VCAC’s operating capital and programmatic reach, continuing to prioritize areas of the county that represent the lowest quartiles on the California Healthy Places Index. | VCAC runs several programs. We re-grant funds to arts organizations and artists when they are available and recently with NEA grant money matched by our county government. Artists in the Classroom is a multi-disciplinary arts education program serving K-8 schools countywide which we took over administering from the county’s Office of Education. Our Arts & Youth Justice program teaches arts to youth in the system, at several locations in the county and at the court school in the Juvenile Justice Center. We administer Poetry Out Loud locally and established a county Poet Laureate and Youth Poet Laureate program. The Atrium Gallery is a public art program and for that we curate three floors in the Government Center in collaboration with the County’s DEI council focusing on exhibitions that highlight artwork by people outside of the mainstream. VCAC prioritizes partnering with arts organizations and artists serving marginalized and underrepresented people and working in the communities where they reside. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | SLOMA | PO BOX 813 1010 Broad Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93406-0813 | San Luis Obispo | Central Coast | (805) 543-8562 | California's 24th congressional district | District 30 | District 17 | With support from the California Arts Council, the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art (SLOMA) will provide free guided museum gallery tours, curriculum support, and teachers’ guides for schools. The project will also support transportation subsidies for Title 1 schools to remove financial barriers to arts participation, as well as targeted summer programming for kids from historically underserved and under-resourced communities in south San Luis Obispo County. | The San Luis Obispo Museum of Art (SLOMA) is located in downtown San Luis Obispo on the west end of Mission Plaza, at the heart of the city’s cultural corridor. SLOMA is committed to an exhibition program that brings together visual artists from around the world with renowned artists from California and the US. With free admission and monthly events, SLOMA is the heart of the Central Coast’s visual arts community, serving as both a gathering place for the community and an essential stop for visitors. Programs and services include a robust exhibitions program, public art, and youth and adult arts education. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $17,360.00 | Dance Brigade or Dance Mission | 3316 24TH ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110-3803 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 826-4441 | California Assembly district 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from California Arts Council, DANCE BRIGADE A NEW GROUP FROM WALLFLOWER ORDER (aka Dance Mission Theater) will provide youth ages 3-18 years with weekly out of school dance classes in styles that range from hip hop to modern to salsa, serving approximately 400 low to moderate income youth/year from San Francisco. Approximately 75% of students attend for free or receive financial support. | – Run a thriving inter/multicultural community arts venue, Dance Mission Theater (DMT); |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,989.00 | Chopsticks Alley Art | 38 S 2nd Street , San Jose, CA 95113-2501 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (831) 239-9710 | California Assembly district 18 | District 25 | District 15 | With support from the California Arts Council, Chopsticks Alley Art will launch “Collective Journeys: Preserving Cultural Stories with Sơn Mài,” an initiative involving local artists in creating art rooted in cultural practices. It aims to uncover, preserve, and celebrate stories through the traditional Vietnamese art form of Sơn Mài (lacquer painting). The project will address social and economic inequalities by prioritizing culturally rooted artistic expressions and collaborative practices. The program will serve historically and systemically under-resourced communities in Santa Clara County, focusing on Southeast Asian emerging artists. These artists often face challenges related to economic disparity, cultural preservation, and social marginalization. Key Activities will include researching histories and collecting materials from nature, workshops, and training of artists in Sơn Mài traditions, creating art projects, exhibition and public showcase of the artworks, and community dialogues. | Founded in 2014, Chopsticks Alley Art (CAA) creates educational arts programming that celebrates and addresses the needs of Southeast Asian Americans to celebrate their cultural heritage while engaging in social issues affecting our communities. Past programs have included art classes, gallery exhibits, free cultural festivals, and pubic art-making events. CAA has an established record of programing successful and accessible cultural events that appeal to a demographically diverse and inter-generational audience. One of our primary first initiatives, Chopsticks Alley Eats, organized community members to promote volunteerism in support of homeless children. Chopsticks Alley has an online, multimedia publication to share the voices of young Vietnamese and Filipino Americans through talk shows, podcasts, and other media. Building from this online platform, we launched Chopsticks Alley Arts as a 501(c)(3) organization in 2017, furthering the impact of our programming. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | Creative Sonoma | 141 Stony Circle Suite 110, Santa Rosa, CA 95401 | Sonoma | Bay Area – Other | (707) 565-6121 | District 4, District 2 | Districts 2, 4, 12 | Districts 2 and 3 | With support from the California Arts Council, County of Sonoma Economic Development Board/Creative Sonoma will serve the county’s creative community, its residents, and visitors with programs including grants, professional development, public art, arts education activities, and other special initiatives. | Creative Sonoma provides services in six key areas: |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $46,293.00 | Dance Brigade or Dance Mission | 3316 24TH ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110-3803 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 826-4441 | California Assembly district 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Dance Mission Theater (DMT) will expand its inclusive, artist-driven programming to further racial and gender equity in the arts. Funds will support the development of new works by women, gender-expansive artists, and artists of color. DMT will enhance accessibility by offering affordable classes, performances, and studio rentals, ensuring economic barriers do not prevent participation. We will continue to foster partnerships with local cultural organizations, support emerging artists through showcases and residencies, and provide free dance and wellness programs for underserved communities. Additionally, funds will be used to sustain our accessibility upgrades and support our full-time Accessibility Coordinator, ensuring all programs and services are accessible to people with disabilities. This grant will enable DMT to deepen its impact on the Bay Area’s diverse artistic community. | – Run a thriving inter/multicultural community arts venue, Dance Mission Theater (DMT); |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | Friends of the Arts | 527 Flume St, Unit 2 , Chico, CA 95928-5608 | Butte | Upstate | (530) 228-2860 | California's 1st congressional district | District 3 | District 1 | With support from the California Arts Council, Upstate Community Enhancement Foundation (UCEF) will operate BCAC.tv, our digital media arts center in Chico, which has traditionally focused on at-risk youth. We will continue to partner with CSU, Chico, and Butte College on grant opportunities for the community, and Butte County Office of Education, (BCOE): $5,000 of the total award amount will support the implementation of Poetry Out Loud. Additionally, we will continue to partner with BCOE to get artists back into schools and work to create full access and equity in arts education programs and resources for K–8 students through BCOE’s “Any Given Child” partnership with UCEF. Finally, we will continue to provide technical, financial, and programmatic assistance to arts and cultural groups and individuals while focusing on the underserved and marginalized in Butte County. | Friends of the Arts has two primary programs: 1) Art Grant Awareness and Education workshops, roundtable discussions, and one-on-one sessions. Recent events include Grant Writing 101, and 2.0. These were followed by a series of roundtable zoom meetings where attendees were encouraged to present projects to one another. Our focus is on education and creating greater access to information, and techniques on how to successfully apply for and obtain grants. Creating grants mentors is one goal of this focus – particularly in underserved and marginalized communities. 2) Partnerships with BIPOC groups and individuals as well as institutions such as CSU, Chico, i.e., the LatinX festival on Campus. And with Butte County Office of Education facilitating the Poetry Out Loud competition and the Artist In Schools program (working with developmentally disabled, underserved and marginalized students), and Any Given Child Program ensuring arts for all children. Our county has been in constant crisis since 2017, beginning with the Oroville Dam Spillway crisis where 180,000 people were evacuated to five devastating fires, one of which was the destroyed Paradise in 2018. These fires have consumed 17,500 homes and 5,000 businesses – 16% of our housing stock. Then in 2020 the covid pandemic. Friends of the Arts continues to take on recovery efforts through art therapy and cultural restoration as well as try to rebuild our fragile arts network. We are also working with the City of Chico, CSU, Chico, city museums, the Mechoopda Tribe and cultural organizations to explore a Chico Cultural Corridor or District. Our goal is to utilize the arts as a tool for community building and personal transformation to improve community health and resilience. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | JAZZLINE INSTITUTE | 5924 ALLEN AVE , SAN JOSE, CA 95123-2620 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (415) 860-9866 | 19th Congressional District | District 28 | District 15 | With support from the California Arts Council, JaZzLine INSTITUTE will present the Funky Latin Getdown, a four-day multicultural, intergenerational celebration of Black and Latinx culture in Oakland, including two evening concerts showcasing a dynamic 9-piece ensemble of Black and Latinx artists, a live radio broadcast, two free masterclasses and jam sessions with renowned Black and Latinx guest artists, and an awards program honoring Black and Latinx musical pioneers and emerging talent in our community. | JaZzLine INSTITUTE is dedicated to the preservation, celebration, and education of the historical and cultural significance of music out of the African-American diaspora through performance and educational programs. We produce masterclasses and workshops with visiting artists, educational programming in public schools, music scholarship fundraisers for local youth, memorial programs for departed local musicians, radio programming including live in-studio concert broadcasts, jam sessions for youth, educational events in local juvenile detention centers, and concert programming celebrating Black History and centering women in music. We recognize musical pioneers in our community, both living and departed, through our BAJABA awards. JaZzLine INSTITUTE celebrates diverse forms of music from the African-American diaspora including Negro spirituals, jazz, blues, R&B, soul, gospel, and hip-hop. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $17,360.00 | Hijos del Sol Arts Productions | 443 E Alisal St, Suite C , Salinas, CA 93905-4514 | Monterey | Central Coast | (831) 210-2552 | 18th Congressional District of California | District 29 | District 17 | With support from the California Arts Council HIJOS DEL SOL ARTS PRODUCTIONS will conduct programming from the newly opened HIJOS DEL SOL EXPERIMENTAL ARTS STUDIO. The free and open studio is our unique model, key for youth to find freedom and express themselves while allowing for collaborative innovations. Through this arts collective and hub, Hijos del Sol will conduct professional visual arts instruction, provide supplies and materials. Participants contribute toward the creation of | Hijos del Sol, meaning “Children of the Sun,” embodies a philosophy of interconnectedness and sharing. Established in 1994 by Native American and Latino migrant artists in East Salinas, our award-winning organization has been repeatedly recognized by city, county, and state officials for impactful programming. At Hijos del Sol, every participant is encouraged to explore their creativity freely, fostering authentic self-expression and personal empowerment. In 2024, we reached 2,979 youth and engaged over 2,442 community members in our events. Recent survey results demonstrate that Hijos del Sol fosters artistic growth, confidence, and community. The findings highlight our impact in nurturing both creativity and a supportive community. 76.9% feel a strong sense of belonging HIJOS DEL SOL EXPERIMENTAL ARTS STUDIO is our unique model key for youth to find freedom of expression. With our hub in East Salinas, participants create without fear, unleashing their emotions, imagination, and enthusiasm. HIJOS DEL SOL TRAVELING EXPERIMENTAL ARTS STUDIOS are set up on school grounds for all students to access and rotate into the experimental studio environment. In the coming year, we expect to continue to work with all 14 schools of the Salinas City Elementary District and more. HIJOS DEL SOL CULTURAL EVENTS WITH ARTS EXHIBITS work with students throughout the year fosters a sense of belonging and cultural appreciation. At these events, we keep our traditions alive, preserving our heritage. 1) A Toda Madres, 2) Dia de los Muertos, and 3) Garabatos. HIJOS DEL SOL TRANSFORMATIVE COMMUNITY MURALS include vibrant, symbolic images that reflect the strength of our people, uplift our community, and spread messages of unity and hope. HIJOS DEL SOL APPRENTICES are a cohort under the guidance of Arts Director Jose G. Ortiz and Jose “Pepe” Nolasco. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $140,979.00 | DNACA | 501 H St. Suite 8, CRESCENT CITY, CA 95531-1480 | Del Norte | Upstate | (707) 464-1336 | California's 2nd congressional district | District 2 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, Del Norte Association for Cultural Awareness (DNACA) will provide programs like our Performance Series, Art in Public Places, Poetry Out Loud, and Arts in Education. DNACA has been a cornerstone of the arts in Del Norte County for over 40 years. Serving a low-income area with limited access to cultural opportunities, DNACA fills a critical gap in a region with little arts funding. Funds requested from this grant will support our programs, maintain staff, and assist in funding our Executive Director. This is a pivotal moment for DNACA, and ongoing support is vital to continue providing essential arts support to underserved populations including Indigenous, Hmong, and Hispanic cultural communities, as well as the elderly and at-risk youth in Del Norte County. | 1. Performance Series, with engagement activities and Courtesy Seats. These are live performances from national and international performers in a variety of forms, such as dance, music, storytelling etc. Performers often hold an engagement activity (class or workshop) with local students or community members in their area of expertise. Courtesy Seats are tickets that are provided by local businesses via donation, and offered to foster youth, shelter residents, and other “at risk” community members; |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | Junior Center of Art & Science | 558 BELLEVUE AVE , OAKLAND, CA 94610-5026 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 839-5777 | California's 13th congressional district | District 18 | District 9 | With the support of the California Arts Council, Junior Center of Art and Science will continue to engage in arts-integrated programming with school and community partners. We have returned to our updated facility equipped with multiple interactive learning spaces that meet the needs of families and youth ages 2-17. This grant would allow us to expand onsite operations, and grow our outreach efforts with our local community. Despite our setbacks, we have been able to build new programs, fundraise for our scholarship and sliding scale, and form new community partners, because we remain steadfast in our commitment to arts and science education for all. | The Center provides high quality programs in the arts and sciences. Our center hosts visitors in our five interactive learning spaces including our art studio, maker space, and animal room. Programs are provided both on-site and throughout the Oakland and East Bay Area through school and community partners. Offerings occur during the day, after school and on Saturdays. Classes are taught by professionals in their fields. We are happy to partner with over 40 school and community sites throughout the East Bay Area. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Justice for My Sister | 1000 North Alameda Street, Ste. 240 , Los Angeles, CA 90012 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 533-3706 | California's 34th congressional district | Democratic | Democratic | With support from the California Arts Council, Justice For My Sister will cover 4 days of stipends for on-the-job training of 21 PA Certification Program students. This initiative provides participants ages 18-24 with highly sought-after professional opportunities as early-career filmmakers of color after training them on soft and technical skills required to start a career in the Film & TV industry. By placing our participants on BIPOC film & TV productions, we provide them with tools to start their careers while increasing capacity on set for those productions that are usually under-resourced. | Our programs aim to elevate the voices of emerging filmmakers of color who don’t see themselves represented in the TV and film industry due to nepotism, unpaid internships and exclusionary hiring practices. We also give access to arts to youth and families in communities of color where an arts education is sorely lacking. Our programs reach 2000 participants per year and include: |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | Skid Row Arts Alliance | 1317 E. 7th St , Los Angeles, CA 90021 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (562) 547-9965 | California's 34th congressional district | With support from the California Arts Council, Skid Row Arts Alliance will develop and create artistic experiences for the largest unhoused community in America, namely, the Skid Row community of Los Angeles, that is served by SRAA members Los Angeles Poverty Department, Urban Voices Project and Piece-by-Piece, among others. | The SRAA creates collaborative projects which engage the Skid Row community of Los Angeles County through community events, dialogue, celebration, and important artistic and civic initiatives. The Alliance develops and produces projects which lie beyond the scope of any single membership organization or individual, with the aim to benefit, serve, and reach all constituents and participants of each membership organization. The SRAA serves the intersection of three stakeholders in Los Angeles County, providing services to (1) individual artists impacted by homelessness and severe poverty, (2) a coalition of constituent arts non profit organizations and (3) participating service-provider organizations such as health/wellness and housing providers. | ||
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $140,979.00 | Visalia Arts Consortium, Inc. | 340 E Oak Ave ste 112 , Visalia, CA 93291 | Tulare | Central Valley | (559) 772-0001 | California's 21st congressional district | District 32 | District 12 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Visalia Arts Consortium, Inc., will continue providing the following forms of crucial support to Tulare County, with tracts predominantly rated below 50% in the Healthy Places Index: | Our programs include: |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | San Diego Museum Council | 1270 Cleveland Ave Unit B136, San Diego, CA 92103-3379 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 850-8698 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, SAN DIEGO MUSEUM COUNCIL INC will increase accessibility for under-served communities to more than 80 culturally diverse member museums with three major San Diego County regional programs: “Museum Month” (half-off admission) in February “The Big Exchange” (free admission with memberships) in May “Kids Free San Diego” (free admission ages 12 and under) in October We also provide substantial marketing support, collaboration opportunities, professional development, co-op advertising and networking opportunities for member museums and their people and continue to support historically marginalized cultural institutions. We also actively serve as arts and culture funding advocates on a state and local level. | San Diego Museum Council is comprised of more than 80 member museums, aquariums, gardens, historic sites, gardens, parks, and more across San Diego County. We connect hundreds of thousands of residents and tourists each year to a range of arts, culture, history, and science offerings that is diverse, vibrant and unique to the region. Each year, San Diego Museum Council delivers three promotional programs including “Museum Month” in February, “The Big Exchange” in May and “Kids Free San Diego” in October. These signature programs are designed make our museums more accessible by reducing financial barriers for families. The programs include educational, professional development and outreach events and are supported by integrated marketing campaigns. All year round, San Diego Museum Council provides its members with collaborative marketing, professional development, and networking opportunities. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $46,293.00 | CLA | 2 MARINA BLVD FORT MASON CTR C-265, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123-0000 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 775-7200 | California's 12th congressional district | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, California Lawyers for the Arts (CLA) will continue to provide legal, educational and dispute resolution programs and services for artists and arts organizations throughout California, while expanding access to job training, mentorship and education and career counseling through creative workforce development programs for under-resourced youth and formerly incarcerated persons. | Our core services include legal consultations with attorneys who specialize in arts and entertainment fields; alternative dispute resolution services, including negotiations counselling, conciliation, mediation, arbitration, and facilitation; and education programs that are designed to help artists and arts organization leaders understand legal rights, relationships and responsibilities so that they can become more sustainable. Since the organization’s inception in 1974, we have also been engaged in advocacy to support artists’ rights, freedom of expression, and public funding for the arts. Cross sector initiatives have included community development, arts and environment, and arts in corrections. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | The Ebell of Los Angeles | 743 S LUCERNE BLVD , LOS ANGELES, CA 90005-3707 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 931-1277 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Ebell of Los Angeles will expand its free student matinee program with two new shows celebrating the overlooked accomplishments of historical Los Angeles women. Firstly, The Ebell will present the new musical All About Rose, a piece which is the second installment of The Ebell’s larger Living Herstory initiative– a decade project that educates students on LA women’s history through musical theatre. Secondly, The Ebell will partner with all-female mariachi group Las Colibrí to develop and produce their new piece, Versos y Besos: The Story of Manuela C. García. All About Rose is aimed at 3rd-5th grade students, while Versos y Besos is developed for student grades 6-8. Both programs will be freely presented to LA County schools through The Ebell’s expanding student matinee program. | Today, The Ebell serves over 100,000 people annually as a vibrant cultural presenter, creator, convener, and civic space. In FY2023-2024, The Ebell produced 367 events serving 19,000 individuals as part of its non-profit work, including over 3,000 students. 83.4% of these programs were presented free or low-cost (less than $20 per person). Additionally, The Ebell served 65,000 theatre attendees in 2023-2024, and 20,000 patrons of private rental events. As a creator and producer, The Ebell develops original programs that elevate women’s voices and uncover LA’s untold histories. Flagship initiatives include the Living Herstory free student matinee series, a decade project of musicals, workshops, and curriculum centered on women leaders in Los Angeles, and The Ebell Institute, a public scholarship initiative supporting residencies, symposia, and archival research centered on LA’s unique women’s history. As a presenter, The Ebell curates bold, thought-provoking programming that brings artists, thought leaders, and culture-bearers to the fore. From LA Voices, a free monthly series spotlighting local talent, to Live in the Lounge’s intimate concerts, to high-profile conversations through The Ebell + Writers Bloc Present, The Ebell creates space for connection, dialogue, and discovery—on stage, in conversation, and across artistic disciplines. As a convener, The Ebell provides space for civic dialogue and volunteerism. Programs such as Ebell CARES and the Rest Cottage Association offer critical support services, while the campus regularly hosts public forums, policy summits, and major civic gatherings—from Arts for LA’s State of the Arts to congressional debates. A historic space, The Ebell provides a home for a network of 60+ smaller arts nonprofits, supporting their work through low-cost or free rehearsal/performance space, parking, and technical support. The Ebell of Los Angeles stewards its campus and collections, safe-keeping its rich 100-year history for generations to come. | |||
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Playwrights Project | 3675 Ruffin Road, Ste. #130 , San Diego, CA 92123 | San Diego | Far South | (858) 384-2970 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 77 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, Playwrights Project will empower system impacted youth (youth who are justice involved, in foster care, struggling with housing insecurity, or pregnant/parenting) to take part in restorative circles and write plays that reflect on their personal strengths, voice their stories, and communicate the changes they want to see in the world. By uplifting individual voices, youth will gain confidence in their creative skills and resilience, develop greater empathy for one another, and demonstrate to the public the importance of second chances and countering negative stereotypes. The grant will fund artists’ fees and program and production costs. | Playwrights Project provides playwriting workshops in schools, communities, and correctional facilities, conducts the annual California Young Playwrights Contest for writers under the age of 19, and professionally produces community readings and full productions of Plays by Young Writers and The Mosaic Festival. Playwrights Project’s programs engage underserved populations in dramatizing stories drawn from imagination and life experiences, including reflections on the impact of poverty, incarceration, addiction, foster care, and military service. Recognizing that life presents difficult situations, forces beyond our control, and challenging decisions, the programs guide individuals to reflect on past experiences with compassion, create fictional plays that examine hardships, explore positive non-violent solutions, look forward to brighter futures, and celebrate the resilience gained by triumphing over difficulties. |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $16,897.00 | Lead Guitar | 8105 N Dacosta Street , Downey, CA 90240 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (520) 329-2312 | California Assembly district 42 | District 64 | District 30 | With support from the California Arts Council, Lead Guitar will expand its free services to five additional LAUSD schools where 80% or more of students qualify for Free or Reduced-Price Lunch. Currently, Lead Guitar provides Teaching Artists for classroom instruction, curriculum, teacher training and experiential learning opportunities – like student concerts at local college campuses – to 1,363 students in 21 Los Angeles schools annually. 94% of those students qualify for FRPL, 86% identify as Latinx and 25% are English Language Learners. In-school assemblies from global touring artists and other events serve around 5,000 additional students and community members. Demand for Lead Guitar’s services is out pacing our current reach. We have ten qualifying schools on our waiting list. GOS support from CAC would allow us to reach half of those waiting list schools. | Lead Guitar has a 24-year history of success establishing local operations in major urban areas and positively impacting outcomes in struggling schools. We have served more than 37,500 students and earned the consistent support of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Arizona Commission on the Arts, and the Illinois Arts Council. Lead Guitar’s Four Pillars of Service include: Co-Teaching and Curriculum: Lead Guitar has assembled an international team of Teaching Artists: global concert musicians, Fulbright Scholars and professors with a passion for mentorship. They collaborate with certified K-12 teachers to co-teach in-school guitar ensemble classes using Lead Guitar’s proprietary curriculum and Lead Guitar Digital: a library of instructional videos, lesson plans, and extension activities accessible from any device. Professional Development: Our Teachers’ Workshops offer K-12 teachers formal PD towards promotion and recertification as they master the Lead Guitar curriculum and improve their own playing. In-School Assemblies & We Are Guitar: Global touring guitarists perform for, dialogue with, and inspire students in person, right at their own school, while our interactive We Are Guitar YouTube broadcast (in partnership with Guitar Salon International) provides an online forum for students nationwide to learn from, interview, and perform with guitar celebrities. Student Performances: Middle and High school students perform and are celebrated in front of family and friends at annual Showcase Concerts at their local college campus. Our elementary school families come together at school to perform, celebrate and share food in an atmosphere that supports community building. In short, Lead Guitar delivers “tangibly better student outcomes in terms of dropout rates, behavioral issues and academic achievement” (US News & World Report). |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | Edge on the Square | 800 GRANT AVE , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108-1709 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (628) 800-8980 | 11 | 17 | 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Chinatown Media and Arts Collaborative/Edge on the Square will engage artists and elders in a creative social practice collaboration that will: 1) improve the health and well-being of physically isolated seniors through social cohesion and artmaking; 2) produce artwork as an act of relationship-building, belonging, wellness and thriving; 3) decrease marginalization of Asian American seniors, establishing them as valued contributors to the cultural landscape; 4) help rewrite the anti-Asian narrative still prevalent in a post-pandemic world; and 5) center and amplify underrepresented voices through creative expression and participation in shaping a more equitable, just and joyful world for all. Lead Artist collective (For You—Erika Chong Shuch, Rowena Richie, Ryan Tacata) will support local artists Chris Cheung, Bijun Liang, Summer Mei Ling Lee, Spencer Tsang and Hou Yumei. | Edge on the Square is a visitor destination with community-serving programs that leverage the power of art and culture for social change and economic recovery. Programs include an annual contemporary art festival, an arts educational programs for underserved youth groups and former SRO families in Chinatown, hands-on art workshops for children, community film screenings, literary and culinary programs, and multimedia art exhibitions. |
| State Local Partner Mentorship | 2024-25 | $41,664.00 | Arts and Culture El Dorado | 525 Main Street , Placerville, CA 95667-2400 | El Dorado | Capital | (530) 295-3496 | California's 4th congressional district | District 5 | District 4 | With support from the California Arts Council, Arts and Culture El Dorado will enter Year Three of our mentorship of Alpine County. We have met our Year One and Year Two goals, which included working with elected officials and County staff, merchants, artists, and community leaders; holding public meetings; convening a Steering Committee; choosing a name and deciding on organizational structure; initial program development; filling the new Executive Director position, filing for and receiving nonprofit status, presentation of public programs, refining the organizational budget, and identifying Board members. In Year Three we will focus on fundraising, program development, and marketing, with continued mentorship of the new Executive Director. | Switchboard Gallery Exhibition Series |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | Grupo de Teatro SINERGIA | 2332 W 4TH ST 2332 W 4th ST, LOS ANGELES, CA 90057-2702 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 382-8133 | 34 | District 53 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, SINERGIA Theatre Group-Grupo de Teatro SINERGIA will continue its free Staged Reading Series so that Latinx playwrights can present their work to the public. | Grupo de Teatro SINERGIA (Synergy Theater Group) is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit arts organization operating out of the William Reagh Los Angeles Photography Center, located at 2332 W 4th St., in the heart of the Westlake District, one of the most densely populated and economically challenged areas of Los Angeles on the outskirts of Downtown. We organize arts programs representing the major ethnic groups residing within a five-mile radius of the Center, primarily Latino immigrant groups from Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Mexico. Throughout the years, SINERGIA has worked diligently to establish a working relationship with the surrounding community in order to integrate them as welcomed members of the company. Our focus continues to be on works and arts education programming relevant to our underserved community. We presently serve a highly transient, zero to low-income population, comprised mostly of first-generation immigrants. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Youth in Arts | 917 C ST , SAN RAFAEL, CA 94901-2805 | Marin | Bay Area – Other | (415) 457-4878 | 2nd Congressional District of California | State Assembly District 12 | State Senate District 2 | California Arts Council support for Youth in Arts will advance our impactful Intensive Arts Mentorship (I AM) program for teens and fuel our growth as a community leader in equity-focused initiatives. Bolstering resources for I AM will facilitate economic development through public art and workplace empowerment for Marin’s marginalized youth; amplifying their creative voice, while paying them as working artists. The CAC funds will enable Youth in Arts to continue to evolve as a key advocate for educational equity in and around the North Bay area. The CYD grant will directly support mentorship activities, public art creation and installation, teaching artists’ fees, and the student participants’ stipends, ensuring that our programs continue to provide valuable skills, opportunities, and exposure for underrepresented youth in our community. | For 50 years, Youth in Arts has developed visual and performing arts skills in young people through innovative and meaningful programs that foster confidence, compassion and resilience in students of all abilities. Through direct education, intentional teacher/educator support, and meaningful advocacy, Youth in Arts changes the lives of thousands in and around San Francisco’s north bay as well as insisting that access to a creative life is a right for all students.Through residencies, performances, community events, and intensive mentorship programs , we help young people develop specific art skills and provide opportunities for them to share their work. We maintain a roster of Mentor Artists that is both artistically and culturally diverse, and are dedicated to the principle of “reaching all learners,” differentiating and tailor designing programs for students of diverse backgrounds and students of all abilities. Through our Arts Unite Us residencies, we are the only consistent provider of arts for special education classrooms in Marin County. Other core programs include an extensive in-school residency program, assembly and workshops programs from a culturally relevant pedagogical lens, `Til Dawn A Cappella our teen mentorship, the YIArts.COR is our creative online resource for virtual and digital learning, and the YIA Gallery, one of only a handful of galleries in the country dedicated to showcasing youth art. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | Street Symphony | 1001 Wilshire Boulevard PMB 2258 , Los Angeles, CA 90017 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 222-6221 | 34th Congressional District | District 54 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, STREET SYMPHONY PROJECT INC will continue to invest in the artistic and human flourishing of individuals recovering from incarceration, addiction and homelessness living in the Skid Row community of Los Angeles through collaborative workshops, performances, and individual instruction – particularly in the creation of new multidisciplinary works of performing art presented entirely for free in Skid Row shelters, clinics and community centers. Since 2011, Street Symphony has provided thousands of world-class musical programs with nearly 100 individual LA-based artists from across a variety of diverse musical genres (Jazz, Mariachi, Reggae, West African Drumming, Son Jarocho, Choral and Classical) – bringing in the voices of musicians and artists living in Skid Row shelters who participate in Street Symphony’s programs. All Street Symphony artists – including community members, are paid a professional honorarium. | Street Symphony musicians provide regular performance and workshop programs to shelters, reentry facilities and clinics in Skid Row, LA County jails, and state prisons. In the last 14 years, Street Symphony groups, composed of leading choral, instrumental, Son Jarocho, Mariachi, and jazz musicians in Los Angeles, have presented over 1500 unique programs, reaching 25,000 people affected by homelessness, incarceration, and poverty in LA. Each engagement is a musical performance as well as an opportunity for dialogue, human connection, and storytelling. Street Symphony also hosts a renown yearly event known as The Messiah Project, a community singalong performance of Handel’s beloved “Messiah,” with community artists as choristers, and even composers and soloists. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $140,979.00 | Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture | 1100 Anacapa St , Santa Barbara, CA 93101 | Santa Barbara | Central Coast | (805) 568-3990 | California's 24th congressional district | District 37 | District 19 | With support from the CAC, the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts & Culture will work in community to leverage SLP funds to offset operational expenses and costs for 3 full-time & 3 part-time staff working at 2 public office locations in North and South county to: administer grant programs, produce free public art exhibitions and opportunities, facilitate public meetings, provide training and consultation, and support artists, culture bearers, and arts and cultural organizations countywide. We will continue to prioritize those that have been historically under-resourced, including those in the lowest quartile of the Healthy Places Index, in programming efforts and resource allocations. Abbreviations (used throughout application): | SBCOAC administers a range of programs and services that directly support artists, nonprofits, cultural organizations, and the broader community. – Grants & Funding: SBCOAC manages 4+ annual grant programs that provide direct financial support to artists, nonprofits, and cultural initiatives—promoting innovation, community engagement, and access. SBCOAC continues to expand its reach and impact through regional collaboration and cross-sector partnerships that foster a more vibrant, inclusive, and resilient arts and culture ecosystem in Santa Barbara County. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $23,147.00 | Ghetto Film School | 6121 West Sunset Blvd., c/o NeueHouse , LOS ANGELES, CA 90028 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 738-8290 | 34 | 51 | 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Ghetto Film School will provide 30 LA high-school students with an intensive, afterschool four-month Fine Art & Cinema program, engaging students in more than 150 hours of art history and filmmaking coursework in partnership with the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. All students will write and produce their own two- to four-minute films using hand-cranked Bolex cameras, 15 of which will be selected for public exhibition in the Museum’s galleries and website. Tuition is free, and healthy meals, transportation, and equipment are provided. Fine Arts & Cinema is the third course in the GFS Fellows Program – a 2.5 year, graduate level program in cinematic storytelling that trains students in the art and business of multimedia storytelling while preparing them to advance to higher education. | GFS enacts its mission through two program tracks: a rigorous and practical film education program for high school students (FELLOWS) and early-career support for alumni and young professionals (THE ROSTER). GFS annually serves 5,000 individuals, 14-34 years of age. GFS Fellows Program immerses high school students in a curriculum that develops their artistic expression, executive function, technological expertise, and media-business savvy. The program is grounded in experiential learning and gives participants a well-rounded education in film and media, as well as nurtures their unique interests and strengths. Our curriculum, culture, and support structures are based on a core value of young peoples’ agency over their own narratives and a belief in their innate creative potential. GFS establishes an even playing field with its students, treating all as emerging artists, and emphasizing high expectations, accountability and trust. Our most recent study showed 98% of Fellows graduate high school; 92% matriculate into colleges; and 75% pursue creative careers. Through its Roster member network, GFS paves the way for a successful education-to-industry transition, connecting NYC’s early-career creatives in the film, television and entertainment industries and providing professional development support. Roster creates employment opportunities for GFS alumni, so that media professions become accessible to more diverse visual storytellers, and media content – from feature films to commercials to games – includes the perspectives and experiences of people from backgrounds that are under-represented. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,989.00 | SPACE | 508 W PERKINS ST , UKIAH, CA 95482-4774 | Mendocino | Upstate | (707) 462-9370 | California Assembly district 2 | District 2 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, SPACE will support our Latinx community performing arts program, ¡Viva La Cultura! led by Olivia Zamora. The program includes weekly dance and theater classes, an annual showing of classwork, seasonal dance/theater productions and a Spanish-language summer camp for youth – all focused around supporting Latinx intergenerational learning, cultural enrichment and artistic excellence. | SPACE currently offers over 40 classes-a-week, including: Music Together/Rhythm Kids – Music program for children ages infant through 7. Teen Performing Groups – Advanced performing groups for ages 13-18. Teen Intern Training Program – Offering youth job experience and job-related skills in working with children as well as working in technical theater. Participants have gone on to teach at SPACE and other regional and national theaters. Students often list their SPACE Intern Certificate of Completion on their college and job applications. Performance Workshop – 30 students rehearse and perform a fully-staged musical theater production; 1200 school children attend school day matinees at SPACE Theater. Dance/Theater – Students rehearse and perform fully-staged, theme-based shows created from interviews with participants that address social norms, drug & alcohol abuse prevention, social media addiction, bullying, unlearning racism and gender issues specifically focused on rural youth and families. Latino Community Engagement – Engaging the Latino community as creators, producers, and audience in 2 annual productions. Spring & Winter Dance Festivals – 300+ dancers and singers ages 7 to teens with guest artists, perform in several weekends of shows in December and May. Wanna Dance Latin & Social Dance –Ongoing event on the first Saturday of every month, includes diverse local and regional teachers sharing social dance. Classes & Summer Camps – After-school music, dance, acting, voice classes and summer camps for ages infant to 18 yrs. Contract with Ukiah Unified School District – Performing arts instruction to over 2,200 K-12th graders and to South Valley High School students. Art Exploration – Small groups of children work with master artists to create art using a wide variety of materials. All-Ability Arts – Providing access to the arts for children with disabilities; specialized instruction and accommodations are provided within each class to promote a safe space for self-expression and creativity. |
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | $10,439.00 | Musica Sierra | PO BOX 111 , LOYALTON, CA 96118-0111 | Sierra | Upstate | (209) 202-9238 | 1 | 1 | 1 | With support from the California Arts Council, NEW VINTAGE BAROQUE INC dba Musica Sierra will implement the “A Musical Field Journal” project at Loyalton Elementary School for grades K and 3-6. This innovative book will seamlessly integrate Social & Emotional Learning (SEL), Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) into general education classrooms. The Musical Field Journals will enhance SEL, Science, English Language Arts (ELA), and VAPA skills by exploring elements of nature through song. Students will express their findings through journaling, singing, and dancing. The Musical Field Journals feature engaging melodies and art by local California artists, hands-on activities that bridge music with STEM concepts and environmental awareness, and reflective prompts for students to express their thoughts and feelings. This approach will foster a deep connection to nature and the arts. | Music education for ages 0-99 in the schools and community, music exposure through world class performance and community engagement. This is all done through the arm of Musica Sierra, based in Sierra County. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | ARTogether | 1200 Harrison Street , Oakland, CA 94612-3913 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 545-2787 | District 12 | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, ARTogether will launch the Artist Mentorship Hub, a multidisciplinary artist residency and exhibition project centered around and for first and second-generation refugee and immigrant artists. The Hub will work to foster community and collaboration, guiding participants through one-on-one mentorships, professional development workshops, and creative wellness activities. Through artist retreats, participants will explore their narratives, grounded in diasporic and anti-racist frameworks. The project will culminate in a multi-genre public exhibition and events showcasing their work, providing platforms to their stories and engaging diasporic artists more deeply with the Bay Area artistic community. | ARTogether serves as a resource center for refugees and immigrants throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Our services center around three primary areas: (1) Bringing refugees, immigrants and the wider community together through art workshops and art-centered social gatherings, to foster wellness and community connection. (2) Supporting refugee artists by employing refugee art educators, and by connecting refugee artists to local art galleries and social venues that help them to find new markets for their art. (3) Bringing the arts to Bay Area schools, launching engaging arts programs that promote positive images of refugees and immigrants, while raising public awareness of refugee issues through educational campaigns. |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | AXIS Dance Company | 1370 Tenth Street N/A, Berkeley, CA 94710-1510 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 625-0110 | 12th Congressional district of California | District 14 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, AXIS Dance Company will ensure ongoing accessibility throughout all of our core programs and will produce our 2024/25 Home Season, a biannual event in the Bay Area where we will premiere new work by D/eaf, disabled, non-disabled, and neurodivergent artists. | Our Artistic Advancement Program serves as a training ground for professional D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists and consists of our Summer Intensive, Company Appreniceship, Choreo-Lab, and Teacher Trainings. Our Summer Intensive, now entering its seventeenth year, provides professional development for dancers at all levels of their growth through a multi-day experience that connects participants. Our Choreo-Lab paves the way for D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent choreographers to elevate their artistry through mentoring, networking, and peer support while producing original work. We have built a robust professional development suite of services that deepens Choreo-Lab participants’ understanding of the craft, including grants & fellowships, budgeting, production, presenting, and disability justice workshops, an enhanced year-round mentorship component, and opportunities to connect with Choreo-Lab Alumni and meet with presenters to learn from them. Through our Choreo-Lab program, we have a unique capacity to increase the representation of D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists in the dance field. Many educators lack the tools or training to confidently create inclusive learning spaces for D/deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent students. AXIS bridges that gap. We pair 45-minute integrated dance performances with artist-led discussions, introducing young audiences to disability representation and the expressive power of movement. These experiences are joyful, interactive, and often a student’s first encounter with professional dance. In tandem, we equip educators with tools to create inclusive classrooms through movement-based exercises and dialogue about language, access, and belonging. Our focus on youth programming furthers our goal to introduce new populations to integrated dance. In 2024, AXIS reached 8,000 K-12 students in the Bay Area. 50% of participants were from low-income communities and 80-100% of participants were BIPOC. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $23,147.00 | Calidanza | 8181 Kirkwall Ct , Sacramento , CA 95829 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 599-3441 | California Assembly district 8 | District 10 | District 8 | With Support from the California Arts Council, Calidanza will enlighten students in the Sacramento region with a professional educational production in May 2025 and present school site assemblies for K-8 Schools. The objective of the program is to educate and entertain students with Mexican folk dance and music, teach them about Mexican folk culture and inspire future artist with professional productions that represent Mexico. | Calidanza Mexican Dance Company is a multi-faucet community based organization that serves the artistic and cultural needs of the Latino community of Sacramento, CA. Our organization offers classes, workshops, public performances, in school arts programming and educational shows in and around the Sacramento community. The purpose of this project will be to offer the underserved Latino population of Sacramento a viable outlet to learn, observe, participate or appreciate Latino/Mexican arts programming in their own communities as well as in public venues open to the public. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | Shasta County Arts Council | 1313 Market St. , Redding, CA 96001 | Shasta | Upstate | (530) 241-7320 | California's 1st congressional district | District 1 | District 1 | With support from the California Arts Council, SHASTA COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL will utilize the grant funds towards staff compensations to continue provision of essential services, including technical support to empower local artists and organizations, artist-in-residence opportunities to foster creativity and innovation, content creation to showcase the rich cultural tapestry of our region, and promotion and advertising to amplify the visibility of local arts and cultural events. Additionally, we will support regional arts coalitions, strengthening collaborations and networks among arts organizations to amplify our collective impact, and provide a wide array of arts, cultural, and educational services that enrich the lives of Shasta County residents. Positions supported by this grant are the executive director, arts & grants coordinator, events and member services coordinator, facility coordinator, and media and promotion coordinator. | Shasta County Arts Council (SCAC) is housed in the City of Redding’s National Registry 1907 City Hall – 8,000 sq. feet that includes a classroom, ballroom, television studio, administrative offices and a pocket park next door. Our gallery features 13 exhibits annually including High School & Middle School Juried Art Competitions where 20+ schools participate. SCAC was the first arts council in the state to manage a public access television station (SCAC.tv) and we now teach digital media arts skills to at-risk youth and interested public members. Our ballroom is host to classical music monthly (we own a Yamaha Grand piano), ballroom, ballet & modern dance classes weekly, concerts, performances as well as theater throughout the year. We also host community meetings & rentals, using our space 300+ days per yr. SCAC is the lead agency for the newly formed Redding Cultural District which is one of 14 districts throughout the State of California. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum | 2251 FLORIN RD STE #126, SACRAMENTO, CA 95822-4490 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 320-9573 | California's 6th congressional district | District 9 | District 6 | With support from the California Arts Council, we will expand and strengthen our Youth Docent program. We will increase our annual Youth Docent staff from six to ten docents, host a monthly guest speakers series (including artists, scholars, and entrepreneurs), take the docents on educational field trips, and expand our annual Juneteenth celebration (facilitated by our docents). This grant will also allow us to hire an artist as the Youth Docent Program Manager, which will take some of the pressure off of our Executive Director, Shonna McDaniels, who currently facilitates all of the programs at the museum herself. | SOJO has been working towards expanding and promoting the arts and artists from diverse cultures since its inception. Our goal is to remove barriers and improve representation in the arts. We support race and cultural equity in various ways, such as: |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $17,360.00 | ARTogether | 1200 Harrison Street , Oakland, CA 94612-3913 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 545-2787 | District 12 | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, ARTogether will engage 10-15 refugee and immigrant youth participants in creative activities at the ARTogether Center in downtown Oakland. Meeting bi-weekly, our Youth Creative Impact Studio (YCIS) program will create art projects addressing community issues like climate change, water conservation, and mental wellness. Through printmaking and board game design, our young cohort will learn creative tools for community-building and social justice advocacy. YCIS will include guest speakers and artists guiding the youth in using art as a tool for activism. Additionally, participants will attend local events to practice public speaking and leadership skills. The Project will culminate in a final exhibition showcasing their work, highlighting the program’s impact on empowering youth through creative expression and cultural connection. | ARTogether serves as a resource center for refugees and immigrants throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Our services center around three primary areas: (1) Bringing refugees, immigrants and the wider community together through art workshops and art-centered social gatherings, to foster wellness and community connection. (2) Supporting refugee artists by employing refugee art educators, and by connecting refugee artists to local art galleries and social venues that help them to find new markets for their art. (3) Bringing the arts to Bay Area schools, launching engaging arts programs that promote positive images of refugees and immigrants, while raising public awareness of refugee issues through educational campaigns. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Sketch Odyssey East Bay | 6451 Hazel Avenue , Richmond, CA 94805 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (510) 350-6906 | California Assembly district 14 | District CA-8 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Children’s Art Studio Richmond / Taller de Arte Para Niños Richmond will expand our process-based and nature-inspired arts program for underserved and under-resourced learners aged 2-5 and their families. Building on our program’s strengths, we will continue to nurture creativity, social-emotional skills, and family engagement through workshops, exhibitions, and community events. Our culturally responsive approach and unique bilingual programming ensure inclusivity for these communities of color. We will partner with existing Richmond arts organizations, leveraging spaces to uplift the need for arts and early learning investments while showcasing young talent. This program fosters critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration, enriching the lives of an estimated 180 students, 90 parents, and 200 community members. | The Children’s Art Studio Richmond / Taller de Arte Para Niños Richmond provides free art classes in both English and Spanish to children aged 2 – 5 in the Richmond, CA community, regardless of their background or resources. This program is designed to support each individual child to achieve their highest creative potential, while teaching children basic art-making techniques. We emphasize the importance of cooperation and self-help, self- discipline, and assuming responsibility for the use of these materials. Through this approach, we foster a sense of exploration, creativity, and self- expression in each child. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $46,293.00 | Catamaran Literary Reader | 1050 RIVER ST UNIT 118 , SANTA CRUZ, CA 95060-1768 | Santa Cruz | Central Coast | (831) 840-5099 | California's 20th congressional district | District 29 | District 17 | With support from the California Arts Council, Catamaran Literary Reader will publish poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and fine art images from poets, authors, and artists of all ages, races, classes in a literary and fine arts journal. Our journal is distributed both regionally and statewide, and our public programs for live readings, workshops, and events are held both regionally and statewide through literary events and arts educational courses open to the public. | The vision of our nonprofit is to publish Catamaran, a quality literary and fine arts journal, to • Publishing a healthy mix of debut, emerging, and established poets, creative writers, and artists |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | Arts for LA | PO Box 4099 , West Covina, CA 91791 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 332-7641 | California's 34th congressional district | District 53 | District 30 | With support from the California Arts Council, Arts for LA will expand its portfolio of direct service, technical assistance and education programs for individual artists and creative workers of arts and culture organizations in LA County. On a person-to-person basis, we teach artists and creative workers how to engage and mobilize communities to entrench art and arts education into their constituents’ lives. Additionally, funds will supplement salaries. | Arts for LA is a voice for the arts in Greater Los Angeles that informs, engages, and mobilizes individuals and organizations to advocate for access to the arts across all communities; arts education for every student; robust investment in the arts; and inclusion of diverse and underrepresented voices. Arts for LA invests in leadership development, growing networks of civically engaged advocates; building deep relationships with elected officials; and working in partnership across sectors to make LA a vibrant, prosperous, creative, and healthy society. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $18,517.00 | Museum of Dance | 77 Van Ness Avenue Ste 101 , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (520) 780-6672 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Museum of Dance (MOD) will launch ROOTS: The Legacy of Black Percussive Dance in America Education Program. This comprehensive program integrates professional development workshops for educators, community outreach campaigns, and a four-week schedule of school assemblies and public shows during Black History Month. ROOTS offers educational assemblies, fostering cultural enrichment and community connection. Additionally, virtual engagement ensures accessibility for expanded participation. The culminating event will be the exhibition and performances of ROOTS at Z Space in San Francisco in February 2025, allowing school program participants to enjoy the artists they worked with as they present the history, impact, and inspiration of Black Percussive Dance in America. | Our core programs and services include: Education Partnerships: Collaborating with local and national schools, we provide comprehensive dance education programs for students of all ages, including movement, technique, choreography, performance, and dance history. We also offer civic engagement projects and paid internships, fostering a deep connection between dance and community. Artist Partnerships: Working closely with local and national dance artists, we offer support, resources, and space for their presentations, performances, lectures, and teaching work. By nurturing these partnerships, we contribute to the growth and visibility of dance artists. Archive Partnerships: We collaborate with local and international dance archives, shining a spotlight on hidden dance archives and assisting in the interpretation and understanding of their significance. By showcasing these archives, we contribute to the broader appreciation and preservation of dance history. Exhibition Planning and Preparation: Engaging with students, local artists, national and international historians, and archivists, we design and create dynamic “Pop-Up” exhibitions that explore the connections between dance and communities. These exhibitions foster a sense of community engagement and connection. At the Museum of Dance, we are dedicated to creating an inclusive and enriching environment that celebrates the art of dance and its profound impact on our lives. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $15,430.00 | First 5 Amador | P.O. Box 815 975 Broadway, Jackson, CA 95642-2647 | Amador | Central Valley | (209) 257-1092 | 5th District | District 1 | District 4 | With support from the California Arts Council, First 5 Amador will provide music, movement, and child-led visual art opportunities for families with children 0 – 5 years of age as well as family child care providers and preschool sites focusing our efforts in rural communities. Our programs will offer an array of education and experiences to lay the foundation for a lifelong appreciation of the arts and support early childhood development for Amador’s youngest. Offering these resources and programs to early care providers will create a sustainable system for ongoing music and visual arts for current and future children in their care. | Welcome Baby home visiting (prenatal through 18 months), education and resources for early care providers (family child care, preschools, and family/friend/neighbor caregivers), health & wellness, early literacy including the Imagination Library, family safety, parent education, hands-on child-led programming that includes playgroups such as Messy Mornings. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Musicians at Play | 4804 Laurel Canyon Boulevard #385, Valley Village, CA 91607 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 632-4868 | California's 29th Congressional District | District 44 | District 27 | With support from the California Arts Council, MUSICIANS AT PLAY FOUNDATION INC will expand our music mentorship program to serve youth attending Monroe Community of Schools in the chronically underserved and underfunded community of North Hills, California. | Founded in 2015 by the family of renowned film composer John Williams, MAP is a vibrant community of world-class musicians and educators who partner with schools to offer tuition-free instrumental and vocal music instruction, coaching, and mentoring programs for youth ages 12-27 and free or low-cost professional community concerts in underserved communities. MAP also offers Career Technical Education training events and opportunities. It began with a single band class at New Roads HS in Santa Monica and has grown to include partnerships with schools and school districts in Burbank, Simi Valley, Los Angeles, Inglewood, and North Hills/Monroe Community. Over the past 10 years, MAP programs have impacted more than 41,000 students, teachers, parents, and community members. Its core instructional program, Artists in Schools (Instrumental Youth Orchestra and Choir), is facilitated by accredited educators who are award-winning professional local musicians working in the film, concert hall, and recording industries in Los Angeles and globally. They provide mentorship and training through sequential workshops, culminating in public performances. Fourteen disciplines of music are taught, including Choral, Trumpet, Trombone, Tuba, Horn, Sax, Clarinet, Flute, Percussion, Bass, Cello, Viola, Violin, and Piano. All programs align with California Visual & Performing Arts Standards. In spring 2022, MAP launched the RISE, an annual multi-week, high-level musicianship training and recording experience offering exposure to career opportunities in film/TV. In 2024, MAP launched the Civic Orchestra of Los Angeles (CO-LA) to provide world-class training and performance opportunities for young pre-professional musicians. In April 2024, MAP was approved for a groundbreaking, federally recognized, registered apprenticeship for “Session Musician” and is working on including all instruments within this framework as we build employer partnerships. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | The Colburn School | 200 S GRAND AVE , LOS ANGELES, CA 90012-3007 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 621-1049 | 34th District | District 54 | Senate District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Colburn School will introduce 5,600 underserved elementary students in Los Angeles Title I schools to the performing arts through two dynamic community engagement programs, Musical Encounter and Zipper Orchestra. The programs include live performances, with accompanying curriculum for pre- and post-event classroom activities. | The Colburn School is the region’s recognized leader in performing arts education. Colburn’s four academic units and community programs are: – Community School of Performing Arts enrolls 1,700 students who are between the ages of 7 months and 18 years of age, come from areas across the County and reflect the cultural diversity of Los Angeles. Colburn annually presents 350 free or affordably priced public performances both at it’s downtown campus on Grand Avenue, the art epicenter of Los Angeles, as well as across the County, engaging 36,000+ attendees. We empower our expansive network of musical and dance leaders of tomorrow by equipping them with the tools needed to build creative careers that are sustainable and relevant in our rapidly shifting cultural landscape. We contribute to the creative workforce by supporting professional artists who provide instruction, mentorship, panel discussions, musical direction, and master classes. Colburn’s community impact initiatives serve both internal and external stakeholders simultaneously. Internally, we offer robust learning and performance opportunities for Colburn students in the areas of interactive performance, community engagement, and pedagogy. Externally, we offer a suite of pipeline programs designed to equitably engage students from Title I Schools, present programing for underserved populations, and partner with culturally specific organizations on multiple projects. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $23,147.00 | Versa-Style Dance Company | 7300 CASE AVE , SUN VALLEY, CA 91352-5034 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (831) 419-0427 | California Assembly district 39 | District 39 | District 18 | Versa-Style Street Dance Company (VSDC)’s 20 Year Anniversary Hip Hop and Street Dance Festival will foster intergenerational learning and cultural exchange for local Hip Hop and street dance artists of color who have been historically and systematically under-resourced, prioritizing art forms rooted in their native Los Angeles County (LAC) community. The festival provides young, aspiring street dance artists of color opportunities to strengthen their artistic practice and collaborate with their community. It also provides employment for working professionals and pioneers of Hip Hop and street dance culture, sustaining a healthy, vibrant, and resilient LAC Hip Hop and street dance community. Funding will be allocated to production costs such as rental fees, compensation for performing artists and various weekend activities, including dance battles, performances, a small business market made up of local vendors and more. | Versa Style Next Generation (VSNG): Since 2009, VSNG has provided Hip Hop and Street Dance education and mentorship for LAC youth ages 15-22. Through VSNG, our teaching artists – all of whom are artists of color and alumni of the program – provide personalized instruction in Street Dance technique, history and creative industry knowledge. VSNG also builds a sense of community and cultural affirmation, as well as enhanced socioemotional learning and life skills, such as self-efficacy and resilience. Youth Education and Outreach: We program in LAC communities with high concentrations of low-income students of color. Programming includes providing dance education on-site at the campuses of our K-12 school partners both during and after school. We also partner with the Arts for Healing and Justice Network (AHJN) to produce residencies at juvenile detention facilities throughout LAC. During the 2024-25 school year, our dance education residency programs were provided across eight K-12 schools and two juvenile detention facilities. Dance Companies: We operate two professional dance ensembles: the original Versa-Style Street Dance Company (VSDC) and our newly-formed secondary company, Versa-Style Legacy, composed of recent VSNG graduates. VSDC performs and tours evening-length Hip Hop and Street Dance productions nationally, while VS Legacy performs locally, showcasing Origins of Hip Hop, an educational presentation on the history of Street Dance in America, at schools, community centers and festivals. Community Programs: Our weekly Friday Night Dance Classes have been held regularly since the inception of VSDC and are co-taught by VSDC co-founders, providing access to high quality learning for our students and ensuring our organization’s leadership remains fully immersed in the community we serve. Additionally, we facilitate block party-style Let the Music Move You events 4-5 times a year across LAC, offering rich and diverse entertainment and community building opportunities that also help promote awareness of our programming. |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | Versa-Style Dance Company | 7300 CASE AVE , SUN VALLEY, CA 91352-5034 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (831) 419-0427 | California Assembly district 39 | District 39 | District 18 | With support from the California Arts Council, Versa Style Street Dance Company will subsidize livable wages for three members of our six-person core administrative staff. Staff members are critical to the organization’s sustainability and capacity as an anchor of Hip Hop and street dance culture and education across Southern California. VSDC staff occupy vital roles within the organization, including administrators, teaching artists, performers, mentors and cultural practitioners and represent an internal career development pipeline crucial to the organization’s ethos as a cultural institution with county-wide impact. California Arts Council funding will support VSDC’s ability to care for its artists and provide equitable pay. | Versa Style Next Generation (VSNG): Since 2009, VSNG has provided Hip Hop and Street Dance education and mentorship for LAC youth ages 15-22. Through VSNG, our teaching artists – all of whom are artists of color and alumni of the program – provide personalized instruction in Street Dance technique, history and creative industry knowledge. VSNG also builds a sense of community and cultural affirmation, as well as enhanced socioemotional learning and life skills, such as self-efficacy and resilience. Youth Education and Outreach: We program in LAC communities with high concentrations of low-income students of color. Programming includes providing dance education on-site at the campuses of our K-12 school partners both during and after school. We also partner with the Arts for Healing and Justice Network (AHJN) to produce residencies at juvenile detention facilities throughout LAC. During the 2024-25 school year, our dance education residency programs were provided across eight K-12 schools and two juvenile detention facilities. Dance Companies: We operate two professional dance ensembles: the original Versa-Style Street Dance Company (VSDC) and our newly-formed secondary company, Versa-Style Legacy, composed of recent VSNG graduates. VSDC performs and tours evening-length Hip Hop and Street Dance productions nationally, while VS Legacy performs locally, showcasing Origins of Hip Hop, an educational presentation on the history of Street Dance in America, at schools, community centers and festivals. Community Programs: Our weekly Friday Night Dance Classes have been held regularly since the inception of VSDC and are co-taught by VSDC co-founders, providing access to high quality learning for our students and ensuring our organization’s leadership remains fully immersed in the community we serve. Additionally, we facilitate block party-style Let the Music Move You events 4-5 times a year across LAC, offering rich and diverse entertainment and community building opportunities that also help promote awareness of our programming. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Versa-Style Dance Company | 7300 CASE AVE , SUN VALLEY, CA 91352-5034 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (831) 419-0427 | California Assembly district 39 | District 39 | District 18 | With support from the California Arts Council, Versa-Style Street Dance Company (VSDC) will provide high quality Hip Hop and street dance education to the Black and Brown youth of Los Angeles County (LAC) through our flagship youth program, Versa-Style Next Generation (VSNG). Students will engage in hands-on, culturally responsive arts learning in street dance styles coming from Black and Brown communities such as Hip Hop, popping, locking, house dance and whacking to develop the creativity, skills and knowledge necessary to become self-realized artists. The VSNG program provides a social-emotional creative experience in a safe and nurturing environment that fosters the creative abilities of the youth participants, utilizing the cultural assets of the local LAC community to reclaim the cultural practices of Hip Hop and street dance culture. | Versa Style Next Generation (VSNG): Since 2009, VSNG has provided Hip Hop and Street Dance education and mentorship for LAC youth ages 15-22. Through VSNG, our teaching artists – all of whom are artists of color and alumni of the program – provide personalized instruction in Street Dance technique, history and creative industry knowledge. VSNG also builds a sense of community and cultural affirmation, as well as enhanced socioemotional learning and life skills, such as self-efficacy and resilience. Youth Education and Outreach: We program in LAC communities with high concentrations of low-income students of color. Programming includes providing dance education on-site at the campuses of our K-12 school partners both during and after school. We also partner with the Arts for Healing and Justice Network (AHJN) to produce residencies at juvenile detention facilities throughout LAC. During the 2024-25 school year, our dance education residency programs were provided across eight K-12 schools and two juvenile detention facilities. Dance Companies: We operate two professional dance ensembles: the original Versa-Style Street Dance Company (VSDC) and our newly-formed secondary company, Versa-Style Legacy, composed of recent VSNG graduates. VSDC performs and tours evening-length Hip Hop and Street Dance productions nationally, while VS Legacy performs locally, showcasing Origins of Hip Hop, an educational presentation on the history of Street Dance in America, at schools, community centers and festivals. Community Programs: Our weekly Friday Night Dance Classes have been held regularly since the inception of VSDC and are co-taught by VSDC co-founders, providing access to high quality learning for our students and ensuring our organization’s leadership remains fully immersed in the community we serve. Additionally, we facilitate block party-style Let the Music Move You events 4-5 times a year across LAC, offering rich and diverse entertainment and community building opportunities that also help promote awareness of our programming. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $17,360.00 | ARMORY CENTER FOR THE ARTS | 145 N RAYMOND AVE , PASADENA, CA 91103-3921 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 792-5101 | California's 27th congressional district | District 41 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Armory will provide sequential, after-school visual art classes serving 400 youth aged 5-18 from under-resourced, system-impacted neighborhoods in Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley. Classes are held year-round at six accessible community partner sites in Pasadena—including social services organizations, recreation centers, city parks, and libraries— and one LA County Probation Camp in La Verne, housing teens in the juvenile justice system. All classes are free to participants and represent the Armory’s longstanding, 35-year commitment to making high-quality visual art education accessible to everyone. | The Armory is one of the only organizations in the San Gabriel Valley to offer free arts programming year-round. Our programs enhance social-emotional wellness, provide a powerful vehicle for self-expression, unite communities, and help inspire creative career pathways for youth: Off-Site Programs: Year-round free programming to historically underserved children, teens, older adults, families, system-impacted youth, and unsheltered individuals. School-Based Programs: Cross-curricular instruction to students in Title I classrooms in Pasadena that merge visual arts with core curriculum, including math and environmental sciences. On-Site Studio Programs: Tuition-based arts classes for children, teens, and adults, designed and taught by Armory Teaching Artists at our main facility. Contemporary Art Exhibitions: Rigorously researched and professionally presented exhibitions, screenings, performances, publications, lectures, and panels. Admission is always free. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $46,293.00 | THE ARTS AREA | 2910 S ARCHIBALD AVE A145, ONTARIO, CA 91761-7323 | San Bernardino | Inland Empire | (951) 675-3012 | California's 35th congressional district | District 53 | District 22 | With support from the California Arts Council, THE ARTS AREA will be able to continue providing, strengthening, and broadening its suite of professional services fro the underserved and underrepresented creative industries of San Bernardino, Riverside, and East Los Angeles Counties, through partially funding staff salaries and the hiring of professional artists and experts in the arts business field. | The Arts Area provides a regional professional arts network for all creatives through hosting the largest professional directory, cultural asset map, events calendar, and open call, grants, and jobs boards serving visual and performing artists, creative industry organizations and businesses, academic and cultural institutions, and arts advocates of San Bernardino, Riverside, and East Los Angeles Counties. These services and resources are provided to the community free of charge to assure equitable access to all community members. The Arts Area provides comprehensive fiscal sponsorship and professional business services to assist creative industry startups that might lack needed business support and funding to begin to serve the community by providing them immediate nonprofit status and eligibility for charitable donations, seeking grants, and institutional support, such as, accounting services, tax reporting, marketing, grant writing, donor cultivation, contract preparation, purchasing, credit card processing, general liability insurance, human resources, and other back office services. An emphasis is placed on innovative creative projects that engage in equitable representation and access to the arts. These professional business services and training opportunities are also available to other nonprofit organizations to assist in building their professional capacity. The Arts Area supports an economically viable, equitable, and creative arts community that is an invaluable resource to students, artists, and the community at large. This is a long-term commitment to vitalize artistic and cultural awareness, stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship, and reassert a sense of hope, pride, and accomplishment in the future of the community. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $23,147.00 | Playwrights Project | 3675 Ruffin Road, Ste. #130 , San Diego, CA 92123 | San Diego | Far South | (858) 384-2970 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 77 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, Playwrights Project will provide an artistic community for individuals returning home after incarceration by conducting playwriting programs at reentry facilities and providing year-round work opportunities for those returning home via internships, writers circles, teaching artist trainings, work as teaching artists, and as paid creators, advisors, writers, actors and panelists on productions that will be presented to the general public and toured to correctional facilities or aired via video on institutional television. Each presentation will be followed by a post-performance discussion led as a restorative circle for audiences to process emotions, ideas and reactions to the work and pose questions to a panel of returned citizens and experts in the justice system. | Playwrights Project provides playwriting workshops in schools, communities, and correctional facilities, conducts the annual California Young Playwrights Contest for writers under the age of 19, and professionally produces community readings and full productions of Plays by Young Writers and The Mosaic Festival. Playwrights Project’s programs engage underserved populations in dramatizing stories drawn from imagination and life experiences, including reflections on the impact of poverty, incarceration, addiction, foster care, and military service. Recognizing that life presents difficult situations, forces beyond our control, and challenging decisions, the programs guide individuals to reflect on past experiences with compassion, create fictional plays that examine hardships, explore positive non-violent solutions, look forward to brighter futures, and celebrate the resilience gained by triumphing over difficulties. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $118,007.00 | Solano County Arts Council | 344 Benson Ave , Vallejo, CA 94590 | Solano | Capital | (707) 712-3321 | California's 5th congressional district | District 14 | District 3 | With support from the California Arts Council, Solano County Arts Council seeks to support our community-based arts programs and initiatives aimed at fostering cultural enrichment, promoting artistic excellence, and advancing equitable access to the arts in Solano County. | As we receive ongoing community input we are developing new ideas and strategies that enhance our projects and services. Through our Unique Community Events and Forums, Solano County Arts Council (SCAC) is currently spearheading an effort that would encourage organizations, businesses as well as individual artists and residents, to connect with one another on their perspectives and collaborate on solutions to common issues. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $23,147.00 | Diablo Ballet | PO BOX 4700 , WALNUT CREEK, CA 94596-0700 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (925) 943-1775 | California's 11th congressional district | District 16 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Diablo Ballet will lead its PEEK (Performing Arts Education & Enrichment for Kids Program), a creative movement and social and emotional program for at-risk teenage boys and girls currently in the judicial process at Mt. McKinley Court School at John A Davis Juvenile Hall (Mt. McKinley) in Martinez. The PEEK Program teaches students how to utilize movement to overcome behavioral and mental health roadblocks that impact their lives. | Since 1993, Diablo Ballet has been committed to enriching, inspiring, enlightening, and educating children and adults from Contra Costa and Alameda Counties through classical and contemporary dance performances. Diablo Ballet is the County’s first professional, award-winning dance company; and whose world-class dancers have performed throughout the U.S., Europe, and South America. It’s ballet school, which launched in August 2019, is the first in the history of Contra Costa County operated by a professional ballet company and includes a Dance for Parkinson’s Program offered free by-weekly classes for Parkinson’s patients and their caregivers. Diablo Ballet is committed to serving youth through its engaging arts education initiatives in Title-I schools in the East Bay and in Juvenile Hall in Martinez. Diablo Ballet has reached more than 75,000 underserved elementary school students and at-risk teens with its interactive Performing Arts Education & Enrichment for Kids (PEEK) Program since 1995. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | Vital Arts | 1831 SOLANO AVE UNIT 7612 , BERKELEY, CA 94707-5032 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (408) 933-8692 | 12 | 14 | 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Vital Arts will produce the The Vital Arts Bay Area Artist Census Kickoff Celebration, a community-engaged artistic response to the pressing need to better understand and address the specific challenges faced by artists in the Bay Area. Our event features 16 performances over two days in San Francisco and Oakland featuring artists from the Vital Arts community. Additional activities include informed talks and community discussions. Performances, talks and exhibits will address the theme of housing insecurity—a prevalent concern among BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ artists in the Bay Area. | Current programs designed to combat the displacement of artists and preserve their essential contributions to their communities’ culture and economy include: Artist Space Trust (AST): Partnering with the Northern California Land Trust, AST provides permanently affordable housing and creative spaces for artists, using a community land trust model to facilitate intergenerational transfers of property, ensuring affordable ownership and control. (www.artistspacetrust.org) Artist Displacement Prevention Grant: A one-time grant offering up to $2,500 to artists facing urgent financial emergencies and displacement risks, serving artists in Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco counties. Trust-Centered Mutual Aid and Technical Assistance: We support the most historically underserved artists including LGBTQ+, disabled, unhoused, and BIPOC artists, collectives, and small organizations in operational, development, and financial stabilization. Bay Area Artist Census (BAAC): A 3-year initiative gathering data to support the local artist community, focusing on BIPOC, trans, and disabled artists. The first year emphasizes community engagement, educational outreach, and gathering input on census design. Advocacy: Collaborating with regional and statewide agencies to draft and propose legislative policies supporting artist housing and workspace, partnering with organizations like Safer Spaces DIY to adapt legal structures for artist spaces. Artist Displacement Data & Information: As a regional hub, Vital Arts combines data on artist displacement with quarterly stakeholder meetings to formulate and implement strategies preventing displacement. Resource & Information Sharing: Networking with local stakeholders to share knowledge and resources tackling housing and economic challenges for artists. Supported by a team of volunteer experts in various fields. AB 812 Community Toolkit Development: Assisting in developing resources to implement CA Bill AB 812 for artist housing near cultural zones, enhancing the availability of affordable housing for artists statewide. |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | Youth in Arts | 917 C ST , SAN RAFAEL, CA 94901-2805 | Marin | Bay Area – Other | (415) 457-4878 | 2nd Congressional District of California | State Assembly District 12 | State Senate District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, Youth in Arts will continue as a community-based arts and culture organizational leader in the North Bay of San Francisco and throughout the region. General Operating support will bolster YIA’s steadfast provision and advocacy of equitable and accessible arts education that amplifies the student voice, catalyzes community development, and forges creative pathways for systematically marginalized communities. YIA’s key programs include Artists in Schools (AIS) that brings professional, working artists to schools through long-term residencies; Arts Unite Us (AUU), providing on-going arts access for students with disabilities; and the Intensive Arts Mentorship (I AM) a program that offers teens creative youth development through a mentorship and job skills training model. | For 50 years, Youth in Arts has developed visual and performing arts skills in young people through innovative and meaningful programs that foster confidence, compassion and resilience in students of all abilities. Through direct education, intentional teacher/educator support, and meaningful advocacy, Youth in Arts changes the lives of thousands in and around San Francisco’s north bay as well as insisting that access to a creative life is a right for all students.Through residencies, performances, community events, and intensive mentorship programs , we help young people develop specific art skills and provide opportunities for them to share their work. We maintain a roster of Mentor Artists that is both artistically and culturally diverse, and are dedicated to the principle of “reaching all learners,” differentiating and tailor designing programs for students of diverse backgrounds and students of all abilities. Through our Arts Unite Us residencies, we are the only consistent provider of arts for special education classrooms in Marin County. Other core programs include an extensive in-school residency program, assembly and workshops programs from a culturally relevant pedagogical lens, `Til Dawn A Cappella our teen mentorship, the YIArts.COR is our creative online resource for virtual and digital learning, and the YIA Gallery, one of only a handful of galleries in the country dedicated to showcasing youth art. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | Musica Sierra | PO BOX 111 , LOYALTON, CA 96118-0111 | Sierra | Upstate | (209) 202-9238 | 1 | 1 | 1 | With support from the California Arts Council, New Vintage Baroque Inc. dba Musica Sierra will present Musical Headwaters: Garden, the fifth commission in its series. This innovative program commissions new works inspired by the Sierra Valley, bridging nature-based education with the visual and performing arts. This year, Musica Sierra collaborates with Fire & Grace and Nightbirds, led by Jade Henricks, a non-binary, bi-racial soul singer-songwriter. This marks Musica Sierra’s first BIPOC-commissioned artist, highlighting our commitment to diversity. The musicians will conduct a week-long residency at Sierra and Plumas Joint Unified School Districts, reaching over 1,000 students. The residency will culminate in two public performances, one in Loyalton and one in Reno. This program underscores the importance of BIPOC collaboration, enriching our frontier community with diverse cultural expressions and providing invaluable educational experiences for our youth. | Music education for ages 0-99 in the schools and community, music exposure through world class performance and community engagement. This is all done through the arm of Musica Sierra, based in Sierra County. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | Arts4MC | 24600 Silver Cloud Ct suite 202 , Monterey, CA 93940-6555 | Monterey | Central Coast | (831) 622-9060 | California's 20th congressional district | District 30 | District 17 | With support from the California Arts Council, Arts4MC will be able to continue providing accessible and inspiring arts education programs and experiences to all members of our community, especially those in underserved areas; offering residencies and support for emerging and established artists to develop and showcase their work; bringing art into public spaces and involving community members in creating public artworks; and providing specialized programs for youth and adults that weave creative mastery with social and emotional learning to develop their truest potential through Community Partners such as Rancho Cielo, Al & Friends, CHISPA, Veterans and more! | There is no organization in our county that connects more artists, students, cultural nonprofits and partners to visual and performing arts. Each year we expand our capacity to ensure that everyone benefits from high quality arts programs, including developing strategic partnerships in every supervisorial district in our community. Our guiding strategy is to support artists, teaching artists and arts organizations wherever there are substantial gaps – whether by demographics (low-income), location (rural) or by circumstances (at-risk-youth), we provide direct services. Today, we strengthen the ability of hundreds of artists, cultural groups and arts organizations to effectively serve our residents, as we present award-winning projects and programs that help address our communities’ greatest needs through the arts, serving our residents in English and Spanish. Arts Education – Our Professional Artists in the Schools is a cornerstone program providing teaching artist residencies in 40 partner schools, reaching more than 26,000 students. Our Arts as Healing program provides specialized classes for at-risk youth, people with disabilities, senior citizens and veterans, weaving creative mastery with social and emotional learning to develop their truest potential. Capacity Building – We stimulate the creative economy through the development of artists and arts organizations. Since 1985, artists, nonprofits, and cultural groups maximize their reach and deepen impact through our grant funding, training and consultations. Further support includes professional development workshops on grant writing, marketing and advocacy. We also provide affordable art studios to local emerging artists through our ArtWorks program. Community Partnerships – We are often approached to strengthen and connect arts programming to crucial community needs. We have provided services such as a hands-on arts program at the Monterey Bay Aquarium for historically-excluded Salinas teenagers, visual arts programs at Rancho Cielo Youth Center for at-risk young adults and a mural beautification project at the Veterans Transition Center. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $46,293.00 | Education Through Music-Los Angeles | 2501 W BURBANK BLVD STE 301 , BURBANK, CA 91505-2347 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 433-7600 | California's 30th congressional district | District 43 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, ETM-LA, Inc. will provide equitable support to a network of LA County schools, districts, communities, and artists through quality music education programs and professional development. Students in under-resourced areas will receive free music classes taught by teaching artists to close the opportunity gap. | Education Through Music-Los Angeles incorporates interdisciplinary learning into the academic curriculum by collaborating with music teachers, artists, and academic teachers on an ongoing basis through professional development workshops and participation in school staff meetings. We address the cultural needs of each school through collaborative strategic planning and by practicing a culturally responsive approach to teaching music. ETM-LA employs the following key initiatives: Through these key initiatives, ETM-LA strives to broaden and deepen school and community understanding of, and support for, arts education. We work to build school and community efforts towards sustaining programs independently and long term. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | Fresno Arts Council | 1245 Van Ness Ave. 1245 Van Ness Ave., FRESNO, CA 93721-1711 | Fresno | Central Valley | (559) 237-9734 | California's 21st congressional district | District 31 | District 14 | With support from the California Arts Council FRESNO ARTS COUNCIL INC (FAC) will engage with the local arts community in Fresno County to support and expand their growth and development through mentoring, technical assistance, identifying grant and job opportunities. We will also provide support for program development through individual planning sessions. FAC will act as a resource for the general public, developers, and public entities for issues and information related to Fresno’s vast arts ecosystem. While not a presenter, we will continue to stage events such as ArtHop, Fresno County State of the Arts/Horizon Awards and Arts Alive in Agriculture to ensure that Art in all its forms and local artists receive public attention. We will use CAC grant funds to specifically support staff positions. | Fresno Arts Council Programs and Services |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | iSing Silicon Valley | 600 Colorado Ave , Palo Alto, CA 94306 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (650) 380-4653 | California's 16th congressional district | District 23 | District 13 | With support from the California Arts Council, iSing Silicon Valley will operate iSing@RWC, a fully subsidized, after-school choral education program for 3rd-5th grade children attending Title 1 schools in Redwood City, CA. iSing@RWC will feature a semester of hour-long classes, held after school, on campus at partnering schools, culminating with a family friendly public concert. Led by a dedicated teaching team with extended experience of iSing’s innovative curriculum for elementary age children, culture of welcome, and emphasis on safe and supportive learning, participants will gain new musical skills, grow together as a team, and celebrate the joy of singing together. | Year-round auditioned choral education program 1: Palo Alto Location: iSing: 5 ensembles for girls in grades 1–12, with an annual enrollment of about 300, including 3 self-produced performances attended by about 2,000, a small number of contracted and/or collaborative performances, and a bi-annual international summer tour for iSing’s elite chorus. Year-round auditioned choral education program 2: Redwood City Location: iSing@RWC: Fully subsidized, year-round, after-school program for girls in grade 3–5 attending Title 1 schools in Redwood City, including family friendly Holiday and Spring concert performances attended by a total audience of 700. Summer choral education programs: Palo Alto Location: two weeklong, immersive day camps for elementary school age girls, with an annual enrollment of 60 (30 each week), with 2 self-produced performances attended by 200. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | Trinity County Arts Council | PO BOX 1887 , WEAVERVILLE, CA 96093-1887 | Trinity | Upstate | (530) 623-2760 | California's 2nd congressional district | District 2 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, TRINITY COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL ASSOCIATION will serve as a conduit, bridge builder, producer and advocate of accessible arts education for all ages, the professional development of artists and culture bearers, and increased access to artistic opportunities for underserved and historically marginalized communities. We foster cultural vitality, sustainability and pride through culturally relevant artistic experiences, events and programs that empower artists and culture bearers to meaningfully enrich our community, with a commitment to prioritize our most historically marginalized peoples first, and to support a broad spectrum of artistic expression, mediums and traditional cultural practices in order to uplift and nurture the well-being of our county’s diverse creative and cultural ecosystem. | Trinity County Arts Council represents a deeply rural and underserved community and has an abiding commitment to prioritize social and racial equity. Outreach and Access to our underserved communities is highly prioritized and underlies all of our programming, including those regions in the lowest 15% HPI, and underserved cultural communities including the Hmong, Native American, Latinx, LGBTQ+, and the geographically remote. All TCAC programs and services are designed, evaluated, and regularly improved in order to equitably reach all of our citizens, provide direct access to the arts and culture by diverse ages and demographics, and assist in the development of professional artists and community arts organizations while promoting Trinity County as an Arts & Culture Destination. We facilitate arts education for all ages through workshops offered locally and outside of Trinity. We prioritize youth arts education through the Festival of Light Art Music & Dance Scholarship, and Artists in Schools Programs, augmenting k-12 arts education, and involvement in the North State Together internship program. We provide opportunities for musicians and artists to network, exhibit and sell their art through the signature events that we produce. These events have a proven track record for attracting residents and visitors from beyond Trinity County; Monthly Art Walk, Artists in Action, Wintu We Are Still Here Project, Get To Know Your Neighbors Storytelling and Culture Project; Festival of Light Crafts Event and Art, Music and Dance Lessons Scholarship Program, Art 4 Arts Sake, Music in the Park, Trinity Alps Chamber Music Festival, and Trinity Heritage Days Festival. Artists enjoy increased exposure to a wide audience through the Art in Public Places Program. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $17,360.00 | Teapot LA | 1921 WEST BLVD , LOS ANGELES, CA 90016-1719 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (786) 351-0302 | District 37 | District 54 | District 30 | With support from the California Arts Council, TEAPOT GARDENS will fund Pathway to Art Oasis, a pre-program consisting of 5 free art therapy workshops in Los Angeles parks and gardens for 150 participants. Designed for system-impacted youth aged 13-20, CAC grant funds will fund art therapists, cover art supplies, and facilitate community outreach. These workshops provide therapeutic environments for emotional healing and personal growth, preparing participants for our Art Oasis mentorship program. The program aims to provide tools to process trauma, enhance emotional well-being, and improve social skills. By fostering a sense of community and developing critical life skills, Pathway to Art Oasis offers a transformative experience, paving the way for youth to pursue creative careers and personal development. | Teapot offers two programs serving two different markets. Art Oasis targets system impacted youth in South Central Los Angeles, while Paradaiza is designed for artists and creatives across Los Angeles who are interested in sharing their talents with the next generation. Our program model is based on a giving tree approach, where artists generously give back to our community. Art Oasis is a paid internship and job training program for youths aged 13-18, where they learn the marketing aspects of being an artist through hands-on event production. In one-on-one mentorships with industry professionals, participants train as producers, community organizers, graphic designers, teaching artists, filmmakers, and editors. They collaborate to design and execute a series of 6-8 free, outdoor events for their community, providing healing through art while building valuable, career-ready skills. Paradaiza is a distinct community of 20-39 yr old creative adults interested in activism. We gather in our Paradise Garden as a common ground to share ideas, collaborate, and build community. Modeled on the ancient lifestyle around Paradise Gardens, we aim to revive the idea that culture was born in a garden, and it takes a village! Our garden serves a gathering place for artists to seed their ideas to fruition, and create programming geared towards adults. Programs like Folktales and Fire, Kimchi Forage & Ferment, and Picnic in Paradise began in our garden. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | LACE | 6522 HOLLYWOOD BLVD , LOS ANGELES, CA 90028-6210 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 250-0940 | California's 28th congressional district | District 50 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, LACE will commission artist Carlo Magrihang to engage with Los Angeles’s local Filipinx community in the creation of “Anito,” a new temporary public artwork addressing understandings of queerness and masculinity through reflections on familial history and ancient indigenous Filipinx spiritual practices. | Founded in 1978 by a core group of committed artists, LACE is an internationally recognized pioneer among art institutions. LACE is a nonprofit venue that exhibits and advocates for innovations in art-making and public engagement. Uniquely positioned among commercial galleries and major art establishments at the heart of Hollywood as a free, open to the public experimental space, LACE has nurtured not only several generations of young artists, but also emerging art forms such as performance art, video art, digital art, and installations. LACE presents significant and timely exhibitions, performances, and public projects, which are complemented by education initiatives. LACE’s core values have remained the same since its founding in 1978: A dedication to the art of our time that focuses on freedom of expression; experimentation with ideas, materials, and new forms; and content that is challenging and socially engaging. |
| State Local Partner Mentorship | 2024-25 | $41,664.00 | Fresno Arts Council | 1245 Van Ness Ave. 1245 Van Ness Ave., FRESNO, CA 93721-1711 | Fresno | Central Valley | (559) 237-9734 | California's 21st congressional district | District 31 | District 14 | With support from the California Arts Council the Fresno Arts Council will provide mentorship and support to Kings County stake holders to assist them in establishing a State Local Partnership program that will serve as a resource and hub for local artists and arts organizations to increase visibility, access to funding opportunities and to increase the economic benefits that result from maintaining a vibrant arts community. | Fresno Arts Council Programs and Services |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | N/A | 720 KOHLER ST , LOS ANGELES, CA 90021-1518 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 627-9621 | California's 37th congressional district | District 57 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, Inner-City Arts will engage approximately 60 after-school students, during the grant period, to explore visual storytelling through photography. Students will gain basic skills and learn about design principles to convey emotions, ideas, and narratives while developing their own photographic style, culminating in photo series projects weaving cohesive narratives. | During the school day and on weekends, elementary, middle, and high school students come to Inner-City Arts to engage with professional teaching artists in well-equipped studios, and receive hands-on instruction in a myriad of art subjects through the following programs: Learning and Achieving Through the Arts (school day program, grades K-8) Through our school day program, we serve primarily Title 1 schools within a ten-mile radius of our campus in Downtown Los Angeles. We also offer on-site residency services to schools outside of commuting distance or with restricted bell schedules. Visual, Media and Performing Arts Institutes (out-of-school program, grades 5-12) Our out-of-school program is open to the public and provides access, exposure, and an introduction to skills building for students in grades 5th-12th-grade during the following terms: fall (10 weeks), spring (10 weeks), and summer (2-week intensive); and students in grades K-6th in the summer (two week intensive). Professional Development Institute (adults) The Professional Development program at Inner-City Arts aims to increase and improve arts and arts-integrated learning opportunities for students. We do this by making it easy for educators to implement and increase those opportunities in their teaching spaces, whether they have formal training in the arts or not. Work of Art Program (grades 10-12 and early career/paid internship program) Work of Art is a college and career exploration program designed to provide creative youth with the skills, training, and real-world experience necessary for life beyond high school. Rosenthal Theater (all ages) Our black box theater brings people together to nurture their creativity, celebrate their diversity, and imagine new possibilities. We have the capacity to serve more than 7,000 community members, artists, students, and their families. The impact of our theater experience ties directly to our arts programming, people in our local communities, and to emerging artists. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | CALIFORNIA INDIAN BASKETWEAVERS ASSOCIATION | 428 Main St. , Woodland, CA 95695-3432 | Yolo | Capital | (530) 668-1332 | California Assembly district 4 | District 4 | District 3 | With support from the California Arts Council, the California Indian Basketweavers Association (CIBA) will continue to promote the practice and study of traditional California Indian basketry techniques and forms. CIBA does this by conducting regional workshops and an annual gathering that bring in master basketweavers to teach local community members the technique and history of basketry in California, as well to discuss issues and opportunities surrounding land access for gathering basketry materials. | Core organizational programs and services of the California Indian Basketweavers’ Association (CIBA) include our Annual Basketweavers’ Gathering, KNOT Regional Basket weaving Workshops and Cultural Fire Programs. In addition CIBA advocates for the protection of traditional cultural resources on public and tribal lands and traditional gathering sites, and encouraging the reintroduction of such resources and designation of gathering areas on such lands. CIBA is also active in monitoring and discouraging pesticide use in traditional and potential gathering areas for the safety of weavers, gatherers and others in tribal communities. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | Fulcrum Arts | 145 North Raymond Avenue , PASADENA, CA 91103 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 793-8171 | California's 27th congressional district | District 41 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, Fulcrum Arts will provide subsidized fiscal sponsorship and professional development services to 200-300 diverse artists through 85 projects throughout Southern California, focusing on the Los Angeles region. Outreach and programming target and uplift historically underrepresented populations, focused on those in lowest quartile and 50% HPI areas. | We focus on the intersection of art, science, and social change across the spheres of human creative achievement and reflect on the diverse cultural groups that comprise the Pacific Rim. This geographic focus favors a multicultural dialogue, decentralizing Eurocentric historical narratives in favor of more inclusive perspectives. Fulcrum Arts also offers support to artists, independent arts organizations, and non-profit cultural organizations through fiscal sponsorship, professional development, consulting, and financial services. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | Foglifter Press | 1200 CLAY ST APT 4 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108-1428 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 710-6537 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Foglifter Press will continue our Start a Riot! Chapbook program for SF Bay Area QTBIPOC literary artists. In response to rapid gentrification and displacement of QTBIPOC+ literary artists in the Bay Area, and in celebration of their revolutionary history, Foglifter Press and Still Here SF joined forces to create a chapbook prize for local emerging QTBIPOC writers. One QTBIPOC literary artist is annually awarded publication, a $2,000 cash prize, a reading release party with the winner and their guests at an accessible San Francisco host venue of their choice, and $1,000 to support the publication’s promotion. This project strengthens our community connections by highlighting local QTBIPOC+ writers and collaborating with local partners. | Foglifter operates four core programs: 1) Annually publishes two issues of our Foglifter literary journal featuring the original work of 60–80 2SLGBTQIA+ literary artists who receive honorariums for publication; 2) Annually publishes one Start a Riot! chapbook with prize winning authors receiving honorariums/royalties); 3) Annually produces at least four free literary events each featuring at last six 2SLGBTQIA+ writers who receive honorariums; 4) Invests in the professional development of 2SLGBTQIA+ literary artists through our programming, workshops, social media outreach and guest editorships featuring paid honorariums. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | NoCCA | 630 S Brawley Ave Suite 5 , Brawley, CA 92227-3107 | Imperial | Far South | (760) 550-1117 | California's 51st congressional district | District 56 | District 40 | With support from the California Arts Council, North County Coalition for the Arts will continue to grant funds to local students, artists, arts events, and organizations. We will also be able to continue to offer stage rental services to local organizations, produce our own community theater productions, and compensate our staff. We will also use funds to expand programming for arts workshops. Lastly, funds will also help us to pay for office and storage rental and other administrative and logistical costs. | NoCCA provides financial support to local artists, programs and organizations, as well as scholarships for students. We help to promote and advertise local arts events and provide stage rental services for local events. NoCCA also produces community theater every fall and spring. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | BEMOVING | 1720 Mission St Apt 11 , South Pasadena, CA 91030 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (650) 283-7770 | California Assembly district 28 | District 49 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, BEMOVING will invite 4 local dance artists to participate in its 2025 GHOST LIGHT RESIDENCY (GLR) and host a showcase of alumni artist-residents that includes live performance, interviews, and screenings. GLR is a program devoted to granting LA dance artists from marginalized communities time, space, and resources to invest in their artistic voice and the development of their professional practice. The program awards each artist a week-long residency inside of an LA theater where they receive access to the theater’s lighting and sound systems, a $1,000 honorarium, and high-quality audiovisual documentation. GLR artists are encouraged to present research or completed work at a free public event that invites members of the community to meet the artists through an informal showing and Q&A. | EDUCATION BEMOVING offers high-quality, financially accessible workshops for professional dancers and dance enthusiasts. Every week, we host donation-based contemporary dance classes, serving a community of more than 200 regular attendees. Our teaching artists work with leading dance organizations in the US and abroad such as The Juilliard School, USC’s Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, CalArts, Jacob’s Pillow, Nederlands Dans Theater, Batsheva Dance Company, and The Forsythe Company. Most importantly, in 2023 alone BEMOVING offered $15,000 worth of scholarships to attendees from marginalized communities with a priority to local, regional, and state-wide applicants. Invited teaching artists have included prominent Los Angeles dancers such as Jermaine Spivey, Spenser Theberge, Bobbi Jene Smith, Nina Flagg, Jillian Meyers, Julia Eichten, Karen Chuang, and Austin Tyson. PRODUCTIONS Since 2018, BEMOVING has produced 13 new works that have been viewed by more than 10,000 people and presented throughout North America, Europe, and the Middle East. Notable productions include LA native Kevin Zambrano’s HOUSE OF RED, a 60-minute outdoor dance-theater work that explores queer nightlife, and Austin Tyson’s dance film, LONG DISTANCE, a send-off to Japanese artist Itaru Sasaki’s “wind phone” installation, which asks visitors to have conversations with lost loved ones. In 2024, BEMOVING will be partnering with Whim W’Him, Culture Lab, b12, and Backhaus Dance to premiere new works. RESIDENCIES BEMOVING hosts an annual residency program that enables dance artists from historically marginalized groups opportunities to further their craft and receive hands-on professional development. Since 2021, BEMOVING has invited dance and movement artists to participate in its GHOST LIGHT RESIDENCY, which has hosted 10 residents to date. All residents receive a week-long residency inside of an LA theater, collaboration with the theater’s technical department, photo and video documentation, an opportunity to publicly present their practice and work, and a $1,000 honorarium. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,989.00 | The Center for ArtEsteem | 3111 West Street , Oakland, CA 94608 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 652-5530 | District 12 | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Attitudinal Healing Connection, Inc. doing business as The Center for ArtEsteem will provide a self-reflective 12-week course in portraiture for 15 low-income older adults, ages 55+, most of whom are Black, Indigenous, and other people of color. The program, “Portraiture as Affirmation and Revelation,” will be implemented in partnership with St. Mary’s Center and held on-site at St. Mary’s Community Center in West Oakland, where program participants access basic needs services, housing assistance, community connection and activities. | ARTESTEEM Projects include: *ArtMobile *Oakland Super Heroes Mural Project *Professional Development HEALING CIRCLES COMMUNITY BUILDING |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $17,360.00 | SCRAP | 834 Toland Street , San Francisco, CA 94124-1314 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 647-1746 | 12th Congressional District of California | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, SCRAP will fortify and expand its Arts Education Outreach programs providing high-quality art enrichment opportunities for students K-12 in San Francisco’s most underserved communities. Working with our community nonprofit partner organizations, we will offer programs free of charge to approximately 1,000 students, 30 weeks a year. Programs will be 1 to 1.5 hours one or twice per week. | By processing 200+ tons of donated materials and supplies each year, SCRAP is able to divert resources from landfills and instead provide them to under-resourced nonprofits, Bayview families, environmental artists, and classrooms in need. SCRAP’s core programs are as follows: I. Arts Education Outreach II. The DEPOT III. COMMUNITY ART WORKSHOPS IV.TEACHER SUPPORT PROGRAMS (Free Teacher Workshops/ Bi Annual Give Away) |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | artEquity Community | 556 S FAIR OAKS AVE STE 101 # 464 , PASADENA, CA 91105-2657 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 986-5792 | With assistance from the California Arts Council, artEquity Community will support and expand core programming that centers BIPOC leadership and wellness. This includes the BIPOC Leadership Circle, BIPOC Surviving Predominantly White Institutions, and initiatives to engage our growing alumni base. The Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) Leadership Circle brings together BIPOC leaders of cultural arts institutions to provide support, strategies, and systems of accountability while creating dynamic new leadership models that center BIPOC experiences. Black, Indigenous, People of Color Surviving Predominately White Institutions is a series of trainings that supports BIPOC staff in navigating organizational environments that are not always conducive to their growth. These core programs support BIPOC artists and arts leaders in building community and solidarity, and they offer powerful tools and strategies to advance equity throughout the arts sector. | We have created programming that centers the needs of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) artists and art leaders, with a through-line of intentional support for Black artists and leaders. Our programs empower participants to scrutinize and upend the power structures that shape our society and institutions, to build community and collective power, and to imagine new ways of doing things – together. We also offer robust alumni programming and engagement, and we provide direct fiscal support to artists, arts leaders, and cultural bearers through our Artist and Activist Community Fund. Two of our core programs are: Black, Indigenous, People of Color Leadership Circle (BLC): Black, Indigenous, People of Color Surviving Predominately White Institutions (BIPOC Surviving PWIs): Alongside these core initiatives, we offer a robust array of additional digital and in-person programming, including Talking Back, a web series that engages in critical and impactful conversations with artists, activists, and leaders working in the arts sector; Alumni Convenings which gather hundreds of past program participants to build community and strategy; and a variety of virtual workshops for individuals and organizations offering foundational tools and strategies for organizational change. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,989.00 | Justice for My Sister | 1000 North Alameda Street, Ste. 240 , Los Angeles, CA 90012 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 533-3706 | California's 34th congressional district | Democratic | Democratic | With support from the California Arts Council, Justice for My Sister will cover facilitators’ salaries for an extension to our BIPOC Sci-Fi Screenwriting Lab, where 20 participants will write a short script based on the TV pilot they wrote in the BIPOC Sci-Fi Screenwriting Lab, along with a pitch deck and budget for a proof-of-concept short film. Our BIPOC Sci-Fi Screenwriting Lab program is an artistic development program for low-income BIPOC artists to establish their voices as screenwriters and pave the way for their economic independence. Participants will be led through 5-week workshops where they write a short script in the Afro-futurism or Indigenous-futurism genres. | Our programs aim to elevate the voices of emerging filmmakers of color who don’t see themselves represented in the TV and film industry due to nepotism, unpaid internships and exclusionary hiring practices. We also give access to arts to youth and families in communities of color where an arts education is sorely lacking. Our programs reach 2000 participants per year and include: |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | LAMusArt | 3630 E 3RD ST , LOS ANGELES, CA 90063-2409 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 262-7734 | California's 40th congressional district | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Los Angeles Music and Art School will provide equitable, affordable and high quality arts education and performance opportunities in music, art, dance and drama to students of East Los Angeles and beyond so they are afforded the artistic skills and tools to succeed. | Since its inception, LAMusArt has created equitable opportunities to engage in free and/or low-cost quality arts programming for students as young as age 4 continuing to seniors 65+. Across four disciplines, we offer dozens of weekly (private and group) classes (both low cost and no cost) held on our campus, an 11,000 square foot facility in the heart of East Los Angeles which includes over 20 classrooms, an audio recording studio, and an outdoor performance space where events, performances, exhibits, etc. take place. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $23,147.00 | Our Town. Our Children. A Social Awareness Art Project. | 646 County Square Drive, Suite 154 , Ventura, CA 93003-0436 | Ventura | Central Coast | (805) 336-1880 | 26th Congressional District | 38th Assembly District | 19th Senate District | With the support of the California Arts Council, Our Town. Our Children. A Social Awareness Art Project will, host community cultural arts workshops at Camino del Sol Community Garden and to include painting, cultural preservation presentations, art zine publishing; a mural within the neighborhood; and partner with other community organization to honor the local history of migrant and agricultural workers to include youth mariachi’s, Danza and art. In addition, we will bring the community together for cultural activities such as Dia del Los Muertos, Posada, Dia de los Niños, Dia de la Familia, and Dia de la Tierra. All activities will be free for the community members. | We provide a creative outlet to foster self esteem, deter feelings of isolation, and provide a safe, stable environment where the children/youth/families can express themselves. Aside from art workshops and our locally recognized Youth Summer Mural Project, we incorporate many cultural artistic practices into the program to help develop a positive sense of identity and further build their self-esteem. We hold a complete series of workshops for Dia de Los Muertos, silk screening workshops, incorporate presentations from other children’s folkloric groups, host guest bilingual authors talks, host posadas workshops, and participate in Dia de Los Niños, which is a major day of celebration in Mexico. Children/youth learn how to get involved in positive social action activities and learn how even the youngest “artists” can make a difference in the community. Parents are also involved in many cultural activities which helps bring unity within the families in our community. We have expanded to include cultural arts programming into community gardens and social justice events such as the Cesar Chavez Memorial Presentation and Rally. Our long term goal is to continue providing artistic programming for at-risk, socioeconomically challenged children and youth and include the whole family in our community, while striving to create open spaces where they can discuss and express their thoughts and feelings without prejudice. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,989.00 | International Eye LA | 7381 LA TIJERA BLVD UNIT 451034 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90045-7046 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 761-4475 | California Assembly district 36 | District 61 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council International Eye LA will present Los Angeles Carnival, a Caribbean-style festival and parade along Crenshaw Boulevard, parallel to portions of the Metro K-Line, and in Leimert Park Village as part of the renaissance and economic revitalization of that iconic community. Capturing the spirit and heritage of the area, the event is being branded as ‘LA Carnival on the Shaw,’ and features a multicultural 100-Drum procession, a spectacular roadshow of masqueraders and dancers with creatively lit cyclists interwoven along the route. Local artists will be contracted to work with business owners before, during and after the event to activate their spaces with creative ‘Vibe Spots’ and ‘Chill Spaces’ that encourage audiences to engage and patronize the businesses.### | Our core programs are built around five pillars: Under our ‘Healing Minds’ pillar, IELA launched LA Creative Industries Academy (LACIA) and Carnival Arts in Education programs. Between 2020 and 2023 we graduated 15 LACIA fellows from underserved communities, some of whom have started their own creative practices or are pursuing opportunities in the creative industry. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | El Teatro Campesino | PO BOX 1240 705 Fourth St, SAN JUAN BAUTISTA, CA 95045-1240 | San Benito | Central Coast | (831) 623-2444 | California's 20th congressional district | District 30 | District 12 | With support from the California Arts Council, El Teatro Campesino will provide a third year of “Teatro de Nosotros” (“Theater of Us”) – a free bilingual Youth Theater program for Watsonville youth. Unfolding in two parts over the summer, Part 1 is a unique developmental week to inform an original script and Part Two is a three week rehearsal and production process to bring that new script to life with an all youth cast. CAC funds will support artist fees for teaching, script development, production design, directing, and physical production costs in order to support the creative development of these youth. | Founded by Luis Valdez in 1965 as the cultural arm of the UFW movement, El Teatro Campesino (ETC) functions as a multi-generational theatre company. For fifty-nine years now, ETC has been at the forefront of using theatre as an artistic generator of social change and continues to empower artists and communities from its home in San Juan Bautista. The spheres of ETC’s work can be summarized into three core areas: professional arts, arts education and community arts. Within these areas, ETC runs an annual theatre season, a developmental lab to create new work, regional/statewide tours, cultural festivals for Latino holidays, community based art making and arts education programming within schools. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | New Village Arts | 2787 STATE ST , CARLSBAD, CA 92008-1629 | San Diego | Far South | (760) 433-3245 | California's 49th congressional district | District 76 | District 38 | With support from the California Arts Council, NEW VILLAGE ARTS INC will embark on a new year of the Dea Hurston Fellowship (DHF), creating arts and arts administration opportunities for previously under resourced members of our community. The DHF functions on three levels: high school, college-aged, and professional and works to change the face of the American theatre through opportunity, experience, representation, and mentorship. This performing arts career pipeline program can serve 500+ young women of color and other underrepresented members of our community annually. The goal of the DHF is to create a more diverse and just artistic community in San Diego County. | New Village Arts (NVA) is now celebrating its 23rd season of award-winning, professional theatre, thrilling and unique visual arts, and thriving education and outreach programs in the Dea Hurston New Village Arts Center. NVA attracts over 25,000 patrons to Carlsbad Village to experience professional theatre in its intimate, 100 seat house and has been recognized as one of the finest theatres in San Diego County and a regional leader in equity, diversity and inclusion. NVA’s robust Education and Outreach program includes immersive theatre programs in local high schools, The Mainstage Players: a professional training program for teens and young adults with neurodiversity, Mindful Theatre: programs for the local senior community, and Teatro Pueblo Nuevo, an outreach program to our bi-lingual and multi-cultural community. In 2023, NVA opened the Next Stage, a smaller stage that hosts comedy, opera, spoken word, salsa, and much more. NVA has truly become the cultural hub of North County San Diego. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $17,360.00 | DrawBridge | 1 Meadow Way , Fairfax, CA 94930 | Marin | Bay Area – Other | (415) 444-0930 | California's 2nd congressional district | District 10 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, DrawBridge will connect local artists with children in homeless shelters, affordable housing facilities, and community centers across the San Francisco Bay Area. Celebrating the creativity and diversity of the communities we serve, DrawBridge community artists will provide inspiration and mentorship for children ages 5-18. | DrawBridge provides free expressive arts programs for children in domestic violence and homeless shelters, affordable housing facilities, and community centers throughout seven San Francisco Bay Area counties. Children ages five and up are given the opportunity to connect with their community and explore playful creativity that is essential to healthy development. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $6,481.00 | Choral Consortium of San Diego | 3540 Madison Ave, Apt 7 , San Diego, CA 92116-3575 | San Diego | Far South | (703) 861-8059 | District CA-51 | District California | With support from the California Arts Council, Choral Consortium of San Diego will offer public programming, networking, and development/educational opportunities to individuals and organizations producing choral music across the San Diego/Tijuana region, with a special emphasis placed on meeting the needs of and celebrating the achievements of singers in historically-underrepresented areas. This emphasis may include new member outreach, recruiting for leadership opportunities, program participation and leadership invitations, and cross-cultural networking opportunities. | Core organizational programs and services include quarterly member meetings with educational programs for choral leaders; a biennial choral festival (“San Diego Sings!”) featuring 15-20 area choirs, free or at low cost to the public; an annual summer chorus for singers of all levels; bimonthly “beer choir” sing-alongs in San Diego’s fine craft beer establishments; a free public newsletter promoting area choirs and choral activities; an annual World Singing Day community event; a website with a comprehensive area choral concert calendar, job postings, audition dates, etc.; a platform for choral members to network with each other; and more. During the coronavirus pandemic, programs and services moved online. Programs are now provided both in person and online. | |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | Association of California Symphony Orchestras | 633 W 5th St., Ste 6000 c/o LBBS, LOS ANGELES, CA 90071 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (800) 495-2276 | California's 34th Congressional District | District 54 | District 28 | provide programs and services to the statewide orchestra and broader music community that deliver professional development, knowledge-building, advocacy, and connection to help expand its vitality and community impact. | The Association of California Symphony Orchestras (ACSO) is the collective force for orchestral music in California and the West. Founded in 1969, ACSO is the longest-running and largest membership-supported organization of its kind in the United States and is the preeminent leader in connecting, providing resources and education, and advocating for its community. Guided by its commitment to be the voice, the forum, and the network for a growing community of orchestras, choruses, festivals, youth and university orchestras, aligned businesses, and orchestra professionals, ACSO provides essential leadership, networking, and learning through its annual conference; year-round educational, networking, and advocacy programs; and customized research and technical support. Advocacy Professional Development Capacity Building Peer-to-Peer Learning |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Arts for Healing and Justice Network | 2727 E Anaheim St #4722 , Long Beach, CA 90804 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 304-4772 | California Assembly district 28 | District 49 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, Arts for Healing and Justice Network (AHJN) will expand healing arts education and opportunities for systems-impacted and at-promise youth in Los Angeles County. Building upon the previous success of our Youth Leadership Development (YLD) program, we plan to support youth through healing arts education, advocacy and art skill-building and connections to stable employment in the local creative economy. | Under AHJN, 23 member agencies provide high-quality arts education that includes creative writing, spoken word, visual arts, theater, dance, digital media, and music programming to system-involved and at-promise youth in Los Angeles County— and the adults who serve them. We serve youth at Probation-run facilities, schools, and community sites in neighborhoods throughout the county. In 2015, we piloted the first-ever coordinated, multidisciplinary arts program for youth experiencing incarceration in Los Angeles County. After receiving positive feedback from the youth and staff involved, that pilot has now grown to ongoing, year-round arts programming. Today, AHJN coordinates arts education for justice system-involved young people, youth leadership development, youth- and member-led advocacy, and community-based arts services that support wellbeing as a means of prevention for at-promise youth. We provide healing-informed arts education programming to 2,000 young people a year. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | YouthBeat | 520 3rd Street, Suite 109 , OAKLAND, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 922-0060 | California's 12th congressional district | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, YouthBeat will provide free, accredited, film and animation training to 100+ Oakland high school students — mostly low-income youth of color. Participants will get 120+ hours of afterschool and/or 100+ hours of summer instruction. They will build technical, artistic and storytelling skills, as well as confidence in speaking up and sharing their ideas. Six program graduates ages 18-24 will participate as paid Teaching Assistants. | YouthBeat serves elementary, middle, high school and transitional aged youth, and all of our programs are provided completely free of charge for participants. Programs for school age youth take place as part of the school day, after school, and during the summer. Our Apprenticeship Programs provide paid training for high school graduates who do not have 4-year college plans. All participants develop their creative talents and learn cutting-edge media arts skills using professional, industry-standard gear provided for FREE by KDOL-TV, the Oakland Unified School District’s Education Access TV Station. Courses cover animation, photography, design, and videography and all are taught by accomplished media artists who focus not only on building students’ arts talents and skills but also on building a safe, nurturing learning community that encourages creative risk taking, builds lasting friendships within a culturally diverse group of students, and develops leadership and teamwork skills. Many of our students also “find a passion.” Mason, for example, explains that he started with Youth Beat just to get his Arts requirement out of the way. He enrolled for a 2nd and 3rd year, he says, because he found something that makes him “feel alive.” |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $23,147.00 | Art Share L.A. | 801 E. 4th Place , LOS ANGELES, CA 90013-1805 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 687-4278 | California's 34th congressional district | District 53 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, ART SHARE LOS ANGELES INC will expand and enhance our Comeback Fest in the summer of 2025. This free community festival in the Arts District serves as a vital platform to engage and uplift historically underserved communities, showcasing underrepresented and marginalized artists through art, music, poetry, film, dance, and food. By increasing the festival’s footprint, we will provide more opportunities for diverse artists and engage a wider audience. Key features include live painting, musical and spoken word performances, artisan vendors, and public art initiatives.. This support will help us create a vibrant, inclusive platform that reflects the rich tapestry of Los Angeles’ artistic community, enriching and empowering our community while contributing to the cultural and economic vitality of the Arts District. | Established in 1998, Art Share L.A. owns and operates a 30,000 sq. ft. building in the heart of the Arts District. Art Share’s mission is to create equitable access and opportunity for artists by providing a creative environment for them to live, work, learn, perform, and exhibit. In 2020, our programs shifted to meet the newest challenges facing our community of creatives. Art Share launched Let’s Paint the Town, employing artists to create public murals, underscoring that artists are ESSENTIAL to the health and safety of our communities. Art Share innovated to offer new means of digital connection. We hosted virtual exhibitions and updated our facilities to enable podcast recording and live-streaming from our theater. We offered regular online concerts and performances. Our 2021 Comeback Fest welcomed over 2000 to the streets and spaces of Art Share, presenting 136 artists. Our building continues to act as an access point to the arts. We are the only affordable cultural infrastructure in the downtown Arts District that prices 100% of our exhibition, performance, studio, and classroom spaces to be affordable to low-income and emerging artists, and offers 100% of our housing units to low-income tenants. CREATING PATHWAYS FOR CREATIVE CAREERS NURTURING ARTISTS’ PROFESSIONAL SKILLS PROVIDING AFFORDABLE SPACES TO KEEP OUR COMMUNITY CONNECTED UPLIFTING EMERGING AND UNDERREPRESENTED ARTISTS FIGHTING FOR AFFORDABLE ARTIST HOUSING AND RELIEF |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | Dance Brigade or Dance Mission | 3316 24TH ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110-3803 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 826-4441 | California Assembly district 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Dance Brigade will launch Liberation Academy 3.0, a comprehensive cultural dance performance initiative that addresses the urgent need for platforms to uplift, educate, and inspire new generations of dancers and cultural practitioners from the African Diasporic community. The grant funds will be utilized to develop and produce a two-night Performance Showcase on February 22 & 23, 2025, at the Dance Mission Theater, marking the culmination of a five-month intensive program. This initiative includes a season of workshops, mentorships, classes, and special commissions designed to enhance participants’ technical skills, artistic expression, and understanding of the cultural, social, and historical contexts of the African Diaspora. The program will engage 55 all-level practitioners, including 15 “intensive track” participants, in a multifaceted journey of dance, culture, and community. | – Run a thriving inter/multicultural community arts venue, Dance Mission Theater (DMT); |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | Arts and Culture El Dorado | 525 Main Street , Placerville, CA 95667-2400 | El Dorado | Capital | (530) 295-3496 | California's 4th congressional district | District 5 | District 4 | With support from the California Arts Council, Arts and Culture El Dorado will continue to serve as the principal entity providing arts services and access to arts experiences to rural El Dorado County, including programs for veterans, young people, artists and arts organizations, and the general public. We will administer the Arts Incubator, vitally important to 14 emerging cultural groups; offer programs like Veterans Voices Writing Workshop and Poet Laureate/Laureate Trail; keep Switchboard Gallery open as an exhibition and gathering space; assist with countywide projects such as public art and strategic planning with the County Office of Education; serve as the local Arts Lead for ArtsNow/Create California as well as for the California County Superintendents Arts Initiative; continue the renovation of historic buildings; and promote, connect and empower culture and the arts throughout the region. | Switchboard Gallery Exhibition Series |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | San Diego ART Matters | 2820 Roosevelt Rd #104 #100-618, San Diego, CA 92106 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 358-3585 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | San Diego ART Matters, an arts advocacy and service organization, seeks support for annual general operations and funding to implement the following five projects that align with SDAM’s strategic plan: “San Diego Artists Count” – a county-wide artist assessment and census project; San Diego Dance Network to support the career development of professional dance artists; Rising Arts Leaders – San Diego, a network for early career creative workers; and, San Diego County – “Arts Now”, an arts education coalition and advocacy network established in partnership with Create CA. Funds will also support the development of an online job board for San Diego creatives hosted on the SDAM website. | SDAM’s core programs and services support our mission through education, advocacy initiatives, strategy development, coordinated communications, research, convenings, coalition building, and public forums. PROGRAM: Education and Advocacy – SDAM serves all county residents through education and advocacy in support of arts and culture in the following ways: PROGRAM: Member Services – SDAM serves coalition members through a variety of programs, including but not limited to the following: PROGRAM: Intermediary Services- SDAM helps ensure grants and impact investments reach artists and other “hard-to-reach” communities: |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | Hip Hop Congress | 50 Woodside Plaza Box 203, Redwood City, CA 94061 | San Mateo | Bay Area – Other | (213) 215-5257 | District 22 | California 22nd District Assembly | District 22 | HIP HOP CONGRESS INC will support its California-based regions in Humboldt, Placer, Sacramento, Mendocino, Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo, San Jose, Santa Cruz and Los Angeles counties with ongoing and new community-based programs; compensate its workshop leaders and volunteer staff for its 2024 National Conference in San Francisco; compensate leadership staff for monthly chapter and artist network professional development days through June 2025; pay teaching artists serving public Title I schools through its statewide H2E2 educational initiative for the 2024-25 school year; develop a statewide community network of artist services and resources for launching regional and chapter tours; and compensate a marketing team to document these activities through its online global networking platforms, podcasts, and radio shows. | Hip Hop Education & Equity Initiative (H2E2) |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | About Productions | 145 N. RAYMOND AVE. , PASADENA, CA 91103 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 396-0920 | California's 27th congressional district | District 41 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, ABOUT PRODUCTIONS will expose highest-risk, and educationally disadvantaged and underrepresented, students to the “Adobe Punk” production at Plaza de la Raza. Students will participate in the “Art of the Monologue” workshop or the “Adobe Punk” workshops, receive the “Adobe Punk InfoZine” history guide, participate in a post-play discussion; and “Art of the Monologue” students will read their monologues on stage prior to the “Adobe Punk” performance. | Now in our 36th year, our itinerant company’s critically acclaimed INTERDISCIPLINARY THEATERWORKS have been seen extensively in Greater L.A., in the U.S. and Canada, and on national TV. We collaboratively create and present innovative original theaterworks with community performing and visual artists to unearth and illuminate cultural histories of Latin America, the Southwest, California and L.A., and explore the human spiritual condition. We are one of the few companies that brings affordable theater to low-income, under-served communities by mining seldom-tapped regional histories that address relevant issues and under-represented voices. In partnership with performing arts and cultural centers, community-based arts organizations, and educational institutions, we have collaborated with many of the region’s leading community artists — performing, media, and visual — authors and historians. Our interdisciplinary productions have integrated media, music, dance, and innovative storytelling and lighting design. Presented in numerous L.A. County neighborhoods, our productions have also been featured in festivals such as the International Hispanic Theatre Festival in Miami, Telluride Theatre Festival in Colorado, New Voices Festival at The Public Theater in New York City, and SXSW in Austin. Our successful 20+ year YOUNG THEATERWORKS program serves L.A. area highest-risk and educationally disadvantaged youth with standards-based intensive residencies and workshops to impact their academic achievement, creative engagement and connection to their community. The program improves literacy, communication and collaboration skills as students explore personal identity, family and community history, and social issues. Working with committed principals and classroom teachers in the L.A. and Pasadena Unified School Districts we provide free or low-cost 6-10 week residencies and workshops. In conjunction with our original theaterworks we also provide workshops that engage students in the content and artistic strategies of these theaterworks, giving them the opportunity to see professional work and directly connect them to professional artists in their community. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Jewish Community Center of San Francisco | 3200 CALIFORNIA ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118-1904 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 292-1200 | California's 12th congressional district | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco will continue to preserve Jewish-Russian heritage and traditions for 80-100 students and their families through the Tikvah School of Music and Dance. Every Saturday during the school year, children ages two- to seventeen engage in bilingual dance, music and theater arts instruction, connecting to their families’ past while gaining valuable life-skills to pursue their imagined futures. For over 30 years, this program has served generations of Bay Area-based former Soviet Union émigrés ages 2-17 through arts education. The program also works to preserve Jewish heritage and traditions for the Russian American community – including many Ukrainian refugee students – through community events and culturally-informed arts-based programming. | The JCCSF is the oldest Jewish center on the West Coast, providing cultural, educational and recreational programs to San Francisco Bay Area communities since 1877. Alive with activity, we currently host hundreds of programs and experiences each year at our main building which houses dance studios, a 400-seat theater, ceramics studios, a community library, a gym and gathering spaces of all shapes and sizes. Select examples of JCCSF programs include: Roots & Culture Programs – We produce events with renowned performers and cultural icons; host interactive pop-ups around the city inspired by Jewish culture; enjoy spirited holiday celebrations presented in original, smart and accessible ways and much more. Preschool and School-Aged Youth Programs – Our organization focuses on providing children age-appropriate experiences of creativity and learning through a values-based approach to everyday activities highlighted through the rhythms and vocabulary of Jewish culture. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $46,293.00 | Arts for Healing and Justice Network | 2727 E Anaheim St #4722 , Long Beach, CA 90804 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 304-4772 | California Assembly district 28 | District 49 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, ARTS FOR HEALING AND JUSTICE NETWORK will provide structure, coordination and resources for the collaborative work of community-based arts education organizations serving juvenile justice system-impacted and at-promise youth in Los Angeles County. By supporting our regional network model, your gift will help the Arts for Healing and Justice Network (AHJN) increase the capacity of the 23 member organizations in our network — organizations that are essential partners in providing culturally-responsive, healing arts education, youth leadership development, and youth-focused advocacy for underserved young people in our area. Our collective work serves to create alternatives to incarceration, build resiliency and wellness, eliminate recidivism, and center the arts as a change strategy for young people, communities, and systems. | Under AHJN, 23 member agencies provide high-quality arts education that includes creative writing, spoken word, visual arts, theater, dance, digital media, and music programming to system-involved and at-promise youth in Los Angeles County— and the adults who serve them. We serve youth at Probation-run facilities, schools, and community sites in neighborhoods throughout the county. In 2015, we piloted the first-ever coordinated, multidisciplinary arts program for youth experiencing incarceration in Los Angeles County. After receiving positive feedback from the youth and staff involved, that pilot has now grown to ongoing, year-round arts programming. Today, AHJN coordinates arts education for justice system-involved young people, youth leadership development, youth- and member-led advocacy, and community-based arts services that support wellbeing as a means of prevention for at-promise youth. We provide healing-informed arts education programming to 2,000 young people a year. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | Turnaround Arts: California | 12541 Beatrice Street , LOS ANGELES, CA 90025-1078 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 482-3131 | District 36 | District 55 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, Turnaround Arts: California will develop the capacity of our network of arts organizations, teaching artists, and arts integration schools to advance our shared goals for leveraging the arts to build more equitable learning environments for students across California. | Turnaround Arts: California’s programming is community-driven, culturally responsive, and focused on long-term sustainable school transformation through the arts. Our statewide network brings artists and arts organizations together with our partner schools to leverage and develop our collective expertise in arts education and arts integration. Together we cross-pollinate learnings, ideas, and data to move forward a new vision for public education across California. Our core community arts programs and services include: Retreats and Convenings: Network-wide convenings for principals, teachers, teaching artists, and arts organizations provide time for exchange around challenges and successes in advancing equity through the arts in public schools, while supporting strategic arts planning and arts-based professional development. Coaching: Our coaching program, in partnership with our network of arts organizations, helps principals and teachers build their knowledge of arts integration, strengthen their leadership through the arts, align the arts to meet school district priorities, and become effective advocates for equity. Professional Development: Professional development workshops provide teachers, principals, and teaching artists/arts organizations with strategies – centered in culturally responsive teaching and learning practices – they can immediately implement at school sites. Arts Integration Lesson Labs: Lesson Labs bring together partnering teachers and teaching artists/arts organizations to study new instructional strategies, and design, implement, and evaluate lesson plans that integrate arts standards with subjects such as math and science. Support for Special Projects & In-kind Supplies: We provide flexible funding, in-kind supplies, and strategy support to help partner schools and arts organizations collaborate to implement special projects at individual school sites such as artistic residencies, family art nights, community engagement projects, school musicals, arts-based field trips, additional professional development for teachers, etc. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | INLAND VALLEY REPERTORY THEATRE INC | 4841 Calle Estrada , LA VERNE, CA 91750-7743 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (909) 859-4878 | 31st Congressional district of California | District 41 | 31st Congressional district of California | With support from the California Arts Council, Inland Valley Repertory Theatre will provide | IVRT offers a diverse range of programs that promote artistic excellence and community involvement. These include: High-quality performances of plays and musicals featuring professionals, nonprofessionals, and volunteers of all ages, races, and ethnicities. These productions cater to both adult and children’s audiences and are held at various venues throughout Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties; educational outreach programs including Camp IVRT musical theatre workshop, a free afterschool chorus program, and a free afterschool Readers Theatre drama club designed for elementary and middle school students; and Workforce Training opportunities for high school and college-aged youth to gain valuable skills and experience. Over the past five years, IVRT has creatively addressed several challenges. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization successfully transitioned to livestreamed plays and musicals and conducted online classes. Unfortunately, the dinner theatre that hosted IVRT productions for 15 years ceased operations on March 20, 2022. While searching for a new permanent venue, IVRT continued to provide core programs and services by collaborating with various performing arts organizations. Recent productions have taken place at a community music school, a local restaurant dinner theatre, a regional children’s theatre, and even at private residences. In 2024, IVRT leveraged long term relationships to begin collaborations with new venues, including a concert hall at the University of La Verne and a performing arts center in Rancho Cucamonga. IVRT continues to provide free educational outreach programming to lower income students in both Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $23,147.00 | Trails and Vistas | 10309 CROMLEY SQ , TRUCKEE, CA 96161 | Nevada | Upstate | (213) 500-7758 | California Assembly district 1 | District 1 | District 1 | With California Arts Council support, Trails and Vistas will collaborate with Artists/Culture Bearers on four interrelated projects. 1. The Dreaming Tree Field Trip takes 400+ third grade students on accessible, interactive art hikes (music, poetry and visual arts) with Culture Bearers, environmental leaders and California artists. | Art in Nature Field Trips – an interactive art hike for 400+ California and Nevada third grade students with music, poetry, environmental studies, and visual art. |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | Street Spirit | 2726 Martin Luther King Jr Way , Berkeley, CA 94703 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (415) 350-3626 | California Assembly District 12 | District 14 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Street Spirit will broaden the reach of the artwork and stories in our newspaper, promote equity in our community through compassionate storytelling, and realize a strong financial position in our next fiscal year. Street Spirit eliminates barriers between unhoused people and the arts, providing vocational training in the process. Your support will complement matching funds committed by a diverse group of funders who are passionate about our mission. We will evaluate the impact of your support by tracking new artistic contributors and participants in our vocational training program, as well as the involvement of key staff. Street Spirit has helped unhoused residents change the narrative around homelessness for more than 30 years, and your support will strengthen our operational integrity. | Writing and Arts program – We mentor and publish unhoused writers, artists and journalists using a collaborative editorial process. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | YoloArts | 508 Gibson Road , WOODLAND, CA 95776-8250 | Yolo | Capital | (530) 309-6464 | California's 4th District | District 4 | District 3 | With support from the California Arts Council, YOLO COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL INC will provide services to local arts organizations, individual artists, and the community; while continuing to prioritize historically under-resourced communities with arts engagement and support; administer the Poetry Out Loud competition county-wide; and support grant opportunities for artists and arts organizations in Yolo County. We will accomplish these larger goals through direct programming including two free art galleries, arts education programming and resources for artists. We stand ready to assist and support the arts community throughout Yolo County. | Our support and dedication to the arts in Yolo County has its foundation in projects reflecting the cultural make-up of the county as we work to connect artists, young people, students, art supporters, the community at large, and political and business stakeholders to our developing arts culture. YoloArts promotes access to arts through our arts education programs in public schools around Yolo County, by operating two public art gallery, Gallery 625 and The Barn Gallery, sponsoring arts events and celebrations, working with local jurisdictions on community engagement and economic development through the arts, and providing professional development activities and opportunities for artists and the county-wide art community. The Art & Ag Project remains a signature creative placemaking effort for us as it connects artists with Yolo County farms, and results in an arts showcase at our annual Art Farm Gala. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | Barcid Foundation | 2811 Scott Place , Los Angeles, CA 90026 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 504-4897 | California Assembly district 34 | District 43 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Barcid will provide an expanded artistic development program for Native American artists to express themselves through new artistic pathways and new artistic content that will focus on healing the pervasive social, political, and economic inequalities experienced by Native communities. | The Barcid Foundation offers genuine career building programs, workshops and additional opportunities that advance Native American artists and youth. We have developed successful relationships with tribes, art foundations, studios and networks to offer career building art initiatives for Native Americans. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | WRITERS GROTTO | 1663 Mission St #602 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (510) 579-4504 | 12th | 17 | 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Writers Grotto will host the Rooted & Written 2024 Conference/Fellowship by and for writers of color. The conference will serve 30 Fellows at no cost and 250+ additional participants, culminating in a national public reading and amplifying the Grotto’s mission to elevate voices of color. The Rooted & Written Conference is the only tuition-free literary conference designed for Writers of Color. It attracts international audiences to San Francisco in-person and virtually, gathering at the Writers Grotto Mission District/SOMA Headquarters for presentations and networking. Renowned for its commitment to elevating Writers of Color, the conference amplifies their creative output. The fellowship program nurtures emerging Writers of Color, providing mentorship, craft refinement, and industry connections. It awards 30 fellowships to the most promising BIPOC candidates, with participation entirely free. | A key part of the Writers Grotto community resource is its integration of extensive public programming through the presentation of its members’ created works and works-in-progress at public readings, literary festivals, and cultural events. The Writers Grotto also provides classes year round in all genres of literature, both free (through its Rooted & Written Conference and Fellowship for Writers of Color), and at low cost. Given the reality of continually rising rents in the Bay Area, and the gradual retraction in jobs and paying markets for writers, aspiring writers without outside income—and many well-published writers as well—are increasingly unable to find opportunities to work together in a professional setting. The Grotto provides an affordable physical community space along with rich, invaluable daily membership conversations and support provided both in person, through virtual gatherings, and through the Grotto daily listserve. 200+ classes and workshops per year are taught by Grotto members on writing fiction, essays, memoir, journalism, poetry, children’s books, screenwriting, social media, professional development and grant-writing, and more. Classes range from one afternoon to 8 weeks, and enrollment ranges from 10-30 participants per class. Classes are held in person at The Grotto, via Zoom, or as hybrid courses. The Grotto also offers low-cost, drop-in writing sessions that encourage participants to write and support each other in a communal setting. Write-ins last for 2.5 hours and are held in person at The Grotto, via Zoom, or as hybrid courses. The annual Rooted & Written Conference and Fellowship for Writers of Color anticipates featuring internationally renowned keynote speakers/luminaries (all creative artists of color based in literature), and Teaching Faculty who will offer workshops and classes in multiple genres (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, screenwriting, etc.) to 30+ Fellows, all writers of color who receive a full scholarship to the conference. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | Movement Liberation | c/o Commonweal PO Box 316, Bolinas, CA 94924 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (510) 717-8799 | District 8 | District 15 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Movement Liberation will co-create and offer accessible, BIPOC-centered community workshop(s) combining dance, mindful movement, and other expressive arts to inspire and uplift BIPOC strength, beauty, and healing. | Movement Liberation offers dance programs aligned with our 4 strategic pillars: Movement Liberation offers workshops & retreats held in a container for healing and growth. Here, adults with diverse movement experience, ages, genders, body types, and abilities all become dancers. They improvise & introduce their movement signatures into the room. This range of expression invites all to stretch out of their comfort zones & explore new ways of moving, resting, breathing and dreaming together. The practice of liberation inside these dance spaces transforms the life and leadership of each individual beyond these spaces – at home, at work, in the community – creating a ripple effect of inspiration and empowerment across communities. Anchored by a theme, the energy in the room, and the needs of the participants, facilitators guide dancers through an exploration of different movement patterns, relational landscapes, & embodied points-of-view. They may invite dancers to pause, pay attention to breath patterns, use peripheral vision, witness each other, be witnessed (a growth edge for some), explore boundaries, release – no two experiences are ever the same. Employing trauma-informed facilitation, they encourage participants to take up space, stand in their dignity, and move relationally. Within this space, there is immense potential for original movement, trauma release, and somatic repatterning. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $140,979.00 | PLUMAS ARTS | PO BOX 600 525 Main Street, QUINCY, CA 95971-0600 | Plumas | Upstate | (530) 283-3402 | California's 1st congressional district | District 1 | District 1 | With continued support from the California Arts Council, Plumas County Arts Commission for Plumas County will provide accessible, creative and empowering opportunities for underserved rural communities. State Local Partnerships would primarily support the development of workshops and classes covering various art forms like painting, sculpture, music, and dance, led by local artists and educators. Additionally, funds will be allocated for community art events and exhibitions to showcase participants’ work and celebrate cultural diversity. Outreach efforts will ensure broad community engagement, and the purchase of art supplies and venue rentals will facilitate program implementation. This initiative aims to empower youth, foster creativity, and enrich Plumas County’s cultural landscape through inclusive arts programming. | Plumas Arts serves as the local arts planning and programming agency for Plumas County and representative to the California Arts Council’s State Local Partnership (since 1981). Our efforts include ARTS EDUCATION workshops in schools and for all ages, VISUAL ARTS GALLERY and art displays showcasing work by dozens of regional artists, INFORMATION SERVICES our county’s most comprehensive cultural events calendar, press releases about events and opportunities, as well as an ARTIST DIRECTORY on plumasarts.org in addition to regular features in regional newspapers, PRODUCING FESTIVALS, EVENTS & PERFORMANCES that highlight local culture and celebrate a diversity of traditions, FISCAL SPONSORSHIP and TECHNICAL SERVICES for arts and community groups, serving as a COMMUNICATION LINK among these groups and we own, care for and manage two historic facilities, the PLUMAS ARTS GALLERY & TOWN HALL THEATRE the county’s only movie theatre and largest performing arts venue as community resources. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $23,147.00 | Free Arts | 11099 S. La Cienega Blvd Suite 235, Los Angeles, CA 90045 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 871-5559 | California Assembly district 43 | District 61 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Free Arts for Abused Children (FA) will increase capacity to provide culturally responsive art programming to more underserved and underrepresented youth. Funding will support the purchase of art supplies and pay teaching artists to provide workshops to 16,500 youth and their caregivers at schools, hospitals, court, family resource centers and community centers. | Free Arts core programs and services are delivered through weekly, 1.5-hour, 8–12–week art workshops where youth engage in visual, dance, spoken word or clay art projects designed to support them in their recovery from trauma. Teaching artists and volunteers trained as mentors facilitate the curriculum for each workshop focused on an art medium and subject. Teaching artists create and bring samples of finished products for youth to model. Youth learn to use art supplies and art techniques while ameliorating the effects of trauma. Workshops are held for youth by age group, sometimes with their parents, grandparents or caregiver. Free Arts collaborates with other community organizations to host 2–3 art festivals in underresourced neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles annually that feature culturally responsive live music, local artists’ works, food, art activities, mindfulness, yoga, self-advocacy and community advocacy. The festivals give communities a chance to bond and learn to advocate for themselves. Free Arts helps youth use art to develop a lifelong outlet for negative emotions. Free Arts creates a safe environment where youth, through the act of creating, regain a sense of mastery, resiliency and self-esteem. Free Arts uses the creative process and trained mentors to support youth in recognizing, understanding and coping with feelings of depression and anxiety, and finding positive ways to help youth deal with their emotions. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,989.00 | KERN DANCE ALLIANCE | PO BOX 12407 , BAKERSFIELD, CA 93389-2407 | Kern | Central Valley | (661) 491-5376 | California's 23rd Congressional District | District 34 | District 16 | With support from the California Arts Council, KERN DANCE ALLIANCE will uplift Kern County communities facing some of the most challenging statistics by enhancing educational attainment through the arts. SHINE: DANCE + MATH = SUCCESS, an evidence-based, free program will educate, motivate, and inspire youth to explore STEAM while creating long term solutions to promote healing, stabilization, and transformation of marginalized communities. | KDA serves a diverse population through our programs: – ADAPTIdance®: DANCE + DISABILITY offers adaptive dance classes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. – BOOKS IN MOTION®: DANCE + LITERACY links dance and literacy to inspire children to read. – CHILDREN’S DANCE EDUCATION + OUTREACH PROGRAM provides at-risk youth with an afternoon of dance at the Bakersfield Fox Theater. – DANCING with the ANGELS connects foster care families through the arts. – HealingMOTION: DANCE + THERAPY are dance therapy sessions for cancer patients and survivors. – NATIONAL DANCE DAY provides a celebratory day of dance classes for the community to enjoy. – NATIONAL HONORS SOCIETY FOR DANCE ARTS recognizes artistic merit, leadership, and academic achievement in students studying dance. – MemoryMOVES®: DANCE + THERAPY are dance therapy sessions for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. – MightyMOVERS: DANCE + THERAPY are dance therapy sessions for pediatrics patients. – OPEN STAGE affords creatives access to the Bakersfield Fox Theater’s technical staff and theater amenities for free. – Paso a Paso utilizes dance to support empowerment through life-skills workshops for Kern County high school girls, specifically Latinas. – SHINE for GIRLS: DANCE + MATH = SUCCESS combines dance with math to improve girls’ math scores and spark interest in STEAM. – Taste of Dance celebrates cultural diversity in Kern County by showcasing cultures through culinary and performing arts. – KDA Creative Corps is a $4.2 million dollar re-granting program awarded by the California Arts Council to KDA in support of arts programs that positively impact the lives of people living in the Central Valley’s lowest quartile of the California Healthy Places Index. The $4.2 million California Arts Council grant has been used exclusively for the regranting and administering of the KDACC. It has NOT be used to fund KDA’s existing programs, which will continue to operate alongside the KDACC. KDA continues to need funding and support to meet its daily and annual operating needs. www.kdacreativecorps.org |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Chapter 510 INK | 546 9th Street , OAKLAND, CA 94607 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 326-4231 | California Assembly district 18 | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Chapter 510 Ink will hold its 2024-2025 “SoundSpace” podcasting program for 9th-12th graders. Using audio storytelling as a creative medium, 10-12 students will create a podcast on the theme of “Futurism.” This theme will ask students to imagine creative alternate solutions for issues of interest or concern in their communities (e.g., mental health challenges, what it means to be a young woman, or the impacts of social media), document their own experiences, and become investigators into the experiences of other Oakland teens. Each participant will write and produce a podcast episode which will be made available to the public on major podcast platforms. Students will practice creative writing and learn audio production tools to creatively express themselves and share the stories that matter most to them. | Chapter 510 offers writing, podcasting, and bookmaking workshops to Oakland youth, led by Teaching Artists in affirming and inspiring spaces within a supportive community of volunteers and artists. We also publish our students’ words in beautifully bound and illustrated books and host events to collaborate with and elevate Oakland’s diverse community of artists and creatives. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | Humanitas | 3435 Ocean Park Blvd. #107 PMB 450 , Santa Monica, CA 90405 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 454-8769 | 36th Congressional district | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, the HUMAN FAMILY EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL INSTITUTE will build upon the strengths of our burgeoning state and regional network, which consists of The Humanitas Prizes, New Voices Fellowship, College Screenwriting Awards, and Public Programs including the Industry 101 event series, The Writers Room educational program, and Groceries for Writers, a direct aid project. The network benefits early-to-mid-career writers and partner organizations. | The HUMANITAS PRIZES are awarded to honor film and television writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced, meaningful way. Prizes are presented at an annual event where winners receive a trophy and a cash prize. The NEW VOICES FELLOWSHIP is an approximately six-month mentorship program for emerging television and screenwriters. The program is committed to identifying and empowering five unrepresented writers each year who are currently working on a 30- or 60-minute pilot or feature film screenplay that upholds the mission of Humanitas. The Humanitas COLLEGE SCREENWRITING AWARDS recognize writers whose work advances the Humanitas mission and who are currently enrolled in a college or university program. Humanitas annually awards two prizes which recognize excellent student screen and television writing: The David and Lynn Angell College Comedy Award and The Carol Mendelsohn College Drama Award. The two students selected each receive a $20,000 cash prize and more. Humanitas also presents a number of PUBLIC PROGRAMS throughout the year. Industry 101 introduces and explores topics foundational to understanding and launching television and film writing careers. The Writers Room is a TV writing intensive for high school students which was first piloted at Hollywood High School in Fall 2023. GROCERIES FOR WRITERS is a direct aid project for WGA writers and writers room support staff originally launched in response to the 2023 WGA Strike. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | The Francisco Homes | 1224 W 40th Place , Los Angeles, CA 90037 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 293-1111 | 37th Congressional District | 59th District | 28th District | With support from the California Arts Council, Starfish Stories Inc DBA The Francisco Homes (TFH), will continue to engage TheatreWorkers Project (TWP) to implement LIFER: Stories from the Inside/Out enabling men on parole from serving life sentences to express themselves through a two-part incentivized, rehabilitative theatre process that will begin with a writing component to be used as the basis for a script. The second phase will include acting coaching, rehearsals and 2 performances, each followed by participant-audience dialogues. The performances will be documented and streamed to multiple audiences. The participants may choose to join both the writing and performance components of the program or conclude their creative journey with the writing portion. Stipends will be paid for each workshop, rehearsal and performance they participate in. | The Francisco Homes provides housing and an environment where our residents have a full range of daily choices and an individualized service plan which is their road map to a successful transition from prison to freedom. We provide case management, counseling, groups, workshops and life skills classes along with opportunities for community service. We greet them with a hug and the simple statement, “Welcome Home.” |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles | 1238 W. 1st Street , Los Angeles, CA 90026 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 481-2273 | California's 34th congressional district | State Assembly District 51 | State Senate District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles (SCLA) will implement its Veterans in Art program, which provides paid vocational training in technical theater arts and life-skills development for high need, honorably discharged U.S. military veterans. Launched in 2013, Veterans in Art (ViA) is SCLA’s arts-based transitional employment opportunity for U.S. military veterans who work as venue and scenic crews, audio engineers, wardrobe assistants, ushers, parking attendants, site specific marketers, technical directors, and actors for SCLA’s mainstage professional productions. | SCLA’s current programming operates on three intersecting tracks: Professional Mainstage Theater Production; Arts-Based Employment and Workforce Training; and Arts Education. Our Mainstage Productions, produced via a contract with Actors’ Equity Association, are performed by professional actors. Productions are produced for general audiences with special Student Matinee performances offered to Title 1 schools. Most recently, in March and April of 2023, SCLA staged 30 performances – 27 general admission performances and 3 performances for schools – of The Tempest: An Immersive Experience. The Los Angeles Times named this production one of the “nine top Los Angeles theater offerings for 2023.” Will Power After-School serves youth aged from 14-24 who are hired as full-time, paid employees to study, create, produce, and perform adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays. Youth are guided throughout by trained teaching artists/mentors, human relations facilitators, and peer mentors who are program alumni. In 2012, SCLA launched Veterans in Art (ViA), a program offering short-term paid vocational training in technical theater arts and life-skills development for high-need, chronically underemployed, honorably discharged U.S. military veterans. Its goal is to build confidence and community for veterans who are struggling with their reentry to civilian life. ViA participants work as venue and scenic crews, audio engineers, wardrobe assistants, and technical directors for professional and WPY productions. Will Power to Schools offers teachers at Title 1 schools from LAUSD with in-person professional development seminars, arts integration training projects, and free innovative curriculum materials. This nationally-recognized program enhances the way teachers at Title 1 schools inspire meaningful classroom engagement related to the works of William Shakespeare. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Urban Scholar Academy | 8473 Van Ness Blvd #107, INGLEWOOD, CA 90305 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 528-3845 | 35 | 62 | 35 | With the generous support from the California Arts Council, Urban Scholar Academy is excited to announce that we will be enhancing and expanding the Urban Scholar Film Academy (USFA) during the upcoming 2024-2025 school year. Our proven success lies in the implementation of a small cohort model. Our goal for the upcoming year is to serve 15-20 students; similar to prior years. In order to achieve this, we are requesting funding for program costs, including short film production expenses. Secondly, we are in need of professional-grade editing software. We are confident that with the California Arts Council’s support, we will be able to provide our students with the resources they need to thrive and succeed in their filmmaking endeavors. | The mission of Urban Scholar Academy is to transform the lives of South Los Angeles youth through academic enrichment and community service opportunities. Our core belief is that every child, regardless of their socio-economic background, deserves an after-school learning environment that celebrates their identity and promotes academic rigor. Ability to pay should not be a factor for equitable, quality academic resource access. To date, the organization has served over 700 students. From 2012-2015, Urban Scholar Saturday Academy was the first and only program. However, with strong community support, the Academy has grown beyond its first program and a small space of 2,000 square feet to the current 5,300-square-foot space in Inglewood hosting five flagship academic programs, in which we serve 100 K-12th grade students weekly: Tutoring, Homework Club, Seasonal Camps, Film Academy & College Prep [NEW]. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $41,664.00 | Playwrights Foundation | 1616 16TH ST STE 350 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103-5164 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 626-2176 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Playwrights Foundation (PF) will support a diverse network of over 50 outstanding regional early- and mid-career playwrights in the San Francisco Bay Area—with a particular focus on under-resourced and historically excluded writers—by providing them with the tools they need to advance their playwriting careers, including: material resources, promotion, classes and seminars, networking opportunities, new play development processes, career planning, artistic retreats, advocacy, and other professional support activities. | Since its founding in 1978, Playwrights Foundation has sustained a commitment to supporting and nurturing the work of exceptional emerging local and national playwrights and is today widely recognized as the most comprehensive such organization in California. Our primary role is to provide early and mid-career playwrights the resources they need to develop new work, as well as career development and connection to producers. Our key programs are the Bay Area Playwrights Festival, which offers five writers the resources to advance and showcase new plays during a 12-month immersive experience; the Resident Playwrights Initiative, which provides support for four Bay Area playwrights over a two-year period as they pursue professional careers; the Producing Partnership Initiative, which allows PF to leverage partnerships with other organizations for resources and premiere productions of the playwrights’ works. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $140,979.00 | The Arts Council of Kern | 1020 18th Street , BAKERSFIELD, CA 93301 | Kern | Central Valley | (661) 324-9000 | California's 20 Congressional District | District 35 | District 16 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Arts Council of Kern, in collaboration with local artists and arts organizations, will develop a more robust arts community through: Community Grants: Funding and technical assistance for organizations and artists, primarily in underserved and remote areas to support community-focused arts projects. Celebration of Kern Arts: A visual and performing arts exhibition event, featuring diverse artistic expressions from all five districts of Kern Artwalk: A monthly free event for hundreds of residents providing a platform for visual and performing artists and nonprofit arts organizations. Poetry OUTLOUD: With two arts ed staffers, we will bring the program to high school students in Kern, especially outlying areas. Arts Workshops: To be held in our new gallery/workshop and convenient public places around the county, on a variety of subjects. | Community Grants and Partnerships: Offer funding and technical assistance to nonprofit arts groups, schools, and collaborations to boost arts access, advocacy, and education. Arts in Corrections (AIC): Provides art classes (visual, literary, media, performing) for incarcerated individuals to foster self-awareness. A partnership between the CA Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Arts Council. COMMON GROUND: Grant-supported “first people’s” arts workshops, celebrations, and exhibitions. Builds community engagement primarily for underserved populations by underrepresented artists, sharing indigenous art forms through storytelling, visual, and performing arts. Arts Education: This countywide program expanded significantly in 2025 and is a 2026 focus. Offers arts integration classes for teachers (classroom and after-school) at the ACK Learning Center. Artists’ Catalog available for schools to choose classes. ACK Gallery: Reopened in 2024-25, hosting four shows with five planned for 2025-26. Features Celebrate Kern Arts with cash prizes for artists in each of the five supervisorial districts. ART WALK – First Friday: Monthly, dynamic, public event in downtown Bakersfield for original visual and performing artists to showcase their work. A feature of First Friday and open five days per week, Makers Markets showcases local arts and crafts for sale, rotating artists every quarter. Art4Rehabilitation (A4R): Arts programming for Kern’s juvenile justice system. Reduces violence, distress, and recidivism while promoting creative economy jobs and education. Offers internships with ACK and other arts organizations. Community Mural and Public Art Programs: Collaborates with entities like Caltrans and City Parks to enhance graffiti-prone areas. Includes community surveys and commissions vetted artists for large public art projects (32 muralists on the roster). Literary Arts: Features the Poet Laureate, Stories on the Sidewalk (historical plays in downtown Bakersfield), and First Friday open mic sessions. Increased spring recruitment for POETRY OUTLOUD is improving high school teacher interest to work with motivated students.. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $119,578.00 | Marin Cultural Association | 10 Avenue of the Flags 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael, CA 94903 | Marin | Bay Area – Other | (510) 504-5506 | California's 2nd congressional district | District 10 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, Marin Cultural Association (MCA) will unite Marin County and its creative community in support of a more diverse, equitable and sustainable artistic future through diverse programming, leadership, and community convenings and partnerships. | Marin Cultural Association supports a thriving arts community by offering a cultural hub and gathering space at the Marin Center and providing leadership in building support for the arts throughout the County. Programming and initiatives include: Arts Advocacy, Convenings, Field Wide Trainings on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, Oversight of three Visual Art Galleries, Arts Education programming in Title 1 schools, Marin County Fair, Poetry Outloud, general support for artists and arts organizations in Marin County. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,989.00 | Support for Intertribal Gatherings | 830 Treat Ave , san francisco, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 515-8430 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Support for Intertribal Gatherings will produce two events in 2025 that engage Central California tribal communities including Ohlone, Chumash, Miwok, and Pomo: a four-day Big Time Gathering and a week-long culture camp. The Impact Grant will allow us to hire tribal leadership to fill key organizational and outreach positions for the events. Since Covid, each of the groups are directed by emerging leaders. This grant allows us to support their growth and transition, and support for their elders who are fostering these transitions. | We produce an annual week long summer camp and an annual 3 day tribal dance gathering. We completed a large celebration for the 50 years reunion of the occupation of Alcatraz Island by Indians of All Tribes in 2019. In 2025 we are developing a new program to feature tribal water songs. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Ventura County Arts Council | 646 County Square Drive Suite #154, Ventura, CA 93003 | Ventura | Central Coast | (805) 658-2213 | California's 26th congressional district | District 37 | District 19 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Ventura County Arts Council through its Arts & Youth Justice program will provide arts instruction to formerly homeless youth, teens in a residential program for trafficked girls and youth currently incarcerated in juvenile hall. This program is focused on project-based learning with a trauma-informed approach to arts instruction. | VCAC runs several programs. We re-grant funds to arts organizations and artists when they are available and recently with NEA grant money matched by our county government. Artists in the Classroom is a multi-disciplinary arts education program serving K-8 schools countywide which we took over administering from the county’s Office of Education. Our Arts & Youth Justice program teaches arts to youth in the system, at several locations in the county and at the court school in the Juvenile Justice Center. We administer Poetry Out Loud locally and established a county Poet Laureate and Youth Poet Laureate program. The Atrium Gallery is a public art program and for that we curate three floors in the Government Center in collaboration with the County’s DEI council focusing on exhibitions that highlight artwork by people outside of the mainstream. VCAC prioritizes partnering with arts organizations and artists serving marginalized and underrepresented people and working in the communities where they reside. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | A PLACE OF HER OWN | 1890 Bryant St., 302 1890 Bryant St., 302, SF, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 722-4296 | District 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, A PLACE OF HER OWN (PLACE) will expand its culturally sensitive, arts-based healing program for women of color by developing online self-guided materials and content to complement our existing facilitated programming. The CAC IMPACT grant, supports PLACE 2.0, which is a part of a larger accessibility Legacy Expansion Project aimed at making PLACE’s healing tools and philosophies more accessible to those in need. We plan to strategize, design, build, and pilot selected PLACE online e-learning modules, print-on-demand materials, and resources, including a draft Facilitator Guide with coaching for alumni, advisors, and community partners. | We offer both hybrid, online and in-person lectures, workshops, art exhibitions, lectures and artists’ talks sharing intuitive art making processes for self-reflection, and group discussions that help explore and release generational family trauma. Participants learn to recognize and release family patterns, including links to cultural and societal dysfunction. To claim aspirations, and grow self-agency, the art workshops, artists’ talks and exhibitions provide platforms to artistically answer the question: “If you had a place of your own, what would it be?” This is an artistic exercise in “self-agency”. Leadership Development: |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $140,979.00 | Siskiyou County Arts Council | PO Box 1365 , Mt Shasta, CA 96067 | Siskiyou | Upstate | (530) 918-8380 | California's 1st congressional district | District 1 | District 1 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Siskiyou County Arts Council will use the arts to serve the constituency of Siskiyou County with initiatives that encourage and facilitate strong, inclusive communities with particular emphasis on racial equity, environmental protection and awareness, sustainable economic development, and social justice. | Organizational priorities are to increase equity, particularly racial equity, in and through the arts; ensure the long-term vitality of the arts ecosystem by supporting self-organization strategies; and to foster individual creativity throughout life acknowledging art as a fundamental human need. SCAC ensures constituents have equitable access to arts programming and opportunities by providing county-wide arts programming focusing on habitually underserved communities, pursuing strategic local arts initiatives that connect and highlight the arts ecosystem, coordinating emergency preparedness initiatives and mutual aid funds, and offering fiscal sponsorship for nascent arts organizations and projects. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Kairos Music Academy | 1953 HOPKINS ST , BERKELEY, CA 94707-2603 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 332-1108 | 13th | 15th | 9 | With help from the California Arts Council, Kairos Music Academy (Kairos) will complete the planning & implementation for a reprise of our successful East Bay Youth Choral Festival, which ran for several consecutive years beginning in 1998-2010. Planning has begun and this will intensify through the latter half of 2024 and into mid-2025 when the reiteration of the Festival will take place on April 24-27, 2025, or the weekend of June 5-8. A diverse creative team will solidify the project ideas and implementation. Culturally-reflective (African-American and Latinx) Independent guest choral music artists and composers will provide much of the instruction and select and/or compose the music. The Festival contributes a powerful musical offering for the community with several local and more broadly recognized artists. Major support for their participation through this grant program is sought. | Kairos teaches vocal development, music theory, and performance to (pre-COVID) 60+ late elementary and middle-school youth. Beginning last summer we are rebuilding enrollment back towards this level from a low of 15 during mid-2020, and are currently at over 40. Choristers are assigned to one of 4 levels, determined by age and prior musical training. Music material is multicultural, being inclusive of classical, popular, folk/traditional, and original material composed by our staff. Kairos participants represent broad cultural diversity; we offer tuition assistance for 20% of them, and intend to double this percentage as the pandemic recedes and resources permit. Our organizational budget is $159,000 of which 10% is earmarked for tuition subsidies. Tuitions, grants, individual donors, & performance entry fees account for revenue. Kairos was founded at our current location in Berkeley by professional choral director and classical soloist Laura Kakis Serper in 1990. Kairos has received California State Senate recognition for exceptional community service as well as other local, national, and international citations. We’ve supported the musical development of over 500 Bay Area elementary and middle-school youth – once again 20% from underserved groups – and reached tens of thousands of local, national, and international concert-goers. Performances encompass tours, recordings, festivals, and in-house productions. Between our Directorate, staff, and Advisory Board, Kairos leadership approaches the great cultural diversity of the San Francisco East Bay. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Studio Channel Islands | 2222 Ventura Blvd , Camarillo, CA 93010 | Ventura | Central Coast | (805) 383-1368 | California's 26th congressional district | District 44 | District 19 | With support from the California Arts Council, Studio Channel Islands will deliver an education program in collaboration with an artist residency and exhibition program. The education program will enabling students from target schools to work alongside professional artists in the creation of an exhibition and performance program. Studio Channel Islands has secured access and funding for an artist residency at Rancho Santa Clara del Norte, Saticoy, exploring the rich ecological and social history of one of the county’s original Mexican land grant ranches. The education program will provide access to this creative process for students from low-income communities with particular focus upon students from indigenous, chicano and migrant families. | Studio Channel Islands was formed within the footprint of California State University Channel Islands. The artists presented exhibitions and delivered education programs. The organization moved from the University to a downtown derelict school and set up studios and a Gallery; the education programs continued with a broad range of classes and regular camps. The link with the University was not lost; the University’s community lecture program continues to be delivered within the Gallery and Studio Channel Islands recognizes the achievement of students through an annual Award for Excellence. Studio Channel Islands has continued to evolve new education programs involving both formal and informal education partners. Now based within a school district campus the organization is able to work closely with both elementary and high schools within the community. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Fox Cultural Hall | 8707 North Lake Boulevard , Kings Beach, CA 96143 | Placer | Upstate | (530) 582-8278 | California Assembly District 3 | District 1 | District 1 | With CAC support, Fox Cultural Hall will provide performing arts assemblies and workshops for eight rural schools, reaching 5,000 students, to promote cultural and artistic learning. World-class artists will work in schools, sharing their art, culture, and social message, and reinforce student learning with study guides, taught by classroom teachers. | Fox Cultural Hall (Arts For The Schools) now offers seven programs, operating in a new space for arts programming and community arts. Community Programs: arTRAIN- Free professional training in arts integration for classroom teachers and schools to promote equitable learning outcomes among students. The Mural Project –A collaboration of area organizations, to beautify local businesses with artistic murals, in the heart of North Lake Tahoe communities. The art conveys important local themes of environmental stewardship, history and cultural heritage, with the goal of bringing attention to local small businesses. Mexican Heritage Festival – The festival honors Mexican cultural traditions through celebration of Mexican music, dance, arts, artisan vendors, crafts, food and local businesses. In addition to supporting and celebrating Mexican culture, arts and artists, the festival promotes and supports, local LatinX-owned businesses. School- based Programs: The Performing Arts program provides performances and workshops with cultural, performing artists in K-12 schools to promote cultural learning. The program serves 10,000 students and reaches 22 schools in our service area, and supports 35-40 artists annually. The Community School program provides in-depth course work in music, visual arts, and digital arts for juvenile-justice system and vulnerable youth at school. The program serves students with in-depth fine arts and career-training course-work. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | AXIS Dance Company | 1370 Tenth Street N/A, Berkeley, CA 94710-1510 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 625-0110 | 12th Congressional district of California | District 14 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, AXIS DANCE COMPANY will pilot a Student Matinee program to present two 45-minute Youth Performances followed by discussions for K-5 students at two partnering performance venues (4 matinees total). This program will provide students with live dance performances by D/eaf, disabled, non-disabled, and neurodivergent artists, offers educational insights on disability and accessibility as dancers share their personal journeys while introducing the audience to integrated dance experiences that challenge traditional notions of what dance can be and who can be a dancer. Students will leave with an expanded understanding of dance and an empowering message that anyone who has a body can dance. After this pilot, we want to expand in 2026 to 4 host venues for student matinees in the Bay Area. | Our Artistic Advancement Program serves as a training ground for professional D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists and consists of our Summer Intensive, Company Appreniceship, Choreo-Lab, and Teacher Trainings. Our Summer Intensive, now entering its seventeenth year, provides professional development for dancers at all levels of their growth through a multi-day experience that connects participants. Our Choreo-Lab paves the way for D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent choreographers to elevate their artistry through mentoring, networking, and peer support while producing original work. We have built a robust professional development suite of services that deepens Choreo-Lab participants’ understanding of the craft, including grants & fellowships, budgeting, production, presenting, and disability justice workshops, an enhanced year-round mentorship component, and opportunities to connect with Choreo-Lab Alumni and meet with presenters to learn from them. Through our Choreo-Lab program, we have a unique capacity to increase the representation of D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists in the dance field. Many educators lack the tools or training to confidently create inclusive learning spaces for D/deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent students. AXIS bridges that gap. We pair 45-minute integrated dance performances with artist-led discussions, introducing young audiences to disability representation and the expressive power of movement. These experiences are joyful, interactive, and often a student’s first encounter with professional dance. In tandem, we equip educators with tools to create inclusive classrooms through movement-based exercises and dialogue about language, access, and belonging. Our focus on youth programming furthers our goal to introduce new populations to integrated dance. In 2024, AXIS reached 8,000 K-12 students in the Bay Area. 50% of participants were from low-income communities and 80-100% of participants were BIPOC. |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | BODYTRAFFIC | 3435 Wilshire Blvd ste 200 , Los Angeles, CA 90010-1901 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (909) 274-9837 | California's 34th Congressional district | District 54 | 26 | BODYTRAFFIC requests general operating support from the California Arts Council to help support the Company’s 2024-25 home season performances in Los Angeles and concomitant community engagement activities. During the California Arts Council grant period, BODYTRAFFIC will give 6 shows at 3 venues, The Wallis, 2 performances, December 2024; Audry Irmas Pavilion, 2 performances, March 2025; and The Avalon Hollywood, 2 performances, May 2025. Three new dance works by Akram Khan, Trey McIntyre, and Martha Nichols will be developed and premiere during the LA season. In addition, a minimum of 750 free tickets to its season will be distributed to students and their families participating in community outreach and dance training programs, in collaboration with community partners, as part of BODYTRAFFIC’s multi-layered engagement efforts that provide in-depth arts exposure. | BT has helped set the stage for professional concert dance on the West Coast, building an audience for dance and assisting others in this art form to thrive. The company has nurtured the creation of new artworks and hired artists and arts administrators, bolstering the creative economy of L.A. Additionally, BT has poured into its local dance spaces providing them with financial support and engagement. This year, with the launch of BT’s first-ever home season, Perpetual Pursuits, the company is bringing a renewed focus to its vibrant hometown. With the goals of rebuilding audiences for live performing arts, inspiring communities with relatable programming, and designing meaningful educational events that uplift the next generation of artists and audiences, BT is celebrating the art of forward movement and the audacity of perseverance. Additionally, BT has rich education and outreach programming for Angelenos of all ages. Through partnerships with Los Angeles-based organizations and schools, the company offers access to professional arts education with masterclasses, movement workshops, educational performances, in-studio open rehearsals, and residencies. BT is not only training young dancers through its collaborations with places like Everybody Dance LA! and LACHSA, but also encouraging lifelong learners and movers through Grow@The Wallis and Pasadena Senior Center, philanthropic interests in young dancers with Marlborough School, the freedom of movement and expression at Dahlia Heights and Gabriella Charter Schools, and alternative futures and opportunities with A Place Called Home. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | DIAVOLO | Architecture In Motion | 616 MOULTON AVE , LOS ANGELES, CA 90031-3237 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 225-4290 | 34th Congressional District of California | District 54 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Diavolo Dance Theatre (“DIAVOLO”) will perform its in-school assembly show T.R.U.S.T. at nearly 20 individual school sites over the nine-month grant period. The project will reach a projected audience of nearly 6,000 students, a majority of whom will be underserved. | Founded by Artistic Director Jacques Heim in 1992, DIAVOLO is a cultural pillar of the community as a leading California dance company to consistently perform locally, nationally and internationally. Over its 30-year history, DIAVOLO has presented dozens of dance works, creating one of the field’s most compelling repertoires. On the road, DIAVOLO creates education and engagement activities, including student matinees, master classes, lectures, and intensive trainings. In Los Angeles, the DIAVOLO Institute provides dance education and engagement programs with a focus on low-income youth. Programs are delivered at Title I schools, community centers, and DIAVOLO’s downtown Los Angeles studio. Each program culminates in a choreographed performance in the distinct DIAVOLO style, incorporating physical objects such as tables, ladders, and wheels. In 2016, DIAVOLO expanded its community engagement program to include The Veterans Project. DIAVOLO provides restorative movement workshops paired with creative writing exercises for local veterans. |
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | $18,517.00 | SAN FRANCISCO CHILDRENS ART CENTER | 2 Marina Boulevard Fort Mason Center, Building C, San Francisco, CA 94123 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 771-0292 | California's 12th congressional district | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, San Francisco Children’s Art Center (SFCAC) will provide San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) Early Education classroom teachers and district visual arts teachers with professional development workshops, experiential learning visual arts classroom residencies, and one-on-one coaching and support. SFCAC’s Professional Development program will focus on Early Education classrooms to expand capacity for facilitating process-oriented art engagement, to use creative experiences to foster collaborative learning environments for the district’s youngest students, and to use artmaking to strengthen home-to-school connections with families. | Annually, SFCAC serves approximately 1200 San Francisco children, ages 2-10 years old, and their teachers and families. Our students are predominantly from economically vulnerable families (70%) and students of color (90%). SCHOOL PROGRAMS: OUT-OF-SCHOOL ART CLASSES & CAMPS: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: COMMUNITY OUTREACH: |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | DIAVOLO | Architecture In Motion | 616 MOULTON AVE , LOS ANGELES, CA 90031-3237 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 225-4290 | 34th Congressional District of California | District 54 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Diavolo Dance Theatre (“DIAVOLO”) will produce THE VETERANS PROGRAM, a community-engagement program with the goal of bridging the widening gap between veterans and civilians. Through restorative movement workshops, creative writing exercises and open discussions, DIAVOLO will foster veterans’ creative expression, increase veterans’ active arts participation and enhance the public’s understanding of veteran issues today. The program will culminate in a custom-choreographed community performance titled S.O.S. [STATE OF SURVIVAL], which will feature veterans performing alongside DIAVOLO dancers. | Founded by Artistic Director Jacques Heim in 1992, DIAVOLO is a cultural pillar of the community as a leading California dance company to consistently perform locally, nationally and internationally. Over its 30-year history, DIAVOLO has presented dozens of dance works, creating one of the field’s most compelling repertoires. On the road, DIAVOLO creates education and engagement activities, including student matinees, master classes, lectures, and intensive trainings. In Los Angeles, the DIAVOLO Institute provides dance education and engagement programs with a focus on low-income youth. Programs are delivered at Title I schools, community centers, and DIAVOLO’s downtown Los Angeles studio. Each program culminates in a choreographed performance in the distinct DIAVOLO style, incorporating physical objects such as tables, ladders, and wheels. In 2016, DIAVOLO expanded its community engagement program to include The Veterans Project. DIAVOLO provides restorative movement workshops paired with creative writing exercises for local veterans. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $18,517.00 | Creativity Explored | 3245 16TH ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103-3323 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 863-2108 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Creativity Explored will launch Imaginate Field Trips, a series of 12 free youth tours and artist engagement workshops for 180 middle, high school and transition-aged youth of all abilities and economic backgrounds. The program will target populations that typically lack access to free arts and culture field trips during the school day, offering an inclusive visual arts exposure program that meets VAPA and Common Core academic standards. Of the 180 students served, 50% will have a disability, and at least 30% will come from Title 1 schools. | CE offers safe and accessible studio space and resources for artists with developmental disabilities to work and gain positive career opportunities. Our gallery, which provides professional exhibition opportunities for disabled artists, is a must-see attraction for thousands of locals and international visitors each year. CE artists earn 50% of the proceeds from each sale and 40% of licensing royalties. As a result of CE programming, disabled artists learn skills, earn income, and gain independence. To date, CE artists have earned over $2.2 million from their artwork, and many have achieved international recognition. In addition to being included in numerous private collections, artwork by CE studio artists has been shown in museums and galleries in 14 countries. CE has recently implemented bold plans to become an intergenerational organization, developing youth offerings designed to appropriately address students’ needs across ages, settings, and abilities. In 2023, we launched Imaginate Youth, a series of workshops designed to support transition-aged youth with disabilities in collaboration with transition programs at local schools. In 2024, we launched Imaginate YA, an after-school program for transition-aged youth and in 2025 we will launch Camp Imaginate, an inclusive summer camp for middle and high school youth. Adult CE artists support all of these programs through paid opportunities, demonstrating their art practices and supporting youth with disabilities as mentors. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | PiYoDa Flow | 4215 W 29th St , Los Angeles, CA 90016-3615 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 996-3569 | California Assembly district 55 | District CA-37 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, CULTURE FLOW PROJECTS (CFP) will produce the next cohort of SEED dance experimental choreography engaging artists and incarcerated youth in the creative process and performance of afro diasporic, street and social dance. In conjunction with SEED artists in South Los Angeles, CFP will engage the youth at the Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall. By bringing dance and cultural education to youth experiencing incarceration while local artists develop work, we will provide inclusive space and mentorship to create, and a platform to perform. We hope to spark conversations that address social justice and mental health issues while building a presence of and engagement in street and social dance concert productions. Our experimental methods in developing work allows for freedom of expression while keeping cultures alive culminating in meaningful performances. | We offer: |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Shiptyard Trust for the Arts | 101 Horne Ave , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 822-0922 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Shipyard Trust for the Arts (STAR) will engage the local community by providing hands-on visual arts experiences and learning to local preschool to elementary age students, while also connecting them with seniors aging in place, as part of an intergenerational art program. This program will take place in various community settings, including the Dr. George Davis Senior Center and local schools, creating meaningful interactions between young students and seniors. Through collaborative art projects, participants will explore cultural heritage, express their creativity, and build mutual understanding and respect. The program creates a nurturing and inclusive environment that supports the social-emotional development of the youth and enriches the lives of the seniors through shared creative activities. | STAR supports artists through curated exhibitions, a dedicated website and social media presence, and periodic Open Studios events that create opportunities for sales and exposure. The organization also offers professional development in presentation, pricing, sales, and marketing to strengthen artists’ careers. STAR’s Artist-in-Residence program provides 18 months of free studio space to three artists from Bayview Hunters Point. Launched in 1996, the program has significantly increased local artist participation, with more than half of residents securing permanent studios afterward. Teaching artists lead classes at nearby schools and senior centers, enriching lives through creative engagement. On-site classes, tours, and events at the Shipyard connect children, adults, and seniors with the artistic process and the site itself. Uncovering and sharing the Shipyard’s layered history—also the history of this traditionally African American neighborhood—remains a central focus. STAR maintains a free website, www.shipyardartists.com, where all Shipyard artists have individual, editable pages. Online and in-person art sales through exhibitions and auctions further support artists’ visibility and income. In 2018, construction began on a new artist building secured by STAR as a community benefit. It was halted due to falsified soil testing, delaying development. STAR continues to advocate for its completion and for upgrades to existing facilities. Our newest project, CRANE, expands this work by using public art, storytelling, and community events to highlight the Shipyard’s historical significance and deepen awareness of its relationship to Bayview Hunters Point. CRANE also invites the local community to participate in shaping the Shipyard’s future through dialogue, memory, and shared vision. CRANE will culminate in the fall of 2026 with a major light and sound installation around the landmark gantry crane. STAR also collaborates with the U.S. Navy to provide informational meetings on environmental cleanup, while hosting independent events that raise public understanding and promote long-term safety. |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | Shiptyard Trust for the Arts | 101 Horne Ave , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 822-0922 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, SHIPYARD TRUST FOR THE ARTS will enhance its diverse arts programs and community engagement at the Hunters Point Shipyard. We will support our Artist-in-Residence program, providing free studio space, professional development and other opportunities to the residents and other underrepresented artists at the shipyard. Our partnerships with local schools, senior centers, and community organizations will offer free art classes and collaborative projects. We will continue to host bi-annual Open Studios events and present exhibits and events in our art gallery throughout the year. We will continue to advocate for and support all shipyard artists, while ensuring accessibility and inclusivity in all our programs, supporting people with disabilities and creating a vibrant, inclusive arts community. | STAR supports artists through curated exhibitions, a dedicated website and social media presence, and periodic Open Studios events that create opportunities for sales and exposure. The organization also offers professional development in presentation, pricing, sales, and marketing to strengthen artists’ careers. STAR’s Artist-in-Residence program provides 18 months of free studio space to three artists from Bayview Hunters Point. Launched in 1996, the program has significantly increased local artist participation, with more than half of residents securing permanent studios afterward. Teaching artists lead classes at nearby schools and senior centers, enriching lives through creative engagement. On-site classes, tours, and events at the Shipyard connect children, adults, and seniors with the artistic process and the site itself. Uncovering and sharing the Shipyard’s layered history—also the history of this traditionally African American neighborhood—remains a central focus. STAR maintains a free website, www.shipyardartists.com, where all Shipyard artists have individual, editable pages. Online and in-person art sales through exhibitions and auctions further support artists’ visibility and income. In 2018, construction began on a new artist building secured by STAR as a community benefit. It was halted due to falsified soil testing, delaying development. STAR continues to advocate for its completion and for upgrades to existing facilities. Our newest project, CRANE, expands this work by using public art, storytelling, and community events to highlight the Shipyard’s historical significance and deepen awareness of its relationship to Bayview Hunters Point. CRANE also invites the local community to participate in shaping the Shipyard’s future through dialogue, memory, and shared vision. CRANE will culminate in the fall of 2026 with a major light and sound installation around the landmark gantry crane. STAR also collaborates with the U.S. Navy to provide informational meetings on environmental cleanup, while hosting independent events that raise public understanding and promote long-term safety. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | Alameda County Arts Commission | 1106 Madison St., Suite 336 , Oakland, CA 94607 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 208-9646 | California's 12th congressional district | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Alameda County Arts Commission will provide a broad range of arts programs to the arts community and extremely diverse 1.7 million County residents. The grant will support staff positions and programs focusing on Advocacy, Grants to Arts Organizations, Public Art and Arts Education. | The Arts Commission fulfills its mission through: |
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | $18,517.00 | Partnership for Los Angeles Schools | 1055 WILSHIRE BLVD STE 1850 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90017-5604 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 201-2000 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools will implement a professional development program that will equip elementary and middle school teachers with the skills needed to integrate media arts into their curricula. | The Partnership network is currently made up of 20 historically-low-performing LA Unified schools, grades TK-12, with a combined enrollment of 14,000 students. The Partnership manages highest-need schools with LA Unified under a Memorandum of Understanding that affords certain autonomies enabling us to implement our school transformation model. We build the capacity of school communities and work to close resource gaps through strategic coaching, partnership facilitation, and programming in advanced mathematics, college access, and arts education. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $17,943.00 | Land Together | 2081 Center Street , Berkeley, CA 94704 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (415) 854-0067 | California's 13th congressional district | District 15 | District 9 | The Avenal State Prison (ASP) Mural Arts Project will engage 60 incarcerated individuals at ASP during a four-month collaborative mural creation, led by Fresno-based artist James Graham. This project aims to support social, racial, and environmental justice messaging and storytelling within the prison. Participants will brainstorm themes, design individual pieces, and collaboratively create a vibrant mural on a 40-foot wall bordering the prison garden, transforming a sterile concrete wall into a meaningful and inclusive environment for all incarcerated individuals to enjoy. The project provides an empowering platform for creative self-expression while fostering a sense of community and belonging. By involving participants at every stage and showcasing their work, the mural will enhance the prison environment and inspire future collaborative art projects, contributing to the healing and uplifting of the incarcerated community at ASP. | Land Together’s staff and volunteers facilitate a yearlong therapeutic, arts and nature-based curriculum rooted in a holistic approach that integrates the arts and environmental sciences, and tends to both the “inner” and “outer” artist/gardener. Our “inner gardener” classes integrate transformational tools such as meditation, emotional process work and ecotherapy. In flower and vegetable gardens, people practice “outer gardening,” where our diverse class participants also learn the basics of organic gardening, human/ecological systems and useful work and life skills. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | ArtsOC | 17620 Fitch Avenue Suite 255, Irvine, CA 92614 | Orange | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (714) 556-5160 | 47 | 73 | 37 | With support from the California Arts Council, ARTS ORANGE COUNTY will vigorously advance diversity, equity, and inclusion through robust arts programs serving all of Orange County and in its internal practices, including all ages, indigenous peoples, communities of color, immigrants, military veterans, people with disabilities, the LGBTQ community, and incarcerated. | Arts Orange County fulfills its mission by offering the following programs and services: Regranting – when funds are available. During pandemic, raised private funds and secured County funding, oversaw regranting of nearly $8 million. In 2023-24, served as Administering Organization for CAC’s Individual Artist Fellowship Program in Region I (Imperial, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego counties). Orange County Arts Awards, honoring artists, arts visionaries and arts patrons Creative Edge Lecture, presenting thought-leaders in the field of creativity Imagination Celebration, county-wide, six-week festival of arts for families & children in collaboration with Orange County Department of Education Día del Niño, a free festival of Latino arts for families and children OC Jails Project, creative writing instruction to Transitional Age Youth SparkOC.com, online arts calendar Newsletter, bi-monthly ArtsOC institutional & arts community news Leadership Convenings, bringing together arts leaders of various cohorts and artists for regular online and in-person gatherings to share concerns, best practices Breaking Through, webinars for arts leaders about exemplary local programs fulfilling diversity, equity and inclusion goals Emerging Arts Leaders-OC Consulting and Project Management services on cultural planning & public art to municipalities and arts organizations |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | CubaCaribe | 60 29th st suite 315 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110-4929 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 279-1034 | California Assembly district 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, CubaCaribe will use CAC funds to support general operating costs for personnel and occupancy. Personnel will produce core artistic and educational programs, such as the Annual CubaCaribe Dance & Music Festival, the annual SF Carnaval Contingent, host the resident Alayo Dance Company and more; as well as manage finances; maintain communications with its community and the general public through outreach, marketing and its website; and provide fiscal sponsorship to two Bay Area-based artists. | Community is at the heart of all of CubaCaribe’s programming. Our unwavering focus is on building a thriving community of Caribbean artists in the Bay Area. CubaCaribe’s services include offering ongoing education and performance opportunities for artists and audiences. Core programs include: The Annual CubaCaribe Festival of Dance and Music,which includes performances, lectures, demos, workshops, film screenings, celebrations and more (2005-present); the resident Alayo Dance Company CubaCaribe’s artistic director’s innovative fusion of Afro-Cuban modern, folkloric and popular Cuban dance (2004-present); Cuba Camp, which offers adult campers an intensive two-four days of Caribbean dance and music classes (2004-2006, 2014, 2021, 2024); Annual Noche Caribeña Gala, a cabaret dinner and show fundraiser (2019, 2022-2024); Moving Juntos, Afro-Cuban Dance & Music classes for ages 4-12 (2021-present); Maestros y Raíces, a series of master classes by visiting teachers (2024), and the San Francisco Carnaval Contingent, featuring original choreography taught in a series of classes and performed to live music (2006, 2008 & 2019-present). CubaCaribe also provides fiscal sponsorship services. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $46,293.00 | Balboa Art Conservation Center | 1649 El Prado , SAN DIEGO, CA 92101 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 236-9702 | California's 53rd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | BACC submits this proposal to support the ongoing California Inclusive Preservation Program (CIPP). Funding will support the implementation of a series of virtual lectures, in-person workshops and collaborative learning opportunities designed to increase collections care capacity and knowledge among small to midsize collections throughout California through 1000+ engagements and to develop a network of collections caretakers across the state. While CIPP will be open to all California-based collections staff, outreach and content will focus on those tasked with collections care at small and midsize organizations who lack the resources and access to collections care services and training, particularly those serving underrepresented communities, including but not limited to BIPOC, rural, and veteran communities. | The Balboa Art Conservation Center works closely with museums, libraries, cultural centers, and historical societies to provide collections surveys, conservation treatment, and educational programs. While there are more than 36,000 museums and historic houses in the nation, only 1% have a conservator on site. The rest of these institutions must rely on outside sources, like BACC, for their conservation. We offer programs for museums and culture centers focused on collections care including Emergency Preparedness Workshops, Art and Cultural Heritage Object Clinics, and lectures on conservation and preservation at community colleges, universities, and museums. We also provide education and outreach programs about conservation to the community. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $23,147.00 | Bridge Live Arts | 1446 Market St , San Francisco, CA 94102-6004 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (920) 851-6661 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Bridge Live Arts (B.L.A.) will partner with horizontally-led, Bay Area-based collectives 7000COILS and Asian Babe Gang. 7000COILS will partner with B.L.A. for a year-long Community Engagement Residency culminating in “Gardens of Alchemy,” a series of wellness and movement workshops by and for Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, and people of color (QT/BIPOC) artists, healers, activists, and cultural workers, all conceived in relationship to land. B.L.A. will co-present a new immersive dance theater project by the Asian Babe Gang that brings their administrative practice of shared leadership into the choreographic realm while reflecting on their years of hosting spaces of belonging and activism rooted in queer Asian-American identity. | Bridge Live Arts (B.L.A.) creates and supports equity-driven live art that centers artists as agents of change. We are based on the unceded, ancestral lands of the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples who have stewarded this land for generations and are still here. Our arts and culture programming features an array of live performances, public dialogues, workshops, classes, and residencies that reflect the organization’s deep commitments to cultural equity, racial equity, and artist power. This programming includes a Community Engagement Residency offering year-long funding and capacity building support to movement artist-activists working in community. In 2020, B.L.A. transitioned from a founder-led, hierarchical nonprofit to a model of distributed leadership. In alignment with B.L.A.’s core values, our way of working currently embraces shared leadership across all aspects of the organization, pay equality across artistic & administrative staff, and a re-imagined Board comprised of 100% working artists. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $18,517.00 | Museum of Contemporary Art | 250 S GRAND AVE , LOS ANGELES, CA 90012-3007 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 621-1795 | District 34 | District 54 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, MOCA will sustain Contemporary Art Start (CAS), a high-impact classroom partnership program, to serve approximately 8,250 students and 165 teachers and make arts education more accessible, collaborative and learner-centered. Using discussion as a catalyst for inclusive learning experiences, CAS combines extensive professional development for teachers, an inquiry-based classroom curriculum, museum visits, and family involvement opportunities to build connections to the power of art. Rooted in inquiry-based methodologies, the program leverages the process of discussing and understanding art to buoy the development of critical thinking, communication, and visual literacy skills, which are applicable to core subjects such as reading, writing, math, and science. | MOCA was founded in 1979 by a visionary group of artists, business leaders, philanthropists, and civic representatives committed to building a permanent forum for contemporary art in Los Angeles. Since then, MOCA has been dedicated to the collection, presentation, and interpretation of groundbreaking and critically acclaimed exhibitions. MOCA has grown significantly into an internationally-renowned institution that includes two Los Angeles locations of architectural renown; a world-class permanent collection of approximately 7,000 objects, global in scope and among the finest in the world; hallmark education programs that are widely emulated; award-winning publications that present original scholarship; groundbreaking monographic, touring, and thematic exhibitions of international repute that survey the art of our time; accessible digital platforms; and innovative opportunities for sustained public engagement and audience development. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | LA River Arts | 6624 DUME DR , MALIBU, CA 90265-4221 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (714) 854-4765 | California Assembly district 50 | District 50 | District 27 | With support from the California Arts Council, LA River Arts will place LGBTQAI2S artists in the lead to guide and co-create with communities alongside Paayme Paxaayt, aka the LA River, which flows through 13 cities and 25 communities in LA County. Each year, LARA produces River Sessions, an interactive series of monthly excursions led by cultural practitioners and local artists conducting creative field research within the LA Basin/ Tovaangar watershed. In 2025, River Sessions would be guided with the goals and perspectives of Queer Theory as we draw parallels between the fluidity of the River and more expansive notions of gender, sexuality, and kinship. | LA River Arts advocates for an arts and cultural infrastructure integral to the many revitalization projects along the river’s 51-mile corridor from Canoga Park to Long Beach. We believe that cultural projects are a dynamic way to share the river’s potential with a large public audience, and deepen community connections. Through art-based projects, our work has impacted the conversation on multiple levels. We have heightened the discussion about public space; tilted the conversation about the LA River toward community-driven social spaces; and demonstrated the confluence of nature, art, and play. Our efforts confirm the value of inclusionary art-based public projects, introduce artists and communities to each other, and envision a robust river cultural environment. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | San Francisco Shakespeare Festival | PO BOX 460937 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94146-0937 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 558-0888 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, SHAKESPEARE -SAN FRANCISCO’s Shakespeare on Tour will bring a professional, 1-hour production of “Romeo & Juliet” to up to 80 CA schools, including 25 under-served schools, partnering with teachers to provide a curriculum guide indexed to state standards, post-show talk-back, and a 1-hour Playshop. | Free Shakespeare in the Park each year presents a professional production of Shakespeare in five public park venues, reaching up to 30,000 Bay Area citizens. The Festival also engages communities through five arts education programs: -Shakespeare on Tour performs an abridged Shakespeare play at 150 schools, libraries and community centers in the Bay Area and all over the state. -Over 300 youth ages 4-18 attend Bay Area Shakespeare Camps to explore Shakespeare’s plays and also learn the skills needed to perform them. -Tailor-Made Residencies connect Festival teaching artists with classroom teachers for in-school theater enrichment tailored to their students. -Midnight Shakespeare provides a challenging theater residency program for over 100 under-served youth in school settings in Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $119,578.00 | Mono Arts Council | 437 OLD MAMMOTH ROAD, SUITE M , MAMMOTH LAKES, CA 93546-0056 | Mono | Central Valley | (760) 914-2731 | California's 3rd congressional district | District 8 | District 4 | With support from the California Arts Council, Mono Arts Council (MAC) will continue to ensure that ALL residents in our rural and remote county have access to the arts through a variety of programs, including youth arts programs, outreach, and through the MAC Gallery & Community Arts Center. We will continue to support our local artist community through opportunities and outreach and work to develop mentorship and technical support to our emerging artists. | Mono Arts Council offers arts programs to all residents and visitors of Mono County. We continue to create awareness of MAC activities through public outreach, our Gallery & Art Center, and our Art Festivals.Through the MAC Gallery & Arts Center we create a space for local, regional and emerging artists to exhibit their work. MAC offers art education in all Mono County schools. We provide free in school art instruction, free after school art and Kids Summer Art Camps. MAC reaches all students through in-school programs such as the Create With the Greats and Crescendo Music program. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego | 700 Prospect Street , San Diego, CA 92037 | San Diego | Far South | (858) 454-3541 | California's 52nd Congressional District | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego will offer the Teen Art Collective (TAC) Program. 20-25 Grade 11 students, from diverse schools and communities across San Diego will participate in a free, bi-weekly, intensive, year-long program where they will explore contemporary art, the museum world, and careers in the arts. Students build new friendships, networks with diverse peers, and foundational career skills. Extensive artmaking enables them to develop their creativity and build their portfolios. Professional artists offer workshops, and students participate in field trips to artist-run exhibition spaces. Students plan a culminating celebratory showcase. This program provides the students with the foundation, insight, and confidence to successfully apply to higher education institutions leading to careers in the arts. | MCASD provides an unprecedented variety of exhibition spaces and experiences for the community, showcasing an internationally recognized collection and a dynamic schedule of exhibitions and public programs. The Museum presents a rotating schedule of exhibitions annually and has a strong history of touring exhibitions to prestigious national and international venues. Youth are a key audience and, since 2007, MCASD has offered free admission to all visitors ages 25 and under. Programs for young people include the Extended School Partnership, Teen Art Collective, Family Art Labs, and monthly Family Free Days, as well as interactive night time event series. The Museum’s Reflections creative aging program serves older adults. On Free Third Thursdays the Museum offers extended hours with a changing roster of films, talks and perfromances. Play Days take place on the second Sunday of the month are also free for all and offer dedicated family programming and artmaking. The Museum’s La Jolla campus reopened to the public in April 2022 after a significant expansion which quadrupled the gallery space. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $17,360.00 | Southern Exposure | 3030 20TH STREET , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110-2780 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 863-2141 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, SOUTHERN EXPOSURE will engage 20–40 young artists , ages 14–19, in Mission Voices Summer, a free, intensive summer arts program that provides teens with a visual art space to explore issues relevant to them, exercise leadership skills, and utilize art as a tool for social change. | Since 1974, the needs and voices of artists have been the driving force behind Southern Exposure (SoEx)’s activities. Through our extensive, innovative programming, SoEx strives to experiment, collaborate, and educate while providing an extraordinary resource center and forum for artists of all ages. Our Artists in Education programs strive to catalyze leadership opportunities for young artists in underserved communities, enabling them to utilize their artistic vision to express their perspectives on the social issues that impact their lives. Our Curatorial Council – a group of BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and immigrant artists who lead SoEx’s creative vision – curates our Projects and Exhibitions program and promotes innovative, risk‐taking visual art practices. And Alternative Exposure is our major re‐granting initiative that provides funding and promotion for the independent, self‐organized work of artist collectives that serve, highlight, or lift up historically marginalized artistic communities within the Bay Area arts community. Having always been located in San Francisco’s Mission District, SoEx has become an even more critical institution for visual artists, especially those that are historically marginalized, given the neighborhood’s and City’s rapid economic transformation. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $140,979.00 | Commission for Arts and Culture / Cultural Affairs | 1200 Third Ave., Ste. 924 , San Diego, CA 92101 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 236-6800 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 77 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Commission for Arts and Culture will advance an equitable and inclusive creative economy and arts ecosystem that reflects San Diego’s cultural diversity through capacity-building activities. CAC funds will support the following: Poetry Out Loud. The regional Poetry Out Loud program, produced in collaboration with the local organization Write Out Loud, aims to ignite a passion for poetry and foster a love for the arts. Artist Capacity Building. Capacity-building for San Diego County artists and empowering them to thrive in their practice. It will focus on artists residing or serving communities within the lowest-quartile of California HPI, continuing to build the infrastructure of the California Creative Corps program Far South/Border North, offering professional development, expanding to more artists to advance community practice, and strengthening collaborations/networks. | Through the Commission, the City invests in San Diego communities through grantmaking, placemaking, accessible arts and cultural experiences, global cultural initiatives, performance spaces, and individual artists/culture bearers. The goal is to enrich every neighborhood through arts, culture, and creativity through each community’s self-determination. Over the last 37 years, this investment has been disseminated through two core programs, Public Art and Funding. The Public Art Program transforms the human experience of the city’s built environment through public art. The Commission stewards the Civic Art Collection of over 950 objects, integrates art into capital improvement projects, and ensures the inclusion of art or cultural space in private development projects. The Commission is the largest arts grantmaker in the region and annually awards funds for general operating and project-specific support. These grants are fundamental to the sustainability of many organizations. This general operating support is often the most significant annual grant and the sole multi-year funding to organizations of all sizes. For project support, the City’s grant is routinely awarded over multiple years, also providing continuity for festivals and events such as Pride San Diego and many of San Diego’s film festivals. Initiatives focus on data collection and field assessments, cultural planning, cultural tourism, creative youth, cultural space, technical assistance for organizations, and training and support for artists, and poet laureateship and municipal photography fellowship programs. Historically recognized for supporting arts and culture organizations, Commission now focuses on the broader creative sector – including creative industries and individual artists- and community-wide issues where the arts can play an essential role, such as civic engagement and social justice. In 2025, through the Commission the City adopted the Creative City cultural plan, a long-term plan to advance arts, culture and creativity for the benefit of San Diegans as well as the the greater Cali-Baja megaregion. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | PlayGround Inc | 3286 ADELINE ST #9 , BERKELEY, CA 94703-2485 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (415) 992-6677 | California District 13 | District 15 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, PlayGround will continue its important work as an arts service organization, providing services to hundreds of California playwrights, directors, and actors through a robust array of programming designed to launch the work of emerging artists, with a focus on uplifting historically marginalized voices through our policies and practices, staffing, board, artists, audiences, and programming. PlayGround’s mission is to support the development of significant new local voices for the theatre, particularly those historically marginalized including BIPOC, women, and LGBTQIA+, helping to launch these writers onto the national scene. Funding from the California Arts Council will assist PlayGround in our efforts to fulfill our mission as a regional arts service organization, serving early-career to veteran artists across California, all working together to create new, daring works for the stage. | Since its founding in 1994, PlayGround has supported more than 350 early-career playwrights, developing and staging over 1,500 of their original short plays through the Monday Night PlayGround staged reading series and PlayGround Festival of New Works. PlayGround has also commissioned 100 new full-length plays by 65 of these writers through its Commissioning Initiative and has directly facilitated the premiere of 36 of those works through its innovative New Play Production Fund and through intentional partnerships with other producers. The Festival has become one of the most important launching pads for early-career playwrights and their work, leading to collaborations, commissions and productions both in continuing relationship to and often well beyond PlayGround. In 2017, PlayGround added Potrero Stage, a state-of-the-art 99-seat performance space, to its suite of resources in support of new plays and playwrights. More recent programs in service to artists and arts organizations include: the PlayGround Solo Performance Festival, providing a platform for the development of new solo works by California artists; and the Innovator Incubator, fostering the launch of innovative new theatre companies representing the great diversity of the Bay Area. PlayGround has received numerous awards including: Playwrights Foundation’s Inaugural New Play Champion Award, BATCC’s Paine Knickerbocker Award for ongoing contributions to Bay Area theater, and American Theater Wing’s National Theater Grant. PlayGround’s alumni have gone on to win local, national, and international honors for their short and full-length work, including recognition at the Humana Festival, O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, and New York International Fringe Festival. Six of the past ten Will Glickman Award winners for best new play are PlayGround alumni. Notable alumni include: Lauren Yee (Cambodian Rock Band), Jonathan Spector (Eureka Day), Vincent Terrel Durham (Polar Bears, Black Boys & Prairie Fringed Orchids & Rella Lossy Award Winner). |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $46,293.00 | Dancers' Group | 44 GOUGH ST STE 201 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103-5424 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 920-9181 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Dancers’ Group will offer free programs and services, interfacing frequently with those in the dance community of the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. Staff will manage a free membership program of more than 2,100 and Fiscal Sponsorship and CA$H Dance re-granting programs; promote and present free public programming like Bay Area Dance Week; and maintain comprehensive ongoing communications and information sharing with the dance community through the online publication “In Dance” and weekly emails —on our website and posts on social media— that feature jobs, grant opportunities, auditions, and discounts to attend performances and other activities in the Bay Area. | Recognized as a national model in the field of dance, Dancers’ Group was founded in 1982. An artist-centric organization closely connected to its constituents, Dancers’ Group offers a portfolio of programs and services under the categories of Free Public Performances, Audience Development, Fiscal Sponsorship, and Information Exchanges and Convenings. During the pandemic and currently, Dancers’ Group 1) serves as a virtual hub of resources, information and news about the dance ecosystem, providing free access for 50k digital users and over 2,200 members to an online Community Calendar, to “In Dance,” a quarterly publication with articles about artists and issues relevant to them, and to weekly emails; 2) offers virtual and in-person support to 98 Fiscally Sponsored projects; 3) distributed CA$H Dance’s re-granting funds (approximately 100k each year) to individual dance artists and small organizations; 4) revised its membership program to be fully free for all members as part of a strategic multi-year effort to continue making programs and services more accessible; 5) presents the Bay Area Dance Week Festival; and 6) produces free live dance performances in alternative spaces via ONSITE. In 2026, Dancers’ Group will present Party On! Party People a series of free public performances created by artists Erika Chong Shuch, Rowena Richie, and Ryan Tacata in celebration of elders. The performance project will bring together five local arts organizations as co-hosts where the parties will take place. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | Dance Resource Center / DRC | 3773 Crenshaw Blvd , Los Angeles, CA 90016 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 425-3463 | 37 | 55 | 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Dance Resource Center of Greater Los Angeles (DRC) will continue to support and strengthen dance and creative infrastructure and programming and deliver on its mission of being the effective centralized resource service organization, network and advocacy center for Greater LA and Southern California dance on local, state and national levels. | DRC serves a varied constituency consisting of small to mid-sized dance companies, choreographers, independent artists, presenting venues, educators, agents and administrators, and regularly engages with the substantial and diverse population of Los Angeles. DRC is the central source, voice, and advocate for dance in a variety of community spaces. DRC is the only discipline specific dance service organization in LA County that offers specialized and creative options to meet the significant and vast infrastructural needs of its constituents. DRC’s events and programs expand opportunities for growth that foster leadership within dance, performing and cultural arts. DRC’s resources provide infrastructure in communities to not only evolve dance, but allow dance to be self-sustaining within communities. DRC believes in providing a platform for dance throughout Los Angeles so that communities have the creative control to formulate relative programming and art making, in order to best serve and represent their respective communities. Via nuanced, reliable, high quality and trusted services and programs, DRC actively supports leaders and stakeholders in Los Angeles so that there may be a comprehensive representation in arts leadership. DRC has a considerable membership program that offers discounts on dance events, conferences, showcases, one-on-one meetings with mentors, the ability to reach dance audiences through marketing services, and priority access to resources and opportunities. DRC advocates for LA dance on local, regional, and national levels through research and advocacy addressing the unique aspects that effect the LA-area dance and movement sector. Importantly, DRC collaborates with organizations across various sectors. DRC’s current programming has three areas of focus: Community (online calendar; convenings; weekly LA Moves newsletter; Day of Dancer Health; comprehensive Dance Directory; Marketplace); Administrative Support (consultations; fiscal sponsorship; marketing services; staffing; technical assistance) and Artistic Development (supported performances, HomeGrown residencies, and showcases). Additionally and as needed, DRC offers Emergency Relief Microgrants. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $23,147.00 | OPAC | 800 Hobson Way , Oxnard, CA 93030 | Ventura | Central Coast | (805) 385-8147 | California's 26th congressional district | 38 | 19 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Oxnard Performing Arts Center Corporation (OPAC) will fill the visual arts void in Oxnard by formalizing an exhibition space at The Mexican Consulate, providing rotating exhibitions, printed catalogs, gallery talks, and other public programs for residents and the Consulate’s 96,000 annual visitors from the Central Coast of California. Due to budget cuts, the City of Oxnard’s Carnegie Art Museum closed in 2019 and remains closed to this day, leaving residents without a public venue to appreciate/ engage with visual art. Curated by artist and educator Rafael Perea de la Cabada, the Consulate Gallery: 1) showcases artwork that speaks to Mexican/American and Latinx beauty, culture, traditions, and issues, 2) provides opportunities to local artists, and 3) makes a government building more welcoming. | OPAC, the Oxnard Performing Arts Center Corporation, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to providing dynamic cultural and community programming at the Oxnard Performing Arts & Convention Center and beyond. As a creative hub in Ventura County, we present a diverse array of events, performances, and educational opportunities that bring people together through the power of the arts. Our programming spans from large-scale mainstage productions and campus-wide festivals to intimate workshops and lectures, ensuring there is something for everyone. We proudly showcase both emerging and established local and international artists, fostering a vibrant cultural scene that enhances Oxnard’s creative landscape. Through our initiatives, we provide vital arts education, engagement, and entertainment for residents and visitors alike. Signature Events Signature Programs (All Free!) Through these programs and events, OPAC strengthens community connections, nurtures artistic expression, and ensures the arts remain accessible to all. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | Project Miracle aka The Miracle Project | 5870 W OLYMPIC BLVD , LOS ANGELES, CA 90036-4657 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 739-5495 | California's 30th congressional district | District 55 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Miracle Project (TMP) Express Yourself Class for Multimodality Communicators will produce an original fully-inclusive music video that will elevate the voices of underrepresented artists and challenge limiting perceptions about what “disability” and “ability” mean. TMP’s Express Yourself Class is a first-of-its kind songwriting, production, and performance class for individuals who are minimally speaking and use Assistive Augmentative Communication (AAC) devices to communicate. This professionally produced music video will be created in partnership between our teaching artists and neurodivergent participants in front of and behind the camera. | TMP’s current core programming consists of: Improv for Interaction: Social Skills Program – 15 weekly classes that provide instruction, practice, and preparation for real-life social situations and positive social interactions. Through the use of improvisation, theater games, and role playing, participants are provided individual coaching and group facilitation to practice positive interactions with peers, social communication, being part of a group, and transitioning from one social activity to another. Expressive Arts Classes include – The Triple Threat Musical Theater Class, which utilizes acting, singing, movement, and voice to build self-confidence, enhance self-expression, improve communication, and reduce anxiety and depression among individuals with and without disabilities. TMP’s Company Class is a fully-inclusive performance group that produces original content each year and has explored different mediums including the creation of original musicals and original music videos. “I Can Do That” is a unique professional acting training program that prepares young adults on the spectrum for work in the entertainment industry. The Express Yourself Class for Multimodality Communicators is a first of its kind songwriting, production, and performance class geared at expanding communication and self expression skills for multimodality communicators (i.e. participants who are minimally speaking, non-speaking and unreliably speaking and those that use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices to communicate.) Miracles in Action is a fully-inclusive leadership development & mentorship program for teens and adults interested in giving back to The Miracle Project community. Through arts-based acts of service and community-organizing activities, individuals in the Miracles in Action program take the skills and characteristics cultivated in TMP classes and apply them as leaders in their communities. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | HAVEN ACADEMY OF THE ARTS | 3827 W Rosecrans Ave , Hawthorne, CA 90250 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 504-4132 | California's 33rd congressional district | District 62 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Haven Academy of the Arts will continue its tuition-free, year-round programming at the Haven Pico Union site of our LA City Branch. | Haven Academy of the Arts consists of two main branches: Haven South Bay and Haven LA City Programs… Haven Academy’s curriculum offers three core programs: Musicals, Camps, and Classes. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $23,147.00 | NIAD Art Center | 551 23RD ST , RICHMOND, CA 94804-1626 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (510) 620-0290 | California's 8th congressional district | District 14 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, NURTURING INDEPENDENCE THROUGH ARTISTIC DEVELOPMENT (NIAD), an arts organization in Richmond for artists with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) will launch a collaborative community and artist-driven facade design project. NIAD will engage local artists, youth/students, and community organizations via workshops in which participants will create designs that make community histories visible through a large-scale public artwork on Richmond’s industrial 23rd St. We will engage up to 20 NIAD artists, and via open call up to 20 additional community artists. Inspired by a Black History Month work titled “We Are Creating Our History” by NIAD artist Dorian Reid, the project will build a wide-ranging collaborative community process through workshops focusing on community building and design. The collaboration will result in an exhibition and a final design for NIAD’s street-facing building facade. | NIAD supports artists by providing space, materials and instruction so they may make art that is then sold to provide income to the artists. The open collective studio explores art making in painting, ceramics, fiber arts, sculpture, printmaking and mixed media. Once the art is made, it is then exhibited, marketed, and sold to the public. The artists are also supported in learning necessary communication skills to interact with those who are interested in their work. NIAD is supportive of all visual artists in the area, inviting artists to lead workshops, curate exhibitions and exhibit work in the Richmond gallery. |
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | $18,517.00 | Music Is First | 353 10th Ave. , San Francisco, CA 94118 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (510) 579-0211 | 12th Congressional District | 19 | 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Music Is First! (MIF!) will provide core competency aligned music classes for early education, professional development for San Francisco Unified School (SFUSD) district teachers, and resources to under-resourced SFUSD public schools. With the budgetary uncertainty, district budget cuts in arts/music funding continue in Bay Area public schools. MIF! provides quality and culturally responsive music teaching and training via residencies to early education classrooms who otherwise would feel this budgeting void. Teachers can use their Prop G hours to be compensated for their time in these training sessions. In addition, Music Is First! will offer integrating programming with their teaching artists, support the program with curriculum that is culturally responsive and have modified materials for English language learners, non-verbal SDC (special day class -special education) students and all students. | Music Is First! offers a music residency model and professional development programming in both online or in-person formats. Music Is First serves San Francisco Unified School District, Jefferson Unified (Daly City) School Districts and Oakland Unified Schools, New School San Francisco, Healdsburg public schools with bilingual programming, and our online community. Music Is First! provides resources for classroom teachers and parents to gain the confidence and skills they need to integrate music into the everyday. Whether it’s the use of our online lesson ideas, one on one consultations, site visits, teaching artist residencies, these resources can be tailored to schools, classroom, and community, because let’s be real, one size does not fit all in education. In 2023/24 Music Is First! launched their family engagement services in partnership with SFUSD, Jefferson USD, and the San Francisco Public Library to better serve the needs of our community. Interactive and educational music events will create a through-line between school, student, teacher and family. We believe every teacher, every school and every educational community is unique. As educators, you should be able to pick and choose the tools you need to foster success for all students. We partner with a variety of schools, districts and arts organizations to meet their individual needs in their exploration of music integration. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,989.00 | PURPLE SILK MUSIC EDUCATION FOUNDATION | 1427 Willow St , Oakland, CA 94607-1523 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 316-2895 | California's 12th Congressional District | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council (CAC), PURPLE SILK MUSIC EDUCATION FOUNDATION (PSMEF) will undertake Honor Our Elders: Music for Healing and Resilience, an intergenerational community-based music education project in Oakland. The CAC Impact Project grant will support Year 3 of this special learning unit designed to promote and preserve traditional Chinese music (specifically, Cantonese opera) and bring this music to the wider community, with focus on reaching local Asian seniors, who have been disproportionately impacted by the rise in anti-Asian violence in the local community and who continue to be isolated due to ongoing pandemic precautions for their age group. The project will engage 340 students (grades 1-12) from PSMEF’s weekend Chinese music program and residencies at four Oakland schools. CAC funds will be used to help underwrite artist fees for the project. | PSMEF’s Chinese music program introduces students to the joy of music through in-depth, sequential instruction in traditional Chinese instruments, opera, and folk songs, taught by Chinese music experts. Students also learn to play songs from other cultures and popular Western pieces on Chinese instruments. PSMEF currently serves 160 students a year through its school residencies and after-school enrichment programs at public schools in Oakland and San Francisco and its core after-school/weekend program, the Great Wall Youth Orchestra (GWYO)—originally held at Laney College in downtown Oakland and now scheduled to relaunch in a new rehearsal space at the Shoong Family Chinese Cultural Center (SFCCC), in Oakland Chinatown, in Fall 2025. In June 2025, PSMEF will also pilot its first summer program for its orchestra students, also scheduled to be held at SFCCC. Currently, there are 80 students (grades 1-12) enrolled in the weekend youth orchestra, which gives them a chance to continue their music studies beyond the school residencies and hone their performance skills. In 2023, GWYO took part in the Music in the Parks Festival in San Francisco and won the award for Best High School Orchestra in Northern California–the first Chinese music education program to win this award. Over the years, PSMEF’s groundbreaking Chinese music program has drawn national and international media coverage, as well as support and recognition from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and California Arts Council (CAC). GWYO students have represented Oakland through regional concerts and national tours, bringing Chinese music to new and diverse audiences through performances in Washington, DC, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Portland, Sacramento, and Spokane. In December 2024, the GWYO traveled to China as part of PSMEF’s first international cultural exchange tour, giving two performances for Chinese audiences at a Sino-American Friendship Concert at Shijiazhuang University near Beijing. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Prescott Circus Theatre | 1721 Broadway #201 , Oakland, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 350-7207 | 12th Congressional District | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Prescott Circus Theatre will provide a year-round continuity of circus and theater arts education programs for as many as 65 low-income Oakland youth that will foster engagement, creative growth, leadership, and opportunities to shine for their communities. | Prescott Circus Theatre provides no-cost, year round public school and community based programs for youth representing historically oppressed and marginalized communities (primarily low-income, Black and Children of Color) in partnership with professional artists, public schools, and other local organizations. Our culturally responsive programs apply standards based curriculum with youth development best practices to support students’ learning to perform their best on stage and in life. School programs take place at as many as seven Oakland public schools with complimentary weekly training for older youth and an annual summer circus arts and academic program. School programs serve students in general and special education classes with some exclusively for students with disabilities. The organization produces two free public productions each year in the spring and summer. The Prescott Circus Youth Performing Company performs and make appearances at over twenty events annually from civic parades to visits to senior centers. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | KERN DANCE ALLIANCE | PO BOX 12407 , BAKERSFIELD, CA 93389-2407 | Kern | Central Valley | (661) 491-5376 | California's 23rd Congressional District | District 34 | District 16 | With support from the California Arts Council, KERN DANCE ALLIANCE will encourage the development of youth, specifically the unhoused and those living at or below the poverty level, by using the arts to inspire children to read via the 9th annual Books in Motion®: DANCE + LITERACY program in Kern County, Ca. | KDA serves a diverse population through our programs: – ADAPTIdance®: DANCE + DISABILITY offers adaptive dance classes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. – BOOKS IN MOTION®: DANCE + LITERACY links dance and literacy to inspire children to read. – CHILDREN’S DANCE EDUCATION + OUTREACH PROGRAM provides at-risk youth with an afternoon of dance at the Bakersfield Fox Theater. – DANCING with the ANGELS connects foster care families through the arts. – HealingMOTION: DANCE + THERAPY are dance therapy sessions for cancer patients and survivors. – NATIONAL DANCE DAY provides a celebratory day of dance classes for the community to enjoy. – NATIONAL HONORS SOCIETY FOR DANCE ARTS recognizes artistic merit, leadership, and academic achievement in students studying dance. – MemoryMOVES®: DANCE + THERAPY are dance therapy sessions for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. – MightyMOVERS: DANCE + THERAPY are dance therapy sessions for pediatrics patients. – OPEN STAGE affords creatives access to the Bakersfield Fox Theater’s technical staff and theater amenities for free. – Paso a Paso utilizes dance to support empowerment through life-skills workshops for Kern County high school girls, specifically Latinas. – SHINE for GIRLS: DANCE + MATH = SUCCESS combines dance with math to improve girls’ math scores and spark interest in STEAM. – Taste of Dance celebrates cultural diversity in Kern County by showcasing cultures through culinary and performing arts. – KDA Creative Corps is a $4.2 million dollar re-granting program awarded by the California Arts Council to KDA in support of arts programs that positively impact the lives of people living in the Central Valley’s lowest quartile of the California Healthy Places Index. The $4.2 million California Arts Council grant has been used exclusively for the regranting and administering of the KDACC. It has NOT be used to fund KDA’s existing programs, which will continue to operate alongside the KDACC. KDA continues to need funding and support to meet its daily and annual operating needs. www.kdacreativecorps.org |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $17,360.00 | Women's Audio Mission | 542-544 NATOMA ST #C-1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103-2817 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (800) 926-1338 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Women’s Audio Mission’s groundbreaking, award-winning Girls on the Mic (GOTM) after-school program will provide 2,000+ Northern California girls and gender-expansive youth from under-resourced communities (96% low-income, 93% BIPOC) a year with free, hands-on music/media arts training, leadership development, and mentorship in professional recording studio environments to address the chronic gender inequity in the music and media industries, where fewer than 5% of the people creating the sounds, music, and media in the soundtrack of our lives are women. WAM’s Girls on the Mic program helps girls access and learn a variety of creative disciplines including music production, podcasting, sound design/soundtrack creation, using code to create sounds, and building speakers and synths to help them express themselves, amplify their voices and support their dreams. | WAM has consistently engaged thousands of women, girls, and gender-expansive individuals every year from historically marginalized communities over the last 22 years: ● Girls on the Mic (GotM) annually provides 2,000+ girls/gender-expansive youth from the most under-resourced communities in Northern California (96% low-income/93% BIPOC/ages 11-18) with free music production and media arts training that inspires them to amplify their voices and creativity. ● Local Sirens Concert Series serves 30-40+ under-represented women artists every year (majority low-income; 100% BIPOC) with performance opportunities at premier venues like Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, SF Jazz, Brava, Dolby, The Independent, Rickshaw Stop, etc to audiences of 2,000+ ● WAM’s Artist Residency programs provide free recording studio services and artist mentorship/development in WAM’s professional recording studios to 4-5 local female/gender-expansive artists each year, as well as digital distribution and promotion to expand their audience. ● WAM Core Training/ Adult Education provides music production and industry certification training to 500+ women/gender-expansive students every year ● Paid Internship program: WAM’s paid internship program serves 90 college-age women/gender-expansive young adults (94% low-income; 84% BIPOC)/year with education, career counseling, mentorship and job placement in creative careers at companies like Dolby, Pixar, Pandora, NPR, Sony, Disney, ESPN, etc. ● WAMCon is a national recording arts conference series for women/gender-expansive aspiring recording engineers and music producers. WAM has hosted dozens of conferences in Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, Boston, and virtually reaching 2,000+ women/gender-expansive people from 30+ countries and featuring music producers, songwriters and recording engineers who have worked with everyone from Selena Gomez to Cardi B to P!nk and Rihanna. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $18,517.00 | Rhythmix Cultural Works | 2513 Blanding Avenue , Alameda, CA 94501 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 865-5060 | 12th Congressional District of California | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Rhythmix Cultural Works will present Performance, Art & Learning “PAL”, a multicultural arts education program that brings professional world music and dance assemblies to K-5 students throughout Alameda County. From January through September 2025, PAL will present 14 multicultural performances, and 2 livestreamed events, to over 3,000 elementary students from 30+ schools in Alameda County highlighting music and dance traditions from around the globe including Africa, Asia, South America, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia and the Pacific. PAL helps to empower underserved youth by stimulating a sense of pride in students’ cultural heritage, fostering awareness about world cultures and deepening connections to their communities. | Rhythmix Cultural Works (RCW) serves approximately 15,000 adults and students each year through a combination of performances, classes and workshops. RCW produces events featuring artists that present a mix of contemporary and traditional arts disciplines from around the world. RCW offers a wide array of programming including free world music concerts, art walks and festivals, music appreciation classes, K Gallery art exhibits and receptions, low-cost family events, and free/low-cost world music and dance assemblies through RCW’s Performance, Art & Learning (PAL) program offered to thousands of students throughout Alameda County. Over the years, live performances of various genres have included Latin jazz, Bollywood blues, Venezuelan Rock fusion, flamenco, comedy, and free community events such as RCW’s Island City Waterways, Love Our Island Art Walks, and ‘Round the World Festivals. After emerging from the pandemic, Rhythmix expanded its live PAL assembly offerings and created new free community programs including cultural heritage festivals and a world music family concert series in local parks. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $23,147.00 | Pajaro Valley Arts | 37 SUDDEN ST , WATSONVILLE, CA 95076-4322 | Santa Cruz | Central Coast | (831) 722-3062 | California's 18th congressional district | District 30 | District 17 | Off The Streets: | Pajaro Valley Arts Council (PVA) has been fulfilling its mission “to bring the community together through the arts” for over 40 years. With a goal of promoting and fostering the arts, PVA presents rotating visual art exhibits, public projects, and cultural events in partnership with guest curators, schools, city government, and local organizations. PVA believes that every person deserves to have access to the arts, and conducts programming year-round at no cost to the public to fulfill this vision. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | Dancers Group - Fiscal Sponsor for Grown Women Dance Collective | 44 Gough Street, Suite 201 , San Francisco, CA 94103 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (925) 680-4400 | California's 12th congressional district | District 15 | District 7 | With support from California Arts Council, Grown Women Dance Collective will collaborate with community mobilizers and social justice organizations in Contra Costa County and Oakland to produce arts and wellness programs supporting disinvested communities, especially those impacted by incarceration and voter disenfranchisement. We will present a world-class dance performance, teach 200 community arts and wellness classes to children 3-18, adults and seniors, help mobilize voters with a #DanceTheVote campaign, and support high school and transition-aged interns. Programs will support cultural resistance, resilience, self-empowerment, and joy, celebrating and strengthening Black and Brown communities. All programs will be free. | Our programs celebrate resistance, resilience, self-empowerment and joy. Performances & Narrative Shift Choreography: We create world class performances led by dancers of color in our 50’s and 60’s, centered around African American experiences and achievements. Our choreography shifts the narrative on important societal issues such as mass incarceration, homelessness, voting rights, and environmental justice. We challenge stereotypes, create cross-cultural, intergenerational, and cross-class bridges, catalyze new conversations and community action, and create a forum for healing based on art, justice, and human connection. Dance and Healthy Movement Instruction in Under Resourced Communities: Pilates Certification Training and Mentorship for Underestimated Community Members: |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Museum Of Neon Art | 216 S. Brand Blvd. , GLENDALE, CA 91204 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 521-5286 | California's 28th congressional district | District 44 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Museum of Neon Art (MONA) will invite local middle and high school classes to experience a comprehensive, multidisciplinary visit of the museum including gallery tours, art-making activities, and explorations of sited neon signs in the neighborhoods surrounding their schools. A separate teacher training program, funded by the Ruth and Joseph Reed Foundation will supplement the experience and prepare teachers to create meaningful bridges between their curriculum and students to the museum. Students will receive a free family pass to the museum to extend their learning experience into their communities. | MONA fulfills its mission through: |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $119,578.00 | Sierra County Arts Council | 212 Main St. P.O. Box 546, Downieville, CA 95936 | Sierra | Upstate | (530) 289-9822 | California's 1st congressional district | District 1 | District 1 | With support from the California Arts Council through the State-Local Partnership program, the Sierra County Arts Council will fulfill its mission to bring together community and art. Sierra County Arts Council will work with artists, civic groups, organizations, and local government, across our rural frontier to provide arts education and cultural opportunities for all residents and visitors of Sierra County. We will promote, support, and advocate for the arts through local, regional, state, and national collaboration. | Our mission is to enrich lives and provide artistic opportunities by inviting all people to share in artistic creation, expression, and education. Sierra County Arts Council’s purpose is to promote, support, and advocate culture and the arts for both residents and visitors of Sierra County through regional collaboration and as the designated local arts agency of the California Arts Council’s State Local Partnership Program. Our programs and services reflect the needs and inspiration of the isolated frontier communities we serve. We are dedicated to bringing arts education and programming to our rural schools and to providing access to artistic services and programs to everyone in Sierra County. We also manage the only gallery and theater in Sierra County to provide a broad spectrum of programming and activities. Our organization is deeply connected to every aspect of Sierra County life including our local government, our schools, and our business communities. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Spencer Wilkinson | 5264 Locksley Ave , Oakland, CA 94618 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 387-3793 | 12th District | District 18 | Senate District 09 | Endangered Ideas seeks funding from the California Arts Council (CAC) to enrich the educational engagement and artistic exposure of high school students in Richmond, San Francisco, and Oakland. Further advancing a cultural preservation initiative launched in 2018, we aim to document and uplift the overlooked street dance forms of Boogaloo, Robotting, and Strutting (BRS), originating in Bay Area African-American communities during the 1970s and 80s. In collaboration with original dance practitioners and local schools, the project intends to inspire creativity and cultural connection by introducing over 150 students at six schools to original dance practitioners and facilitating intergenerational, interactive dialogues and dance workshops, along with screening short culturally relevant films that depict the evolution and historical significance of BRS art forms. | Endangered Ideas offers a range of core programs and services designed to engage, educate, and empower individuals and communities through the art of documentary filmmaking: Documentary Production: We produce high-quality, award-winning documentaries that tackle pressing social issues and amplify marginalized voices. Our team of filmmakers is dedicated to crafting compelling narratives that provoke thought, evoke emotion, and inspire action. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | San Francisco Symphony | 201 VAN NESS AVE , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102-4507 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 864-6000 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, SF Symphony’s Adventures in Music will present 12 free concerts at Davies Symphony Hall for approximately 20,000 students enrolled in grades 1–5 in all of SF Unified School District’s elementary and K-8 schools. Linked to the multidisciplinary learning curriculum that AIM provides equitably to every participating classroom, these concerts will present orchestral music in diverse styles and genres, and from diverse cultural traditions. | SFS is among the most adventurous and innovative performing arts institutions in the U.S. Celebrated at home and abroad for its artistic excellence, creative performance concepts, and award-winning recordings, SFS is led by Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, an artist at the forefront of re-imagining orchestral music for 21st-century audiences. Home season and tour concerts in the US and abroad are currently attracting in-person audiences of over 310,000. SFS brings free, standard-setting music education programs to the public of San Francisco. Among the most extensive offered by any American orchestra today, they provide a cross-disciplinary music curriculum to every elementary school, and instrumental instruction and coaching to every middle and high school ensemble program, serving 23,000 young people annually. SFS Media is the Symphony’s award-winning production company whose concert recordings have been honored by France’s Grand Prix du Disque, Britain’s Gramophone Award, as well as multiple Grammy, Emmy, and Peabody awards. Radio broadcasts of SFS concerts continue to air weekly, as they have since 1926, on local and national FM stations and their affiliates abroad. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | La Jolla Playhouse | 2910 La Jolla Village Drive , LA JOLLA, CA 92037 | San Diego | Far South | (858) 550-1070 | California's 50th Congressional District | District 77 | District 38 | With support from the California Arts Council, Theatre & Arts Foundation of San Diego County, dba La Jolla Playhouse, will bring our Performance Outreach Program (POP) Tour to 50+ elementary and middle schools (including 60%+ with Title 1 status) and community centers throughout San Diego County, serving more than 10,000 students and educators. The POP Tour is a new, commissioned play written specifically for the children of San Diego which addresses timely, relevant, and age-appropriate themes to teach social-emotional skills, California Arts Standards, and Common Core Standards. Preshow workshops taught by professional teaching artists, post-show talkbacks with the cast and crew, and interactive lesson plans for the classroom teacher supplement the performance. | La Jolla Playhouse realizes its mission and goals through five initiatives which typically reach around 70,000-100,000 people annually. (1) The six-show Subscription Season includes Playhouse commissions, new plays and musicals, and re-imagined classics. The Playhouse’s productions include 120 world premieres, 70 commissioned works, and 37 transfers to Broadway, and 42 Tony Awards. (2) The acclaimed Without Walls (WOW) series breaks barriers by moving beyond the boundaries of a traditional theatre space. It gives us the opportunity to commission and present site-specific, immersive, and interactive works, and includes an accessible, multi-day annual WOW Festival. (3) The Uplifting the New and the Next in American Theatre initiative supports the development of diverse new voices, the creation of new work, and gives artists the time, space, and resources to develop projects and gain valuable feedback from audiences. Programs include Native Voices new play festivals, Latinx New Play Festival, DNA New Work Series, and Veterans Playwriting Workshop. (4) The Playhouse reaches more than 20,000 people each year through our Learning & Engagement programs, collaborating with schools and cultural and service organizations throughout San Diego County. Programs include the Performance Outreach Program (POP) Tour (elementary schools), JumpStart Theatre (middle and high schools), student matinees (middle and high schools), Technical Theatre Training for educators and incarcerated youth, as well as Military & Veterans Programs and Voices of Our City Choir Theatre Workshops (unhoused population). (5) The Developing the Next Generation of Theatre Professionals initiative supports our antiracism and diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, while providing training, mentorship, and career opportunities for emerging arts leaders. Programs include paid internships, Directing Fellowship, Artist-in-Residence, and observerships. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $119,578.00 | Humboldt Arts Council | 636 F Street 636 F Street, Eureka, CA 95501 | Humboldt | Upstate | (707) 442-0278 | California's 2nd congressional district | District 2 | District 2 | With support from the CAC, the Humboldt Arts Council will continue to provide leadership to enhance the arts in Humboldt County. The HAC works in partnership with county artists, arts organizations, community groups, businesses, governments, and schools to enrich the cultural life of the community and to encourage the widespread appreciation of, support for, and involvement in the arts, specifically for underserved and marginalized communities. We present on-site and outreach programs, including exhibitions, events, and classes for youth, families, and the general public, with priority in making these programs accessible for BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and disabled community members. | A private, nonprofit arts agency, the Humboldt Arts Council was formed in 1966 to serve in a rural county with a vibrant arts community. HAC incorporated as a private, California 501©3 in 1971, became the state/local partner of the California Arts Council in 1987, and became owners and operators of the Morris Graves Museum of Art in 2000. HAC is also the owner of the Romano Gabriel Sculpture Garden in Eureka, acquired in 2012. As a lead participant in community arts planning for over five decades, HAC has contributed significantly to the current level of maturity and vitality of Humboldt arts and culture. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Nevada County Arts Council (NCArts) | PO BOX 1833 , NEVADA CITY, CA 95959-1833 | Nevada | Upstate | (530) 718-0727 | California's 3rd congressional district | District 1 | District 1 | With support from California Arts Council, Nevada County Arts Council will offer therapeutic music curricula focused on transformational learning at Mountain Valley Child and Family Services. Mentored by professional bassist and seasoned music educator, Pancho Tomaselli, system-engaged youth will gain resilience, confidence and communication skills outside the classroom. | As Nevada County’s umbrella organization for the arts, we serve as convenors, consultants, researchers, strategists, advocates, supporters, funders, promotors, policy wonks, and general arts and culture cheerleaders for our community. We offer Arts Incubator, providing fiduciary oversight, financial management, and other administrative services to help build the capacity of cultural initiatives or emerging arts collaboratives who may not yet have their 501(c)(3) status. We offer grant making services and an artist relief fund; we offer pro-bono grant writing consulting; and lead creative sector emergency preparedness and disaster response. We engage in ongoing countywide cultural planning and evaluation, and regional and statewide peer learning and advocacy. We manage the county’s arts directory and community arts calendar, and engage in ongoing promotion of the arts sector through multiple channels. We administer two California Cultural Districts. Grass Valley-Nevada City Cultural District and Truckee Cultural District were redesignated by the State in 2023 for an additional five years, implying a tremendous responsibility to grow and sustain authentic grassroots arts and cultural opportunities, increase the visibility of local artists, nourish community participation in local arts and culture, promote socioeconomic and ethnic diversity, and work against by-products of placemaking such as gentrification, displacement, and racism. We run multiple Arts Education programs; MUSE, a new widely distributed annual guide to arts and subcultures in Nevada County; an we are the Administering Organization for Upstate California Creative Corps, regranting 3.38m in state funds over 19 counties. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | ARTSCCC | PO BOX 70799 , Richmond, CA 94807 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (510) 426-6454 | With support from the California Arts Council, ARTSCCC (Arts Contra Costa County) will secure a “Poetry Series Program” to serve one of Contra Costa County’s most vulnerable populations, youth at John A. Davis Juvenile Hall in Martinez. A community-based artist team leads monthly spoken-word workshops to build youth confidence for educational and professional opportunities by strengthening reading, writing, and artistic skills. Youth participate in team building initiatives using creative expression tools of spoken-word, storytelling, and writing. There are three units at Juvenile Hall and the “Poetry Series Program” currently works with Trinity Unit male youth. The largest population of Juvenile Hall youth come East, then West, and Central Contra Costa County. ARTSCCC seeks funding to support the Trinity Unit program and provide new services to the Coed Unit to include female youth for equitable access. | ARTSCCC (Arts Contra Costa County) is a coalition of cultural leaders whose top priority is an equitable and sustainable arts organization. We facilitate connections and collaborations to build strong communities. ARTSCCC manages projects, provides arts services, and advocates policy to support the creative community. On February 6, 2024, the Board of Supervisors designated ARTSCCC, a fiscally-sponsored project of the nonprofit Independent Arts & Media, to serve as the county’s official local arts agency. For over twenty years, the nonprofit specializes in fiscal arts sponsorships that serve as a transformative “free speech platform” for independent voices and public-interest work. ARTSCCC and their fiscal sponsor, Independent Arts & Media, were officially recognized by the Board of Supervisors as Contra Costa County’s local arts agency and State-Local Partner. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | URBAN VOICES PROJECT | 420 S SAN PEDRO ST #423, LOS ANGELES, CA 90013-2192 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 741-1887 | CA-34 | District 57 | Distract 28 | Rooted in Skid Row through music, community, and openhearted inclusion of the most marginalized members of society, Urban Voices Project amplifies artistic expression to improve well-being, strengthen social networks, and inspire individuals to be their own best advocates. Our programming consists of community singing, ensemble choir, music education and wellness workshops, and recurring events designed to build community and strengthen access to resources for individuals experiencing homelessness. Funding from the California Arts Council would support our general operating costs, in addition to supporting our developmental goals, which include paying our choir members, expanding our weekly programming offerings to other healthcare and social service sites, and developing a facilitator training curriculum to solidify an instructive methodology behind UVP programming and strengthen avenues for our participants to take on leadership positions. | To place music & singing community spaces in every medical and social service site across Los Angeles, to create community and a more comprehensive, holistic system for engaging individuals coping with the conditions of homelessness. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | ARTSCCC | PO BOX 70799 , Richmond, CA 94807 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (510) 426-6454 | With support from the California Arts Council, ARTSCCC (Arts Contra Costa County) will secure general operations and staff for signature arts programs, technical and research assistance for artist and art organization databases, arts regranting program development, grant writing services, and arts advocacy engagement to promote equity. ARTSCCC and its fiscal sponsor, the nonprofit Independent Arts & Media, were recently recognized by the Board of Supervisors as Contra Costa County’s local arts agency and State-Local Partner. Our mission is to foster communities through free expression and cross-cultural appreciation. Our grassroots work is built on compassion, joy, and respect to build a sustainable art organization. Signature programs include a “Poetry Series Program” at Juvenile Hall, “Cultural Corridor Project” connecting communities, and “Danza de los Diablos de Santiago Juxtlahuaca (Dance of the Devils of Santiago Juxtlahuaca)” indigenous performance project. | ARTSCCC (Arts Contra Costa County) is a coalition of cultural leaders whose top priority is an equitable and sustainable arts organization. We facilitate connections and collaborations to build strong communities. ARTSCCC manages projects, provides arts services, and advocates policy to support the creative community. On February 6, 2024, the Board of Supervisors designated ARTSCCC, a fiscally-sponsored project of the nonprofit Independent Arts & Media, to serve as the county’s official local arts agency. For over twenty years, the nonprofit specializes in fiscal arts sponsorships that serve as a transformative “free speech platform” for independent voices and public-interest work. ARTSCCC and their fiscal sponsor, Independent Arts & Media, were officially recognized by the Board of Supervisors as Contra Costa County’s local arts agency and State-Local Partner. | |||
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $18,517.00 | Bocón | PO BOX 152481 , SAN DIEGO, CA 92195 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 997-3117 | 52nd | 79 | 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, BOCON INC will launch ArteEnVivo: Celebrating Our Latin American History and Heritage. This dynamic arts exposure program at Balboa Elementary School and Knox Middle School will immerse students in the vibrant world of Latin American culture through professional theatrical and dance performances. Additionally, students will embark on an enriching field trip to the historic Chicano Park, bringing history and heritage to life. | In-school arts residencies with professional teaching artists. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $119,578.00 | Modoc County Arts Council | 212 W. Third St. , Alturas, CA 96101 | Modoc | Upstate | (530) 708-7233 | California's 1st congressional district | District 1 | District 1 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Modoc County Arts Council will have funding for general operations: pay for the director’s part-time salary, facility expenses, public outreach materials, consultants, service providers, and instructors. Surplus funds will be applied to programs within the guidelines of the CAC and the MCAC. | The Modoc County Arts Council is organized into four main programs: Visual Arts, Arts Education, Performing Arts, & Culture. Under Visual Arts we have gallery shows including a student art show, and a digital art gallery (pending), Sponsorship of galleries in two Modoc towns, mural projects on buildings in Alturas and Cedarville; under Arts education we have consulting and collaborating with the Modoc High Art Classes, our Arts Instructors Program in partnership with The Art Center of Alturas, and sponsorship of local galleries in two Modoc County towns that have arts educational programs; under Performing Arts we have the Missoula Children’s Theatre one-week residency and the Poetry Out Loud programs for Modoc County, as well as partner with the Modoc Performing Arts Theater and the Modoc High School Drama Club. We have implemented the Modoc Community Concert Series and have four concerts per year – we hope to expand this to eight concerts per year with additional funding. We have a community radio station KILN 99.1 LP FM that has local content from area musicians and provides consulting and assistance with recording. Under Culture we have anticipated partnerships with the Library, Museum, local ranches, and Tribes to provide venues, events, and classes that foster the celebration and understanding, and artwork of different cultures in Modoc County. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $46,293.00 | Women's Audio Mission | 542-544 NATOMA ST #C-1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103-2817 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (800) 926-1338 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Women’s Audio Mission (WAM) will continue scaling our award-winning music production training, artist recording residencies, mentorship, and performance programs to Los Angeles to meet ever-growing demand for our programs in Southern California. Serving 2,500+ California women/girls/gender-expansive artists from under-resourced communities (96% low-income, 93% BIPOC) every year, WAM addresses the staggering gender inequity in the music and media industries, where fewer than 5% of the people creating the sounds, music, and media in the soundtrack of our lives are women/gender-expansive. Named “Best Hope for the Future of Music” by the SF Weekly, WAM has been an essential part of the Northern California music ecosystem/community for over 21 years. WAM is ready to bring this successful model to Los Angeles and create a much deeper impact on the music industry. | WAM has consistently engaged thousands of women, girls, and gender-expansive individuals every year from historically marginalized communities over the last 22 years: ● Girls on the Mic (GotM) annually provides 2,000+ girls/gender-expansive youth from the most under-resourced communities in Northern California (96% low-income/93% BIPOC/ages 11-18) with free music production and media arts training that inspires them to amplify their voices and creativity. ● Local Sirens Concert Series serves 30-40+ under-represented women artists every year (majority low-income; 100% BIPOC) with performance opportunities at premier venues like Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, SF Jazz, Brava, Dolby, The Independent, Rickshaw Stop, etc to audiences of 2,000+ ● WAM’s Artist Residency programs provide free recording studio services and artist mentorship/development in WAM’s professional recording studios to 4-5 local female/gender-expansive artists each year, as well as digital distribution and promotion to expand their audience. ● WAM Core Training/ Adult Education provides music production and industry certification training to 500+ women/gender-expansive students every year ● Paid Internship program: WAM’s paid internship program serves 90 college-age women/gender-expansive young adults (94% low-income; 84% BIPOC)/year with education, career counseling, mentorship and job placement in creative careers at companies like Dolby, Pixar, Pandora, NPR, Sony, Disney, ESPN, etc. ● WAMCon is a national recording arts conference series for women/gender-expansive aspiring recording engineers and music producers. WAM has hosted dozens of conferences in Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, Boston, and virtually reaching 2,000+ women/gender-expansive people from 30+ countries and featuring music producers, songwriters and recording engineers who have worked with everyone from Selena Gomez to Cardi B to P!nk and Rihanna. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $17,360.00 | Chrysalis Studio/Queer Ancestors Project | 934 Brannan Street , San Francisco , CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 826-9697 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Chrysalis Studio will partner with Still Here San Francisco to conduct one cohort of Queer Ancestors Project Kaleidoscope: eight free intergenerational workshops for LGBTQ2S+ transitional age youth age 18-24. Participants will pair with QTBIPOC Teaching Artists to explore Queer Ancestry through storytelling and writing. The final 4 workshops will be devoted to revision and performance development in preparation for our culminating free public reading held at STRUT in SF’s LGBTQ Cultural District. CAC funds will support Participant Stipends, Artist Fees, and other production expenses of this program. | Chrysalis Studio annually organizes 2 group exhibitions showcasing the work of 30 to 40 printmakers, conducts free Queer Ancestors Project (QAP) printmaking and writing workshops, offers 15+ printmaking workshops to the public, and holds an artist panel and a public reading showcasing the work of our QAP artists and writers. QAP promotes artistic exploration for historically excluded transitional-age youth (TAY) through printmaking and writing cohorts that foster creative community. These free programs for queer and trans youth combine arts with Queer and Trans history, to forge relationships between LGBTQ2S+ people and our ancestors. QAP originated to address the lack of arts programs serving emerging LGBTQ2S+ transitional age artists and provides experiences that build community, artistic development, and personal resilience. QAP provides sustenance – workshops, training, space, equipment, critical feedback, and camaraderie – to young LGBTQ2S+ artists whose work is dedicated to social justice. Our 2023-24 free in-person programming included 2 exhibitions presenting work created in our 20-week QAP PRINTS! and QAP RESISTS! Workshops, public receptions for both exhibitions, an artist panel carving space for LGBTQ2S+ intergenerational community building, a community printmaking party with free printing on t-shirts, and a public reading showcasing the literary work of participants from our 10-week QAP Kaleidoscope workshops in collaboration with Still Here San Francisco. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | 11:11 Projects | 12950 Willard St , Los Angeles, CA 91605-1063 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 689-1778 | California Assembly district 43 | District CA-29 | District California | With support from the California Arts Council, 11 11 A CREATIVE COLLECTIVE will collaborate with Artist Judy Leventhal, LCSW, Registered Art Therapist, to produce an afterschool program at Pacoima Charter Elementary which empowers youth voices through the therapeutic art of mask making. | 11:11 PROJECTS is a woman-led arts and culture non-profit organization that partners with artists and the community to develop and execute integrated and accessible public art, arts-related programming, and community engagement opportunities. 11:11 PROJECTS is dedicated to empowering communities through advocacy, public art production, and justice-centered programming. Through professional development for emerging artists, public art programs, events and exhibitions, and youth arts education, we place the justice-centered art in forefront, ensuring the stories of our collective culture are embraced, amplified, and celebrated. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | SVCREATES | 255 N Market St suite 210 , San Jose, CA 95110-2445 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 998-2787 | California's 19th congressional district | District 27 | District 15 | With support from the California Arts Council, Silicon Valley Creates will strengthen the capacity of over 85 small, multi-cultural arts organizations, raise the visibility of local artists, and provide access to the arts for high need populations, through grant-making, capacity building programs, and special initiatives intended to increase equity and inclusion in our arts ecosystem. | SVCreates provides annual grant opportunities to support small local arts organizations and individual artists, particularly focused on BIPOC/ALAANA centered work. We offer a year-round program of workshops and peer roundtables designed to strengthen networks, leadership capacity, and business skills for artists and local arts organizations. SVCreates provides customized support and coaching for a portfolio of roughly 100 small and mid-sized multi-cultural nonprofit organizations, artists, and creative professionals. We profile and amplify the voices of local artists and creatives through our Content Magazine, in quarterly print publications, weekly e-newsletters, regular podcasts and events. Additionally, we deliver a variety of programs that serve Santa Clara County’s at-risk youth and Title 1 schools. |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | Silicon Valley Shakespeare | 775 E. Brokaw Road , SAN JOSE, CA 95112-1014 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 289-1901 | California's 17th congressional district | District 25 | District 10 | With support from the California Arts Council, SILICON VALLEY SHAKESPEARE (SVS) will continue to serve our communities with free, professionally oriented theatre that innovates and expands on age-old classics, illuminates the universality of the human condition, and inspires connection between people of all identities. | OUR CORE PROGRAMS *Free Shakespeare in the Park – produce one Shakespeare play, free to the public, at Willow Street Park in San José each spring (9 performances). *Winter Production – produce one classic, winter-themed production in the South Bay (11+ performances). *Education – provide a summer Shakespeare Camp for kids, workshops, assemblies, and after-school programs to over 2,000 students in local schools, and an immersive trainee/mentorship program for local high-school and college students to develop professional skills. *Special events including an annual 48-hour Play Festival of locally developed new works, in partnership with a local college or university. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $23,147.00 | Get Lit - Words Ignite | 672 S LA FAYETTE PARK PL STE 10, LOS ANGELES, CA 90057-3234 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 388-8639 | 34th Congressional district of California | District 54 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Get Lit–Words Ignite will implement our Creative Lab in 2025. The Lab will provide under-resourced southern California youth ages 12-19 with after-school training in a wide variety of creative fields including filmmaking, screenwriting, music production, and spoken word performance. Students will network with and be mentored by our professional partners in the entertainment industry, preparing our youth for success in a competitive job market. In addition to technical and artistic skill development, the Lab includes workforce preparation such as resume and portfolio development, media literacy, visual presentations/pitching, communication and interview skills, and financial literacy; and development of “soft” skills such as communication, teamwork, problem-solving, adaptability, and professionalism. | Our PROGRAMS span from classroom to career including training in high-demand fields, leading to life-changing creative opportunities, internships, scholarships, and jobs. They include: In-School Program: Our robust curricula for the classroom engage students in the deep study and performance of classic/contemporary poems combined with creation and performance of original response poems. The program includes UNI(VERSE), our pioneering interactive literacy and poetry platform for the classroom; After-School: Free weekly poetry, film, and music production workshops; open mics; Classic Slam: One of the largest teen poetry competitions in the U.S.; Get Lit Players: Award-winning teen performance troupe; and our Creative Suite: the Film Lab, a semester-long program for high-schoolers with weekly workshops, Creative Camp, summer workshops in screenwriting, filmmaking, music production, and performance, and our Creative Career Lab that offers young adults job training in creative fields culminating in full-time job placement. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Hanford Multicultural Theater Company | 119 1/2 North Douty Street , Hanford, CA 93230 | Kings | Central Valley | (559) 997-3838 | California Assembly district 33 | District 33 | District 16 | With the support of the California Arts Council, Hanford Multicultural Theater will provide youth in a predominately rural, agricultural, and diverse community, experiences in theatrical arts which include acting, improvisation, playwriting, poetry, and puppetry skills. Two sites will provide these skills with teaching artists including a bilingual performance artist. The culmination of the experience will be a public performance to showcase the youth’s new skills from both sites. | Our goal is to enhance the livability of our community and ensure equal access to the arts. We offer high-quality, free acting classes, improvisation, puppetry, Shakespeare, and scene-study classes for all ages, abilities, and cultures. We organized the annual Hanford Dia de Los Muertos cultural community event, which invited folklorico and Aztec dancers, and artisans to share their skills. The new Story Slam and ‘Whatever Open-Mic’ for area storytellers, poets, comedians, and musicians is a hit with our community. We also present new one-act plays, marionette puppet shows, improv shows, and encourage the community to feel safe creating in our space. We are an all-inclusive entity that welcomes our disabled and mentally challenged community. Our participant age range is from 4 to 93. We draw participants from Hanford, Armona, Stratford, Kettleman City, Fresno, Avenal, Lemoore, Dinuba, Pixley, Tulare, Visalia, Corcoran, Laton, Kingsburg, Riverdale, and NAS-Lemoore service people and their families. We provide a nurturing and welcoming environment for all individuals. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | AlterTheater | PO BOX 150659 , SAN RAFAEL, CA 94915-0659 | Marin | Bay Area – Other | (510) 708-7388 | California's 2nd congressional district | District 10 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, Alternative Theater Ensemble will launch an arts education apprenticeship program to invest in the creative development and workforce readiness of transitional age youth from marginalized identities, providing professional leadership and skill-building opportunities across artistic disciplines. | Alternative Theater Ensemble provides new play development and production programs and services, produces contemporary works from diverse voices, and serves predominantly low-income audiences with these programs and services. In 2011, we started our flagship yearlong playwright residency program, AlterLab, supporting 3-5 writers as each self-identifies a creative risk or challenge they wish to take with their work, supports their fellow playwrights, and writes a new play. Alter Theater historically produces on average 75% of all work created and developed in AlterLab. Our Mainstage Tour program has produced more than 20 world premieres and our commissioning program has been operating since 2008. Adam Greenfield, associate artistic director of Playwrights Horizons, says of AlterLab, “Each play tells such a specific, and underrepresented, story with a unique and glowing voice.” Alternative Theater Ensemble prioritizes meeting communities where they are and adapting theatrical frameworks to their needs. Our shift in focus from traditional theatre productions to applied theatre models reflects ATE’s commitment to responding to the industry’s evolving landscape and supporting communities across the Bay Area through art. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | ART OF ÉLAN | 6165 Radcliffe Drive , San Diego, CA 92122 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 678-1709 | California's 51st congressional district | District 79 | District 40 | With support from the California Arts Council, ART OF ELAN will provide Young Artists in Harmony (YAH), an after-school 10-week music composition residency offered in spring and fall for at-risk youth and low-income first-generation college seekers. The residency culminates in free public concerts recorded for online streaming and enjoyed by listeners worldwide. This request will support the spring 2025 residencies in partnership with A Reason to Survive (ARTS) and The Preuss School. | Known for its collaborative spirit, Art of Elan has been pioneering unique events and bringing exciting classical music to diverse audiences for over 17 years through innovative partnerships and bi-national initiatives that have cultivated curious audiences on both sides of the border. Its consistent track record of sold-out performances stems from its commitment to commissioning new work, collaborating with world-class artists and composers, programming engaging and thought-provoking concerts, and expanding its impact in the region through thoughtful community engagement programs. By drawing inspiration from the word élan, which represents momentum, style, and spirit, Art of Elan continues to engage and energize audiences in new ways. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Youth Speaks | 265 Shotwell St , San Francisco, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 255-9035 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Youth Speaks’ Creative Youth Development program will provide 350 youth ages 13-19 with culturally responsive, generative experiences in writing, poetry, poetry slam and performance during out-of-school time opportunities across 6 community sites/artistic venues. | For 29 years, Youth Speaks has created safe spaces that challenge young people, especially those from communities where opportunities for creative expression have been historically and systemically eliminated, to find, develop and apply their voices as creators of societal change. Founded in 1996 in San Francisco, Youth Speaks is a leading presenter of Spoken Word performance, education, and creative youth development programs. Trailblazers of local and national youth poetry slams and festivals, and a leading presenter of Spoken Word performance, education, and creative youth development programs, Youth Speaks has helped create partner programs in 47 cities across the United States. As the founder and lead convenor of the Brave New Voices Festival and Brave New Futures Network, Youth Speaks has significantly invested in the entire field of literary performance programs that intersect arts education, youth development and public narrative practices. Youth Speaks created even more opportunities for BIPOC artists at the intersection of arts and culture, ancestral and indigenous practices, and multi-racial movement work to be networked as we were selected to be a California Arts Council Administering Organization for Individual Artists Fellows. Through this initiative, Youth Speaks convened over 500 Artists in webinars and learning sessions over 3 months, completed an application process, reviewed applications for over 1,000 prospective grantees, and led a rigorous schedule of Professional Development for the Artist Grantees. |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | LA Commons | 4343 Leimert Blvd. , Los Angeles, CA 90008 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 792-0366 | 37th Congressional District of California | District 55 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, LA Commons will continue to provide arts and culture services which amplify community voices and support wellness in South LA. | LA Commons programs engage residents of neighborhoods where most live below the poverty line and are new immigrants struggling to find their place in Los Angeles. Target audiences are artists and culture bearers, youth ages 15–25, and residents of all ages. Participating neighborhoods include MacArthur Park, Leimert Park, and greater South Los Angeles. By engaging community members in our core “Neighborhood Story Connection” program, we create a space where stories & voices are heard and then transformed into dynamic public art that reflects local hopes, dreams & identities. Relationships developed through these public art projects are leveraged to engage people of all ages in the stories of our Los Angeles, through resident led neighborhood tours, public art campaigns, and other culturally informed experiences that support local businesses and artists, and share opportunities to experience authentic food, music, festivals and rich cultural histories across Los Angeles. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $17,360.00 | In The Band | 2118 WILSHIRE BLVD STE 1170 , SANTA MONICA, CA 90403-5704 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (424) 320-8585 | California's 36th congressional district | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, In The Band (formerly Sound Art) will offer after-school music education at five sites located in underinvested Los Angeles neighborhoods. Using contemporary music taught by professional musicians, composers and audio engineers, rhythm section and songwriting will be offered to 250 underserved, low-income youth in grades K – 12. Additionally, In The Band will teach songwriting, recording and production to 50 system-affected, at-promise homeless and former foster youth, ages 17 – 24, residing at Covenant House in Hollywood. | Our core programming provides on-site mobile music education to underserved students from K through 12th grade and at-risk, homeless and foster youth, ages 17 – 24, using contemporary music to teach the fundamentals of musicianship. Through one-on-one interaction, demonstrations and instruction from professional musicians, composers and audio engineers, we offer age-appropriate instruction in alignment with VAPA standards for school aged students. In The Band also offers songwriting, recording and production for homeless and foster youth, ages 17-24. School aged students will learn to play a minimum of four quality pieces of music and will master an instrument within one year, while our older youth will write, produce and record music. In addition, students will have opportunities to release music on the internet and perform at events throughout the city. In The Band curriculum includes the following topics: Tempo; Dynamics; Techniques specific to each instrument; Techniques for audio production and recording; Rhythmic concepts; Understanding and Reading musical notation; Writing musical notation; Understanding ‘beat’ and measures in 4/4 and other time signatures; Introduction to the music of world cultures; Introduction to rhythmic concepts (reading and writing); and Introduction to ensemble playing; and Introduction to performance. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Living Jazz | 1728 San Pablo Avenue , Oakland, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 858-5313 | District 12 | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Living Jazz will offer a summer music and dance sleep-away camp for youth with a diverse range of backgrounds and abilities in July 2025. Jam Camp’s spectacular setting nestled amongst redwoods, focus on cultural respect and pride, and supportive learning environment foster community-building and artistic, social and personal growth. Faculty artists offer daily workshops in a variety of traditional and contemporary styles of music and dance, including Blues, rock, Funk, Afro-Cuban, Hip Hop, Latin Jazz, and more, appropriate for campers with and without prior music training. | “In the Name of Love” is the East Bay’s only non-denominational musical tribute honoring Dr. King Jr. Launched in 2002, the annual event celebrates the talents of local artists in a themed program highlighting social justice and has showcased 80+ prominent solo guest artists, commissioned and premiered new works, provide a platform for first-time collaborations, attracted sell-out audiences of ~1300 and celebrated the cultural, racial and ethnic diversity of Oakland’s public school system through performances by the Living Jazz Children’s Project choir. On hiatus since a 2021 online concert during the pandemic, ITNOL was re-imagined in 2024, with the 20th anniversary concert featuring the musical theme of Stevie Wonder and his activism, a sold-out much larger venue, and a larger roster of artists representing Oakland’s various communities of color. Living Jazz RootED (formerly The Living Jazz Children’s Project) is a free in-school performing arts education and performance program serving ~1,200 Oakland and West Contra Costa public elementary, middle, and high school students. Created in 2005, the program includes choral, vocal, and rhythm music components and a dance component that builds fundamental music and dance skills while teaching students about cultural diversity and social justice. Jazz Camp West is a nationally acclaimed jazz immersion program known for its culturally diverse curriculum; multi-generational, racially diverse student body; supportive, collaborative environment; renowned faculty artists; and spectacular outdoor setting. The eight-day program is now entering its 41st season and serves ~250 people ages 15 and up. Jam Camp West is a supportive, nurturing seven-day alternative, sleep-away music camp for youth, modeled after Jazz Camp. LJ debuted the program in 2008 to serve youth with and without prior musical training. It features diverse urban-influenced contemporary music styles (spoken word, Afro-Cuban percussion, steeldrum, songwriting, ukulele, beatbox) in a beautiful redwood setting for ~125 youth ages 10-17. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) | 2701 WILSHIRE BLVD STE 100 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90057-3231 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 389-1148 | California 34th Congressional District | District 54 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) will serve 350 elementary through high school aged youth living in historically underserved communities with our afterschool Visual Arts programming, which provides formal class instruction to strengthen fundamental skills in 20+ mediums, both traditional and contemporary, across 100 unique classes led by skilled local teaching artists. The program curriculum is designed to be culturally relevant, center student voice and experience, and provide constructive outlets for expression. Daily classes are complemented by public art projects, a visiting guest artist series, exhibition opportunities, and field trips to local cultural institutions which work collectively to allow each unique creative process to flourish fully. Visual Arts at HOLA aims to develop and affirm students’ artistic practice and cultivate a sense of belonging within an artistic environment. | HOLA started in 1989 with just a handful of kids in a dilapidated gym and now, 35 years later, has grown to serve 3,000 youth, ages 6-24, each year. HOLA offers core academic programs, as well as myriad enrichment programs that expose students to a plethora of engaging and innovative opportunities. These include a dynamic music and youth orchestra program, an intensive and sophisticated visual arts department, premiere sport offerings, leadership and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEAM) classes, holistic counseling and wellness care from a robust Family Services Department, alumni support and scholarships, as well as parent and community resources. Since HOLA first opened its doors, thousands of underserved students have received the highest level of instruction from a now 160+ person staff and a professional and dedicated volunteer corps of over 400. HOLA operates Monday through Saturday year round and all programs are free, an essential feature given that approximately 90% of the families we serve report below poverty-level income. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | Colusa County Arts Council | 151 Fifth Street , COLUSA, CA 95932 | Colusa | Upstate | (530) 458-2222 | California's 1st Congressional District | District 4 | District 1 | With support from the California Arts Council, Colusa County Arts Council will strengthen its organizational infrastructure to keep pace with program growth over the last year. Our net income increased 400% during FY22-23, bringing expanded arts programming to our service area and challenging our staff and Board of Directors to meet growing demand for our services county-wide. As we adjust to this growth, CAC funding will allow us to build a more sophisticated and forward-looking Colusa County Arts Council capable of sustaining expanded public events, engaging more under-served community members, providing professional development services to artists, supporting youth with arts education and enrichment programs, building new relationships with community partners, and implementing strategic planning that will ensure our organization remains on a path of growth and longevity in the future. | General programming includes monthly art exhibitions in our gallery, “Live Lit” literary reading series featuring local writers, collaborative community events, and fundraising events that feature live music or local artists. General programming also encompasses our Public Arts Advisory Committee, which commissions public artworks throughout the county. Special programming includes Creative Youth Development and Levitt AMP Colusa programs. Creative Youth Development providesfree arts education after school for area youth. This programming includes monthly art lessons at five of the rural branches of the Colusa County Free Library, monthly Family Day workshops held in our gallery space, beginner music workshops, multi-generational craft classes, and four-day arts camp for 5-13 year olds. Levitt AMP Colusa provides 10 free live concerts featuring original music by professionally touring musicians from all over the United States. We partner with local non-profits and community groups to make these events a place where our community resources and values can surface. Booking emphasizes artists and genres who appeal to diverse audiences in our county. Beyond programming, the Colusa County Arts Council uses its resources for community collaboration, mentoring, and advocacy. These services include classroom visits at local schools to promote our programs and share opportunities with art students, hosting middle and high school arts instructors in our gallery to share resources and collaborate, partnering with local non-profits like the Rotary Club and Lion’s Club, providing resources to Upstate California Creative Corps grantees and other artists, advocating with local school districts around arts education measures like Prop 28, and participating in programming and professional development offered by other California public arts organizations. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | WIA | 1123 Pine Street , South Pasdena, CA 91030 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (619) 341-9599 | 28th Congressional district of California | District 49 | District 25 | With the support from the California Arts Council, Women in Animation (WIA) will be able to scale its services and partnerships in LA and the San Francisco Bay Area, moving closer to realizing its key goal of seeing 50% of creative roles in the animation industry (including VFX and gaming) held by people identifying as women (cis and trans), non-binary people, and other underrepresented gender identities. Funds will support our regional network in California, including WIA’s programming in LA and the Bay Area, and facilitating the Animation Advocacy Collaborative. With a strong community and history of operations in each region, a $50,000 investment will allow WIA to increase its Mentorship Circles and professional development events in each region; support hiring equity-focused consultants; and create and implement a community-development curriculum in LA and San Francisco. | Having grown from 120 members to 12,000 creatives over the last 10 years, we are on the brink of realizing a major milestone for the animation industry: our goal is to see women and non-binary people in 50% of animation and VFX creative roles. With LA being home to the biggest animation studios in the world, it is a major focus of ours. Realizing our goal of gender-parity will not only increase representation and inclusivity in animation and visual effects, but leverage the entertainment industry’s cultural influence to move gender equity forward across California and beyond. 1) Mentorship Circles – WIA has 50 Mentorship Circles, connecting 500 women and nonbinary creatives to mentors in the animation, VFX, and gaming industries each year. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | Lassen County Arts Council | 807 COTTAGE ST PO Box 91, SUSANVILLE, CA 96130-4401 | Lassen | Upstate | (530) 257-5222 | California's 1st congressional district | District 1 | District 1 | With support from the California Arts Council, Lassen County Arts Council will partner with Lassen County, The City of Susanville, Lassen Community College, Susanville Indian Rancheria, Lassen County Office of Education, Lassen County Fair, Best of Broadway, The Reno Dance Company, J&J Performing Arts, Joans Studio of Dance and the Susanville Symphony for exhibitions, receptions, an annual ballet performance, workshops for the public, participatory events, and public art. | LCAC supports the arts by holding exhibitions and receptions, coproducing an annual ballet performance, bringing workshops to the public, creating participatory events at the county fair, and partnering with the city for maintenance of public art. Partner organizations are: Lassen County Fair, by manning the art building, accepting/hanging the show, and a community art competition; Best of Broadway (local nonprofit organization) and Reno Dance Company, for the annual Nutcracker Ballet production which includes over 100 children; City of Susanville, for mural repair and maintenance; Lassen Community College, for workshop instructors, student art exhibits, board members, and work study students; Susanville Indian Rancheria/Diamond Mountain Casino, on the Nutcracker productions; public schools, for Poetry Out Loud and the high school student show. |
| State Local Partner Mentorship | 2024-25 | $41,664.00 | Nevada County Arts Council (NCArts) | PO BOX 1833 , NEVADA CITY, CA 95959-1833 | Nevada | Upstate | (530) 718-0727 | California's 3rd congressional district | District 1 | District 1 | With support from the California Arts Council, Nevada County Arts Council will support the creation of a county-designated local arts agency in Glenn County, in collaboration with a range of stakeholders, and informed by local artists and culture bearers. Through mentorship this will ultimately lead to the establishment of a State-Local Partner agency in meaningful service to its constituents. | As Nevada County’s umbrella organization for the arts, we serve as convenors, consultants, researchers, strategists, advocates, supporters, funders, promotors, policy wonks, and general arts and culture cheerleaders for our community. We offer Arts Incubator, providing fiduciary oversight, financial management, and other administrative services to help build the capacity of cultural initiatives or emerging arts collaboratives who may not yet have their 501(c)(3) status. We offer grant making services and an artist relief fund; we offer pro-bono grant writing consulting; and lead creative sector emergency preparedness and disaster response. We engage in ongoing countywide cultural planning and evaluation, and regional and statewide peer learning and advocacy. We manage the county’s arts directory and community arts calendar, and engage in ongoing promotion of the arts sector through multiple channels. We administer two California Cultural Districts. Grass Valley-Nevada City Cultural District and Truckee Cultural District were redesignated by the State in 2023 for an additional five years, implying a tremendous responsibility to grow and sustain authentic grassroots arts and cultural opportunities, increase the visibility of local artists, nourish community participation in local arts and culture, promote socioeconomic and ethnic diversity, and work against by-products of placemaking such as gentrification, displacement, and racism. We run multiple Arts Education programs; MUSE, a new widely distributed annual guide to arts and subcultures in Nevada County; an we are the Administering Organization for Upstate California Creative Corps, regranting 3.38m in state funds over 19 counties. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | ART LEAGUE OF LINCOLN | 580 Sixth ST , LINCOLN, CA 95648-1823 | Placer | Upstate | (916) 209-3499 | U.S. House of Representatives District 4 | State Assembly (District 6) | State Senate (District 1) | With support from the California Arts Council, the ART LEAGUE OF LINCOLN will provide art instructional support for the Western Placer Unified School District (WPUSD) in Lincoln, California under Proposition 28, the Arts and Music in Schools (AMS) Act of 2022. The WPUSD Superintendent of Education, alongside school staff, will partner with us to develop culturally relevant art education programming for K through 12th grade students. Our efforts will be directed towards Title 1 schools, representing under-served students with the greatest achievement gap. These Title 1 schools draw from communities in the lower quartile of the Healthy Places Index, with many students who have been impacted by family members in the correctional system. | Vision: Thrive as a vital cultural center for the Greater Lincoln Area by fostering educational and innovative events in visual arts, music, and poetry through local partnerships. These partnerships include alliances with the City of Lincoln, Chamber of Commerce, Western Placer School District, Downtown Lincoln Association, other non-profit groups and various constituencies within the community. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Luther Burbank Center for the Arts | 50 Mark West Springs Road , Santa Rosa, CA 95403 | Sonoma | Bay Area – Other | (707) 800-7505 | California's 2nd congressional district | District 2 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, Luther Burbank Memorial Foundation will provide free Mariachi Summer Camps and a free year-round Ensemble where 350 youth from historically underserved communities will learn music fundamentals and cultural practices of this culturally responsive art form while developing and deepening vital life skills. These programs deliver much-needed free music education and engagement to underserved youth during critical out-of-school hours, helping them to discover and develop their unique talents, foster their personal identity, and build their communication and teamwork skills. Working with outstanding teaching artists and mentors through a culturally significant creative outlet, youth achieve success, gain confidence, build healthy relationships, and learn new arts skills. Instruction, instruments, meals, uniforms, books, and academic tutoring are provided at no cost to the students or their families. | LBC is the North Bay’s premier arts and events center presenting world-class performances, nationally-recognized education programs, contemporary visual art, and many popular community events. A 501(c)(3) private non-profit organization, the Center is ranked among the world’s top 100 performing arts presenters hosting performances in music, theater, dance, comedy, family programming and renowned speaker events; and serving more than 50,000 children annually through its Education Through the Arts programs. Located in the heart of the Sonoma wine country, the Center is owned and operated by the Luther Burbank Memorial Foundation, and relies on the generosity of members, donors, and sponsors to achieve its mission to enrich, educate, and entertain the North Bay community. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | San Francisco Youth Theatre | 3106 Folsom Street , San Francisco, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 571-1234 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, SAN FRANCISCO YOUTH THEATRE will collaborate with Eclectic Box, a Queer theater space dedicated to supporting emerging artists, to produce Bruce Coleman’s ANDI BOI, a play about a transgender teen returning to school in September with a changed gender expression. The play highlights the challenges of being accepted as our authentic selves. The project will connect to schools and community organizations that serve Queer youth and their families. The mixed-aged cast will include teens and adults, who will receive payment for their participation. Eclectic Box adult directors and actors will serve as creative and technical mentors to the teens. ANDI BOI will be performed at Eclectic Box for two weekends, including two days of free school shows and a performance dedicated to families with Queer and trans teens. | Founded in 2014, SFYT provides fully-accessible arts training and performance opportunities for youth ages 4-24 onsite at its Mission District location and through SFUSD schools and Community-based organizations. Primary beneficiaries are grades PreK–College low-income youth with limited access to theatre arts, including youth who are low income, LGBTQ+, youth with disabilities, newcomers, and English language learners. Transitional-aged youth (18-24) participate in SFYT’s Emerging Theatre Professional Program which provides a pathway to arts careers through internships and employment opportunities. SFYT serves ≈1200 students in year-round school day and after school programs. SFYT offers a broad array of activities that include skill-building classes in acting, music, dance, movement, visual art, playwriting, and production. Fall skill-building classes evolve into spring performance ensembles for elementary through college-aged students. All onsite classes and ensembles are on a sliding scale, with no one turned away for lack of funds. School programs are offered at no fee to students. SFYT’s ongoing creative programs, onsite and at SFUSD, include: |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | Geoffrey's Inner Circle | 410 14th St , Oakland, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 839-4644 | 13th Congressional District of California | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Geoffrey’s Inner Circle will supplement staff salaries and programming costs and further our mission as a multidisciplinary arts venue and Black cultural center to uplift and promote Black culture and diverse Black art forms in Oakland through educational and performance initiatives, engaging youth, seniors, and low-income populations. | Geoffrey’s Inner Circle is a multidisciplinary arts venue and Black cultural center, operating as a hub of Black life in Oakland since the late 1970s and in its current downtown location since 1993. Geoffrey’s has for over 40 years consistently produced arts & culture programming including music and comedy shows, educational programs, jam sessions, festivals, community events, vocal and instrumental masterclasses with resident and visiting artists, an annual 10-week youth arts intensive, livestreams and lecture/performances for youth, and political events. Geoffrey’s centers Black art forms including jazz, blues, gospel, hip-hop, and R&B and features programming celebrating Black History Month, Black Music Month, and Kwanzaa. |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | Cornerstone | 1892 Marney Avenue , LOS ANGELES, CA 90032 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 613-1700 | 34th Congressional District | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Cornerstone Theater Company will maintain our capacity to deliver programs in Los Angeles County and throughout California. Receiving general operating support will provide essential funding to sustain our organization as we welcome new artistic leadership and lay the foundation for a new visionary direction. | Community engagement is at the heart of what we do; we collaborate with non-professionals in a specific context to create vivid, living theater. The process – sharing story, experience, and expertise across lines of difference – is as vital as the performance. The notion of community itself is a creative question defined anew in each Cornerstone project. Recent collaborating communities include: public housing residents; Indigenous peoples in Los Angeles; veterans and military families; people impacted by the prison system and residents of LA’s port community San Pedro. Upcoming projects engage communities whose vote is being suppressed, communities whose neighborhoods have been impacted by the LA fires, and citizens, activists and grassroots organizers in LA County. We reach communities and establish authentic engagement by building relationships across time, and rooting those relationships in solidarity, resource sharing, deep listening, collaboration and presence. It takes time to earn just one person’s trust; it takes time to map a creative container for vulnerable collaboration – and we invest the time it takes. We believe in building community power and centering community voices, with and for low-income and systemically excluded and disinvested communities. Our audiences and co-creators are first-time theatergoers, speakers of non-English languages, elders, children, families, people impacted by the prison system, current and formerly unhoused people. We conceive and develop community collaborations together with a broad range of partners from community service, advocacy and action organizations like Homeboy Industries, Westside Food Bank, MEND and Gabrieliño/Tongva Springs Foundation, to public agencies like HACLA (Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles) and Metro. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | Youth Speaks | 265 Shotwell St , San Francisco, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 255-9035 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council Youth Speaks will continue to advance our Northern California Individual Artist Network program providing much needed technical assistance and professional development opportunities to artists and culture bearers living and working in 34 Northern California Counties. As an organization whose core competency is in the development and support of youth, artists and intergenerational culture bearers, the CAC’s general operating support for Statewide and Regional Networks, would allow us to refine and continue to build our organizational approach around artists equity that is rooted in equity, social justice, and inclusion. | For 29 years, Youth Speaks has created safe spaces that challenge young people, especially those from communities where opportunities for creative expression have been historically and systemically eliminated, to find, develop and apply their voices as creators of societal change. Founded in 1996 in San Francisco, Youth Speaks is a leading presenter of Spoken Word performance, education, and creative youth development programs. Trailblazers of local and national youth poetry slams and festivals, and a leading presenter of Spoken Word performance, education, and creative youth development programs, Youth Speaks has helped create partner programs in 47 cities across the United States. As the founder and lead convenor of the Brave New Voices Festival and Brave New Futures Network, Youth Speaks has significantly invested in the entire field of literary performance programs that intersect arts education, youth development and public narrative practices. Youth Speaks created even more opportunities for BIPOC artists at the intersection of arts and culture, ancestral and indigenous practices, and multi-racial movement work to be networked as we were selected to be a California Arts Council Administering Organization for Individual Artists Fellows. Through this initiative, Youth Speaks convened over 500 Artists in webinars and learning sessions over 3 months, completed an application process, reviewed applications for over 1,000 prospective grantees, and led a rigorous schedule of Professional Development for the Artist Grantees. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | Bay Area Creative | 1389 Jefferson St Apt C505 , Oakland, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (949) 285-9086 | California Assembly district 20 | District 20 | District 10 | With support from the California Arts Council, Bay Area Creative (BAC) will collaborate with local spoken word artists from our Rich Oak Events (ROE) program to create platforms for underserved communities to be poetically heard regarding current issues. We will provide an avenue toward artistic growth and career success for poets, writers, and performers in the Bay Area. Our Rick Oak Events program provides platforms to communities that experience marginalization and cultural neglect in Oakland, Richmond and Berkeley, while simultaneously expanding our online presence through the Berkeley and Oakland Poetry Slams and the Alchemy Open Mic. Between these events, this grant will support a project that curates 5 poetry slams, 2 open mics, and 7 free writing workshops every month; all events are available for free viewing via live stream. | SPARC Creativity offers spoken word poetry, dance, filmmaking workshops and performances tailored for underserved youth aged 5-18. Our comprehensive services encompass weekly arts workshops conducted during the school day, after school, and throughout the summer. Additionally, SPARC teaching artists lead impactful school day performances that showcase the creative expressions of our participants. Revisions stands as a beacon of therapeutic arts for youth and families, providing essential services such as facilitating writing groups in Juvenile Hall, facilitating creative support groups for social workers, leading conferences focused on substance abuse prevention, and performing at mental health symposiums. Educators for Empathy is dedicated to professional development for both classroom teachers and teaching artists. Our impactful sessions take the form of in-service school district-wide half and full-day training sessions. We extend our reach by collaborating with other nonprofits, offering monthly one-on-one coaching sessions to empower educators with transformative teaching practices. Spoken works delivers local creative professionals to provide team building sessions that |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $18,517.00 | Bay Area Creative | 1389 Jefferson St Apt C505 , Oakland, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (949) 285-9086 | California Assembly district 20 | District 20 | District 10 | “With support from the California Arts Council, BAY AREA CREATIVE BAC will provide 18 visits through our SPARC program to elementary and middle schools to support underserved youth in four Bay Area cities through the School Year Kick Off assembly project. Professional spoken word poets and hip hop dancers provide high energy and engaging performances in late August and early September of 2025. Assemblies take place at schools where students are not being exposed to spoken word poetry and hip hop dance. Requests have been made by these schools to receive services from Bay Area Creative though they lack the funding for these kick off performances. Each of the 18 school sites receive multiple 45 minute long assemblies accompanied by follow up workshops. This school assembly project provides work for 17 underserved BIPOC teaching artists.” | SPARC Creativity offers spoken word poetry, dance, filmmaking workshops and performances tailored for underserved youth aged 5-18. Our comprehensive services encompass weekly arts workshops conducted during the school day, after school, and throughout the summer. Additionally, SPARC teaching artists lead impactful school day performances that showcase the creative expressions of our participants. Revisions stands as a beacon of therapeutic arts for youth and families, providing essential services such as facilitating writing groups in Juvenile Hall, facilitating creative support groups for social workers, leading conferences focused on substance abuse prevention, and performing at mental health symposiums. Educators for Empathy is dedicated to professional development for both classroom teachers and teaching artists. Our impactful sessions take the form of in-service school district-wide half and full-day training sessions. We extend our reach by collaborating with other nonprofits, offering monthly one-on-one coaching sessions to empower educators with transformative teaching practices. Spoken works delivers local creative professionals to provide team building sessions that |
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | $23,147.00 | Everyday Arts | 12046 Peoria Street , Sun Valley, CA 91352 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 669-9049 | California's 34th congressional district | District 53 | District 30 | With support from the California Arts Council, Everyday Arts will train Huntington Drive Elementary teachers in arts integration strategies proven to improve academic performance and social skills for neurodiverse students. Our hands-on workshop series will include artmaking, lesson planning, mentorship, reflection, and individualized coaching sessions for educators. We will build on the successes of our 2023-2024 CAC-funded “Everyday Arts Neighborhood School” initiative, which set the foundation for Everyday Arts to provide arts integration in Los Angeles Unified School District special education classrooms. This professional learning program will increase the capacity of public school educators to deliver culturally responsive arts integration lessons to students with diverse learning needs. | Our core program offerings are: Everyday Arts prides itself on delivering fun, hands-on workshops that include collaborative art-making, group discussion, reflective practice, and lesson-planning. Participants learn inclusive teaching strategies, utilizing music, visual arts, drama, and movement activities aligned to the California Arts Standards. Our curriculum is adaptable for a wide range of populations, including students with autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disabilities, multiple disabilities, emotional disturbance, and learning disabilities, and has been shown to have a positive effect on reaching Individualized Educational Plan goals in self-contained classrooms as well as inclusion settings. We utilize the principles of Universal Design for Learning as well as the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning “Core SEL Competencies” to help students with diverse learning needs reach their goals. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | Create CA | 85 S. Grand Ave., , Pasadena, CA 91105 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 578-9315 | California's 28th congressional district | District 41 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, Create CA will amplify our collective impact in the field of arts education and build the public will and local organizing infrastructure necessary to ensure all California students receive a culturally responsive arts education. | Create CA works to fulfill its mission through three programs: The Arts Now program trains advocates to work with local school boards, design strategic arts education plans, and improve resources for arts education. Participants receive strategic coaching, training, communications support, and micro-grants. The Student Voices program provides leadership training and advocacy opportunities for current public school students. Our annual Student Arts Advocacy Day is the largest arts advocacy training event for high schoolers in California. Lastly, Create CA’s public will program influences decision-makers, raises awareness about the benefits of arts education, and increases access to and participation in the arts. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | Merced County Arts Council Inc | 645 W MAIN ST , MERCED, CA 95340-4717 | Merced | Central Valley | (209) 388-1090 | 13th District of California | District 27 | District 14 | With support from the California Arts Council, Merced County Arts Council will continue to provide public exhibitions, programs, and free or low-cost events that reflect Merced’s diversity and expands opportunities to participate in the arts, as well as improve our efforts to be the hub for arts organizations and cultural groups in our County. | Incorporated in 1978, the Merced County Arts Council was operated originally from a small office space on Main Street. In 1996, the City of Merced entrusted the Arts Council to manage the Merced Multicultural Arts Center. In addition to operating this 28,000 sq. foot, multipurpose arts center, the Arts Council manages an arts-in-education program; an arts facility for adults with developmental disabilities; performances and visual/performing arts classes for children and adults; professional support for artists through fiscal sponsorship; exhibits of about 20 professional artists each year; and newfound coalitions for visual and performing artists. The Multicultural Arts Center, lovingly known as the MAC, has been the arts and cultural hub of Merced since its opening in 1997. Managed by the Merced County Arts Council, the MAC is home to: The Enrichment Center, a day program for artists with disabilities The MAC offers a wide variety of classroom, conference, and general meeting spaces to meet all of your creative, personal, and professional facility needs as well as four art galleries, a black box theater, and a serving kitchen. The Multicultural Arts Center is truly a multi-use facility that can handle almost any event. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,989.00 | The Leela Institute | 23650 Community St. , West Hills, CA 91304 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (424) 208-9707 | California's 30th congressional district | District 45 | District 27 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Leela Institute will showcase a new salon series titled “Fall Into Kathak”, featuring performances of North Indian classical dance and music. The series will bring together emerging Indian classical dancers and musicians to showcase their artistry. This initiative marks a first for Los Angeles, providing a much-needed platform for artists who often find themselves isolated and lacking opportunities for collaboration. Through the salon series, artists will have the chance to build a supportive community, fostering creativity, connection, and cultural exchange within the vibrant artistic communities of Los Angeles. | Leela’s nationally touring dance company, Leela Dance Collective (LDC), has garnered critical acclaim under the artistic direction of renowned kathak artists Rukhmani Mehta, Seibi Lee, and Rachna Nivas, and engages some of today’s leading dancers and musicians, as well as collaborative artists of other genres. LDC’s repertoire represents the breadth and depth of kathak, and amplifies the voices of a new generation of female artists. Through traditional works, cross genre collaborations, and cutting edge choreography, LDC is making kathak relevant for contemporary audiences worldwide. In addition to performances in public spaces, LDC is expanding its performances in community spaces, such as libraries and local schools. In 2019, Leela joined the roster for the Music Center Performing Artists in Schools and Neighborhoods Program, a program designed to inspire creative thinking and introduce audiences K-12 to the world’s diverse cultural traditions through school performances. Through this program, LDC serves as a model for artistic excellence, inspires creative thinking, and introduces young audiences to the joy of kathak and the rich history of India’s cultural heritage. Leela’s educational arm, the Leela Academy, provides world-class education and training in kathak and Hindustani classical music to children and youth. The Leela Academy’s cornerstone program, the Leela Youth Dance Company (LYDC), serves as our elite pre-professional performing group for girls in grades 7-12. The program champions excellence in kathak while serving as a platform for youth leadership development that empowers young South Asian American women as artists, cultural ambassadors and leaders of social change. Finally, the Leela Foundation provides the financial infrastructure critical for the viability and sustainability of classical Indian artistic traditions. Through the artists, educators and programs supported, the Foundation ultimately seeks to ensure that communities worldwide and generations to come have access to the richness and depth of India’s artistic traditions. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $46,293.00 | Inlandia Institute | 4178 CHESTNUT ST , RIVERSIDE, CA 92501-3539 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (951) 790-2458 | California's 39th congressional district | District 58 | District 31 | With support from the California Arts Council, INLANDIA INSTITUTE will foster an equitable, diverse, and inclusive network of literary artists working across the spectrum of skill levels. Using our vertically integrated experience-based model, we will create an engaged, supportive environment that nurtures regional writers, from beginners through intermediate practitioners to professional authors. An important feature of this model includes job creation and professional development through employing these literary artists as workshop facilitators, panelists, guest speakers, as well as program staff, therefore supporting the regional creative economy. These literary artists in turn will share their expertise through workshops, creative literacy activities, and outreach and engagement programs. This model is expansive, allowing for progressive growth and opportunities at every level. | Organization’s Core Programs and Services: Inlandia Institute is the only regionally focused nonprofit literary arts network dedicated to the Inland Empire region. Each of our five core programs supports the artistic development of the region’s writers, from beginners through intermediate practitioners to professionals. At each level, artists share expertise through workshops, professional development activities, and outreach and engagement programs, including an award-winning publications program. Inlandia Institute’s five core programs are: Children’s Creative Literacy, Adult Creative Literacy and Professional Development for Writers, Publications, Free Literary and Cultural Programs, and Literary Laureate. Celebrating the region in word, image, and sound, Inlandia is dedicated to fostering a dynamic and successful community of artists who explore our diverse and vibrant region. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $19,443.00 | POETRY FLASH | 1450 4TH ST APT 4 , BERKELEY, CA 94710-1328 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 612-3958 | California 12th congressional district | District 14 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Poetry Flash will promote, present, publish, educate, and advocate for poetry and literature in California. We will present the Poetry Flash Reading Series, one of the longest running and highest-profile poetry series on the West Coast, along with the annual all-genre Northern California Book Awards, California Translation Awards, Watershed Environmental Poetry Festival, and the John Oliver Simon Legacy Project to bring poet-teachers into local schools. We will publish Poetryflash.org, an online review and literary event calendar for California, to provide our readership and audiences with quality reviews, essays, interviews, poems, and literary news from award-winning and insightful contributors. Poetry Flash will build community through literary presenting, publishing, and outreach, and generate enthusiasm and access for poetry and the literary arts among the widest possible audiences. | Poetry Flash publishes monthly issues online, with calendar listings of California online literary events, book reviews, interviews, poems, and calls for submission. We also facilitate the Poetry Flash Reading Series, with a new reading nearly every week, held at independent bookstores, galleries, and other venues in the Bay Area and online. Other projects include the annual Northern California Book Awards and the annual Watershed Environmental Poetry Festival which also includes the Strawberry Creek Walk and poetry installation art. Events like these feature numerous poets and writers, both prominent ones and newly emerging voices, from California and beyond. We are also putting out a new high-quality anthology of Berkeley Poetry. Poetry Flash has been assisting and inspiring poets and writers in numerous ways for almost fifty years, we have deep roots in the literary community and are one of the oldest dedicated poetry organizations on the west coast. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Center Theatre Group | 601 W TEMPLE ST , LOS ANGELES, CA 90012-2621 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 972-7357 | California's 34th congressional district | District 54 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Center Theatre Group (CTG) will produce our Student Matinee Program for the 2024/2025 season. The Student Matinee Program engages thousands of students and educators each year through free access to live professional theatre performances. More than just a field trip, the program includes Educator Conferences that equip educators with the tools to integrate arts education into their curriculum; in-classroom Teaching Artist Workshops; and post-show Q&A sessions with artists. Marking the first time that most participating students attended a professional theatre performance, the program intentionally makes connections between the story told on stage, subjects taught in school such as history and English, and students’ own lived experiences. | Comprising the 2,000-seat Ahmanson Theatre, the 736-seat Mark Taper Forum, and the 317-seat Kirk Douglas Theatre, CTG is one of the nation’s largest regional theatres and one of the few regional theatres to successfully produce a broad variety of programming each season. CTG is committed to furthering its mission through programming that meets the challenge of producing and presenting work of the highest quality, while engaging a broad and diverse audience, and expanding community access and arts learning opportunities. These efforts include a robust Artistic Development Program offering commissions of new work, readings and workshops, and an annual L.A. Writers’ Workshop; and an Education and Community Partnerships Department dedicated to providing comprehensive year-round arts education and access to over 20,000 students, educators, and community members each year. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $23,147.00 | CELEBRATION ARTS | 2727 B ST , SACRAMENTO, CA 95816-3212 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 455-2787 | California's 6th congressional district | District 6 | District 8 | With support from the California Arts Council, Celebration Arts will provide arts education exposure to 400 middle and high school students from priority communities in Sacramento. Celebration Arts will add school matinee performances for FENCES by August Wilson during the run in 2025. The play, centering on a working-class African-American family in the 1950s, addresses universal themes of family, identity, and pursuing the American Dream, providing rich material for discussion and reflection. By exposing students to such thought-provoking content, Celebration Arts aims to broaden cultural understanding and inspire critical thinking. August Wilson is widely regarded as one of America’s greatest playwrights, and studying his work offers students an opportunity to engage with high-quality literature and theater that has enduring relevance. The added performances will add to the creative economy by paying performing artists. | Celebration Arts offers transformative arts education and performance opportunities that inspire creativity, build confidence, and elevate underrepresented voices—particularly within the Black community. At the heart of this work is the ACTivate! Arts Academy, which provides engaging arts experiences for K–12 students: Kids’ Time is an eight-week program for up to 50 children ages 6–12. Through music, movement, and drama, participants grow in confidence, discipline, and creativity. The program concludes with a live performance that celebrates their achievements. Teen Magic serves up to 50 African American teens ages 13–17, addressing the lack of arts education in many underserved schools. Over eight weeks, teens explore theater, music, and dance while building teamwork, leadership, and communication skills in a culturally affirming environment. School Field Trips bring nearly 3,600 K–12 students to Celebration Arts annually. These visits expose young people to live theater and the transformative power of storytelling. Celebration Arts also stages six theatrical productions each year, showcasing works by award-winning Black playwrights. These plays center the Black experience and foster dialogue around culture, identity, and community. In addition, the organization hosts two annual dance concerts, highlighting local and regional performers. These events celebrate the depth and diversity of Black artistic expression through powerful movement and storytelling. Through its performances and educational programs, Celebration Arts nurtures the next generation of artists and storytellers. The organization remains deeply committed to creating space for creativity, connection, and the amplification of Black voices in the arts. |
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | $23,147.00 | Luna Dance and Creativity | 931 Ashby Avenue , Berkeley, CA 94710 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 883-1118 | California's 12th congressional district | District 14 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Luna Kids Dance, Inc. will provide professional development in dance integration strategies to early childhood education (ECE) teachers in Oakland Unified School District and Marin County Office of Education that aligns with California’s Preschool Learning Foundations for the Visual and Performing Arts; integrates dance, mathematics, science, language literacy, social emotional learning, and special education; synthesizes early childhood development and embodied learning; supports teachers to plan, implement, observe, document, and reflect upon their learning and teaching; develop supplemental resources, such as curricula, lessons, podcasts, and language translations; and deepen teachers’ understanding and application of inclusive, culturally responsive, anti-bias pedagogy. Luna will also provide a full-year dance curriculum to all students and professional development for all teachers in Kaiser Early Childhood Center, a special education and inclusion school in Oakland. | Our ADA-accessible STUDIO LAB children’s program offers a progression of dance learning designed to nurture the choreographer in every child in a studio class structure at Luna’s studios in Berkeley. The STUDIO LAB adult program offers opportunities for and presentations on dance research, the choreographic process, and topics that expand ideas about what dance is and who can dance. PROFESSIONAL LEARNING fulfills Luna’s mission to bring all children to dance as we deepen the knowledge and practice of dance learning through workshops, courses, panel conversations, and resources designed so that creative practitioners manifest creative self-efficacy, investigate teaching practice, establish collegial communities, cultivate dance leadership, and become change agents. Luna helps the field of dance education arc toward justice through FIELD MOVING, our practice-to-policy approach that includes sharing the findings of our inquiries and research; joining with others to create impact; and relentlessly advocating for inclusion, creativity, and self-determination. Recognizing that our work is situated within systems of oppression and racial injustice, we seek change by working together in community, paying attention, staying true to our values, and placing children as the future at the center of our work. Through PARTNERS FOR CHANGE, Luna collaborates with organizations (social service and human welfare agencies, schools and school districts) throughout the region, state and nation to build capacity for enduring dance programs that support the values of each community. Luna, an expert in EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION in dance, has refined, over more than three decades, its pedagogy and curriculum to align with discoveries in neuroscience, play research, child psychology, and cultural responsiveness. As we envision a future with today’s toddlers becoming tomorrow’s leaders, early learning demands our crucial attention and focus. Luna faculty continue our research, theory-building, and practice to better understand how dance is at the convergence of all processes of learning. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Zaccho Dance Theatre | 1777 YOSEMITE AVENUE ST 330 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124-2653 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 822-6744 | 11th District of California | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Zaccho will continue to provide our award-winning Youth Performing Arts Program (YPAP) to San Francisco Bayview Hunters Point (BVHP) youth in partnership with public elementary schools and after-school programs. Zaccho launched YPAP in 1990, in collaboration with SF Unified School District, to integrate our nationally renowned performance work with the experiences of our young BVHP neighbors. YPAP engages 100-250 children annually by offering BVHP youth ages 7-17 free in-school and after-school art education (Oct to May) plus a two-week free Summer Camp. Our after-school programming provides 85 students with 250 hours of instruction annually, culminating in an end of academic year performance at the Bayview Opera House. Since its inception, YPAP has served over 6,800 BVHP youth. Funding from CAC-CYD would only support our YPAP after-school programming. | Zaccho is an innovative force in both the world of dance and our home community of San Francisco’s Bayview Hunters Point (BVHP). Zaccho creates and presents performance work that investigates dance as it relates to place. Artistic Director Joanna Haigood and collaborators pursue unique and challenging visions of dance, including spectacular aerial choreography, evocative site-specific performances, and culturally significant subject matter. Zaccho collaborates with an extraordinary group of diverse artists to create unique and innovative performances, elevating the work to international acclaim. Zaccho Studio in BVHP is one of the largest in San Francisco (4,200 sq ft), utilized for rehearsals, performances, community events, and educational activities for youth and adults. We are San Francisco’s oldest Black-run dance company and the only professional dance company based in BVHP. Zaccho draws inspiration from social histories and racial justice themes, and returns it to the community through youth arts education, adult classes, and Artists-in-Residence programs, many at low or no-cost to participants. Zaccho also produces the biennial SF Aerial Arts Festival. As a longstanding nonprofit program, we pride ourselves on maintaining our artistic integrity, social consciousness, and community involvement. Our Youth Performing Arts Program (YPAP) is a collaborative youth arts education program developed to enhance classroom learning, educating both the mind and physical body. YPAP was created to integrate our nationally renowned, highly innovative performance work with the life experiences of our young BVHP neighbors. For over 30 years, YPAP has served 100-250 children annually by offering free in-school and after-school classes and performance opportunities to public school students 7-17 years old. Launched in 2002, YPAP also hosts the Zaccho Youth Company, a pre-professional aerial dance company. Under the direction of Artistic Director Haigood, company members (ages 9 through 17) collaborate in the creative process by contributing important conceptual and choreographic material. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | City of San Fernando | 117 Macneil Street , San Fernando, CA 91340 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 898-1290 | California's 29th congressional district | District 43 | District 20 | With support from the California Arts Council, the City of San Fernando will connect Grammy winning artists with underserved youth in after school learning experiences that emphasize mariachi folk instrument instruction, arrangement and performance skills from beginning through advanced. Targeting youth and young adults, this project embodies artistic and historical concepts preserving mariachi music. | The Department offers year round beginning, intermediate, and advanced classes in dance, music, and the performing arts. A sampling of programs includes: Mexican Folk Dance, Mariachi Master Apprentice Program, Line Dance, Danza Azteca & Cultura, Senior Music/Voice, Art for all abilities, and Zumba/Jazz classes. In addition, the Department is responsible for seasonal sports, summer and winter youth camps, exercise classes, health and wellness, and senior programs. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $23,147.00 | Opera Parallele | 44 PAGE ST STE 400 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102-5975 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 626-6279 | California Assembly district 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, OPERA PARALLÈLE (OP) and partners will produce the fourth iteration of Expansive, a collaboration between OP and San Francisco’s Transgender District (TGD or “the District”) that celebrates the breadth of transgender and gender nonbinary performing artists by showcasing such artists working in classical music and opera. Our partnership furthers TGD’s strategic initiatives to celebrate the culture, resilience, and resistance of transgender individuals in the city’s Tenderloin neighborhood through arts and culture programming led by and for transgender people, while offering a career-enhancing performance opportunity and compensation for transgender artists, and a boost to the local economy for LGBTQ+-friendly business owners, cultural workers, and more. | Opera Parallèle develops and performs contemporary opera, commissions new works, and re-orchestrates contemporary grand opera, breathing new life into underperformed masterworks for the 20th & 21st centuries. Embracing rituals of old while bravely finding space for the new, this tension sparks creativity – colorful collisions that inspire new ways of experiencing opera. Born in San Francisco, a city built on both old and new, between art and technology, Opera Parallèle merges tradition with innovation to reimagine the power of opera in the modern world, highlighting stories of social relevance that explore the depth of the human condition. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | Tuolumne County Arts Alliance Inc. | 21 N. Washington St. , SONORA, CA 95370 | Tuolumne | Central Valley | (209) 694-3198 | California's 5th congressional district | District 8 | District 4 | With support from the California Arts Council, TUOLUMNE COUNTY ARTS ALLIANCE INC would: Hire office staff — critically needed to forward our mission. Hire teaching artists to expand free community art classes. Evolve our tiny, office-based scrap store — secure partners to create an income-producing Community Scrap Store, successful around the globe. Increase visibility at local events with groups such BIPOC, LGBTQ, developmentally challenged adults, and artists and cultural workers in general to support current and potential artists. Further partnership with youth, civic and other community groups to provide experiences that demonstrate the power of arts practices. Increase our service to local artists and cultural workers who seek us out to support their creativity and livelihoods. Demonstrate arts as vital to Placemaking by participating in more City and County public events. | TCA is designated as Tuolumne County’s mandated Public Arts Agency. The goal of which is to provide a continuing Arts presence in order to strengthen our local economy through the arts. We have been the arts and cultural resource for Tuolumne County for over 40 years. We provide arts activities for partners and programs in schools, as well as free classes to the community at our main downtown location. Some of the activities and programs we provide range from workshops, classes and activities for all ages in visual and performing arts; music events, shows and exhibitions. We support our artist community via mini-grants as well as larger grants like the Creative Corps, Heartland Grant. Discounts are provided to members for workshops, shows and a retail store where the public can also purchase deeply discounted arts and craft materials. TCA works with fledgling groups of all persuasions, both artistic and cultural who need support in the form of marketing, website and design support, and space for meetings. TCA partners with these organizations to strengthen their visibility, while supporting them in finding grants. Our largest free community event is the Handmade Parade. This is a day for adults and children that celebrates and invites the creative repurposing spirit to thrive in our community. Participating musicians and artists are supported through stipends. We have been able to be flexible in our exhibition schedule and have added many shows that are shown at the Sonora Chamber of Commerce. We are celebrating our 38th year of the InFocus Photography Show and the 28th year of the Youth Arts Show. We are partnering with MyAct, (Youth Theater), First Friday Live, a program that serves over 30 schools in the county, and the Mother Lode Artists Association, expanding TCA’s reach and capacity to serve young artists. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | CLARA | 2420 N STREET SUITE 110 , SACRAMENTO, CA 95816-5859 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 750-2136 | California's 6th congressional district | District 6 | District 8 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Studios for the Performing Arts, AKA CLARA, will partner with professional vertical dance company, TwoPoint4 Dance Theatre. The “TwoPoint4 Dance Experience” will provide 50 in-school dance workshops over 5 months for 350 5th-grade students in Sacramento City Unified School District, and culminate in an interactive performance field trip to TwoPoint4 Dance Theatre’s production, Home. | CLARA provides 6,800 students in Sacramento County with in-school artist residencies, where a working artist comes to their class for an hour per week over 10 weeks to explore a specific genre of dance, music, or theatre. We also provide 50,000 students with digital access to arts learning through our virtual platform, CLARA Classroom. And, about 200 elementary age students have their first experiences in an array of performing arts genres through CLARA’s Performing Arts Summer Camp. A portion of these programs are donated free of charge to the students of Sacramento City Unified School District, as rent for the decommissioned school building that CLARA now manages to be a home for six diverse cultural organizations in our community. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,170.00 | WOODCRAFT RANGERS | 340 E 2ND ST STE 200 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90012-4249 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 249-9293 | California's 34th congressional district | District 54 | District 24 | Mariachi has a rich history in Los Angeles, taking root in the in early 20th century with the first wave of Mexican immigration and becoming a formal music education program in schools during the late 1960s Chicano Movement. Unfortunately, due to funding deficits in schools, and a lack of trained instructors, the teaching of Mariachi has steadily declined and risks being lost to future generations. To remain a vibrant artform, school-based programs require support. Woodcraft’s Mariachi program thrives in the schools where it is offered. While there is strong demand to expand the program to other school partners, we have been unable to secure qualified instructors. Support from the California Arts Commission will enable us to launch “Mariachi Academy,” a training program for staff musicians to become Mariachi instructors and keep this rich tradition alive. | In partnership with local school districts, Woodcraft provides daily afterschool enrichment programs from the close of the school day until approximately 6:00 p.m. A community assessment process that includes surveys and conversations with students, school personnel, and parents, results in the curation of six-week program cycles during which students have access to hundreds of different clubs, enabling them to explore their interests and develop new skills. Woodcraft’s Summer Day Camp provides up to 11 hours of daily enrichment, mentorship, and field trips to cultural sites across Los Angeles. Camp Woodcraft, our residential summer camp, welcomes more than 400 campers over four weeks; most of whom receive income-based scholarships. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $17,360.00 | transcenDANCE Youth Arts Project | 5700 El Cajon Blvd , San Diego, CA 92115-3737 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 310-5330 | California's 53rd congressional district | District 79 | District 38 | With support from the California Arts Council, TRANSCENDANCE YOUTH ARTS PROJECT will engage up to 65 youth from marginalized communities in our CREATE Performance Group program from January – September 2025. Students ages 9-19 years will experience the holistic and culturally-affirming creative process with professional Teaching Artists through a robust performing arts program. Through this Creative Youth Development (CYD) programming we will address community-identified needs including youth mentorship, access to youth-tailored creative spaces, making art with a racial equity lens, and providing a platform to amplify youth voice and vision. | transcenDANCE programs provide youth development opportunities through a unique three-tiered program model: CONNECT, CREATE, CONTRIBUTE. transcenDANCE CONNECTS to youth and communities through in-school and out-of-school time dance classes, artist-in-residency programs, outreach performances, and summer camps. CREATE is the heart of the transcenDANCE programs. Youth explore dance and the performing arts through rigorous dance training and immersion in a social change and social emotional learning curriculum over 9 months, which culminates in an annual performance on a professional San Diego stage. transcenDANCE alumni CONTRIBUTE to transcenDANCE through performances, teaching and choreography assistantships and paid roles, and mentoring of incoming students. All students have access to mental health services, mentorship, and leadership development opportunties. Our students’ transformative experience develops their leadership skills, social and emotional resilience, and confidence to change the trajectories of their lives and positively impact the communities they live in. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | dNaga | 473 Hudson Street , Oakland, CA 94618 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 862-9626 | District 13th | District 14 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, dNaga’s GIRL Project will provide free dance, theater, and visual art programming in resistance to the variety of dangers that face girls living in East Oakland. The driving mission of GIRL Project is to foster a safe, nurturing space that will facilitate healthy relationships, self-worth, and healing through dance and artistic expression. The motivation and central theme of the program is the notion that freedom of movement is central to gender equity and a human right. This sense of freedom is fueled with creative thinking and expression and built on a foundation of a sense of belonging, through unity and sisterhood. Our work contributes to their individual agency and the strengthening of our support systems through community building. | dNaga dance company is a unique ensemble made up of multi-generational dancers including young artists, professionals, and elders. Through workshops, classes, choreography and productions, the dance company explores the nature of our human condition and its relationship to our greater community. The GIRL Project began in 2014 and offers free art and empowerment programming for middles school aged girls of color living in East Oakland. The PEACE Project began in 2009 and offers Dance for PD® and choreographic opportunities to people with Parkinson’s. This year, the intergenerational company danced at the World Parkinson’s Congress in Kyoto, Japan and published a companion book entitled PEACE About Life; Dancing with parkinson’s. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $276,957.00 | Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture | 624 E Street , Marysville, CA 95901 | Yuba | Upstate | (530) 742-2787 | California's 1st Congressional District | District 3 | District 1 | With support from the California Arts Council, Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture, as a two-county SLP, (requesting $75,000 x 2) will assign funds towards the salary of its Executive Director, Managing Director, and Arts in Education coordinator. Funds will also support our Artists in Residence program representing four artistic disciplines plus our two-county Poet Laureate. It will also help offset the costs for teaching artists, equipment and supplies needed to provide for a continuing series of multi-disciplinary classes, teaching grants as well as our Center Stage Productions youth performing arts program, our new youth mariachi orchestra, our Convergence Theatre Company, and our Yuba Sutter Big Band Orchestra. The funds will also help with the design, printing, and distribution of our annual report and ongoing marketing support including Constant Contact, Survey Monkey and various grant search subscriptions. | Arts in Education, Arts in Correction, Murals of Live Oak, Veterans Art Projects, Center Stage Productions youth performing arts program, Yuba Sutter Big Band, Convergence Theatre Company, World Music and Culture Series, Cover It! Utility Box Mini Mural Project, Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Regional Affiliate, Poetry Out Loud, Art Fix & Mix, Spill the Ink Writers’ Open Mic, Youth Mariachi Orchestra, and many, many more. We also own and operate the Sutter Theater Center for the Arts and the Burrows Center for the Arts in Marysville which includes our offices. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | Fern Street Circus | 4063 Polk Ave , San Diego, CA 92105-1436 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 320-2055 | 52nd congressional district of California | District 79 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, FERN STREET COMMUNITY ARTS (FSCA) will bring live circus and community resources to residents at City parks in underserved communities. Each year FSCA creates a mobile circus show that entertains and uplifts San Diego’s most diverse and historically underserved neighborhoods. The Tour brings residents a free-of-charge circus production with live music, professional artists from around the world, student performers and a truck & trailer set painted by a noted San Diego street artist, Surge. Each spring, the Circus plays parks in San Diego’s Mid-City including FSCA’s home City Heights neighborhood and parks in southern San Diego and San Ysidro, the part of the city nearest the border with Mexico. Fern Street Circus shows are rooted in community engagement on every level and are built through strong community partnerships. | Founded in 1990, Fern Street Circus (FSC) has built a legacy of circus in San Diego through a series of annual shows in Balboa Park, Golden Hill, City Heights, and in neighborhoods across San Diego County. EDUCATION. FSC’s education programs focus on serving communities mostly through City recreation centers. At Mid-City Gym in City Heights, we teach low-income youth free-of-charge, emphasizing skill building, conditioning, team work and cultural understanding. PERFORMANCE. Known for creating performances with a playful sense of place, the Circus mixes adult professionals with after-school students. Anchor elements include live music; sets conceived and built by locally known visual artists; and a bi-lingual, non-linear narrative. FSC’s Neighborhood Tour takes place each spring, with free shows in Mid-City San Diego neighborhood parks. COMMUNITY. The Circus is resident in City Heights, interacting daily with and supporting activists and their constituents from around the world. In September 2023, FSCA moved into a recently vacated elementary school in City Heights, Central. At the former Central campus, FSCA has a 2,500 square foot gym with wood floors,, 20′ ceiling, natural light and a stage, as well as 4 classrooms for training, storage and an office. This is FSCA’s first-ever dedicated indoor space. Fern Street Community Arts was named Live Well San Diego’s Central Region “Public Health Champion” of 2025. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | transcenDANCE Youth Arts Project | 5700 El Cajon Blvd , San Diego, CA 92115-3737 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 310-5330 | California's 53rd congressional district | District 79 | District 38 | With support from the California Arts Council, TRANSCENDANCE YOUTH ARTS PROJECT will engage an intergenerational community of adult caregivers, young adult program alumni, and current students in community-based performing arts work in San Diego. The project will include opportunities for transcenDANCE community members coming from some of San Diego’s most marginalized communities to experience intergenerational community workshops, and a robust rehearsal process, with a culminating performance. Professional teaching artists from our local community, with a deep history working with transcenDANCE, will collaborate with the youth, alumni and caregivers involved, oversee the project, and provide mentorship and guidance as everyone works together. The project will take place from October 2024 to September 2025. | transcenDANCE programs provide youth development opportunities through a unique three-tiered program model: CONNECT, CREATE, CONTRIBUTE. transcenDANCE CONNECTS to youth and communities through in-school and out-of-school time dance classes, artist-in-residency programs, outreach performances, and summer camps. CREATE is the heart of the transcenDANCE programs. Youth explore dance and the performing arts through rigorous dance training and immersion in a social change and social emotional learning curriculum over 9 months, which culminates in an annual performance on a professional San Diego stage. transcenDANCE alumni CONTRIBUTE to transcenDANCE through performances, teaching and choreography assistantships and paid roles, and mentoring of incoming students. All students have access to mental health services, mentorship, and leadership development opportunties. Our students’ transformative experience develops their leadership skills, social and emotional resilience, and confidence to change the trajectories of their lives and positively impact the communities they live in. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $23,147.00 | Fern Street Circus | 4063 Polk Ave , San Diego, CA 92105-1436 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 320-2055 | 52nd congressional district of California | District 79 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, FERN STREET COMMUNITY ARTS will teach circus free-of-charge to youth in San Diego’s City Heights neighborhood: juggling, tightwire, tumbling and clowning. This artistic, athletic activity develops kinesthetic awareness, spatial reasoning, critical thinking, and emotional understanding, while encouraging joyful social-emotional learning. | Founded in 1990, Fern Street Circus (FSC) has built a legacy of circus in San Diego through a series of annual shows in Balboa Park, Golden Hill, City Heights, and in neighborhoods across San Diego County. EDUCATION. FSC’s education programs focus on serving communities mostly through City recreation centers. At Mid-City Gym in City Heights, we teach low-income youth free-of-charge, emphasizing skill building, conditioning, team work and cultural understanding. PERFORMANCE. Known for creating performances with a playful sense of place, the Circus mixes adult professionals with after-school students. Anchor elements include live music; sets conceived and built by locally known visual artists; and a bi-lingual, non-linear narrative. FSC’s Neighborhood Tour takes place each spring, with free shows in Mid-City San Diego neighborhood parks. COMMUNITY. The Circus is resident in City Heights, interacting daily with and supporting activists and their constituents from around the world. In September 2023, FSCA moved into a recently vacated elementary school in City Heights, Central. At the former Central campus, FSCA has a 2,500 square foot gym with wood floors,, 20′ ceiling, natural light and a stage, as well as 4 classrooms for training, storage and an office. This is FSCA’s first-ever dedicated indoor space. Fern Street Community Arts was named Live Well San Diego’s Central Region “Public Health Champion” of 2025. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | Emerging Arts Professionals/San Francisco Bay Area | c/o Intersection for the Arts, 1446 Market St , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 786-1351 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Emerging Arts Professionals/San Francisco Bay Area will provide pathways to meaningful, sustainable, equitable work for Bay Area arts and culture workers through existing programming (Fellowship, Artists’ Adaptability Circles, Affinity Circles, Emergence, and Equity Training), actively participating in leadership workgroups and advocacy think tanks, and further building a sustainable staffing model. | Our programs include: • EAP Fellowship—a nine-month participatory learning cohort for 6–22 arts and culture workers/producers; • Artist Adaptability Circles—a Mutual Aid-based incubator and cohort development program for Bay Area artists and arts workers in partnership with Bay Area artists and non-profits; • Emergence—an annual network convening that creates space for discussions and explorations into the most exciting, challenging, and urgent issues impacting the local arts and culture field, where each year’s theme emerges from year-round discussions with our network and local arts leaders (some past themes include: Peeling Back Professionalism 2019; Community Capital, Collective Care 2020; Practical is Radical/Radical is Practical 2021; Models for Change pt 1 & 2 2022-2023; Our Stories in Practice 2024; and Activating Abundance 2025); • Affinity Circles and Public Programs—bringing together members and the public around specific topics or job roles like Directors’ Circle, Curators’ Circle, and Bay Area Data Network; • Cultural Equity Workshops for arts leaders and organizations; • and Civic and community partnerships and thought-leadership to help drive more equitable policy and advance better industry models. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | Tehama Arts Council | PO BOX 1201 , RED BLUFF, CA 96080-1201 | Tehama | Upstate | (530) 278-5691 | California's 1st congressional district | District 3 | STATE SENATE DISTRICT 1 | With support from the California Arts Council, Tehama County Arts Council will develop and produce programs, services, and activities designed to strengthen the arts, culture, and creative expression within our communities. We will advocate for the arts to guarantee accessibility for all community members and create a creative community where all populations are uplifted through the arts. By fostering cultural development at the local level, we will create, present, and preserve the arts of all cultures to enrich our quality of life. We will present Art Walk, Missoula Children’s Theatre, Student Art Contest, Cowboy Poetry, Community Grants, Poetry Out Loud , provide classes, workshops, book signings, musical experiences, lectures and partner with community groups to ensure the arts remain a vibrant and integral part of our community, celebrating diversity and promoting inclusivity in every initiative. | The Tehama County Arts Council (TCAC) was established in 1982 by the Tehama County Board of Supervisors to promote visual and performing arts as well as other cultural endeavors in Tehama County. Since incorporating as a 501(c) (3) nonprofit public benefit corporation in September 1985, the TCAC has coordinated, sponsored, funded, produced, and participated in hundreds of local arts events. The TCAC functions as an umbrella organization, encouraging and supporting the visual arts, dance, theater, music, design, and more. In recent years the impact of the TCAC on the community has been greatly enhanced by an art gallery and increasing activity in our community art studio. We bring art to our citizens and honor local artists with support through inclusion in community activities we sponsor and grant support. |
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | $18,517.00 | The Quinan Street Project | 656 Quinan Street , Pinole, CA 94564 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (510) 585-4942 | 5th Congressional district of California | District 15 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Quinan Street Project will provide professional development trainings to elementary school teachers in California to give them tools, tricks, and an understanding of how to best utilize an upcoming publication of theatre-based lesson plans. | The Quinan Street Project’s primary objective is to bring high quality arts education to public elementary school classrooms in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. With lessons addressing both the California Visual and Performing Arts Standards, as well as Common Core English Language Arts Standards, students use their bodies, voices, and imaginations to actively engage with text and stories as well as their own emotions and feelings. Curricula are diverse and able to be utilized in special day classes as well as general education classrooms and can range in grade level from Transitional Kindergarten to 6th Grade. Since 2013 QSP has been able to reach thousands of children annually and has seen exponential growth in the learners’ confidence, communication skills, and love of storytelling. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, QSP has begun producing “The Folklorists: A Multilingual Podcast of the Strange and Unusual” to bring the joy of storytelling and history to more children, families, and classrooms near and far. Each episode is crafted with care for academic relevance and includes a free curriculum supplement that is easy for families or classrooms to use to dig deeper into the content. As an extension of this work, The Quinan Street Project also offers summer camps and workshops to all interested learners so that they may pursue a deeper knowledge of the craft of theatre and storytelling if they choose. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $15,821.00 | Give 4 Kidz | 16580 BONANZA DR , RIVERSIDE, CA 92504-5719 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (951) 345-9726 | 42 | 59 | 31 | With support from the California Arts Council, GIVE4KIDZ will use the grant funds to host Creative Youth Art Project, which will provide school-aged children no-cost art workshops, materials, and community art exhibitions celebrating the young artists. These initiatives will focus on children living in the lowest quartile of the Healthy Place Index in southern California. The program aims to foster creativity, enhance artistic skills, and promote cultural engagement among underserved communities. By offering a platform for artistic expression, GIVE4KIDZ will help participants build confidence, develop critical thinking abilities, and gain exposure to various art forms. The grant will cover costs related to materials, venue rentals, artist stipends, and promotional activities to ensure accessibility and participation. This project seeks to create an inclusive environment where every child has the opportunity to explore and appreciate the arts. | Give 4 Kidz is dedicated to empowering young creatives through two main programs: ‘Art & Me’ and ‘Story Corner’. The ‘Art & Me’ program aims to nurture and support youth by offering them free art materials, workshops, events, and exhibitions. We are proud to collaborate with local artists and organizations that share our vision. The second program, ‘Story Corner’, caters to young individuals with a passion for creative writing. We provide a supportive environment where they can explore their creativity, acquire new skills, and connect with like-minded peers. Through this program, we offer access to writing supplies, events, and workshops led by experienced writers. Our aim is to inspire and foster a love for writing among youth. In this endeavor, we are delighted to partner with local bookstores, authors, and libraries. At Give 4 Kidz, our mission extends beyond traditional boundaries. We strive to reach all children who possess a love for the arts, regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds. To achieve this, we extend our services to family homeless shelters and underserved communities in California. Additionally, we have created remote participation opportunities to ensure inclusivity for all kids. Our goal is to overcome socio-economic challenges and provide equal access to our programs. By embracing diversity and focusing on the potential within each child, Give 4 Kidz is committed to nurturing the creative spirit and enabling young individuals to thrive in the arts. |
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | $23,147.00 | Intersection for the Arts (fiscal sponsor) | 1446 Market Street , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 269-0073 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, StageWrite will deepen our partnerships with two San Francisco public elementary schools, Glen Park Elementary and William Cobb Elementary, providing professional development for the entire school staff in integrating theatre into their teaching practice to strengthen literacy learning. The program will include interactive professional development workshops with classroom drama residencies where teachers and artists will collaborate to engage students while building a body of shared knowledge in theatre-in-education pedagogy. StageWrite’s engagement with school partners will also extend to students’ families via facilitation of Community Drama Events, further strengthening our collaboration between teachers, teaching artists, students, and families. | StageWrite serves approximately 1000 students annually in San Francisco public elementary schools. StageWrite’s Building Literacy through Theatre sequential drama program begins with kindergarten and 1st grade students participating in story dramas based on social issues; 2nd and 3rd graders explore narrative story elements creating performances that reimagine grade-level texts; and 4th and 5th grade students write original work, including monologues and one-act plays, which are performed by the students and by professional actors. Our ADAPTS (Autism & Drama with Artists, Parents, Teachers & Students) program serves students with autism in inclusive residencies to engage students in creative play, improve communication, and encourage personal growth. All StageWrite programs are designed and implemented using student-centered methodology. It is our belief that students learn the most from examining their own thoughts and feelings, and thinking critically about the world. We believe in theatre as a tool for social change, and a means of empowering students and communities. This principle of StageWrite’s work has been a guiding force for 20+ years and has been essential in informing our response to the challenges of today. As a response to the pandemic, StageWrite developed, piloted, and refined two new curricula: “Zoom-a-Rama: Community Through Drama,” designed for distance learning at the start of the pandemic, and “Room-a-Rama” which re-imagined our curriculum to use improvisational drama games and collaborative storytelling activities to build classroom communities and support social emotional learning as students returned in-person, serving 45 classrooms at 6 San Francisco public elementary schools. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | Broad Room | 1409 DEL PASO BLVD , SACRAMENTO, CA 95815-3611 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 307-9495 | California's 6th congressional district | District 6 | District 8 | With support from the California Arts Council, Broad Room Creative Collective Sacramento will build organizational capacity and collaborate with our partners across the state to strengthen our California Art Supply Mutual Aid Network. This Network was born out of a CAC funded program through which we have trained people across California to establish their own art supply mutual aid projects inspired by Broad Room’s Free Art Supply Closet. Network members have identified four priorities for CAC funding including: 1) hosting a free convening for all 19 members of the Network, 2) equitable re-granting for members, 3) developing a website and branding for the network, and 4) establishing a peer support mentorship program for new Network members. | Broad Room’s primary programs are the Free Art Supply Closet, the California Art Supply Mutual Aid Training Program, and affordable artist studio space. We serve about 2,000 people per year through the Free Art Supply Closet, which provides free new and gently-used art supplies to the public. We are currently training 10 groups to start their own art supply mutual aid projects throughout California. We provide affordable studio space to 18 local artists in our Sacramento-based warehouse. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | 916 Ink | 3301 37th Ave , Sacramento, CA 95824 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 826-7323 | California's 6th congressional district | District 7 | District 6 | With support from the California Arts Council 916 Ink will provide five sessions of our weeklong Amplify Summer Creative Writing Camps in June, July and August of 2025 to 125 students in grades 3-8. In each session, up to 25 students will receive 30 hours of immersive literary arts instruction and publish 3-5 pieces of original creative writing. | 916 Ink is Sacramento’s arts-based creative writing and literacy nonprofit that provides workshops and tutoring to transform Sacramento youth into strong readers, confident communicators, and published authors. Our programs increase literacy skills, improve vocabulary, teach empathy, positively impact social and emotional learning, and expand communication skills. We envision a Sacramento region where every child and teen is given access to a culturally relevant creative writing program that leads them to believe in themselves and to understand the power of the written word. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | Noe Music | 1021 SANCHEZ ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114-3312 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 648-5236 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Noe Valley Chamber Music (DBA Noe Music) will connect Black and Latinx expecting and new mothers with world-class California-based Black and Latinx musicians to compose and record original lullabies for their babies, fostering community through music, strengthening maternal health (including perinatal and postpartum depression), healing, and parent and child bonding. We will partner with Alameda Health System and their successful BElovedBIRTH Black Centering and Spanish Centering (Latinx) programs—a unique care model that enables midwives to provide perinatal care in a group setting. Expecting mothers learn together and support each other throughout their pregnancies. The Lullaby Project harnesses creative expression through music-making and storytelling to empower women and families, especially those who are most vulnerable and experiencing challenging life circumstances. | Noe Music presents diverse artists in multi-day residencies. Our artists immerse themselves in our community by presenting public concerts for adults, interactive family concerts, and free public school workshops. The range of artists we present includes world, jazz, folk and experimental styles, as well as classical music, with a guiding emphasis on diversity and inclusion. Another core offering is the Lullaby Project—connecting pregnant women experiencing homelessness with professional Bay Area artists to compose original lullabies for their newborns. The project began as a partnership with the Homeless Prenatal Program in San Francisco and Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute. We now expand our collaborations to include Alameda Health System’s Spanish Centering and Beloved Birth Black Centering programs, running eight programs to date. Our intended audience is families of all ages. We create offerings for every stage of life, starting with the Lullaby Project in which we encourage mothers’ musical messages to reach their babies in utero. Our Noe Music Kids series offers interactive concerts tailored to young ears, for kids ages 3 to 12. We also offer free workshops to public schools in SF. At our mainstage offerings for adults, we offer discounted student tickets and complimentary childcare for those parents who would otherwise struggle to attend. All of our public offerings are wheelchair accessible. |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | Pacific Opera Project | 125 S. Avenue 57 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90042 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 739-6122 | 34th Congressional District | District 52 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Pacific Opera Project will reinforce the staffing of our Education & Community Engagement Department team, enabling us to deepen the impact of our Free K-12 Music Education Programs for underserved youth in LA’s Title-I schools, and continue developing community engagement opportunities for those with limited access to live musical performances. POP’s Education Programs utilize personal storytelling through music and theater arts, realized together with our teaching and mainstage artists, to help develop self-esteem and self-confidence, as well as peer-to-peer and intergenerational cultural understanding. | Organizational Overview Founded in 2011 by Artistic Director Josh Shaw, Pacific Opera Project (POP) produces opera in a range of venues and LA neighborhoods, especially those in Central and NE Los Angeles (NELA), to increase access for communities with historically limited exposure to opera. Since Spring 2023, POP leases a permanent office and public performance space in Highland Park, expanding its artistic and economic activity in the area. POP’s budget-conscious productions are conceived for newcomers and fans alike wishing to embrace opera with low stress and maximum entertainment value. POP has produced over 60 mainstage productions since 2011, collectively reaching 56,000+ audience members in 20+ venues. Our free online video catalog of past productions has received 337,000+ lifetime views. POP’s Education & Community Engagement Department was established in 2021; delivering free in-school programs and a low-cost summer education program to K-12 students, nearly all at Title I schools. Core Programs & Services 1. Mainstage Programs 2. K-12 Education Programs 3. Highland Park Recital Series |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,989.00 | Hero Theatre | PO BOX 26275 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90026-0275 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 206-6415 | 30 | 52 | 26 | With support from California Arts Council, HERO Theatre will continue to develop and produce our commission of Brian Quijada’s NUESTRO PLANETA: EL SALVADOR, a bilingual musical set after the Salvadorian Civil War that explores how the war and climate change have impacted agriculture, coffee (the main export), and the people growing and harvesting it. This commission is part of NUESTRO PLANETA, our multimedia commissioning, development, and theatre and film production initiative that explores how systemic racism and climate change are interconnected, bringing vital climate crisis messages to vulnerable BIMPOC communities, particularly Los Angeles residents from the Latine diaspora to share self-care tools and lessen human environmental impact. During the grant period, in addition to developing and producing this work, we’ll continue our deep community outreach and engagement with partner community organizations in L.A. | HERO’s goal is to create programming that has a lasting impact on audiences and helps shape a better society. We produce elaborately staged readings, full productions of plays, and special events like FESTIVAL IRENE: a 2-week festival honoring the life and legacy of Cuban playwright Maria Irene Fornés. We commission bold, innovative new work. In 2019, HERO launched OUR AMERICA new play commissioning series, in which BIPOC playwrights explore real stories of cities in America undergoing vast socio-economic change. Under this, HERO produced Amina Henry’s TROY, inspired by THE TROJAN WOMEN and based on true stories of unhoused women in L.A. HERO partnered with local shelters to invite more than 300 unhoused women to attend and provided free tickets, round-trip transportation, concessions, and a post-show talkback with artists. HERO’s 2023 production of Henry’s NOTHING, NOTHING continues these partnerships and responds to audience desire to celebrate Black women and joy. In 2021, HERO launched NUESTRO PLANETA (NP), a multimedia new works initiative rooted in research around ecological concerns in Latine countries and the U.S. and how Latine American families are directly affected. In September 2021, HERO presented an elaborately staged reading of FLEX by Candrice Jones about a Black high school girls’ basketball team that explores such themes as teen pregnancy and abortion. In 2022, we produced Velina Hasu Houston’s TEA and also RISE: An Immersive Exploration of Gun Violence in Schools which received critical acclaim. HERO’s education programming serves elementary through high school students in the L.A. school district, specifically through Inner-City Arts and solo writing and performance classes at Homeboy Industries for formerly incarcerated youth. HERO’s Dukakis Mentorship Program, provides early career artists and administrators one-on-one mentorship; 50+ artists served. HERO frequently invites communities represented in the work on our stages to attend our programming for no cost. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company | 300 S. Raymond Ave., Suite 9 , Pasadena, CA 91105 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 739-0768 | California's 28th congressional district | District 41 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company (USTC) will deliver three total 10-week Youth Theatre Conservatory performance residencies across three arts-poor, Title 1 school sites. These after-school residencies will provide 75+ LA County high-school students the opportunity to create and perform original plays based on their personal experiences and shared culture. Each residency will provide an intensive, youth-driven creative process that combines a standards-based, healing-informed, and culturally-responsive curriculum with deep mentorship to address risk factors that threaten the healthy development of youth in under-resourced communities, including 98% Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). Each residency will culminate in 1-2 public youth performances witnessed by the participants’ peers, families, neighbors, and school administrators. Funds will support key USTC staff and Teaching Artists (TAs) who implement the program at each site. | USTC believes that the future of theatre lives in Los Angeles, and has developed a 5-year plan (2024-2028) to increase the quality and reach of our programs. We are adding partners and updating curricula to better connect with and meet the needs of today’s young people and provide the best possible platform for learning and creating theatre-arts. Through cross-training services and deepening partnerships, USTC also strives to support equity in disenfranchised communities holistically, promoting systemic change beyond our own work. For example, USTC is a founding member of the Arts for Healing and Justice Network (AHJN), an interdisciplinary collaborative of 15 arts organizations working to build resiliency and wellness, eliminate recidivism, and transform the juvenile-justice system. Programs include: YOUTH THEATRE CONSERVATORY: Our flagship program offers experiential theatre-arts education and mentoring via two sequential 10-week after-school residencies per site (playwriting then performance) wherein youth collaborate to create and perform an original play. The program is expanding into a sequential, multi-year model to engage high school students across four academic levels. YOUTH THEATRE RESIDENCY: Standards-based workshops in-and-out of the classroom that help students build teamwork, communication, and socialization skills. VOICES FROM INSIDE PROGRAM (VIP): Provided in partnership with AHJN, our site-adaptive VIP offers healing-informed, standards-based theatre-arts education and mentoring for incarcerated, justice-involved, and other trauma-impacted minors. NEIGHBORHOOD VOICES PROGRAM: Intergenerational community residents (ages 11-65+) create and perform an original, modernized morality play that addresses local issues. VOCATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAM: Offered in tandem with select residencies to provide hands-on training and skill-building opportunities in distinct theatrical disciplines (e.g. Costume/Scenic Design). THEATRE & CULTURE ACCESS PROGRAM: Free field trips introduce students and families from low-income communities to professional theatre. YOUTH JOURNALISM FELLOWSHIP: In collaboration with Stage Raw, the Fellowship provides select students (ages 15-25) with professional critical writing instruction/mentoring and opportunities to publish original pieces. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Hero Theatre | PO BOX 26275 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90026-0275 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 206-6415 | 30 | 52 | 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, HERO Theatre will provide an 11-session participatory acting and writing workshop with the Youth Group at Alexandria House, a transitional residence that provides safe and supportive housing for women and children experiencing homelessness and trauma, in their new community room. It will run a minimum of eleven 2-hour sessions that meet weekly. The project will culminate with a devised play that the Youth Group and HERO will present. We’ll promote the play to the general public and present it to the residents and staff of Alexandria House and the local community, generating an audience of 40 or more. In addition, props and costumes will be made during the workshops, and we’ll invite adult residents and smaller children to join, engaging multiple generations at Alexandria House in the project. | HERO’s goal is to create programming that has a lasting impact on audiences and helps shape a better society. We produce elaborately staged readings, full productions of plays, and special events like FESTIVAL IRENE: a 2-week festival honoring the life and legacy of Cuban playwright Maria Irene Fornés. We commission bold, innovative new work. In 2019, HERO launched OUR AMERICA new play commissioning series, in which BIPOC playwrights explore real stories of cities in America undergoing vast socio-economic change. Under this, HERO produced Amina Henry’s TROY, inspired by THE TROJAN WOMEN and based on true stories of unhoused women in L.A. HERO partnered with local shelters to invite more than 300 unhoused women to attend and provided free tickets, round-trip transportation, concessions, and a post-show talkback with artists. HERO’s 2023 production of Henry’s NOTHING, NOTHING continues these partnerships and responds to audience desire to celebrate Black women and joy. In 2021, HERO launched NUESTRO PLANETA (NP), a multimedia new works initiative rooted in research around ecological concerns in Latine countries and the U.S. and how Latine American families are directly affected. In September 2021, HERO presented an elaborately staged reading of FLEX by Candrice Jones about a Black high school girls’ basketball team that explores such themes as teen pregnancy and abortion. In 2022, we produced Velina Hasu Houston’s TEA and also RISE: An Immersive Exploration of Gun Violence in Schools which received critical acclaim. HERO’s education programming serves elementary through high school students in the L.A. school district, specifically through Inner-City Arts and solo writing and performance classes at Homeboy Industries for formerly incarcerated youth. HERO’s Dukakis Mentorship Program, provides early career artists and administrators one-on-one mentorship; 50+ artists served. HERO frequently invites communities represented in the work on our stages to attend our programming for no cost. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Music in the Mountains | 131 S. Auburn Street , Grass Valley, CA 95945 | Nevada | Upstate | (530) 265-6173 | California's 1st congressional district | District 1 | District 1 | With help from the California Arts Council, Music in the Mountains will expose and engage children from systematically under-resourced priority rural schools to Common Core standards-based, accessible and equitable musical and theatrical arts education programming.These standards will be achieved through presenting school-age children concerts at a professional performing arts center with a high-quality professional orchestral and theatrical cultural practitioners. Through music and theater, students will learn and experience the relationship between music and other artistic disciplines as well as its relationship to history and culture providing Common Core standards-based programming offering deep cultural resonance for students who would otherwise lack any meaningful access to vital cultural arts programming. Additionally, student outcomes will be supported by providing teachers with pre-concert access to curriculum based study guides and post-concert artist talkbacks. | Since 1982, Music in the Mountains has annually produced concerts and education programs for children and adults. Since 1982, it has held orchestral, choral and chamber music concerts, as well as extensive education programs – both in and outside of the classroom. The concerts serve approximately 10,000 listeners. The education programs serve 6,000+ children through Music for Young Minds, Youth Orchestra, First Notes after school music classes, student concerts, and the Young Musicians Competition Adult education programs, including vocal workshops, Zoom music lectures, and professional musician mentoring serve approximately 1000 people per year. During the pandemic, MIM shifted its programming to online platforms, producing over 250 hours of virtual content for more than 30,000 households. The online offerings included, 10 concerts, 15 short videos, nine months of virtual choir and youth orchestra rehearsals, and more than 80 hours of other education programs and virtual music workshops. For decades MIM volunteers have made the organization’s programming possible. In 2023, over 250 people donates nearly 5000 hours of their time to connect, inspire and serve their community through great musical programs and education. |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | School of The Getdown | 1804 Russell St , Berkeley, CA 94703 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (925) 658-2016 | 13th Congressional District of California | District 15 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, School of The Getdown will supplement staff salaries and programming costs and further our mission to celebrate and promote Black musical forms and share these cultural traditions with diverse Bay Area communities through performance and educational programs, with particular attention towards youth and the Black community. | School of The Getdown offers a weekly vocal workshop series; private lessons in singing, instrumental music, performance, and music history; an annual multidisciplinary youth arts summer camp; vocal and instrumental masterclasses with resident and visiting artists; and masterclasses and lecture performances in schools, prisons, and educational programs worldwide. We produce multicultural and intergenerational concert series, free community programming, commissioned artistic works, festivals, and lecture performances, and thematic programming celebrating Black history and Black culture, primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $46,293.00 | Los Angeles Performance Practice | 110 Judge John Aiso St. #722 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90012 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (401) 640-1651 | California Assembly district 34 | District 45 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, Los Angeles Performance Practice (LAPP) will host and further develop our deeply enriching programs for artists, including free artist consultation sessions, artistic and professional development workshops, research and development support for new creative projects, and a newly piloted program that creates an intentional community of artists who gather for robust peer-to-peer systems of support as they resource a new performance project. | I. Programs for Artists FREE ADVICE | Open consultations with staff and guest advisors from LA arts institutions to encourage a generous exchange of ideas, practices, knowledge, and resources. WORKSHOPS | Professional development sessions cover practical skill-sets such as grant writing and budgeting, as well as creative topics like devising performance and dance practices. RESEARCH + DEVELOPMENT (R+D) | Early project support gives time and space to multidisciplinary artists developing new projects. Includes childcare. ACCELERATOR | A cohort of independent artists meet monthly to deepen self-producing skills and resource new work. CASUAL | Artists show experimental work in early development to viewers for critical feedback. II. LIVE ARTS EXCHANGE [LAX] FESTIVAL III. CREATIVE PRODUCING IV. FIELD INITIATIVES INDIVIDUAL ARTIST FELLOWSHIPS | We administered unrestricted funds to a broad range of LA County artists as an Administering Organization for the California Arts Council in 2023. RESEARCH IN THE ARTS | A comparative study of contemporary performance-making examining geographic funding disparities, now expanded to include institutional networks for alternative governance in the arts. BRIDGE THE GAPS | An artist recovery initiative offering microgrants and residencies to wildfire-impacted artists in Los Angeles, in partnership with the City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs. MENTORSHIP | Through the LA County Department of Arts and Culture, we offer paid internships focused on production and development in the arts. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | Blue Line Arts | 405 Vernon St, Suite 100 405 Vernon St, Suite 100, Roseville, CA 95678 | Placer | Upstate | (916) 783-4117 | California District 3 | District 5 | District 4 | Blue Line Arts seeks funding from the California Arts Council for “Light, Color & Culture.” Our project partners local artist Stan Padilla with Placer ARC, a local nonprofit serving adults with disabilities, to address community art needs. With CAC funds, we’ll host free access exhibitions, workshops, and a public art project in close collaboration to ensure inclusivity and self-expression. We aim to uplift and empower participants, while promoting equity and amplifying diverse voices in our community. | Blue Line Arts is a gallery and arts center that offers a range of educational and community programs within the visual arts. Exhibitions: Adult education and workforce development: Youth Education: Public Art: |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Blue Line Arts | 405 Vernon St, Suite 100 405 Vernon St, Suite 100, Roseville, CA 95678 | Placer | Upstate | (916) 783-4117 | California District 3 | District 5 | District 4 | With support from California Arts Council, BLUE LINE ARTS will deliver the Tour Talk Create program, bringing students from under-resourced schools to participate in an interactive guided tour of contemporary exhibitions, incorporating a hands-on art activity inspired by the artwork on display led by teaching artists. VAPA Standards based study guides connect the in-person experience to the classroom and support teacher confidence for incorporating more art lessons into their curriculum. | Blue Line Arts is a gallery and arts center that offers a range of educational and community programs within the visual arts. Exhibitions: Adult education and workforce development: Youth Education: Public Art: |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | The Arts Council of Kern | 1020 18th Street , BAKERSFIELD, CA 93301 | Kern | Central Valley | (661) 324-9000 | California's 20 Congressional District | District 35 | District 16 | With support from the California Arts Council, ARTS COUNCIL OF KERN will expand the Art4Rehabilitation (A4R) program we piloted in 2023-24 that brought the arts to youth in one juvenile detention center. We have been asked to add more classes and one-to-one mentoring at APEX, and take all programs to additional facilities. This transformative program, through visual and literary arts, music, and hip hop, creation has proven to be a catalyst for reducing violence, mental and behavioral distress, and recidivism. Through pre/post release, one-to-one mentoring, youth hone their skills, and learn presentation, portfolio and recording demo techniques, enabling them to be better prepared to find and hold creative economy jobs or pursue additional training or education. In 2025, we expect to double the number of students served and increase the depth of instruction to all. | Community Grants and Partnerships: Offer funding and technical assistance to nonprofit arts groups, schools, and collaborations to boost arts access, advocacy, and education. Arts in Corrections (AIC): Provides art classes (visual, literary, media, performing) for incarcerated individuals to foster self-awareness. A partnership between the CA Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Arts Council. COMMON GROUND: Grant-supported “first people’s” arts workshops, celebrations, and exhibitions. Builds community engagement primarily for underserved populations by underrepresented artists, sharing indigenous art forms through storytelling, visual, and performing arts. Arts Education: This countywide program expanded significantly in 2025 and is a 2026 focus. Offers arts integration classes for teachers (classroom and after-school) at the ACK Learning Center. Artists’ Catalog available for schools to choose classes. ACK Gallery: Reopened in 2024-25, hosting four shows with five planned for 2025-26. Features Celebrate Kern Arts with cash prizes for artists in each of the five supervisorial districts. ART WALK – First Friday: Monthly, dynamic, public event in downtown Bakersfield for original visual and performing artists to showcase their work. A feature of First Friday and open five days per week, Makers Markets showcases local arts and crafts for sale, rotating artists every quarter. Art4Rehabilitation (A4R): Arts programming for Kern’s juvenile justice system. Reduces violence, distress, and recidivism while promoting creative economy jobs and education. Offers internships with ACK and other arts organizations. Community Mural and Public Art Programs: Collaborates with entities like Caltrans and City Parks to enhance graffiti-prone areas. Includes community surveys and commissions vetted artists for large public art projects (32 muralists on the roster). Literary Arts: Features the Poet Laureate, Stories on the Sidewalk (historical plays in downtown Bakersfield), and First Friday open mic sessions. Increased spring recruitment for POETRY OUTLOUD is improving high school teacher interest to work with motivated students.. |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | Culture Shock San Diego | 2110 HANCOCK STREET , SAN DIEGO, CA 92110-2181 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 324-4868 | California's 53rd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With the generous support of the California Arts Council, Culture Shock Dance will be able to support 30,000 individuals in receiving dance training through its Training Academy and Performance Troupe programs. These initiatives provide opportunities for individuals of all ages to engage in hip-hop dance education and performance. The Studio Program offers dance classes for various skill levels and styles within hip-hop, while the Performance Troupe Program allows dancers to audition for troupes appropriate to their age and skill level. These troupes rehearse weekly and perform at free community events across San Diego. | Culture Shock’s core programs and services are a Training Academy for all skill levels and a Performance Troupe Program for dancers looking to develop a higher level of discipline and perform for the public. Culture Shock’s rare combination of dance education and troupe programs allows its dancers to advance from student to troupe member to professional auditions. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | School of The Getdown | 1804 Russell St , Berkeley, CA 94703 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (925) 658-2016 | 13th Congressional District of California | District 15 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, School of The Getdown will celebrate Black Music Month in June 2025 by presenting the fourth annual Black Music Month Festival: A Cultural Mosaic. Presented free for the community, the program will feature a multigenerational, cross-genre array of Black Oakland musical acts, centering Black Bay Area communities whose culture is threatened by gentrification. | School of The Getdown offers a weekly vocal workshop series; private lessons in singing, instrumental music, performance, and music history; an annual multidisciplinary youth arts summer camp; vocal and instrumental masterclasses with resident and visiting artists; and masterclasses and lecture performances in schools, prisons, and educational programs worldwide. We produce multicultural and intergenerational concert series, free community programming, commissioned artistic works, festivals, and lecture performances, and thematic programming celebrating Black history and Black culture, primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | Arts Council of Mendocino County | 309 East Perkins Street , Ukiah, CA 95482 | Mendocino | Upstate | (707) 463-2727 | California's 2nd congressional district | District 2 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, the ARTS COUNCIL OF MENDOCINO COUNTY will maintain programs and services the communities of Mendocino County rely upon to foster cultural development in Mendocino County and support individuals, organizations, and communities in the creation, presentation, and preservations of the arts of all cultures. $5,000 of the total award amount will support implementation of Poetry Out Loud. | The ACMC expands opportunities for artists and arts organizations, supports arts education, promotes the role of the arts in the local economy, and increases public awareness of the value of the arts. With many residents of the county identifying as artists the services that best serve them have to do with providing opportunities to connect with buyers, other artists, and funders; providing crucial technical assistance at periods of career growth or in response to opportunity, providing publicity support for events; and being a strong voice for arts advocacy on topics ranging from public art to art in the schools. In the same way that the ACMC serves as a kind of cohesive grout between the multiple and diverse tiles that make up the cultural landscape of Mendocino County, we also connect this landscape and bind its interests and offerings to broader community needs around economic development and quality of life. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | San Jose Museum of Art | 110 S MARKET ST , SAN JOSE, CA 95113-2307 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 271-6840 | District 19 | District 27 | District 15 | With California Arts Council support, the San Jose Museum of Art (SJMA) will offer its premier field trip program, Two-Part Art, which combines an inquiry-based tour with a standards-based hands-on art making lesson to more than 1,200 Title I students who could not otherwise participate. | The San José Museum of Art (SJMA) is a contemporary art museum dedicated to inclusivity, new thinking, and visionary ideas. Founded in 1969 by artists and community leaders on the Plaza de Cesar Chavez in downtown San José, SJMA is the premier modern and contemporary art museum in Silicon Valley. Its dynamic program, which balances socially relevant traveling exhibitions with critically engaging shows drawn from a collection of more than 2,700 works, resonates with defining characteristics of the city—from its rich diversity to its hallmark innovative ethos. Projects touch on timely topics from migration and identity to artificial intelligence and include significant original and touring exhibitions by both nationally and internationally acclaimed artists (Yolanda López; Rina Banerjee; Dinh Q. Lê) and emerging and under-recognized practitioners (Kelly Akashi; Woody De Othello; Sonya Rapoport). SJMA’s collection plan prioritizes community relevance and public access and places particular priority on acquiring works that reflect the cultural heritages and lived experiences of the community. SJMA supports its exhibition program with substantial arts education and outreach efforts, a strong commitment to community partnership, and a core commitment to nurturing a sense of belonging and welcome for all members of the racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse community. SJMA is the largest provider of in-school arts education in Santa Clara County and the first art museum experience for countless students in the South Bay. Following the collection plan, the Museum is committed to presenting artists of the global majority and women. SJMA minimizes barriers to access by offering weekend and evening hours, eliminating admission fees for students and teachers, and providing exhibition didactics in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese––San José’s official languages. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility are integral top priorities of the Museum’s strategic plan, which aspires to be “borderless” and essential to creative life throughout Silicon Valley. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | Street Poets | 2116 Arlington Ave. Suite 310 , Los Angeles, CA 90018 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 737-8545 | District 37 | District 55 | District 28 | With support from the CAC, Street Poets will facilitate weekly Beats and Rhymes music/poetry sessions . Youth will record tracks for our annual album and perform at the Open Mic. Funds also support our Music Fellowship program that engages our standout youth and provides lessons/mentorship around music production, business and more. | Street Poets programming consists of transformational poetry/music workshops designed specifically for system-impacted youth. These include those in LA County’s juvenile detention facilities, community centers, and underserved public school, and at our Street Poets office and via our Poetry in Motion Van. Weekly workshops are supplemented by leadership training and mentoring, open-mic events, poetry performances and poetry reading series, as well as youth-driven books, CD and DVD projects that amplify/illustrate the kind of fearless creative work that inspires young people. Annually, we reach approximately 650 at-risk youth, ages 11-18, through our long and short-term workshops, and over hundreds more via one-time Street Poets performances at schools and in the community. We also reach thousands of additional youth and adults via our Poetry in Motion Van programming. After 30 years of facilitating healing, transformational poetry, writing, and music production workshops; hosting inspirational community open mic events; and providing mentoring support and leadership retreats for youth and young adults in Los Angeles, Street Poets has put down permanent roots in the city it has served so well. Street Poets’ future arts/cultural center sits directly across the street from John Adams Middle School just south of downtown Los Angeles. Slated to open in 2025, the future Street Poets’ permanent home begins an exciting new chapter in our evolution as a culture-shaping, system-changing community-based organization. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $18,517.00 | TONALITY | 325 N Larchmont Suite 306 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90004-6717 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (910) 358-7130 | California's 30th congressional district | District 51 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Tonality will collaborate with the following 5 schools sites to provide a choral concert, exposure to careers in the choral industry for diverse vocalists and discussion about using music for social change: LACHSA, Manual, Arts High School, Van Nuys High School, Valencia High School, North Hollywood High School. | Tonality was established in 2016 to serve as a professional choral environment where racial and ethnic diversity would be represented both in the vocal performers and in the genres of music presented. In its second year, Tonality added an extra focus of presenting topics of social justice, particularly issues that affect the most marginalized within our community. Currently, Tonality is proving to be one of the most racially diverse professional choral ensembles in the country. Our commitment to present diverse composers and perspectives to issues of social justice increases every year. Furthermore, our endeavors to expand diversity extends to our Board of Directors, who also strive to maintain a strong sense of diversity in both racial and gender identities. Lastly, Tonality work’s to reflect diversity within the artists and composers is also reflected in the collective mission to serve a diverse audience. Tonality’s core programs include its seasonal concerts, Tonality Youth Scholars Choral Education Program, Systems change in classical music Speaker Series and increasing diverse voices in Music, Film, Tv Special Projects. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $19,443.00 | The Art Spread | 3843 S Bristol St #270 , Santa Ana, CA 92704-7426 | Orange | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (951) 973-1064 | 69 | With support from the California Arts Council, ART SPREAD will hosts free workshops, exhibitions, and art fairs for the Orange County community. These opportunities offer free submissions for artists, including an art booth, workshop space, and display for their artwork. Through these free events for the public, The Art Spread will promote access to arts and culture, ensuring Orange County’s population receives a meaningful and insightful art experience each year. These services provided are necessary and sought not only by artists but by cities within Orange County that are looking to grow their art culture. Through more funding and support, the events, services, and practices can infinitely grow, making a positive lasting impact for artists and the community alike. | The Art Spread creates a platform for artists to tell their stories. We market artistry, mentor artists personally and professionally, and create financial opportunities for artists. We also invite everyone to paint with us at our art-and-adversity awareness workshops. Our events are accessible through in-person and virtual attendance. | ||
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | SAN FRANCISCO BOYS CHORUS | 333 HAYES ST STE 116 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102-4455 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 861-7464 | Congressional District 12 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, SAN FRANCISCO BOYS CHORUS (SFBC) will provide in-depth, sequential, after-school choral arts instruction and performance opportunities to 180+ choristers (grades 1-8) at four Bay Area rehearsal sites (San Francisco, Marin, Oakland, San Mateo) during the grant period (1/1/25-9/30/25). SFBC will also continue to provide tuition assistance for choristers from low-income families, in keeping with its founding commitment to provide equity in access to choral arts training for all eligible candidates, regardless of economic background. CAC-CYD funds will be used to help underwrite artist fees for instruction and performance during the nine-month grant. | SFBC’s choral arts training program provides after-school instruction to young people (ages 5-18) in San Francisco and at three regional rehearsal sites in the East Bay, Marin, and San Mateo. Students from the three regional sites regularly travel to San Francisco for large group rehearsals, concerts, and performances. The choral arts training program has four components: 1) Instruction; 2) Performance; 3) Recording; and 4) Touring. Training is sequential, divided into six tiers based on age and skill: Chorus School (Levels 1-4); Concert Chorus (Level 5); and Graduate Chorale (Level 6), for older choristers (grades 9-12). SFBC also has a Handbell Program for interested students. SFBC is committed to the preservation and revitalization of the boys’ chorus tradition, a gender-specific art form that is many centuries old, and to providing a safe and nurturing space for boys to explore and develop their artistic capabilities. At the same time, SFBC maintains an open-door policy, welcoming students across the gender spectrum to participate in and benefit from the Chorus experience. Veteran conductor and Artistic Director Emeritus Ian Robertson, who served as SFBC’s Artistic Director for many years, resumed the position of Artistic Director on August 1, 2022, to spearhead the SFBC’s 75th Anniversary celebration in 2023. Under Maestro Robertson’s direction, SFBC celebrated its 75th Anniversary with a major 75th Anniversary Concert, held at the Calvary Presbyterian Church in San Francisco in June 2023, as well as a 75th Anniversary Concert Tour to the United Kingdom and France, in July 2023. Robertson continues to oversee the artistic staff and repertoire as the Chorus continues to rebound from the pandemic, rebuild enrollment, and reestablishing a strong public presence through a robust live performance schedule. In July 2025, he will lead SFBC’s summer concert tour to Italy. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | ELM | 2960 KERNER BLVD , San Rafael, CA 94901 | Marin | Bay Area – Other | (415) 870-9053 | California's 2nd congressional district | District 10 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, Enriching Lives through Music will build upon our Cultural Resonance Project which expands our approach to music pedagogy and repertoire and celebrates the diverse Latin American cultural traditions of our community. CAC funds will be used to launch the Music and Memory Project which will honor students’ heritage through collecting their family lullabies and learning about associated family lore. Students will work with our teaching artists and guest composers to study the structure of the lullabies and recreate them as chamber ensemble pieces which they will perform for our community and in concert. | Enriching Lives through Music (ELM) is a multi-year, tuition-free, community-based music program primarily for first generation Latine students in San Rafael, California. We promote social change through the ambitious pursuit of musical excellence. ELM currently offers 170+ children ages 8-18 instruction on orchestral instruments, year-round, for their entire childhood – providing increasing layers of support to them and their families as they grow older. We plan to admit a new cohort of 25-30 third grade students each year. ELM is based on a model of inclusivity, equity, and intensity. Students participate in ELM for 10 hours, four days per week. After school, students study their primary instruments (violin, cello, flute, clarinet, oboe, trumpet, trombone), participate in enrichment classes, and receive academic support. In addition to instrument-specific classes, all students have weekly sectionals, weekly ensemble (orchestra) rehearsals, and musicianship/theory classes. On Saturdays the ELM community joins together to rehearse in orchestras. ELM creates opportunities for students to thrive creatively, academically, socially, and emotionally. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | Riverside Arts Council | 3700 6TH ST STE 203 , RIVERSIDE, CA 92501-2885 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (951) 377-2852 | California's 41st congressional district | District 61 | District 31 | With support from the California Arts Council, RIVERSIDE ARTS COUNCIL will continue its work to support the arts and cultural infrastructure in Riverside County, the fourth most populous county in the State of California and the 11th most populous in the United States. The State Local Partner funding will allow RAC to continue creating an infrastructure to help guide the arts communities in our county in providing more arts & cultural activities and opportunities and utilize the arts as a vehicle for the improvement of our regions health and equity practices. | Programs include: Information Services, Capacity Building Technical Assistance, Exhibitions, Advocacy, Arts Education, Art as Therapy for developmentally disabled adults, youth in foster care, and Alzheimer’s / dementia patients, Veterans in the Arts, Fiscal Sponsorships, arts and accessibility through events that are free to attend/experience. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,832.00 | artworxLA | 3787 S. Vermont Ave., Suite 101 , Los Angeles, CA 90007 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 465-1404 | California's 37th congressional district | 57 | 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, H.E.Art Project dba artworxLA will collaborate with the Hammer Museum at UCLA, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Lynwood Unified School District, and Teaching Artists Beatriz Jaramillo and Tasnim Boufelfel to deliver a two-semester arts workshop at Vista High School (Lynwood) in 2023/24, enabling continuation high school students to address environmental and climate justice concerns in relation to their immediate proximity to the LA River. Artwork shared in culminating community exhibitions at the Hammer Museum, MOCA, and the Lynwood Unified Arts Festival. | artworxLA has refined an innovative approach that relies on a network of partnerships with artists and creative professionals, cultural centers, businesses and colleges/universities. Our four-step “ladder” of arts opportunities includes: |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $10,740.00 | Guitars Antiqua Music Program | 1402 W. 180th Street , Gardena, CA 90248 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 880-6613 | 43rd congressional district | District CA-66 | District California | With support from the California Arts Council, Guitars Antiqua Music Program will provide free afterschool guitar lessons to youths in the Lawndale and Hawthorne community. This project will include group lessons, workshops, performances, and will empower social and emotional development through peer learning, mentorship and community engagement. | Guitars Antiqua Music Program was established in 2017 as a parent and community initiative with the sole intent to provide a 100 % tuition-free, after-school music program for youths living in the underserved communities of Gardena, Lawndale, and Hawthorne, all part of the greater Los Angeles County. We offer group guitar lessons to youth ages 9 yrs old to 17 yrs old. The program aims to engage students with fewer resources for music education and offer a quality experience and opportunity regardless of their families’ economic status. We offer two main programs: (1) Group lessons at our local park, where we have classes for beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels. All participants are provided a guitar package (on a loaner basis) to extend their music education at home. We offer 32 weeks of instruction during the school calendar year and an addition six-week summer session. (2) Thanks to our partnership with the Lawndale Elementary School District, we provide guitar lessons at all six elementary school sites in the district and are currently serving over 100 students every school year. During our program sessions, we offer many opportunities for students to explore their music curiosity and enhance their artistic development. Our work has been recognized and supported by private and public arts organizations such as the California Arts Council, Los Angeles Department of Arts and Culture, D’Addario Foundation, Guitar Center Music Foundation, and Find Your Light Foundation. Our after school classes conducted at Bodger Park in Hawthorne, California are made possible through our Core Community Partnership with the Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation. While guitar education is our top priority, Guitars Antiqua allows and encourages students to experience the highest expression of themselves creating the true transformative impacts in their lives. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Tandy Beal & Company (TBC) | 221 Olympia Station Rd , felton, CA 95018 | Santa Cruz | Central Coast | (831) 335-5973 | California Assembly district 28 | District CA-19 | District California | With support from the CAC, Friends of Olympia Station (dba Tandy Beal Company/TBC) will produce ArtSmart Concerts, featuring excellent multicultural California artists in interactive schooltime concerts of world music, dance & circus in three Central Coast counties. Increasing exposure for schools with limited arts access and in rural areas, ArtSmart Concerts (ASC) are supported & enriched by study-guides, artist in-class visits and classes, VAPA alignment, LCAP fulfillment, CEUs for teachers interested in deepening their understanding of the arts. ASC Artists mirror the face of America & include: KaHon Latin Percussion, Luh Anderawati (Balinese Dance), Keith Terry Body Music, Calvin KaiKu (Chinese Magic), Mohammed Bangoura (dance/drumming Guinea), SoVoSó (world beat), Tammi Brown (Gospel), Jeff Raz (former Cirque soloist), Papiba Godhino (Brazil)+. Inspiring wonder, stimulating curiosity, developing community, ASC engages students, teachers & families–while employing & enriching the lives of CA Artists. | After 40 years of touring internationally, TBC currently focuses on regional art-making. LIVE CONCERTS: 2) “Keep on Truckin’”: free 20-minute family shows (Music and Circus), outdoors and covid-safe, with diverse artists and forms: Gospel, Brazilian, Balkan, Latin Percussion, Celtic, Moroccan. Classical, Americana, Old Timey Music, Body Music & Banjo, Circus, Chinese Magic. In parks, schools and senior centers. 3) “HereAfterAfter: a self-guided tour of eternity” on the subject of our mortality(’18, ’24) with 15 outreach events. Partner: Hospice 4) Other new TBC concerts. Examples: “Scoville Units”-’20, “In C”-’22, New Music Works-’24. 5) Free annual Multicultural Fair. Partner: local schools and Chamber of Commerce. ARTS EDUCATION: •”Dance Around the World” 8-week VAPA-aligned residencies furthering kinesthetic and socio-emotional learning; language development; engagement with the beauty of diverse world cultures; and dance. •”The Kindness Project” focuses on caring for others and the broader community. After movement exercises, reflecting, writing, and listening to each other’s essays, students collaborate to choose where they want to expand kindness in the community. Then TBC gives them a check for a non-profit that champions their intentions and choice. •“WideWideWide World” introduces classrooms to different world artists each week. •“Expanding Horizons”-Teaching-Artist Training open to public, partnering with Cabrillo College and Arts Council. Selected teaching-artists receive individual mentorship as paid assistants. Schoolteachers can receive Continuing Education Units to support their commitment to arts-learning. |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,989.00 | California Poets in the Schools | 1011 2nd St suite 201 , Santa Rosa, CA 95404-6608 | Sonoma | Bay Area – Other | (415) 221-4201 | California's 5th congressional district | District 2 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, CALIFORNIA POETS IN THE SCHOOLS will connect the Chicane/Latinx community in Riverside through the transformative power of the arts. Seven free arts creation workshops, as well as a final book launch will be hosted at five beloved, public venues in Riverside, aligning with and invigorating local cultural celebrations already thriving in the area, and encouraging art and poetry creation as tools for transformation and self-empowerment. | Since 1964, California Poets in the Schools (CalPoets) has grown into one of the nation’s oldest and largest writers-in-the-schools programs. Each year, more than 100 poetry teaching artists reach over 20,000 students across California, delivering dynamic poetry instruction that nurtures creativity, critical thinking, and self-expression. CalPoets offers a robust professional network for California poets, providing over 50 annual training, creative, and networking events—including a three-day poetry conference. Teaching artists receive fundraising support, affiliation with a respected statewide nonprofit, and a clear pathway to earn income while giving back to their local communities through teaching. Our diverse network of teaching artists includes emerging voices, open mic champions, and established poets with national recognition. All are serious literary artists and trained educators who bring age-appropriate poetry instruction into classrooms and community settings. They serve as living examples of the artistic life, inspiring students through their own commitment to language and expression. CalPoets operates in approximately 25 counties, from Humboldt and Siskiyou to Los Angeles and San Diego, reaching students in public and private schools, juvenile halls, after-school programs, hospitals, and other community spaces—both urban and rural. We amplify the voices of California youth by creating platforms for poetry writing, performance, and publication. Each year, students are featured in school, regional, and a statewide professionally published anthology—offering lasting records of their creative achievements. These opportunities help young people share their voices with broader audiences, often for the first time. CalPoets also supports the Poetry Out Loud program in numerous counties and has played a leadership role in launching Youth Poet Laureate programs in Sonoma, Mendocino, Santa Barbara, and Marin counties since 2020—continuing our commitment to youth development, leadership, and literary excellence across the state. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | California Poets in the Schools | 1011 2nd St suite 201 , Santa Rosa, CA 95404-6608 | Sonoma | Bay Area – Other | (415) 221-4201 | California's 5th congressional district | District 2 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, CALIFORNIA POETS IN THE SCHOOLS will support a statewide, professional network of California poets to gain training, certification, funding assistance and a professional affiliation that paves the way for them to skillfully earn income while teaching poetry to audiences of all ages within their local communities. Specifically, we will offer 50+ free events including training, professional development, arts creation and performance opportunities, host a three day, statewide conference geared towards Poet-Teachers, foster mentorships, and provide marketing assistance to promote our members’ professional practices. | Since 1964, California Poets in the Schools (CalPoets) has grown into one of the nation’s oldest and largest writers-in-the-schools programs. Each year, more than 100 poetry teaching artists reach over 20,000 students across California, delivering dynamic poetry instruction that nurtures creativity, critical thinking, and self-expression. CalPoets offers a robust professional network for California poets, providing over 50 annual training, creative, and networking events—including a three-day poetry conference. Teaching artists receive fundraising support, affiliation with a respected statewide nonprofit, and a clear pathway to earn income while giving back to their local communities through teaching. Our diverse network of teaching artists includes emerging voices, open mic champions, and established poets with national recognition. All are serious literary artists and trained educators who bring age-appropriate poetry instruction into classrooms and community settings. They serve as living examples of the artistic life, inspiring students through their own commitment to language and expression. CalPoets operates in approximately 25 counties, from Humboldt and Siskiyou to Los Angeles and San Diego, reaching students in public and private schools, juvenile halls, after-school programs, hospitals, and other community spaces—both urban and rural. We amplify the voices of California youth by creating platforms for poetry writing, performance, and publication. Each year, students are featured in school, regional, and a statewide professionally published anthology—offering lasting records of their creative achievements. These opportunities help young people share their voices with broader audiences, often for the first time. CalPoets also supports the Poetry Out Loud program in numerous counties and has played a leadership role in launching Youth Poet Laureate programs in Sonoma, Mendocino, Santa Barbara, and Marin counties since 2020—continuing our commitment to youth development, leadership, and literary excellence across the state. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | ACPC | P.O. Box 1267 , Rocklin, CA 95677 | Placer | Upstate | (530) 277-7541 | California Assembly district 6 | District 6 | District 1 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Arts Council of Placer County will advance the CAC’s mission by funding organizational operations, program partnerships, community grants, marketing, resource sharing, and the Poetry Out Loud Program. 1) Organizational operations and staff to manage projects, prepare reports, attend meetings, fundraise, collaborate and develop a data management plan. 2) Program Partnerships-directed actions entering into agreements with organizations to implement programs for under-served artists, art organizations and community members to participate in the arts. 3) Community Grants-competitive regranting for high priority art projects that reach those with the greatest need. 4) Marketing-providing graphics and promotional materials to support the arts, art organizations, and art events. 5) Resources Sharing – producing email news updates, social media, and maintaining the website as an information hub. 6) Poetry Out Loud Program. | As the designated State-Local partner of the California Arts Council and Placer County, the Arts Council of Placer County (ACPC) administers the “Community Arts Grants.” These grants support and supplement a broad array of arts and cultural programs throughout Placer County, allowing more people to connect and benefit from more art. Priority for grant awards is placed on programs that serve historically underserved populations, and those who will most greatly benefit from art experiences. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $9,722.00 | Grant Drum Line | 3646 TAYLOR ST , SACRAMENTO, CA 95838-4265 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 202-7972 | CA06 | AD06 | SD08 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Grant Drum Line Music Association will take 15 youth from at risk communities in the Sacramento region to perform for the Celebration of American Music in Australia in the summer of 2025. Our drum line represents the religious, gender identity, and ethnic diversity of the region. Socioeconomically, these youths come from backgrounds that often lack access to enriching extracurricular activities. The trip to Australia will be an opportunity for these young musicians to represent their community, develop their leadership abilities, showcase their talent and serve as a profound educational journey that broadens their horizons, deepens their cultural sensitivity, and enhances their understanding of global interconnectedness. | The core programs provided by the GDLMA are to offer underprivileged youth the opportunity to express their musical and dance talents in regional, national, and international venues. Our drummers experience real world lessons outside of the classroom by engaging in civic and social development through cross cultural exchanges and community service. The GDLMA believes that social emotional competencies are important to academic preparation in helping students succeed in college, the workforce, and maintaining mental health. There has also been recognition that these factors offer promising levers for raising the achievement of underprivileged children and ultimately, closing achievement gaps based on race and income. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | Young Audiences of Northern California | 57 Post Street #511 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104-5028 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 974-5554 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Young Audiences of Northern California will provide professional development training and other support to our network of teaching artists and educators, with the ultimate goal of strengthening arts education practices within the Bay Area to support and expand student learning. | Young Audiences of Northern California (YANC) partners with our network of teaching artists to deliver arts education to schools and community centers through our Signature Core Programs: assembly performances, artist residencies, artist workshops, and professional development for classroom teachers. We work in four arts disciplines: visual art, music, theater, and dance. We provide maximum impact on student learning by ensuring that all of our programs are arts-focused, child-centered, outcomes-driven, and measurably effective. To achieve these qualities, all programs offer students the opportunity to: experience the art form demonstrated by a professional artist; understand the art form and its history and culture; create the art form; and connect their learning to other areas of study, and to their lives and world. |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | Creative Identity | 200 N HARBOR BLVD STE 210 , ANAHEIM, CA 92805-2511 | Orange | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (657) 208-3350 | California's 46th congressional district | District 69 | District 34 | With support from the California Arts Council, Creative Identity (CI) will strengthen our organization’s ability to maintain the operations of our (2) fine arts day program locations in Orange County, CA. CI focuses on improving the quality of life and societal perceptions of underserved adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) by providing music performance and expressive arts training, mentoring, and opportunities to engage with the fine arts community in a meaningful way. Creative Identity will use awarded funds to sustain general operating costs associated with our day programs, including rent, utilities, and staff salaries during times of unpredictable economic conditions. | CI provides participants (who are adults with IDD) opportunities to develop prevocational skills through participation in the fine arts, receive individualized professional fine arts instruction to improve their musical and artistic abilities, engage in various community music performances and art exhibitions, experience audience appreciation, and increase their self-esteem, well being, and connectedness with the community. CI offers services between 8:00am – 2:00pm Monday-Friday, year-round. Program participants can attend up to 5 days a week and receive (4) 50-minute classes each day. CI’s Pre-vocational Empowerment Program (PEP) is an ongoing project that provides opportunities for program participants to increase their economic opportunities. Participants earn commissions on the sale of their artwork; develop transferable pre-vocational skills including attention span, social skills, self-esteem, and leadership skills; and develop personal communication, independence, personal responsibility, and self expression. The PEP helps our participants cultivate a sense of pride and connectivity with the community, and ultimately improve stereotypical societal perceptions by demonstrating the creative contributions of adults with IDD. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | Arts Council Santa Cruz County | 1070 River Street , Santa Cruz, CA 95060 | Santa Cruz | Central Coast | (831) 475-9600 | California's 20th congressional district | District 28 | District 17 | With support from the California Arts Council, ARTS COUNCIL SANTA CRUZ COUNTY will help build, support, and sustain a dynamic and inclusive arts culture. We will award $220K+ in grants; provide arts education to 18K youth; present programs at the Tannery Arts Center; deepen its commitment to equity; invest in Watsonville’s arts ecosystem; present the Open Studios Art Tour featuring 300+ artists; and offer artists and arts organization professional development. | Guided by its 2022-27 Strategic Plan, Arts Council Santa Cruz County will build, support, and sustain a dynamic, responsive, and inclusive arts culture in Santa Cruz County as characterized by: Through grants to artists and arts organizations, arts education programs that serve more than 18,000 youth across Santa Cruz County, and community initiatives such as Open Studios, the Tannery Arts Center, and the Watsonville Center for the Arts, we help Santa Cruz County thrive. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Arts Council Santa Cruz County | 1070 River Street , Santa Cruz, CA 95060 | Santa Cruz | Central Coast | (831) 475-9600 | California's 20th congressional district | District 28 | District 17 | With support from the California Arts Council, in ARTS COUNCIL SANTA CRUZ COUNTY’s Mariposa Arts high school students find their voices and discover their creative gifts through training that supports the development of powerful life skills such as public speaking, planning, and time management. Student teachers co-teach lessons with teaching artists at middle and elementary schools, sharing creative experiences with 1,500 youth. Through TEACH programs in visual art, guitar, and mural creation, high school youth become leaders, mentors, and role models and develop their artistic skills through community projects. Mariposa Arts encourages self-directed learning, promotes complexity in the learning experience, and teaches students how to take positive risks and turn mistakes into opportunities through the arts. Funding supports teaching artists and high student teacher wages, supplies, and administration. | Guided by its 2022-27 Strategic Plan, Arts Council Santa Cruz County will build, support, and sustain a dynamic, responsive, and inclusive arts culture in Santa Cruz County as characterized by: Through grants to artists and arts organizations, arts education programs that serve more than 18,000 youth across Santa Cruz County, and community initiatives such as Open Studios, the Tannery Arts Center, and the Watsonville Center for the Arts, we help Santa Cruz County thrive. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $46,293.00 | Zoo Labs | c/o Intersection for the Arts 1446 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 626-2787 | With support from the California Arts Council, Zoo Labs will elevate our decade of work in bridging the worlds of art and business and empowering artists to own and amplify their creations. We will continue to produce free specialized educational content for creative entrepreneurs, fund wages for artist-instructors, and fund important accessibility features like Spanish language translations of our courses. We will enact marketing and outreach strategies to increase awareness of our grant program and educational resources for BIPOC creative entrepreneurs throughout the nine counties of the Bay Area. Funding will also support staff salaries and administrative costs. This support will help us expand our educational resources and deepen their connection to the Zoo Labs FUND to support sustainable BIPOC-led artist ecosystems in the Bay Area. | Zoo Labs bridges the worlds of art and business by providing global access to artist-tailored entrepreneurial training via our free online school, Zoo Labs LEARN. We also provide Bay Area musicians with unrestricted funding, mentorship, and the support of a strong creative community via the Zoo Labs FUND. | |||
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $119,578.00 | Inyo Council for the Arts | 150 Willow Street , Bishop, CA 93514 | Inyo | Central Valley | (760) 873-8014 | California's 3rd congressional district | District 8 | District 4 | With support from the California Arts Council, INYO COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS (ICA) will continue and expand vibrant community arts programming including: school arts and music programs that reach all county students; the Millpond Music Festival, a 3-day annual music festival now in its 32nd year; gallery space showcasing local artists; and outreach efforts that include a monthly e-newsletter with 3,000 subscribers. Funds will be used to cover all costs that allow us to offer a multitude of art related programs. | Gallery |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $21,989.00 | Resounding Joy | 11300 Sorrento Valley Rd., Ste 104 , San Diego, CA 92121 | San Diego | Far South | (858) 457-2200 | California's 50th congressional district | District 77 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, RESOUNDING JOY INC will offer Sounds of Service, a continuum of music therapy, engagement, and wellness programming for our Veterans, service members, and first responders. This program encourages creative expression, builds resilience, and supports the transition to civilian life for military-connected families, caregivers, and first responders. Over the one-year project, we will offer private and group music therapy sessions, wellness workshops such as song-writing workshops, drum circle groups, and other group music classes and community band concerts. Our Sounds of Service band, comprised of professional musicians, active-duty military, first responders, and Veteran participants, will showcase original music and foster stronger community ties through public and private performances. These efforts will impact the lives of 250 participants and captivate 400 audience members across San Diego County. | Our four core programs offer a continuum of music engagement from clinic to community, with Board-Certified Music Therapists providing services at clinical facilities, client homes, our Music Wellness Center, community partner sites, and virtually. 1. Sounds of Healing enhances the psychological, social-emotional, and physical well-being of medically resilient children managing long-term medical conditions and supporting families through hospice care. 2. Sounds of Service improves the emotional well-being of our Veterans, service members, and first responders. This music program supports their transition to civilian life; the management of PTSD, stress, and pain; and deeper connections to peers through participation in our community band. 3. Sounds of Legacy empowers and engages older adults affected by dementia, Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s through sessions that enrich their minds and overall quality of life. Music therapy improves speech and communication, lowers stress and anxiety, boosts immunity, and elevates mood. 4. Sounds of Community amplifies community welfare and resilience by partnering with local agencies to share music therapy and recreational music opportunities. Current and past partners include San Diego Rescue Mission, Father Joe’s Villages, South Bay Community Services, Imperial Beach Library, CalSAFE Escondido, and Alcott Elementary. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $13,578.00 | El Sistema Santa Cruz/Pajaro Valley | 235 South Branciforte Ave , Santa Cruz, CA 95062 | Santa Cruz | Central Coast | (408) 806-9159 | California's 20th congressional district | District 29 | District 17 | With the support of the California Arts Council (CAC), El Sistema Santa Cruz will launch a 30-week after-school audio production program specifically designed for 20 high-risk students at New Community Day High School in Watsonville, CA. Tailored for continuation and credit recovery youth, ages 14-20, this media career-focused educational program will provide opportunities outside of school hours to explore media industry jobs, develop technical skills, and practice leadership. The program combines structured curriculum, project-based learning experiences, workshops, and networking events with industry partners. It aims to prepare students for real-world internships, apprenticeships, and career opportunities in the media industry and beyond. | El Sistema Santa Cruz is a pre-orchestra/orchestra and audio recording program that also offers professional development. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | ARTHATCH | 317 E GRAND AVE SUITE B , ESCONDIDO, CA 92025-3301 | San Diego | Far South | (760) 781-5779 | District 50 | District 76 | District 38 | With support from the California Arts Council ArtHatch will work with a group of teens from Compact, who are participating in a court ordered/probation after school program, in creating, producing, and installing a full art exhibition. Racial Equity and Social Justice are at the center of all programs at ArtHatch. Teens will work with artists from around the world to encourage use of their Youth Voices and Collective Action to construct the art and participate in all aspects of producing an exhibition. The project will engage youth in writing and sending press releases, creating promotional materials, hanging and lighting the exhibition, and planning and attending the opening reception. At the end of the exhibition teens will assist in deconstructing the exhibit including, packing, mailing, patching and painting the gallery space. | ArtHatch provides free opening receptions for new exhibitions, Q and A artist sessions and talks, open studios, and live music free for the public 12 times per year. |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | San Diego Civic Youth Ballet | 1650 El Prado Suite 209, San Diego, CA 92101 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 233-3060 | California's 50th congressional district | 78th State Assembly | 39th Senate District | With support from the California Arts Council, the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet (SDCYB) will enrich San Diego’s community with cultural performances, and provide more than 900 youth from multi-faceted backgrounds with affordable opportunities to study ballet with teachers of the highest quality. Further, SDCYB will advance diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility & belonging through intentional work in low-income neighborhoods, the use of culturally responsive strategies, and by using a revolutionary practice in the world of high-quality ballet programs. We cast dancers in performances exclusively based on their skill–regardless of appearance. SDCYB will progress toward realizing its strategic plan by optimizing community engagement; investing in people to support organizational priorities; and strengthening financial sustainability for long-term viability. Support from the CAC will enable SDCYB to offer additional free and reduced cost classes, camps, and tickets. | San Diego Civic Youth Ballet was founded in 1945 and has been the resident ballet school in Balboa Park ever since. In addition to offering high-quality, affordable, year-round training in the Casa del Prado studios, SDCYB produces three major productions at the Casa del Prado Theater each year: a full-length spring ballet, Fairy Tales in the Park each summer (which benefits the Scholarship Program) and the classic holiday production of The Nutcracker. There is also an annual Spring Showcase of the school and the SDCYB Performance Ensemble (which is comprised of the highest-level dancers) performs at special events throughout the community. |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra | 536 W. 11th Street , San Bernardino, CA 92410 | San Bernardino | Inland Empire | (909) 381-5388 | California's 31st congressional district | District 40 | District 23 | With support from the California Arts Council, the San Bernardino Symphony Association will fund general operations including office rent, office utilities, and a portion of the salary of our Spanish-speaking office assistant who has been so helpful with the preparation of outreach materials and patron services. Since the cessation of federal arts assistance, and with the loss of so many of our senior donors, our 95-year-old organization has been extremely challenged; this grant would make a world of difference. | The San Bernardino Symphony actualizes our mission through engaging and culturally/artistically relevant programming. We also provide a variety of educational enrichment programs, including concerts for the schools serving over 1,700 students annually, introductory workshops on orchestral instruments for every local third grade class (roughly 5,000 students each year), online educational videos, and our San Bernardino Symphony Youth Orchestra, a 70+ piece orchestra dedicatd to the performance of works by underrepresented composers. We also offer certificated Symphony Teens programs providing job skills training to local high school students. The vast majority of these students are of minority decent and considered at-risk due to economic circumstances. The Symphony also operates the Guthrie Music Rental Library providing low cost orchestral parts to other orchestras, schools, and choral groups. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $46,293.00 | California Association of Museums | P.O. Box 1775 , Alpine, CA 91903 | San Diego | Far South | (831) 471-9970 | California's 48th congressional district | District 75 | District 40 | With support from the California Arts Council, the California Association of Museums will produce programs and services that provide practical information to museum workers through in-person and virtual convenings, help museums adapt to contemporary challenges, and support the association’s work plan to become a more equitable association. | CAM’s core programs are an annual conference to explore best practices in the museum field, an electronic newsletter, webinars, and an active advocacy program. The conference averages about 600 attendees annually, with diverse representation of California museums and their workforce. The newsletter, CAM eNews, includes information about funding, professional development, and job opportunities. CAM also actively monitors legislation, fosters strategic initiatives and field leadership, and communicates with elected officials on museum interests. |
| State Local Partner Mentorship | 2024-25 | $41,664.00 | Amador Arts | 110 Broad Street (Inside the Historic Grammar School) , Sutter Creek, CA 95685 | Amador | Central Valley | (209) 256-8166 | District 5 | District 1 | District 4 | With support from the California Arts Council, Amador County Arts Council will mentor and partner with artists, creatives, cultural practitioners, and San Joaquin County community leaders to collect community input, develop partnerships, and establish a State Local Partner agency to serve San Joaquin County based on research and data including the Healthy Places Index and other public sources. | The Amador County Arts Council (Amador Arts) keeps the arts central to Amador’s life through programs, services, and initiatives. (1) PUBLIC OFFICE: Our accessible public office is open to the public and is located at registered historic site #456, the Sutter Creek Grammar School, where anyone is welcome to visit with staff, use free art supplies, and enjoy some creative time in a beautiful historic setting, perhaps while visiting the ghost girl who lives on site. Our “STUDIO” programming offers targeted open hours for families (Wednesdays from 12-2 when they have “early release”) and for teens (Tuesdays from 3-5). (2) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE: One full-time employee equipped to provide a suite of technical assistance to artists and arts organizations needing support on California Arts Council grants or arts business matters. (3) PRODUCING PERFORMANCES: Since its establishment, Amador Arts has played a central role in performing arts throughout Amador County. Most notably, since 1998, our “TGIF Free Summer Concerts” have brought live music to thousands of people in outdoor places where it is otherwise not available, including Pioneer California—9th percentile on the Healthy Places Index. Producing Poetry Out Loud since 2016 with multi-generational poetry opportunities in addition to the traditional competition. Free performances of historically significant literary arts and music for local events and fundraisers. (4) ARTS CLASSES AND ARTS EDUCATION PLANNING: Amador Arts is a trusted consultant to Amador County Unified School District providing support and administration for the district Arts Plan and the rollout of Prop 28. Additionally, since 2012, Amador Arts has been teaching visual arts classes to 100% of the public school students at the 6 public elementary schools within Amador County, including Chinese cultural arts education and the principles of art. (5) PROMOTING THE ARTS: Weekly newsprint, monthly radio, social media, blog covering impacts of the arts. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | Amador Arts | 110 Broad Street (Inside the Historic Grammar School) , Sutter Creek, CA 95685 | Amador | Central Valley | (209) 256-8166 | District 5 | District 1 | District 4 | With support from the California Arts Council, AMADOR COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL (“Amador Arts”) will catalyze broad arts, cultural, and creative engagement for all people throughout our rural region, especially those who are historically disinvested and in the bottom quartile of Healthy Places Index. Amador Arts will leverage longtime partnerships, public data sources, community surveys, and the collective vision of rural creatives and cultural practitioners to direct funds and services toward rural youth, First Peoples, disabled, BIPOC, 2SLGBTQAI+ folx, public art, and intercultural community-building. Grant-making will support local youth, adults, collectives, and organizations. Technical assistance will include concierge services for arts, cultural, and humanities grants, individualized grant application support, an online directory/calendar, and STUDIO, which provides professional development for creative teens and young adults. Amador Poetry Out Loud will amplify youth voices and activate emerging advocates. | The Amador County Arts Council (Amador Arts) keeps the arts central to Amador’s life through programs, services, and initiatives. (1) PUBLIC OFFICE: Our accessible public office is open to the public and is located at registered historic site #456, the Sutter Creek Grammar School, where anyone is welcome to visit with staff, use free art supplies, and enjoy some creative time in a beautiful historic setting, perhaps while visiting the ghost girl who lives on site. Our “STUDIO” programming offers targeted open hours for families (Wednesdays from 12-2 when they have “early release”) and for teens (Tuesdays from 3-5). (2) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE: One full-time employee equipped to provide a suite of technical assistance to artists and arts organizations needing support on California Arts Council grants or arts business matters. (3) PRODUCING PERFORMANCES: Since its establishment, Amador Arts has played a central role in performing arts throughout Amador County. Most notably, since 1998, our “TGIF Free Summer Concerts” have brought live music to thousands of people in outdoor places where it is otherwise not available, including Pioneer California—9th percentile on the Healthy Places Index. Producing Poetry Out Loud since 2016 with multi-generational poetry opportunities in addition to the traditional competition. Free performances of historically significant literary arts and music for local events and fundraisers. (4) ARTS CLASSES AND ARTS EDUCATION PLANNING: Amador Arts is a trusted consultant to Amador County Unified School District providing support and administration for the district Arts Plan and the rollout of Prop 28. Additionally, since 2012, Amador Arts has been teaching visual arts classes to 100% of the public school students at the 6 public elementary schools within Amador County, including Chinese cultural arts education and the principles of art. (5) PROMOTING THE ARTS: Weekly newsprint, monthly radio, social media, blog covering impacts of the arts. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | LOCAL COLOR | 111 Timber Cove Dr , Campbell, CA 95008 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (760) 646-3181 | 19th Congressional district of California | District 27 | District 15 | With $25,000 support from the California Arts Council, Local Color will provide our free Color Me Rad program during spring and summer breaks for three cohorts of ten historically underserved 11-17-year-old students (30 total) who are considering professional careers in the arts. Led by professional teaching artists, students learn one medium (i.e. murals, screen printing, lithograph, etc.); create a completed artwork; learn how to market, showcase and price their artwork; receive professional development such as how to build a portfolio, write an artist statement, and create an online presence; practice being in the public eye by doing interviews, talking in front of a camera, and talking about themselves as artists and their artwork; receive a stipend to honor their artistic labor; and have opportunities to sell their artwork to the public. | Public Art & Creative Services engages with artists for innovative projects with creative freedom and equitable pay to produce vibrant works representative of the unique perspectives in San José. The Creative Spaces program provides gallery and affordable workspaces for creatives, organizers, and groups. Local Commons (Fiscal Sponsorship) fosters sustainability for local artists & organizers by leveraging our 501.c.3. status to expand access to grant funding and other resources for self-directed creative projects. Arts Educations provides custom-designed art-making opportunities built to empower next-generation creative advocates on an off the campus. Creative Experiences connects Artists & Creatives to meaningful opportunities, contracting them to facilitate workshop activities for the local community. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Geoffrey's Inner Circle | 410 14th St , Oakland, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 839-4644 | 13th Congressional District of California | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Geoffrey’s Inner Circle will offer its second annual Youth Arts Intensive in Spring 2025. This free program, held twice weekly for a 10-week session, will engage Black youth ages 10-16, offering instruction in singing and dance, culminating in a free showcase recital for the community. | Geoffrey’s Inner Circle is a multidisciplinary arts venue and Black cultural center, operating as a hub of Black life in Oakland since the late 1970s and in its current downtown location since 1993. Geoffrey’s has for over 40 years consistently produced arts & culture programming including music and comedy shows, educational programs, jam sessions, festivals, community events, vocal and instrumental masterclasses with resident and visiting artists, an annual 10-week youth arts intensive, livestreams and lecture/performances for youth, and political events. Geoffrey’s centers Black art forms including jazz, blues, gospel, hip-hop, and R&B and features programming celebrating Black History Month, Black Music Month, and Kwanzaa. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $23,147.00 | 24th Street Theatre | 1117 W. 24th Street , Los Angeles, CA 90007 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 745-6516 | District CA-37 | California's 57th District | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, 24TH STREET THEATRE COMPANY will provide 5 school field trips to see Enter Stage Right, a live theatrical production about the inner workings of theatre and 5 pre-field trip classroom education workshops for 500 K-5 students that support California Arts Standards. The program also promotes social emotional learning to help youth process and manage their fears and anxieties toward positive and creative ends. The Enter Stage Right program will introduce youth to the power and excitement of the arts to encourage their continued arts participation. | 24th Street Theatre is a 99-seat professional theatre located just south of Downtown LA. The theatre is a national leader in Theatre for Young Audiences, a well-known venue for theatre for Spanish-language audiences, and a primary regional resource and destination for K-12 arts education programming. The theatre serves approximately 20,000 children and adults annually, including 10,000+ K-12 students and teachers. -24th Street presents at least one professional stage production annually engaging 3,000 guests. -Enter Stage Right: an in-school arts education program endorsed and contracted by LAUSD for providing sequential, standards-based arts learning programming that serves 10,000+ students annually. -After ‘Cool/Summer ‘Cool: free standards-based afterschool and summer camp arts enrichment programs for inner-city kids that serve 80 youth annually through 60-hour/30-week and 40-hour/2-week immersive curriculums. -Leadership Academy: a teen mentoring, college-readiness and jobs skills development program that serves 20 youth annually through a 60-hour/30-week afterschool theatre arts curriculum. -Multiweek teaching artist residencies at schools (curricular and extracurricular) -Professional development workshops serve 500 teachers annually. -Teatro del Pueblo: an annual program that engages 30 non-actor neighborhood residents as actors and writers in the creation of an annual holiday-themed play. -Día de Los Muertos: an annual community festival that engages 5,000 guests from the theatre’s low-income, immigrant neighborhood with cultural performances, art-making activities, and vendors providing Central American foods and crafts. Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, 24th Street has experienced unprecedented demand for its K-12 theatre arts education programs, setting program service records for the theatre in the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 school years. In these years, professional stage productions were put on hiatus to focus on meeting school demand for these programs. The popularity of these programs comes from the theatre’s leadership in social emotional learning techniques refined during the pandemic that help youth manage their fears/anxieties to positive, creative ends. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $46,293.00 | Luna Dance and Creativity | 931 Ashby Avenue , Berkeley, CA 94710 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 883-1118 | California's 12th congressional district | District 14 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, LUNA KIDS DANCE INC will engage and support a community of artists and educators who teach dance to children, youth, and families throughout California. CAC funds will enable members in Luna Dance & Creativity’s Professional Learning (PL) network to receive professional development services, mentorship, and leadership support throughout their career. In 2022-23, CAC funding made it possible for Luna to mentor and support 519 teachers through PL who collectively taught 35,895 kids (3,221 with disabilities).Teachers, Teaching Artists (TAs) and students represented all regions of California, especially under-resourced populations. Newly situated in its ADA-accessible permanent home in Berkeley, Luna will utilize CAC funding to build on previous efforts and provide increased opportunities for rich in-person connection for its PL network while continuing to offer opportunities to gather and learn online. | Our ADA-accessible STUDIO LAB children’s program offers a progression of dance learning designed to nurture the choreographer in every child in a studio class structure at Luna’s studios in Berkeley. The STUDIO LAB adult program offers opportunities for and presentations on dance research, the choreographic process, and topics that expand ideas about what dance is and who can dance. PROFESSIONAL LEARNING fulfills Luna’s mission to bring all children to dance as we deepen the knowledge and practice of dance learning through workshops, courses, panel conversations, and resources designed so that creative practitioners manifest creative self-efficacy, investigate teaching practice, establish collegial communities, cultivate dance leadership, and become change agents. Luna helps the field of dance education arc toward justice through FIELD MOVING, our practice-to-policy approach that includes sharing the findings of our inquiries and research; joining with others to create impact; and relentlessly advocating for inclusion, creativity, and self-determination. Recognizing that our work is situated within systems of oppression and racial injustice, we seek change by working together in community, paying attention, staying true to our values, and placing children as the future at the center of our work. Through PARTNERS FOR CHANGE, Luna collaborates with organizations (social service and human welfare agencies, schools and school districts) throughout the region, state and nation to build capacity for enduring dance programs that support the values of each community. Luna, an expert in EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION in dance, has refined, over more than three decades, its pedagogy and curriculum to align with discoveries in neuroscience, play research, child psychology, and cultural responsiveness. As we envision a future with today’s toddlers becoming tomorrow’s leaders, early learning demands our crucial attention and focus. Luna faculty continue our research, theory-building, and practice to better understand how dance is at the convergence of all processes of learning. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | San Mateo County Office of Arts and Culture | 500 County Center , Redwood City, CA 94063 | San Mateo | Bay Area – Other | (650) 387-0160 | California's 15th Congressional District | District 21 | District 13 | strengthen and broaden current programming, including annual arts/culture grants cycle and sponsorships for small/under-resourced nonprofits, public art projects including murals at the Navigation Center for un-housed populations and Juvenile Probation Department, Poetry Out Loud, Poet Laureate, and Countywide Celebration of the Arts. As needs shift, and funding for artists and arts/culture nonprofits has become more difficult to secure, support from the CAC will allow us to focus on ensuring equitable representation countywide, especially in unincorporated/rural areas of the County with less access to arts; integrating arts/culture into County Departments and Commissions; and showcasing local artists through exhibition and performance opportunities. Aimee Shapiro was hired as Executive Director in February 2024, and with new leadership, exciting energy and ideas are being explored, empowering our Arts Commission to collaborate with the vast communities throughout our large County. | The San Mateo County Office of Arts and Culture (OAC) is a leader in regional arts advocacy efforts, working to further accessibility to, and support of, all art forms such as music, dance, visual arts, literature, theater, film and video, traditional crafts and folk arts, and new media. The OAC also administers an annual grants program to provide funding to community arts organizations and artists. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | The High Steppers Drill Team, Inc. | 3919 TEAK ST , SAN DIEGO, CA 92113-2868 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 742-0369 | District 52 | District 79 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, The High Steppers Drill Team, Inc. will expand and deepen our core creative youth development programs, enabling us to further realize our mission of positive, accessible, and equitable programming and social/emotional creative experiences through the unique artistic and cultural mediums of step, drill, and dance. | Our organization supports 3 core programs with wraparound services including, but not limited to, academic awareness and mental health support. Six staff members and 4 teaching artist alumni — all members of the Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) community — oversee and manage The High Steppers programs and day-to-day operations within the organization. In service of our mission, our organization directly serves approximately 75 young people per year. One of our core programs is our Drill Team, which utilizes the art of military drill technique, dance, and step routines as an access point for creative youth development. Our team of 10-30 participants per semester, ranging from 3 to 17 years old, engages in 2-hour practice sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays each week during our 16 week-long spring semesters, 4 week summer boot camps, and 12 week fall semesters. Co-Founder and Executive/Artistic Director Charolette Patton-Logan leads the Drill Team program. Grounded and rooted within their community, The High Steppers have a long-standing tradition of cultivating relationships with community members and service providers working across sectors. Student alumni and graduates from the organization’s programs work alongside The High Steppers Co-Founder and Executive/Artistic Director, Charolette Patton-Logan, as Junior Step Instructors and Step Masters in training. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture | Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration 500 West Temple Street, B-79-2, Los Angeles, CA 90012 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 202-5858 | California's 34th congressional district | District 53 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture will provide year-round professional development services for over 650 grantee nonprofit arts organizations to advance cultural equity and inclusion to the field. These professional development services include scholarships for trainings, certificate programs and conference registration, as well as regional convenings addressing topics specific to the arts and culture sector. Efforts continue to provide diverse opportunities for BIPOC leaders as well as emerging leaders at nonprofit organizations. | We provide leadership, services, and support in areas including grants and technical assistance for nonprofit organizations, countywide arts education initiatives, commissioning and care for civic art collections, research and evaluation, access to creative pathways, professional development, free community programs, and cross sector creative strategies that address civic issues. All of this work is framed by our longstanding commitment to fostering access to the arts, and the County’s Cultural Equity and Inclusion Initiative. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Grand Vision Foundation | 434 W. 6th Street , San Pedro, CA 90731 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 833-4813 | California's 44th congressional district | District 65 | District 35 | With support from the California Arts Council, Grand Vision Foundation (GVF) will provide eight under-resourced elementary schools in San Pedro and Wilmington with its Roots of Music Program (RoMP). This arts-integrated, semester-long program empowers fourth graders through culturally-relevant, in-school music lessons, interactive live music concerts with professional artists and culminating student performances. | Grand Vision Foundation (GVF) is a music-focused community arts organization, founded in 1996 to save and restore the historic Warner Grand Theatre, a 1,500 seat art deco movie palace. Today, the City of LA owns and operates the Theatre, hosting 100+ events annually, GVF serves as Theatre’s Friends’ Group, partnering with the City on ongoing events and promotion. Since 2008, we’ve seen our vision come to life at the Grand Annex Music Hall, our 150-seat cabaret style storefront theatre, where we present an ongoing concert series of innovative global, Latin, jazz, and American roots music artists. The Annex has become a hub for the L.A. Harbor and South Bay communities, where residents and visitors can find a range of high quality and accessible cultural experiences. In addition to the indoor stage, GVF regularly collaborates with other community organizations to co-produce free outdoor music and arts festivals. GVF engages the next generation through Meet the Music (MTM), a robust in-school youth education program, serving approximately 2,500 elementary school students annually with innovative musical skill building and engagement curricula. Founded in 2009, MTM provides equitable access to music education through sequential standards-based instruction and participatory live music experiences. MTM helps to close the arts education opportunity gap (compared to students in affluent districts) while deepening student capacity for creative learning. We serve under-resourced LA Unified School District schools with a focus on the LA Harbor area, providing innovative musical skill-building and engagement curricula. |
| Arts Integration Training | 2024-25 | $18,517.00 | FOCUS ON THE MASTERS Arts Archive & Library | 505 POLI ST STE 310 , VENTURA, CA 93001-4615 | Ventura | Central Coast | (805) 653-2501 | California Assembly district 37 | District 37 | District 19 | With support from the California Arts Council, FOCUS ON THE MASTERS/ Learning to See Outreach will provide customized arts integration training to enable 22 teachers at Lemon Grove and Elm Elementary Schools to capitalize on their students’ cultural and linguistical experiences and confidently guide them through cross curricular art lessons. | Focus on the Masters (FOTM) is a art appreciation program that chronicles lives of accomplished contemporary artists. Through the collection of oral histories, documentation and work samples, the FOTM archive and its programs enhance community awareness of artists, celebrate the history and diversity of our cultural community, foster a better understanding of art and its essential place in a healthy society. FOTM has two objectives: 1) to document extraordinary artists and their work through photographic portraits, audio and video interviews, and biographical research that encompasses each artist’s experiences, artistic reflections and development; and 2) to present this work to a broad public through extensive educational outreach including our Learning To See (LTS) Outreach, a monthly meet-the-artist interview series, video biographies, exhibitions, resource library and website: www.FocusOnTheMasters.com. ALL of our programs spring from material contained in the archives. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $23,147.00 | Flyaway Productions | 1068 Bowdoin St. , San Francisco, CA 94134 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 672-4111 | U.S. House of Representatives district 15 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, FLYAWAY PRODUCTIONS offers GIRLFLY– an artist-as-activist training program for girls/gender-nonconforming (gnc) youth who don’t have regular arts access. Participants learn aerial dance, site-specific dance, visual art and creative writing that center racial/gender justice, belonging, and self-esteem built through performance. Participants receive a $550 stipend. In 2022, we observed how much trauma students carry from the pandemic, climate change, racism, immigration challenges, poverty, and the intersection of issues. Our response moving forward is to prioritize joy, ease and how artists create joy, in tough contexts. We focus on building a healthy community within the program via community agreements, active peer support and processing challenges as a group as they arise. | PERFORM: We make dances that are site-specific, off the ground, and justice-driven. We perform in unlikely places, activating the sides of buildings above bleak city streets. Discarded needles; unhoused bodies lining sidewalks. This is where we create. Our site-specific dances impact neighborhoods because they unfold at the very place where conflict lives. For us, a building is a witness. It holds the complexity of a neighborhood’s history in its “hands,” I-beams, or concrete walls. Our tools include coalition building, an intersectional feminist lens, and a body-based push against the constraints of gravity. From 2017-2023, Flyaway created The Decarceration Trilogy: Dismantling the Prison Industrial Complex One Dance at a Time. We continue to create new work centering incarcerated artists and exploring prison systems change. TEACH: We offer year-round classes to adults, teens, and youth. We offer GIRLFLY, a Youth Art & Activism Program, integrating dance-making and activism. Our training with youth offers some remedy for the ways women and girls/GNC youth remain underserved in public culture as a whole. We also offer teaching residencies that link social justice content, school curriculum, and movement innovation, where your young artists are our collaborators. ADVOCATE: We provide a bridge between the arts, gender justice, racial justice, and everyday life. We are constantly developing new forms for community engagement and coalition building with activists and non-arts partners. COLLABORATE: We have worked with Bay Area Dance Artists Bianca Cabrera, Quinn Dior, Clarissa Dyas, Laura Elaine Ellis, Sonsherée Giles, MaryStarr Hope, Megan Lowe, Jhia Jackson, Saharla Vetch and natalya shoaf. We also work in collaboration with designer Sean Riley, rigger Dave Freitag, and over a dozen women/nonbinary composers, including Pamela Z, Madlines, Jewlia Eisenberg, Carla Kihlstedt, Van Anh Vo, Melanie DeMore, and Theresa Wong. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $119,578.00 | Calaveras Arts Council | PO Box 250 , SAN ANDREAS, CA 95249-0250 | Calaveras | Central Valley | (209) 754-1774 | California's 4th congressional district | District 5 | District 8 | hire an assistant to work with the CCAC Executive Director while maintaining the increase in paid staff hours as we proposed in our last SLP grant. The SLP grant also helps us maintain operating costs, i.e., rent & insurance, allowing us to focus our fundraising on arts education in our schools, provide our no-charge family friendly concerts in the parks in the summer and assist local artists present Artists Studio Tours in the fall. | We are proud of our five core programs. 1) Ovations, a performing arts series in winter that brings a diverse range of professional performances to the performing arts center in Angels Camp, including classical and world music, theater and dance, and jazz. 2) Music in the Parks, an eclectic, admission-free, 10-week summer concert series that brings music to our remote communities throughout the county. 3) Artists Studio Tour, our fall event. We work with local artists to create and publicize a county-wide self-guided tour of their galleries and studios. 4) Arts in Education. We offer matching grants to local public schools to augment classroom art education programs. In spring we present in our gallery “Art Spirit,” an art exhibition presenting the work of local high school and middle school students. The art is professionally juried, we host a closing reception and modest prizes and ribbons are presented. We offer scholarships to local high school students who are pursuing a degree in the arts. 5) Gallery programming produces 5 to 6 shows a year to highlight artists of a diverse levels of experience, as well as bring attention to topics of community interest. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2024-25 | $32,405.00 | San Diego Creative Youth Development Network | 1100 Market St Ste 326, San Diego, CA 92101 | San Diego | Far South | (816) 853-7466 | California's 50th Congressional District | District 77 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, the San Diego Creative Youth Development Network will strengthen its organizational capacity by ensuring its administrators, governing body, youth leaders, mentors, artists, and cultural practitioners are equitably compensated and representative of the communities served; its professional development opportunities are inclusive and accessible to individuals of all abilities, and across culturally specific and geographically diverse communities, and its policies/practices/procedures are anti-racist and focused on cultural, ethnic, and racial diversity. We will operationalize equity in our decision-making across all our activities to reach our equity goals with open- mindedness, responsiveness, and adaptability to uplift systemically under-resourced, excluded, and erased artists, communities, and cultural practices. We will collect data to measure the impact the Network has across our community. | Creative Youth Development (CYD) is a holistic approach to deeply engaging young people through the arts and creativity to promote personal well-being and support them in reaching their full potential. SDCYD Network is a coalition of providers, partners, and young people dedicated to harnessing their collective strength to build the field of creative youth development to maximize impact for youth. We achieve this by: Building public awareness of the impact of youth arts programs as drivers of personal and community change. • Initiate and conduct field research & evaluation Sharing expertise and best practices with youth arts programs. • Provide leadership & professional development Cultivating new pathways of support that benefit all local youth arts programs. • Advocate for policy & systems change |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | Lake County Arts Council, Soper Reese Theatre, Main Street Gallery | 325 North Main Street , LAKEPORT, CA 95453-0247 | Lake | Upstate | (707) 263-6658 | California Assembly district 4 | District 4 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, Lake County Arts Council(LCAC) will: | The Lake County Arts Council has an expansive list of programs and services, with two main buildings we operate: the Soper Reese Theatre and Main St. Art Gallery. We have also begun managing the Lucerne Harbor Artist’s Village. The Soper Reese Theatre allows LCAC to provide a professional venue for performers and artists of all types as well as collaborate with groups such as the Lake County Theatre Company and the Lake County Symphony. The Main Street Gallery allows LCAC to work with local artists to display artwork in the gallery and hand made items in the gift shop. We also provide space for local artists to give instructional classes in many different art styles including watercolors, pastels, improvisation and bead-work. In addition we also have a strong representation or poets and authors as well as monthly group meetings for local writers to share and collaborate on work. We are proud to be continually looking for new ways to introduce art to the community and improve our relationships with other artists and organizations. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Fostering Dreams Project | 5440 TUJUNGA AVE APT 1109 , N HOLLYWOOD, CA 91601-4978 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 284-3506 | California Assembly district 39 | District 39 | District 18 | With the support of the California Arts Council, Fostering Dreams Project will provide free, high quality dance and music therapy programs to up to 30 high needs students in Monroe Community of Schools District. | At Fostering Dreams Project our mission is to transform the lives of youth in foster care through the healing art of dance and performing arts. By providing a structured curriculum aligned with the California VAPA Standards that produces positive outcomes for youth, our purpose is to ensure foster and at-risk youth make measurable progress in the areas of: Through the combination of dance instruction, history, and meditative and self-reflective practices, “soft skills,” such as leadership, teamwork, motivation, self- expression, emotional wellbeing, and self-discipline are developed throughout the program. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2024-25 | $127,459.00 | Nevada County Arts Council (NCArts) | PO BOX 1833 , NEVADA CITY, CA 95959-1833 | Nevada | Upstate | (530) 718-0727 | California's 3rd congressional district | District 1 | District 1 | With support from California Arts Council, Nevada County Arts Council will contribute to equitable salaries for staff while adding to its EDI budget. This will support its Community of Practice for Equity in the Arts and its ongoing work assessing and supporting local creative sector needs. Support will also fuel cultural planning aims for the year to come, ensuring deep engagement with Nevada County’s historically underrepresented peoples. | As Nevada County’s umbrella organization for the arts, we serve as convenors, consultants, researchers, strategists, advocates, supporters, funders, promotors, policy wonks, and general arts and culture cheerleaders for our community. We offer Arts Incubator, providing fiduciary oversight, financial management, and other administrative services to help build the capacity of cultural initiatives or emerging arts collaboratives who may not yet have their 501(c)(3) status. We offer grant making services and an artist relief fund; we offer pro-bono grant writing consulting; and lead creative sector emergency preparedness and disaster response. We engage in ongoing countywide cultural planning and evaluation, and regional and statewide peer learning and advocacy. We manage the county’s arts directory and community arts calendar, and engage in ongoing promotion of the arts sector through multiple channels. We administer two California Cultural Districts. Grass Valley-Nevada City Cultural District and Truckee Cultural District were redesignated by the State in 2023 for an additional five years, implying a tremendous responsibility to grow and sustain authentic grassroots arts and cultural opportunities, increase the visibility of local artists, nourish community participation in local arts and culture, promote socioeconomic and ethnic diversity, and work against by-products of placemaking such as gentrification, displacement, and racism. We run multiple Arts Education programs; MUSE, a new widely distributed annual guide to arts and subcultures in Nevada County; an we are the Administering Organization for Upstate California Creative Corps, regranting 3.38m in state funds over 19 counties. |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Meztli Projects | 6615 Easton Street , Los Angeles, CA 90022 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 637-4375 | California's 40th congressional district | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Meztli Projects will offer our Cultural Worker Apprentice Alumni Program (CWAA) to Native and Indigenous young artists. The program offers young artists the opportunity to create arts programming that uplifts young people’s stories, ideas, and dreams through creative expression and honoring their lived experience by offering them stipends, implementation funds, mentoring and logistical support. Young artists will be guided and supported in developing programming that centers Racial Equity and Social Justice, Youth Voices and Collective Action. Youth are provided a $1,000 stipend for program development and $1,000 for project supplies and implementation. They are provided technical assistance, mentorship and guidance from the Meztli Projects team as well as other artists, culture bearers and Tribal Leaders. | Meztli Projects provides culturally relevant and competent arts programming to Native/Indigenous populations as well as the general public. Workshops range from printmaking such as screen printing and lino block printing to beading, drum making, mural painting, and zine making. Youth Development: Meztli Projects’ (Ready 2 Rise Project) is a unique set of interlocking programs between youth, artists and cultural workers from East Los Angeles who have been impacted by street violence and incarceration, developed to specifically center impacted youth by building a framework for participation, decision-making, apprenticeship, and entrepreneurship. The suite of programs include a Cultural Worker Apprenticeship program, a Youth Arts & Action Workshop Series and a 10-month program focusing on Arts-Based Healing Practices. Each program folds into the next creating a pathway for employment and wellness through art making, opportunities to assist program facilitators, and mentorship. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | SFJAZZ | 201 Franklin Street , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 283-0352 | 11th Congressional District of California | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, SAN FRANCISCO JAZZ ORGANIZATION will implement its School Day Concerts (SDC) program in the 2024-25 academic year, bringing free, immersive, and interactive concerts by professional jazz musicians to public K-12 school students in San Francisco and Oakland. Performances will take place at school sites in San Francisco and Oakland (15 events, serving 6,750 total students) and at the SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco (4 events, serving a total of 2,400 students in person and an additional 1,200-2,000 via the live-streaming CENIC network). | SFJAZZ’s Season runs from September through May and features hundreds of performances from many of the most exciting and accomplished jazz musicians nationally and globally, followed by the annual SFJAZZ Festival in June and Sumer Sessions from July through August. Our curating model is based around four-night residencies for mainstage artists, allowing our community to have more access to world-class artists, with education and outreach opportunities such as Listening Parties, Open Sound Checks, and Master Classes. This is magnified in our residency programs, including the SFJAZZ Collective and Resident Artistic Directors (RADs) series, which invite a diverse group of prominent musicians to curate two weeks of programming over two seasons to engage our diverse audiences and broader communities. SFJAZZ Education programs serve thousands of youth and adults per year, developing and nurturing intergenerational musicians and audiences within our diverse communities through rich and interactive programming in jazz appreciation, creation and performance. Specifically, SFJAZZ’s Educational programs (on-site and in the community) develop the jazz audience through Digital Lab, Discover Jazz, Family Matinees and Open Sound Checks; cultivate future jazz makers through Alumni Ambassadors, Girls Day, High School All-Stars (HSAS), Master Classes, Rising Stars and RJAM; and engage with school communities through Afterschool Jazz, Jazz In the Middle (JIM), Jazz In Session (JIS), School Day Concerts, and, beginning in the 2025–26 school year, Truth-Tellers. SFJAZZ School Programs provide high-quality music education programming that is flexible and responsive to our communities, increasing access to music education and improving students’ social-emotional learning outcomes, with particular emphasis on indicators such as a positive growth mindset, social awareness, self-management, and self-efficacy. SFJAZZ School Programs encourage collaboration, engagement with instruction, building confidence, self-expression, and developing awareness of other cultures. An average of 76% of students in the SFJAZZ School Programs come from Title 1 schools. |
| Arts Education – Exposure | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | Mariposa Arts Council | 5009 CA-140 , Mariposa, CA 95338 | Mariposa | Central Valley | (209) 966-3155 | California's 4th congressional district | District 8 | District 4 | Mariposa County Arts Council, Inc. (MCACI) and the Mariposa County Office of Education (MCOE), will continue SITE+VISION, a visual literacy program centered around Sacramento and Bay Area museum exhibitions. This standards-aligned program includes facilitated classroom discussions developed and delivered by museum educators using images from selected exhibitions; field trips to experience the exhibitions; and an in-class reflection component. | The Mariposa County Arts Council (MCACI) opened its doors in 1981 and is dedicated to enriching Mariposa through the arts. Serving the county at large and working closely with our local government leaders as well as individuals, regional organizations and businesses, we develop and implement cultural policies, creative placemaking projects, arts educations initiatives and produce artistic programming designed to positively increase the visibility of Mariposa and amplify the many diverse voices in our community. Our work welcomes all local residents and visitors to engage with art experiences and is designed to facilitate personal interpretations, expression, and growth; strengthen social connections and community dialogue; connect rural Mariposa to issues, movements, and opportunities beyond its borders; and support the healthy development of individuals of all ages by engaging them in the creation and appreciation of art. MCACI’s work includes: develop cultural policy and creative placemaking initiatives; providing technical assistance to regional artists and arts organizations; developing and delivering a variety of TK-12 grade creative youth development and arts education programming to youth across Mariposa County; targeted mentoring programming for at-promise youth; special arts programming for adults with limited or no access to the arts (particularly incarcerated and geographically isolated older adults); public programming (community theatre and summer concert series); and local, regional, state, and national advocacy work. |
| General Operating Support | 2024-25 | $20,276.00 | Bay Area Creative | 1389 Jefferson St Apt C505 , Oakland, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (949) 285-9086 | California Assembly district 20 | District 20 | District 10 | With support from the California Arts Council, Bay Area Creative (BAC) will provide inspiring creative youth development and therapeutic arts workshops in spoken word poetry, urban dance and filmmaking. Over 10,000 underserved youth ages 5-18 and adults receive culturally responsive social justice focused arts workshops held during the school day, after school, over the summer and in professional development seminars. Services are provided by passionate local professional artists who hail from the same communities as participants. Along with school based activities, therapeutic writing and dance services are designed by licensed expressive arts therapists and provided for youth impacted by the legal system who reside in juvenile detention and foster care. All offerings create a transformative haven for individuals honing the refinement of social-emotional learning, bolstering self-efficacy, and empowering the authentic expression of their voices. | SPARC Creativity offers spoken word poetry, dance, filmmaking workshops and performances tailored for underserved youth aged 5-18. Our comprehensive services encompass weekly arts workshops conducted during the school day, after school, and throughout the summer. Additionally, SPARC teaching artists lead impactful school day performances that showcase the creative expressions of our participants. Revisions stands as a beacon of therapeutic arts for youth and families, providing essential services such as facilitating writing groups in Juvenile Hall, facilitating creative support groups for social workers, leading conferences focused on substance abuse prevention, and performing at mental health symposiums. Educators for Empathy is dedicated to professional development for both classroom teachers and teaching artists. Our impactful sessions take the form of in-service school district-wide half and full-day training sessions. We extend our reach by collaborating with other nonprofits, offering monthly one-on-one coaching sessions to empower educators with transformative teaching practices. Spoken works delivers local creative professionals to provide team building sessions that |
| Impact Projects | 2024-25 | $20,149.00 | Capital Storytelling | 35 Alvares Ct , Sacramento, CA 95833-1143 | Sacramento | Capital | (864) 419-2843 | District 6 | District 6 | District 8 | With support from the California Arts Council, Capital Storytelling will empower immigrants through 12 storytelling workshops. Immigrants’ stories will be amplified through a large public showcase. The 12 storytelling workshops will be hosted throughout Sacramento and are intended for first and second generation immigrants to come together and share their true stories with one another in a healing act of community building and solidarity. We will then invite some of our workshop participants to share their stories on stage in front of a live public audience at a culminating showcase event in Sacramento intended to amplify the stories from the immigrant community. Our ultimate goal is to empower immigrants and to change the societal narrative surrounding immigrants. | General Education Program: Events Programming: Story Ambassadors Program Immigrant Storytelling Program |
| Creative Youth Development | 2024-25 | $16,203.00 | COMMUNITY MUSIC CENTER | 544 Capp Street , San Francisco, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 647-6015 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Community Music Center (CMC) will continue offering the tuition-free Mission District Young Musicians Program (MDYMP) to 25 primarily Latinx youth ages 11 – 18, outside of school time. This bilingual program, presented in a Latinx cultural context, is designed to engage and empower students through the music of Latin American countries. Youth receive, free of charge, a comprehensive music education in Latin music at CMC’s Mission District headquarters, including private lessons, ensemble rehearsals, theory classes, and performances, with a focus on social-emotional learning and creative expression. MDYMP is critical to CMC’s efforts to amplify the voices of black and brown students and faculty. Inspired by their training and MDYMP’s powerful Latinx teaching artists, students become not only skilled musicians, but creative leaders and community culture-bearers. | CMC provides: |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Positive Alternative Recreation Teambuilding Impact | 2576 Gumdrop Dr. , SAN JOSE, CA 95148-2018 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 561-4664 | District 19 | District 27 | District 15 | With support from the California Arts Council, 200 BIPOC and cross cultural youth ages 12-24 years old in the San Francisco Bay Area, that elevate youth voices, cultural narratives, and diversity and inclusive hands-on learning focused on dance, music, and media arts in communities of color who have been affected by disproportionate service and funding during covid-19. PARTI will provide 10 cohort sessions of Hip Hop, Polynesian and Stepping ( a African cultural form of dance that is a California historical art form used by historically Black college organizations) and perform in community youth created events. San Mateo, Alameda, Santa Clara, Counties. PARTI elevates youth voices through collaborative arts and cultural youth organizations, to elevate community building that drives policies, civic and social action, through the power of music, dance, art, fashion, and culture. | Fusion- We provide novice and advance performing groups and avenues for participants to explore Digital Arts, Event and Music Production. We focus on exploring youth culture and allow participants to integrate it into their performances and presentations. Leadership – We connect youth with leadership classes and volunteer opportunities that focus on addressing core youth issues which include increased self-esteem and confidence and increased connections to caring adults. Youth are placed in business and leadership roles to lead diverse activities in dance and virtual arts. Youth create and design artistic flyers and social media content. High Impact – We provide our High Impact Program 2 to 3 times a week at participating schools. We target locations that are dealing with high issues of violence, bullying, and poor school morale. We serve 15 to 25 students per school. We measure success every 4 weeks by evaluating grades, attendance, and disciplinary referrals. Youth participate and lead the Martin Luther King Cultural youth art show and talent show. Health – Participants take part in obstacle courses, running, agility training, interactive football, and conditioning programs. Activities introduce teambuilding concepts. Participants are introduced and participate in cultural activities and performance and are offered roles to build cross cultural artistic NEW experiences. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | WEST Performing Arts | 526 Broadway , Santa Cruz, CA 95060 | Santa Cruz | Central Coast | (831) 425-9378 | California's 20th congressional district | District 29 | District 17 | With support from the California Arts Council, WEST continues the successful THEATRE Q, an arts incubation opportunity for LGBTQIA+ youth ages 18-24 exploring Queer cultural heritage and relevant issues facing this community members today. THEATRE Q creates a platform that uplifts and amplifies the LGBTQIA+ community experience. | The Power of Play – Dynamic Arts Education for Schools Performing Arts Academy (Ages 5-24) Arts Evolved – Community Reconciliation Through Shared Storytelling Creative Futures (Ages 18-24) |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Lou Harrison House | PO Box 416 , Joshua Tree, CA 92252 | San Bernardino | Inland Empire | (760) 366-4712 | California's 8th congressional district | District 34 | District 19 | With support from the California Arts Council, Joshua Tree Foundation for Arts & Ecology, dba Lou Harrison House, will host “Native Voices”, an event series stewarded by Serrano-Cahuilla Elder, Kim Marcus, to support the sharing of traditional cultures of the peoples who first tended and lived on the land we occupy. This project will amplify the history and arts of Southern California’s First People including storytelling, music, dance and native foods to create an experience that leads to a broader understanding of Native American marginalized cultures. Kim Marcus will be joined by his family as well as other tribal members for in-school assemblies and public community events targeting underserved audiences. | Joshua Tree Foundation for Arts & Ecology, dba Lou Harrison House (formerly HHMA&E) is a center for culture based in an historic retreat that California composer Lou Harrison built in Joshua Tree. Lou Harrison House gives gifted artists of many disciplines a residency opportunity to perch at the intersection of art and ecology and create their best work in a fully supported and inspiring setting. We enliven our rural community with high quality public programs including performances, lecture demonstrations, exhibitions and workshops offered by our residents. In the past three years we have worked with the Morongo Unified School District to bring our gifted global culture bearers into the schools for assemblies and to bring students on field trips to our Arts & Ecology site and Lou Harrison House where we teach each ecology through the lens of art and sound and music appreciation. HHMA&E was established in 2006 and the Arts & Ecology Center in 2016. Without the earth there is no art! Our Arts & Ecology Center explores and demonstrates the regenerative, practical and aesthetic patterns of nature. We offer public tours and workshops that aim to inspire ecological awareness, stewardship and aesthetics. Located on eight desert acres our facilities include: Lou Harrison House Arts & Ecology Center |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $20,940.00 | San Francisco Mime Troupe | 855 TREAT AVE , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110-2723 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 285-1717 | CA-12 | District 17 | District 11 | With the support from the California Arts Council, San Francisco Mime Troupe can empower young people to use their voices and learn vital social justice tools to taking action on the issues that matter most to them. Youth Theater Project (YTP) brings together under-resourced and marginalized youth from diverse cultural backgrounds, allowing them to form a connection and create together a piece that explores “burning issues” relevant to their lives. Together they commit to a rigorous schedule for 8-weeks to craft an original work that captures their unique experiences, ignites conversations and inspires change. The program culminates in a public performance, where audiences are invited to experience the power of youth voices firsthand. | Our core programs and services include our legendary live musical production, presented annually in Northern California public parks from Independence Day to Labor Day; the eight-week intensive Youth Theater Program, challenging hundreds of young people with playwriting and performance workshops; the Young California Writers Project, our partnership with Balboa High School that support writing and presentation skills. We also work in our community on projects like the restoration of Juana Alicia’s powerful mural Para Las Rosas. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | Circo Zero | 2842 FOLSOM ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110-4014 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 846-2273 | House District 12 | California Assembly District 17 | California Senate District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Circo Zero will create and produce Fabric, a series of intergenerational and interracial LGBTQ community-impact events featuring free trainings, community talks, and performances in the Bay Area. Fabric will offer intensive professional creative workshops on subjects not often taught in the Bay Area, participatory dialogues on critical and under-addressed subjects in the field, and performances that incorporate workshop participants and panelists from community talks to creatively share their learnings from the process through paid performance opportunities. This project will build skills, generate conversation, and create community gatherings, all of which will be free and centering both BIPOC and LGBTQ local artists as presenters and participants. | In addition to creating and producing works of politically-engaged performances, Circo Zero provides the following programs and services: |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $12,750.00 | Art Saves Lives Studio & Gallery | 1446 Market St. , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 602-1023 | With support from the California Arts Council, ArtSavesLives Studio & Gallery will produce the Art Ignites San Francisco series including three immersive exhibitions in Spring 2024 featuring photography, painting, and live performances honoring the legacy of San Francisco Fire Department through artistic interpretation of the “combustion triangle” – oxygen, heat, and fuel. | Under the curatorial direction of artist Thomasina DeMaio, ArtSavesLives Studio & Gallery exhibits change monthly. Live model drawing classes are held six times per week, offered free to LGBTQ community members and individuals experiencing houselessness. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | CLARA | 2420 N STREET SUITE 110 , SACRAMENTO, CA 95816-5859 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 750-2136 | California's 6th congressional district | District 6 | District 8 | With support from the California Arts Council, CLARA will collaborate with artist E. Moncell Durden to support curriculum development and training of teaching artists for the CLARA Artist Residency programs. This will ensure increased arts education opportunities for underserved students in 3 Sacramento public school districts, all of which are targeted for investment based on key metrics in the California Healthy Places Index. | CLARA provides 6,800 students in Sacramento County with in-school artist residencies, where a working artist comes to their class for an hour per week over 10 weeks to explore a specific genre of dance, music, or theatre. We also provide 50,000 students with digital access to arts learning through our virtual platform, CLARA Classroom. And, about 200 elementary age students have their first experiences in an array of performing arts genres through CLARA’s Performing Arts Summer Camp. A portion of these programs are donated free of charge to the students of Sacramento City Unified School District, as rent for the decommissioned school building that CLARA now manages to be a home for six diverse cultural organizations in our community. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Healing Rhythms | 12561 Palm Dr Ste. D, Desert Hot Springs, CA 92240-4521 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (619) 917-2101 | “With support from the California Arts Council, Healing Rhythms will host a four day Kwanzaa celebration in North Palm Springs in 2024. Grant funds will be used to pay for the rental of an accessible venue, provide food and drinks, Kwanzaa decorations, and culturally education games and activities for children and families. Traditional artists will be engaged to perform and teach, fostering cultural exchange and empowering participants to express themselves creatively. The Kwanzaa celebration aims to enhance community resilience and unity and foster a sense of belonging and connection among the community. Through this initiative, Healing Rhythms seeks to promote healing and empower individuals through the transformative power of the arts. | Core Programs Services | |||
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | 1500 Sound Academy | 8729 Aviation Blvd , Inglewood, CA 90301-2029 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 981-7007 | With support from the California Arts Council, 1500 SOUND ACADEMY will create at least (1) new Music Production and Song Writing class for at least 10 African American students from historically underserved communities in Los Angeles to enroll in for one year. | Our state-of-the-art music school in Los Angeles offers comprehensive courses in Music Production, Engineering,Songwriting,Mixing,Music Business, and Artist Branding to aspiring professionals. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $54,998.00 | Agency 515; The SET (Social Education Theatre) | 3245 University Ave. Ste. 1 #472, SAN DIEGO, CA 92104 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 453-9983 | California's 53rd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, Agency 515; The Social Education Theatre will provide creative youth development programming to transition age youth of color, and communities that support them. Our work uses theatre and script writing to teach suicide prevention and mental health education, healthy relationships and leadership development. | Agency 515; The Social Education Theatre is a collective of social artists who seek to create literacy, understanding and inspire solidarity within youth and communities through education and creative arts. We encourage youth to be critical thinkers; to develop their own identities, respect culture and diversity, and build resiliency in their own experiences. We use various art mediums for personal and artistic development; engaging youth in discussion about culture, community, and the complexities of their every day experiences. Most importantly, we empower them to use their voice to challenge social norms and create change where needed. Participants gain these skills in fun, interactive learning environment that promotes creativity and healthy self expression, and provides collaborative opportunities and grants to create social change in their own communities. Our programing is aimed towards Transition Aged Youth aged 14-25 but encourages community attendance and participation |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Kugelplex | 1616 Wellington Street , Oakland, CA 94602 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 838-6669 | 12 | 18 | 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Kugelplex Klezmer Ensemble will continue operations from 2023 – 2025, producing concerts, cross-cultural collaborative projects, workshops, classes and Jewish lifecycle ritual performances. | Kugelplex is the West Coast’s last remaining – and most venerable – full time working klezmer band. Since 2001, the ensemble has played thousands of lifecycle events and concerts in the Bay Area, California, and throughout the United States. We teach workshops and create collaborative, multidisciplinary performance works with renowned collaborators. Previous collaborators include Joan Baez, San Francisco Symphony, Oakland Symphony, Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, Frank London (founder of the Klezmatics), Kitka, Rumen Sali Shopov, Jewlia Eisenberg, and many others. Our solidary-building projects engage master culture bearers from Arabic and Romani communities to create ambitious community-engaged music and dance works. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Ci4Ci | 936 W 18th Street , Merced, CA 95340 | Merced | Central Valley | (209) 769-3231 | 13 | 27 | 14 | With support from the California Arts Council, Community Initiatives for Collective Impact will grow its People’s Fridge program in at least five new locations to address food insecurity and hunger in Merced County. People’s Fridge is a social justice project started in September 2020 in response to hunger during COVID-19. People’s Fridge was create through input and action from community members experiencing food insecurity. Each People’s Fridge provides free food 24/7, 365 days per year in food-desert neighborhoods. Since the first fridge, local artists and community members have painted the fridges and food donation boxes to raise awareness for and reduce stigma for accessing free food. The art on the fridges elevates them from free food to a celebration of people, community, and mutual aid. | Education (birth to adulthood) and outreach to improve social, economic, and environmental justice. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Crescent Moon Theater Productions | 1165 Cottage Lane , Hercules, CA 94547 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (415) 504-4330 | California Assembly district 10 | District 10 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, Crescent Moon Theater Productions will create a documentary theater production featuring the real-life journeys and dreams of young adult refugees. Specifically, the CAC grant funding would be allocated to pay the director, choreographer, and performers for their time and talent; to rent rehearsal space; and to launch a multi-pronged outreach campaign to scout talented cast members of underserved communities; and to reach low-income audience members who might not otherwise be reached. | CMTP creates original new work that spans across the disciplines of theater, dance, music, and circus. CMTP also produces Blessed Unrest, an annual arts and social justice festival in San Francisco that unites over thirty artists working at the intersection of art and social change. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Danzantes Unidos | 407 APPIAN WAY , UNION CITY, CA 94587-3709 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 449-2237 | 14th District | 20th District | 10th District | With support from the California Arts Council, Danzantes Unidos de California (DU) will solidify its structural core by training its young and diverse boardmembers to helm the organization ahead of major leadership transitions; compensate artists, educators, and administrators of color to run projects including updating our website; and continue offering community programming/resources. | Danzantes Unidos provides year-round programming via the Danzantes Unidos Festival, Festival Sin Fronteras, University Folklorico Summit, Director Dialogues & Folklorico-On-Wheels. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $19,249.00 | Represent Collaborative | 4411 Cabrillo Street , San Francisco, CA 94121-3211 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 217-9170 | 12th Congressional District | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Represent Collaborative will provide pro bono PR, marketing, photography, graphic design and published editorial to at least 12 Black-owned businesses or racial justice organizations over the next 2 years, executed with diverse creative teams made up of at least 50% paid Black creatives. | Represent Collaborative offers pro bono PR, marketing, photography, graphic design, editorial and more to Black-owned businesses, racial justice organizations and nonprofits. We creatively and transparently collaborate with our subjects to dismantle the traditional inequitable power structures inherent in traditional media. We then partner with mainstream media outlets to distribute these new stories to mass audiences. Through our unique wealth redistribution model — all our non-Black contributors donate their time and talent so we are able to competitively pay Black creators for their work — we are able to build truly diverse creative teams. Represent Collaborative contributors get connected to world-shifting, inspiring sources and fellow creators, and learn how to tell stories in a new way. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Tia Chucha's Centro Cultural | 12677 Glenoaks Blvd. , Sylmar, CA 91342 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 939-3433 | California's 29th congressional district | District 39 | District 18 | With support from the California Arts Council, Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural will produce the longest-running arts and literacy festival in the Northeast San Fernando Valley: the 19th annual “Celebrating Words Festival–Written, Performed, and Sung”, held in May 2024 at Vaughn Academy for a Global Green Generation (G3) | Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural offers year-round, on-site and off-site, virtual and in-person, free to low-cost bilingual and intergenerational arts and literacy classes, workshops, and presentations through our core programs: Seasonal Arts 8-12 week arts education classes; Trauma to Transformation (T2T) focuses on systems impacted youth and adults and takes place in juvenile camps, halls, day reporting centers, and reentry homes; Indigenous in Us, community-based Indigenous Native Mexica and local Native American teachings and practices exposing residents to the beauty of Mexica Danza, drumming, Nahuatl language, songs and cosmology, ancestral oral traditions and the origins of cultural celebrations, such as Dia de los Muertos; Ongoing programs, which consist of open mics, writing circles, and a weekly practice from our resident Mexica Kalpulli, Danza Temachtia Quetzalcoatl. These programs are offered year-round on an ongoing basis. Major events also include our annual Winterlandia celebration and community marketplaces where we uplift artisanal vendors and community artists. Being the only independent bookstore in the NSFV, TC makes culturally relevant books and literacy events accessible to area residents, with the intention to carry books that resonate with our culture, history, stories, and aspirations for healing and transformation. Founded in 1989, Tia Chucha Press is one of the country’s leading small cross-cultural presses, publishing socially engaged poetry and literature. Since 2005, Tia Chucha’s has sponsored the area’s longest-running free annual outdoor literacy & arts festival, Celebrating Words Festival: Written, Performed, and Sung. Literacy-focused programs also include our monthly Social Justice book club and Lil’ Readers, a bilingual and multicultural storytime and activity for children 0-5. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | LibroMobile Arts Cooperative | 1150 South Bristol Street Ste. #A3, Santa Ana, CA 92704-3478 | Orange | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (657) 205-9907 | California's 46th congressional district | District 69 | District 34 | With support from the California Arts Council, LibroMobile Arts Cooperative (LMAC) will expand the Digital Humanities (LMAC DH) program as the first in the region to offer DH in the community via our BIPOC Art Spaces, oral history, and regional history preservation. The LMAC DH program makes exhibitions and community-based historical archives accessible all-year-round through a mentorship and preservation program centered on arts mentorship. LMAC DH will offer people of color artists of different ages a platform to work with archivists and present their work to a broader audience and gain the experience, connections, and visibility to advance in their career as artists, historians, or equally important, familial ancestry—all efforts contribute to reconstituting regional and U.S. history. | Our goal is to establish a legacy in our community by offering social engagement through the cultural arts, professional training, access to resources & visibility for homegrown BIPOC artists through their process and presentations. Since 2016, we have provided approximately 200 free events (readings, creative workshops & lectures), published 6 collaborative zines featuring local POC poets (working class &/or undocumented), 4 individual chapbooks by POC writers, & initiated the “Scholar Holler Archives” which provide BIPOC scholars an opportunity to distribute their academic work affordably and has evolved into a podcast series. During the pandemic, we shifted our programming to virtual platforms and have since established publication reviews, an arts & culture monthly column, a multigenerational podcast program, and virtual exhibitions via 3D placemaking. We also offer virtual open studio hours, which we set up as a resource art studio, via Crear Studio, jointly offering interdisciplinary art resources, free art supplies, access to a cajon and piano, art workshops, & individual/collaborative workshops for writing, visual arts, media arts as well as inspiration/feedback circles. Most recently, LMAC is officially the partnering arts organization with UrbanWord NYC for the OC Youth Poet Laureate Program. The Youth Poet Laureate Program celebrates the region’s top youthful poets who are committed to artistic excellence, civic engagement, and social justice. The national youth poet laureate program works with local youth literary arts organizations — LMAC — across the US to identify and celebrate exceptional youth poets who use their voices to inspire change. The program model supports local literary partners in launching their local youth poet laureate program, elevating these young poet-activists, and creating opportunities and resources to expand and elevate platforms for these youth poet laureates. We are also partnering with the OC Public Library to host an adult Poet Laureate, both programs will start together. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Long Beach Filipino Festival | 3553 ATLANTIC AVE 240 , LONG BEACH, CA 90807-5606 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (562) 298-8879 | 69 | 33 | With support from the California Arts Council, LONG BEACH FILIPINO FESTIVAL will be able to produce its festival in the Summer of 2024, pay staff, and produce other culturally significant programming to help preserve the Filipino arts and culture within Long Beach to uplift and support Filipino American artists, musicians, cultural dancers, and entrepreneurs. | We provide an outlet for local Filipino American business owners, cultural performers, non-profits, musicians, and service providers to showcase at our events we hold throughout the year. | |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Lambda Archives | 4545 PARK BLVD STE 104 , SAN DIEGO, CA 92116-2668 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 260-1522 | U.S. Representative | District 78 | District 39 | With funding from the California Arts Council, we will maintain a staff of five including an Archivist, Youth Programs Manager, Outreach Coordinator, and two Archival Assistants. | Lambda Archives is a community (em)powered archive. We preserve and make available the tangible record of the community including the personal documentation of individuals who have lived, worked and been active members of our communities, and the organizational records of business, community and service groups that have served our needs and interests. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $54,998.00 | ArtsUP! LA | 11777 San Vicente Blvd. Suite 502, LOS ANGELES, CA 90049-5011 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 902-8220 | CA 32 | District 42 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, ArtsUP! LA will be able to pay our staff competitive salaries; connect our 1,081 participants and 28 artists to their creativity and communities via active and engaging communications; and allow us to continue operating The Blue Door, our theatrical home. | ArtsUP! provides the following core programs: |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Crescent Moon Theater Productions | 1165 Cottage Lane , Hercules, CA 94547 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (415) 504-4330 | California Assembly district 10 | District 10 | District 2 | With support from California Arts Council, Crescent Moon Theater Productions will pay yearly staff salaries and upkeep. CMTC creates productions that sit at the intersection of art and social justice. The mission at CMTC is to serve and uplift marginalized communities across the Bay Area. CAC grant funding would allow CMTC’s 2023 arts calendar to be executed while fairly compensating all staff and supporting operating expenses. | CMTP creates original new work that spans across the disciplines of theater, dance, music, and circus. CMTP also produces Blessed Unrest, an annual arts and social justice festival in San Francisco that unites over thirty artists working at the intersection of art and social change. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | TRYBE INC | 3542 FRUITVALE AVE 135 , OAKLAND, CA 94602-2327 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 985-9915 | With support from the California Arts Council, Trybe will bring together multicultural families from a low-income and violence impacted community in East Oakland to create a large community mural on the street in front of Garfield Elementary School. The project will be led by Trybe’s Resident Artist, Ryoko Tokuho, who will create a open concept mural design for the community to paint and add their own artistic elements . The mural painting will take place with a 2 day community event, providing free meals and fun activities for the whole family. | Programming in youth internships and mentorships, age 0-12 enrichment activities, food and basic need distributions, multicultural family events, sports teams, art and wellness programs, job readiness programs, and safety ambassadors, serving over 20,000 community members annually. Programming is managed and maintained by staff members rooted in the community they serve. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Kristin Damrow & Company | 1119A Alabama Street , San Francisco, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (312) 208-9332 | California Assembly District 14 | District 17 | District 11 | Kristin Damrow & Company respectfully seeks a $60,000 grant from the CAC to support our transformative programs. This funding will be distributed as follows: $10,000 for Bodies of Empowerment (BOE), a free class series offering movement classes for all individuals; $10,000 per year for the Merde Project, an artist commissioning program empowering BIPOC and disabled choreographers; and $10,000 for our ongoing EDIA Training, aimed at building trusting relationships and dismantling barriers in our communities. These vital funds will enable us to continue providing inclusive and accessible dance experiences. We are committed to fostering creativity, empowerment, and community engagement. Your support will help us remove financial obstacles, uplift underrepresented artists, and foster inclusive partnerships. | KDC is dedicated to offering a range of core programs and services that promote dance as a powerful tool of expression and empowerment for individuals of all ages and abilities. Here are some highlights: Intentional Shift: an innovative, community-driven performance project dedicated to uplifting and highlighting artists in Bay Area communities. Committed to nurturing local talent, we provide free spaces for artists to create, perform, and showcase their work. Our project also offers a series of engaging, accessible events open to the public at no cost. Bodies of Empowerment (BOE): KDC’s outreach program, BOE, invites people from diverse backgrounds to explore dance as a means of self-expression. Through our monthly Free Community Class program, we embrace a holistic approach to empowerment by incorporating movement, meditation, and storytelling within the body. This program enables individuals to discover the transformative potential of dance. Merde Project: We are committed to supporting and uplifting BIPOC and disabled artists on a national scale through our artist commissioning program, Merde Project. Each year, a select cohort of artists receives mentorship and financial assistance to create and present new dance projects. By providing necessary resources, we empower these artists to share their unique perspectives and contribute to the cultural landscape. Equity and Exploration: At KDC, we prioritize equity and exploration in all aspects of our art. We value the voices and artistic input of our collaborators, fostering an inclusive environment through open board meetings, feedback incorporation in the creative process, and shared learning in EDI workshops. This ensures that diverse perspectives are recognized and celebrated within our organization. Through these core programs and services, KDC celebrates the human experience, honors diverse stories, and strives to create a more inclusive and empowered society through the art of dance. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Bezerk Productions | PO BOX 1972 , JOSHUA TREE, CA 92252-0859 | San Bernardino | Inland Empire | (760) 808-5326 | US House District 23 | CA Assembly 34 | CA Senate - 19 | With support from the California Arts Council, Bezerk Productions will fund increased salaries for administrative and program staff where needed most to provide stability and continuity for the organization and its programs, and equitable wages for staff. | Founded by Joshua Tree resident and nationally recognized artist Linda Sibio, a visual/performance artist and writer who was diagnosed with schizophrenia as an18-year-old college student, Bezerk provides creative workshops for marginalized populations including mentally challenged and homeless persons. Workshops utilize exercises developed by Sibio over 25 years of teaching mentally challenged persons. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | MATERIALS & APPLICATIONS | 970 N BROADWAY STE 203 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90012-1784 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (703) 896-6648 | Congressional District 34 | District 54 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Materials & Applications will expand organizational capacity to produce and sustain its ambitious programming that shifts public conversation around the built environment toward urgent topics that, in 2023-2025, include but aren’t limited to architecture’s relationship to mental and emotional well-being with particular attention to marginalized groups, designing with Indigenous relationalities to land, and material experimentation and building degrowth during climate crisis. Funds support M&A’s mission to provide a space for experimental architecture in LA, through our programs that offer opportunities to build at full-scale to emerging, underrepresented designers. Specifically, CAC grant funds would be used toward the equitable compensation our partners, collaborating artists, architects, designers, and staff; the expansion of staff capacities and hours; the development and expansion of M&A operating infrastructures; the maintenance of M&A’s physical spaces. | With a focus on architectural ideas and processes, M&A curates critical exhibitions and commissions new work by under-recognized architects, designers, and artists. Our exhibitions give space to exceptional experiments across multiple disciplines while challenging the relationship between art, architecture, and public encounters. Through an annual calendar of programs, including hands-on workshops, performances, and conversations, we explore how art and architecture can transform underutilized spaces into unexpected encounters. Since 2002, M&A has produced more than 25 temporary site-specific installations and over 125 programs presenting new ideas in art, architecture, and design. Our exhibitions and programs are always free and open to the public. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Community Works | 1631 N. Genesee Avenue , LOS ANGELES, CA 90046-2720 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 851-5200 | With support from the California Arts Council, Community Works will utilize the grant funds to continue it’s primary focus on capacity building in young people interested in creative careers by producing the GRID, an annual creativity summit now in it’s sixth year. This event aims to engage and inspire California 9-12 graders in creative careers aligned with Arts, Media, and Entertainment (AME) pathways. The GRID is designed to build a statewide network connecting students with practicing artists, industry partners, educators, and programs in creative industries. Anchored in work-based learning, the event will feature workshops, panel discussions, and networking opportunities, providing students with practical skills, mentorship, and exposure to various arts disciplines. By fostering collaboration and partnerships among educators, program providers, and creatives, the GRID explicitly fosters youth networks and cultivates a culture of creativity. | Community Works is driven by a fundamental belief that leadership and creative practice pave the way for civic engagement. Though both skills are demonstrated in many ways and take many forms, at their core is problem-solving. Our programs are designed to help students discover the leader in each them and give them the tools to create solutions to challenges in their lives, their families and their communities. Community Works serves at-risk youth in inner city and urban schools delivering programs focusing on identity, empowerment, leadership and creative problem solving. For the past three years, Community Works has collaborated with the CA Dept of Education’s AME sector to design and pilot a statewide CTE student organization called the Creative Careers Leadership Lab. This year, the CCLL enrolled over 30 middle and high schools throughout the state in the pilot, involving nearly 7000 students in our virtual and in-person programming. The CCLL has applied for state charter as a CTSO for California, paving the way for the first CTSO focused on careers in creative industries to be launched in the 2024-25 academic year. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | La Mezcla LLC | 1000 Russia Ave , San Francisco, CA 94112 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 529-0266 | California's 12th congressional district | 17th congressional district | California's 11th State Senate district | With support from the California Arts Council, La Mezcla will provide performances, arts education, community engagement activities and training to BIPOC communities of the SF Bay Area and beyond. Funding will allow La Mezcla to further develop its organizational structure, compensate administrators, technicians, and artists of color, offer free community programming, and expand its paid mentorship programs. | La Mezcla is a professional dance company and community-based performance and arts training program based in San Francisco. La Mezcla develops and presents live theater productions, local and national tour dates, community performances, and virtual concerts that feature Tap Dance, Son Jarocho, Afro-Caribbean rhythms, and live music. Our dance education program is rooted in artistic training, decolonial history, and cultural contexts. We offer classes, workshops, and assemblies in Tap dance, Zapateado Jarocho, and Afro-Caribbean traditions for participants of all ages and levels. La Mezcla’s community training and engagement program, “Connecting Communities,” offers free and donation-based workshops with local and international culturally-based dance artists, rhythmic improvisation sessions, and grant training sessions with local and national funders. We offer paid internships for youth of color who are interested in the dance and performance field and paid training to young women of color who are interested in pursuing roles in dance company administration and production. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $50,000.00 | Queer Cultural Center | 934 Brannan St , San Francisco, CA 94103-4906 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 295-2474 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the CAC, QCC will promote the artistic and economic development of the SF Bay Area’s LGBTQ2S+ arts community by: 1) publishing 12 monthly newsletters; 2) providing fiscal sponsorship and grant writing services to 8 emerging and established LGBTQ2S+ arts groups; and 3) conducting 8 capacity-building workshops for the arts organizations we serve. | Since 1998, QCC has curated and produced 26 month-long National Queer Arts Festivals that have featured over 2500 LGBTQ2S+ artists in 1150+ different arts events. QCC’s arts services comprise artistic program planning, fiscal sponsorship, free/low-cost grant-proposal and report writing, marketing strategies, capacity-building workshops, and free/low-cost strategic/development planning services to emerging queer and trans arts organizations with a focus on organizations led by BIPOC, trans and gender non-conforming people, and lesbians, who are all marginalized in LGBTQ2S+ arts funding. To date, our arts services program has enabled over 46+ Bay Area LGBTQ2S+ arts organizations to raise over $8,600,000. QCC’s arts services support the next generation of emerging Queer and Trans artists to acquire the skills to develop, finance, and stage work addressing LGBTQ2S+ Civil rights and social justice issues. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | SOMArts | 934 BRANNAN ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103-4906 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 863-1414 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | SOMArts will partner with lead artist Tosha Stimage and a cohort of other artists to produce the Joy Festival in the Summer of 2024, an engaged and process-driven exhibition and programming series that fosters community care as an urgent and defiant creative act. In the face of our currently polarized political landscape, the project will defiantly center joy as a relational and embodied practice worthy of archiving and passing on. Our approach exemplifies several of SOMArts strategic priorities, including support for queer, trans, Black, indigenous, and people of color artists; creating space to foster intercultural collaboration; and investing in artists’ leadership in creating community-centered, cultural projects. | Our core programs include: As a cultural center, we administer: |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Lou Harrison House | PO Box 416 , Joshua Tree, CA 92252 | San Bernardino | Inland Empire | (760) 366-4712 | California's 8th congressional district | District 34 | District 19 | With support from the California Arts Council, Joshua Tree Foundation for Arts & Ecology (JTFAE), dba Lou Harrison House, will be able to fund an Education Coordinator position in order to deepen our involvement with the local school system and the homeschool community. Our goal is to gift every child in the Morongo Basin a field trip to our inspiring Arts & Ecology Center and/or provide a world-class, diverse musical/cultural experience at their home school assembly. This year we have already reached over 1,530 school children from three local schools in the lowest quartile. | Joshua Tree Foundation for Arts & Ecology, dba Lou Harrison House (formerly HHMA&E) is a center for culture based in an historic retreat that California composer Lou Harrison built in Joshua Tree. Lou Harrison House gives gifted artists of many disciplines a residency opportunity to perch at the intersection of art and ecology and create their best work in a fully supported and inspiring setting. We enliven our rural community with high quality public programs including performances, lecture demonstrations, exhibitions and workshops offered by our residents. In the past three years we have worked with the Morongo Unified School District to bring our gifted global culture bearers into the schools for assemblies and to bring students on field trips to our Arts & Ecology site and Lou Harrison House where we teach each ecology through the lens of art and sound and music appreciation. HHMA&E was established in 2006 and the Arts & Ecology Center in 2016. Without the earth there is no art! Our Arts & Ecology Center explores and demonstrates the regenerative, practical and aesthetic patterns of nature. We offer public tours and workshops that aim to inspire ecological awareness, stewardship and aesthetics. Located on eight desert acres our facilities include: Lou Harrison House Arts & Ecology Center |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | OAKLAND THEATER PROJECT | 1501 Martin Luther King Jr Way , Oakland, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 646-1126 | District 12 | District 18 | District 7 | Oakland Theater Project (OTP) is seeking support for Teatro Jornalero, a performance troupe of undocumented day laborers in Oakland, California. We seek funding to tour a new production by the troupe across day laborer centers and arts venues in California in 2024. The production will be developed, written and performed by the troupe in collaboration with Lisa Ramirez, our Artistic Associate Director. | The Oakland Theater Project was founded in 2012 by Michael Socrates Moran, William Hodgson, and Colin Mandlin in Oakland, CA. Formerly named Ubuntu Theater Project, we were founded on the value of Ubuntu, which means “I am because we are” and therein “my humanity is tied to yours.” We seek to explore the ways in which theater can act as a vehicle to reveal and invigorate the latent interconnectedness in humanity and society. To achieve this, our organization roots itself in radical inclusivity by empowering diverse artists and staff and offering every professional production at pay-what-you-can pricing. Oakland Theater Project began with 3 annual summer theater festivals featuring 14 plays in site-specific locations across the Bay Area. In 2016, Oakland Theater Project launched its first full mainstage season and has produced over 75 unique productions and is the only year-round professional theater company in Oakland, CA. On top of our bold theatrical productions, we produce workshops and readings, an independent artist series, and offer educational programs serving both adults and youth. Our workshops and readings provide opportunities to develop new plays and help to give vital advancement to new and emerging playwrights of color who have additional barriers to producing work. Lastly, when we offer training and development to low-income artists of color we also build professional pipeline opportunities by partnering with external organizations like Laney College and Oakland School for the Arts. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $18,700.00 | La Raíz Magazine | 3275 Stevens Creek Blvd Ste 301 , Santa Clara, CA 95050 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 781-6928 | With support from the California Arts Council, La Raíz Magazine will publish a first book of poetry, written by a person of color, and offer connected programming with the goal of elevating voices that resonate with the larger community of disenfranchised, marginalized, and exploited peoples. This project will be part of an effort to offer more affirming and positive narratives of communities that are often overlooked or stereotyped, while also validating the experience of marginalized people from low-income and migrant families, as well as supplying a model of self-expression and confidence for youth who will gain access to culturally-relevant poetry. | Publication – in print and online; poetry and visual art by community members, artists, and poets. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | The Ink People | 660 Pleasant Ave , Eureka, CA 95503 | Humboldt | Upstate | (415) 439-3033 | 2nd Congressional District | District 2 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council Field Guide to a Crisis will will develop a socially engaged project to increase awareness about the criminalization of individuals with substance abuse disorders and promote social justice and the well-being of those in recovery and their loved ones. We will mentor adults in recovery to become resiliency instructors This project centers around mentorship and aims to amplify the voices of those affected by substance abuse and empower them to reclaim their place in society | We base our activities in a philosophy of sharing and community building. We think it is important to listen to people’s hopes and dreams, and to help realize them, but not do it for them. We feel that arts and culture should be an integral and conscious part of everyone’s life, so we set about weaving the arts back into the fabric of our community. We know that young people are the future and are incredibly challenged by today’s world, so we try to give them tools to build successful and fulfilling lives. The Ink People was co-founded by two printmakers, Brenda Tuxford & Libby Maynard who wanted to create a peer support structure for artists, educate the community about the value of the arts, and use art to effect change. A small, but passionate staff run day to day operations with help from over 100 volunteers and independent contractors. With over 400 members, we are nurturing culture through the education and involvement of artists and audiences. The DreamMaker Program supports over 70 self-directing projects created by people who want to make their community a better place through arts and culture. We offer administrative support, management, and capacity building training. Other ongoing programs include exhibitions, performances, educational opportunities for all ages, a monthly newsletter, and the MARZ Project, which provides at-risk youth with tools to create positive change in their communities. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Lower Depth Theatre | 3705 W Pico Blvd, #870 , Los Angeles, CA 90019 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 774-0324 | California's 30th congressional district | State Assembly (District 54) | State Senate (District 26) | With support from the California Arts Council, Lower Depth Theatre will leverage their funding to sustain the salaries of their Artistic Director and Company Manager, while also providing crucial support for contracted artists working on upcoming projects and commissioned works, ensuring the continued presentation and creation of diverse BIPOC stories. | 1. Commissioning and Developing New Work 2. Mainstage Productions and Staged Readings 3. Public Humanities Events and Civic Dialogues 4. Digital Humanities and Audio Storytelling 5. Community Partnerships and Artist Support |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $45,832.00 | Magic Theatre, Inc. | 2 MARINA BLVD BLDG D , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123-1284 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 441-8822 | 11th Congressional district of California | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Magic Theatre will continue its values-driven mandate to center People of Color in all ways in our mission. Recognizing that BIPOC companies lacked a permanent home because of demographic and economic shifts in the Bay Area, the Magic has prioritized persons of color in all aspects of our organization- from staffing to creative support and partnerships. Artists are supported through multi-year residencies, subsidized rental programs, institutional partnerships, administrative support, and community-oriented gatherings. We are the only producing theatre with a facility in San Francisco that has prioritized supporting artists of color at this level. Making Magic: Art & Community is a year-round literacy education program for youth and adults. Our partners in the Tenderloin, Bayview Hunters’ Point, and the Castro districts serve San Francisco’s most vulnerable populations. | Magic Theatre’s core artistic programs provide writers with the practical resources they need to develop new works from conception to performance. We support commissioned artists during the early stages of play development with public readings of the script, casting support, fundraising, workshops, previews, and present the world premiere. Additional support comes through structured partnerships with local organizations connected to the play’s themes. We make long-term investments in the playwright by presenting premieres throughout the writer’s career as they build a body of work and promoting the plays to our nationwide network to build a writer’s career with other theaters. Recognizing that BIPOC companies lacked a permanent home because of demographic and economic shifts in the Bay Area, the Magic has prioritized persons of color in all aspects of our organization- from staffing to creative support and partnerships. We revised our programs to better serve artists with multi-year residencies, organizational partnerships, and subsidized rental programs. We provide space, infrastructural, technical, and labor support; the artists and organizations are responsible for the creative and production elements of the performances. Each artist and organization we present reflect a different BIPOC experience, culminating in a tapestry of powerful work that is often ignored by mainstream theaters. The Magic believes that the long-term vitality of our field is achieved through art education that inspires and motivates students and cultivates new audiences for theater. Making Magic: Art and Community partners with community service organizations to provide a standards-based literacy and art education program for youth and adults in the San Francisco Tenderloin, one of the city’s most vulnerable neighborhoods. Through partnerships with Code Tenderloin, Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Center, Larkin Street Youth Center, the Southeast Asian Development Center, Bayview Opera House, and the SF AIDS Foundation, we encourage students of all ages to make their voices heard. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Walking Cinema | 43 Conrad Street , San Francisco, CA 94131 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (617) 642-1163 | 11th Congressional District | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Walking Cinema will create an immersive theater production, Bop City Immersive, that explores African American history and housing justice in San Francisco. This project is an extension of the award-winning interactive media project, Museum of the Hidden City, produced by Walking Cinema in 2019. Museum of the Hidden City explores the housing visions and controversy in the Fillmore neighborhood in the 1960’s that decimated San Francisco’s African American community. Bop City Immersive takes place a decade earlier in the same neighborhood when jazz and African American culture were at its zenith. The play is being written by prominent Bay-area playwright Cleavon Smith and will be created in collaboration with Success Centers, a non-profit that focuses on job training for formerly incarcerated adults. | Walking Cinema produces audio and augmented reality walks that allow local issues to be tangible and actionable. We also specialize in other forms of immersive media on the web and in theaters that activate audiences around social and historical issues. All of our programs encourage inquiry and education. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | $66,600.00 | San Luis Obispo County Arts Council | 810 Orcutt Rd --, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 | San Luis Obispo | Central Coast | (805) 544-9251 | California's 24th congressional district | District 30 | District 17 | With support from the California Arts Council, SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL will retain professional staff and systems to promote and enhance access to the visual, literary, and performing arts, lifelong art education, and related cultural activities in the region, recognizing the role they play in enhancing neighborhoods, quality of life and expanding greater community participation, connection, cultural understanding, and a vibrant local economy | SLOCAC promotes and advocates for the arts through youth educational initiatives, public art installations, event planning and promotion, re-granting opportunities, and artist networking and professional development. Our primary programs and services include the following: Art After Dark: Free, self-guided art walks throughout the county. Local businesses and organizations participate as venues, which strengthens relationships and reinforces a strong arts economy. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Alchemia | 394 TESCONI CT , SANTA ROSA, CA 95401-4653 | Sonoma | Bay Area – Other | (707) 978-3229 | California's 5th congressional district | District 2 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, Alchemia will create and coordinate a North Bay festival promoting the work and contributions of visual, performing, and creative artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The festival will be presented in coordination with other local professional artists and promoted within the arts community and the community at large. | Every artist has a voice. Artists who identify as having an intellectual or developmental disability (I/DD) are no exception. Through its visual, performing, and creative arts programs in Sonoma and Marin Counties, Alchemia supports artists who have autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and related conditions to find, develop, and share their artistic voice. Alchemia’s core programs and services include: |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | PALENKE ARTS | 1713 Broadway Ave. , SEASIDE, CA 93955-4609 | Monterey | Central Coast | (831) 333-6612 | With support from the California Arts Council, Palenke Arts will be able to provide high-quality multicultural arts classes and events to youth and their families in the city of Seaside who would otherwise not be able to access them. | Palenke Arts is a multicultural arts organization founded in 2016 by a committed group of artists, educators and community members who wanted to address the lack of affordable multicultural arts programs for the youth in the city of Seaside. For the past seven years, we have provided high quality multidisciplinary arts, music and dance classes and workshops to many families who would traditionally not be able to pay for them. In addition to our educational programs, Palenke Arts offers an awe-inspiring concert series that features local and international artists (México, Morocco, Cuba, Iran, Brazil, Vietnam, Spain) including Grammy and Emmy winners. Thus, over the past 7 years we have organized and participated in countless community events such as our own annual Palenke Arts Festival presenting to over 5,000 audience members yearly. Palenke Arts exists to create a safe, vibrant and inclusive multicultural arts center in the city of Seaside that will benefit all of the Monterey Peninsula. We aim to uplift youth voices, inspire creativity and transform our community into a place where everyone feels seen, valued and welcomed through the healing power of the arts. In recognition of our work, in 2019, we received the award as the Nonprofit of Year in Arts and Culture from the Nonprofit Alliance of Monterey County. In 2022 our Executive Director Juan L. Sánchez obtained the Champion of the Arts Award from the Arts Council of Monterey County. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | N/A | PO BOX 56226 , SAN JOSE, CA 95156-6226 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 230-5199 | With support from the California Arts Council, Chamber Music Silicon Valley will launch a brand-new, collaborative artist-residency program which will engage multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural artists to co-create an arts-based, civic and social engagement performance experience designed to uplift local, Californian communities who are marginalized and/or underrepresented. This residency program, titled “Common Sounds” after the multicultural ensemble founded by CMSV whose name is a play off of common grounds, will provide a chance for California-based musicians and artists of a diverse backgrounds to create new artistic commonalities, push the boundaries of art experiences, all while involving members of society in the process of creativity. The 2024 residency will focus its creative efforts on California’s Farmworker communities, their stories, challenges, and journeys overcoming adversity. | Concert experiences that blend classical chamber music with multi-disciplinary and cross-cultural art practices, incorporating civic and social engagement elements. The annual Emerging Artist Fellowship Program, which provides fellows with professional development education and performance opportunities while also challenging them to explore unconventional paths in their musical careers Collaborative community engagement and social justice initiatives in diverse settings, such as the U.S./Mexican Border, supporting unhoused women, California’s farmworkers, and the Juvenile Hall Systems. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | San Francisco Transgender Film Festival | P.O. Box 460670 , San Francisco, CA 94146 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (707) 563-1689 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, the San Francisco Transgender Film Festival (SFTFF) will produce our 26th Annual Festival, November 11-19, 2023. This week-long event will feature 5 in-person programs at the historic Roxie Theater in San Francisco, and 5 online programs. All programs will be offered at $0+ sliding scale, to maximize access while our communities feel the brunt of both the continued COVID pandemic, along with continued Bay Area gentrification and displacement. We will offer ASL interpretation at two of our in-person screenings, and all films (in-person AND online) will be open/close-captioned for Deaf and Hard-of-hearing audiences. SFTFF produces one of only NINE transgender film festivals in the world; and at this time of intense attacks on trans communities across the US, we need the CAC’s support more than ever before. | Transgender communities across California are experiencing a STATE OF EMERGENCY: Hate crimes against our communities are up 20% in California alone. Since a Day One Executive Order banned federal funds from supporting Trans services of ANY kind, our communities’ fundamental civil liberties, freedom of expression, healthcare and freedom of movement have been under constant, violent attack. The San Francisco Transgender Film Festival (SFTFF) presents an annual film festival, awards commissions to BIPOC transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) filmmakers, supports and mentors emerging TGNC film festivals, and co-presents other local TGNC arts programs. Our annual festival takes place at the historic Roxie Theater in San Francisco. To maximize access, our festival offers both in-person and online/on-demand programs. We feature ASL interpretation and open captions at all in-person screenings, and all online films are closed-captioned. All programs are on a $0+ sliding scale with no-one-turned-away-for-lack-of-funds. Our DREAM Commissions annually award funds to Bay Area TGNC BIPOC filmmakers to support the creation of new work. We stay connected with these filmmakers to support and screen their new works in the months and years that follow. SFTFF screens and commissions films that offer empowered visions for movement building and social justice, prioritizing our community’s most underrepresented and marginalized artists: BIPOC trans folks, Black trans women/femmes, transgender migrants, disabled TGNC people, youth, and elders. We support both emerging and established artists, prioritizing grassroots, experimental, or DIY films, since these are the films often made by our community’s most under-resourced. SFTFF only screens work directed by TGNC filmmakers, starring TGNC actors portraying TGNC characters. Throughout the year, SFTFF provides guest curation for TGNC film programs across the US. SFTFF staff provide curatorial and programmatic mentorship for emerging artists and festivals around the world. SFTFF also supports and co-presents other local TGNC arts programming. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Look What SHE Did! | 137 NORTH LARCHMONT NO 437 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90004-3704 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 428-3719 | California Assembly district 50 | District 50 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Look What SHE Did! will create and share short films about inspiring women from history and today. | Founded in 2014, Look What SHE Did! (LWSD!) produces and maintains a growing catalogue of films that celebrate stories of female achievement. Featuring heroic trailblazers whose accomplishments have been eclipsed or omitted from the historical record, each film engages a storyteller, director, camera operator, editor, and sound engineer. Currently the LWSD! archive features 150 films organized into thematic categories including education, law and government, environment, the arts, sports, leadership and other areas, with an emphasis on historically marginalized women. LWSD!’s monthly subscriber base has grown to 75,000. The films are widely available for viewing on LWSD!’s website, social media, and through organizational, media, and educational partnerships. In 2024, LWSD! added a unique experiential education program to its core programming. Look What She’s DOING! is a two-week intensive program designed to train emerging female filmmakers, age 30 and older, who have a professional interest in learning documentary filmmaking, who may not have any technical experience, and who lack the resources to attend university or other tuition-based training programs. Look What She’s DOING! is offered annually, along with additional half-day technical workshops covering various elements of filmmaking, including camera, audio and lighting. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | ICYOLA | 6820 S La Tijera Blvd Suite 106 , Los Angeles, CA 90045 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 788-4260 | California's 43rd congressional district | District 61 | District 35 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles will teach the great orchestral repertoire to young musicians who live in the Inner City communities of Los Angeles, present a season of 8-10 free concerts to the South Central communities of Los Angeles featuring these young inner city musicians, and instill within its members the ancillary benefits that ensemble music instruction provides: self-respect; self-discipline; respect for property – their own and others; real-time problem solving; critical thinking; leadership; teamwork; practice; the pursuit of perfection; and meaningful purpose. We also offer a Drum Corps program that serves both the youth who live within our community, and those who are incarcerated in Los Angeles County Juvenile Hall facilities, offering this later class of youngsters opportunities to learn skills and hope for release. | ICYOLA offers five programs: the ICYOLA Orchestra Program; the ICYOLA Academy; the South Los Angeles Music Project; the Los Angeles Orchestra Fellowship; and the ICYOLA Drum Corps. Through the ICYOLA Orchestra Program, we present an annual Concert Season that features both the standard orchestral repertoire and contemporary music that resounds within the community that ICYOLA serves. Through the South Los Angeles Music Project, we offer introductory and diversionary music programs to young people who are at risk of entry into the juvenile justice system. Through the Los Angeles Orchestra Fellowship, we train emerging professionals to take and win auditions with American orchestras. The ICYOLA Drum Corps trains young musicians how to play drums and march in step. All ICYOLA programs instill the ancillary values of music into their members. Those values include self-respect, respect for others and property, chain of command, and the pursuit of excellence in all things. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | LibroMobile Arts Cooperative | 1150 South Bristol Street Ste. #A3, Santa Ana, CA 92704-3478 | Orange | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (657) 205-9907 | California's 46th congressional district | District 69 | District 34 | With support from CAC, LibroMobile Arts Cooperative (LMAC) will maintain operations required in providing free literary arts programming that prioritizes local BIPOC and LGBTQ+ writers and artists. Offering a multilayered learning environment, LMAC includes creative programming by-and-for BIPOC that creates access to cultural empowerment, financial support, and arts leadership in Santa Ana/Orange County. For seven years and as the only cooperatively-run bookstore with cultural center practices in Santa Ana, LMAC has been able to realize its vision for a community-based self-sustaining literary arts center through two sites: LibroMobile Bookstore and Crear Studio gallery. Recognized across the U.S. for organizing and presenting literary arts programing prioritizing BIPOC and LGBTQ+ artists, LMAC holds some 30 to 45 events per year, many of which draw intersectional and multigenerational audiences from Southern California and virtually across the nation. | Our goal is to establish a legacy in our community by offering social engagement through the cultural arts, professional training, access to resources & visibility for homegrown BIPOC artists through their process and presentations. Since 2016, we have provided approximately 200 free events (readings, creative workshops & lectures), published 6 collaborative zines featuring local POC poets (working class &/or undocumented), 4 individual chapbooks by POC writers, & initiated the “Scholar Holler Archives” which provide BIPOC scholars an opportunity to distribute their academic work affordably and has evolved into a podcast series. During the pandemic, we shifted our programming to virtual platforms and have since established publication reviews, an arts & culture monthly column, a multigenerational podcast program, and virtual exhibitions via 3D placemaking. We also offer virtual open studio hours, which we set up as a resource art studio, via Crear Studio, jointly offering interdisciplinary art resources, free art supplies, access to a cajon and piano, art workshops, & individual/collaborative workshops for writing, visual arts, media arts as well as inspiration/feedback circles. Most recently, LMAC is officially the partnering arts organization with UrbanWord NYC for the OC Youth Poet Laureate Program. The Youth Poet Laureate Program celebrates the region’s top youthful poets who are committed to artistic excellence, civic engagement, and social justice. The national youth poet laureate program works with local youth literary arts organizations — LMAC — across the US to identify and celebrate exceptional youth poets who use their voices to inspire change. The program model supports local literary partners in launching their local youth poet laureate program, elevating these young poet-activists, and creating opportunities and resources to expand and elevate platforms for these youth poet laureates. We are also partnering with the OC Public Library to host an adult Poet Laureate, both programs will start together. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $54,998.00 | Voice of Witness | 1446 Market Street , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 420-9959 | CA-012 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Voice of Witness will further its goal to center and amplify marginalized voices through oral history and storytelling projects focused on illuminating social justice issues. Funding will facilitate development of new book projects, accompanying curricula, and educational resources for community partners and schools. | Through our oral history book series and education program, we amplify the voices of people impacted by injustice, teach ethics-driven storytelling, and partner with human rights advocates to: build agency within marginalized communities; raise awareness and foster thoughtful, empathy-based critical inquiry and understanding of the crises they face; and inform long-term efforts to protect and advance human rights. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Tap Fever Studios | 2146 GARNET AVE , SAN DIEGO, CA 92109-3602 | San Diego | Far South | (858) 456-7301 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, Tap Fever Studios will ensure that dance is accessible to individuals of all backgrounds, during a time when they need it the most. Tap Fever Studios’ dance classes encourage artistic expression among individuals of all ages and abilities, including vulnerable populations like veterans, children and teenagers with Autism Spectrum Disorder and individuals with physical disabilities. Support from the California Arts Council will make it possible for Tap Fever Studios to continue providing dance education and enrichment to San Diego residents over the next two years by supporting critical operating expenses including instructors, rent, equipment, technology, scholarships, marketing and outreach. | Tap Fever Studios offers an array of classes that teach San Diego residents from all walks of life how to mobilize the rhythm from their hearts. Tap Fever Studios provides students with the chance to participate in classes that span all of the major disciplines including tap, jazz, ballet, contemporary, hip-hop, acro, and even fitness. Program components include: Performances: Tap Fever Studios holds multiple recitals and events that showcase the hard work that dancers have put into learning their craft. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | San Pedro Waterfront Arts District | 880 West 18th Street , SAN PEDRO, CA 90731-5626 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 732-0010 | CA-044 | District 66 | District 35 | With support from the California Arts Council, the San Pedro Waterfront Arts District will increase accessibility and engagement with its public art murals by adding stories through augmented reality technology to our existing public art projects. | Since becoming a non-profit in 2014, the Arts District’s focus has evolved to include public art, community education and advocacy for all types of arts endeavors, reflecting the diverse cultural backgrounds of the people who live in San Pedro, along with the gritty glamor of our distinctive, varied neighborhoods. We seek projects and programming reflecting the authentic character of our vibrant portside community and will establish a legacy for the arts in San Pedro, one that expresses the absolute best of human creativity. The goals of the Arts District are to: We actualize our mission through our arts appreciation series (Culture TALKS!), we provide promotional and event planning of the 26 year old FirstThursday ArtWalk, leading Guided ArtWalk Tours, monthly arts and culture columns in San Pedro Today Magazine, public art commissions, and as a collaborating partner in the recently recertified San Pedro Arts&Cultural District, as well as email news letters touting arts happenings in the district and maintaining an active social media presence. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | The Michael's Daughter Foundation | 23638 LYONS AVE 233 , NEWHALL, CA 91321-2513 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (347) 989-7654 | District 40 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Michael’s Daughter Foundation will provide two twelve-week short filmmaking workshops called “Telling a New Story” for justice-involved youth in Panorama City. The goal is to empower them to express themselves creatively, promote healing, reduce recidivism rates, develop new skills and interests, provide a platform to showcase their value and lessen the stigma of underserved communities. The workshops will be conducted in six phases and led by MDF Project Director Ciera Payton and other artists and leaders. The short films will focus on personal narratives and themes of healing, positive affirmations, and the importance of sharing one’s story of resilience. The films will be showcased at a screening open to the public. | The Michael’s Daughter Foundation offers a diverse range of arts programs, including filmmaking, animation, puppetry, creative writing, original play creation, performance art, monologue development, short films, documentaries, and music. We also provide financial literacy workshops for all ages in partnership with local banks. These programs are held year-round across various communities in Los Angeles. Additionally, we are committed to offering college scholarships to students impacted by incarceration or with an incarcerated loved one, as well as providing emergency support to families affected by incarceration. | ||
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Wheelchair Dancers Organization | 4584 Calle de Vida , SAN DIEGO, CA 92124-2304 | San Diego | Far South | (858) 573-1571 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 77 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, Wheelchair Dancers Organization will provide its Inclusive Dance Program that offers a variety of dance modalities for individuals who use wheelchairs as their primary form of mobility. Inclusive Dance integrates cultural awareness and embraces diversity by introducing music, language and dance rhythms from around the world including Hip Hop and Bollywood Fusion, Ballroom, Latin Jazz, Contemporary, and Adaptive Dance Fitness. Classes are offered free of charge and both in-person and virtually. | Wheelchair Dancers Organization (WDO) offers 6 and 8-week dance classes for wheelchair users and standing partners. All classes are provided free of charge to participants. A professionally trained dance instructor teaches the dance moves, and over the course of the classes a dance routine is perfected. Wheelchair Dancers provides dance for individuals of all ages and abilities, including children as young as age four and as old as age 90. The dancers are provided several opportunities throughout the year to participate in performances for a variety of audiences, including the WDO Showcase that takes place in September of each year and attracts an audience of nearly 500 people. We have also expanded our classes to be virtual as well. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | San Francisco Transgender Film Festival | P.O. Box 460670 , San Francisco, CA 94146 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (707) 563-1689 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, the San Francisco Transgender Film Festival (SFTFF) will produce our 26th and 27th seasons of programs and events, including: our 26th and 27th annual transgender film festivals at the Roxie Theater in SF; partnerships with local trans/queer-led nonprofits (to build a strong community of by, of, and for TGNC and queer people); awarding 10 Seed Commission Grants to trans BIPOC filmmakers; and co-sponsoring other trans community arts events throughout the year. All programs will be offered at $0+ sliding scale, to maximize access while our communities feel the brunt of both the continued COVID pandemic, along with continued Bay Area gentrification and displacement. We build community by providing opportunities for TGNC artists and audiences, fighting for intersectional justice in media arts, and supporting trans filmmakers. | Transgender communities across California are experiencing a STATE OF EMERGENCY: Hate crimes against our communities are up 20% in California alone. Since a Day One Executive Order banned federal funds from supporting Trans services of ANY kind, our communities’ fundamental civil liberties, freedom of expression, healthcare and freedom of movement have been under constant, violent attack. The San Francisco Transgender Film Festival (SFTFF) presents an annual film festival, awards commissions to BIPOC transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) filmmakers, supports and mentors emerging TGNC film festivals, and co-presents other local TGNC arts programs. Our annual festival takes place at the historic Roxie Theater in San Francisco. To maximize access, our festival offers both in-person and online/on-demand programs. We feature ASL interpretation and open captions at all in-person screenings, and all online films are closed-captioned. All programs are on a $0+ sliding scale with no-one-turned-away-for-lack-of-funds. Our DREAM Commissions annually award funds to Bay Area TGNC BIPOC filmmakers to support the creation of new work. We stay connected with these filmmakers to support and screen their new works in the months and years that follow. SFTFF screens and commissions films that offer empowered visions for movement building and social justice, prioritizing our community’s most underrepresented and marginalized artists: BIPOC trans folks, Black trans women/femmes, transgender migrants, disabled TGNC people, youth, and elders. We support both emerging and established artists, prioritizing grassroots, experimental, or DIY films, since these are the films often made by our community’s most under-resourced. SFTFF only screens work directed by TGNC filmmakers, starring TGNC actors portraying TGNC characters. Throughout the year, SFTFF provides guest curation for TGNC film programs across the US. SFTFF staff provide curatorial and programmatic mentorship for emerging artists and festivals around the world. SFTFF also supports and co-presents other local TGNC arts programming. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Latino Center of Art and Culture | 2700 FRONT STREET , SACRAMENTO, CA 95818-1118 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 446-5133 | California's 6th congressional district | District 6 | District 8 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Latino Center of Art and Culture will collaborate with Northern California immigrant and indigenous dance groups, local artists, families and community based organizations to create a traditional Day of the Dead, elevating and celebrating centuries old beliefs, values, and practices of our Latine communities. | LCAC produces El Arte del Pueblo, a multidisciplinary series of events that engage community in art creation, and strengthens identity through the interpretation of significant Latino cultural traditions including El Panteón de Sacramento/Dia de los Muertos, Dia del Niño, and Fiesta de Frida. Our Visual Arts Program uses our gallery space to support and amplify local and emerging artists. Artists are supported with a stipend and provided with mentorship. Our Community Service Program offers our space to organizations in need of exhibitions, events, or performance space. Our Volunteer Engagement Program offers community service and leadership opportunities to youth and adults. Our program supports academic and court-mandated community service. Our Individual Artist Program provides low cost studio space to artists. Our Youth Program teaches youth traditional dances from Mexico and leadership skills to strengthen positive and community identity. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | In Lak'ech Dance Academy | 450 Lee Street #1, Oakland, CA 94610 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (415) 314-6364 | California Assembly district 18 | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, In Lak’ech Dance Academy will produce a free 12-week online series of Afro-Latinx dance workshops for the QTBIPOC community in September and October 2022. CAC funds will support stipends for commissioned Afro-Latinx dance teachers from the local community and the salaries of our Project Leads, Angélica Medina and Jahaira Fajardo. | In Lak’ech Dance Academy is the first Afro-Latin dance academy in the U.S. created by and for queer and trans people and their allies. We offer weekly classes in Salsa, Bachata, Merengue, Cumbia, and Afro-Caribbean movement that center joy, cultural reclamation, and accessibility. Our structured cohort model supports progression from beginner to advanced levels, leading to instructor training, leadership development, and performance opportunities. We host Queer Sabor socials, seasonal showcases, and original projects like Morir Soñando and ChingonaX, which amplify the stories of queer and trans BIPOC dancers through choreography and collective reflection. Our programs foster holistic health, cultural pride, and belonging. Students report improved physical, emotional, and mental well-being, along with deeper connections to identity and community. At every level, we offer a transformative space where LGBTQ2S+ dancers can reclaim their culture, express their full selves, and build a stronger, more inclusive world—one step at a time. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $42,500.00 | KALEIDOSCOPE | 1818 Thayer Ave. #301 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90025-4142 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 795-9051 | California Assembly district 50 | District 50 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra will provide musicians and composers in California with crucial opportunities for career advancement and professional development through our call for scores program. | Founded in 2014, Kaleidoscope has performed over 300 concerts throughout Southern California from venues ranging from Walt Disney Concert Hall to homeless shelters on Skid Row. Kaleidoscope has been especially known for their commitment to diversity and new music, with premieres of over 100 works, substantial programming of music by women and people of color, performances of large orchestral works like Mahler and Shostakovich Symphonies without a conductor, and frequent performances at schools, hospitals, homeless shelters, and other community organizations. To address income inequality and help build new audiences for classical music, most of Kaleidoscope’s public concerts are free admission with a suggested donation. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | LA Opera | 135 N GRAND AVE , LOS ANGELES, CA 90012-3013 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 972-7219 | California's 34th congressional district | District 54 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, LA Opera will present The Zarzuela Project, providing14 weekly workshops in East LA for over 30 community members of all ages to learn and perform zarzuela, or Spanish lyric opera, culminating in free public performances in community venues across LA. | LA Opera’s programming reflects the diversity and artistic vibrancy of the operatic repertoire, presenting works from the rich history of opera through contemporary times, propelling the art form into the future. On the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion stage LA Opera presents six grand opera productions as well as recitals featuring notable opera stars. The Off Grand initiative embraces a wide variety of artistic exploration that serves a broad geographical area with performances in a variety of venues. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $17,638.00 | Rise Up-Youth Program for the Performing Arts | 1561 Adams Road , Yuba City, CA 95993 | Sutter | Upstate | (530) 933-0223 | With support from the California Arts Council, Rise Up-Youth Program for the Performing Arts will produce a day-camp that integrates visual and performing arts to give students a well-rounded educational experience. This camp will culminate in a final performance that will celebrate student accomplishments, center their voices, and unite the community. | Summer day camps for low-income families | |||
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Foglifter Press | 1200 CLAY ST APT 4 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108-1428 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 710-6537 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Foglifter Press will annually produce two issues of our award-winning Foglifter Journal, each featuring 50+ LGBTQ+ authors. We will host free release parties for each issue featuring six readers at each event at STRUT, an ADA-accessible venue in San Francisco’s Castro LGBTQ Cultural District. The readings will include ASL interpretation for Deaf and hard-of-hearing community members. CAC funds will also support Foglifter to increase our all LGBTQ+ staff capacity and staff stipends during the grant period. | Foglifter operates four core programs: 1) Annually publishes two issues of our Foglifter literary journal featuring the original work of 60–80 2SLGBTQIA+ literary artists who receive honorariums for publication; 2) Annually publishes one Start a Riot! chapbook with prize winning authors receiving honorariums/royalties); 3) Annually produces at least four free literary events each featuring at last six 2SLGBTQIA+ writers who receive honorariums; 4) Invests in the professional development of 2SLGBTQIA+ literary artists through our programming, workshops, social media outreach and guest editorships featuring paid honorariums. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Eye Zen Presents | 1446 Market Street , San Francisco, CA 94102-6004 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 786-9325 | California's 12th congressional district | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Eye Zen Presents will produce the Summer 2024 tour of OUT of Site: Sylvester, The Mighty Real, a new history walking tour collaboration between theater company, Eye Zen Presents; Marvin K. White, Lead Writer; community partner, SF Heritage; and humanities advisor, Joshua Gamson. Through an intensive research process our cohort explores the hidden history of queer ancestor, Sylvester. The project provides an accessible historical understanding of racial equity within the queer liberation movement in San Francisco’s Haight neighborhood of the 60’s and 70’s against the backdrop of civil rights, anti-war, student uprising, feminism, and Gay liberation. | Since its founding in 2007, Eye Zen Presents has created multidisciplinary community-building events in San Francisco in traditional and alternative theater spaces, private homes, gardens and community centers. Our productions focus on LGBTQ+ history and experimentally blend performative and visual disciplines: physical theater, puppetry, contemporary dance, drag, circus, live music, and video. We work with community partners to devise and produce new performance, curate exhibitions and offer educational opportunities. Our walking tours create an immersive spectacle in real time and in public space, using sidewalks, plazas, parks, and privately owned public open spaces (POPOS). |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $54,998.00 | Zaccho Dance Theatre | 1777 YOSEMITE AVENUE ST 330 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124-2653 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 822-6744 | 11th District of California | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Zaccho will produce a range of cultural programs that explore new boundaries in dance and performance to inspire, educate, and serve our community. From our studio in Bayview Hunters Point, Zaccho will transcend boundaries and advance intercultural understanding through: ● Premiere performances by Zaccho Dance Theatre and collaborating artists. ● Supporting professional dance artists through year-round Artist-in-Residence programs and the biennial San Francisco Aerial Arts Festival, a world-class festival devoted to the excellence of aerial artistry. ● Offer our award-winning Youth Performing Art Program (YPAP) to Bayview Hunters Point youth in partnership with public elementary schools and afterschool programs. | Zaccho is an innovative force in both the world of dance and our home community of San Francisco’s Bayview Hunters Point (BVHP). Zaccho creates and presents performance work that investigates dance as it relates to place. Artistic Director Joanna Haigood and collaborators pursue unique and challenging visions of dance, including spectacular aerial choreography, evocative site-specific performances, and culturally significant subject matter. Zaccho collaborates with an extraordinary group of diverse artists to create unique and innovative performances, elevating the work to international acclaim. Zaccho Studio in BVHP is one of the largest in San Francisco (4,200 sq ft), utilized for rehearsals, performances, community events, and educational activities for youth and adults. We are San Francisco’s oldest Black-run dance company and the only professional dance company based in BVHP. Zaccho draws inspiration from social histories and racial justice themes, and returns it to the community through youth arts education, adult classes, and Artists-in-Residence programs, many at low or no-cost to participants. Zaccho also produces the biennial SF Aerial Arts Festival. As a longstanding nonprofit program, we pride ourselves on maintaining our artistic integrity, social consciousness, and community involvement. Our Youth Performing Arts Program (YPAP) is a collaborative youth arts education program developed to enhance classroom learning, educating both the mind and physical body. YPAP was created to integrate our nationally renowned, highly innovative performance work with the life experiences of our young BVHP neighbors. For over 30 years, YPAP has served 100-250 children annually by offering free in-school and after-school classes and performance opportunities to public school students 7-17 years old. Launched in 2002, YPAP also hosts the Zaccho Youth Company, a pre-professional aerial dance company. Under the direction of Artistic Director Haigood, company members (ages 9 through 17) collaborate in the creative process by contributing important conceptual and choreographic material. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | Arts Council for Long Beach | 245 East Third St. , LONG BEACH, CA 90802 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (526) 435-2787 | California's 42nd congressional district | District 69 | District 33 | With the support of the California Arts Council, Public Corporation for the Arts for the City of Long Beach (ArtsLB) will present the Washington Neighborhood Basketball Court Mural Project in the historically under-resourced Washington Neighborhood. Artist Tracy Negrete will work collaborate with neighborhood youth in partnership with Books and Buckets. | ArtsLB serves the people of Long Beach through three levels of programming: 1. Public Art ArtsLB sponsors about seven large-scale public art projects yearly. Local artists, community members and participants in our educational programming work together to help design and execute the artworks. We promote our city’s existing public art resources through the Long Beach Public Art Archive, an online resource that documents our city’s public art. 2. Support for Local Artists and Arts Institutions ArtsLB directly supports our city’s professional artists and arts organizations through grant programs and public art commissions. Our Professional Artist Fellowship program provides funds to Long Beach professional artists to create and present community-centered work. Micro Grants give local artists and community leaders the funds they need for professional development or for artistic activation. Our Organizational Grant programs provide substantial support to local arts and cultural institutions. Our project-based Community Projects grants support single arts projects. 3. Arts Learning ArtsLB provides community-based arts education programming for about 3,200 children in under-funded neighborhoods who would not otherwise receive it. We operate two primary arts learning programs: “Eye on Design” and “Go Make Something, Kids!” “Eye on Design” is an in-school and after-school public art education program serving underserved middle and high school students. This sequential, hands-on program teaches the basics of visual arts, including color theory, perspective, and composition, through the lens of hyperlocal public art. The program culminates in the creation and installation of a public art mosaic, designed and created by the students. “Go Make Something, Kids!” encourages 200 middle school students to generate their own art under the guidance of some of Long Beach’s most acclaimed professional artists. Students use the arts to constructively express, explore, and engage with their emotions and experiences. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $54,998.00 | Eye Zen Presents | 1446 Market Street , San Francisco, CA 94102-6004 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 786-9325 | California's 12th congressional district | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Eye Zen Present’s (EZP) will sustainably expand our organization, while expanding audiences from 1,500 people annually in 2020 to 5,000 people annually by 2024 as set out in our recent business plan (developed in partnership with Vogl consulting). By increasing our organizational capacity to sustain and expand our programming we fulfill our mission of serving queer, trans Black, Indigenous, people of color(QTBIPOC) and lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer/questioning, intersex, asexual (LGBTQIA) communities. | Since its founding in 2007, Eye Zen Presents has created multidisciplinary community-building events in San Francisco in traditional and alternative theater spaces, private homes, gardens and community centers. Our productions focus on LGBTQ+ history and experimentally blend performative and visual disciplines: physical theater, puppetry, contemporary dance, drag, circus, live music, and video. We work with community partners to devise and produce new performance, curate exhibitions and offer educational opportunities. Our walking tours create an immersive spectacle in real time and in public space, using sidewalks, plazas, parks, and privately owned public open spaces (POPOS). |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | MexiCali Biennial | 13616 DITTMAR DR , WHITTIER, CA 90605-2208 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 684-5537 | 38 | 56 | 30 | With support from the California Arts Council, MexiCali Biennial Inc will be able to retain staff to organize, research and provide outreach in regards to upcoming and future programs and exhibitions that focus on the borderlands of California and Mexico and its expanded reach. | The MexiCali Biennial is a non-profit contemporary visual arts organization that focuses on the area encompassing California and Mexico as a region of aesthetic production. The organization is migratory in nature and showcases exhibitions on both sides of the California/Mexico border. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Cinema Sala | 1019 S. Westmoreland Ave Apt 108 , Los Angeles, CA 90006 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 256-6372 | California's 30th congressional district | District 46 | District 18 | With support from the California Arts Council, Cinema Sala will continue its in-person programming of education, workshops, and exhibition. We will mount our Master Classes, CinEskwela, focusing on finessing storytelling and craft. Skripts Out Loud, a screenwriting workshop prepping writers to move on to their next step of production with their feature films. And for Filipino American History Month, a Feature Film Screening, where we screen underrated gems from Philippine cinema history to bring together our community. | Starting from our founder’s living room in 2016, Cinema Sala has grown from a works-in-progress monthly screening, to a global community in the virtual world. Our goal in 2026 is to continue our education and workshop programming in person. We have continued to expand our strong relationship with our partners including NBC, Disney, Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE), Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), the Film Development Council of the Philippines, the Geffen Playhouse, and more. These alliances connected us with a wider audience, satisfying their needs for representation and culture enrichment. While continuing to provide the community with year-long film programming and panel discussions with experts and creators, Cinema Sala will focus on education through free “Master Classes” and workshops dedicated to creative development. CINESKWELA. A “Master Class” series instructed by Cinema Sala award-winning alumni to teach their craft e.g. Pitching, Acting, Filipino and Filipino-American Film History FILIPINX GOT TALENT. A panel and networking event with heads of the talent and diversity programs of established media companies in order for the Cinema Sala filmmaking community to break into the industry. SKRIPTS OUT LOUD. Staged script readings of the best unmade feature films and TV pilots from up-and-coming Filipino-American writers featuring a diverse cast of actors. STORM THE BOX OFFICE. Mobilization to drive the Filipino community to the box office to support the theatrical and digital releases of new Filipino films. ARTIS’YAN. Artist-to-artist roundtable conversations on craft and process. COUCH TALK. A forum with artists and academics to talk about perspectives on issues and current affairs affecting the Filipino and Filipino-American community. CINEMA SALA CARES. A fundraising screening to provide donations for Filipinos in need, partnered with on-the-ground humanitarian organizations in the Philippines. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Foglifter Press | 1200 CLAY ST APT 4 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108-1428 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 710-6537 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Foglifter Press will continue our Start a Riot! Chapbook Program for SF Bay Area QTBIPOC literary artists. In response to rapid gentrification and displacement of QTBIPOC+ literary artists in the Bay Area, and in celebration of their revolutionary history, Foglifter Press, RADAR Productions, and Still Here SF joined forces to create a chapbook prize for local emerging QTBIPOC writers. One QTBIPOC literary artist is annually awarded publication, a $2,000 cash prize, a reading release party with the winner and their guests at an San Francisco host venue of their choice, and publicity provided by Foglifter. Additionally, they earn a spot on RADAR’s annual statewide Resplendent Literary tour. This project strengthens our community connections by highlighting local QTBIPOC+ writers and collaborating with local partners. | Foglifter operates four core programs: 1) Annually publishes two issues of our Foglifter literary journal featuring the original work of 60–80 2SLGBTQIA+ literary artists who receive honorariums for publication; 2) Annually publishes one Start a Riot! chapbook with prize winning authors receiving honorariums/royalties); 3) Annually produces at least four free literary events each featuring at last six 2SLGBTQIA+ writers who receive honorariums; 4) Invests in the professional development of 2SLGBTQIA+ literary artists through our programming, workshops, social media outreach and guest editorships featuring paid honorariums. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | The Michael's Daughter Foundation | 23638 LYONS AVE 233 , NEWHALL, CA 91321-2513 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (347) 989-7654 | District 40 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Michael’s Daughter Foundation aims to improve its organizational efficiency by hiring support staff and streamlining its processes and procedures. This will allow us to serve our community and the arts sector better. Funding will support the salaries of an administrative assistant and a program manager and compensation for independent contractors, teaching artists, website management, fundraising, and accounting experts. These efforts will enhance processes and procedures that contribute to our organizational sustainability, growth, and expansion. MDF will also allocate funding to staff training initiatives focused on accessibility, cultural competency, and inclusion. Additionally, funds will be used towards initiatives that allow us to better measure and communicate the impact of our work to funders and the broader community. | The Michael’s Daughter Foundation offers a diverse range of arts programs, including filmmaking, animation, puppetry, creative writing, original play creation, performance art, monologue development, short films, documentaries, and music. We also provide financial literacy workshops for all ages in partnership with local banks. These programs are held year-round across various communities in Los Angeles. Additionally, we are committed to offering college scholarships to students impacted by incarceration or with an incarcerated loved one, as well as providing emergency support to families affected by incarceration. | ||
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | SFIOP | 777 FLORIDA ST #203, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110-2025 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 215-1632 | 12th congressional | 17 | 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, the SFIOP will continue to present art, performance, and arts education programming with a low barrier to entry, galvanizing California and Bay Area artists and performers to create large scale works of public art. We produce 8-10 events each year centering untold stories and marginalized voices, in historic and ecological context to the sites where they are presented. Our collaborative process invites artists to participate in determining the narrative, purpose and outcomes of each work, empowering many to realize more ambitious visions, with technical, artistic and administrative support from SFIOP. | Rogue Cinema: a revived mobile cinema and printed matter zine library and reading room, housed in a vintage bus, popping up at various locations around the Bay. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | N/A | PO BOX 56226 , SAN JOSE, CA 95156-6226 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 230-5199 | With support from the California Arts Council, Chamber Music Silicon Valley will execute its upcoming seasons’ (2023-2025) initiatives including a free community tour of “Precious Scars,” a musical tribute honoring Japanese American Internees of World War II; two distinct multidisciplinary artist residencies designed to co-create an arts-based, civic and social engagement performance experience (the 2024 residency will specifically focus on uplifting the stories of California’s Farmworkers); The annual Emerging Artist Fellowship Program which provides a valuable platform for emerging musicians of color, fostering their professional growth; the annual Silicon Valley Music Festival continues where the 2024 Festival will celebrate the sesquicentennial of Arnold Schoenberg, feature commissioned works by composers Andrea Gutierrez and Ivette Herryman Rodriguez, and offer an opportunity for a diverse cohort of Bay Area songwriters to have their works orchestrated and performed. | Concert experiences that blend classical chamber music with multi-disciplinary and cross-cultural art practices, incorporating civic and social engagement elements. The annual Emerging Artist Fellowship Program, which provides fellows with professional development education and performance opportunities while also challenging them to explore unconventional paths in their musical careers Collaborative community engagement and social justice initiatives in diverse settings, such as the U.S./Mexican Border, supporting unhoused women, California’s farmworkers, and the Juvenile Hall Systems. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $20,400.00 | Jocelyn Reyes | 6 Dunnes Aly , San Francisco, CA 94133-4010 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (323) 867-1350 | California Assembly district 17 | District CA-11 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, REYES Dance will produce ¡Ay Dios Mio (Spanish for Oh My God), an evening-length work of live contemporary dance that explores the intersection of chronic pain, early trauma, and spirituality within the context of Latinx culture. All performances will include pre-show discussions and post-show Q&A forums between health professionals and collaborating artists to provide resources, education, and a platform for discussion on chronic pain, trauma, wellness, and building a healthier relationship to spirituality within Latinx and POC communities. | REYES dance produces new dance films and live dance performances that are presented in different theaters in San Francisco, featuring works that investigate themes around domestic violence, religion, poverty and health within the context of Latin American culture. Throughout the year, we invite community members to work-progress-showings, discussions, workshops and feedback sessions to connect, to engage in important conversations, to share their experiences and to help shape the dance work with their valuable perspectives. REYES Dance also curates an annual dance film festival, titled Dance Thrill Fest, featuring new short dance films created by women and/or BIPOC artists. With this film festival, we aim to give emerging artists from historically underrepresented backgrounds the resources to create a new dance film work and connect with each other and their respective communities. All artists are paid for their contributions and the dance films are presented at the Little Roxie Theater in the Mission neighborhood in San Francisco. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | LACE | 6522 HOLLYWOOD BLVD , LOS ANGELES, CA 90028-6210 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 250-0940 | California's 28th congressional district | District 50 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, LACE will commission artist Harry Gamboa, Jr. to engage with the organization’s local Hollywood community to stage a new fotonovela as part of the artist’s forthcoming exhibition. His fotonovelas offer a playful and often humorous stage for addressing sociopolitical issues unique to the communities he engages with to produce the final artwork. | Founded in 1978 by a core group of committed artists, LACE is an internationally recognized pioneer among art institutions. LACE is a nonprofit venue that exhibits and advocates for innovations in art-making and public engagement. Uniquely positioned among commercial galleries and major art establishments at the heart of Hollywood as a free, open to the public experimental space, LACE has nurtured not only several generations of young artists, but also emerging art forms such as performance art, video art, digital art, and installations. LACE presents significant and timely exhibitions, performances, and public projects, which are complemented by education initiatives. LACE’s core values have remained the same since its founding in 1978: A dedication to the art of our time that focuses on freedom of expression; experimentation with ideas, materials, and new forms; and content that is challenging and socially engaging. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | The Garcia Center for the Arts | 536 W. 11th Street , SN BERNRDNO, CA 92410 | San Bernardino | Inland Empire | (909) 888-6400 | 33rd | 45 | 29 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Garcia Center for the Arts will support the creation of the Inland Film Festival, a project meant to highlight stories from the local community through the creation and showcasing of locally-produced film. | When the SBVCA was first founded in 1932, its focus was primarily to contract touring groups, bringing musical and dance performances to the San Bernardino area. A shift happened in 2013, when the SBVCA Board approved the lease for an abandoned adobe building, which was renovated and dedicated as The Garcia Center for the Arts, in honor of Ernest and Dorothy Garcia. The Garcia Center for the Arts is a project of the San Bernardino Valley Concert Association. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | WEAVE | 1900 K STREET , SACRAMENTO, CA 95811-4187 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 448-2321 | District 6 | District 6 | District 8 | With support from the California Arts Council, Sacramento survivors of domestic violence will participate in a series of six trauma-informed creative workshops centered around healing, empowerment, and mindfulness. Workshop participants will be encouraged to collaborate in a cohesive community mural inspired by survivors of domestic violence. Following the completion of the creative workshops, a team of experienced Sacramento artists will design and execute the community mural in partnership with WEAVE Inc. | 24/7 support line and chat: Advocates available 24/7 for emotional support, safety planning, and referrals. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Viver Brasil Dance Company | 2141 N Gower Street , Los Angeles, CA 90068 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 804-1466 | 28th Congressional District | State Assembly District 43 | State Senate District 26 | With support from the CAC, Viver Brasil – in partnership with Nate Holden Performing Arts Center – will continue to provide free weekly Afro-Brazilian community dance and music classes that build a healthy, vibrant, and resilient community by addressing themes of cultural equity, inclusion & social justice through the joyous dances and rhythms of VB’s Afro-Brazilian repertoire. | Samba in the Streets, VB’s free community engagement program teaches Afro-Brazilian traditional dances modeled on Blocos Afro, Afro-Brazilian parading organizations that introduce communities to Afro-Brazilian history through traditional and contemporary dance and music. Cooking Samba, VB’s signature family program is a narrated 45-minute show that include the royal orixa dances, riveting capoeira, joyful samba and Bahian carnaval with live music and an interactive dance workshop. Community Class, is a weekly Afro-Brazilian technique dance class led by founding artistic directors Linda Yudin and Luiz Badaro accompanied by live music. Dancing at the Source is a 15-day cultural immersion program to Salvador, Bahia, Brazil where participants experience: daily Afro-Brazilian dance, music, and culture classes taught by experienced faculty who are master cultural workers, that reflects VB’s role as a bridge between the U.S. and Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Fox Cultural Hall | 8707 North Lake Boulevard , Kings Beach, CA 96143 | Placer | Upstate | (530) 582-8278 | California Assembly District 3 | District 1 | District 1 | With the opening of our new Fox Cultural Hall this spring , CAC funding will help Arts For The Schools Dba Fox Cultural Hall support the costs of recently launched programs including the LGBTQ+ Art Club, Tech Club, and Youth Internships programs. Funding will support the expansion of new community-based programming that will extend our reach to rural, and historically under-served communities and provide mentorship, training and economic opportunities. | Fox Cultural Hall (Arts For The Schools) now offers seven programs, operating in a new space for arts programming and community arts. Community Programs: arTRAIN- Free professional training in arts integration for classroom teachers and schools to promote equitable learning outcomes among students. The Mural Project –A collaboration of area organizations, to beautify local businesses with artistic murals, in the heart of North Lake Tahoe communities. The art conveys important local themes of environmental stewardship, history and cultural heritage, with the goal of bringing attention to local small businesses. Mexican Heritage Festival – The festival honors Mexican cultural traditions through celebration of Mexican music, dance, arts, artisan vendors, crafts, food and local businesses. In addition to supporting and celebrating Mexican culture, arts and artists, the festival promotes and supports, local LatinX-owned businesses. School- based Programs: The Performing Arts program provides performances and workshops with cultural, performing artists in K-12 schools to promote cultural learning. The program serves 10,000 students and reaches 22 schools in our service area, and supports 35-40 artists annually. The Community School program provides in-depth course work in music, visual arts, and digital arts for juvenile-justice system and vulnerable youth at school. The program serves students with in-depth fine arts and career-training course-work. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | Our Town. Our Children. A Social Awareness Art Project. | 646 County Square Drive, Suite 154 , Ventura, CA 93003-0436 | Ventura | Central Coast | (805) 336-1880 | 26th Congressional District | 38th Assembly District | 19th Senate District | With the support of the California Arts Council, Our Town. Our Children. A Social Awareness Art Project will expand our cultural based presentations and workshops to wider under-served communities in Oxnard AND to outlying historically under-served communities in Ventura County, specifically with the migrant and agricultural community in Santa Paula. Besides mural programming, silk-screening and Dia de los Muertos, we will now expand our cultural programs to include new Art in the Garden, Danza Azteca Workshops, Poetry workshops, Cesar Chavez Migrant, Agricultural Workers, and Labor Rights Celebration, and Art for Social Justice workshops. | We provide a creative outlet to foster self esteem, deter feelings of isolation, and provide a safe, stable environment where the children/youth/families can express themselves. Aside from art workshops and our locally recognized Youth Summer Mural Project, we incorporate many cultural artistic practices into the program to help develop a positive sense of identity and further build their self-esteem. We hold a complete series of workshops for Dia de Los Muertos, silk screening workshops, incorporate presentations from other children’s folkloric groups, host guest bilingual authors talks, host posadas workshops, and participate in Dia de Los Niños, which is a major day of celebration in Mexico. Children/youth learn how to get involved in positive social action activities and learn how even the youngest “artists” can make a difference in the community. Parents are also involved in many cultural activities which helps bring unity within the families in our community. We have expanded to include cultural arts programming into community gardens and social justice events such as the Cesar Chavez Memorial Presentation and Rally. Our long term goal is to continue providing artistic programming for at-risk, socioeconomically challenged children and youth and include the whole family in our community, while striving to create open spaces where they can discuss and express their thoughts and feelings without prejudice. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Alisal Center For The Fine Arts | 745 N Sanborn Road , Salinas, CA 93905 | Monterey | Central Coast | (831) 216-5676 | California's 18th congressional district | District 29 | District 17 | With support from the California Arts Council the Alisal Center for the Fine Arts can increase our capacity to serve more children and youth in cultural music and the arts. We hope to be at our pre pandemic level in the next fiscal year with this funding. This funding will also assist with eliminating our current waiting list due to the decrease in funding received during the pandemic. | The Alisal Center for the Fine Arts has served the Salinas Community for over 30 years. ACFA has developed into a steward for emerging artists and professionals while remaining as a solid foundation for youth and community members. ACFA’s presence in Salinas has contributed to the development of musicians, artist, dancers, and actors. Thanks to ACFA, numerous individuals have returned and are now involved in teaching and/or performing within the community. ACFA has grown into one of the largest arts oriented organizations in East Salinas by providing arts related instruction, performance opportunities and events. ACFA provides various fine arts opportunities that embody cultural, traditional, and contemporary forms of art. These opportunities allow students to learn and gain enriched experiences through workshops and public presentations. Instructors mentor more than 300 participants weekly, inspiring creative expression, character building, and community engagement. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $17,000.00 | Still Here San Francisco | 934 Brannan Street , San Francisco, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 573-5792 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Still Here San Francisco will produce a podcast featuring local QTBIPOC artists born and raised in San Francisco. CAC funds will also support our free Podcast Release event. | Still Here San Francisco presents work created of, by, for, and about QTBIPOC, who comprise approximately half of the Bay Area’s estimated 350,000 LGBTQ+ residents. SHSF programs bring together queer and trans artists of different ages and racial backgrounds to create works that explore how historical and contemporary issues such as gentrification, displacement, AIDS, and police brutality have impacted the residents of San Francisco. Still Here creates original multi-disciplinary multi-artist productions, media arts screenings, a Still Here Presents discussion series, and literary residencies, all centering the experiences of queer and trans BIPOC who grew up in San Francisco and despite waves of gentrification and displacement are Still Here. Our Anthology Series centers the voices of LGBTQ+ BIPOC artists raised in San Francisco. We celebrated the release of this first-of-its kind-anthology with a night of readings from the anthology, performances, and more. Every year we hold the Kaleidoscope Writing Workshop Series, spending 8 weeks working with new groups of Transgender and Non-Binary BIPOC artists to help them refine their art and broaden their exposure. Almost all participants are low-income or working class. We also co-produce Start a Riot, a chapbook writing precise in response to rapid gentrification and displacement of artists in the SF Bay Area. Still Here continued to meet the needs of the Still Here community during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 by holding a virtual monthly writing group and producing three virtual Still Here Presents events, each one featuring a Still Here artist in conversation about their life and creative work. In 2022, this writing group met in person and their work led to Last Sky: a Palestinian Futures Writing Workshop, A free Still Here SF writing workshop for Palestinian and other SWANA people, Black/Indigenous/people of color led by Janine Mogannam. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | Urban Jazz Dance Company | 1446 Market Street , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (510) 575-9711 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Urban Jazz Dance Company will produce the 12th annual Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival (BAIDDF) to be held August 2024 in collaboration with Dance Mission Theater. The 2024 BAIDDF will feature over 60 Deaf and Hard of Hearing artists for an audience of 500. The 12th Annual BAIDDF will consist of three performances, three workshops, and an Artist Q&A for Deaf and Hearing audiences and students. While primarily featuring dance, BAIDDF will also include poetry and music, including 4 live music orchestra members. The first of its kind in the Bay Area, BAIDDF is a highly anticipated annual event. BAIDDF fosters shared understanding between people by highlighting the contributions that Deaf artists make to our community and raising Deaf awareness. | UJDC educates audiences about current events, empowering minorities, lack of early access to language for Deaf children and social justice. We provide educational workshops/performances at Deaf schools, mainstream programs, Universities, state colleges and seniors homes in the process, creating a healing space for many who have experienced domestic abuse. UJDC passionately visits over 70 schools per year, local to International, working with both hearing and Deaf people of all ages and abilities. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | San Jose Multicultural Artists Guild | PO Box 2043 , San Jose, CA 95109 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 272-9924 | California Assembly district 27 | District 27 | District 15 | With support from the California Arts Council, the San Jose Multicultural Artists Guild (SJMAG) will produce our 26th annual Dia de los Muertos events over five weeks in October/November 2023, including a comparsa (parade) culminatig in cross-cultural performances, an exhibit of altars honoring departed ancestors, and children’s workshops. Funds will partially underwrite artist fees and production, marketing & administrative costs. | SJMAG offers Performing Arts Programs including annual presentations of performances of work created and performed by women, people of color, including solo performances, performances by ensembles, and plays written and acted by black artists; and an annual Girlfriends Day attended by women and their female relatives, colleagues and friends that includes performances by female-identified musicians, dancers and performers; community programs including Day of the Dead celebrations serving more than 20,000 community members annually; and educational programs in school and community settings, run by contracted local artists. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits (BAAITS) | 415 Valencia St , San Francisco, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (702) 481-2536 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits (BAAITS) will sustain two staff positions–our first employees: Executive Director Angel Fabian and Program Manager M. Zamora. CAC funds will also be used to support the 13th & 14th Annual BAAITS Two-Spirit Powwow’s production and access costs to be held the first or second weekend of February 2024 and 2025 at Fort Mason Center for Arts and Culture in San Francisco, a free daylong gathering featuring several head dancers who honor the event as leaders, several hours of ceremonial honor dances, contest dances, and a drum contest. Finally, funding will also support BAAITS’s 2023-25 cultural and artistic programming to support and engage our Bay Area Two-Spirit and IndigeQueer constituency. | BAAITS largest program is our annual Two-Spirit Powwow. At this Powwow all Two-Spirit identified Native American, American Indian, and T-SLGBTQI people and their allies get a chance to come together to celebrate culture, build community, and express themselves. The BAAITS Powwow was the world’s first public Two-Spirit Powwow and we are now the world’s largest. The BAAITs Two Spirit Powwow is modeled after a traditional Oklahoma style Powwow and is an intertribal event that also invites non-Native guests to experience Native cultures. On the day of and the months leading up to the event, we have contact with thousands of people who identify as Two-Spirit, American Indian, Indigenous and allies. We reach them, spread our mission, and gather people from all over the US and Canada to celebrate and heal. Powwow participants feel “ohno cochico”, community love or the way that one feels when they are amongst their tribe. It is a place where we can truly restore and reclaim the role of Two-Spirit people. We do this through cultural expression, getting back in touch with our culture, and ceremony. Our oldest program, the BAAITS Drum is an all-gender big drum group that meets once a month. BAAITS Drum participates in drumming and community events throughout the year, and drums at our annual Powwow. BAAITS organizes social gatherings, Two Spirit Artist & Cultural Bearer’s workshops and TS Talking Circles throughout the year and marches in the annual San Francisco Pride Parade. In addition to the social gatherings, BAAITS organizes and participates in panels, cultural and artistic performances, and offers classes and workshops leading up to our annual Powwow, such as bead working, regalia making, protocol, and cultural dances for American Indian and non-Two-Spirit allies. BAAITS also participates in national and international meetings with other Two-Spirit societies and Native American organizations. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $19,249.00 | Litvak Dance Arts Foundation | 2031 Shadow Grove Way , Encinitas, CA 92024 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 855-0367 | California's 49th congressional district | District 76 | District 36 | With support from the California Arts Council, Litvak Dance Arts Foundation will continue to present diverse voices in contemporary dance to our community through affordable and accessible programming and youth outreach. | Litvak Dance Arts Foundation create dance experiences that serve a larger community through performance and outreach. We provide classes for high school and community college students, workshops for youth, and in-classroom dance experiences for elementary schools. We commission new repertory from skilled dance makers and create original repertory. We produce and perform our repertory in multiple venues in the San Diego region during the year and join with other performing groups for performance collaborations, festivals, community events and educational outreach activities. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Jamii Publishing | 3938 SEVERENCE AVE , SN BERNRDNO, CA 92405-2342 | San Bernardino | Inland Empire | (909) 440-7167 | California's 31st congressional district | 40th Assembly District | 20th Senate District | With support from the California Arts Council, Jamii Publishing will create a literary arts writing workshop series, poetry reading and retreat, Wild Seed, for black women. We are seeking support in the amount of $25,000 that will be utilized for venue rental, facilitator fees, participant scholarships, marketing and promotional materials, and logistical arrangements necessary for the successful implementation of the retreat. | At Jamii Publishing, our core programs and services are focused on amplifying the voices of women and gender nonbinary poets and writers of color through community-based projects. Jamii Publishing accepts submissions from various artists, such as performance poets, community teachers looking to publish anthologies or poetic memoirs, and other artists who want to share their work. Jamii publishing is committed to providing a platform for underrepresented voices in the publishing industry and supporting the amplification of these voices and their work through all form of literary arts and literary arts support. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $40,375.00 | Cal Shakes | 100 California Shakespeare Theater Way , Orinda, CA 94563 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (510) 548-3422 | California's 11th congressional district | District 16 | District 16 | With support from the California Arts Council, Cal Shakes will launch its emergent workforce development program, involving scene shop development; artistic production and education; and arts administration. Building on and adding to Cal Shakes’s established Artistic Learning Program, as well as its dynamic Scene Shop, this workforce development program will target Cal Shakes’s wider regional networks of Contra Costa and Alameda Counties—offering compensated skills-based learning and employment opportunities for at-promise, BIPOC youth. All grant funds will be used to pay the Assistant Technical Director and Workforce Development Manager, to purchase equipment for workforce development training, and to develop a comprehensive training module and educational initiative. | Cal Shakes brings together people from all walks of life to connect with our shared humanity through its work onstage, in schools, and in community. Our Main Stage season runs May – October at the outdoor, solar-powered Bruns Amphitheater. Artistic Learning programs engage young people through Student Discovery matinees at our Theater, our summer Conservatories, and theater-based artist-led residencies in classrooms. Artistic Engagement programs are developed in partnership with people from a wide range of communities to expand opportunity for the artist in everyone, claim and tell our own narratives through theater-based activities, and spark intersectional conversation around the plays on our stage. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Red Ladder Theatre Company | 161 Jackson Street, Suite 220 , San Jose, CA 95112 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 657-7582 | California's 19th congressional district | District 27 | District 15 | With support from the California Arts Council, Red Ladder Theatre Company will partner with artists in Japantown’s senior community to develop a creative process that centers the narratives and lived experiences of our Japantown seniors and brings their stories to life on stage in performances of original, devised works to be performed for the greater Japantown community. | Often impacted by marginalization and systemic disparity, Red Ladder’s participants span a wide range of ages, experiences and abilities, with backgrounds that often include racial segregation, economic hardship, teen pregnancy, developmental disability, housing insecurity or incarceration. The company fills the void where the resources to nurture life-skills critical to the healthy development of children and enrichment programs for struggling adults are not available. Red Ladder creates partnerships with community organizations and conducts residencies in schools, community centers, prisons and juvenile justice institutions, working with participants over an extended period of time to engage their creativity and amplify their voices through devised theatre and performance pieces developed by the participants to tell their own stories. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA THEATRE COMPANY (SFBATCO) | 2781 24th Street , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 484-8566 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, SFBATCO will produce the 2023 New Roots Theatre Festival, which will take place November 11-13, 2023 at Brava Theater Center in San Francisco. Now in its third year, the Festival was designed to intentionally build alliances among Black, Latinx, AAPI, Indigenous, Middle Eastern and LGBTQIA+ theater workers, organizations, and audiences, while providing an inclusive space for workshopping new projects. The Festival will feature at least 12 performances over three days; it will engage over 70 arts workers; and it will attract over 1,000 audience members. | SFBATCO mounts 2-3 full productions per year that address American society’s contemporary racial and cultural conflicts. Additionally, the organization provides community service initiatives such as free capacity-building workshops for BIPOC creatives, and invests in the creation of new work by local writers and composers. SFBATCO recently produced the World Premiere of Sign My Name to Freedom, a social justice musical based on the life and work of Betty Reid Soskin, a Black Bay Area icon who was a Civil Rights Activist and instrumental National Parks figure. Other commissioned pieces in development include Every Saturday Night, a semi-autobiographical musical that depicts San Francisco’s Fillmore District in the 1950s when it was known as the “Harlem of the West” before San Francisco’s Urban Development program displaced thousands of Black residents and businesses; and The Day the Sky Turned Orange, a soulful, House, R&B musical that helps us confront and make sense of our collective fear of the climate crisis, inspired by Sept 9, 2020, the day the sky in San Francisco turned a troubling shade of amber, as ash rained down, due to thousands of wildfires spreading across the state. Since 2021, SFBATCO has annually produced the New Roots Theatre Festival, which features works in development by BIPOC artists and organizations. The festival was designed to build alliances amongst the region’s artists, audiences, and funders. Past collaborating organizations include African-American Shakespeare Company, Lorraine Hansberry Theater, and PUSH Dance. SFBATCO also runs several education programs, both in schools and at Brava Theater. In 2022 and 2023, SFBATCO co-sponsored a series of free capacity building audition workshops with African-American Shakespeare Company for BIPOC performers who were unable to attend arts training programs. SFBATCO’s Creators Lab is an annual cohort of playwrights and composers that get paid to develop their ideas with SFBATCO’s Literary Manager. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $25,666.00 | LRCC | 5776 LINDERO CANYON RD D289 Suite D289, WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA 91362-6428 | Ventura | Central Coast | (805) 496-9616 | California's 26th district | District 42 | District 27 | With support from the California Arts Council, Los Robles Children’s Choir will have the funds to support its program expenses, in particular its personnel, thereby freeing up money to be directed into its vital scholarship fund and expanding its community outreach programs. This allocation of money will guarantee that ample financial assistance is available to under-served families and will allow LRCC to offer more free community events, enabling more children to benefit from our choral education program. | LRCC offers four levels of vocal instruction to children ages 5-18 years old on a weekly basis. We also offer choral workshops and several community concert events each season including collaborations with New West Symphony and other professional arts organizations. The choir tours both domestically and internationally every other year. We hold weekly musicianship classes where students build their theory and sight singing skills to improve their overall musicianship. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | ArtsUP! LA | 11777 San Vicente Blvd. Suite 502, LOS ANGELES, CA 90049-5011 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 902-8220 | CA 32 | District 42 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, ArtsUP! LA will produce five original works from Arts by the Blind. This extraordinary group of performers will challenge conventional expectations about the capabilities of individuals who live without sight. From their hearts, these artists explore the space between disability and possibility. | ArtsUP! provides the following core programs: |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | IN THE MARGIN | 2700 Capitol Ave , Sacramento, CA 95816 | Sacramento | Capital | (310) 923-4306 | With support from the California Arts Council, IN THE MARGIN (ITM) will provide much needed relief and stability to our administrative department currently being supported by in-kind services and grants on a project by project basis. Between projects our department consists of volunteer admin coordinators who generously split their time between other leadership roles in the organization and main employers. The grant would allow ITM to fortify and strengthen its administrative and operational capacity in order to continue and expand its programming and support to the intersectional communities it serves. | ITM core programming includes educational workshops for professional development and skill building, new work development, and arts programming (theatre, film, multimedia). | |||
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | White Hall Arts Academy | 2812 W 54TH ST , LOS ANGELES, CA 90043-4824 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (424) 235-0665 | California Assembly district 55 | District CA-37 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, White Hall Arts Academy Foundation will develop and produce a musical production that will give students from across the underserved communities the opportunity to showcase their talents and exercise their skill set through exploring social justice, inclusivity, and culturally-relevant storytelling. | Soundworks is a workforce development program that trains justice-affected and transitional aged foster youth ages 18–24 in audio engineering, lighting design, and video production. Participants gain technical skills and hands-on experience in live entertainment, positioning them for apprenticeships and careers in the creative economy. Saturday Sessions combines the HeARTbeats and Project MuszEd programs to deliver inclusive arts education year-round. HeARTbeats serves ages 4–12 with group classes in drums, violin, guitar, piano, singing, and dance. Project MuszEd offers conservatory-level instruction in music production, acting, and songwriting for teens and young adults. Each cycle serves over 60 students and culminates in a showcase to foster confidence and community pride. Funding supports class materials, instructors, and outreach. Classes run in 4- and 8-week sessions. Private Music Lesson Scholarships provide over $20,000 annually in free lessons for children in underserved communities and youth impacted by foster care. H.O.P.E. Choir and Ensemble are intergenerational performing groups that empower participants to engage in community through music. These groups uplift audiences with performances for organizations like United Airlines, LA Metro, CASA-LA, and the Taste of Soul Festival. JAMM-U brings music instruction to youth with limited access to instruments. Students receive training in guitar, vocals, and production at partner sites across South Los Angeles, including Crete Academy, Watts Learning Center, and Birdie V. Lee Bright Elementary School. Rock The Block is our signature annual wellness festival, drawing over 3,000 attendees to celebrate music, community empowerment, and wellbeing. With live performances, panel discussions, health services, youth activities, and clean energy showcases, the event reflects our mission to strengthen South LA through the arts. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Watsonville Film Festival | 225 Main St #172 , WATSONVILLE, CA 95076 | Santa Cruz | Central Coast | (831) 325-8724 | California's 20th Congressional District | 30th State Assembly District | 17th Senate District | continue presenting culturally relevant year-round programs elevating the contributions of Latine filmmakers, local art and traditions. We will accomplish this through our annual film festival and two large annual free community events at the Watsonville Plaza, as well as ongoing special events and programming that provide a space for inspiration, connection and dialogue while engaging underserved communities in our region. | • Watsonville Film Festival — Our annual flagship event is a multi-day, multi-lingual, and multicultural film festival that highlights powerful works by local, international, and youth filmmakers. Through a carefully curated selection of films, we celebrate the depth and diversity of the Latine experience. This year, we expanded our reach beyond Watsonville, presenting screenings in Salinas, Santa Cruz, and Aptos, broadening access and engagement across the region. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | OAKLAND INTERFAITH GOSPEL CHOIR | 1212 Preservation Park Way ste 200 , Oakland, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 839-4361 | California District 12 | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir (OIGC) will provide a year-long, comprehensive, sequential, multicultural general and choral music education program in West Oakland Middle School. As part of the organization’s OIGC in the Classroom (OITC) program, the project will provide free classes, opportunities for youth to experience creating art as a form of advocacy as they express themselves creatively in musical traditions deeply rooted in their home community, about topics that matter to them, opportunities for confidence-building public performances, exposure to professional creatives and guidance on music-related career opportunities, and build social cohesion through ensemble singing and performances. | OIGC’s programs include the namesake 73-member adult choir, which headlines the organization’s self-produced annual Holiday Concert and Annual Free Spring Concert; performs across the region in a variety of venues and settings; and via its artistic projects and collaborations, preserves and advances the artistic heritage of Oakland’s large African American population. The 110-member Oakland Interfaith Community Choir is a limited-commitment ensemble founded in 2013, open to adults at all skill levels. Oakland Interfaith Kids Choir is open to children between the ages of 5 – 8, while Oakland Interfaith Youth Choir serves those between 9 – 18. The 2022 merger with Oakland Youth Chorus introduced an additional three youth ensemble choruses that have an additional classroom and formal music education component for those who would like to learn to read and write music as well as sing. A Community Engagement Program offers year-round, free, accessible performances to a diverse audience that includes people in shelters, prisons, jails, nursing homes and other institutions; provides no-fee or low-fee performances for social service agencies, faith-based and educational institutions; and performs for large audiences at admission-free civic festivals and other celebrations. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $54,998.00 | Eth-Noh-Tec | 977 S VAN NESS AVE , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110-2613 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 282-8705 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Eth-Noh-Tec (ENT) will sustain its programs, staff and operations from July 2023 to June 2025. Our programs will include the creation and staging of original storytelling and theater productions, storytelling events about anti-AAPI violence and discrimination, monthly online storytelling programs, apprenticeship program and the ongoing archiving of the company’s 42-year history. | ENT presents 4 performance programs: 1. Asia Fantasia, a solo performance of folktales and myths from SE Asia; 2. Asian Treasure Bag, a tandem duet telling of pan-Asian folktales and myths; 3. contemporary personal stories of Asian American heroes, historical Asian American family stories, and of other Asian American issues; and 4. Eth-Noh-Tec Ensemble [includes apprentices] performing Asian folktales. Three workshops include: 1. Tell it with Movement and More, teaching performance skills, choreography and staging; 2. Cultural Appropriation vs. Innovation, understanding the difference and the rules of appropriate ethnic representation; 3. ImmiGratitude®, communities sharing immigrant stories through narrative and art making. Eth-Noh-Tec also offers tailored classes in storytelling and a training program. Since the pandemic, Eth-Noh-Tec has created 1. monthly storytelling Zoom concerts free to the public and 2. a group called Asian American Storytellers in Action consisting of Asian American storytellers from across the country, creating programs that address who we are as Americans of Asian descent through our stories in response to anti-Asian hate. We have created Asian American Storytopia for K-5th with stories and activities. Adult programming continues in various festivals and venues Including online festivals and conferences. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | JOAN | 1206 MAPLE AVE STE 715 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90015-2623 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 500-7133 | District 34 | District 53 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, JOAN will pay a substantial portion of our annual staff salaries and rent, and subsidize artist fees and production costs for upcoming exhibitions and programs. This will allow us to more fully carry out our mission to provide a space for experimentation and for art that probes social and cultural norms. Since our founding in 2015 in the tradition of feminist alternative spaces, we’ve been producing programming that amplifies historically marginalized voices, and in the years since, have only strengthened our commitment to centering QTBIPOC communities in our work. JOAN occupies an essential role in the arts ecosystem of Southern California, and with the CAC’s support, will continue to uphold a high standard of programming, operations, and audience engagement. | While centered on a robust, rotating schedule of exhibitions, JOAN is proudly multidisciplinary in its programming, presenting an active calendar of performances, screenings, and discursive events. Many of our programs take the form of commissioned solo projects, enabling us to work closely with individual artists, engage deeply with their practices, and support the development and realization of new work. We are particularly committed to supporting early- to mid-career artists, often collaborating with them on ambitious projects at pivotal moments in their creative trajectories. In addition to championing the Los Angeles arts community, JOAN draws on an international network and global perspective to bring relevant and challenging work to the city—expanding local dialogue and enriching the cultural landscape. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Chavalos de aqui y alla | 178 ELLINGTON AVE , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112-3623 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 859-5318 | California's 14th congressional district | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council uplift Chavalos folklore program, Chavalos Danzas por Nicaragua by ensuring our teachers are paid equitably and would sustain the associated expenses with folklore performances and in turn would allow us to continue providing free programming to local youth, young adults and their families. Chavalos will help Central Americans have a voice in our community. We want to bridge that gap; we want to be there for immigrants who just came and need a support system or simply want to interact with aspects of their own culture. We want to be there for children who were born here and have never had exposure to their parent’s traditions, dances, and music. We want to be there for anyone who wants to learn about our culture and identify with Central America. | Chavalos Dance Program: Chavalos Danzas por Nicaragua was established in the Latinx Cultural district of San Francisco, we felt the need to display and showcase the multidimensions of the Latinx identity specifically from a Central American point of view and what that experience is like here in the Mission District. Our Nicaraguan community is large here in San Francisco, Nicaragua is rich in culture and rooted in traditions. Our group is dedicated to highlight these traditions through our folkloric dances. Our dance program gives a glimpse into the Nicaraguan and Central American which also relates to the Latinx community and all the nuances within it. Although we have been organizing cultural events since 2010, it took six years to build our core group of dancers and instructors ultimately leading to the creation of our dance program in an effort to align with our mission of sharing our identity with in the community and helping immigrants preserve their cultural as well as second generation Central Americans find and identify their unknown roots. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $31,166.00 | Coachella Valley Arts Institute | 41550 Eclectic Street , Palm Desert, CA 92260 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (760) 440-5512 | 25th | 42nd | 28th | With the support from the California Arts Council, Futurenomic Resources, dba Coachella Valley Arts Institute (CVAI) will bridge the inequity in arts education to underserved communities by offering trademarked art therapy, and providing art programs for free to youth and homeless populations. CVAI proposes music drum circles for healing, addressing Public Health, Environment, and Civic Engagement. We will engage drumming as a tool for healing, allowing participants to use rhythm, mindfulness, and energy-medicine techniques as an avenue for connection and support complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) programs for trauma recovery. We will document the positive progression from our drumming program of people or families experiencing homelessness and create a documentary as the finale. | CVAI offers a diverse array of programs tailored to enhance literacy, artistic expression, and well-being among youth and homeless populations aged 2 and above. Our commitment to inclusivity is underscored by scholarship opportunities, ensuring access to quality arts education in underserved communities. Our programs encompass: – Vocal Training: Led by professionals employing the Seth Rigg’s method, participants receive comprehensive instruction in Speech Level Singing. – Singing Performance: Explore vocal technique, music theory, and stage presence in a supportive environment. – Dance Training: Experience a unique blend of dance styles tailored for live performances. -First 5 Movement Dance Class: Fosters literacy, balance, and coordination development. – Songwriting: Delve into song structure, vocabulary use, and self-expression. – Acting & Drama: Cultivate creativity and performance skills through immersive training. – STEM Education: Engage in hands-on classes integrating science, technology, engineering, and math with music and movement exploration, guitar craftsmanship, and music production using industry-standard software. – Art Therapy: Utilize Media Arts as a healing tool, employing rhythm, mindfulness, and energy-medicine techniques to support trauma recovery. – Painting: From perspective to composition, participants explore various painting techniques and mediums under expert guidance. – Social Media Class: Gain insights into utilizing social media platforms effectively and safely. – Music Production with Logic Class: Learn the intricacies of music and sound editing using Logic Pro, guided by professional engineers. – Adobe Illustrator Class: Master the basics of graphic design for creative expression. – Tutoring: Virtual sessions offer a wide range of educational opportunities including photography, videography, music production, website design, and marketing classes. At CVAI, we’re not just fostering artistic skills; we’re nurturing holistic development, empowering individuals to unleash their potential and contribute positively to their communities. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Capacitor Performance | 1695 18th Street #205 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 308-1952 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Capacitor Performance will collaborate with the California Academy of Sciences (CAS) to create STEM Portals: Pollination, a new choreographic performance in collaboration with the Bay Area deaf community and in conjunction with Capacitor’s STEM Portals educational program for dance students utilizing ballet, modern dance, circus arts to introduce and embody basic science concepts to spark curiosity and activate the potential for STEM careers – particularly focused on girls+ from underserved Bay Area communities. Capacitor will present a series of 8 performances and 4 workshops, Oct 5-15, 2023 at CAS. The performance will feature a performance ensemble led by Capacitor Artistic Director, Jodi Lomask; Urban Jazz Dance artistic director, Antoine Hunter; and mixed ensemble of hearing and deaf dancers. Workshops will be led by Capacitor Education Director, Coral Martin. | Capacitor has developed a niche for melding the performing arts with the sciences and new technologies. Sometimes called the “Cirque du Soleil of Environmental Science,” the company reflects the elements of technology, science, environmental conservation, expressive movement, and spectacular feats of flexibility, agility, and athletics that we meticulously integrate into our work. Lomask designs movement sculptures out of steel, bungee, fiberglass, silicone, and wood, with vivid projected visuals and transformative costumes. In the spirit of scientific inquiry, Capacitor uses a laboratory-style creative process, called Capacitor Lab. We assemble a cross-disciplinary team of artists, scientists, and technologists to explore a specific concept, find common threads, and create a shared vocabulary. From this collaboration a performance is born, taking us and our audiences to unexpected places. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Capacitor Performance | 1695 18th Street #205 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 308-1952 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, CAPACITOR will continue our operations from 2023 – 2025, including performances, workshops and classes. | Capacitor has developed a niche for melding the performing arts with the sciences and new technologies. Sometimes called the “Cirque du Soleil of Environmental Science,” the company reflects the elements of technology, science, environmental conservation, expressive movement, and spectacular feats of flexibility, agility, and athletics that we meticulously integrate into our work. Lomask designs movement sculptures out of steel, bungee, fiberglass, silicone, and wood, with vivid projected visuals and transformative costumes. In the spirit of scientific inquiry, Capacitor uses a laboratory-style creative process, called Capacitor Lab. We assemble a cross-disciplinary team of artists, scientists, and technologists to explore a specific concept, find common threads, and create a shared vocabulary. From this collaboration a performance is born, taking us and our audiences to unexpected places. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Represent Collaborative | 4411 Cabrillo Street , San Francisco, CA 94121-3211 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 217-9170 | 12th Congressional District | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Represent Collaborative will provide pro bono PR, marketing, photography, video, graphic design, and published editorial to at least 6 Black-owned business or racial justice organizations per year, executed with diverse creative teams made up of at least 50% paid Black creatives. | Represent Collaborative offers pro bono PR, marketing, photography, graphic design, editorial and more to Black-owned businesses, racial justice organizations and nonprofits. We creatively and transparently collaborate with our subjects to dismantle the traditional inequitable power structures inherent in traditional media. We then partner with mainstream media outlets to distribute these new stories to mass audiences. Through our unique wealth redistribution model — all our non-Black contributors donate their time and talent so we are able to competitively pay Black creators for their work — we are able to build truly diverse creative teams. Represent Collaborative contributors get connected to world-shifting, inspiring sources and fellow creators, and learn how to tell stories in a new way. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Cinequest Inc | 300 S. First Street #232, SAN JOSE, CA 95113 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 995-5033 | District 18 | District 27 | District 15 | With support from the California Arts Council, Cinequest will expand our newest DEIJ series “Tapestry of Us.” Created in partnership with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Tapestry of Us was designed to empower and showcase content that evolves thinking, highlights community and elevates the human spirit. Cinequest uses powerful short films as a conduit to empower uplifting conversations to enhance the experience of walking in someone else’s shoes. Tapestry of Us offers community members and youth outlets to express and experience new viewpoints and stories. Tapestry of Us tackles the challenges youth, families, and communities face today while encouraging participants to gain a sense of belonging, open their minds, enhance their perspectives, and evolve their thinking. Tapestry of Us program’s empower the voices of historically under-served communities. Change starts to happen when minds are open. | Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival (Founded 1990) – Voted Best Film Festival by USA Today Readers, this world-renowned festival blends cinematic excellence with innovation and community engagement. Featuring groundbreaking films, immersive storytelling, and media technology, Cinequest provides an empowering platform for diverse creators and audiences. From bold documentaries to cutting-edge animation, the festival is celebrated for inspiring discovery and connection across cultures and genres. Cinejoy Virtual Festival (Launched 2020) – Cinejoy revolutionizes audience access by providing a dynamic virtual platform where global film lovers can experience curated programming, filmmaker interactions, and artistic celebration from their own homes. Born out of the need to innovate during the pandemic, Cinejoy continues to extend Cinequest’s mission by eliminating geographic and physical barriers and enhancing digital inclusion through subtitles, virtual Q&As, and livestream events. Picture The Possibilities (PTP) (Launched 2004) – This global youth program empowers underserved young people with the skills and inspiration to envision and create their futures. Through PTP’s City Sessions, Summits with global luminaries, and the Creatics online platform, youth engage in the 7 Powers of Creating, develop original films, and connect with mentors and peers. The program fosters leadership, innovation, and confidence while promoting equity in storytelling and opportunity. Tapestry of Us (Launched 2022) – This empathy-driven series uses short films and community conversations to illuminate lived experiences across diverse identities and cultures. Topics include anti-Asian violence, assimilation, transgender youth, mental health, bullying, and more. Tapestry of Us invites audiences into powerful journeys that foster understanding, inclusion, and a culture of kindness. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $20,861.00 | TODAY'S FUTURE SOUND | 666 Bellevue Ave , OAKLAND, CA 94661-0267 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 465-1850 | California's 12th congressional district | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, TODAY’S FUTURE SOUND will offer a year long series of Therapeutic Beat Making (TBM) workshops for high school students Future Sounds. Future Sounds uses the artistry and culture of Hip Hop—and in particular beatmaking—to learn, grow and heal. TBM instructors, trained in trauma-responsive practices engage under-resourced students of color in a cultural phenomenon they identify with, to center mental health and mindfulness strategies into lessons on cultural and social history, music theory, and music making. TBM provides an avenue for youth to effectively and intentionally express their truth in a healthy and socially adaptive manner. Outcomes include improved self-concept and better emotional regulation students can use to identify their passions and move toward their futures with purpose. | Interdisciplinary, cross-cultural, therapeutic, arts education through beat making and music production that builds confidence, inspires creativity, and helps individuals create positive change. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Broadway West | 4225 Via Arbolada #538 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90042 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 392-2643 | District 34 | District 53 | District 30 | With the support from the California Arts Council, Broadway West will continue its mission to enhance the cultural vitality of Downtown Los Angeles by bringing together the many incredible facets of theater arts that our community has to offer, including the many talented actors, dancers, singer, etc. that make the magic of Los Angeles sparkle across the globe. Specifically, CAC funds will go towards helping mount our annual Holiday Benefit, the first and second Broadway West Music & Theater Festival, in addition to aiding in our campaign for public arts funding and continued support of the nonprofits operations. | Programs: Services: |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Deep Valley Arts Collective | 225 ARLINGTON DR , UKIAH, CA 95482-3816 | Mendocino | Upstate | (707) 234-8667 | With support from the California Arts Council, DEEP VALLEY ARTS COLLECTIVE will provide resources to the underserved communities of Mendocino County by hiring a dedicated Executive Director to run the daily operations of our nonprofit arts organization and facilitate our ongoing exhibitions and programs. The Executive Director position will allow us to grow our organization and expand our offerings to include more workshops, lectures, critique groups, and other art events in our community-based art gallery, and increase our outreach efforts with artists lacking access and representation, and to further our goal of launching an expanded art center. | The Deep Valley Arts Collective’s core program is a community-based art gallery that offers free representation to the underserved artists in our county. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | RACE Matters SLO County | PO BOX 5215 , SN LUIS OBISP, CA 93403-5215 | San Luis Obispo | Central Coast | (415) 264-8641 | 24th District | 30 | District 17 | With support from the California Arts Council, RACE Matters SLO County will host classes on caring for textured hair care — compensating culture bearers and practitioners who hold the cultural knowledge of hair braiding and other rituals for natural Black hair care. These classes will be hosted at Texture — a brand new hair salon and community space that also serves as a work space and event space for R.A.C.E. Matters. Classes will include practical lessons on hair care as well as the cultural and historical significance of Black hair. Classes will largely be hands-on, family-friendly experiences that encourage children to learn about their hair with caregivers. | We fulfill our mission through the production of events and media content, cultural activations, response to social and racial injustice, and support of others in the community working in this space. In May 2023 R.A.C.E. Matters will open an operational and creative hub that will house programs and special events. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Monterey County Pops! | 22385 Ortega Drive , Salinas, CA 93908-1113 | Monterey | Central Coast | (831) 484-5511 | California's 19th Congressional District | District 29 | District 17 | With support from the California Arts Council, Monterey County Pops! will improve sustainability of our programming and operations, further expand access, and continue to maintain artistic and administrative excellence. We will add a new position – Assistant Conductor/Music Director. We will increase the hours of our award-winning Music Director / Conductor Dr. Carl Christensen to expand partnerships and provide training and supervision of the new Assistant Conductor. We will also increase the hours of our part-time Executive Director to work closely with our board members to update our strategic plan, increase major gifts from individuals, and increase revenue from corporate funders. | Through free pops and patriotic concerts for thousands of families, Monterey County Pops! has been a leading partner for communities eager to increase civic engagement since 1990. Concerned by the lack of music instruction in schools – especially for students with no access to private instruction — the Pops! added an immersive and collaborative education program in Salinas Valley communities. Music Director Dr. Carl Christensen and our musicians now provide free clinics at a growing number of schools. Students learn in small groups with orchestra mentors during the day and perform pieces relevant to their families — along with the orchestra — in the evening. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $23,374.00 | Glendale Youth Orchestra | PO BOX 4401 , GLENDALE, CA 91222-0401 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 839-8135 | 30th | 44th | 25th | With support from the California Arts Council, the Glendale Youth Orchestra will be able to fund | The Glendale Youth Orchestra is a leading independent youth music organization where our students are challenged musically and encouraged in a positive environment. Our students range in age from 10-23 and come from throughout Los Angeles County. The GYO is an advanced orchestra that performs three concerts each season of a wide range of music from classical to film to world music. Each week the students meet for three hours to rehearse under the direction of the conductor. The students are taught to work as a team and to listen to each other. The older students mentor the young members. The GYO wants our students to not only improve their musical talent but to grown as teens into young adults. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | LAUREL DISTRICT ASSOCIATION | 4222 MACARTHUR BLVD , OAKLAND, CA 94619-1908 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 530-3222 | 12 | 18 | 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Laurel District Association will be empowered to present the 23rd Annual Laurel StreetFair World Music Festival, a signature event that is dedicated to presenting and uplifting traditional & folkloric practices from the African, Latin/x, Indigenous, Asian and Pacific Islander diasporas. Our festival is held in a typically underserved area of Oakland; with this gathering we help shift the narrative and center the unapologetic creativity of our city. The festival is wheelchair accessible, admission free, family friendly and all are welcome. | District Identity – Arts and Culture: Accomplishments: Mural tour, Live in The Laurel concert series, Merchant Directory, LDA Website & New District Logo “The Laurel – Oakland’s Neighborhood,” New Street Pole Banner art, Building Unity & Integration Amongst Laurel Business Owners and the art community. Signature Events: The 22nd Annual Laurel StreetFair World Music Festival on August 12th 2023, Laurel Lunar New Year Parade and Blessing of the Businesses, Holidays in The Laurel, Live in The Laurel. Community Advisory Board: Accomplishments: Laurel District Identity Summit Projects: Hosting a series of seminars and workshops to educate, and connect the community and create pride within our community. Land Use: Public Rights of Way: Projects: Planters throughout the district were beautified with a series of art installations, supporting ten Oakland based artists; Refurbished 16 district trash cans with custom artwork featuring 8 Oakland based artists. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | MashUp Contemporary Dance Company | 2926 Gilroy St , Los Angeles, CA 90039 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 259-3289 | 30th Congressional district of California. | District 52 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, MashUp will continue its Annual Choreographic Residency Program, which empowers female-identifying choreographers to deepen their artistic practice, invests in the future of the dance field by providing space, resources, and other support for creative risk-taking and process-based artmaking, and allows audiences to experience and have a voice in the early stages of a new dance work. | MashUp sustains the following programs: International Women’s Day Dance Festival (IWDDF) — Annually in March, MashUp recognizes the advancements of women with a four-day festival, featuring an all-female and non-binary choreographer showcase, movement classes, dynamic panel discussions around gender equity in the arts, and unique networking opportunities. Highlights include one-on-one mentorship for high school students at the Women Dance Summit and the electrifying Support Women Artists Day film festival. National Women’s Equality Day (NWED) – Each August, MashUp joins forces with female-identifying creative teams, ideological partners, or social justice organizations to celebrate NWED via a performance, creation of a film, or community gathering. This program provides an opportunity for cross-disciplinary female artists and activists to collaborate, and challenges audiences to examine a current, culturally critical feminist topic. Choreographic Residency — Open to female-identifying and non-binary emerging and mid-career choreographers, the residency includes a stipend ($2K-$4K), studio time with MashUp company dancers, and a fully produced showcase with professional documentation. A direct investment in the future of the dance field, this program is one of the only LA residency opportunities that provides this level of financial and producorial support. Choreography Open Mic Nights — Quarterly events that offer eight LA-based choreographers 10 minutes to showcase their work and engage with a supportive public audience. The environment is designed to be extremely supportive, encouraging choreographers to ask for feedback and allowing audiences, including “non-dancers,” to learn how to articulate their thoughts about dance and directly interact with the artists, fostering a deeper appreciation for the art of dance. Intensives — MashUp hosts two-day dance intensives at its home studio: Frogtown Creative, as well as sends teachers out to studios to ensure access. Crafted specifically for the early career professional, these intensives include movement classes, Q&As with industry leaders, and mentorship sessions. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Friends of the Arts | 2615 Escala Dr. , MISSION VIEJO, CA 92691 | Orange | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (949) 275-5716 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Friends of the Arts will provide art workshops and open studio spaces at no cost to disabled and neurodiverse adults in Orange County, California. A program with two parts, this program will provide art workshops for individuals with mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s or dementia, and sensory-safe open studios for neurodiverse and/or disabled adults. These offerings are rooted in respect while uplifting the autonomy and self-directed creative process of participants. Provided in safe environments, participants are free to explore artistic self-expression while enjoying being in community with others. | Formed in 2012, we have sponsored the Pacific Symphony Orchestra’s Symphony in the Cities in Mission Viejo, Shakespeare in the Park, the repair of the Oso Bears, Mosaic Pillars at Christopher and Coronado Parks, Open Studios, Art Chats, Art in the Park, Artisan Fair, and Art Exhibits. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Arenas Dance Company | 3316 24th Street , San Francisco, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 623-6043 | District 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Arenas Dance Company will continue its mission to preserve and promote Cuban dance, music, and culture by paying a salary to our Artistic Director and stipends to our dedicated core staff, dancers, and musicians, constructing costumes, and renting rehearsal space as we prepare for the premieres of two new productions. | Arenas Dance Company (ADC) produces, presents, and creates dance performances celebrating the complexity and beauty of Cuban culture. We work to present the Cuban culture in its fullness and depth. ADC teaches weekly Cuban folkloric and popular dance classes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, and is frequently invited to guest teach – leading workshops and giving lectures – at schools (Elementary through University), libraries, and camps on Cuban dance, music and traditions. ADC also takes students on annual cultural exchange and study trips to Cuba. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Youth Art Exchange | 1950 Mission St , San Francisco, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 574-8137 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Youth Art Exchange (YAX) will partner with lead artist Amy Díaz-Infante Siquieros and local visual and performing artists of color, activating two new community art spaces on the ground floor of 100% affordable housing sites in the vibrant and diverse Excelsior and Mission neighborhoods of San Francisco through residencies and public projects centering creative exchange between artists and community. This work will be built on the strong foundation we have had in presenting this type of interactive artist and community-driven programming model since 2019. | Our core youth and community programming is free to increase accessibility to the arts. High school programs in disciplines like architecture, fashion design, film photography, music production, and printmaking include after school studio classes, in-school residencies, summer intensives in the arts and architecture, and paid summer creative workforce internships. We also have a Youth Advisory Board, teaching assistantships, and alumni internships. Our programs provide a safe third space for youth to explore themselves, build positive relationships, develop a foundation in the arts, connect to cultural traditions, and make San Francisco thrive. Within our new arts centers, we have expanded program offerings to include younger students and more adult activities too. We have strong ties and connections with the communities of our core constituency, particularly in underserved areas of San Francisco. Our priority for low income youth and youth of color to shape their city has led to several notable public projects including youth designed and built parklets, public art projects such as murals, installations, creative disruptions, and events. We have convened the annual San Francisco Youth Arts Summit for 15 years to bring together youth artists and arts educators across the Bay Area for creative exchange and community building. We have an active role in arts advocacy and the representation of youth artists in San Francisco. Integral to our work is the experience of the artists who teach in our programs. We value their ability to further their own practice, both in partnership with their students and through residencies, public projects, exhibitions, and exchange with other artists. Through youth programming, exhibits, public projects, our annual participatory (415) Public Gallery, events, adult classes and community workshops, we serve 600+ enrolled youth, 30 artists, and 7000+ audience members per year. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,191.00 | Jail Guitar Doors - USA | 842 N FAIRFAX 2ND FLOOR , LOS ANGELES, CA 90046-7208 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 852-0457 | California's 28th congressional district | District 50 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Jail Guitar Doors will deliver an 8-week pilot program entitled “Girls & Young Women in Music” at the CAPO (Community Arts Programming and Outreach) Center. This program will provide girls and young women from historically underserved communities with creative programming that is culturally inspiring, resonant with linguistically appropriate messaging, and covers a wide range of musical genres and related artistic expression such as spoken word, poetry, breakdancing, zine making, and various assets related to expression including video and film production and digital design. The pilot program will be designed for girls ages 8-12 and young women ages 13-24. The pilot program will be taught at JGD’s CAPO Center located in the historic Fairfax district of Hollywood. | JGD provides music education programs for current and potential system-involved youth. The two main programs include Songs and Beats Workshops and Community Arts Programming & Outreach (CAPO) Project. Songs and Beats is a 12-week songwriting workshop for incarcerated youth that Weekly prompts are focused on age-appropriate themes that are designed to help youth heal past traumas, learn to positively experience their emotions, and improve their relationships with others as well as themselves. CAPO was created as an extension of JGD’s Songs and Beats Workshop to support youths’ successful return to their community. Not solely for formerly justice-involved youth, CAPO is an originative reentry and diversion program that is also open to marginalized and at-risk youth ages 12-22. CAPO delves beyond the 12-week workshop to gain a comprehensive working knowledge of the many facets of the music and entertainment industry. Classes and workshops include music production, engineering, composition and arranging, recording and editing, licensing, marketing and promotions, and digital design. At CAPO, each participant will have a mentor who will help them develop a Personal Program Log (PPL) with an Individual Service Plan (ISP) and Individual Program Plan (IPP). Together, these tools create a holistic approach that include well-being, probation, life-skills, emotional support, transportation plan, and any plans for therapy/sobriety to support youth in successful completion of their probation and reaching their individual goals. Taught by music industry professionals, youth have the opportunity to develop mastery in their chosen fields of interest. JGD also fosters relationships within its extensive network to create an advisory board of music and entertainment industry professionals to serve as mentors to assist in CAPO participants in entering the field through internships that provide hands-on working experience. Prior musical training is not required. Programs are open to all races, denominations, genders, and sexual orientation. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | C5 Studios Community Arts Center | 250 Sneden St 250 Sneden Street, Bishop, CA 93514 | Inyo | Central Valley | (760) 873-7360 | California Assembly district 26 | District 26 | District 8 | With support from the California Arts Council, Eastern Sierra Artists will ensure that C5 Studios Community Arts Center continues to be an inspirational home for creative practice and culture, bringing a vibrant, diverse contemporary arts experience to the region and providing a safe, welcoming space where all people are invited to explore and express their experiences and ideas. In a time of rapid expansion due to successful outreach programs, increasing numbers of local partnerships and projects in which we are dedicated to creating paid opportunities for local artists and creatives, this funding allows us to support this growth by tending the health of the organization behind the projects through fair payment of employees and other general organizational support. | Eastern Sierra Artists (formerly the Bishop Mural Society), believes that art has the ability to transcend traditional boundaries, reaching individuals from all walks of life. It is a powerful tool for dialogue, connection, and cultural appreciation. Eastern Sierra Artists supports and connects artists throughout the Eastern Sierra region by funding and facilitating public art and events. Eastern Sierra Artists works with local artists, community members, and civic organizations to co-create public art projects to connect the public to our unique cultures and landscape; sponsors events in Downtown Bishop to build and support community; and is proud to support C5 Community Arts Center to bring artists together through shared studio spaces, gallery shows, and expansive arts education programming for children and adults. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | LA Artcore | 120 Judge John Aiso Street, Suite A A, Los Angeles, CA 90012 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 617-3274 | California's 34th (District 34) | State Assembly (District 54) | State Senate (District 24) | With support from the California Arts Council, LA Artcore will be enabled to continue to evolve its mission of, “…reflecting the global perspectives of Los Angeles by engaging contemporary artists as the visual and performing conduits of and for the residents and communities in which they live, work, and serve.” Following the organization’s first leadership transition since its founding in 1979, in 2019 with a staff of one, LA Artcore continues to build urgently-needed capacity to carry out its exhibit and community programs sustainably. While steadily amassing significant and diverse funding support, LA Artcore hired its first ever Systems Administrator role this spring which has positively impacted the organization’s communications of its community vision. The hiring of a Program Coordinator is the next critically-needed role to provide on-the-ground-support to its exhibits and community outreach. | LA Artcore produces year-round community-centered curated visual art exhibits, weekly adults arts educational community workshops, and its ongoing partnership with the Little Tokyo Service Center’s Mi CASA youth afterschool program, where it conducts weekly arts workshops for the community’s low income youth residents. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Allies in Arts | PO BOX 39875 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90039-0875 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 270-8342 | 30 | 52 | 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Allies in Arts will post trans-affirming messages of love and support on high-traffic billboards in the California hometowns of Transchool youth, in collaboration with six queer and trans artists. | Each year we curate Pride exhibitions featuring publicly accessible artwork by female, Black, Brown, and Indigenous artists who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, asexual, two-spirit, and otherwise identify as a member of queer community. We especially focus on BIPOC queer artists speaking to BIPOC queer communities, trans artists speaking to trans communities, always empowering as a leader a member of the community the program seeks to support. Additionally, we curate annual screenings of short films directed by BIPOC trans, female and genderqueer directors for decision makers in the film industry as a way to create a pipeline for employment. We curated virtual exhibitions throughout the pandemic such as our #QueerBlackFutures program which employs queer Black female curators and producers to curate collections of artwork by queer Black artists. And each holiday season, a team of trans artists activates a letter writing campaign to send holiday gifts to trans youth to show them that they are not alone, and to give them a creative outlet for the pain they are experiencing as a result of transphobic discrimination and attacks. In 2023 we launched Transchool, a narrative writing course for trans teens; 15 teens went through the first cohort and second course will be offered in 2024. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Automata | 504 Chung King Court , LOS ANGELES, CA 90012 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 356-5482 | 30th Congressional district of California. | District 54 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, AUTOMATA ARTS will strengthen our General Operations through funding for a percentage of the rent and utilities for our space and support for staff salaries, expanding and facilitate Automata’s ability to support the work of diverse artists and to foster a welcoming and accessible space for sharing work. Automata will expand accessibility, providing greater support for differently abled community members. We will enhance our outreach strategies including offering materials in other languages (predominantly Spanish/Cantonese). Salary support will allow us to increase staff time, increasing opportunities to work with artists and communities, enhance accessibility, and outreach efforts, Rent and utilities are a large monthly expense. With CAC funds, Automata would have a more robust budget for artist fees and increase technical support for artists presenting work in the space. | Automata was founded in 2004 by artists Susan Simpson and Janie Geiser. Since that time, we have been presenting intimate performances of original work, film screenings of contemporary and historical avant-garde film, lectures, workshops, and exhibitions in a variety of spaces in Los Angeles. We have invited playwrights and composers, puppeteers and designers, visual artists, and new media experimenters to collaborate and create new works using performing objects. From 2007-2009 we operated The Manual Archives, a micro performance and exhibition space dedicated to newly invented folklore for the city of Los Angeles. Automata moved into its present Chinatown performance gallery in 2012. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Elemental Music | 1906 Olympic Blvd , Santa Monica, CA 90404-3816 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 220-0349 | California Assembly district 50 | District 50 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Elemental Music will fund administrative salaries. | Since 2004, we have served over 3,000 students across 10 programs. We changed our organization name from Elemental Strings to Elemental Music in 2016 to reflect the broad variety of programs offered. Our ensemble and lesson programs comprehensively address the needs of hundreds of motivated young musicians each season. Most of our programs are ensemble-based: Prelude (3rd–4th grade beginning strings) Our ensembles perform 3 concerts annually. Ensemble students also often take part in community performances at Little League games, local cafes, movie theaters, and even a residency at a senior living community. We also have 1 private music lesson program: Bergmann Program/Encore (4th–12th grade/ free, year-round private lessons to 90 socioeconomically disadvantaged SMMUSD students who could not otherwise afford this critical tool in a musician’s development) In the 2022/23 season, we also launched three new programs: Elemental Music Teaching Fellowship (a paid fellowship for college musicians in southern California to receive hands-on teaching experience in our Santa Monica ensemble programs, mentorship, and professional development training, with the goal of expanding representation of teachers from marginalized backgrounds in the music classroom) Elemental @ Broadway (choirs for grades K–5 and string classes for grades 3–5 at Los Angeles Unified School District’s Broadway Elementary School) Elemental @ Westminster (sequential in-school general music classes for grades 3–5 at Los Angeles Unified School District’s Title I Westminster Elementary) |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $17,141.00 | JUiCE Hip Hop | 9538 Rhea Ave , Northridge, CA 91324 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 731-8096 | California's 30th congressional district | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Justice by Uniting in Creative Energy – J.U.i.C.E. will be able to provide financial support for a part-time directorship position. | J.U.i.C.E. provides a safe center for emerging and young artists to develop a sense of community and provide a place for self-expression through the hip-hop arts. We foster the development of leadership and technical skills through a variety of art programs and encourage the creative expression through music, spoken word, visual arts, and dance. J.U.i.C.E. creates unique opportunities for these young artists to showcase their work, network with peers and professionals and engage with their communities in a safe and positive manner through the hip-hop arts. For over 20 years, J.U.i.C.E. has been changing lives in Los Angeles by hosting free weekly art programs. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | BLUE 13 DANCE COMPANY INC | 3700 HAWLEY AVE , LOS ANGELES, CA 90032-1497 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 876-2513 | 34 | 15 | 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Blue13 will implement a transformative project aimed at addressing the underrepresentation of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) artists in the dance field. The Playdate Dance Residency will provide vital resources, space, and performance opportunities to empower AAPI choreographers and elevate their artistic voices. CAC grant funds will be used to support various aspects of the project, including artist stipends, venue rentals, production costs, and community engagement initiatives. These funds will enable Blue13 to curate a dynamic residency program that fosters artistic development, community building, and cultural exchange. | Blue13 offers cultural enrichment through dance in live performance and extensive education programs. This includes digital service offering that has reached thousands of local community members during the pandemic. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $19,249.00 | The 1947 Partition Archive | 1840 Alcatraz Ave , BERKELEY, CA 94703 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (201) 953-5542 | California Assembly district 14 | District 14 | District 7 | General Operation Support from the California Arts Council, will help The 1947 Partition Archive, a South Asian American women of color led arts and culture organization, advance its mission to heal historic wounds in the South Asian American California community through staff salaries that support: intergenerational community storytelling, artistic interpretation of stories in various mediums for community empathy building, live public storytelling events, exhibits and interpretive performances. Our programming includes both historical documentation and public engagement through artistic interpretations of a divisive historical event – the 1947 Partition which sent a wave of immigrants to California shores. Enabling interpretive and creative storytelling in many forms is an important component of our unique approach to healing historic wounds which are prevalent in the South Asian American community. | 1. HEALING THROUGH COMMUNITY STORYTELLING which includes engaging local Californians in inter-generational conversations with elders via using the oral history format; We provide free bi-weekly oral history training to community members and engage in community match making: connecting younger community members with elders who have stories to tell. 2. CREATIVE DIGITAL STORYTELLING which includes creating public accessibility to history through creatively curating stories from oral history excerpts and artistically editing photographs associated with the oral history, for wide scale public interest. 3. LIVE STORYTELLING EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS – exhibits curated from oral histories by local artists displayed in a variety of venues as well as events which include interpretive performing arts related to Partition oral histories, spoken word, panel discussions, live storytelling, book launches and expert discussions. Many of the events are held at our Berkeley location, while some are held at other public community venues across California. 4. EXPLORATION THROUGH CREATIVE EXPRESSION: Partnerships with artists in exploring the emotional and social toll of Partition, especially and California’s immigrant residents. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $30,832.00 | a non profit visual arts organization | 2540 BARRETT AVE , RICHMOND, CA 94804-1600 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (510) 620-6772 | 8th Congressional District of California | State Assembly District 14 | State Senate District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Richmond Art Center will collaborate with community partners, local artists and cultural practitioners to create arts education programs and exhibitions that showcase the talents of our city, while also encouraging our community to experience the benefits of making and engaging with art. | Arts Education: Our arts education program offers art classes to adults, youth, kids and families; on-site in our six studios, and off-site in local schools and community spaces. This includes providing free in-school and after-school arts tuition to K-12 students at local West Contra Costa Unified School District schools. Other arts education initiatives include a paid professional development series for educators, free family day celebrations, youth art tours of exhibitions, Summer Art Camp for Kids, and youth intensive classes. Exhibitions and Events: Exhibitions and public programs feature work by established, early career and aspiring artists. The goal of our exhibition program is to introduce new artists, artwork and perspectives on art; engage Richmond audiences; enhance the visibility of underrepresented groups/artists; and serve as a catalyst for community interaction. Long term community exhibition partnerships include The Art of Living Black/Art of the African Diaspora (since 1997), and the WCCUSD Art Show (since 1965). |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $49,499.00 | Oakland Ballet Company | 2201 BROADWAY STE LL17 , OAKLAND, CA 94612-3132 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 893-3132 | 12th Congressional District of CA | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Oakland Ballet Company will provide accessible, relevant, and exciting dance that inspires and educates all ages of our community. Oakland Ballet will present two full seasons of public performances and educational student performances that uplift artists and community members from all backgrounds. Four diverse and inspiring programs will be offered each season (2023-2024 and 2024-2025) in Oakland and the surrounding communities, including “Luna Mexicana,” “The Nutcracker,” the “Dancing Moons Festival” and a Spring Repertory program. Educational versions of all programs will also be offered for local schools and students. | OBC is committed to artistic excellence, serving as a leader in the local arts community, and providing access to the art of dance for 15,000+ community members from Oakland and the greater East Bay each year. OBC’s programs include a diverse mix of professional performances, a robust arts education program, and a youth dance training program. Performances: Arts Education: Dance Training: |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $42,500.00 | PlayGround Inc | 3286 ADELINE ST #9 , BERKELEY, CA 94703-2485 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (415) 992-6677 | California District 13 | District 15 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, PlayGround will continue its important work as a regional service organization, providing services to hundreds of California playwrights, directors, and actors through a robust array of programming designed to launch the work of emerging artists, with a focus on uplifting historically marginalized voices through our policies and practices, staff, board, artists, audience, and programs. PlayGround’s mission is to support the development of significant new local voices for the theatre, particularly those historically marginalized including BIPOC, women, and LGBTQIA+, helping to launch these writers onto the national scene. Funding from the California Arts Council will assist PlayGround in our efforts to fulfill our mission as an arts service organization, serving early-career to veteran artists across California, all working together to create new, daring works for the stage. | Since its founding in 1994, PlayGround has supported more than 350 early-career playwrights, developing and staging over 1,500 of their original short plays through the Monday Night PlayGround staged reading series and PlayGround Festival of New Works. PlayGround has also commissioned 100 new full-length plays by 65 of these writers through its Commissioning Initiative and has directly facilitated the premiere of 36 of those works through its innovative New Play Production Fund and through intentional partnerships with other producers. The Festival has become one of the most important launching pads for early-career playwrights and their work, leading to collaborations, commissions and productions both in continuing relationship to and often well beyond PlayGround. In 2017, PlayGround added Potrero Stage, a state-of-the-art 99-seat performance space, to its suite of resources in support of new plays and playwrights. More recent programs in service to artists and arts organizations include: the PlayGround Solo Performance Festival, providing a platform for the development of new solo works by California artists; and the Innovator Incubator, fostering the launch of innovative new theatre companies representing the great diversity of the Bay Area. PlayGround has received numerous awards including: Playwrights Foundation’s Inaugural New Play Champion Award, BATCC’s Paine Knickerbocker Award for ongoing contributions to Bay Area theater, and American Theater Wing’s National Theater Grant. PlayGround’s alumni have gone on to win local, national, and international honors for their short and full-length work, including recognition at the Humana Festival, O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, and New York International Fringe Festival. Six of the past ten Will Glickman Award winners for best new play are PlayGround alumni. Notable alumni include: Lauren Yee (Cambodian Rock Band), Jonathan Spector (Eureka Day), Vincent Terrel Durham (Polar Bears, Black Boys & Prairie Fringed Orchids & Rella Lossy Award Winner). |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Women's Voices Now | 525 Ave F , Redondo Beach, CA 90277 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (424) 247-6130 | District 36 | District 66 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Women’s Voices Now will bring together women of color in the fields of film and social change with girls and femme-identifying youth (14-18) from under-resourced communities of Los Angeles to empower them to find, develop and use their voice for positive social change through an intensive summer filmmaking training and year-long support program. | We empower filmmakers, produce social-change films, and engage audience members to advance girls’ and women’s rights through our three core programs: 1. WVN Online Film Festival 2. Girls’ Voices Now – Youth Development through Arts Education and Empowerment 3. Voices For Change: A free film collection advocating for women’s and girls’ rights |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Southland Sings | 1320 Calle Galante , San Dimas, CA 91773 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 235-2596 | California Assembly district 48 | District 48 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, SOUTHLAND SINGS will present “My Story, My Voice: Poetry to Song” to neurodiverse youth residing at the Oak Grove Center in Murrieta, California. Six unique groups of neurodiverse residents will write and perform musical theater works that reflect their experiences. | Southland Sings offers two programs: “My Story, My Voice: Poetry to Song” and our new “From the Page to the Stage.” Both programs serve K-12 children, children with disabilities, children undergoing residential psychiatric treatment, children experiencing homelessness, and system-engaged youth. “My Story, My Voice: Poetry to Song” teaches children to become writers, composers, singers, and performers of their own original musicals. Working together, the students improvise and write melodies with original accompaniment, and then merge their musical creation with their own lyrics. The finished piece contains 5-8 original short songs and poems, dialogue, movement, and narration. There is also an optional component that allows students to create original animations of their work. “From the Page to the Stage” uses the same methodology as “My Story, My Voice: Poetry to Song,” but the students create a play instead of a work of musical theater. In both programs, students determine the theme and plot of their work, create characters, dialogue, and narration based on their life experiences or on a common classroom subject. Students work both individually and in small groups over 10-14 consecutive 60-minute weekly sessions. The project culminates with a student-performed show for a live audience. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | KOHO | 1675 Post St 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94115-3603 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (650) 888-5010 | District CA-11 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, KOHO will provide an intergenerational, multi-use, versatile, multi-ethnic, Co-Creative Arts and Culture Hub in Japantown for the transmission of the form, practices, and seishin (mind, essence, and spirit) of Japanese art and culture, serving and educating multiple generations of native Japanese and Japanese-American state-wide, visitors from various AAPI communities and the general public. Creating synergy between established and emerging artists and culture bearers, the hub will provide opportunities for authentic and culturally relevant creative story-telling honoring Japantown’s 117-year-old history and the transformative narratives of the evolving multi-ethnic, intergenerational community of today. The hub will curate Japanese and AAPI arts programing and exhibitions, micro-events and pop-ups, professional development and creative workshops, an artist residency program and incubator lab, and generate artist revenue through marketplace activations. | BonPOP: A reimagined Obon Odori Japantown event that welcomes a local, city-wide, and regional audience to immerse themselves in the long-standing Japanese tradition of honoring ancestors through dance, song, and rituals accessible to all regardless of religion, faith, ethnicity, or cultural beliefs. Benign Neglect: An exhibition featuring photographs of sixty bonsai, cultivated by Issei (first generation) and Kihei (born in the U.S., educated in Japan, then later returned to the U.S.) Japanese Americans. These bonsai were started after the Japanese Americans returned from WWII American concentration camps. Some of the plants were likely started from seeds. Yum Yams Festival: KOHO partnered with Kultivate Labs for their fourth festival themed Ube Meets Matcha, A Festival of Flavors in San Francisco’s historic SOMA Pilipinas Cultural District. KOHO programmed a rare, live demonstration of matcha preparation used by traditional tea-ceremony schools in Japan, Japanese-American DJ’s spinning songs from Japan, and a taiko drum performance from the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts World Music Program. Film Festivals: KOHO participated in an AAPI Collaborative City-wide Film Festival produced by Kultivate Labs in partnership with SF Urban Film Festival and FACINE (Filipino Arts and Cinema International), as part of the Lavender Cinema Lounge series at Kapwa Gardens. KOHO’s first Japantown Film Festival in 2024 featured three films focused on the Japanese-American experience today; the influences of historical trauma, resilience and strength of generations, and the search for cultural identity. KOHO Arts & Culture Co-Creative Hub: San Francisco Japantown’s only intergenerational, multi-use, multi-ethnic, hub for the seishin (mind, essence, and spirit) of Japanese art and culture, serving and educating multi-generations of native Japanese and Japanese-Americans, visitors from various AANHPI communities and the general public. It is a sanctuary that honors tradition while embracing the future—a place where art transcends boundaries and celebrates human expression. | |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $19,249.00 | FOOLS FURY THEATER | 1446 Market St , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 595-4207 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, AVIVA ARTS will increase artist wages, hire a grant writer and produce vital community programs including BUILD RESILIENCE: Climate Justice, Wellness and the Arts Convening, a two-day arts festival and gathering of thought-leaders, culture-makers, climate advocates, social services, wellness practitioners and theater artists calling for cross-sector advocacy and connection in the face of ongoing climate response inequities. This urgent conclave will center POC, Indigenous and rural communities, public services and artists in an multidisciplinary, hybrid format that will offer catharsis and sustainability models for catastrophe resilience. | FoolsFURY creates acclaimed plays and performances employing the methodologies of ensemble and devised theater, including numerous world and West Coast premieres. Traits include inspired use of the human body in relating narrative, a dedication to nuanced poetic text, and a provocative combination of humor and outrage at the world around us (the “fool” and the “fury”). The company mixes realist and non-realist modes, inviting performers and audience members to inhabit multiple conceptual spaces and to vigorously engage their intellects and imaginations. In the past 10 years we have toured key productions both nationally and internationally, most recently bringing (dis)Place[d] to Chicago, Amherst MA, and the United Kingdom in 2019. In addition to mainstage company productions, foolsFURY produces the biennial FURY Factory of Devised and Ensemble Theater in San Francisco, regularly bringing together over 30 ensemble artists and companies from across the nation for three weeks to perform and collaborate. FoolsFURY offers rigorous theater training for professionals and the general community. Classes and workshops train theater artists in the Viewpoints and the Suzuki Method, dance-theater, and new models of performance. Workshops, retreats, and anti-racist trainings for the general public have fed the artistic ecosystem of the Bay Area for over 15 years. Recently, to meet the demands of Covid-19 restrictions, foolsFURY has pivoted to an all-digital delivery, continuing to create new work and continue training and workshops. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | FILIPINO CULTURAL SCHOOL | PO Box 161 , Artesia, CA 90702 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 528-3467 | 38th Congressional district | 64th District | 30th Senate District | With support from the California Arts Council, Filipino Cultural School will be able to accomplish its mission to provide education, experiential learning, and access to the arts and cultural traditions of the Philippines and to develop a positive sense of Filipino American identity. The funds will be utilized to support our ongoing operational expenses such as renting space for in-person dance and music programs, costumes, books, and musical instruments, a storage space, insurance, digital and social media accounts, marketing, legal consultation, and staff salaries for administrative assistants and credentialed teachers and cultural practitioners. | Our main program is our annual in-person summer program, where we provide opportunities for K-12 youth in the Los Angeles and Orange County regions to learn about Filipino culture through various classes including music, dance, language, history, and more. In addition to our summer program, we now also offer online programs as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Like our summer program, our online programs offer opportunities for members in the community to learn about Filipino culture through various classes. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | San Francisco Shakespeare Festival | PO BOX 460937 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94146-0937 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 558-0888 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, SHAKESPEARE –SAN FRANCISCO will provide responsive arts enrichment to housing insecure community members in San Francisco’s Tenderloin Neighborhood through Shakespeare for All Neighbors programming. This work will be supported by ongoing partnerships with Tenderloin community center The Healing Well and other supportive housing partners including Delivering Innovations in Supportive Housing (DISH), a nonprofit property management organization providing housing and on site support to under-served communities that fall within the lowest quartile of the HPI in our region. Now entering its fifth year, this vital program engages participants in artistic explorations of their own stories and the issues facing their community, illuminating each of our stories to be as important as Shakespeare. | Free Shakespeare in the Park each year presents a professional production of Shakespeare in five public park venues, reaching up to 30,000 Bay Area citizens. The Festival also engages communities through five arts education programs: -Shakespeare on Tour performs an abridged Shakespeare play at 150 schools, libraries and community centers in the Bay Area and all over the state. -Over 300 youth ages 4-18 attend Bay Area Shakespeare Camps to explore Shakespeare’s plays and also learn the skills needed to perform them. -Tailor-Made Residencies connect Festival teaching artists with classroom teachers for in-school theater enrichment tailored to their students. -Midnight Shakespeare provides a challenging theater residency program for over 100 under-served youth in school settings in Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $30,832.00 | The Garcia Center for the Arts | 536 W. 11th Street , SN BERNRDNO, CA 92410 | San Bernardino | Inland Empire | (909) 888-6400 | 33rd | 45 | 29 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Garcia Center for the Arts will cover its general operation expenses, including utilities, staff salaries and regular maintenance of the space, which serves a number of creatives and art organizations through classes, exhibits, performances and forums. | When the SBVCA was first founded in 1932, its focus was primarily to contract touring groups, bringing musical and dance performances to the San Bernardino area. A shift happened in 2013, when the SBVCA Board approved the lease for an abandoned adobe building, which was renovated and dedicated as The Garcia Center for the Arts, in honor of Ernest and Dorothy Garcia. The Garcia Center for the Arts is a project of the San Bernardino Valley Concert Association. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | MORONGO BASIN CULTURAL ARTS COUNCIL, Inc. | P.O Box 643 , JOSHUA TREE, CA 92252-0643 | San Bernardino | Inland Empire | (310) 877-7933 | California's 8th congressional district | District 47 | District 10 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Morongo Basin Cultural Arts Council will be able to cover its’ payroll expenses, increase staff support and produce the 22nd and 23rd annual Hwy 62 Studio Art Tours. | The Hwy 62 Open Studio Art Tours (OSAT): since 2001, OSAT is a one-of-a-kind experience for residents and visitors to create a customized self-guided tour of over one hundred artist studios in the Morongo Basin, featuring a total of 225 local artists. The Art Tour is a free to attend annual event spanning three weekends in October, which builds community between artists and residents, and generates over $500,000 in combined sales for local artists. To date, it is the largest open studio event in Southern California and is a huge economic driver for the rural region of the Morongo Basin. The program is organized and directed by a combination of paid and volunteer support, all being local to the area served. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | Yeah, Art! | 8414 Holly Street , Oakland, CA 94621 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 938-9096 | 12th Congressional district | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Yeah, Art! will launch an after-school arts education program in partnership with youth facilities such as Youth Uprising and other afterschool site partners in Oakland, CA; thereby increasing our ability to empower Oakland youth living in the lowest quartile of the California Healthy Places Index. This after-school program will emphasize skillbuilding in the creative and technical arts, including but not limited to: Vocal Performance, Songwriting, Music Production and Design. Yeah, Art! is a Black-founded and operated nonprofit, designed to make arts education more equitable. We bring local Teaching Artists of Color FROM the community to teach in their own communities. This grant will enable Yeah, Art! to broaden our impact beyond school hours, and provide arts education to students who otherwise would not have access to it. | Arts Education for a New Generation™. Yeah, Art! seeks to empower Bay Area youth with premium arts education that emphasizes technology, creativity and equitable access. The problem: With school budget cuts, arts programs are often the first thing to get dropped, leading the most vulnerable students to miss out on essential creative skills. The solution: Yeah, Art! provides accessible, innovative arts programs to underserved communities, equipping students with skills in Music Production, Animation, 3D Modeling and more. Yeah, Art! offers technology-driven arts education programs tailored for underserved schools, with a focus on students of color in low-income Bay Area districts. Services are delivered by professional, local artists of color who bring their expertise directly to classrooms, creating an engaging and culturally relevant learning environment. Yeah, Art! equips students with in-demand creative skills, fostering both artistic growth and future career opportunities in the arts. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Kala Art Institute | 1060 HEINZ AVE Kala Institute, BERKELEY, CA 94710-2719 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 841-7000 | California's 13th congressional district | District 14 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Kala Art Institute will provide new veteran art residency, exhibition and public program opportunities for four veteran artists to come to Kala for a custom-tailored artist residency, with 24/7 access to Kala’s printmaking studio and digital lab, a project stipend, technical support, opportunities for exhibition and artist talks at Kala, and resources to design and lead workshops for other veterans and for the general public. | The heart of Kala’s mission is supporting artists and engaging the community. Kala’s artist residency program offers professional facilities to those working in and across printmaking and digital media, new media, public art, sculpture, installation, and performance. Kala’s artist residency program is known for the support it offers to artists, specialized resources spanning printmaking, photography, sculpture and media arts, points of contact with accessible staff, and the caliber of work artists are able to produce and share with the community while in residence. Kala’s artist residencies provide time, space, equipment, and a knowledgeable network of artists (175+ artists a year) to foster dialogue, risk-taking, creation of new work, and community building. Kala’s exhibitions and gallery, free and open to the public Tuesday-Saturday, provide a platform for innovative presentations of contemporary art and a forum for artists and the public – sparking conversations across views and timely topics. This complex web of timely topics includes racial and social justice, displacement, the environment, community wellness, and more. Kala hosts community events, film screenings, artist talks, and performances in the galley too. Kala fosters a fresh approach to experimentation, as artists investigate the interface of digital work, work made by hand, and everything in between. A spirit of exchange and education is nurtured through all Kala’s programs. Kala offers quality arts education to the general public and local youth through its on-site art classes – after school studio art, teen studio workshops, family and community art-making sessions, summer art programs, field trips, and a robust Artists-in-Schools program, established in 1991, providing artist-led instruction to students in neighboring East Bay public schools. Providing multiple points of access to space and resources through artist residencies, exhibitions, and arts education is more important than ever as we fight for equitable engagement in the midst of these challenging times. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Yeah, Art! | 8414 Holly Street , Oakland, CA 94621 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 938-9096 | 12th Congressional district | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Yeah, Art! will continue to fund our non-profit organization’s general operating expenses, thereby supporting the organization’s mission to make arts education more inclusive, accessible and relevant. Yeah, Art! operates in Oakland, California with an emphasis in District 2 and 6 — historically underserved communities and priority districts in our city. Yeah, Art! is a Black-founded and operated nonprofit, designed to make arts education more equitable. We bring local Teaching Artists of Color FROM the community to teach in their own communities. This grant will support the continuation of our operations, our mission and most importantly, the arts within our community. | Arts Education for a New Generation™. Yeah, Art! seeks to empower Bay Area youth with premium arts education that emphasizes technology, creativity and equitable access. The problem: With school budget cuts, arts programs are often the first thing to get dropped, leading the most vulnerable students to miss out on essential creative skills. The solution: Yeah, Art! provides accessible, innovative arts programs to underserved communities, equipping students with skills in Music Production, Animation, 3D Modeling and more. Yeah, Art! offers technology-driven arts education programs tailored for underserved schools, with a focus on students of color in low-income Bay Area districts. Services are delivered by professional, local artists of color who bring their expertise directly to classrooms, creating an engaging and culturally relevant learning environment. Yeah, Art! equips students with in-demand creative skills, fostering both artistic growth and future career opportunities in the arts. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Small Press Traffic | 1111 8th Street , San Francisco, CA 94107 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (404) 606-3440 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Small Press Traffic will collaborate with California-based artist and poet Gabrielle Civil to present Where Would I Be Without You, a Black feminist event series exploring poetry, community connection, and place. The project will include an opening invocation and poetry listening party, two programs featuring Black filmmakers and films about Black presence, a poetry community conversation, and the world premiere of My San Francisco, a new hybrid performance by Civil. Public programs will take place from January to June, 2024. | Small Press Traffic was founded in 1974 in a gay-owned bookstore in San Francisco’s Castro District, and has remained artist run and community centered ever since. Our first program offerings in the 1970s included Robert Glück’s gay men’s fiction workshop and Gloria Anzaldúa’s feminist, Lesbian, and Chicana workshop, El Mundo Zurdo. SPT remains connected to these communities today as it broadens its reach through collaborations with queer and trans, Black, and disability-focused organizations. Over our fifty-year history, we have offered poetry readings, performances, workshops, talks, conferences, residency and retreat opportunities, online and print publications, a decade of Poets Theater Festivals, and an annual Curatorial Fellowship. Our programming priorities are: COLLABORATION: We partner with institutions, groups, and individuals on over 50% of our public programs. In addition to public programs, SPT produces online and print publications. From 2020-2022, we published Traffic Report, an online magazine that featured poetry, conversations, reviews, interviews, translations, and artwork primarily by local poets and artists. In 2021, we produced High Dawn Collected 2020-21, a print publication of selections from our online reading series in the first year of the pandemic. In fall 2022, we launched The Back Room, our flagship online publishing platform that commissions critical and creative responses to contemporary issues to audiences that are regional, national, and international. In August 2024, SPT received a generous grant from the Mellon Foundation to carry out an extensive archive and preservation project. With 3,000 digital and physical holdings, our collection will be made accessible to the public in late 2024. We are currently engaging in an oral history project to capture voices that represent Small Press Traffic and Bay Area poetry, art, and print cultures over the past half century. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $32,082.00 | BFF.fm | 180 Capp St 180 Capp St., San Francisco, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (978) 417-9017 | 12 | 17 | 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Best Frequencies, Inc. will be able to cover all rent expenses ($25k per year over two years) for our radically inclusive online community radio station BFF.fm, granting us the stability to invest more fully in in our people and programming. BFF.fm supports and mentors Bay Area DJs who wouldn’t generally have access to airtime, and provides a place to learn, experiment, and gain real world experience. It’s both a platform and a community for DJs who love music and want to share that with others. Our diversity is our super power and is multifaceted, including race and ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic status, religion, disability, and lived experience. Central to our mission is a commitment to supporting and celebrating underrepresented musicians, especially those from the Bay Area. | BFF.fm is: We create paid opportunities for local musicians in a no strings attached environment. Prior to the pandemic we’ve also promoted and curated concerts featuring local acts from marginalized communities around the Bay Area. In 2020 we moved our flagship concert series, the Besties Bash, online. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | MCASB | 653 PASEO NUEVO , SANTA BARBARA, CA 93101-3392 | Santa Barbara | Central Coast | (646) 334-1006 | CA-24 | 37th | 19th | With support from the California Arts Council, the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara (MCASB) will rebuild staff and programmatic capacity after severe pandemic-related impacts. MCASB will continue to strengthen its work in creating a more equitable arts ecology on California’s Central Coast by providing free admission to culturally relevant arts exhibitions and public programs. Programs will center Indigenous and Afro Indigenous youth from the Santa Maria and Oxnard communities, offering healing and uplifting through art, while celebrating their historically innovative cultures and inviting participation in a shared cultural exploration and advancement. | SERVE. As a cultural center located at the heart of downtown Santa Barbara, we are committed to listening and responding to our community’s diverse needs. We are dedicated to being a safe space for learning and exploration – inclusive in all aspects of race, religion, age, gender identity, ability, and socioeconomic status. We aspire to remain flexible in order to (co)create compelling, relevant programming that adapts to an ever-changing social dynamic. CONNECT. We aspire to be a platform for open, respectful, and impactful discourse with our community and beyond. Through collaborative relationships with cultural organizations, area nonprofits, academic institutions, local governing bodies, hospitality partners, and more, MCASB is able to extend our programming to reach a broad and diverse public. IMPACT. MCASB is passionate about making a positive difference in the lives of individuals, and society, through engagement with contemporary art and culture. MCASB’s exhibitions inform our educational and experiential programming, which are designed to inspire curiosity, cultivate empathy, and broaden perspectives through the art and ideas of our time. Equity, diversity, and accessibility are critical to the ongoing work of MCASB. We believe that art is an expression of human experience that represents a multitude of perspectives including but not limited to race, religion, age, gender identity, ability, and socioeconomic status. The Museum fosters equity, celebrates diversity, and supports inclusion by listening and responding to the needs of our diverse publics and communities, and by actively working to create a welcoming space that acknowledges and respects the multivocal nature of our visitors, volunteers, staff, exhibiting artists, trustees, and community partners. MCASB is dedicated to presenting exhibitions and programs that reflect our ongoing practice of inclusion emphasizing engagement with the multi-ethnic, socioeconomically diverse population of Santa Barbara, the Central Coast, and beyond. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Queer Cat Productions | 450 Alabama St #450, San Francisco, CA 94110-1315 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (917) 319-3617 | District 19 | District 11 | With help of $25,000 from the California Arts Council, Queer Cat Productions will create and produce Jes “Mojo” DeVille’s Forgetting Tree, an accessible immersive theatrical ritual of remembrance and liberation ecology – including transforming Z Space Lobby into a living garden, music co-created with the biorhythms of plants, storytelling by Rawiyah Tariq, dance and aerial dance aerial performance by artists including Antoine Hunter, and a rain machine – countering a centuries-old spell of separation, and to make this our most accessible performance yet, with ASL-interpretation, made-for-virtual performances, premiering November 3-5, 2023, at Z Space with live and virtual satellite events, with the full production support of Queer Cat Productions in furtherance of our mission to pay QTBIPOC artists to create new works, and to create accessible consent forward immersive experiences that leave our audiences more connected. | Queer Cat Productions creates accessible consent-forward immersive experiences intended to give our audiences agency over our shared story and to leave our audiences more connected than we we found them. We are committed to paying artist, especially QTBIPOC artists, to create new work for the Bay Area as lead artists with our full operational support, and to raise the bar of what accessible, consent-forward, queer theater can look like as an artistic practice and process. | |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Banding Together | 7370 Opportunity Road Suite E , SAN DIEGO, CA 92111 | San Diego | Far South | (858) 204-5370 | With support from the California Arts Council, Banding Together will expand the availability of high-quality music therapy learning programs at no cost, to students with disabilities. Jam Sessions will support learning social skills and emotional expression through singing, instrument playing, social skill lessons, songwriting and drumming. | Banding Together was founded in 2009 by a parent of a child with autism and two music therapists. As of January 2021, $117,303 has been awarded for individual music therapy, adapted lessons and camp scholarships to 224 individuals (ages 2-22 years) with special needs. Approximately 95% of scholarships have benefited individuals under the age of 18. Since the Jam Session program’s inception in 2012, San Diego locations have quadrupled. The program was piloted at a fifth national location in Miami, Florida in 2017. Serving teens and young adults with special needs, this free program has doubled our San Diego reach in the last two years because of grant funding and generous donors. Each year, 56 Jam Sessions are held totaling nearly 340 sessions to date. In response to the COVID pandemic in March 2020, we immediately pivoted by keeping the Jam Session program running virtually in addition to launching two new online programs for young children (Songbirds) and tweens (Rock Star Club). Historically, Jam Sessions have served over 1,100 individuals ages 13-35 with special needs with 50% of these individuals aged 18 or under. Over 700 volunteer mentors have been trained to serve as leaders within the community and 200 guest musicians. The SoundCheck Jam program is another core program of Banding Together. Eight of these events have been hosted in partnership with Surfdog Records, serving approximately 24 touring musicians and 50 individuals with special needs. This unique program gives individuals with special needs the opportunity to shine onstage during a nationally touring band’s sound check at a local music venue. Past musicians have included Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks, The English Beat, Elvin Bishop, Michael Franti, Shaun White (Olympic gold medalist and guitarist) and Grammy award winner Ziggy Marley. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Art With Elders | 375 Laguna Honda Blvd. P1162, San Francisco, CA 94116 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 215-3659 | California's 14th congressional district | District 19 | District 11 | Art With Elders will: | History: Fighting elder isolation since 1991, AWE has brought community to 12,500 older adults in 84 senior centers across every Bay Area county through free/low-cost fine arts classes. A dozen exhibits a year, seen by as many as 100,000 people, engage elder artists and audiences through the power of creativity, deepening connection between cultures and generations. AWE programs provide older adults from all walks of life with a vehicle for self-expression, social connection, and a presence in the community. Our Programs For trained, experienced artists, AWE workshops provide access to free work space and materials, and mentorship. For those with little visual art experience, classes provide a life-long learning opportunity and assist artistic development. Those with severe disabilities receive physical and cognitive benefits as well as the opportunity to create in adaptive ways, and every student gains a key opportunity for social interaction and connection. For in-person classes, Artist Instructors bring all materials to class, replenishing the stock as needed. For Zoom, AWE staff sends materials via mail and via home drop offs. Exhibitions – Each year, AWE produces a dozen exhibitions featuring 400-1000 elder artworks for up to 100,000+ viewers. Exhibitions are hosted by major Bay Area venues such as the De Young Museum, San Francisco City Hall, the San Francisco War Memorial, the UC San Francisco, and San Francisco International Airport. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | About Productions | 145 N. RAYMOND AVE. , PASADENA, CA 91103 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 396-0920 | California's 27th congressional district | District 41 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, ABOUT PRODUCTIONS will conduct a 10-week Young Theaterworks intergenerational “Social Justice Residency” for educationally underrepresented 11th and 12th grade public high school students in East L.A. Students interview community leaders/elders and write short plays based on the leader’s experience with systemic racism and/or social justice activism. Project includes a live culmination for the school community; and a related public virtual event, “Seed of Resistance: Social Justice Plays by Youth Inspired by Community Leaders’ Stories,” in which video recordings of each play are shared, and live conversations are conducted with community leaders, teaching artists, and the virtual audience. | Now in our 36th year, our itinerant company’s critically acclaimed INTERDISCIPLINARY THEATERWORKS have been seen extensively in Greater L.A., in the U.S. and Canada, and on national TV. We collaboratively create and present innovative original theaterworks with community performing and visual artists to unearth and illuminate cultural histories of Latin America, the Southwest, California and L.A., and explore the human spiritual condition. We are one of the few companies that brings affordable theater to low-income, under-served communities by mining seldom-tapped regional histories that address relevant issues and under-represented voices. In partnership with performing arts and cultural centers, community-based arts organizations, and educational institutions, we have collaborated with many of the region’s leading community artists — performing, media, and visual — authors and historians. Our interdisciplinary productions have integrated media, music, dance, and innovative storytelling and lighting design. Presented in numerous L.A. County neighborhoods, our productions have also been featured in festivals such as the International Hispanic Theatre Festival in Miami, Telluride Theatre Festival in Colorado, New Voices Festival at The Public Theater in New York City, and SXSW in Austin. Our successful 20+ year YOUNG THEATERWORKS program serves L.A. area highest-risk and educationally disadvantaged youth with standards-based intensive residencies and workshops to impact their academic achievement, creative engagement and connection to their community. The program improves literacy, communication and collaboration skills as students explore personal identity, family and community history, and social issues. Working with committed principals and classroom teachers in the L.A. and Pasadena Unified School Districts we provide free or low-cost 6-10 week residencies and workshops. In conjunction with our original theaterworks we also provide workshops that engage students in the content and artistic strategies of these theaterworks, giving them the opportunity to see professional work and directly connect them to professional artists in their community. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | 3Girls Theatre, 3GT | 1034 Kearny Street , San Francisco, CA 94133 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 891-7941 | California's 12th congressional district | District 3 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, 3Girls Theatre (3GT) will develop, promote, and present new plays by San Francisco Bay Area women+ playwrights. 3GT is an artistic home for emerging playwrights who have been historically excluded from having their work produced: women over 40; Black, Indigenous, and women of color (BIWOC); and lesbian, bisexual, trans, nonbinary, and queer (LBTQ+) artists assigned-female-at-birth (AFAB). 3GT provides everything a playwright needs to bring their script from the page to the stage, including paid dramaturgs, directors, casts, performance venue, and marketing support. With CAC funding, 3GT will host intensive script development workshops, present FREE professionally staged readings of new plays, and organize professional development and artistic services to nurture the careers of our women+ playwrights and other collaborating artists. | 3GT is the only theatre company on the West Coast – and one of three nationwide – committed to exclusively developing and presenting theatre made by women+. 3GT provides an artistic home for San Francisco women+ playwrights (which includes cis and trans women, trans men, and nonbinary/genderqueer artists assigned-female-at-birth) at all stages of their creative and professional process: 3GT assists our playwrights in finding further production and funding opportunities, and invites local theater producers to attend Staged Readings and encourages them to produce our scripts in upcoming seasons. These connections, costs, and technical expertise are daunting and prohibitive for emerging playwrights, especially senior women, queer and trans artists, and artists of color. Because lack of reasonable compensation is continuously cited as a major barrier for low-income and BIPOC artists, we pay everyone fairly for their work. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | About Productions | 145 N. RAYMOND AVE. , PASADENA, CA 91103 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 396-0920 | California's 27th congressional district | District 41 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, About…Productions will serve multiple L.A.-area communities with innovative original theaterworks, artistic engagement, and impactful arts education programming and services. Funds will help sustain the company’s general operating expenses and its 3-year strategic plan which includes increasing staff positions and salaries, and moving many independent contractors to staff positions; plus expanding audience outreach and students served; and increasing general operating and unrestricted income. | Now in our 36th year, our itinerant company’s critically acclaimed INTERDISCIPLINARY THEATERWORKS have been seen extensively in Greater L.A., in the U.S. and Canada, and on national TV. We collaboratively create and present innovative original theaterworks with community performing and visual artists to unearth and illuminate cultural histories of Latin America, the Southwest, California and L.A., and explore the human spiritual condition. We are one of the few companies that brings affordable theater to low-income, under-served communities by mining seldom-tapped regional histories that address relevant issues and under-represented voices. In partnership with performing arts and cultural centers, community-based arts organizations, and educational institutions, we have collaborated with many of the region’s leading community artists — performing, media, and visual — authors and historians. Our interdisciplinary productions have integrated media, music, dance, and innovative storytelling and lighting design. Presented in numerous L.A. County neighborhoods, our productions have also been featured in festivals such as the International Hispanic Theatre Festival in Miami, Telluride Theatre Festival in Colorado, New Voices Festival at The Public Theater in New York City, and SXSW in Austin. Our successful 20+ year YOUNG THEATERWORKS program serves L.A. area highest-risk and educationally disadvantaged youth with standards-based intensive residencies and workshops to impact their academic achievement, creative engagement and connection to their community. The program improves literacy, communication and collaboration skills as students explore personal identity, family and community history, and social issues. Working with committed principals and classroom teachers in the L.A. and Pasadena Unified School Districts we provide free or low-cost 6-10 week residencies and workshops. In conjunction with our original theaterworks we also provide workshops that engage students in the content and artistic strategies of these theaterworks, giving them the opportunity to see professional work and directly connect them to professional artists in their community. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Juneteenth Santa Barbara | 1111 Chapala St #200 , SANTA BARBARA, CA 93101-3100 | Santa Barbara | Central Coast | (805) 698-0051 | 24 | 37 | 19 | With support from the California Arts Council, @juneteenthsb will host the seventh annual Juneteenth Santa Barbara to celebrate and honor Black / African American Independence Day. Juneteenth Santa Barbara showcases local Black / African American culture, talent, and joy; we also contemplate how far we still have to achieve justice and equity. | Our community event honors local Black / African American artists, performers, and organizations as well as providing free food, dancing, singing. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Donte McDaniel | 5609 W Los Altos Ave , Fresno, CA 93722 | Fresno | Central Valley | (559) 825-0886 | California's 21 congressional district | District 27 | District 12 | With support from the California Arts Council, Libota Mbonda Fresno African Drumming and community partners will deliver 15 bi-weekly drum circles using culturally based West African traditional djembe drumming and family oriented drum-based activities, to address racial equity and to continue healing, uplifting, and transforming Fresno’s low income African American Communities. | 1. Facilitated African Drum Circles for community since 2017 (More than 50 free drum circles for the community ranging from 20- 200 participants based on duration and time), portion through CAC funded projects. 2. Drumming workshops since 2017. The group has promoted the conservation of West African Traditional drumming as an art form through teaching the history, background, and rhythms of West African drumming. (More than 20 drum workshops conducted ranging from 20 – 200 participants). 3. African Djembe Group, Community lessons, and Djembe instruction. 4. Driveway Drum circles for Fresno community residents for COVID safety since 2020. 5. Development of Curriculum- “Drumming Intervention for At-Risk African American Youth”. 6. Curriculum Development for School District After school Program. 7. Live interactive Cultural Drumming Performances- (over 45 elementary, middle school, high school, and community colleges, and universities served) Assemblies consists of 100-500 people each. 8. School Drumming Programs for Central Valley Schools (over 75 schools served), 2015 – Present 9. Live performances for Nonprofit and Businesses (audience range from 50- 700 people) 10. Live performances for free community events, community fundraisers (audience range from 50 -700 people) 11. Certification in Drumming Intervention, Rhythm to Recovery Program: emphasis on Violence Prevention, Alcohol and Drug Dependency, Social Emotional Regulation, Bullying, Young People with Special Needs, Healthy Relationships, and Workplace Development. 12. After school Programming for Central Valley Schools (over 30 School Sites served ranging from 25-100 students served per day, Monday through Friday) , 2022 – Present 13. Djembe Repair and Tuning 14. Providing African Culture to the Central Valley- Although Fresno is very diverse, there are few, if any, traditional West African Drummers, the Libota Mbonda Fresno African Drumming group has spread drumming and culture in the Central Valley with community engagement being at the forefront of their service. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Level Ground | 1920 Hillhurst Avenue #V939 , Los Angeles, CA 90027 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (630) 913-7264 | California's 30th congressional district | District 52 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Level Ground will continue to destabilize oppressive social structures through art making, community building, and resource sharing. We will pay our team of Staff Artists a living wage, and operate on a solid and sustainable financial foundation. | We run three distinct, interdependent programs. The specific events and projects within each program may evolve or even change year-to-year on account of our capacity, budget, and strategic decision-making, but these programs provide the consistent scaffolding for where Level Ground directs our resources. Our Residency Program provides emerging visual artists and cultural stewards with financial, creative, and care support to produce and exhibit a new body of work. A rotating selection committee curates each residency cohort, and every program cycle culminates with a free public offering from the residents. Our Production Incubator supports experimental and nonfiction filmmakers making work about critical socio-political issues. We create opportunities for collaboration and provide resources for project development, production, and distribution. Our Social Practice Labs are artist-led humanities seminars and workshops inspired by revolutionary texts where our larger communities join the Level Ground Collective to study and practice frameworks of collective liberation and abolition. Each year, the lab is documented in an annual group publication and/or exhibition. Alongside our programs, Level Ground maintains a Mutual Aid Network that offers responsive, ongoing, and direct material support specifically and exclusively for the Level Ground Collective (i.e. emergency grants, health stipends, project materials). |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | 3Girls Theatre, 3GT | 1034 Kearny Street , San Francisco, CA 94133 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 891-7941 | California's 12th congressional district | District 3 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, 3Girls Theatre (3GT) will develop, promote, and present new plays by San Francisco Bay Area women+ playwrights through our Reading Series. 3GT’s Reading Series supports emerging playwrights who have been historically excluded from having their work produced: women over 40; Black, Indigenous, and women of color (BIWOC); and LBTQI+ women and artists assigned-female-at-birth (AFAB). We provide everything a playwright needs to succeed, including paid dramaturgs, directors, casts, performance venue, and marketing support. 3GT will present FREE professionally staged readings of new scripts at the historic Phoenix Theatre, bimonthly (March-June). The staged readings include discussions with the audience led by the play’s dramaturg. 3GT pays everyone for their work supporting our playwrights. | 3GT is the only theatre company on the West Coast – and one of three nationwide – committed to exclusively developing and presenting theatre made by women+. 3GT provides an artistic home for San Francisco women+ playwrights (which includes cis and trans women, trans men, and nonbinary/genderqueer artists assigned-female-at-birth) at all stages of their creative and professional process: 3GT assists our playwrights in finding further production and funding opportunities, and invites local theater producers to attend Staged Readings and encourages them to produce our scripts in upcoming seasons. These connections, costs, and technical expertise are daunting and prohibitive for emerging playwrights, especially senior women, queer and trans artists, and artists of color. Because lack of reasonable compensation is continuously cited as a major barrier for low-income and BIPOC artists, we pay everyone fairly for their work. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | San Jose Taiko | 565 N. 5th St. , San Jose, CA 95112 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 293-9344 | 19 | District 27 | District 15 | With support from the California Arts Council, San Jose Taiko will address social inequalities facing disabled populations and seniors through Taiko for All (T4A), a comprehensive effort to expand access to and accessibility of SJT’s educational and performance programs. Educational elements of the program specifically target Santa Clara County seniors and individuals living with Parkinson’s Disease and their caregivers, while performance and workshop elements target people who have sensory sensitivities that limit their ability to engage with taiko. The efforts will increase the ability of these populations to engage with taiko, including their ability to experience the social, emotional, and mental health benefits of participating in taiko classes. | CORE PERFORMANCES – broad reach of ~22,000 audience members EDUCATIONAL PERFORMANCES – deeper impact for ~18,500 students CORE CLASSES/TRAINING – deepest impact for ~1,100 students/trainees |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Duniya Dance and Drum Company | 1446 Market St , San Francisco, CA 94102-6004 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (510) 213-1537 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Duniya Dance and Drum Company will present the 5th free African Arts Festival at McLaren Park in San Francisco, celebrating the vibrancy of the Bay Area’s African arts scene with traditional performing artists representing different regions of Africa and the diaspora and vendors selling traditional clothing, instruments, jewelry, and food. | -Adult and youth classes in the styles of Bhangra, Bollywood, West African dance, and West African drumming. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $49,499.00 | Young Musicians Foundation | 1044 East Jefferson Boulevard, Suite A , Los Angeles, CA 90011 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 987-0065 | California's 37th congressional district | District 57 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council the Young Musicians Foundation (YMF) will have the operational support required to allow us to continue providing tuition-free music and media arts education and workforce development training to over 5,200 students at 27 underserved schools and community organizations in South Los Angeles, East Los Angeles, and Downtown Los Angeles. Support from the Council will also to providing the operational support needed for YMF to deliver tuition-free classes, concerts, workshops, and other arts-based programming to the communities of South Central Los Angeles through our newly-completed facility in Historic South Central Los Angeles. | YMF provides year-round tuition-free music, media arts, creative career pathway classes and workforce development training to the communities of South Central Los Angeles through our newly completed, state-of-the-art facility in Historic South Central Los Angeles. In-school programs are delivered weekly to over 6,000 students at 26 partner schools in under-served, high-need communities across Los Angeles. Community programs originate from the YMF Center for Music and Creative Technologies (CMCT). Classes are free of charge and open to the the communities of South Central Los Angeles and beyond. Offerings include classes keyboard, guitar, violin, trumpet, flute clarinet, drums, and percussion, composition/songwriting, music technology/production, songwriting, and filmmaking. The CMCT features a multimedia lab/classroom, audio/visual control room, and a production studio/sound stage that comprise the heart of our Creative Career Pathways and Workforce Development Programs. Creative Career Pathway programs were created to serve at-risk and system impacted youth ages 16 to 25 by developing creative self-expression through lyric writing, storytelling and digital music and video creation while also providing the foundational skills needed for participation in the creative economy. In-school programs bring tuition-free, weekly, music instruction directly to over 5,200 students at 24 partner schools in South LA, Eastside LA, and Downtown LA. Programs run throughout the academic year and over the summer. Many of these programs are dual-language. In-school programs are guided by benchmark Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) Standards. YMF’s proprietary curricular planning tools integrate the domains of Social/Emotional Learning (SEL) with musical skill development. Specialized classes include Music Fundamentals for pre-k through 4-th Grade, and Music Technology and Production, Songwriting, Strings, (including guitar and ukulele), Brass, Woodwinds, and Percussion for grades 4 – 12. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Tenderloin Museum | 398 EDDY ST , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 351-1912 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, UPTOWN TENDERLOIN INC (Tenderloin Museum) will stage a new production of The Compton’s Cafeteria Riot, an immersive play celebrating that seminal act of queer resistance in SF’s Tenderloin, co-written by two trans women with deep roots in the TL, and originally produced by the Tenderloin Museum in 2018. A plan is in motion for a new vision of the play to be an ongoing production that would sustain performing arts jobs for trans & LGBTQ artists, reactivate a now vacant space in a hard-hit commercial corridor, &plify its inspiring, affirming, and timely-as-ever story of trans resilience. A CAC Impact Grant would be an immense contribution towards the play’s start up costs, including the director’s stipend, actor rehearsal stipends, and production costs before the show is open and earning income. | The Tenderloin Museum opened in 2015 with the intersecting goals of promoting a deeper understanding of the history of the Tenderloin neighborhood, re-imagining our collective future, and supporting our current community. To accomplish these goals, the museum enacts a three-pronged approach: a critically-acclaimed permanent history exhibition, community-driven programs and tours, and economic support in the form of local partnerships and hiring practices. To accomplish these goals, each year TLM produces 40-50 public programs, 5-7 special arts presentations (including aerial dance, theatre, and visual art exhibitions), and 50 walking tours, in addition to maintaining its critically-acclaimed permanent history exhibition. All told, these programs attract approximately 5,000 people each year. We invest in deeply collaborative relationships with organizations in the arts, humanities, and social sectors, and our success on a relatively small budget is directly linked to those efforts. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Timken Museum of Art | 2550 5TH AVENUE Suite 500, SAN DIEGO, CA 92103-6612 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 239-5548 | California District 50 | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Timken Museum of Art (“Timken”) will continue to provide a comprehensive art expression program for veterans receiving treatment for substance addiction at the VA La Jolla. The program includes art instruction and exhibition opportunities. It consists of 90-minute art classes taught by the Timken Teaching Artist, quarterly tours of the Timken galleries, and biweekly art workshops led by a successful veteran artist. This program increases participants’ comprehension of and connection to the role of art in the world, and pre- and post-evaluations indicate that participants typically experience a reduction in pain and anxiety. | The following describes our core programs, all provided free of charge: Exhibitions and lecture series: 3 exhibitions annually that focus on a specific painting in our collection, positioning it in the larger context of works by a master or artistic movement. Each exhibition has a series of morning, afternoon and evening lectures, and daily docent-led tours. School programs: school tours; teacher workshops for educators to learn how art can connect to their teaching; Outreach Español (Spanish docent-guided tours for Spanish-speaking students); Creative Choices (artist-in-residency program for at-risk students in Juvenile Hall). Programs for adults, families and visitors with special needs include: tours by trained docents in 8 languages; Family Mural Making Project; Memories at the Museum (docent tours in partnership with USCD’s Shiley-Marcos Alzheimer’s Disease Center); and Creative Engagement (comprehensive art program for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder). |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | VOENA | 260 SEMPLE XING , BENICIA, CA 94510-3135 | Solano | Capital | (707) 751-1515 | District 5 | District 14 | District 3 | With support from the California Arts Council, VOENA will expand representation of diversity of artists and art forms by collaborating with Richard Sherwood, creator of the Drumdala, a fusion of acoustic and tonal drums inspired by African, Indian, Asian and Middle Eastern drumming traditions. Our combined vision is to: VOENA has an impressive track record of such collaborations and welcomes the opportunity to revitalize its efforts with an artist of Mr. Sherwood’s caliber. | VOENA children’s choir was founded in 1994 to fill a gap in public schools for music education. What began with a dozen children has since grown into a world-renowned children’s choir with 125 to 150 members ages 4 to 18 representing a diverse range of cultural backgrounds. With its home base in Benicia, VOENA serves members from throughout the North San Francisco Bay region. The four major areas of musical programing include: 1. Ongoing vocal music training and development of choir members through regular rehearsals and lessons; 2. public performances and global tours, 3. VOENA in the Schools (VIS) programs; 4. need-based scholarships so no child is excluded due to inability to pay. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | San Jose Taiko | 565 N. 5th St. , San Jose, CA 95112 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 293-9344 | 19 | District 27 | District 15 | With support from the California Arts Council, San Jose Taiko will provide performance, education, and outreach programming that celebrates 50 years of artistic excellence and presents the Asian-American art of taiko as a path to social action, community development, cultural preservation, and Asian-American identity, uplifting San Jose Japantown and our larger Asian-American community. | CORE PERFORMANCES – broad reach of ~22,000 audience members EDUCATIONAL PERFORMANCES – deeper impact for ~18,500 students CORE CLASSES/TRAINING – deepest impact for ~1,100 students/trainees |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $54,998.00 | FACT/SF | 80 TURK ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102-2808 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 349-0771 | CA-11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, FACT/SF will increase the reach, impact, accessibility, and sustainability of our organization by hiring a Development and Communications Coordinator at 8 hours/week, expanding our Operations Manager role from 15 hours/week to 20 hours/week, expanding our Artistic Director role from 20 hours/week to 25 hours/week, and hiring Gravity Access Services to help us identify and implement improvements regarding accessibility. FACT/SF currently pays a living hourly wage of $30/hour to our employees, contractors, artists applying to our programs, and dancers auditioning for work, with an expected raise to $31/hour in 2024 and $32/hour in 2025. FACT/SF also provides our employees with a 401k match and commuter benefits. This grant ($30,000 each year for two years) would cover 82% of this proposal. Committed individual donors will cover the remaining 18%. | FACT/SF is a San Francisco-based contemporary dance company founded in 2008 by Charles Slender-White. FACT/SF consists of three components: Fieldwork, Education, and Original Creations by Slender-White. Fieldwork provides support and opportunity for artists through a number of programs including Fiscal Sponsorship, Production Support Grants, and annual Winter Dance Salons and Summer Dance Festivals. Fieldwork is curated via an open application process where all applicants are paid $30/hour to apply. FACT/SF is one of two arts organizations in the US that pays artists to apply for programs. We do this because we recognize applications as artist labor, and believe labor should be compensated. Our Education arm provides contemporary dance classes and workshops for advanced and professional dancers from all over North America. FACT/SF holds an annual Summer Dance Lab (since 2013) and Winter Dance Lab (since 2019), and hosts regular Countertechnique classes throughout the year. Slender-White is one of 58 Countertechnique Teachers worldwide, and he has been offering Countertechnique classes and workshops at home and abroad since 2012. Slender-White also regularly produces his own choreography with FACT/SF–usually 1-2 new works each season. Since its founding, FACT/SF has created 48 original works and given more than 420 performances. FACT/SF has toured across California, and to Oregon, Washington, and North Carolina. FACT/SF has also toured throughout the Balkans and Russia on behalf of the US Department of State. On average, each of our new creations engages and compensates 10-12 artists and technicians. Ticket sales are always offered on a sliding scale, with a ‘no one turned away’ policy ensuring economic access for all. FACT/SF produced art throughout the pandemic – providing paid work for our dancers and sharing our art with audiences throughout California, the US, and abroad. Support from the CAC allows us to continue our important and multifaceted work. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $19,125.00 | la familia sana | PO BOX 158 , CLOVERDALE, CA 95425-0158 | Sonoma | Bay Area – Other | (707) 669-0289 | The CAC grant funds will support the collaboration between La Familia Sana and Blanca Molina, a local bilingual and bicultural artist, in her vibrant artistic community mural project. We have conducted a community survey, where we have identified Cloverdale’s interests and we found out that art has priority. Blanca will design three options for the community to vote on, and the chosen design will guide the mural’s creation. Local community members will actively contribute to completing the mural, fostering inclusivity. Our goal is to value and engage every community member, especially the Latino community, ensuring their voices are heard and celebrated throughout the process. With the CAC grant funds, we’ll create a visually stunning mural that authentically represents Cloverdale’s diverse spirit. | How we create impactful and sustainable change in our commmunities – Mental Health Access: La Familia Sana partners with On the Margins to provide free bilingual and bicultural mental healthcare. – Community Health Workers: La Familia Sana partners with Alexander Valley Healthcare to help our community navigate resources and advocates equitable access to healthcare. – Tallares: La Familia Sana partners with fellow community based organizations to provide workshops and education in our community | |||
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | ABD Productions / Skywatchers | 3574 22ND ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114-3419 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (781) 820-7712 | District 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, ABD Productions/Skywatchers will produce its 13th annual season rooted in rigorous, inclusive, multi-disciplinary performance-based work created by residents of San Francisco’s Tenderloin, the City’s most disinvested neighborhood. Skywatchers’ liberatory 4-part methodology is relational, conversational, durational, and structural. These values are the foundation for weekly rehearsals and workshops in the Tenderloin. We present multi-disciplinary works throughout the year that will culminate in a spring 2024 Skywatchers premiere of the third act of the ensemble’s trilogy, Towards Opulence, the Opera, calling on ensemble members to envision beyond survival into the realization of our most glorious selves. | Since 2011, ABD/SKYWATCHERS—an ensemble composed largely of Tenderloin (TL) residents subject to housing insecurity, social isolation, and chronic illness—has been co-creating site-specific, multidisciplinary artworks that center and uplift the lives, histories, and urgent concerns of the residents of the TL. Ranging from little formal training to over 40 years of professional experience, ensemble members contribute our varied experience and skills to an arts-based platform of our own making. Each year over 100 Tenderloin-based performer-residents come together to engage several thousand audience participants and a substantially larger audience for web-based and video production. All events are free and held in ADA-accessible spaces. Participation is also free, and SKYWATCHERS’ open-door policy invites anyone interested in joining to drop in and participate. The organization and all our programming is dedicated to expanding the boundaries of traditional performance forms and modes of engagement. We are an ever growing and changing group of co-creators that attract audiences who may rarely enter conventional arts venues, but come to see our stories spoken, sung, and moved on SKYWATCHERS’ stage. We also attract traditional arts audiences that are engaged by the works’ themes, aware they don’t see these stories in other artwork they seek out. Over the last decade, SKYWATCHERS has made works that address the slow violences of poverty and structural disenfranchisement, mass incarceration and the war on drugs, the climate crisis and clean water, and revolutionary acts of community survival. SKYWATCHERS creates lasting impacts: |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Elevate Oakland | 1661 20th St suite 3 , Oakland, CA 94607-3390 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (925) 878-1831 | California Assembly district 15 | District 15 | District 9 | As Oakland’s community of students, artists and public school educators continue down a long road to recovery from the detrimental impacts of the pandemic and a shifting socio-political landscape, Elevate Oakland seeks funding to help build and sustain integrated music & arts learning opportunities for Oakland public school students during the school day. Grant funding provided by CAC will fund teaching artist positions that are a vital part of our foundational Artists in Residence Program which embeds renowned artists from the Bay Area community into public school classrooms, providing mentorship and creative learning opportunities for students and educators. This funding will allow us to expand our programs to 2-3 additional schools over the next two years, helping us to grow our impact and reach more students with our music and arts programming than ever before. | Founded in 2011 by a group of acclaimed artists–including legendary percussionist Sheila E. and Yoshi’s Jazz Club founder Yoshie Akiba–and creative professionals with a shared vision of providing inspiration and mentorship to Oakland’s youth, we operate with the goal of bolstering students’ engagement in school while fostering creative self-expression and improving all-around student mental health. We believe in the transformative power that opportunities in music and the arts can have on developing youth, especially those living low-income or high-trauma communities and contexts. Across our programs, our primary focus is not on creating professional musicians, but instead on utilizing music and the arts as a conduit to get students excited about learning and invested in their education. Elevate Oakland supports students by using this excitement to get kids to school, engage them in learning, and support the development of skills that will help them succeed both within and outside of the classroom. Our foundational Artists in Residence (AiR) program embeds renowned artists from within the Bay Area community into Oakland public school classrooms, providing mentorship and learning opportunities for students and teachers alike throughout the school year. This program is built on a long-term (typically semester or year-long) partnership between school educators and one or more teaching artists who help develop and support the school’s music or arts curriculum throughout the school year. Our AiR programs typically culminate in a variety of performance opportunities for students throughout the year at different public venues, including Yoshi’s Jazz Club, the Oakland Museum of California and a variety of community-led festivals and events. In addition to our Artists in Residence program, we also host immersive workshops, masterclasses, demos and speaker series that are offered to student groups in partnership with artists, arts professionals and community educators. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $23,374.00 | Kids & Art Foundation | 1443 Howard Ave, Suite 218, Burlingame, CA 94010 | San Mateo | Bay Area – Other | (650) 877-2750 | California's 15th Congressional District | District 21 | District 13 | With support from the California Art Council, Kids & Art Foundation will provide supportive, hands-on, creative art experiences directly to pediatric cancer patients and families in-person and online, as well as through hospitals and treatment centers and @home. | Our programs provide opportunities for connection, enrichment, self-expression, and community for pediatric cancer patients and their families at no cost. Integral to our program design are professional artists, offering a unique, collaborative, and inspiring experience of creative engagement for the children. Current programs: Amaeyzing ArtKits: all-in-one art experiences blend art/wellness projects containing materials, written instructions, and QR codes for pre-recorded instruction videos. Projects are about process, encouraging families to explore materials, ideas, and techniques, create together, and express themselves in meaningful ways. We are able to support thousands of pediatric patients through art in partnership with child life and health care providers. ArtKits are distributed remotely at 21 hospital partners and at-home. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Dancing Cy(i)phers | 1428 Alice St suite 308 201, Oakland, CA 94612-4068 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 377-5166 | 12 | 18 | 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Dancing Cy(i)phers organization will continue operations for 2023 – 2025, including the development and production of a major performance work, 5th-Quarter Bantaba, producing regular dance education workshops, and producing our Dancing Cy(i)phers annual symposium that connects the coded languages of African-rooted dance. | Dancing Cy(i)phers core programs/symposiums are Hip Hop’s Embodied Expression, Back to the Root: The Healing and Spiritual Power of the Spine and Pelvis in African Rooted Dance and Back to the Root: Dancing Ancestral Cosmologies. These two day symposiums provided space for panel discussions, history lectures, movement classes that centered the cultural and spiritual reasons for the movement, all done through the lens of re-membering and decoding the coded retentions of African traditions. Back to the Root: The Healing and Spiritual Power of the Pelvis in African Rooted Dance evolved into monthly online series during 2020-2021. Other programs include quarterly dance workshops at the Malonga Center and community presentations of the Here We Go Again dance workshop, which provides participants the embodied experience of how different traditional dances of the Mande, Luba, and Mongo people of west and central Africa track throughout the diaspora and show up again and again in African American dance, hip hop/freestyle specifically, as a means of rejuvenation, evidence of resilience, acts of resistance, and roads to revelation. Socio-political, historical and culturally specific information is shared about each dance embodied. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | Poetic Justice | PO Box 3997 , San Diego, CA 92163 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 881-7334 | 53 | San Diego 78th | San Diego 39th | With a CAC Impact grant, Dr. Reka Barton, a Postdoctoral Faculty Fellow at USD and expert in Visual Methodology, will collaborate with Poetic Justice to provide a critical component to the exhibition: a dialogic arts education experience, rooted in Freirean pedagogies, that activates communities through intentional engagement. In early 2023, NEA-funded PJ arts educators, a professional photographer, and 15 incarcerated members of the team at CIW collaborated on a museum-quality multimedia exhibition of 15 outsized self-portrait photographs (5’ x 7’ on average), poetry, and QR codes that link audience members to incarcerated artists, speaking about their artistic process and reading their poetry. The exhibit opened inside the prison in March 2023 and will tour in the Southern California region throughout 2023 and 2024, with opportunities for community engagement through videography and visual thinking. | Poetic Justice offers gender responsive and trauma informed classes in the following California carceral settings: Other PJ Work in California A typical weekly class provides gender-diverse and sensitive access by incorporating mindful breathing, trauma-responsive programming, community support, creative writing, and therapeutic visual arts. For example, participants might explore aspects of anxiety, worthlessness, shame, etc. through poetry’s grapho-motor process within a trusted community engaged in evidence-based healing because putting language to the unspeakable supports healing from root causes of trauma and PTSD, and provides pathways forward. Whereas abuse, depression, and addiction damage language centers, poetry reactivates them. In fact research indicates that poetry (rhythm, metaphor, rhyme) activates the right hemisphere. The left brain is responsible for acquisition and expression, but the right brain’s ability to integrate unrelated concepts into comprehensible metaphor with repetition and syncopation can access language pathways damaged by trauma. Research, including JW Pennebaker’s work, shows “writing about upsetting events improves physical and mental health,” but only by creating safe communities for interoception and embodied agency. The traumatized brain doesn’t remember in logical sequences; trauma memory returns in sensory experiences rooted in the limbic system rather than language centers – this is why poetry is consequential for healing. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | The Narrative Quilt Project | 1489 Dolores St , San Francisco, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 647-7224 | 11th Congressional district | State Assembly (District 17) | State Senate (District 11) | With two-year support from the CAC, the African American Narrative Quilt Project (AANQP) will organize and conduct 6 workshops in Black-led San Francisco Senior and Cultural Centers that engage 80 Black seniors in telling their life stories through the medium of quilting. The resulting quilts will subsequently be exhibited at various Black community venues where they will foster dialogues about racial, cultural and economic equity, promote Black community solidarity and contribute to a healthier San Francisco. | The NQP’s Artistic Director annually stages workshops in senior and cultural centers that engage participants in telling their stories through the medium of quilting. The resulting quilts are then exhibited at various community based venues where they foster dialogue about racial, cultural and economic equity, promote Black community solidarity and contribute to a healthier community. The Quilts narrate the stories of Black and other resilient populations who have lived the majority of their lives in their communities. Collectively, their stories reflect the community’s growth and paint a powerful and valuable picture that is essential to the broader narrative. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Presidio Performing Arts Foundation | 2902 LYON ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123-3226 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 561-3958 | District 12 | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Presidio Performing Arts Foundation will strengthen its current DANCEOUT! programs and expand its outreach work in partnership with the Bayview YMCA to provide underserved students in the Bayview community a positive outlet through dance. Furthermore, students from this program will be granted full multi-year scholarships to join our Youth Company, promoting youth development, cultural literacy and mentorship through dance. | Presidio Performing Arts Foundation (PPAF) has a 27 year history of advancing justice through dance. Since its inception, PPAF has continuously engaged and uplifted historically and systemically excluded and erased artists, cultural practitioners, and arts and cultural practices. In partnership with SFUSD and the YMCA, 280,000 students have benefitted from our free public performances, lectures, workforce development opportunities, and community classes. PPAF annually presents Children’s Day at the SF War Memorial Opera House, providing an opportunity for 6,200 Bay Area students and families to enjoy free multicultural dance presentations, highlighting the diversity and inclusive spirit of California. DANCEOUT!’s nationally recognized youth development program, provides culturally informed and responsive arts education, resulting in positive life paths. 85% of our DANCEOUT! students are the first in their families to attend a university; 99% of our graduates pursue a college education. PPAF partnerships include a broad range of local, national and international arts, cultural, and educational entities, including: the United Nations; International Red Cross; UNESCO’s International Dance Council; European Parliament; U.S. Department of State; City of San Francisco; SF Symphony; SFMOMA; SF Opera; SF Unified School District; YMCA; Smithsonian Institute. Presidio Dance Theatre, widely recognized for its signature style of Ethno-Classical Ballet, has received numerous accolades, including the U.S. State Department’s award for “Excellence in Cultural Diplomacy & Dance.” PDT employs and highlights native artists and those from underrepresented cultures, celebrating the rich tapestry of human heritage. PDT’s New Works Series focuses on women’s empowerment and putting women’s stories back into history, while examining gender roles through the ages. PDT has engaged in 13 international tours, representing the U.S. and 5 official SF Sister City Exchanges, supporting global humanitarian causes, while promoting social justice. Global audiences have exceeded 12 million. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $45,832.00 | West Edge Opera | 1700 SHATTUCK AVE NO 312 , BERKELEY, CA 94709-3402 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 841-1903 | California's 13th congressional district | District 15 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, West Edge Opera will hire a fourth staff member – Director of Marketing & Engagement – in order to increase earned income revenue and expand local and regional partnerships. West Edge Opera will use CAC GO support to increase local marketing efforts and partnerships specifically in downtown Oakland where our opera festival now takes place each summer. West Edge Opera has commissioned 3 diverse new operas to premiere over the next 3 summers in the festival. These operas are about Californians, LGBTQ stories of heroism, and Black and Brown women as catalysts for joy – including an opera about Dolores Huerta, ‘Dolores’, composed by her cousin Nicolás Lell Benavides. California Arts Council GO support will ensure these stories have vibrant community engagement & impact. | West Edge Opera was founded in 1979, initially as Commedia dell’Opera, then as Berkeley Opera. In 2012, the organization became West Edge Opera led by General Director Mark Streshinsky. In its 39-year history, West Edge Opera has presented 100 complete operas by 63 different composers. In 2014, West Edge Opera (WEO) focused all programming on an annual Summer Opera Festival, presenting fully staged and fully orchestrated operas performed in repertory. To present these operas, WEO turned toward unique venues of East Bay cultural history. Previous festival venues have included The 16th Street Train Station in Oakland, The Craneway Pavilion in Richmond, The Bridge Yard, in Oakland. In 2017, WEO launched a standing Winter program called SNAPSHOT – a presentation of new operas at the Ed Roberts Campus, Berkeley, and the Wilsey Center for Opera, San Francisco. Since 2017, WEO has presented excerpts from 16 new operas by new and established librettist/composer teams from the West Coast region. In 2020, WEO began commissioning and developing new operas toward world premieres. In 2020, WEO announced the commission of Bulrusher from Eisa Davis and Nathaniel Stookey (based on her play by the same name) and in 2024 the opera premiered at the WEO Summer Opera Festival in downtown Oakland. In 2021, WEO announced the commission and development of Dolores by Nicolás Lell Benavides and Marella Martin Koch and in August 2025 the opera will premiere in downtown Oakland with Dolores Huerta in attendance. 2 more commissions are due for upcoming premieres. Each year, WEO serves approximately 90 local artists and 5,000 audience members in the Bay Area. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA THEATRE COMPANY (SFBATCO) | 2781 24th Street , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 484-8566 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, SFBATCO will sustain its programs, staff and operations from July 2023 to June 2025. Our annual programs will include: the creation and staging of at least 2 live theater productions addressing American society’s contemporary racial and cultural conflicts; our New Roots Theater Festival, an event designed to intentionally build alliances among Black, Latinx, AAPI, Indigenous, Middle Eastern and LGBTQIA+ theater workers; several developmental workshops for projects currently under commission; both in-school and after-school education programs; and a series of capacity-building workshops specifically designed to strengthen the, acting, writing and auditioning skills of emerging BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ theater workers of all ages. | SFBATCO mounts 2-3 full productions per year that address American society’s contemporary racial and cultural conflicts. Additionally, the organization provides community service initiatives such as free capacity-building workshops for BIPOC creatives, and invests in the creation of new work by local writers and composers. SFBATCO recently produced the World Premiere of Sign My Name to Freedom, a social justice musical based on the life and work of Betty Reid Soskin, a Black Bay Area icon who was a Civil Rights Activist and instrumental National Parks figure. Other commissioned pieces in development include Every Saturday Night, a semi-autobiographical musical that depicts San Francisco’s Fillmore District in the 1950s when it was known as the “Harlem of the West” before San Francisco’s Urban Development program displaced thousands of Black residents and businesses; and The Day the Sky Turned Orange, a soulful, House, R&B musical that helps us confront and make sense of our collective fear of the climate crisis, inspired by Sept 9, 2020, the day the sky in San Francisco turned a troubling shade of amber, as ash rained down, due to thousands of wildfires spreading across the state. Since 2021, SFBATCO has annually produced the New Roots Theatre Festival, which features works in development by BIPOC artists and organizations. The festival was designed to build alliances amongst the region’s artists, audiences, and funders. Past collaborating organizations include African-American Shakespeare Company, Lorraine Hansberry Theater, and PUSH Dance. SFBATCO also runs several education programs, both in schools and at Brava Theater. In 2022 and 2023, SFBATCO co-sponsored a series of free capacity building audition workshops with African-American Shakespeare Company for BIPOC performers who were unable to attend arts training programs. SFBATCO’s Creators Lab is an annual cohort of playwrights and composers that get paid to develop their ideas with SFBATCO’s Literary Manager. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Bloom Arts Foundation Inc | 2116 COLORADO BLVD , LOS ANGELES, CA 90041-1222 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 262-8838 | 34 | 52 | 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, BLOOM ARTS FOUNDATION INC will provide music and dance education to schools and youth organizations through our Arts Education Program. The program is typically offered to students over a 10 week period, from transitional kindergarten through 12th grade. Our program is a progressive, child-centered sequential learning program that draws inspiration from the philosophy of Orff Schulwerk and the science of Gordon Music Learning Theory. For example we would work with the same group of students from TK through 5th grade in an elementary school. Students explore, compose, improvise, and perform within a wide range of styles and genres that celebrate diversity and inclusion. Through our current partnerships we have provided over 2,000 students from Eagle Rock, Pasadena, Glendale, Silverlake, Santa Monica, Valley Village, and more with arts education. | In-School Weekly Classes: Interactive Assemblies: Futures in Tune: Professional Development for Educators: Why This Matters: |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $12,833.00 | Lyrical Opposition | 132 Visitacion Avenue , Brisbane, CA 94005 | San Mateo | Bay Area – Other | (424) 260-3650 | 15th Congressional District | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, LYRICAL OPPOSITION will… | Lyrical Opposition develops lyrical artists, activists and educators through personal and professional development. Lyrical Opposition also partners with communities of color in order to curate events centered around joy, liberation, and healing. Lyrical Originals are curated artistic spaces, where Lyrical Opposition organizes events and platforms where artists, musicians, poets, and filmmakers can showcase their work and share messages of hope, empowerment, and social justice. These events are often admission-free, making them accessible to a wider audience. Lyrical Studios is our physical space where we offer artists and filmmakers equipment and software use to create new works. We encourage and support artists who use their creative talents to raise awareness about social issues, challenge systemic oppression, and inspire positive change in their communities. Lyrical Opposition provides resources needed to thrive as a professional artist in the marketplace. Lyrical Academy leads and engages in educational programs and workshops aimed at empowering individuals, particularly youth, to use creative expression as a tool for personal growth, self-expression, and advocacy. Lyrical Open is a monthly open space for creatives to connect, collaborate and network with other artists and community members. Lyrical Opposition aims to create these spaces where people can come together, celebrate their creativity, and find solace and inspiration in the midst of challenging societal issues. Lyrical Vinyl is a nonprofit record store that exists to serve as space for artists to work for supplemental income in between gigs and performances. As well as being a space in the community with the intent of preserving the arts and physical mediums. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Connectopod Learning, Inc. | 18738 Keswick St. , Reseda, CA 91335 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 400-7594 | California's 32nd congressional district | District 45 | District 20 | With support from the California Arts Council, Connectopod, in partnership with The Village Family Services, will work with youth and Transitional Age Youth ages 14 – 24 who are experiencing or have recently experienced homelessness, bearing witness to their stories through media arts programming. Guided by media arts professionals, youth craft their own narratives through creative writing and art workshops. This is an expansion on a previous Connectopod project with The Village Family Services. | Connectopod is a public media organization that teaches storytelling and media arts skills to youth ages 14 -24. Founded by professional artist, Connectopod produces original content and projects that is distributed on a variety of platforms. The organization partners with other community based organizations to work with young people to use audio and video media as a way to tell stories about their community and engage with community members in problem solving and discussions of relevant community issues. Connectopod provides young people of all abilities with access to training in the podcast broadcast medium through classes, workshops, field trips and working on community projects. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $36,666.00 | OAKLAND THEATER PROJECT | 1501 Martin Luther King Jr Way , Oakland, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 646-1126 | District 12 | District 18 | District 7 | Grant funds would be used for general operating support in Oakland Theater Project’s 2023 and 2024 fiscal years, in support of our mainstage season, artistic development programs, and community efforts. | The Oakland Theater Project was founded in 2012 by Michael Socrates Moran, William Hodgson, and Colin Mandlin in Oakland, CA. Formerly named Ubuntu Theater Project, we were founded on the value of Ubuntu, which means “I am because we are” and therein “my humanity is tied to yours.” We seek to explore the ways in which theater can act as a vehicle to reveal and invigorate the latent interconnectedness in humanity and society. To achieve this, our organization roots itself in radical inclusivity by empowering diverse artists and staff and offering every professional production at pay-what-you-can pricing. Oakland Theater Project began with 3 annual summer theater festivals featuring 14 plays in site-specific locations across the Bay Area. In 2016, Oakland Theater Project launched its first full mainstage season and has produced over 75 unique productions and is the only year-round professional theater company in Oakland, CA. On top of our bold theatrical productions, we produce workshops and readings, an independent artist series, and offer educational programs serving both adults and youth. Our workshops and readings provide opportunities to develop new plays and help to give vital advancement to new and emerging playwrights of color who have additional barriers to producing work. Lastly, when we offer training and development to low-income artists of color we also build professional pipeline opportunities by partnering with external organizations like Laney College and Oakland School for the Arts. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Meztli Projects | 6615 Easton Street , Los Angeles, CA 90022 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 637-4375 | California's 40th congressional district | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Meztli Projects will provide IndigenARTS & Wellness a project blending Indigenous practices with mental health and wellness support, using Traditional Arts (drumming, etc.) and Printmaking as art forms to generate dialogue around intergenerational trauma & resiliency, sexual & gendered violence, systemic violence, art as medicine & a healing tool, to process, reflect and work towards individual & collective wellness, especially as folks deal with issues that arose during the pandemic such mourning and grieving deaths, and isolation, among other issues still impacting our Native and Indigenous community members. | Meztli Projects provides culturally relevant and competent arts programming to Native/Indigenous populations as well as the general public. Workshops range from printmaking such as screen printing and lino block printing to beading, drum making, mural painting, and zine making. Youth Development: Meztli Projects’ (Ready 2 Rise Project) is a unique set of interlocking programs between youth, artists and cultural workers from East Los Angeles who have been impacted by street violence and incarceration, developed to specifically center impacted youth by building a framework for participation, decision-making, apprenticeship, and entrepreneurship. The suite of programs include a Cultural Worker Apprenticeship program, a Youth Arts & Action Workshop Series and a 10-month program focusing on Arts-Based Healing Practices. Each program folds into the next creating a pathway for employment and wellness through art making, opportunities to assist program facilitators, and mentorship. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Dancing Cy(i)phers | 1428 Alice St suite 308 201, Oakland, CA 94612-4068 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 377-5166 | 12 | 18 | 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Dancing Cy(i)phers will support a work-in-progress performance of 5th-Quarter Bantaba, a new collaboration between Lead Artist, Latanya d. Tigner, Senegalese percussionist Magatte Fall, and Guinean dancer/choreographer, Alseny Soumah, to take place July, 2024 in Oakland, CA. | Dancing Cy(i)phers core programs/symposiums are Hip Hop’s Embodied Expression, Back to the Root: The Healing and Spiritual Power of the Spine and Pelvis in African Rooted Dance and Back to the Root: Dancing Ancestral Cosmologies. These two day symposiums provided space for panel discussions, history lectures, movement classes that centered the cultural and spiritual reasons for the movement, all done through the lens of re-membering and decoding the coded retentions of African traditions. Back to the Root: The Healing and Spiritual Power of the Pelvis in African Rooted Dance evolved into monthly online series during 2020-2021. Other programs include quarterly dance workshops at the Malonga Center and community presentations of the Here We Go Again dance workshop, which provides participants the embodied experience of how different traditional dances of the Mande, Luba, and Mongo people of west and central Africa track throughout the diaspora and show up again and again in African American dance, hip hop/freestyle specifically, as a means of rejuvenation, evidence of resilience, acts of resistance, and roads to revelation. Socio-political, historical and culturally specific information is shared about each dance embodied. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $42,500.00 | California Humanities | 538 9th Street Suite 210, Oakland, CA 94607 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (415) 391-1474 | California's 13th congressional district | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, CALIFORNIA HUMANITIES will support the cultural ecosystem of California through statewide grant making that amplifies public programs at the intersection of the arts and the humanities. | The California Documentary Project supports high-quality media projects that seek to document California in all its complexity. We support film, radio, and interactive media projects that inform and engage broad audiences though multiple platforms. The Humanities for All grant making program supports locally-initiated public humanities projects that respond to the needs, interests, and concerns of Californians and aims to promote understanding among our state’s diverse peoples. The Literature & Medicine program brings together hospital staff and visiting scholar facilitators – in hospitals throughout California – to explore the human element of medicine through conversations about literature, art, and other media. The Library Innovation Lab allows libraries to field test new programs to engage immigrants in their communities. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $17,000.00 | Groupmuse | 2320 Mitchell St , Oakland, CA 94601-1846 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (857) 636-0647 | 12th | 18 | 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Groupmuse will expand its house concert network and services for musicians by creating 2 Community Manager roles to organize weekly house concerts in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego. These new roles would focus on featuring artists of African and Indigenous descent, as well as other music to expand beyond Eurocentric programming in these house concerts. Impacted by COVID-19, Groupmuse’s network (717 professional musicians and 582 house concert hosts in California) has not had any Community Managers since 2020. Since 2014, Groupmuse has organized 1600+ house concerts and generated $500K in musician income from audience’s “pay-what-you-can” contributions (100% to musicians). Groupmuse fills infrastructural gaps in the arts for underemployed freelancing musicians by recruiting hosts and empowering musicians to perform house concerts for new audiences in non-traditional spaces. | Groupmuse operates a statewide network that supports artists and arts organizations. Together, with members of that network we present live music (classical, jazz, folk, roots, Indian classical, and beyond) in unexpected and non-traditional venues (living rooms, backyards, parks, warehouses, distilleries, art galleries) through an online and in-person network of musicians, hosts, and audiences. Our live music programming falls into these three categories: 1) Groupmuse house concerts – These concerts are at the core of Groupmuse’s work, taking place in the homes and backyards of our network of hosts. Musicians are given total creative freedom to play a 45-60 minute set for a diverse audience. 2) Massivemuses – These are larger-scale concerts of 50+ attendees in public/community spaces, such as co-working spaces, distilleries, or public parks. 3) Planetary Music Movement (PMM) Events – These concert series, began in 2021, features Black musicians and composers. Curated and directed by cellist Dara Hankins and saxophonist Alfredo Colon, PMM events provide professional videography and recording services for musicians to help jumpstart their ability to apply for residencies, grants, and other performance opportunities. — Groupmuse also provides support services for freelance musicians, facilitating in person and virtual meet-ups, educational opportunities, and professional development workshops to advance our mission of fostering solidarity between artists. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Sketch Odyssey East Bay | 6451 Hazel Avenue , Richmond, CA 94805 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (510) 350-6906 | California Assembly district 14 | District CA-8 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Children’s Art Studio Richmond / Taller de Arte Para Niños Richmond will provide quality early childhood, arts-based instruction to under-served children in Richmond, CA. The organization is proposing to evolve its programming to focus exclusively on underserved children and families. The organization is seeking funding to support this change and believes that this shift will address the childcare gaps related to arts curriculum. These changes would provide children and families with access to arts education, and it would create a more inclusive and supportive environment for children and families.The organization believes that the arts can be a powerful tool for social change, and is committed to using the arts to promote understanding and empathy, and to build bridges between people from different backgrounds. | The Children’s Art Studio Richmond / Taller de Arte Para Niños Richmond provides free art classes in both English and Spanish to children aged 2 – 5 in the Richmond, CA community, regardless of their background or resources. This program is designed to support each individual child to achieve their highest creative potential, while teaching children basic art-making techniques. We emphasize the importance of cooperation and self-help, self- discipline, and assuming responsibility for the use of these materials. Through this approach, we foster a sense of exploration, creativity, and self- expression in each child. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Creative Netwerk | PO BOX 22960 , Santa Barbara, CA 93121 | Santa Barbara | Central Coast | (413) 404-6505 | California's 24th Congressional District | District 37 | District 21 | With support from CAC, Creative Netwerk’s culturally-competent, diverse LA- and Santa Barbara-based master teaching artists, specializing in hip-hop and street/club dance styles, will engage in creative collaboration with 200 promising, underserved youth, majority Latinx and African American, at La Cumbre Junior High School’s Theater Department and Santa Barbara HS’ Dance Classes/Team to address violence, marginalization, incarceration, and poverty by offering young people arts career pathways through reliable dance programming, including both technique and pedagogy classes (inclusive of social emotional learning, dance as healing, self-care, community building). Weeklong residencies by master teachers as well as weekly dance classes by program alumni will help the next generation become teaching artists, ready to undertake volunteer hours by helping lead CN classes, youth dance crew performances, and community battles. | In Santa Barbara County, Creative Netwerk partners with Goleta USD, Carpinteria USD, Lompoc USD, and Santa Barbara USD, offering hip-hop, street/club dance, and DJ programs, and curricula connecting regional dance styles to wellness and family engagement, in after school weekly classes and events. CN provides access to Winter, Spring Break, and Summer Dance Camps, in partnership with A-OK and United Way, leading to performances and family dance celebrations with live music by DJs. CN currently reaches 3,500 K-12 students/year across Santa Barbara County in Lompoc, Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, Goleta, Santa Maria, Santa Ynez, Buellton, Guadalupe, Isla Vista. CN partners with Title I public schools, affordable housing, juvenile justice facilities and CBOs, finding solutions to learning loss, isolation, and trauma through dance culture, music, and community. CN’s diverse arts leaders deepen collaboration and unification of the many regional street dance forms across California. DJs, teaching artists, and community partners expand access to free, life-changing learning, dance cultural development, and family engagement events. Community partners include: United Way Fun in the Sun, One Community Bridge Project, the Theater Program at La Cumbre MS, the Dance Program at Santa Barbara HS, Santa Barbara City Parks and Recreation, Santa Maria Juvenile Hall, Notes For Notes, and more. At the Boys & Girls Club of Downtown Santa Barbara, CN teaches four days/week youth and teen Hip-Hop, Breaking, DJ, and Folklorico classes, weekly open sessions, and a monthly family class. With Lompoc HS, CN provides weekly after school programs and 20 week-long artist residency programs, sharing foundation, history, culture, and training in dance, DJing, event production, photography, videography, MCing, Music Production. In LA, CN partners with After-School All-Stars, the ICEF Drama Club, ISANA, Boys & Girls Clubs, Glendale Unified, and the Arc to serve 1,000 students/year, including education in regional dances such as Clowning and Krump. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | $70,800.00 | Arts Council Napa Valley | PO Box 2782 , Napa, CA 94558 | Napa | Bay Area – Other | (707) 257-2117 | California's 5th congressional district | District 4 | District 3 | With support from the California Arts Council, Arts Council Napa Valley (ACNV)will continue connect, advocate and lead the arts community countywide. This is accomplished through our network of advocates, by organizing policy initiatives, and empowering the industry through education, information, and resources. ACNV will also continue to enact our change plan to increase diversity, inclusion and equity with the arts ecosystem with the vision of an arts scene that matches the diversity of our County. ACNV’s core programs are The Community Grant Fund, supporting artists and small arts organization through twice yearly grants; The Arts Education Alliance, supporting arts student and teachers as well as selecting the arts student of the month and year; and The Napa County Creative Directory, connecting working artists with hirers. | As the official local arts agency in Napa County, it is our role to connect, advocate and lead the arts community countywide. By building a network of advocates, organizing policy initiatives, and empowering the industry through education, information, and resources, we serve to benefit all residents with a more sustainable, accessible and quality local arts scene. Arts Council Napa Valley’s core programs are The Community Grant Fund, supporting artists and small arts organization through twice yearly grants; The Arts Education Alliance, supporting arts student and teachers as well as selecting the arts student of the month and year; and The Napa County Creative Directory, connecting working artists with hirers. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | N/A | 6417 S. Main St , Los Angeles, CA 90003-1525 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 459-1420 | California Assembly district 53 | District 53 | District 30 | With help from the California Arts Council, Piece by Piece will offer therapeutic and transformative art programming for veterans, expanding on a recent series of veteran’s focused workshops. For 16 years we have provided a safe, welcoming environment – staffed with trauma informed professionals – where individuals who have experienced homelessness or living with financial insecurity and the resulting trauma, depression, isolation, or other mental health issues – have an opportunity to participate in free workshops focused on easily accessible mosaic arts that require no prior experience. To ensure full inclusivity for veterans Dawn Mendelson, Artistic Program Director will update curriculums with input from partner organization Village for Vets and James G, a veteran and Certified Piece by Piece artist. Funds will directly support curriculum updates, additional materials and staff and accessibility for disabled veterans. | Programs include: – Artisan Certification Program: Progressive skill-building course guiding participants through four certification levels in mosaic. – Directed Studies: Multi-week sessions focusing on advanced techniques led by Piece by Piece instructors and professional Visiting Artists. – Open Studio: Open session for active participants to create personal projects, refine skills, and receive support from instructors. – Community Outreach: Group projects with community members in an inviting, low-commitment setting. – Social Enterprise: Artisans complete orders and commissioned projects, receiving an hourly wage for their work. – Studio Prep Associates Program: The organization employs individuals who have experienced homelessness to provide program support sorting, preparing, and managing donated mosaic materials. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Maya's Music Therapy Fund | PO BOX 7110 , BERKELEY, CA 94707-0110 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 704-8476 | With support from the California Arts Council, Maya’s Music Therapy Fund will provide free or low cost music therapy to 100 youth and adults with developmental disabilities in individual and group sessions throughout the Bay Area. | Maya’s Music Therapy Fund’s board certified music therapists work with people with disabilities such as autism, cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome, brain injury, hearing and vision impairment, ADHD, Rett syndrome, and other developmental disabilities. Experiencing the unique power of music to engage our brains and our bodies, clients gain physical and social skills while building self-esteem and confidence during individual and group music therapy sessions. MMTF also collaborates with agencies and existing programs that serve people with disabilities from Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco Counties in Northern California. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Nava Dance Theatre | 80 Turk Street , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (925) 457-1140 | 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Nava Dance Theatre will produce its third iteration of Unrehearsed: Artist Residency and Commissioning Program (URP) which confronts systemic structural prejudices in the Indian performing arts community by curating art-centered interactive work in progress showings, performances, and discussions to make dialogue around these issues more accessible. Unrehearsed will be primarily based out of the San Francisco Bay area, but as a virtual program it will be accessible nation-wide. | Nava Dance Theatre (NDT), led by Artistic Director Nadhi Thekkek, is a Bharatanatyam company using South Indian dance as a medium for reflection and discovery. We focus on two main programs: original dance works and our Unrehearsed: Artist Residency and Commissioning program. We also offer subsidized workshops, co-produce the Varnam Salon, and organize classes as part of our community engagement. Highlights include residencies at CounterPulse and A.C.T., two commissions from Oakland Ballet, and support from the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project. Our work has also been funded by the MAP Fund, National Endowment for the Arts, California Arts Council, San Francisco Arts Commission, and more. Since 2013, we’ve performed nationally at venues such as La Mama (NYC), National Steinbeck Center, SF Ethnic Dance Festival, Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, UC Davis Mondavi Center, and UMass Amherst Fine Arts Center. NDT creates immersive, community-centered performances rooted in South Asian storytelling through Bharatanatyam and experimental movement. Our blend of dance, music, and narrative reflects the lived experiences of Indian and South Asian communities. Drawing from oral histories and interviews, we explore themes like migration, identity, and justice. Through responsible, culturally responsive storytelling, we center underrepresented voices and invite audiences to reflect, connect, and take pride in our shared histories. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $30,832.00 | Nonprofit | PO BOX 322 , SONOMA, CA 95476-0322 | Sonoma | Bay Area – Other | (707) 939-7862 | California's 4th congressional district | District 4 | District 3 | use funds toward upcoming pioneering, powerful exhibitions and programming of underrepresented artists and issues. SVMA features and explores contemporary art in ways that delight, surprise, and bring people together to celebrate the power of art and community while opening up discussions and considerations of social issues relevant to the moment. SVMA is an interlocutor role in a community comprised of a broad range of permanent and transitory community members—from immigrant farm workers to wealthy second-home owners to visiting tourists. SVMA is gaining recognition on a national level for its groundbreaking exhibitions and programs. The New York Times recently cited SVMA’s upcoming exhibition of Richard Mayhew; the Smithsonian American Art and Portrait Gallery Library requested a copy of SVMA’s 2019 exhibition catalog, Bingo: The Life and Art of Bernice Bing, for its collection. | Located in downtown Sonoma, the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art (SVMA), the only contemporary art museum in the region hosting nationally recognized exhibitions, provides a central gathering space for artists, collectors, community members, students, and art enthusiasts of all ages. Its exhibitions and educational programs engage the community in the art and ideas of our time, encouraging curiosity and innovation. Through accessible yet boundary pushing exhibits and a robust calendar of events, workshops, and other enrichment activities throughout the year, the SVMA has become a well known magnet for high quality arts exhibitions, engagement, and education in the Sonoma Valley region for community members and visitors alike. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Civic Design Studio | 3400 MacArthur Blvd. #257, Oakland, CA 94602 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 381-2013 | 12th Congressional district of California | 18 | 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Civic Design Studio will use CAC grant funds to expand our PROPA project – a multiyear ecological justice, arts and education initiative – that aims to work directly with youth and local artists to explore opportunities that support and expand environmental justice and land-based learning and practices through art and design in public spaces, libraries, schools, and parks. | Our core programs and services are Creative Industry Pathways and Urban Agroecology, focusing on education integration and industry pathway development in both sectors. All of our projects focus on bringing together local schools and artists, community, and creative industry partners towards civic change across a city and its underserved, diverse communities. We make an intentional effort to work with multigenerational and multi-ethnic communities to create public displays and spaces to affirm the expression and visibility of our diverse neighborhoods in the Bay Area. To demonstrate, with our Urban Agroecology initiative, we have worked alongside high school students and teachers to create environmentally focused large-scale art and design pieces aimed to improve local neighborhoods by enriching public spaces while expanding cultural zones. Already, we’ve facilitated urban agroecology projects where students constructed and installed over 100+ planters that are spread throughout East Oakland neighborhoods and small businesses as a way to increase environmental awareness and to foster sustainable practices. With our Creative Industry Pathways, we have held cultural events and art celebrations in Old Oakland and Chinatown from 2018 to present that bring together folks from all races, economic backgrounds, and ages to convene. In doing so, we worked with local businesses and merchants to facilitate the events and to bring positive recognition. We’ve also worked directly with local artists to create murals, art installations, and lantern displays that have been seen throughout Chinatown, East Oakland, Fruitvale and Little Saigon to symbolize the rich history and cultures of those communities. Our impact programs work with local artists, schools, and cultural practitioners to help beautify the neighborhoods with public art and creative displays. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Ink People Center for the Arts | 627 3rd Street , EUREKA, CA 95501-0417 | Humboldt | Upstate | (707) 442-8413 | District 2 | District 2 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Ink People’s MARZ Project will implement robust supports and programming to empower impacted LGBTQIA2S+ youth to learn more about themselves and their unique expressions in the world, to develop community with one another, and to express their creative potentials. Project activities include weekly mentorship and peer support, art-oriented mixers, a monthly broadcast of LGBTQIA2S+ perspectives, and youth-led events where LGBTQIA2S+ voices and perspectives are lifted up, including a gallery exhibit. | The Ink People is a community-based, grassroots, artist-run, arts and culture organization. For 44 years, we have organized our work around community access principles and the belief that art, in all its forms, is essential to the human spirit and well-being. We base our activities in a philosophy of sharing and community-building, and we work to connect community members with resources for cultural development. With over 700 subscribers, we nurture cultural enrichment through education and engagement of artists and communities. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $42,500.00 | Museum of Latin American Art | 628 ALAMITOS AVE , LONG BEACH, CA 90802-1513 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (562) 216-4117 | 42 | 69 | 33 | With support from the California Arts Council, Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) will sustain and strengthen its APRENDE Tour and Workshops Teaching Artist and Culture Interpreter Regional Network. This Regional Network of community members is comprised of both professional artists and educators as well as trained volunteers. Teaching Artist members receive paid opportunities to lead workshops and programming throughout the year. Volunteer Culture Interpreters receive intensive training in current education strategies; opportunities to lead tours and engage directly with students and museum visitors; and enjoy MOLAA membership benefits. The members of this network are a vital and integral component of APRENDE (LEARN), MOLAA’s core arts education program which was developed to fill the void in arts education and to reach the community’s economically and socially disadvantaged youth and families. | The Mission of the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) is to expand knowledge and appreciation of modern and contemporary Latin American and Latino/a art through its collection, groundbreaking exhibitions, stimulating educational programs, and engaging cultural events. Founded in 1996, MOLAA serves a significant role in the arts and culture, humanities, and museum fields as the only museum in the United States solely dedicated to the exhibition and research of national and international modern and contemporary Latin American, Latino/a and Latinx artists. The collection now includes more than 1,300 works of art in all media including painting, sculpture, drawing, mixed media, photography and video art from Latin America and throughout the United States. In 2014, MOLAA revised its mission statement to include Latino/a and Chicano/a artists and artworks in its collection and exhibition programming to represent more fully its audiences and cultural role in the local and international community. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Civic Design Studio | 3400 MacArthur Blvd. #257, Oakland, CA 94602 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 381-2013 | 12th Congressional district of California | 18 | 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Civic Design Studio will sustain and advance our organization’s infrastructure of bridging a network of local artists, cultural practitioners, and community leaders to build cultural impact projects that enrich and beautify under-served neighborhoods and public spaces. CAC funds will make it possible to collaborate and provide paid opportunities for BIPOC and immigrant and refugee artists living and working in Oakland and the Bay Area. | Our core programs and services are Creative Industry Pathways and Urban Agroecology, focusing on education integration and industry pathway development in both sectors. All of our projects focus on bringing together local schools and artists, community, and creative industry partners towards civic change across a city and its underserved, diverse communities. We make an intentional effort to work with multigenerational and multi-ethnic communities to create public displays and spaces to affirm the expression and visibility of our diverse neighborhoods in the Bay Area. To demonstrate, with our Urban Agroecology initiative, we have worked alongside high school students and teachers to create environmentally focused large-scale art and design pieces aimed to improve local neighborhoods by enriching public spaces while expanding cultural zones. Already, we’ve facilitated urban agroecology projects where students constructed and installed over 100+ planters that are spread throughout East Oakland neighborhoods and small businesses as a way to increase environmental awareness and to foster sustainable practices. With our Creative Industry Pathways, we have held cultural events and art celebrations in Old Oakland and Chinatown from 2018 to present that bring together folks from all races, economic backgrounds, and ages to convene. In doing so, we worked with local businesses and merchants to facilitate the events and to bring positive recognition. We’ve also worked directly with local artists to create murals, art installations, and lantern displays that have been seen throughout Chinatown, East Oakland, Fruitvale and Little Saigon to symbolize the rich history and cultures of those communities. Our impact programs work with local artists, schools, and cultural practitioners to help beautify the neighborhoods with public art and creative displays. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $31,166.00 | FRIENDS-STEWARDS OF AAMLO | 659 14th Street , Oakland, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 574-7955 | California Assembly district 12 | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, FSAAMLO will initiate the “African American Elders of Oakland Their Story” | To promote understanding and appreciation for the African American Museum and Library at Oakland (AAMLO) among inspiring lifelong intergenerational learners and researchers in the curation, awareness, and for the advancement of African American history and culture. To collaborate with AAMLO to inspire and uplift the community by providing a safe space to engage tomorrows leaders to be creative innovators, develop equity and learn cultural humility to create a better world. To educate our community about African American history and culture through public awareness, programs and services provided by the Friends-Stewards of AAMLO and the AAMLO. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | The Tabard Theatre Company | 29 N. San Pedro Street Suite 200, SAN JOSE, CA 95110 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (916) 599-2540 | California's 19th congressional district | District 27 | District 15 | With support from the California Arts Council, Tabard Theatre Company will present our inaugural Black History Month Festival in February 2024. The program will feature a wide variety of renowned local Black musical acts including diverse generations and spanning jazz, blues, soul, R&B, reggae, zydeco, and spoken word. Black History Month Festival will be presented for the community at affordable admission prices, with youth under 18 admitted free of charge, and include a free video livestream. This project will serve to center and uplift underrepresented Black artists and communities in the South Bay, in celebration of Black History Month. | Tabard’s core programming is our Main Stage Season of six plays and musicals, our youth education program, our Top of the Stairs play series and Tabard Events, including our lineup of concerts from diverse genres of music, poetry slam events, and cabaret karaoke. Tabard Education runs after-school theatre programs at Empire Gardens, Lyndale and Vinci Park Elementary Schools, at clubhouses with The Boys & Girls Clubs in east and north San Jose and at McKinley School in partnership with Catholic Charities. These programs are offered free of charge to students. We run three summer theatre camps for children ages 6 to 16 and produce a “Mentor Play” where young performers learn from experienced actors. Our Top of the Stairs series presents plays with more adult themes than our main-stage fare and Tabard Events brings in guest productions such as the national tour of STAND!, Will Durst, Nerd Nite and “Divas”, a benefit concert for breast cancer awareness. We also regularly rent our theatre to local performing arts groups and businesses. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Kugelplex | 1616 Wellington Street , Oakland, CA 94602 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 838-6669 | 12 | 18 | 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, composer/Accordionist Dan Cantrell and Oakland-based Kugelplex Klezmer ensemble will collaborate with local Romani culture bearers to create a new symphonic work Maro Djipen; Maro Them; Mare Batschepen” (Our life, Our land, Our music) to promote Romani-Jewish cultural and sociopolitical visibility/solidarity. Our musical work, featuring an 8-piece Klezmer-Romani ensemble with full symphony orchestra, will take listeners on a sonic journey from Ukraine to California and back again. In a first-of-its-kind presentation, the first half of the piece will be performed Dec 3 & 4, 2023 by Kugelplex and the SF Symphony conducted by, Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser and then the second half of the piece will be performed a week later across the bay on Dec 10th, 2023 by Kugelplex and the Oakland Symphony, conducted by Ash Walker. | Kugelplex is the West Coast’s last remaining – and most venerable – full time working klezmer band. Since 2001, the ensemble has played thousands of lifecycle events and concerts in the Bay Area, California, and throughout the United States. We teach workshops and create collaborative, multidisciplinary performance works with renowned collaborators. Previous collaborators include Joan Baez, San Francisco Symphony, Oakland Symphony, Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, Frank London (founder of the Klezmatics), Kitka, Rumen Sali Shopov, Jewlia Eisenberg, and many others. Our solidary-building projects engage master culture bearers from Arabic and Romani communities to create ambitious community-engaged music and dance works. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | EarthLab SF | 310 Andover Street, San Francisco, CA 94110 , San Francisco, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 990-5757 | 11th Congressional District of California | District 17 | District 11 | With CAC support, EARTHLAB SF will sustain its programs, staff, and operations during CT 23-24 and 24-25. Our programs will include an oral history/ publishing project that will document how BIPOC and LGBTQI artists formed the San Francisco’s Cultural Equity Endowment, which to date has channeled over $80,000,000 into BIPOC and LGBTQI artists and arts organizations, a full-length film entitled “Playing with Fire,” a collaborative environmental project with artists of color entitled “The Day the Sky Turned Orange” and a series of artist-led environmental walking tours of SF Neighborhoods. | Our programs engage and support artists, activists, environmentalists, and scholars whose work reflects a commitment to environmental and social justice, racial equality, and cultural and gender equity. They include Collaborative Productions and Events, Films, Archives and Oral Histories, Performance events, and Gatherings to examine and discuss specific topics and issues with our communities. EarthLabSF co-sponsors artists’ productions, such as the works of Courtney Desiree Morris and the SF Bay Area Theater Company (SFBATCO). We contribute in various ways, from paying artists and staff to helping publicize others’ programs and producing documentation. The Co-Directors also produce performance events, in which they perform. Environmental Justice Films—To date, EarthLabSF has completed three feature-length environmental justice films: Goodbye Gauley Mountain, which addresses mountaintop removal coal mining in West Virginia; Water Makes Us Wet, which examines California’s droughts during global warming; and Playing With Fire, which explores the relationship between the state’s wildfire crises and broader social fires. These films bring hope and an LGBTQ+ lens to environmental documentaries, making them unique. San Francisco’s Queer Artists Oral History Project is a digital archive that preserves the rich art history of San Francisco and LA and makes Californians’ stories accessible to researchers, artists, and the general public. The EarthLab organizes and facilitates local and regional gatherings (symposiums and workshops) of BIPOC, LGBTQ, Disabled, and women’s arts organizations to discuss the state of (including the backlash against) cultural equity to strengthen our commitment to our communities, ensuring everyone has a right to free expression and equitable representation in the arts. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Heidi Schwegler | 57275 Canterbury St , Yucca Valley, CA 92284 | San Bernardino | Inland Empire | (503) 789-8050 | California's 8th congressional district | District 42 | District 16 | With support from the California Arts Council, Yucca Valley Material Lab (YVML) will implement Yucca Experimental: Hi-Desert CoLab for Artists & Mentors. Yucca Experimental is an artist-in-residence program that will support up to four experienced yet underrepresented CA-based artists and musicians to explore new materials while they in turn engage, educate and collaborate with our community. YVML will provide instruction, lodging and a stipend, and the artist-in-residence will be paid for a community engagement component including teaching a workshop, mentoring an emerging artist, or presenting their work. The mentoring and workshop program will be designed to build workforce development to create new pathways toward higher education and job training. | Established in 2019, Yucca Valley Material Lab (YVML) provides a diverse range of programs including artist and musician residencies, instructional workshops, an art gallery, library and recording studio, and free public events. The instructional workshops can last anywhere from one to five days and cover a diverse range of materials including glass, metal, textile, wood and sound. We offer up to 9 funded visual artist residencies a year which provide an opportunity to explore diverse materials such as metal, glass, fiber, clay, and neon. These two week residencies include lodging, studio access, technical assistance, and opportunities for community engagement. Our Musician-in-Residence program supports underrepresented artists with an emphasis on BIPOC artists engaged in experimental music. With a current capacity of one per year, the program provides lodging, recording studio access, and professional recording. It concludes with a free, public performance for the local community. Our organization is steered by a small but passionate team comprising a full-time Director and four part-time positions that include the Music Director, Facilities Manager, Program Coordinator and Philanthropy Officer. Our Board of Directors consists of a Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary, who are supported by an advisory board featuring artists, musicians, a legal expert, and an accountant. The Board meets quarterly to make key decisions with guidance from the Director. The Director collaborates with the Music Director to oversee the music programs. Furthermore, the Director supervises all staff, ensuring the efficient day-to-day management of our organization and its facilities. YVML actively pursues a policy of nondiscrimination and equal opportunity. Our commitment to racial equity is evident in our programs and services. In 2020 we established an invitational residency for a BIPOC musician. Since 2019, there have been 33 artists and musicians in residence, one third of whom identified as BIPOC and three of whom were international. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | ARTS | 200 E 12TH ST , NATIONAL CITY, CA 91950-3314 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 297-2787 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 80 | District 18 | With support from the California Arts Council, A REASON TO SURVIVE will convene local artists and youth from National City and neighboring South Bay communities to design and realize the Kimball Court Mural. Through free design workshops for teens, community charrettes for project input, the project will complete the mural in 2024, and celebrate with a culminating unveiling event. The public art project will rejuvenate a neglected basketball court in Kimball Park, and spur a next phase of work on the gathering space nearby, where other public art, seating/shade areas, a public walkway, and a creek bed all need to be reclaimed for community use. | A Reason To Survive (ARTS) offers arts programming and creative workforce opportunities for youth and young adults (ages 8-24) living the south county region of San Diego. Through our program initiatives – Community ARTS, ARTS 4 Justice, ARTS On Campus, and ARTS @ Work — young people gain exposure to a range of artistic disciplines (visual arts, media arts, music, and industrial arts in our Maker Workshop), while deepening their social-emotional development through meaningful relationships and mentorship provided by teaching artists and ARTS staff. Through our innovative Community of Care model, we integrate social-emotional supports into our program / curricula design and into the overall design of learning spaces, exhibitions, and performances at the ARTS Center. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $42,500.00 | THE ARTS AREA | 2910 S ARCHIBALD AVE A145, ONTARIO, CA 91761-7323 | San Bernardino | Inland Empire | (951) 675-3012 | California's 35th congressional district | District 53 | District 22 | With support from the California Arts Council, THE ARTS AREA will be able to continue providing, strengthening, and broadening its suite of professional services for the underserved and underrepresented creative industries of San Bernardino, Riverside, and East Los Angeles Counties, through partially funding staff salaries and the hiring of professional consultants and artists. | The Arts Area provides a regional professional arts network for all creatives through hosting the largest professional directory, cultural asset map, events calendar, and open call, grants, and jobs boards serving visual and performing artists, creative industry organizations and businesses, academic and cultural institutions, and arts advocates of San Bernardino, Riverside, and East Los Angeles Counties. These services and resources are provided to the community free of charge to assure equitable access to all community members. The Arts Area provides comprehensive fiscal sponsorship and professional business services to assist creative industry startups that might lack needed business support and funding to begin to serve the community by providing them immediate nonprofit status and eligibility for charitable donations, seeking grants, and institutional support, such as, accounting services, tax reporting, marketing, grant writing, donor cultivation, contract preparation, purchasing, credit card processing, general liability insurance, human resources, and other back office services. An emphasis is placed on innovative creative projects that engage in equitable representation and access to the arts. These professional business services and training opportunities are also available to other nonprofit organizations to assist in building their professional capacity. The Arts Area supports an economically viable, equitable, and creative arts community that is an invaluable resource to students, artists, and the community at large. This is a long-term commitment to vitalize artistic and cultural awareness, stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship, and reassert a sense of hope, pride, and accomplishment in the future of the community. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Women in Media | 2851 PHELPS AVE , LOS ANGELES, CA 90032-2742 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 880-5040 | District 34 | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, WOMEN IN MEDIA INC will expand our capacity to educate and advocate for women, women-identifying and gender non-conforming filmmakers in all positions above- and below-the-line working in the entertainment industry, and provide multiple networking and hiring opportunities through a variety of ongoing services and signature initiatives. We will expand our proven offerings leading to more women and gender non-conforming workers gaining access to high level hirers, building advanced technical and creative skills, and enhancing their ability to build sustainable, real careers and bring their unique creative voices to the industry and the world. As we raise the status and visibility of our members, build a path to union membership, and reach gender parity, the entire industry and wider community will be enriched with outstanding film artistry. | The WiM CrewList started as a simple open source Google Sheet for those in a position to hire to find women for their crews. In a matter of months, the spreadsheet featured thousands of women, in 26 departments, all over the world. The crew list made it impossible to say there were no qualified women to hire. In 2017, we launched the CrewList database as our key membership perk, and thousands of women continue to get hired, above and below the line. The HireTheseWomen initiative includes networking events that bring qualified members and people in positions to hire in the industry into the same room. Another core program is the CAMERAderie Initiative, a narrative film contest where writer/directors receive mentoring in the development process towards completing a film project. Finalists receive comprehensive production support, including some funding, from both high level mentors and our industry partners and sponsors to realize their projects. The Cycle includes multiple two day long conferences filled with panels, seminars and workshops covering all aspects of film production from script development through to distribution. DocTalk is a program supporting documentary filmmakers. In our Writers Group program, we support groups that meet regularly for feedback. Our ParityInAction initiative encourages hiring entities to bring gender balance to their projects, with the Parity In Action Pledge and badge. We hold additional in-person and virtual networking events throughout the year including the Annual Holiday Toast, honoring remarkable filmmakers. Working with sponsors, we facilitate training workshops, including those leading to WiM Certifications, in technical fields in filmmaking, to help build a path to Union membership. We give the Altitude Awards for outstanding Camera Department workers. We have provided completion grants to emerging filmmakers. We advocate at industry events and in the media for gender balance in all positions across the industry. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Personal Space Projects | 1505 Tennessee Street , Vallejo, CA 94590 | Solano | Capital | (415) 846-7188 | California Assembly district 11 | District 11 | District California | With support from the California Arts Council, LRC Studio will fund the operational costs of our brick and mortar hub, Personal Space, located in Vallejo, CA. Personal Space collaborates with local artists and organizations to present free workshops, exhibitions, performances, readings, and youth programs. Our first 6 exhibitions feature artists from Vallejo, the Bay Area, and abroad, with a focus on centering BIPOC and LGBTQ+ artists, and artists with disabilities. The CAC grant will support LRC Studio’s operational costs at Personal Space: rent, utilities, advertising, and insurance, as well as compensation for our gallery associate, accessibility consultant, outreach specialist, director, and guest curators. Personal Space is committed to equitably compensating people we work with. We cover shipping costs for non-local artists, and we keep only 30% of gallery sales, relying significantly on donations and grants. | Personal Space Projects Inc has engaged in arts programming in the Bay Area since 2003. As co-founder of Hayes Valley Market, our Director Lisa Rybovich Cralle collaborated with Matt Gonzalez and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in transforming a vacant corner-store into a vibrant hub for free cultural public programming. Between 2003-04 HVM served as a platform for emerging local artists, writers and musicians through readings, concerts, and monthly exhibitions. Personal Space Projects Inc continues to organize free workshops/events for artists and their communities, previously in San Francisco and Oakland and now in Vallejo. We also produce arts workshops for adults with developmental disabilities in collaboration with Creativity Explored and NIAD. Cralle has provided guest curatorial services to Bay Area galleries and institutions for 18+ years, and curates Berkeley City College’s Visiting Artist Lecture Series. The ongoing PSP project, Heavy Breathing, is a series of experimental artist workshops exploring the possibilities of “critical somatics” or thinking with and as bodies. Established in 2015, Heavy Breathing is supported by Southern Exposure’s Alternative Exposure Award and has partnered with SFMOMA, the Berkeley Art Museum, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, the San Francisco Arts Commission, and the Bangkok Biennial in the presentation of workshops by over 40 Bay Area artists, including: Brontez Purnell, Stephanie Syjuco, Xandra Ibarra, Sofía Córdova, Leila Weefur, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Jr, Claudia LaRocco, and Jacqueline Kiyomi Gork. Personal Space Gallery, our organization’s hub, is the permanent brick and mortar extension of Cralle’s decades-long involvement in Bay Area arts. Our exhibitions and programs present work by emerging, under-recognized, and mid-career artists. The gallery’s back room offers works on paper, artist books, zines, t-shirts, sculptures, and artist editions. Our opening events serve upwards of 2000 visitors annually. Our artist interview podcast, The Spinning Wheel, debuts in 2025. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Siskiyou County Arts Council | PO Box 1365 , Mt Shasta, CA 96067 | Siskiyou | Upstate | (530) 918-8380 | California's 1st congressional district | District 1 | District 1 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Siskiyou County Arts Council will organize and present Siskiyou X Days, a multi-day county-wide open studios event. Siskiyou X Days will highlight the vibrancy of arts activities in Siskiyou County while uplifting historically excluded artists and untapped nodes of soft power. Connecting and supporting artists across our county lays the foundation to change our arts ecosystem and develop economic and cultural opportunity for Siskiyou. | Organizational priorities are to increase equity, particularly racial equity, in and through the arts; ensure the long-term vitality of the arts ecosystem by supporting self-organization strategies; and to foster individual creativity throughout life acknowledging art as a fundamental human need. SCAC ensures constituents have equitable access to arts programming and opportunities by providing county-wide arts programming focusing on habitually underserved communities, pursuing strategic local arts initiatives that connect and highlight the arts ecosystem, coordinating emergency preparedness initiatives and mutual aid funds, and offering fiscal sponsorship for nascent arts organizations and projects. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $31,166.00 | Small Press Traffic | 1111 8th Street , San Francisco, CA 94107 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (404) 606-3440 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Small Press Traffic will offer seven intimate learning opportunities (skills-based workshops and study groups), present six readings and performances, engage guest curators, and produce programming and online writing in commemoration of its 50th anniversary in 2024. | Small Press Traffic was founded in 1974 in a gay-owned bookstore in San Francisco’s Castro District, and has remained artist run and community centered ever since. Our first program offerings in the 1970s included Robert Glück’s gay men’s fiction workshop and Gloria Anzaldúa’s feminist, Lesbian, and Chicana workshop, El Mundo Zurdo. SPT remains connected to these communities today as it broadens its reach through collaborations with queer and trans, Black, and disability-focused organizations. Over our fifty-year history, we have offered poetry readings, performances, workshops, talks, conferences, residency and retreat opportunities, online and print publications, a decade of Poets Theater Festivals, and an annual Curatorial Fellowship. Our programming priorities are: COLLABORATION: We partner with institutions, groups, and individuals on over 50% of our public programs. In addition to public programs, SPT produces online and print publications. From 2020-2022, we published Traffic Report, an online magazine that featured poetry, conversations, reviews, interviews, translations, and artwork primarily by local poets and artists. In 2021, we produced High Dawn Collected 2020-21, a print publication of selections from our online reading series in the first year of the pandemic. In fall 2022, we launched The Back Room, our flagship online publishing platform that commissions critical and creative responses to contemporary issues to audiences that are regional, national, and international. In August 2024, SPT received a generous grant from the Mellon Foundation to carry out an extensive archive and preservation project. With 3,000 digital and physical holdings, our collection will be made accessible to the public in late 2024. We are currently engaging in an oral history project to capture voices that represent Small Press Traffic and Bay Area poetry, art, and print cultures over the past half century. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,160.00 | Mil-Tree | P.O. Box 1762 , Joshua Tree, CA 92252 | San Bernardino | Inland Empire | (323) 791-2986 | District 23rd | District 47 | District 19 | utilize the power of music and storytelling to promote social justice and health, counter veteran isolation and foster reintegration of veterans into their communities. Over a three-day workshop, small groups of veterans, community members, and professional musicians collaborate to write and compose songs based on their experiences. This process promotes open dialogue, mutual understanding, and teamwork, while offering veterans an outlet for expression. The workshop culminates in a group performance, enabling participants to share their stories and achievements with the broader community. This program, “Rhythm of Reconnection: Veteran Soundscapes,” provides a unique approach that not only combats veteran isolation, but also nurtures empathy among community members, while building stronger connections through the universal language of music. | Mil-Tree’s core programs are creative and art-based workshops, and retreats that support our vision to provide safe spaces for veterans returning to civilian life to gather, express themselves and tell their stories in a non-judgmental environment. We do this through ongoing creative programs that engage veterans and their families, active military and the greater community. Mil-Tree is a grassroots nonprofit organization based in the High Desert community of Joshua Tree, California serving San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. The organization is inclusive and offers creative outlets in the arts and held spaces for dialogue and discussion for veterans, active military and civilians. Mil-Tree was created to welcome our veterans home not only with words by providing various opportunities of engagement with the community at large. Recognizing the loss incurred by leaving the close-knit unit formed in the military, this organization strives to help build new relationships within the community. We include active military, family members and civilians to accomplish this goal, and provide different types of art workshops and projects, including movement, writing, art, music, theater, building and rock climbing. We also provide dialogue circles and retreats to help support the ongoing transition from military service into civilian life. Our programs have a strong track record of positive impact on program participants. Those who participate feeling alone or isolated find a fun, safe and creative environment where collaboration and expression lead easily to new friendships. We have found that arts and dialogue are the best way to bridge different parts of community, building on trust and the things we have in common. Often our programs lead to personal transformation and growth, and the synergy created between our participants is recognizable and profound. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Center for Urban Excellence | PO BOX 5543 , VALLEJO, CA 94591-0555 | Solano | Capital | (707) 731-4243 | California's 5th congressional district | California's 11th State Assembly district | Senate District 3 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Center for Urban Excellence will sustain and enhance its robust arts-infused programs designed to empower marginalized youth in Solano and Contra Costa Counties. CAC grant funds will be instrumental in covering essential operating expenses, including rent, utilities, and Teaching Artist staff salaries. These resources will ensure the continuation of impactful initiatives like our ‘Art is Resilience’ program, our partnership with the Museum of Children’s Art, and our Fostering Resilience training, all designed to foster creativity, resilience, and leadership among our youth participants. In maintaining our operations, we continue to cultivate an environment where art serves as a tool for self-expression, resilience, and community connection, while also expanding our outreach to more communities with high needs across the East Bay Area. | At the Center for Urban Excellence (CUE), our work is structured around five key pillars of service that all aim to empower and support youth, young adults and their families: Healing Arts Education: We provide a platform for youth to express themselves creatively. Our arts programs range from poetry, spoken word, emcee and movement classes to visual and mixed media arts workshops. We also facilitate participation in performances and exhibitions, nurturing youth and young adult artistic talents and providing a creative outlet. Programs: “Art is Resilience” poetry and visual arts in 3 Golden Gate Community Schools Contra Costa COE. Fostering Resilience Framework and Training: We provide dynamic programs to help youth develop essential resilience skills. This includes mindfulness training, art activities, stress management techniques, and problem-solving strategies, all aimed at equipping our youth with the ability to navigate life’s challenges. College and Career Readiness: In partnership with Solano County WDB, we offer comprehensive programs to prepare 24 youth and young adults for success in higher education and the workforce. This includes college application and financial aid assistance, career counseling, job readiness training, and more. Critical Media Literacy Workshops: We believe in the importance of informed media consumption. Our workshops equip youth with the skills to critically evaluate media, fostering informed decision-making and promoting active engagement with the media landscape applying “The Media and Me: A Critical Media Literacy Guide for Young People.” |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Brockus Project Dance Copany | 618 MOULTON AVE APT B , LOS ANGELES, CA 90031-2994 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (562) 412-7429 | California Assembly district 34 | District 54 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, BROCKUS PROJECT DANCE COMPANY will create the “Sunflower Project”, an inter-generational sisterhood of dancers from teens to emerging to established artists that collaboratively mentors and supports each other over 3 months in an interwoven dance residency program will include choreography workshops, mentoring, classes, rehearsals, choreography, film making and final showcase. The program is to build relationships and foster women’s leadership in dance. Space to grow and bloom. | BPDC reflects the wide variety of cultural traditions and racial background found in Los Angeles. Our artists from many racial and demographic backgrounds are highly skilled in performance, teaching and being ambassadors for the art of dance. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Synchromy | 1390 North Arroyo Blvd , Pasadena, CA 91103 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (360) 305-7825 | California Assembly district 43 | District 43 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Synchromy will collaborate with LA-based drummer Guillermo E. Brown, artist and curator Talia Greene, and local activist Elva Yañez of Save Elephant Hill to create a performance series and interactive experience for our 6th annual Urban Birds program in Spring 2024. This free, family-friendly project centers Elephant Hill, a greenspace plagued by illegal dumping and off-roading, that residents have been fighting to protect for over a decade. We will also produce an app with geotagged sounds recorded by community members, enabling visitors to encounter the site’s history; learn about local wildlife; and experience the performance virtually. Our goal is to use artistic activities to amplify issues, support the community of El Sereno in forming solutions, and highlight the role of urban greenspaces in creating equitable and vibrant communities. | LIVE MUSIC PROGRAMMING SUPPORT FOR COMPOSERS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | $66,600.00 | Modoc County Arts Council | 212 W. Third St. , Alturas, CA 96101 | Modoc | Upstate | (530) 708-7233 | California's 1st congressional district | District 1 | District 1 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Modoc County Arts Council will have funding for general | The Modoc County Arts Council is organized into four main programs: Visual Arts, Arts Education, Performing Arts, & Culture. Under Visual Arts we have gallery shows including a student art show, and a digital art gallery (pending), Sponsorship of galleries in two Modoc towns, mural projects on buildings in Alturas and Cedarville; under Arts education we have consulting and collaborating with the Modoc High Art Classes, our Arts Instructors Program in partnership with The Art Center of Alturas, and sponsorship of local galleries in two Modoc County towns that have arts educational programs; under Performing Arts we have the Missoula Children’s Theatre one-week residency and the Poetry Out Loud programs for Modoc County, as well as partner with the Modoc Performing Arts Theater and the Modoc High School Drama Club. We have implemented the Modoc Community Concert Series and have four concerts per year – we hope to expand this to eight concerts per year with additional funding. We have a community radio station KILN 99.1 LP FM that has local content from area musicians and provides consulting and assistance with recording. Under Culture we have anticipated partnerships with the Library, Museum, local ranches, and Tribes to provide venues, events, and classes that foster the celebration and understanding, and artwork of different cultures in Modoc County. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Level Ground | 1920 Hillhurst Avenue #V939 , Los Angeles, CA 90027 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (630) 913-7264 | California's 30th congressional district | District 52 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Level Ground will publish the fifth edition of SKEW Magazine and expand the publication and digital hub with year-round events that celebrate and uplift Black artists. SKEW is an annually released, independent Black art and culture publication. Offering a home to Black artists across the diaspora, each issue features essays, poetry, artwork, photography, interviews, and more. | We run three distinct, interdependent programs. The specific events and projects within each program may evolve or even change year-to-year on account of our capacity, budget, and strategic decision-making, but these programs provide the consistent scaffolding for where Level Ground directs our resources. Our Residency Program provides emerging visual artists and cultural stewards with financial, creative, and care support to produce and exhibit a new body of work. A rotating selection committee curates each residency cohort, and every program cycle culminates with a free public offering from the residents. Our Production Incubator supports experimental and nonfiction filmmakers making work about critical socio-political issues. We create opportunities for collaboration and provide resources for project development, production, and distribution. Our Social Practice Labs are artist-led humanities seminars and workshops inspired by revolutionary texts where our larger communities join the Level Ground Collective to study and practice frameworks of collective liberation and abolition. Each year, the lab is documented in an annual group publication and/or exhibition. Alongside our programs, Level Ground maintains a Mutual Aid Network that offers responsive, ongoing, and direct material support specifically and exclusively for the Level Ground Collective (i.e. emergency grants, health stipends, project materials). |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Abolition Inc | 2520 Telegraph Ave. , Oakland, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (619) 727-9771 | California's 13th congressional district | District 15 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, A.B.O Comix will curate and publish our 8th annual edition of A Queer Prisoners Anthology showcasing the artistic work of Queer and/or Transgender (Q/T) currently incarcerated visual artists. A.B.O. Comix will then produce an Anthology Release party in Oakland at our new permanent physical, public location. | *Maintain a physical space for the advancement of our programs and services, providing a safer community gathering space and the ability to reach more neighbors, new volunteers, and members of aligned organizations through our street presence |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | BroadStage | 1900 Pico Boulevard , Santa Monica, CA 90405 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 434-3200 | California's 33rd congressional district | District 50 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, BroadStage will expand our residency program during the 2023/2024 season. Our residencies address social issues affecting local communities and facilitate the intergenerational transfer of arts expertise, appreciation and advocacy by offering a new level of interaction between inspiring creators, established local artists and the larger community. The curatorial artists-in-residence selected are African-American NEA jazz master Stanley Clarke (confirmed) and Latino playwright, actor and activist Herbert Sequenza (in negotiations). The residencies will be in Jazz music and Theatrical performance. Funds will be used to help cover staff costs of developing and implementing the residencies and their goals during the program term. BroadStage believes the intergenerational transfer of arts expertise will attract cultural investment and patronabe and bring a resurgence to the future of live performance in Los Angeles. | Madison Project, dba BroadStage, was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 2007, to present performances and community education projects at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center. The Board of Trustees of Santa Monica College (SMC) believed the Performing Arts Center would be an important space for the community on the site of what was formerly the Madison Elementary School campus. Upon its completion, the Center was named The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage in honor of a leadership gift from the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation in support of the building project. Today, Madison Project operates as “BroadStage,” with a $7+ million annual budget and a staff of 21 full-time employees. Our theaters include a 500-seat main space; a 100-seat second space; and a flexible East Wing incorporating an outdoor plaza. As a performing arts producer and presenter, we bring renowned local, national and international artists working in dance, theatre, music, opera, and multidisciplinary art forms to our audiences. Because we were established in partnership with SMC, one of the country’s most progressive and diverse educational institutions, we actively align with the College’s commitment to access and social mobility. Admission-free public activations align with mainstage programs, and provide ongoing opportunities for audiences to deepen their engagement with artists and their work. Educational matinees and standards-based learning guides serve K-12 students and local families, and master classes and workshops led by artists create hands-on learning opportunities for SMC visual and performing arts students. Through our presentations, we demonstrate a commitment to artistic excellence, and investing in artists who drive conversations about cultural inclusion, and social, economic, and environmental justice. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | SAMMAY Productions | 934 Brannan Street , San Francisco, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (213) 373-1435 | California's 12th congressional district | With support from the California Arts Council, SAMMAY Productions will host a community arts series centering OPM (Original Philippine Music) as a vehicle for critical dialogue and cultural exchange within the San Francisco Bay Area Filipina/x/o American community. In partnership with multidisciplinary artist and producer ET IV, this project will address issues of mental health, racial tension, and the increase of polarizing views within the greater diaspora. | SAMMAY Productions (SP) was founded in 2015 by Filipinx American choreographer, interdisciplinary artist, and cultural producer SAMMAY Peñaflor Dizon – born from a seed of embodied inquiry and personal longing to be in community with other artists who were wrestling with questions of indigeneity, home, and belonging. SP has been fortunate to call the SOMA Pilipinas Cultural Heritage District home since its inception and is just one point of access to artistic development and engagement within the constellation of Filipina/x/o small business in the cultural district. SP has received numerous awards from the California Arts Council, San Francisco Arts Commission, Center for Cultural Innovation, and Rainin Foundation among others, and has received residencies from the American Conservatory Theater, CounterPulse, and Atlantic Center for the Arts among others. Their live performance work has been featured through Dance Mission Theater, Bindlestiff Theater, and Asian Art Museum among others, and their films have been featured through CAAMFest, San Francisco Dance Film Festival, and Los Angeles Asian American Pacific Film Festival among others. Notable programs include Urban x Indigenous intercultural arts festival (2015-2021) and Daluyan: Embodied Storytelling for Ancestral Healing workshop series (2018-2021). In 2022, SP was commissioned for the inaugural State of Play Festival at ODC Theater in the Mission District of San Francisco. SP continues to create new experimental works at the intersection of ritual, memory, play, and radical futurity, while bridging diasporic communities through cultural activations and movement exchanges. Dizon was the recipient of the 2020 Isadora Duncan Dance Award for Special Achievement in Dance through their work with racial equity-centered choreographer collective Dancing Around Race. | ||
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Exhibit Envoy | 603 Main Street , Pleasanton, CA 94566 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (415) 525-1553 | California Assembly district 16 | District 16 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Exhibit Envoy will continue to create and tour art exhibitions across California. These physical and online exhibitions, designed for small museums and libraries, use art as a lens to highlight overlooked voices, encourage critical thinking, and advocate for racial and social justice. | Exhibit Envoy creates and travels educational, high-quality art exhibitions for small museums, libraries, and cultural centers throughout California. Through these partnerships, we impact at least a quarter of a million people annually through our traveling exhibits, and have been starting constructive dialogues across the state since 1988. Created in collaboration with curators, artists, and organizations, our exhibits use the arts as a lens to explore topics as varied as immigration, climate change, the histories of African Americans in California, the experiences of our unhoused neighbors, past and contemporary experiences of Native and Indigenous peoples in California, people with disabilities’ fights for civil rights, veterans’ homecoming experiences, the extinction of the California grizzly bear, and more. To serve our community partners during the pandemic, we also launched a series of online exhibits. These accessible exhibits give our partner organizations the opportunity to share new content with their visitors virtually, and to engage with audience members that may not be able to visit their spaces in person. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Abolition Inc | 2520 Telegraph Ave. , Oakland, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (619) 727-9771 | California's 13th congressional district | District 15 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, A.B.O. Comix will increase staff capacity and administrative resources in order to meet the needs of our new permanent in-person space for the next two years, allowing us to increase marketing, event production, and better meet the needs of our contributors and the communities we serve. | *Maintain a physical space for the advancement of our programs and services, providing a safer community gathering space and the ability to reach more neighbors, new volunteers, and members of aligned organizations through our street presence |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | PUSH | 447 Minna St, 3rd floor , San Francisco, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 547-9492 | District 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, PUSH Dance Company intends to facilitate community-based classes, program strategies and workshops for Black, Indigenous and People of Color artists through the BIPOC Artists Sanctuary & Enrichment (BASE) program. | COMPANY Founded in 2005 by Artistic Director Raissa Simpson, PUSH maintains a philosophy that bold movement and intellect can coexist. PUSH is best known for integrating cross-cultural issues and exploring dances that contextualize the African diaspora. FESTIVAL Since its inception, PUSHfestfest has presented works by distinct choreographers representing diverse genres of dance. PUSHfest is a cross-genre dance festival launched in 2014 by PUSH Dance Company. The Festival grew out of a critical need to provide a platform for dance to be appreciated as a diverse and culturally relevant entity within the San Francisco Bay Area. EDUCATION The Youth Company is a pre-professional training program for students pursuing advance technique and performance opportunities. The Youth Company provides added structure in the form of cultivating responsible and civic-minded individuals. The Company also hosts annual PUSHLab Performance Workshops, and educational component of PUSHfest. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $54,998.00 | FLACC | C/o Dancers' Group, 44 Gough Street, San Francisco, CA 941 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (510) 302-8575 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Festival of Latin American Contemporary Choreographers will continue to provide a forum for Chicanx/Latinx/Indigenous choreographers to bring their visions and voices to our community. Key to this goal will be to build a stable staffing structure appropriate to the level of programming that we offer. | Founded in 2014 by Elizabeth Duran Boubion, the Festival of Latin American Contemporary Choreographers celebrates our diverse Latin American heritage and its innovative spirit via multimedia dance performance, public discourse, solidarity initiatives and master classes. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $43,632.00 | The Write of Your L!fe | 2180 Iowa Ave. , RIVERSIDE, CA 92507 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (951) 344-4670 | California's 41st congressional district | District 61 | District 31 | With support from the California Arts Council, Women Wonder Writers will support its general operating expenses dedicated to implementing proven cultural arts programs for students in schools, communities and correctional facilities, who are impacted by trauma in Riverside County and San Diego County. | The Write of Your L!fe is a 12-week group mentoring program with an emphasis in the arts, where trauma-trained instructors implement social-emotional learning curriculum. Instructors meet with students once weekly for two hours for 12 weeks where students participate in resiliency-building writing and speaking lessons. Students participate in self-portrait painting, publish a group anthology containing their writings and poetry and create an awareness artistic story-board concerning social injustices. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Alliance for Youth Achievement | PO Box 56178 , San Jose, CA 95156 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 509-1168 | California's 18th congressional district | District CA-25 | District CA-15 | Funds awarded by the CAC will be used to support Alliance for Youth Achievement’s Capacity Building Plan to improve our capacity and sustainability as we continue our recovery from the devastating effects of the Coronavirus Pandemic. The plan includes strategies for board development, expanded community engagement, fund development, and improved systems documentation. These strategies have complementary components that will lead into our overarching goal of completing the strategic planning process. Creating and implementing a Strategic Plan will provide a map for continued improvement of our organization’s capacity to provide high quality arts education programming for our community. Expenses covered will include, but are not limited to, a portion of our new Program Coordinator’s salary, unrestricted program support, and a consultant for the strategic planning process. | We operate a STEAM program at Renaissance at Fisher Middle School. The STEAM program includes Summer and School Break Art & Design Thinking Camps and the After School STEAM program for youth in East San Jose. Our Youth Leader program engages teens in developing leadership and pre-employment skills, while also building creative confidence as they lead activities at STEAM Workshops implemented throughout San Jose and act as near-peer mentors in our STEAM programs. We engage a variety of local artists/arts educators to facilitate our workshops to ensure our youth are exposed to a wide variety of artistic mediums and styles. Our goal is to provide high quality educational enrichn=ment programs, public workshops, and arts education opportunities at little or no cost to the high risk, low income and under-served communities in East San Jose. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | People's Conservatory | 6738 BANNING DR , OAKLAND, CA 94611-1561 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (917) 806-9606 | 12th Congressional District | District 14 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, The People’s Conservatory will actualize “The Healing Project”, a youth arts program that will take place in Spring 2024. This program will match participants with designated professional teaching artists who incorporate mindfulness and compassion into their artistic practices. The project deeply encourages youth to reflect on three areas that directly affect our community- gun violence, houselessness, and food insecurity head-on ,and work to create the awareness of positive solutions. Four public schools in the areas with the lowest percentages on the HPI in Oakland , CA and Richmond, CA will participate utilizing TPC’s ARCTIVISM framework. Participants will be engaged in twice weekly FREE after school classes in film making, dance/theater, visual art, and/or music production and showcase their projects focused the theme to the larger community in June 2023. | TPC currently serves over 2000 students at 6 school sites directly and several additional schools throughout the East Bay. We offer fully-integrated school day arts programming, after school arts academies, homeschool programming, weekend arts classes, one-day workshops, teacher trainings, and school showcases. 92% of our students are of African American and/or Latinx descent, 85% free/reduced lunch, and mostly reside in Oakland’s lower economic areas including East Oakland, West Oakland and Fruitvale. TPC’s curriculum is rooted in ethnic and cultural studies that honors our students’ backgrounds and inherent artistic voices. Our culturally and community responsive techniques are designed to develop professional arts knowledge and skills, as well as cultivate imagination, creativity, self-knowledge, and social awareness. It is Visual and Performing Arts Standards aligned, Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) aligned, and is informed by Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP) and Arts Integration research. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Berkeley Art Center | 1275 WALNUT ST , BERKELEY, CA 94709-1406 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 644-6893 | California Assembly district 15 | District 15 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Berkeley Art Center Association will collaborate with lead artist Rahsaan Thomas and Empowerment Avenue to program “Painting Ourselves Into Society”, featuring artists who are incarcerated at San Quentin. The exhibition, along with artist talks, film screenings, and participatory programs uplift the narratives of artists behind bars to combat the isolation and marginalization from society, and to support advocacy efforts to restore voting rights for incarcerated people in California. | Berkeley Art Center is a hub for contemporary art and community building. By virtue of its location in an urban park, BAC emphasizes an approach to art and artists that values their work as an important part of daily life and a vital contribution to the good of the community. Its serene setting invites visitors to approach the gallery as a space of reflection and contemplation, while also forging a more intimate connection between artist and viewer. BAC is committed to making contemporary art by local artists approachable and accessible. It produces visual art exhibitions, artist talks, art-making workshops, performance and social practice projects, film and video screenings, symposia and other social gatherings throughout the year. Educational programs for teens connect art with activism, while professional development workshops for artists provide opportunities to build skills and networks to sustain their careers. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Re-Present Media | 1203 Preservation Park Way Suite 301 , Oakland, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 301-6923 | California's 13th congressional district | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Re-Present Media will advocate for personal storytelling from underrepresented communities in documentary film and nonfiction media. We will present film screenings and community dialogues, further our emerging filmmaker career development program, and conduct our field-wide advocacy and education campaigns to create more equity in the field. | Our core programs include public events and screenings that promote personal storytelling in documentary film and nonfiction media, mentoring and filmmaker development, and field-wide advocacy and education at conferences and festivals. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Young Musicians Choral Orchestra | 2020 MILVIA ST STE 420 , BERKELEY, CA 94704-1156 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 845-9626 | 12th Constitutional District of California | District 15 | District 9 | With support from California Arts Council, Young Musicians Choral Orchestra will present a series of 8 free Black History Month lecture/performances at local public schools, bringing renowned local Black jazz and blues artists to underserved schools in historically Black communities of East Oakland, West Oakland, Richmond, Pittsburg, and Antioch. | Young Musicians Choral Orchestra offers full scholarship year-round musical training for talented low-income students ages 9-18 in the Bay Area, targeting youth of color. Serving over 70 youth annually, YMCO offers an annual 6-week summer intensive, year round chorus, orchestra, jazz big band, opera, musical theatre, jazz ensemble, and pop/R&B ensemble. YMCO offers private lessons in voice and instrumental music from a variety of styles, taught by some of the world’s most renowned musicians, as well as masterclasses from touring artists. We perform recitals, concerts, galas, and featured guest appearances throughout the year. In addition to musical training, YMCO offers academic reinforcement including guided college interview/audition trips and academic awards ceremonies. Through academic reinforcement and comprehensive, full-scholarship training in music, pushing students to engage in classical, jazz, and popular music on several instruments, YMCO is a life-changing experience for low-income youth, enhancing students’ academic and artistic success and bolstering their competitive appeal at four-year universities and conservatories. All of YMCO’s programs are offered at no cost. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Asian Improv aRts | 456 MONTGOMERY ST STE 1350 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104-4711 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 908-3636 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Asian Improv aRts will support the development and creation of WORKERS RISING by visual artist Vida Huang, a series of 3-5 multilingual audio art banners that detail the different perspectives from people involved in the Jung Sai Garment Worker Strike through audio storytelling. Each painted banner will include a phone number for viewers to call in and listen to recorded audio stories of people involved, witnessed, or impacted by the 1974 strike. The banners will be installed throughout the city at the following potential locations: Portsmouth Square, Local 2 office, Civic Center area, Yerba Buena Garden, Balboa Park station, SF public library; sites specifically where working class people work, reside, or commute through. Banners will be on view for 5 months from June – October, 2024. | Asian Improv aRts goals: 1) To make it possible for artists to create innovative works that are rooted in the diasporic experiences of Asian and Pacific Islander heritage. 2) To engage a next generation of community members in the arts through arts education. 3) To enable sustainability for artists and arts organizations in a challenging economic environment. 4) To facilitate creative collaborations that bring together major institutions, artists, and multigenerational audiences and participants. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Asian Improv aRts | 456 MONTGOMERY ST STE 1350 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104-4711 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 908-3636 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, ASIAN IMPROV ARTS will hire a Marketing Associate, and sustain its Administative Director, Project Manager and Development & Programs Associate. | Asian Improv aRts goals: 1) To make it possible for artists to create innovative works that are rooted in the diasporic experiences of Asian and Pacific Islander heritage. 2) To engage a next generation of community members in the arts through arts education. 3) To enable sustainability for artists and arts organizations in a challenging economic environment. 4) To facilitate creative collaborations that bring together major institutions, artists, and multigenerational audiences and participants. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | La Lengua Teatro en Español | 60 Sussex Street , San Francisco, CA 94131 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (408) 510-9408 | With support from the California Arts Council, La Lengua Teatro en Español will offer the second installment of ‘Historias de Descolonización / Decolonization Stories’ in 2023-2024. As in its inaugural run in 2022 with AlterTheater, this program includes (1) a call for proposals for playwrights to be invited to an online workshop to develop short plays about the legacy of colonization in the Americas, written in any language of the Americas; (2) the commission of 4 short plays as a result of the residency writing workshop; and (3) the presentation of these original play as staged readings in a live festival bookended by other original performances and panels. The 2022 version was a great success, and we commissioned a full version of one of the plays from that first cohort, to be produced in 2024. | La Lengua produces contemporary theater with a pan-American perspective. Plays are mainly in Spanish (but also in English, bilingual and Indigenous languages of the Americas) while striving to offer opportunities for, and promote the work of, Spanish-speaking and bilingual artists in our community to normalize the use of languages other than English in the arts. We commission playwrights to create original plays (e.g., Las Azurduy, 2022) or bring new plays to US audiences (e.g., Doméstica Realidad, 2023); we run a playwright residency every two years to develop short plays about the legacy of colonization in connection with other topics written in any of the languages of the Americas, which we then present in a live festival (Historias de Descolonización, 2022, 2024); we organize events, and produce media content, to showcase Spanish-speaking/multilingual artists and foster language justice (e.g., Festival, 2022 and 2024; Paradi$e, 2024). We make a priority of offering paid professional opportunities at every stage of the process to Spanish-speaking artists, while producing high-quality original work. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | PiYoDa Flow | 4215 W 29th St , Los Angeles, CA 90016-3615 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 996-3569 | California Assembly district 55 | District CA-37 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, Culture Flow Projects will be able to cover a third of the yearly lease of physical space, PiYoDa Flow, for all of our programming in Arts Education, Performing Arts, and cover one part-time admin position. PiYoda Flow is located in South Los Angeles and has been engaging the community (the youth and adults), in an ongoing collaboration with Culture Flow Projects’ programs for two years. The admin position helps with coordinating all of our youth programming operations on site and at various schools in the area, as well as the performing arts residency programming and performance engagements. Our current admin, director Vanessa Verdoodt, has worked full-time on a volunteer basis for two full years. | We offer: |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $12,750.00 | Compound YV | 55379 Twentynine Palms Highway , Yucca Valley, CA 92284-2501 | San Bernardino | Inland Empire | (248) 231-8634 | California’s 8th congressional district | District 47 | District 19 | With support from the California Arts Council, Compound YV will present Mojave Artists of Color Collective’s (MACC) first-ever public exhibition of works as a collective in Fall 2023. The exhibition will both stabilize and uplift the self-identified BIPOC artist community as they take this important step as an organization. Funds will help us pay participating artists a stipend, produce special events and workshops, staff the exhibition including curators’ time, document and archive the show, and produce podcast episodes. We hope that by supporting a new group dedicated to increasing visibility and access to the arts for BIPOC communities, others will see themselves represented here and be inspired to submit work. Our goal is to establish Compound and the broader high desert as a place that welcomes BIPOC artists’ perspectives, establishing long-term relationships in the process. | We offer space and support to working artists through curation, exhibition design, installation, administration, and marketing services. Our artist-run gallery, website, and social media platforms provide artists at various career stages with an independent space to share, sell, and even lease their work. Alongside exhibitions, we produce free and affordable programming such as workshops, performances, artist panels, walkthroughs, and podcast episodes, to deepen engagement and appreciation of the work and our artists’ perspectives and backgrounds as people. During the course of our shows, Compound YV facilitates connections between artists who later become collaborators, between artists and collectors, and between artists and the desert community. As an additional layer to physical installations, we encourage programming such as live performances and workshops that allow us to interact differently with audiences and deepen their experience of artwork and its subject matter. This frequently touches on culturally relevant, political and personal issues: how we treat our land, how domestic abuse ricochets through the media, how motherhood is experienced in the body, how we find ourselves across borders, and how queerness and mental health are interwoven, to name a few. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | San Diego Underground Arts | 5225 MARIGOT PL , SAN DIEGO, CA 92124-2118 | San Diego | Far South | (310) 710-8579 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 77 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, SAN DIEGO UNDERGROUND ARTS will continue to provide a platform for emerging artists through our annual programs that aim to strengthen artist collaboration and foster diversity and inclusivity through creating a space where innovative work can be celebrated and discussed. While we are a grassroots organization that has always operated on fundraising and community support, we seek state level general operating funds to expand the scope of our programs which include administrative staff stipends, equipment rentals and new purchases, pay artists fees, and cover printing materials. | – San Diego Underground Film Festival – Our flagship annual festival that celebrates experimentation in film and video from local and international artists. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | Mariposa Arts Council | 5009 CA-140 , Mariposa, CA 95338 | Mariposa | Central Valley | (209) 966-3155 | California's 4th congressional district | District 8 | District 4 | With support from the CAC, the Mariposa County Arts Council (MCACI) will continue conducting weekly poetry workshops tailored for individuals within the criminal justice system at the county jail. In collaboration with the Sheriff’s Office, this initiative harnesses the power of poetry to craft intricate, delicate, and genuine narratives that challenge the prevalent dismissive community perceptions and commonly held notions about these individuals. Poetry serves as the culmination of unexpressed thoughts, and the significance of this program is inherently poetic. The path leading to incarceration often stems from impulsive behaviors rooted in limited choices, symptomatic of unhealthy communication patterns within one’s social circle. Such challenges are further exacerbated during imprisonment. Introducing language and an artistic mode of communication and self-expression presents a liberating, empowering, and constructive opportunity. | The Mariposa County Arts Council (MCACI) opened its doors in 1981 and is dedicated to enriching Mariposa through the arts. Serving the county at large and working closely with our local government leaders as well as individuals, regional organizations and businesses, we develop and implement cultural policies, creative placemaking projects, arts educations initiatives and produce artistic programming designed to positively increase the visibility of Mariposa and amplify the many diverse voices in our community. Our work welcomes all local residents and visitors to engage with art experiences and is designed to facilitate personal interpretations, expression, and growth; strengthen social connections and community dialogue; connect rural Mariposa to issues, movements, and opportunities beyond its borders; and support the healthy development of individuals of all ages by engaging them in the creation and appreciation of art. MCACI’s work includes: develop cultural policy and creative placemaking initiatives; providing technical assistance to regional artists and arts organizations; developing and delivering a variety of TK-12 grade creative youth development and arts education programming to youth across Mariposa County; targeted mentoring programming for at-promise youth; special arts programming for adults with limited or no access to the arts (particularly incarcerated and geographically isolated older adults); public programming (community theatre and summer concert series); and local, regional, state, and national advocacy work. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | $66,600.00 | DNACA | 501 H St. Suite 8, CRESCENT CITY, CA 95531-1480 | Del Norte | Upstate | (707) 464-1336 | California's 2nd congressional district | District 2 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, DNACA will provide a professional salary for our only staff member, our Executive Director, to ensure organizational & programmatic continuity. With this staff member in place, DNACA will be able to continue our county-wide programs & services. If awarded the full amount, we may be able to hire a part time administrative assistant to support the work of the Executive Director. A portion of other operating & program expenses will also be supported by these CAC funds, if awarded. | 1. Performance Series, with engagement activities and Courtesy Seats. These are live performances from national and international performers in a variety of forms, such as dance, music, storytelling etc. Performers often hold an engagement activity (class or workshop) with local students or community members in their area of expertise. Courtesy Seats are tickets that are provided by local businesses via donation, and offered to foster youth, shelter residents, and other “at risk” community members; |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Bridge Live Arts | 1446 Market St , San Francisco, CA 94102-6004 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (920) 851-6661 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Bridge Live Arts (B.L.A.) will facilitate equity-driven live art programming that centers artists as agents of change. B.L.A.s’ core programs–Community Engagement Residency, Public Dialogues, Multidisciplinary Performance Series, Workshops & Classes– embrace and advocate for the power of socially-engaged dance and live performance in the San Francisco Bay Area. The organization also commits to internal equitable structures, as evidenced by our ongoing distributed leadership model, moving from pay equality to pay equity, hiring a diverse, multi-racial and multicultural staff, and practicing financial transparency with partners, artists, and our community to fuel and grow artist power. | Bridge Live Arts (B.L.A.) creates and supports equity-driven live art that centers artists as agents of change. We are based on the unceded, ancestral lands of the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples who have stewarded this land for generations and are still here. Our arts and culture programming features an array of live performances, public dialogues, workshops, classes, and residencies that reflect the organization’s deep commitments to cultural equity, racial equity, and artist power. This programming includes a Community Engagement Residency offering year-long funding and capacity building support to movement artist-activists working in community. In 2020, B.L.A. transitioned from a founder-led, hierarchical nonprofit to a model of distributed leadership. In alignment with B.L.A.’s core values, our way of working currently embraces shared leadership across all aspects of the organization, pay equality across artistic & administrative staff, and a re-imagined Board comprised of 100% working artists. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Arab Film Festival | 2 Plaza Street , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 564-1100 | California's 11th congressional district | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, the ARAB FILM AND MEDIA INSTITUTE will produce the 27th edition of the Arab Film Festival, the largest and oldest festival of its kind outside the Arab world. The primary presentation will be in the San Francisco Bay Area, a touring edition in Los Angeles and the addition of Sacramento. | The Arab Film and Media Institute (AFMI) is the first U.S.-based organization of its kind, dedicated to supporting and showcasing Arab film and media. Rebranded from the Arab Film Festival in 2017, AFMI now operates through four core programming pillars: Exhibitions, Education, Creators, and Industry. Exhibitions include AFMI’s flagship Arab Film Festival, the largest and longest-running independent festival of its kind outside the Arab world. The festival and its year-round screenings provide a vital platform for authentic Arab stories, reaching thousands annually through in-person and virtual events. Programs like Arab Women in the Arts and Arab Love: Queer Lens highlight underrepresented voices and themes. Education brings curated Arabic-language films and discussion guides into Bay Area middle- and high-schools. AFMI also runs Takalam: Arab Youth Speak Up!, a summer filmmaking camp that empowers Arab teens to tell their stories through film. Creators supports Arab and Arab American media-makers through fiscal sponsorship, mentorship, and workshops. The Arab Creators Collective and other services help emerging filmmakers navigate the industry, build skills, and access resources. Industry efforts focus on advocacy and visibility, with events like InFocus: Arab Cinema—a partnership with the Academy of Motion Pictures and NewFilmmakers LA—connecting Arab talent to Hollywood decision-makers and fostering authentic representation. Through these integrated efforts, AFMI combats harmful stereotypes, uplifts Arab voices, and fosters community dialogue, equity, and cultural pride across California and beyond. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Arab Film Festival | 2 Plaza Street , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 564-1100 | California's 11th congressional district | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, the ARAB FILM AND MEDIA INSTITUTE will continue its year-round programming, including public screenings, programming in California schools, industry advocacy for Arab representation in the film industry and the presentation of the annual Arab Film Festival, the largest exhibition of Arab cinema outside the Arab world. | The Arab Film and Media Institute (AFMI) is the first U.S.-based organization of its kind, dedicated to supporting and showcasing Arab film and media. Rebranded from the Arab Film Festival in 2017, AFMI now operates through four core programming pillars: Exhibitions, Education, Creators, and Industry. Exhibitions include AFMI’s flagship Arab Film Festival, the largest and longest-running independent festival of its kind outside the Arab world. The festival and its year-round screenings provide a vital platform for authentic Arab stories, reaching thousands annually through in-person and virtual events. Programs like Arab Women in the Arts and Arab Love: Queer Lens highlight underrepresented voices and themes. Education brings curated Arabic-language films and discussion guides into Bay Area middle- and high-schools. AFMI also runs Takalam: Arab Youth Speak Up!, a summer filmmaking camp that empowers Arab teens to tell their stories through film. Creators supports Arab and Arab American media-makers through fiscal sponsorship, mentorship, and workshops. The Arab Creators Collective and other services help emerging filmmakers navigate the industry, build skills, and access resources. Industry efforts focus on advocacy and visibility, with events like InFocus: Arab Cinema—a partnership with the Academy of Motion Pictures and NewFilmmakers LA—connecting Arab talent to Hollywood decision-makers and fostering authentic representation. Through these integrated efforts, AFMI combats harmful stereotypes, uplifts Arab voices, and fosters community dialogue, equity, and cultural pride across California and beyond. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | La Lengua Teatro en Español | 60 Sussex Street , San Francisco, CA 94131 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (408) 510-9408 | With support from the California Arts Council, La Lengua will provide salary to staff who have primarily been compensated for punctual projects and worked pro bono the rest of the time. La Lengua was founded in 2019 and has been growing ever since, putting out multiple projects every year to growing audiences, collaborating with BRAVA and AlterTheater, and employing scores of Spanish-speaking theater artists on professional theater projects. As often, the benefits offered to the community resulted from the dedication of a small group of individuals donating their time, resources, and energy to create the kind of art they wished to see, while juggling other jobs to pay the bills. We seek part-time salary support to solidify our administrative infrastructure, and ensure that we can sustainably continue serving our community in the years to come. | La Lengua produces contemporary theater with a pan-American perspective. Plays are mainly in Spanish (but also in English, bilingual and Indigenous languages of the Americas) while striving to offer opportunities for, and promote the work of, Spanish-speaking and bilingual artists in our community to normalize the use of languages other than English in the arts. We commission playwrights to create original plays (e.g., Las Azurduy, 2022) or bring new plays to US audiences (e.g., Doméstica Realidad, 2023); we run a playwright residency every two years to develop short plays about the legacy of colonization in connection with other topics written in any of the languages of the Americas, which we then present in a live festival (Historias de Descolonización, 2022, 2024); we organize events, and produce media content, to showcase Spanish-speaking/multilingual artists and foster language justice (e.g., Festival, 2022 and 2024; Paradi$e, 2024). We make a priority of offering paid professional opportunities at every stage of the process to Spanish-speaking artists, while producing high-quality original work. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $23,800.00 | Color Compton Inc | 306 W Compton Blvd #200A , COMPTON, CA 90220 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 627-9022 | With support from the California Arts Council, Color Compton and the Compton Art + History Museum will showcase an artist-organized exhibition of community art and the stories that accompany them. | Grounded on history, students will be introduced to concepts and history to engage in dialogue and use art mediums to develop their own narratives through collective engagement. All students will be able to gain leadership skills and play a critical role in community activism. | |||
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | $70,800.00 | Mariposa Arts Council | 5009 CA-140 , Mariposa, CA 95338 | Mariposa | Central Valley | (209) 966-3155 | California's 4th congressional district | District 8 | District 4 | With CAC support, Mariposa County Arts Council (MCACI) will leverage the arts for constructive community engagement; support historically underrepresented communities; build and grow partnerships; and, served the creative interests of residents and visitors through a range of public cultural and arts education programming, creative placemaking initiatives, local/regional/statewide advocacy, network developments at the local, regional and state level, cultural policy leadership and provide granting and technical assistance to local artists and grassroots arts organizations. | The Mariposa County Arts Council (MCACI) opened its doors in 1981 and is dedicated to enriching Mariposa through the arts. Serving the county at large and working closely with our local government leaders as well as individuals, regional organizations and businesses, we develop and implement cultural policies, creative placemaking projects, arts educations initiatives and produce artistic programming designed to positively increase the visibility of Mariposa and amplify the many diverse voices in our community. Our work welcomes all local residents and visitors to engage with art experiences and is designed to facilitate personal interpretations, expression, and growth; strengthen social connections and community dialogue; connect rural Mariposa to issues, movements, and opportunities beyond its borders; and support the healthy development of individuals of all ages by engaging them in the creation and appreciation of art. MCACI’s work includes: develop cultural policy and creative placemaking initiatives; providing technical assistance to regional artists and arts organizations; developing and delivering a variety of TK-12 grade creative youth development and arts education programming to youth across Mariposa County; targeted mentoring programming for at-promise youth; special arts programming for adults with limited or no access to the arts (particularly incarcerated and geographically isolated older adults); public programming (community theatre and summer concert series); and local, regional, state, and national advocacy work. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Fuse Theatre | 364 Lorraine Blvd , San Leandro, CA 94577-2727 | San Mateo | Bay Area – Other | (650) 701-3873 | District 15 | District 21 | District 13 | With support from the California Arts Council, Fuse Theatre will expand its capacity to uplift underrepresented stories and educate audiences on social justice topics through theatre productions and events in the Bay Area and Central Valley. | Fuse collaborates with local groups and individuals to present theatre for social awareness, justice and change. We work to make theatre accessible to all communities and inspire our audiences with stories that matter in our world. We have four programs: Ignite Artists Initiative, Community Connections, Connect and Play and Theatre for Trees – working within the three strategies of Education, Performance and Partnerships. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Drawing Together | PO Box 972 , Wrightwood, CA 92397 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 657-0065 | California's 28th congressional district | District 41 | District 23 | With support of the California Arts Council, Drawing Together will create a new public project entitled Connections that will address a leading public health concern of isolation. We will address the issue through cultural exchange workshops with adults, our connection to nature through an invitation to the forest in Wrightwood, and through intergenerational connections through a culminating installation at the Southern California Children’s Museum. | Drawing Together offers the following opportunities to connect to your creative side: |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $54,998.00 | Art Share L.A. | 801 E. 4th Place , LOS ANGELES, CA 90013-1805 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 687-4278 | California's 34th congressional district | District 53 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Art Share Los Angeles Inc. will strengthen the organization’s focus on the Creative Economy and generate job opportunities for the artists we serve all while continuing to support artists through creative, cultural events and affordable, accessible spaces to live and create.. We seek to increase accessibility, foster community engagement, and center historically underserved communities in Los Angeles through culturally relevant arts programming and partnerships, promoting cultural transformation and empowering individuals and communities. | Established in 1998, Art Share L.A. owns and operates a 30,000 sq. ft. building in the heart of the Arts District. Art Share’s mission is to create equitable access and opportunity for artists by providing a creative environment for them to live, work, learn, perform, and exhibit. In 2020, our programs shifted to meet the newest challenges facing our community of creatives. Art Share launched Let’s Paint the Town, employing artists to create public murals, underscoring that artists are ESSENTIAL to the health and safety of our communities. Art Share innovated to offer new means of digital connection. We hosted virtual exhibitions and updated our facilities to enable podcast recording and live-streaming from our theater. We offered regular online concerts and performances. Our 2021 Comeback Fest welcomed over 2000 to the streets and spaces of Art Share, presenting 136 artists. Our building continues to act as an access point to the arts. We are the only affordable cultural infrastructure in the downtown Arts District that prices 100% of our exhibition, performance, studio, and classroom spaces to be affordable to low-income and emerging artists, and offers 100% of our housing units to low-income tenants. CREATING PATHWAYS FOR CREATIVE CAREERS NURTURING ARTISTS’ PROFESSIONAL SKILLS PROVIDING AFFORDABLE SPACES TO KEEP OUR COMMUNITY CONNECTED UPLIFTING EMERGING AND UNDERREPRESENTED ARTISTS FIGHTING FOR AFFORDABLE ARTIST HOUSING AND RELIEF |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Sharp and Fine | 912 COLE ST UNIT 135 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117-4316 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (650) 759-0099 | With support from the California Arts Council, SHARP AND FINE will create a short dance film in collaboration with Steven Kashiwase and Kashiwase Farm, a third-generation Japanese-American family farm in Winton, California. This film will bring attention to the environmental and cultural challenges that family farms face today, as well as the rich history of Japanese-American farms in California. | Sharp & Fine’s core programs and services include the presentation, creation, and curation of dance and theatrical performances, related arts education programs, and other supportive activities and programs. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | SACRA/PROFANA | 3502 Clairemont Dr , SAN DIEGO, CA 92117 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 432-2920 | California's 53rd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, SACRA/PROFANA will collaborate with composer/artist Dr. Corey Hibbs to create a major choral work addressing the need for safe spaces within the queer community. Through a multi-movement choral composition, the project will explore existential issues faced by individuals in a heteronormative world and provide a platform for self-realization, acceptance, and unapologetic existence. Our project seeks to foster a community and collaborative environment by involving the choir, conductor, and composer in frequent workshops and feedback sessions. In addition to the choral work, the project will incorporate an interactive art installation designed by the composer/artist. This installation will complement and augment the messaging of the choral performance, providing the audience with physical, experiential, and visceral encounters related to the themes of clear spaces, safe spaces, and the journey of self-actualization. | San Diego’s only year-round professional chorus, SACRA/PROFANA was founded in 2009 by New York native Krishan Oberoi, quickly rose to become “San Diego’s go-to choral ensemble” (U-T San Diego). Described by KPBS as “choral music for the iPod generation”, the dynamic choral group has collaborated with the Chieftains, Producer Carlton Cuse (of ABC’s hit show Lost), Japanese composer Nobou Uematsu, and many other prominent creative minds. The SACRA/PROFANA Education Outreach programs strive to aid teachers and students in the pursuit of knowledge in music, discipline, focus, language skills and community. We do this through: |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,957.00 | Burbank Philharmonic Orchestra | PO BOX 6345 , Burbank, CA 91510 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 446-6566 | California's 30th congressional district | District 44 | District 20 | The CAC grant funds would be used for artist compensation for the next few concerts as well as marketing and promotions of these concerts for us to get back our pre-COVID audience members. | Free and low cost live orchestra performances available to all. Educational programs include a yearly Young Artist Competition with winner performing as a solo artist with the Burbank Philharmonic Orchestra and the Discovery Conductor Project, a unique program for high school conductors that provides mentorship and the opportunity to rehearse and perform with the Burbank Philharmonic. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | West End Arts District | 1453 WEBSTER ST , ALAMEDA, CA 94501-3342 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (415) 309-8565 | 12th Congressional District | District 18 | District 07 | With support from the California Arts Council, West End Arts District (WEAD) will initiate Re-Cycle, a multimedia performance created by groundbreaking aerial dance company BANDALOOP and Tara Pilbrow Dance, co-produced by Radium Presents, and Immersive Arts Alliance. Re-Cycle combines dance, digital projection and musical composition to activate a metal structure on an industrial hangar, potentially facing demolition in the City of Alameda’s ambitious project to transform a disused taxiway on the former Naval base into De-Pave Park, a resilient, ecological landscape that accommodates future sea level rise. In live performance and captured on film, Re-Cycle will raise awareness and deepen understanding of the vital sustainability goals of the De-Park project, exploring the cycle from shoreline to military base to artists’ workshops and back to wetlands, imagining how nature might reappropriate this heavy industrial landscape. | West End Arts District was founded in 2015 by community member and business owner Sandra Russell. She understood that the best way to build community spirit, and revitalize the area was through the arts. She launched Blues Brews and BBQ, which continues to be our flagship event and brings between 4000-5000 music lovers to the west end every September. Since then the non-profit has grown, expanding our programming to include dance, visual arts and cultural celebrations and developing a relationship with the city and local arts leaders. West End Arts District provides fiscal sponsorship, financial, and logistical support to artists and arts organizations working in our community. Since 2020 WEAD has worked with the West Alameda Business Association to bring a string of successful initiatives In 2023, WEAD began work on a wide-ranging climate arts initiative called RISING TIDES, initially funded by a Bloomberg Philanthropies grant. Events have included “Somewhere to Land,” an outdoor vertical dance piece performed on the buildings of the Naval Air Station and “Capture the King Tide” photography event. In May 2025, we launch “In Plain Site” a free, three-week, outdoor, climate-focused photography festival. The board is committed to continued a continued Climate Art moving forward. Our work contributed to the economic resilience of the West End during the pandemic and continues to grow the cultural vibrancy and diversity of the area today. Our goal is to see the whole of the west end of Alameda, including the new and future developments at Alameda Point develop into a dynamic and progressive arts district. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Locke Foundation Corporation | PO BOX 1085 , WALNUT GROVE, CA 95690-1085 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 776-1684 | California 3rd Congressional district | 11th State Assembly | 3rd State Senate | With support from the California Council on the Arts, the Locke Foundation presents “Traces of our Roots” in collaboration with local artists, the Jan Ying Association, California Parks and Recreation, and community members. This collaborative art project chronicles the culturally rich history of the AAPI people (Asian American and Pacific Islanders) and immigrants of the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta community of Locke. Through storytelling, poetry, music, and new media, this art walk enlightens and inspires by tracing over one hundred years of immigrant rural farm life to today’s artistic and culturally diverse inhabitants. Visitors of all ages can engage and learn more about this national landmark town and its local culture. Our dedication to inclusivity and accessibility results in free participation, and an audio-based project for the visually impaired offered in English, Spanish, and Chinese. | -Organize annual Spring and Winter cultural festivals including dance, music, poetry, painting, culinary arts, flower arrangement, photography, film screening, conferences, and art workshops. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | The Foundation at Hearst Castle | 700 HEARST CASTLE RD , SAN SIMEON, CA 93452-9740 | San Luis Obispo | Central Coast | (805) 995-9720 | CA-019 | Addis | District 17 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Foundation at Hearst Castle (FHC) will engage 20 schools and 1,000 students in our STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) Program. Designed to inspire 4th-8th grade students from rural, agricultural, and low-income communities throughout California, participants build dreams through arts and STEAM. | Through membership and fundraising, The Foundation at Hearst Castle supports educational, interpretive, and preservation programs for Hearst Castle and California State Parks. Through the Foundation, businesses, philanthropic organizations, and individuals can provide support and engagement with Hearst Castle. We provide membership opportunities, educational programs, and special events with the goal of enhancing understanding and appreciation, thereby enriching the visitor experience. Our flagship program is Building Your Dream With STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math). Designed to inspire and empower 4th-8th grade students from rural, agricultural, and low-income communities throughout California, the STEAM Program endeavors to build dreams with STEAM curriculum, using the historical Hearst Castle, nature at the W.R. Hearst Memorial Beach, and the example of pioneering female architect Julia Morgan as inspiration. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Plaza de la Raza | 3540 N MISSION RD , LOS ANGELES, CA 90031-3135 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 223-2475 | 34th congressional district | District 52 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, PLAZA DE LA RAZA will utilize funds to offset the rising costs of operations in the post pandemic climate, including salaries for administration and faculty, maintenance of facilities, insurance, internet, sanitation and safety, including supplies and other equipment support for our ADA accommodations. Plaza de la Raza is a cultural treasure, providing arts education for over 5,300 students annually, and year-round arts and cultural programming including traditional folk arts, and serving the greater East Los Angeles and Southern California Latinx population and mainstream audiences. For over 53 years, Plaza has been supporting Latinx art and culture, making it the longest operating multi-disciplined Latinx centric community cultural arts and arts educational center in the United States. | Plaza de la Raza plays a vital role in the larger arts ecosystem of Los Angeles County and Southern California. The organization serves as a hub for artists, educators, and community members seeking to collaborate and develop innovative arts and cultural programming. With the center’s impressive collection of classes, workshops, performances and exhibitions, Plaza de la Raza is a unique experience that combines education and tradition. Plaza’s School of Performing and Visual Arts (SPVA) offers weekly after-school classes on a quarterly schedule to local children and youth in a variety of traditional and folk disciplines, at low or no cost. The center’s primary constituency is comprised of low-income families residing in the surrounding community of Lincoln Heights, East Los Angeles and welcomes 50,000 guests annually from throughout the region. Plaza’s student ensemble groups include a Student Folklorico and Youth Mariachi led by local cultural bearers, masters in their field. Plaza’s student companies regularly perform at community-based venues and events throughout LA County as ambassadors of the arts and edify the success of SPVA training. Plaza’s presenting programs include past guests such as Los Lobos, Bela Lewitzki, Ozomatli and Culture Clash, art exhibitions including the first major Frida Kahlo show in 1987, and the highly popular Chicano Collection, presented by Cheech Marin. Plaza also hosts an energetic list of year-round programs anchored by four annual public festivals marking Mexica New Year, Día del Niño, Día de los Muertos and a year-end Holiday Toy Drive and Celebration. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | $66,600.00 | NoCCA | 630 S Brawley Ave Suite 5 , Brawley, CA 92227-3107 | Imperial | Far South | (760) 550-1117 | California's 51st congressional district | District 56 | District 40 | With support from the California Arts Council, North County Coalition for the Arts will continue to grant funds to local students, artists, arts events, and organizations. We will also be able to continue to offer stage rental services to local organizations, produce our own community productions, and compensate our staff. Funds also help us to pay for office and storage rental and other administrative and logistical costs. | NoCCA provides financial support to local artists, programs and organizations, as well as scholarships for students. We help to promote and advertise local arts events and provide stage rental services for local events. NoCCA also produces community theater every fall and spring. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | FaTasiLima | 101 Horne Avenue , San Francisco, CA 94124 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 312-7115 | 17 | Weiner | With support from the California Arts Council, FaTasiLima will produce the 3rd annual 2024 Futurism Fashion show, a free Black History Month event that will highlight the creativity and innovation of the Black community of San Francisco; the city’s only shrinking demographic. Funds from this grant will ensure the continuity of existing creative collaborations with local artists, as well as create new partnerships with local organizations dedicated to community uplift. | FaTasiLima cultivates arts-focused experiences which advocate and preserve the history, legacy, and culture of Black generational San Franciscans; the city’s only shrinking demographic. We accomplish this with art exhibitions and immersive fashion shows which foster partnerships with local artists and community based organizations. Our panel discussions facilitate critical thinking, education and engagement aiming to spark community involvement. The artists of our organization collaborate to create fine artworks which have graced the walls of community centers, art galleries, museums, and non-profit organizations, and even in the private homes of our community members across San Francisco. As a cultural practice, FaTasiLima is involved in researching and documenting ancestral lineage, stories, and experiences and using various artistic mediums to convey and interpret that information as a form of resistance and cultural preservation. | |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,244.00 | COMPASSPOINT MENTORSHIP | 318 Morse Ave , Sunnyvale, CA 94085-4329 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 478-0683 | District 14 | district 26 | District 13 | With support from the California Arts Council, CompassPoint Mentorship will continue to: Mural Installations in Underserved Schools: Installing murals in local underserved public schools to tell stories of Native Americans and other cultures that have contributed to California’s history and heritage. | leadership opportunities / ownership: Youth take charge through our issue-based committees, designing and leading projects that address real community challenges. Students develop leadership skills while creating meaningful change that bridges cultural divides. hands-on learning: Through innovative community projects like AI integration and public murals, youth build STEM skills and confidence while making tangible contributions that connect diverse neighborhoods. cross-cultural connection: Year-round camps, cultural festivals, and collaborative projects bring together youth from Asian, Latinx, and other backgrounds, with full scholarships ensuring all can participate in experiences that celebrate shared histories and build lasting connections across communities. mentorship and training: Experienced mentors from diverse professional and cultural backgrounds provide guidance through career workshops, leadership training, and college preparation support that honors students’ cultural identities. community-responsive partnerships: We develop relationships with organizations that share our nimble, youth-centered approach, creating networks that amplify youth voice and community impact across geographic and cultural boundaries. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | LAMusArt | 3630 E 3RD ST , LOS ANGELES, CA 90063-2409 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 262-7734 | California's 40th congressional district | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Los Angeles Music and Art School will provide up to 150 East LA students with free, weekly music instruction through the Tuition-Free Music Ensembles Program. The year-round program is composed of five distinct ensembles including the Choir, the Jazz Ensemble, the Mariachi(s), the Youth Orchestra and the Strings Ensemble(s), all of which teach students repertoire, theory, and technique in a collaborative setting and place emphasis on musicianship and performance. Students as young as 7 and into adulthood attend weekly rehearsals with their ensemble members and coaches to learn culturally relevant styles of music. Offered irrespective of gender, ability, socio-economic status, ethnicity or religion, students can join any time at no cost. | Since its inception, LAMusArt has created equitable opportunities to engage in free and/or low-cost quality arts programming for students as young as age 4 continuing to seniors 65+. Across four disciplines, we offer dozens of weekly (private and group) classes (both low cost and no cost) held on our campus, an 11,000 square foot facility in the heart of East Los Angeles which includes over 20 classrooms, an audio recording studio, and an outdoor performance space where events, performances, exhibits, etc. take place. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Theatre of Yugen | 2840 MARIPOSA ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110-1308 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 621-0507 | California's 11th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, THEATRE OF YUGEN INCOPORATED will remunerate its administrative staff, technical staff, Kyogen ensemble members, and collaborating artists, and pay rent of its venue NOHSpace. Yugen’s public presentations and Nohgaku training and educational programs annually reach over 5,000 members of the diverse communities in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. The CAC grant funds for general operating support will greatly enhance Yugen’s capacity to further serve and uplift the AAPI and other historically marginalized communities through artistic collaborations, co-productions, and co-presentations. | Yugen was founded in 1978 as a site for experimentation focusing on the Japanese theatrical traditions of Noh and Kyogen and their contemporary interpretations. Since its inception, Yugen and its venue NOHSpace located in San Francisco’s oldest artist cooperative Project Artaud in the Mission District have been a gathering place for different cultures, communities and traditions. In addition to creating original productions and presenting collaborative works, Yugen also became a training center to teach these ancient theatrical forms to future generations in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. In addition to community programming and co-presentation series, Yugen delivers and engages diverse community demographic in San Francisco through the following programs: In the recent years, Yugen has also been committed to providing audiences with multi-sensory theatrical experiences. One of the threads has been incorporating Japanese foodways into its projects and presentations, coinciding with the timing of “Washoku” (Japanese cuisine) added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list and becoming ever more popular. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Pacific Crest Music | 4701 Simpson Ave , Dunsmuir, CA 96025 | Siskiyou | Upstate | (818) 536-4486 | District 01 | 1st state assembly district | District 01 | With support from the California Arts Council, Pacific Crest Music will help eliminate geographic, physical, racial, economic, and social barriers to music education and experiences for students and adults living in rural Siskiyou County. In addition to its regular classical summer concert series and music education program, PCM is expanding a pilot music-in-the-schools program that features both collegiate students and faculty members providing classical music presentations to K-8 students. These students live very remote, underserved communities in Siskiyou County, all of which is in the lowest quartile of the California HPI. 18 college music majors, 5 outstanding high schoolers, and PCM’s world class faculty will provide instrumental presentations and performances that illuminate the possibilities for any young person interested in a music career – through their own cultural diversity and commitment to their craft. | Pacific Crest Music (PCM) provides rural Siskiyou County with high-quality college-level music education, K-12 school outreach, and free community concerts. Music Education Free Community Concerts Youth Outreach |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Center for Urban Excellence | PO BOX 5543 , VALLEJO, CA 94591-0555 | Solano | Capital | (707) 731-4243 | California's 5th congressional district | California's 11th State Assembly district | Senate District 3 | The Center for Urban Excellence, in collaboration with the Museum of Children’s Art will reignite the Art is Resilience program for students at Golden Gate Community Schools in Brentwood, Pittsburg, and Richmond. Professional Teaching Artists, wellness practitioners, and Juvenile Justice professionals help to create a space where youth are free to channel their strength, resilience, and hope through art. We empower young artists to lead, create, and articulate their vision for the future, strengthening their voices and promoting positivity. Through these vibrant artistic expressions, we illuminate the inherent power of our youth, sparking an enduring beacon of resilience in their communities. | At the Center for Urban Excellence (CUE), our work is structured around five key pillars of service that all aim to empower and support youth, young adults and their families: Healing Arts Education: We provide a platform for youth to express themselves creatively. Our arts programs range from poetry, spoken word, emcee and movement classes to visual and mixed media arts workshops. We also facilitate participation in performances and exhibitions, nurturing youth and young adult artistic talents and providing a creative outlet. Programs: “Art is Resilience” poetry and visual arts in 3 Golden Gate Community Schools Contra Costa COE. Fostering Resilience Framework and Training: We provide dynamic programs to help youth develop essential resilience skills. This includes mindfulness training, art activities, stress management techniques, and problem-solving strategies, all aimed at equipping our youth with the ability to navigate life’s challenges. College and Career Readiness: In partnership with Solano County WDB, we offer comprehensive programs to prepare 24 youth and young adults for success in higher education and the workforce. This includes college application and financial aid assistance, career counseling, job readiness training, and more. Critical Media Literacy Workshops: We believe in the importance of informed media consumption. Our workshops equip youth with the skills to critically evaluate media, fostering informed decision-making and promoting active engagement with the media landscape applying “The Media and Me: A Critical Media Literacy Guide for Young People.” |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | WRITERS GROTTO | 1663 Mission St #602 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (510) 579-4504 | 12th | 17 | 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, The WRITERS GROTTO will mount the Rooted & Written 2023 Conference/Fellowship by and for Writers of Color. Serving 45 Fellows at no cost and 250+ additional participants, the Conference culminates in a nationally screened public reading, amplifying the Grotto’s mission to elevate Voices of Color. | A key part of the Writers Grotto community resource is its integration of extensive public programming through the presentation of its members’ created works and works-in-progress at public readings, literary festivals, and cultural events. The Writers Grotto also provides classes year round in all genres of literature, both free (through its Rooted & Written Conference and Fellowship for Writers of Color), and at low cost. Given the reality of continually rising rents in the Bay Area, and the gradual retraction in jobs and paying markets for writers, aspiring writers without outside income—and many well-published writers as well—are increasingly unable to find opportunities to work together in a professional setting. The Grotto provides an affordable physical community space along with rich, invaluable daily membership conversations and support provided both in person, through virtual gatherings, and through the Grotto daily listserve. 200+ classes and workshops per year are taught by Grotto members on writing fiction, essays, memoir, journalism, poetry, children’s books, screenwriting, social media, professional development and grant-writing, and more. Classes range from one afternoon to 8 weeks, and enrollment ranges from 10-30 participants per class. Classes are held in person at The Grotto, via Zoom, or as hybrid courses. The Grotto also offers low-cost, drop-in writing sessions that encourage participants to write and support each other in a communal setting. Write-ins last for 2.5 hours and are held in person at The Grotto, via Zoom, or as hybrid courses. The annual Rooted & Written Conference and Fellowship for Writers of Color anticipates featuring internationally renowned keynote speakers/luminaries (all creative artists of color based in literature), and Teaching Faculty who will offer workshops and classes in multiple genres (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, screenwriting, etc.) to 30+ Fellows, all writers of color who receive a full scholarship to the conference. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Barcid Foundation | 2811 Scott Place , Los Angeles, CA 90026 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 504-4897 | California Assembly district 34 | District 43 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Barcid Foundation will bring together a collection of experienced Native American artists and community members to foster a new and genuine approach to portraying Native Americans in the media arts. | The Barcid Foundation offers genuine career building programs, workshops and additional opportunities that advance Native American artists and youth. We have developed successful relationships with tribes, art foundations, studios and networks to offer career building art initiatives for Native Americans. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Community Rejuvenation Project | 2721 60TH AVE , OAKLAND, CA 94605-1534 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 269-7840 | California Assembly district 18 | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Higher Gliffs inc dba the Community Rejuvenation Project will continue ongoing engagement activities. These include direct community outreach; policy advocacy and research; educational research and curricula development; online engagement including social media and website content production and maintenance; and administrative tasks, including strategic planning, and project coordination. | As a pavement to policy organization, CRP develops and implements best practices around public art policy through strategy-based, on-the-ground experience in urban communities. Over the past twelve years, the collective has painted more than 300 murals throughout the Bay Area. CRP has developed an innovative and effective model for community engagement by incorporating multimedia and documentary filmmaking into its approach. In addition, CRP has advocated strongly for increased investment in public art and more sensible public art policy. CRP has also been a founding member of several community-based coalitions working on ongoing equitable development, anti-displacement, and cultural resiliency campaigns, as well as increased transparency and accountability from public officials. CRP has also been a part of important discussions, both in the municipal and public sectors, around creative placemaking, cultural equity, and new directions in public art, on both a local and national level. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | ACMA | 3505 Camino Del Rio S STE 305, SAN DIEGO, CA 92108-4090 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 789-1811 | California's 53rd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support of the California Arts Council, Asian Culture & Media Alliance or ACMA will continue to offer our relevant and impactful arts & cultural media programming in serving to advance better equity and diversity for our AANHPI (Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander) communities. Our programs allow us to amplify and uplift the voices within our communities while sharing our rich art & culture with many other communities. ACMA’s award winning programs, Asian Pacific Voices TV and Asian Pacific Voices Radio Podcast, are multi-platform cultural media arts programs designed to advance our community by cultivating better visibility, equity, and diversity. Each episode showcases stories about AANHPI artists, culture practitioners and community leaders who are passionate about preserving our rich & diverse cultures and often share their inspiring personal journeys with our audiences. | As part of our core mission to create cultural awareness and empower the Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities through media arts, ACMA provides the following media initiatives and programs throughout the year: Asian Pacific Voices TV Asian Pacific Voices Radio Podcast Take One Vocational Youth Media Training & Internship Program ACMA also collaborates with various community partners throughout the year, offering our media services and resources to promote and support their programs. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | DISCO RIOT | 7849 Wing Span Dr. , SAN DIEGO, CA 92119 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 244-2324 | 51 | 78 | 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, DISCO RIOT will present San Diego’s third annual queer-focused movement-arts festival, Queer Mvmnt Fest. Through an intersectional lens, this festival highlights LGBTQIA+ artists with specific emphasis on BIPOC contributors. Queer Mvmnt Fest includes performances, workshops, discussions, and classes for affinity groups and the general public presented by both local and visiting movements artists with the purpose of expanding the visibility of queer artists, advocating and empowering queer voices, and educating the community about queer art practice. | We achieve our mission through a combination of activities that create opportunities for movement-artists to develop their practice that also invite the general public to explore the impact of movement in their own lives. These activities include classes, artist residencies, networking events, performance opportunities, and online projects. Our key programs like Choreo & _____, S P A C E Alliance Studio Residencies, Queer Mvmnt Fest, Summer and Fall Workshops, and ongoing donation-based classes allow the larger arts community and the public to come together with socially conscious dance as the fulcrum. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | The Roots and Wings Project | 4499 Via Marisol #223 , Los Angeles, CA 90042 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 637-4944 | California Assembly district 53 | District 53 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Roots and Wings Project will produce THE JOY RIDE, a multi-disciplinary traveling show performed out of a convertible car, in true RAW style, by a cohesive ensemble that delivers a piercing message, embracing joy as an act of political warfare. During a time where people were isolated and separated, losing jobs, facing a deadly pandemic and age-old racist government/societal structure that deals in violence—among other adverse dynamics—THE JOY RIDE offered a healing transcendence, opportunity for connection, and expression of solidarity. This literally moving show amazes, uplifts, and inspires. The pilot was an opportunity to premiere the work. Now, we want the show to be offered again on a larger scale and relevant to current societal issues we face today, post-pandemic. | The Roots and Wings Project’s main offering is site-specific shows and theatre written by women of color and performed by diverse and powerful actors for a diverse audience in Boyle Heights, Skid Row and Downtown Los Angeles. MATRIARCH is a series of personal monologues written by prominent Los Angeles-based writers addressing, matters of patriarchy and the urgent need to dismantle this system and create justice. WOMEN AT WORK offers stage and space to powerful women writers of Los Angeles to pilot new work, receive feedback from audience members and fellow artists. Upcoming projects include a site-specific tour guided work of theatre in the streets and venues in Downtown Los Angeles written by women of color. We also offer regular programming on 90.7 FM’s THINK OUTSIDE THE CAGE, a show about all things related to prison as well as educational programming for people of all ages that elicits creativity and inspires (POC) participants to cultivate and share their voice. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | OUR LA | 2454 LYRIC AVE , LOS ANGELES, CA 90027-4655 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 901-5939 | 30th District | 52nd District | 24th Senatorial District | With support from the California Arts Council, OUR LA will hire underserved creatives (youth, women, LGBTQIA+, POC, AAPI, differently abled) to prepare its massive audiovisual collection on the history of Los Angeles and life and legacy of five-term LA Mayor Tom Bradley to be donated to an LA repository for free public use, research, and reflection. OUR LA will repurpose its award-winning documentary, BRIDGING THE DIVIDE: TOM BRADLEY AND THE POLITICS OF RACE, to create educational modules (short films) tailored for and designed, in part, by young people for use in high schools. (Mentorship will be provided). OUR LA will develop a comprehensive community outreach/publicity campaign focusing on the films’ relevant themes (race, police reform, coalitions, social justice). Engagements will promote dialogue and action while LA celebrates and prepares to host the 2028 Olympic Games. | During Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ administration and in preparation for LA’s 2028 Olympics, we believe there is an urgency now to repurpose our award-winning documentary, BRIDGING THE DIVIDE: TOM BRADLEY AND THE POLITICS OF RACE, and use our massive archival collection to bring the remarkable story of Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley-the first African American mayor elected overwhelmingly in a majority white American city-to the forefront. Because a scholarly biography of Bradley’s life was never published, our team spent seven years researching and rewriting the film script, which ultimately was funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Our one-of-a-kind archive documents Bradley’s legacy and LA’s history from the 1920s Great Migration to the 1992 LA Civil Unrest. It includes thousands of never-before-seen historical photographs, oral histories, hundreds of hours of filmed interviews/audiotapes, LAPD public relations reels, ephemera, and city documentation. OUR LA will donate this treasure trove to an LA repository for future, free public access, research, and reflection. Our current programming is to 1) prepare/organize the collection per the selected institution’s recommendations, 2) repurpose the documentary and use the collection’s unpublished works to develop culturally relevant educational modules tailored to the learning experience of today’s youth. The films will reside on our website and PBS LearningMedia (a free resource for K-12 students and educators) and will be used in high schools, and 3) build a comprehensive community outreach plan to reignite interest in Tom Bradley-the man who fought to bring the triumphant 1984 Olympics to LA. OUR LA produced TOM BRADLEY’S IMPOSSIBLE DREAM, an educational video and curriculum for high schools; collaborated with 50+ social justice-oriented organizations on events related to the film’s themes (race, police brutality, coalition building); and pioneered two youth programs with Facing History and Ourselves and the City of LA Workforce Development Board. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $23,374.00 | Loiter Galleries | 2181 EUCALYPTUS AVE , LONG BEACH, CA 90806-4518 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 968-1693 | 42nd Congressional District | 69th District | Senate District 33 | With support from the California Arts Council, this grant will enable us to open a greater number of temporary galleries and provide more opportunities for local BIPOC artists who may have been disenfranchised and under-represented, in the Long Beach Art District. We are proud to offer free exhibits that showcase the works of these deserving artists. | Loiter Galleries fills a void. Mainly, serving the various needs of the underserved artists and business districts hit hard during and before the pandemic. The programs we develop assist both these communities directly. For the artists, we supply affordable gallery showcases, marketing, supplies, meeting space, art business advice, and emotional support. And we aid local property owners by converting dark, empty spaces with art and positive activity. Artists finally have a venue to display their art and receive the support they need to learn how to be successful. The property owners sell/lease their spaces more quickly via the brightness, activity, and popularity of our projects. Artists are paid though in-kind support mentioned above, sales and in some instances stipends. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Santa Cecilia Arts & Learning Center | 2751 West Broadway , Los Angeles, CA 90041-1038 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 839-3804 | District 34 | District 52 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Santa Cecilia Arts & Learning Center will present Building Bridges through Music, a performance series that will feature music from different cultures in an effort to unite multicultural communities and create new intercultural understanding among residents. | The Santa Cecilia Arts & Learning Center is located in the Eagle Rock area of Los Angeles. It is a beautiful original mid-century architectural gem that consists of two buildings with a courtyard, a backyard, a carport and a parking lot. The buildings include a small concert hall for chamber music concerts and other programs; a full kitchen; dining room, two large program areas; five smaller program areas, thirteen flexible office/art/music spaces; a large gated outdoor garden in the back and a treed courtyard between the two buildings that function as program space and as a protected place for respite and play that has been described as an oasis in Northeast Los Angeles. Center programs include Many of our activities are provided free of charge or at special rates and through scholarships to allow everyone in the community to participate. The Center also provides rehearsal, performance and activity space for community arts groups that do not have their own venues. These include an improv/theater group; the Los Angeles Virtuosi; mixers for the Uptown Gay & Lesbian Alliance and for the Eagle Rock Chamber of Commerce; youth music recitals for music teachers in the community; yoga classes; and a movie series with guest lecturers for college youth. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $54,998.00 | 82-2363154 | 2728 Sixth Avenue , SAN DIEGO, CA 92103 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 738-1232 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, Voices of Our City Choir (Voices) will expand the capacity of our Safe, Creative Community For Unsheltered San Diego Neighbors. This model integrates welcoming, healing music programs into person-centered, culturally responsive outreach, case management, and advocacy to foster empowerment and respect, help unsheltered artists meet basic needs, and transform cultural narratives about homelessness. Funds will be used to scale up our program model to 1) increase the number of unsheltered San Diego artists we engage in musical programming that is integrated into case management and wraparound support; 2) increase the visibility of San Diego artists experiencing homelessness to public audiences; and 3) elevate the lived experiences of our Choir Members during public performances to reframe public perceptions and stigmas around homelessness and catalyze change. | San Diego-based musician Steph Johnson co-founded Voices as a Performance Choir in 2017, in collaboration with local musicians and people experiencing homelessness. Our Choir has performed in more than 150 events, including San Diego Symphony Orchestra, San Diego Master Chorale, and America’s Got Talent (AGT), where Members received the Golden Buzzer award and inspired San Diego’s Board of Supervisors to declare June 2nd “Voices of Our City Day.” To build upon the success of our choir, Voices expanded our arts and creative offerings to include songwriting and music production workshops and wraparound services that link Members to housing/social supports. We offer songwriting workshops to engage Members in creating new, original productions for our Choir to perform in community events. We also provide Members access to our in-house studio to learn music recording, engineering, video, and production skills. In 2022, we formalized the structure of our case management, wraparound service referrals, and basic needs services into a Choir Member Services program. Through our musical programs, Members develop trusting, authentic relationships with our Member Services staff; these connections provide a critical avenue for staff to identify Members’ housing, food, and mental health needs and provide a symphony of resources to meet them. In this way, Voices uses the rhythm of musical programs to move Members through the hierarchy of basic needs and help them realize their full potential. In the process, Voices evolved from a performance ensemble to a nonprofit using musical programming to help unsheltered neighbors meet basic needs. Voices has received excellence awards from Mayor Todd Gloria and the San Diego Psychological Association. Voices also received the 2022 Peacemaker award from the National Conflict Resolution Center. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Feminist Center for Creative Work | 3053 Rosslyn St , Los Angeles, CA 90065-1408 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (909) 616-5492 | California's 28th congressional district | District 52 | District 25 | With Support from the California Arts Council, Feminist Center for Creative Work will support community workshops in line with Yves B. Golden’s artist residency. The project, unifies text and textile to celebrate Black culture, with workshops exploring poetry, meditation, and quilting. Curated readings invite poets to discuss music and poetry. The residency culminates in an exhibition featuring Golden’s work and community writing, derived from the workshops, on textiles. A large-format publication through Co-Conspirator Press showcases interviews, lyrics, collages, and poetry from workshop participants. | FCCW produces and platforms the work of women and other gender-marginalized creatives. Our core services include: 1) Artists-in-Residence, a multidisciplinary program that provides emerging and mid-career artists with material, professional, and creative support, and culminates in an exhibition; 2) wide-ranging community programs, such as workshops, performances, screenings, panels, and professional development skillshares; and 3) our publishing arm, Co-Conspirator Press. Since launching in 2013 and opening our first physical space in 2015, To date, we have presented more than 1,500 programs; distributed 15,000 publications; and served 40,000+ visitors on site and online. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | L A Freewaves | 840 Laveta Terrace , los angeles, CA 90026 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 344-8910 | California's 28th congressional district | 28th | AD 51 | With the support of the California Arts Council, Angelinos, culture seekers, artists, and creatives can continue producing accessible, socially-specific public art events. We seek general operating funds to support our 2024-2025 scheduled programming for HEAL HEAR HERE – our feminist-centered healing art happening, our X-aMEN-ing Masculinities public engagement series, and Dis..Miss Gender? book tour. Since 1989 we have continuously created interdisciplinary events to bring artists and audiences together online and in person. LA Freewaves now focuses on the current social issues of race and gender. | Freewaves most recent work has combined healing and art in public venues or focused on gender in new inquisitive ways. These projects are still in process. Dis…Miss is Freewaves’ most recent completed work, public visual art experiences with short videos, postcards, and audience engagement, began the Fall of 2016 and evolved through many events and concluded as a book by MIT Press in 2023. 60 outstanding L.A. artists are instigating dialogues online and in various public settings around evolving perceptions and attitudes about gender and intersectional feminism. The videos and images present nuanced imagery and ideas on these complex topics as they simultaneously aim to confront stubborn inequalities and stereotypes in our culture today. Freewaves’ audience engagements take the form of screenings, workshops, discussions, public art events and audience interactions in the greater Los Angeles area and beyond. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Arab.AMP / TAC Temescal Arts Center | 511 48th Street , OAKLAND, CA 94609-2058 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 918-2057 | California Assembly district 12 | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, DANCE ELIXIR will launch a new residency and commissioning program called TACmusic Commissions taking place at TAC Temescal Art Center. The program will support artists working in music, dance and interdisciplinary performance. Additionally, we will continue to build our Arab.AMP Platform including AMP Folktales (5 online episodes / year) featuring Community Spotlights in tandem with our AMP Commissioned Artists), AMP Live (Producing concerts and partnering with organizations/festivals), and creating touring and research opportunities for CA-based artists through our new partnership with the Arab American National Museum located in Dearborn-MI. With this support we will be able to boost the contract fees of our core staff and add a Production Assistant to our team as well. | DANCE ELIXIR produces art in the form of live trans-disciplinary performance and social engagement in a manner that supports local and international discourse and cultural empowerment. The organizations also offers educational programs and training at the professional, pre-profession and community level. DANCE ELIXIR’s works are presented locally, nationally, and internationally every year, and consistently prioritizes artists residing in California. Through its Oakland space TAC, DANCE ELIXIR supports year-round Bay Area performance, music, and community organizing. TAC is home to the TACmusic series that offers free workshops, commissioned performances, and residencies for local musicians, dancers, and creatives. In 2017 DANCE ELIXIR launched Arab.AMP, a platform for experimental live art, music, and ideas from the from the AMENASA diaspora and our allied communities. Arab.AMP celebrates the plurality of AMENASA voices operating in futurism and hybrid forms, while also uplifting folk and traditional practices. Directed by Tawil, Arab.AMP operates in partnership with venues and organizations nationally to produce concerts, online programs, artistic commissions, cross-sector community spotlights, and creative residencies for the communities we serve. DANCE ELIXIR programming, mission, and governance are aligned to serve AMENASA and BIPOC empowerment in a way that shapes the field of performing arts and culture. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Playwrights' Arena | 514 S SPRING ST , LOS ANGELES, CA 90013-2304 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 925-7631 | CA-34 | District 57 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, Playwrights’ Arena will use funds to partially support staff salaries (Artistic Director and Literary Manager), theater rental (for productions) and programming (New Pages Lab Reading Series and ACT for Student Program). | Mainstage Productions—new plays by emerging and veteran Los Angeles-based playwrights with diverse casts. The NEW PAGES LAB is a public reading series of new works by local playwrights. The goal is to give audiences opportunities to be a part of the process of developing new works through post-reading conversations. ANDREA COCKRUM THEATER FOR STUDENTS began as a weekend program for low-income students of New Designs Charter School that engages them in playwriting, acting, directing, designing and stage managing, but it will expand when Playwrights’ Arena begins its residency at New Designs Charter School in 2018. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $23,100.00 | Sacramento Juneteenth | 7236 GREENHAVEN DR APT 164 , SACRAMENTO, CA 95831-3560 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 541-2582 | 7 | 10 | 8 | With the Support of the California Arts Council, Sacramento Juneteenth Inc. will be able to organize and implement the 21st annual Gospel Under the Stars concert for the California Capital region during the 2024 Juneteenth Federal Holiday weekend. The goal of the event is to uplift the African-American art tradition of Gospel music and acknowledge the African-American contributions to American music and history, encourage cross cultural understanding, and inspire healing within Sacramento’s Black community. | SACRAMENTO JUNETEENTH FESTIVAL |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Sacramento Juneteenth | 7236 GREENHAVEN DR APT 164 , SACRAMENTO, CA 95831-3560 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 541-2582 | 7 | 10 | 8 | With the Support of the California Arts Council, Sacramento Juneteenth Inc. will be able to provide an annual stipend to its CEO (a volunteer for the past 9 years), resulting in increased fundraising efforts. Additional fundraising will aid in restoring organizational vitality and momentum for the organization’s primary program: The Sacramento Juneteenth Festival for the California Capital Region, to pre – COVID levels, during the 2024 and 2025 calendar years and beyond. | SACRAMENTO JUNETEENTH FESTIVAL |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $42,500.00 | National Association of Latino Independent Producers Inc | 3415 S SEPULVEDA BLVD STE 1100 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90034-7090 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 470-1061 | 37th Congressional District | District 54 | District 30 | With support from the California Arts Council, NALIP will fund year-round programs and initiatives that strengthen the pipeline of Latine and diverse artists across media in efforts to make the entertainment ecosystem more accessible and equitable. These programs include the Latino Lens Incubators and the Latino Media Market. | NALIP’s signature programs consist of Latino Lens Incubators across different tracks including producing, short narrative film, and writing. The Latino Lens program also includes workshops and mentorship series. Annual programs consist of the NALIP Media Summit, Latino Media Accelerator, Office Hours, and the Diverse Women in Media Forum. Each one of these programs focuses on advancing diverse content creators and their projects by strengthening the pipeline of talent and fostering the growth and development of their careers. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $50,000.00 | Latino Arts Network | 1443 EAST WASHINGTON BLVD 224 , PASADENA, CA 91104-2650 | Sacramento | Capital | (415) 846-3179 | California's 27th congressional district | District 41 | District 25 | Latino Arts Network (LAN) will conduct its annual programs and expand upon its successful Latina Writers Conference. Further, LAN will transition its base of operation, conduct an executive search and establish new headquarters in Sacramento, CA. | The Latino Arts Network of California (LAN) is a statewide alliance of community cultural centers, artists, advocates and patrons. LAN was founded in 1997 to support and strengthen Latino Arts in California and promote the cultural well being of the communities and artists we serve. Our focus includes arts advocacy; arts research and marketing; arts education; cultural presenting and touring; and technical assistance for artists and organizations. Our public programs include the LAN Maestro Awards which recognize unsung community heroes in arts and cultural leadership throughout the diverse statewide communities and the LAN Catalyst in Residence Program enacting mentorship residencies that pair up organizations seeking support with leaders in the field to serve as a source and resource in a range of capacities from technical assistance to aesthetic inspiration. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Unsung Heroes Living History Project | 2920 Baronet Way , Sacramento, CA 95833-2911 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 664-8745 | California Assembly District 6 | District 6 | District 8 | With support from the California Arts Council, Unsung Heroes Living History Project will collect narratives and photos from DJs of color in the Sacramento area to curate an exhibit showcasing the history of Sacramento DJs. | The Unsung Heroes Living History Project presents photographic displays of African American veterans, |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | $66,600.00 | San Francisco Arts Commission | 401 Van Ness Avenue Suite 325, San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 252-2266 | California's 11th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With the support of the California Arts Council, the San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) will concentrate on fostering substantial partnerships through our Galleries’ public programs, emphasizing community engagement and expanding accessibility by bringing public programs to neighborhoods and more inclusive spaces. The SFAC Galleries’ public programs entail active participation from individual artists, collectives, and community collaborators. Our aim is to cultivate our relationships by dedicating resources to community engagement, which encompasses partnering with community-based organizations and artists at the ideation and planning stages and organizing public programs in locations that are particularly inviting to the communities we aim to reach. The SFAC Galleries has three Civic Center venues, mounts year-round exhibitions and about 20 public programs, fosters citywide collaborations and oversees an artist in residency program. | SFAC’s major programs are Community Investments (including a funding program that supports eleven grant categories for individual artists and organizations, arts education, and seven cultural centers; and an Artist Vendor Licensing Program); and Urban Infrastructure, including the award-winning Public Art Program, SFAC Galleries, Civic Design Review (an oversight body for all public development projects) and the Civic Art Collection which manages, conserves and maintains approximately 4,500 artworks owned by the City. The Monuments and Memorials Advisory Committee is a priority initiative launched in 2021 that will impact the Public Art Program and the Civic Art Collection moving forward. It is a mayoral directive and charges SFAC to administer a partnership with the Human Rights Commission and the Recreation and Parks Department that convenes community members to create criteria and guidelines by which to determine the fate of historic monuments in the collection and the basis for commissioning public art memorials in the future. The SFAC implements programs and policies that demonstrate cultural and racial equity values across all agency functions. We continue to develop as a local, national and international leader and resource for advancing racial equity practices in arts and culture services—both for the community and for the agency’s own infrastructure. In January 2019, SFAC became the first City & County of San Francisco agency to have passed a racial equity statement and plan. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Los Angeles Contemporary Archive (LACA) | 709 N Hill Street , Los Angeles, CA 90065 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (805) 479-2939 | California Assembly district 51 | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Los Angeles Contemporary Archive will support two archivist positions to process our collections from various arts organizations in the LA area. These collections include items donated by the MOCA Union, Visitor Welcome Center, Punto Lairs Gallery, and other current or non-operational organizations. LACA will share these collections in exhibits and educational programs onsite alongside topical publications produced in-house. Aside from these specific projects, LACA will continue to archive and present materials from artists and students on a regular basis, making the history of temporary artist projects legible and tangible for our public visitors. | It is LACA’s goal to counter processes that create hegemonic archives and narratives of art happening in LA. Instead, LACA provides a platform for multiple and complex histories to take shape and interact. LACA does this through its core program of maintaining and activating its collection. This includes inviting Archivists coming from various backgrounds to bring insight and speak to a variety of subjectivities, such as being undocumented, being an immigrant or immigrant adjacent, understanding cultural assimilation, and being a BIPOC in the arts. Activating the collection includes free public programming of performances, independent press book releases and pedagogical group workshops, screenings, solo and group exhibitions that focus on ideas around a shared cultural memory. The Archive houses and catalogues art-related objects, with a special focus on underexposed artistic modes of expression and ephemeral materials. The Archive includes studio and performance ephemera, artists’ writings, audio-visual recordings, digital media files and institutional archives of artist-run spaces. Our Library includes local and international limited edition artist books that are important to the Los Angeles and global contemporary art landscapes. A comprehensive online database of the Archive and Library is fully searchable through the LACA website. The archive currently has 6,0090 art publishers, 5,000 artist books, 2,700 artists in the directory, and over 15,000 processed items in its repository. LACA’s has a significant amount of unprocessed items that can be accessed in person. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Audium Theater | 1616 BUSH ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109-5308 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 771-1616 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from California Arts Council, Audium will strengthen its residency & featured artist programs that support marginalized communities with paid opportunities to create and perform new spatial sound pieces. Audium will provide workshops for Bay Area under-served schools to reflect on the perception of sound and our senses. | Audium is the first theater of its kind, pioneering the exploration of space in music for over 50 years. The theater is constructed specifically for live sound movement and utilizing the entire environment as a compositional tool. The building consists of a foyer, sound labyrinth and main performance space with over 176 speakers in total. Listeners sitting in concentric circles are enveloped by speakers in sloping walls, a floating floor and a suspended ceiling. Compositions are performed live at each program by a performer who distributes sounds through a custom-designed console. Sounds are “sculpted” through their movement, direction, speed and intensity on multiple planes in space. Live performance of composed works gives a human, interactive element to Audium’s spatial electronic orchestra. Audium has been exploring the ideas of aural immersion and live sound spatialization for decades. Its idea was born out of experimentation by Stan Shaff and Doug McEachern in the late 1950s with Anna Halprin’s dance troup and the now-historic San Francisco Tape Music Center. Audium went through multiple incarnations in its early years, from performances at the SF Museum of Art and SF State University to a fixed installation in San Francisco’s Richmond District for 3.5 years. It found a home at its current site, thanks to a series of grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, in 1975. The theater has held weekly performances ever since (totaling over 4,300 performances and counting). |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Ballet Folklorico Mexico Danza | 1472 Zephyr Ave , Hayward, CA 94544 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 909-3413 | California's 14th congressional district | District 20 | District 10 | With the support from the California Arts Council, East Bay Center for the Preservation of Cultural Arts (EBCPCA) AKA Ballet Folklorico Mexico Danza (BFMD), will provide vital cultural arts programs for the community in Alameda County. Our program and services will fill a void for cultural arts to students in our school districts that will include arts education, classes and a professional production. Our proposed project will provide folklorico dance education and instruction to school aged children. They will learn choreography that will be presented in a professional production, at a local theater. The families of each student will be offered two free tickets so that they can see their children on stage and see what their child has learned. | Our non-profit dance company, East Bay Center for the Preservation of Cultural Arts, is dedicated to preserve and present the beautiful Mexican culture through dance. Our dancers are given opportunities to perform at some of the Bay Area’s largest events and companies. Sponsor master instructors in a variety of performance art forms to increase the educational experience of students. Our goal is to showcase their talent across multiple stages and gain confidence on stage. We accomplish this by offering education and dance classes to children, teens, and adults, of all experience levels, and nationalities from our diverse Bay Area community. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Arts Bridging the Gap | 1433 North Hayworth Avenue #5 , West Hollywood, CA 90046-3860 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 244-0720 | 30th Congressional District | District 51 | District 24 | With support from California Arts Council, Arts Bridging the Gap will embark on the next chapter of its groundbreaking Arts+Wellness Program at LA High School. Guided by ABG’s new Garden Design + Environmental Justice curriculum, this program aims to empower and uplift systemically excluded and under-resourced high school students, unleashing their potential to nurture their overall well-being and mindfulness. Pushing the boundaries of what is defined as art through the fusion of creativity and urban farming practices, the A+W Program will provide students with valuable knowledge in gardening, nutrition, healing through design, food production, and the crucial importance of expanding green spaces. Moreover, students will have the opportunity to explore the artistic elements of agriculture design, discover Native Californian plants, and engage in hands-on experiences with garden towers and hydroponic sculptures on the campus. | Since its founding in 2014, Arts Bridging the Gap has administered 900+ art classes for 2,030 young people and spearheaded the creation of 70 murals. The organization strongly believes that consistent, reliable programming is essential to system-level change; therefore, ABG’s work is codified into four primary programs (below) in deep collaboration with long-term partners. Arts+Wellness — Built in response to compounding effects of COVID-19 on under resourced communities, this multidisciplinary program focuses on healing trauma and supporting high school students in developing their wellness and mindfulness. Aiming to spark empathy building, trauma healing, restorative justice, creative expression, and civic leadership, the students help select the art forms and societal issues explored, together. Each series of classes have a creative focus such as: Art for Social Change (Fairfax High School, LA High School, Maywood Academy High School), Culinary Arts (LA High School), and Urban Farming (LA High School). LA Street Art Initiative — A socio-emotional arts program that gathers youth, artists, and community members together to design, co-create, and paint public murals. Aiming to install 150 murals across LA before 2025, this program empowers people to engage with their community, build understanding, and spark essential dialogue to support collective healing. The participants experience ABG’s Empathy Curriculum, and during the 5-8 week program, they grow in their confidence, awareness, and sense of ownership for how their art can create change in their community. Futures Rewired — An after school program for 12-18 year old female-identifying, non-binary, and gender expansive youth that explores immersive technology as an interest and career path; this program is in residence at GALA: Girls Academic Leadership Academy. PenPal Art Share — An art sharing program that connects ABG’s LA participants with youth across the globe. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $23,374.00 | Arts Bridging the Gap | 1433 North Hayworth Avenue #5 , West Hollywood, CA 90046-3860 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 244-0720 | 30th Congressional District | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Arts Bridging The Gap (ABG) will sustain its staff of two: a full-time Executive Director and a part-time Programs Director, who collaboratively spearhead the planning and execution of ABG’s programming. Driven by their passion to advance cultural equity and build a more empathic world, ABG’s staff facilitates accessible, impactful cultural experiences for historically-excluded youth, professional artists, and communities across LA County. | Since its founding in 2014, Arts Bridging the Gap has administered 900+ art classes for 2,030 young people and spearheaded the creation of 70 murals. The organization strongly believes that consistent, reliable programming is essential to system-level change; therefore, ABG’s work is codified into four primary programs (below) in deep collaboration with long-term partners. Arts+Wellness — Built in response to compounding effects of COVID-19 on under resourced communities, this multidisciplinary program focuses on healing trauma and supporting high school students in developing their wellness and mindfulness. Aiming to spark empathy building, trauma healing, restorative justice, creative expression, and civic leadership, the students help select the art forms and societal issues explored, together. Each series of classes have a creative focus such as: Art for Social Change (Fairfax High School, LA High School, Maywood Academy High School), Culinary Arts (LA High School), and Urban Farming (LA High School). LA Street Art Initiative — A socio-emotional arts program that gathers youth, artists, and community members together to design, co-create, and paint public murals. Aiming to install 150 murals across LA before 2025, this program empowers people to engage with their community, build understanding, and spark essential dialogue to support collective healing. The participants experience ABG’s Empathy Curriculum, and during the 5-8 week program, they grow in their confidence, awareness, and sense of ownership for how their art can create change in their community. Futures Rewired — An after school program for 12-18 year old female-identifying, non-binary, and gender expansive youth that explores immersive technology as an interest and career path; this program is in residence at GALA: Girls Academic Leadership Academy. PenPal Art Share — An art sharing program that connects ABG’s LA participants with youth across the globe. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | n/a | 2781 24TH ST , San Francisco, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 672-6550 | With support from the California Arts Council, Cuicacalli will restore, repair, and reimagine community relationships by providing free youth dance and music classes from October 2023 to May 2024 at BRAVA theater in San Francisco’s Mission District, culminating in a public end of the year performance. This project promotes healing and identifies reaffirmation during these heightened times of instability while building relationships through arts and celebrating cultural traditions of the Americas. This project instills life skills such as self-expression, confidence, discipline, focus, leadership, teamwork, and positive attitude to create responsible agents of change and influential pillars in our community. The offering of versatile dance styles give students a well-rounded curriculum of body awareness, movement dynamics, strength, flexibility, spatial composition, and appreciation for the vibrant cultural rhythms that are the pulse of the Mission District. | Cuicacalli Escuela de Danza (classes): Offered weekly from August to May and take place at Brava Theater. Ballet Folklórico, led by Jesus Cortes. Three levels (beginning, intermediate, advanced). This class explores dance styles evolved in Mexico resulting from the diaspora of music, rhythm and dance from Pre-Hispanic Indian, European, African and Asian cultures. Students perform dances characteristic of varying regions focusing on group, couple and individual choreographies. Classes include warm-up and stretching leading to lifelong habits of physical health. Contemporary dance, led by Artistic Director, Jesus Cortes. One group of mixed level: A diverse contemporary class beginning with stretching, body awareness, and moving through warm up combinations that accumulate into full dance choreographies. Classes emphasize technical strength building, floor work, and contemporary and ballet concepts and vocabulary. Cuicacalli Dance Company, led by Artistic Director, Jesus Cortes. One group of mixed level, who meet on commission. Cuicacalli Dance Company fuses dance styles inspired by cultural traditions and modern day themes. These choreographies revive traditions and reflect social and environmental situations. By including dance styles such as Indigenous, Folkloric, and Contemporary, Cortes expands traditional and modern dancing with a new lens. Cuicacalli Mariachi Program “Mariachi La Misión,” led by Ariane Cortes. One mixed level group meets weekly. Students learn to make Mariachi music through individual coaching and ensemble work. Students explore Mariachi music forms and hone their skills in voice and unique Mariachi instruments Mariachi La Misión connects music, history and culture of Mexico through the art form that brings together all generations. Cuicacalli Summer Arts Camp and Young Adult Summer Internship meets in June. A Spanish bilingual and culturally rich program for children ages 6 to 12, with young adult internship possibilities. Classes are intertwined with weekly field trips and focus on music, dance, and visual art. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | Dancers Group - Fiscal Sponsor for Grown Women Dance Collective | 44 Gough Street, Suite 201 , San Francisco, CA 94103 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (925) 680-4400 | California's 12th congressional district | District 15 | District 7 | With support from California Arts Council, Grown Women Dance Collective will collaborate with community mobilizers and social justice organizations in Contra Costa County and Oakland to produce arts and wellness programs supporting disinvested communities, especially those impacted by incarceration and voter disenfranchisement. We will present a world-class dance performance, teach 200 free community arts and wellness classes, help mobilize voters with a #DanceTheVote campaign, and support high school and transition-aged interns. Programs will support cultural resistance, resilience, self-empowerment, and joy, celebrating and strengthening Black and Brown communities. | Our programs celebrate resistance, resilience, self-empowerment and joy. Performances & Narrative Shift Choreography: We create world class performances led by dancers of color in our 50’s and 60’s, centered around African American experiences and achievements. Our choreography shifts the narrative on important societal issues such as mass incarceration, homelessness, voting rights, and environmental justice. We challenge stereotypes, create cross-cultural, intergenerational, and cross-class bridges, catalyze new conversations and community action, and create a forum for healing based on art, justice, and human connection. Dance and Healthy Movement Instruction in Under Resourced Communities: Pilates Certification Training and Mentorship for Underestimated Community Members: |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Little Boxes Theater | 1661 Tennessee St Ste. 2s , San Francisco, CA 94107 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 603-0061 | 12th District of California | 11th California Assembly District | Senate District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Little Boxes Theater looks to establish coverage of a portion of basic overhead and operating expenses. Support from the CAC will catalyze LBT’s capacity to invest in support structures for long term unpaid staff with With this funding LBT’s secured grant resources for cultural equity and donor support can be capitalized on for our mission of supporting underground, low income, and queer performing arts. | At heart, LBT is an Arts Service Organization. As such priorities are balanced between the curation of in-house collaborative works and the technical support of individual artistic visions. The 2600 sqft studio is maintained as a versatile entity, ready to facilitate dance, theater, drag & performance arts, circus, opera, film and photography. At standard the space is maintained as a crossover black box dance theater and production studio. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Diamano Coura West African Dance Company | 1428 ALICE STREET; SUITE 201 , OAKLAND, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 326-1968 | California Assembly District 12 | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Diamano Coura West African Dance Company will be able to sustain its operations by providing partial salaries for its Executive Director, Co-Artistic Director, and Administrative Manager as a means of developing and maintaining our infrastructure and operations. | Diamano Coura offers weekly public classes in music and dance, arts advocacy and information sessions and serves as a community hub for youth-initiated arts education projects. We motivate artists to maximize their potential and encourage youth to explore and express their cultural and ethnic heritage through our arts-in-education programs. Collage des Cultures Africaines Annual Festival and its repertory concert is Diamano Coura’s shown commitment to partnering with other artists and community members to use the inherent power of the arts in breaking barriers that stagnate, to open up corridors that encourage social and economic development, while simultaneously fostering health and well-being. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Bocón | PO BOX 152481 , SAN DIEGO, CA 92195 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 997-3117 | 52nd | 79 | 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, Bocón will tour the theatre for youth premiere of BRAT by Wendy Maples to San Diego military bases, housing and military associated venues. BRAT is about answering the question “Where are you from?” and how challenging that may be when you’ve grown up and lived all over the world as a military “brat”. Our play follows a senior in high school reflecting back on their life, all the hardships that come with having a parent who is in active duty military and the amazing resilience that comes with it. | In-school arts residencies with professional teaching artists. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | ARTogether | 1200 Harrison Street , Oakland, CA 94612-3913 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 545-2787 | District 12 | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, ARTogether will launch the project “Out of the Shadows,” a community arts workshop series for refugee and immigrant high school-aged youth. The Project will blend traditional puppetry traditions with storytelling and filmmaking, helping participants to tell their stories through new media, diverse traditions, and visualized personal narratives. | ARTogether serves as a resource center for refugees and immigrants throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Our services center around three primary areas: (1) Bringing refugees, immigrants and the wider community together through art workshops and art-centered social gatherings, to foster wellness and community connection. (2) Supporting refugee artists by employing refugee art educators, and by connecting refugee artists to local art galleries and social venues that help them to find new markets for their art. (3) Bringing the arts to Bay Area schools, launching engaging arts programs that promote positive images of refugees and immigrants, while raising public awareness of refugee issues through educational campaigns. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $54,998.00 | ARTogether | 1200 Harrison Street , Oakland, CA 94612-3913 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 545-2787 | District 12 | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, ARTogether will be able to sustain and enhance its existing initiatives, ensuring that we can continue providing vital support and opportunities for historically excluded artists, cultural practitioners, and communities of first- and second-generation refugees and immigrants. Funds awarded from CAC support operational expenses such as staff salaries, rent, and utilities – enabling us to maintain the infrastructure, staffing, space, and resources necessary to deliver high-quality programming, reach a wider audience, and create a lasting impact in our community. | ARTogether serves as a resource center for refugees and immigrants throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Our services center around three primary areas: (1) Bringing refugees, immigrants and the wider community together through art workshops and art-centered social gatherings, to foster wellness and community connection. (2) Supporting refugee artists by employing refugee art educators, and by connecting refugee artists to local art galleries and social venues that help them to find new markets for their art. (3) Bringing the arts to Bay Area schools, launching engaging arts programs that promote positive images of refugees and immigrants, while raising public awareness of refugee issues through educational campaigns. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $7,993.00 | The So Hum Mural Project | P.O.B. 2124 , Redway, CA 95560 | Humboldt | Upstate | (707) 223-1026 | 2nd | AD2 | 2nd | With support from the California Arts Council, The Mural Project will create an Eel River watershed map mural with an intergenerational group of artists, ranging in age from early twenties to late sixties, collaborating on this project. Creating public art that highlights the interconnectedness of humans and nature is important and also brings together the connections between our remote, rural, Humboldt communities. By working with a local Native culture bearer the map will include placenames in the Wailaki language in order to better represent, engage and educate our community. Watershed maps also give us a clearer concept of where our water comes from and where it goes, so that the necessity for conservation is ever-present. This mural will invite viewers to appreciate the importance of the watersheds we are all dependent upon. | At its inception in 2018, The Mural Project was created in response to an economic downturn in the local economy which has had a continuing detrimental impact on the small, remote town of Garberville and the surrounding rural communities. In an effort to uplift and engage the community, projects were initiated and implemented for beautification and inspiration. Those projects include installations of paintings in niches of a building located in the center of Garberville, paintings of local flora and fauna on large trash receptacles on the main street, and an interactive moth mural adjacent to the town square. Education and mentorship with intergenerational artist groups working together on projects is something we are working on expanding. Volunteers also participate through fundraising and seeking grant funding so that these projects can continue to be developed. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Lily Cai Chinese Dance Company | 1286 Pacific Ave , San Francisco, CA 94109-2716 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 474-4829 | California's 12th congressional district | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Chinese Cultural Productions will create and present a concert dramatizing the rise in discrimination Chinese Americans have faced during and since the pandemic for our May 2024 annual home season concert which will take place at Great Star Theatre in Chinatown. We expect this to be a major undertaking with months spent developing the work because increasingly, CCP recognizes a parallel between the events leading up to the Cultural Revolution and current events in our country threaten to imperil Democracy. | Chinese Cultural Productions produces an annual San Francisco season concert show-casing new works, organizes national touring performances of the Lily Cai Chinese Dance Company and conducts arts education programs for the youth. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Lily Cai Chinese Dance Company | 1286 Pacific Ave , San Francisco, CA 94109-2716 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 474-4829 | California's 12th congressional district | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, CHINESE CULTURAL PRODUCTIONS will conduct four programs between October 1, 2023 and September 30, 2025: a concert featuring Lily Cai’s original choreography; performances in festivals throughout the Bay Area; after-school traditional Chinese dance classes at John Yehall Chin School; and classes at the Lily Cai Dance Academy These programs will take place in each of the two year grant period. In each year, CAC funds will partially underwrite the Artistic and Executive Directors’ salaries, artist fees and production and marketing costs. | Chinese Cultural Productions produces an annual San Francisco season concert show-casing new works, organizes national touring performances of the Lily Cai Chinese Dance Company and conducts arts education programs for the youth. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $45,832.00 | Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center | 3351 W. 43rd. St. , LOS ANGELES, CA 90056-0237 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 449-0128 | California's 37th congressional district | District 54 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center (Pullum Center) will provide performing arts instruction for more than 1,200 students, ages 5 – 20, who reside within a five-mile radius of 43rd Street and Crenshaw Boulevard in South Los Angeles. Pullum Center offers 24 areas of study including drums, guitar, brass & woodwind instruments, jazz, choir, music recording/tech, piano, drama, theater and dance. 136 classes per week are held at the main location in Leimert Park. During the summer program, students have 6 hours of classes, 4-days-a-week, and a field trip. The funding will be used to support up to 20 local teaching artists, who specialize in music, theater, dance and film, to teach underserved youth. | The Pullum Center provides free arts instruction in 24 areas of study to more than 1,400 students, ages 5 to 20, at our headquarters and partner schools. Classes are offered in music, acting, dance, and music recording. | |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $17,000.00 | Clockshop | 2806 CLEARWATER ST , LOS ANGELES, CA 90039-2808 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 915-4311 | District 30 | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Clockshop will present Rodrigo Valenzuela’s the underpinning at the Los Angeles State Historic Park. This artistic commission will serve as a sculptural installation and a stage and platform for public programs, and structurally will echo standardized government housing projects. The work is largely informed by the site’s proximity to William Mead Homes, funded with the federal Housing Act of 1937 and operated by the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, and will be activated by programs which are shaped by and responsive towards residents of William Mead. | As a Los Angeles-based arts and culture nonprofit, Clockshop produces free public programming and commissions contemporary artist projects on public land to better connect Angelenos to the land we live on. We address the climate crisis as a cultural problem that requires equitable cultural solutions. Through long-term collaborations with artists, like-minded partners, and local stakeholders, Clockshop promotes ecological stewardship and climate resilience among the communities we serve. Our projects center working-class communities of color in Los Angeles and aim to support the wellbeing and vitality of multiple communities. Whether Indigenous, African American, Latinx, Asian American, Pacific Islander, or immigrants living in LA, we shape the city’s future together. We bring this mission to our work at Los Angeles State Historic Park in Chinatown, and Rio de Los Angeles State Park (“The Bowtie”) in Glassell Park, in collaboration with California State Parks. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | CounterPulse | 80 TURK ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102-2808 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 626-2060 | California Congressional District 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, CounterPulse will present the bi-annual CounterPulse Festival, an experimental interdisciplinary arts festival bringing local and international/national artists, presenters, and audiences together at CounterPulse’s venue, as the primary activity site, at 80 Turk St and select partner venues/off-site locations across the Bay Area. The Festival condenses the risk-taking performing, interdisciplinary and dialogic programming CounterPulse’s curated seasons are heralded for into ten days of international exchange, performance, and social events to elevate Bay Area experimental arts. CounterPulse partners with local organizations, venues, and off-site locations to present a diverse group of artistic voices in contemporary performance, art, humanities, and social events throughout October 5-14, 2023. | Since 1991, CounterPulse has been a platform where remarkably multidimensional narratives are synthesized to create, support, and launch art-making activities that speak to critical concerns and reflect the vitality of grassroots communities. In 2005, CounterPulse launched our flagship Artist Residency and Commissioning (ARC) program that includes three residency tracks, spanning contemporary dance, experimental culturally-specific performance, and technologically engaged choreography. Since 2010, under the current Artistic & Executive Director, CounterPulse has maintained a consistent track record of launching programs of national and international profile, cementing CounterPulse’s leadership in the dance and performance ecosystem; such initiatives include the CounterPulse Festival, ongoing since 2018; large-scale public art projects in 2017 and 2023, and international curatorial initiatives annually. As an outgrowth of this impact, CounterPulse was selected in 2014 to partner with Community Arts Stabilization Trust (CAST) to acquire and renovate a building in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district, moving into the 10,000 sq. ft., fully accessible facility in 2016. Over the ensuing years CounterPulse has deepened our commitment to accessibility as an axis of community building by partnering with local service organizations to facilitate community development through arts in our neighborhood. In 2023, CounterPulse completed a $7 million capital campaign to purchase the building from CAST and is now a permanent and thriving cultural anchor in downtown San Francisco. CounterPulse produces world-class, critically acclaimed programs that directly support working artists. Residency, commissioning, presentation, co-production, fiscal sponsorship, and rental exchange programs work in concert to springboard artists into the next level of their careers and provide access to income, marketing and production support, and below-market rental rates. All of our programs share a commitment to access and affordability aimed at building resilience and risk-taking in communities of artists by giving them a home for making and presenting works. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $54,998.00 | CounterPulse | 80 TURK ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102-2808 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 626-2060 | California Congressional District 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, CounterPulse will underwrite staff costs for upcoming 2023-2024 productions and presentations restoring vital capacity to CounterPulse by funding core admin and reinstating hours for event and cultural workers that support the vision of diverse Bay Area artists. Investing in these cultural workers will support CounterPulse’s mission delivery in serving dance, performance, and multimedia artist and audience communities, who tend to be younger, lower-income, and diverse in sexual-orientation, gender-representation, and ethnic backgrounds. CAC support will also facilitate our deep community listening, internal and programmatic equity work, and ongoing commitments to accessibility. | Since 1991, CounterPulse has been a platform where remarkably multidimensional narratives are synthesized to create, support, and launch art-making activities that speak to critical concerns and reflect the vitality of grassroots communities. In 2005, CounterPulse launched our flagship Artist Residency and Commissioning (ARC) program that includes three residency tracks, spanning contemporary dance, experimental culturally-specific performance, and technologically engaged choreography. Since 2010, under the current Artistic & Executive Director, CounterPulse has maintained a consistent track record of launching programs of national and international profile, cementing CounterPulse’s leadership in the dance and performance ecosystem; such initiatives include the CounterPulse Festival, ongoing since 2018; large-scale public art projects in 2017 and 2023, and international curatorial initiatives annually. As an outgrowth of this impact, CounterPulse was selected in 2014 to partner with Community Arts Stabilization Trust (CAST) to acquire and renovate a building in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district, moving into the 10,000 sq. ft., fully accessible facility in 2016. Over the ensuing years CounterPulse has deepened our commitment to accessibility as an axis of community building by partnering with local service organizations to facilitate community development through arts in our neighborhood. In 2023, CounterPulse completed a $7 million capital campaign to purchase the building from CAST and is now a permanent and thriving cultural anchor in downtown San Francisco. CounterPulse produces world-class, critically acclaimed programs that directly support working artists. Residency, commissioning, presentation, co-production, fiscal sponsorship, and rental exchange programs work in concert to springboard artists into the next level of their careers and provide access to income, marketing and production support, and below-market rental rates. All of our programs share a commitment to access and affordability aimed at building resilience and risk-taking in communities of artists by giving them a home for making and presenting works. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Au Co Vietnamese Cultural Center | PO BOX 347042 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134-7042 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 298-3705 | California congressional | State Assemblymember | State Senate | With support from the California Arts Council, Au Co Vietnamese Cultural Center will realize a suite of 2024 activities that will empower and connect the Tenderloin District, Southeast Asian individuals, and organizations through the revitalization of traditional arts and culture alongside integration of contemporary approaches. | Au Co realizes its mission and purpose through a multifaceted suite of programs and services that foster intercultural bonds, cultural preservation, and artistic innovation to uplift the community. Our core programs and services include: – The Vietnamese Language Program offering classes for students, ranging from young children to young adults, to learn the Vietnamese language while engaging with culture and the arts |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | SAMMAY Productions | 934 Brannan Street , San Francisco, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (213) 373-1435 | California's 12th congressional district | With support from California Arts Council, SAMMAY Productions will fund the salaries of the Artistic Executive Director, Administrative Coordinator, Digital Media Specialist, and Marketing Specialist. As the organization undergoes a period of slow and sustained development, it is committed to further increasing its financial capacity in order to better serve its ever-growing audience. | SAMMAY Productions (SP) was founded in 2015 by Filipinx American choreographer, interdisciplinary artist, and cultural producer SAMMAY Peñaflor Dizon – born from a seed of embodied inquiry and personal longing to be in community with other artists who were wrestling with questions of indigeneity, home, and belonging. SP has been fortunate to call the SOMA Pilipinas Cultural Heritage District home since its inception and is just one point of access to artistic development and engagement within the constellation of Filipina/x/o small business in the cultural district. SP has received numerous awards from the California Arts Council, San Francisco Arts Commission, Center for Cultural Innovation, and Rainin Foundation among others, and has received residencies from the American Conservatory Theater, CounterPulse, and Atlantic Center for the Arts among others. Their live performance work has been featured through Dance Mission Theater, Bindlestiff Theater, and Asian Art Museum among others, and their films have been featured through CAAMFest, San Francisco Dance Film Festival, and Los Angeles Asian American Pacific Film Festival among others. Notable programs include Urban x Indigenous intercultural arts festival (2015-2021) and Daluyan: Embodied Storytelling for Ancestral Healing workshop series (2018-2021). In 2022, SP was commissioned for the inaugural State of Play Festival at ODC Theater in the Mission District of San Francisco. SP continues to create new experimental works at the intersection of ritual, memory, play, and radical futurity, while bridging diasporic communities through cultural activations and movement exchanges. Dizon was the recipient of the 2020 Isadora Duncan Dance Award for Special Achievement in Dance through their work with racial equity-centered choreographer collective Dancing Around Race. | ||
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Allies in Arts | PO BOX 39875 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90039-0875 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 270-8342 | 30 | 52 | 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Allies in Arts will continue to support artists who are women, BIPOC and/or LGBTQQIA2S; most of those we serve are low-income transgender artists and artists of color who are serious about their art careers but are struggling to find a place in the art world. Through our programming, we do the following: 1) bring marginalized artists to the forefront by finding or developing exhibition/screening opportunities, commissions for new works, and/or licensing opportunities for existing works; and 2) provide emerging artists with the infrastructure that can help them succeed in their careers through technical assistance, mentorship, and professional training for adults and youth. Our programs are always led by members of the community they serve. | Each year we curate Pride exhibitions featuring publicly accessible artwork by female, Black, Brown, and Indigenous artists who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, asexual, two-spirit, and otherwise identify as a member of queer community. We especially focus on BIPOC queer artists speaking to BIPOC queer communities, trans artists speaking to trans communities, always empowering as a leader a member of the community the program seeks to support. Additionally, we curate annual screenings of short films directed by BIPOC trans, female and genderqueer directors for decision makers in the film industry as a way to create a pipeline for employment. We curated virtual exhibitions throughout the pandemic such as our #QueerBlackFutures program which employs queer Black female curators and producers to curate collections of artwork by queer Black artists. And each holiday season, a team of trans artists activates a letter writing campaign to send holiday gifts to trans youth to show them that they are not alone, and to give them a creative outlet for the pain they are experiencing as a result of transphobic discrimination and attacks. In 2023 we launched Transchool, a narrative writing course for trans teens; 15 teens went through the first cohort and second course will be offered in 2024. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Versa-Style Dance Company | 7300 CASE AVE , SUN VALLEY, CA 91352-5034 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (831) 419-0427 | California Assembly district 39 | District 39 | District 18 | With support from the California Arts Council, Versa-Style Dance Company (VSDC) will produce The Versa-Style Next Generation Hip Hop/Street Dance Summer Intensive, a five-day program that uses Hip Hop and street dance culture to build community and strengthen artistic integrity to empower young, aspiring artists of color. | Versa Style Next Generation (VSNG): Since 2009, VSNG has provided Hip Hop and Street Dance education and mentorship for LAC youth ages 15-22. Through VSNG, our teaching artists – all of whom are artists of color and alumni of the program – provide personalized instruction in Street Dance technique, history and creative industry knowledge. VSNG also builds a sense of community and cultural affirmation, as well as enhanced socioemotional learning and life skills, such as self-efficacy and resilience. Youth Education and Outreach: We program in LAC communities with high concentrations of low-income students of color. Programming includes providing dance education on-site at the campuses of our K-12 school partners both during and after school. We also partner with the Arts for Healing and Justice Network (AHJN) to produce residencies at juvenile detention facilities throughout LAC. During the 2024-25 school year, our dance education residency programs were provided across eight K-12 schools and two juvenile detention facilities. Dance Companies: We operate two professional dance ensembles: the original Versa-Style Street Dance Company (VSDC) and our newly-formed secondary company, Versa-Style Legacy, composed of recent VSNG graduates. VSDC performs and tours evening-length Hip Hop and Street Dance productions nationally, while VS Legacy performs locally, showcasing Origins of Hip Hop, an educational presentation on the history of Street Dance in America, at schools, community centers and festivals. Community Programs: Our weekly Friday Night Dance Classes have been held regularly since the inception of VSDC and are co-taught by VSDC co-founders, providing access to high quality learning for our students and ensuring our organization’s leadership remains fully immersed in the community we serve. Additionally, we facilitate block party-style Let the Music Move You events 4-5 times a year across LAC, offering rich and diverse entertainment and community building opportunities that also help promote awareness of our programming. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $49,499.00 | Visual Communications Media | 120 Judge John Aiso Street Basement Level, Los Angeles, CA 90012-3852 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 680-4462 | California's 34th Congressional District | District 54 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Visual Communications Media will sustain its artist development and exhibition programs such as the Armed With a Camera Fellowship for Emerging Media Artists, the Digital Histories media production program for older adults, the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, and VC Archives year‐round screenings and exhibitions. | Visual Communications’ programs includes: the annual Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and year‐round screenings and exhibitions; the Armed With a Camera Fellowship for Emerging Media Artists; the Digital Histories media production and storytelling program for older adults. We are home to the VC Archives, one of the largest photographic and moving image collections on Asian Pacific experiences in America. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | $66,600.00 | The Arts Council of Kern | 1020 18th Street , BAKERSFIELD, CA 93301 | Kern | Central Valley | (661) 324-9000 | California's 20 Congressional District | District 35 | District 16 | With support from the California Arts Council, ARTS COUNCIL OF KERN, with local artists, will use the transformative power of the arts to address the needs of community, and enhance the wellbeing of at-risk groups through: Celebrate Kern Arts – a five-district visual arts exhibition and community arts event. ARTWalk – a free, monthly event at low fee to artists and free to nonprofit arts organizations that brings together a diverse array of arts and attendees. Educational workshops held in our facility and in isolated areas around Kern County. Community Arts Grants – funding for organizations and artists, especially geared toward underserved populations. Poetry OUTLOUD – We have three enthusiastic teachers signed up already for the fall. Digital archiving of the ACK’s history for the last 46 years in preparation of the upcoming 50th anniversary. | Community Grants and Partnerships: Offer funding and technical assistance to nonprofit arts groups, schools, and collaborations to boost arts access, advocacy, and education. Arts in Corrections (AIC): Provides art classes (visual, literary, media, performing) for incarcerated individuals to foster self-awareness. A partnership between the CA Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Arts Council. COMMON GROUND: Grant-supported “first people’s” arts workshops, celebrations, and exhibitions. Builds community engagement primarily for underserved populations by underrepresented artists, sharing indigenous art forms through storytelling, visual, and performing arts. Arts Education: This countywide program expanded significantly in 2025 and is a 2026 focus. Offers arts integration classes for teachers (classroom and after-school) at the ACK Learning Center. Artists’ Catalog available for schools to choose classes. ACK Gallery: Reopened in 2024-25, hosting four shows with five planned for 2025-26. Features Celebrate Kern Arts with cash prizes for artists in each of the five supervisorial districts. ART WALK – First Friday: Monthly, dynamic, public event in downtown Bakersfield for original visual and performing artists to showcase their work. A feature of First Friday and open five days per week, Makers Markets showcases local arts and crafts for sale, rotating artists every quarter. Art4Rehabilitation (A4R): Arts programming for Kern’s juvenile justice system. Reduces violence, distress, and recidivism while promoting creative economy jobs and education. Offers internships with ACK and other arts organizations. Community Mural and Public Art Programs: Collaborates with entities like Caltrans and City Parks to enhance graffiti-prone areas. Includes community surveys and commissions vetted artists for large public art projects (32 muralists on the roster). Literary Arts: Features the Poet Laureate, Stories on the Sidewalk (historical plays in downtown Bakersfield), and First Friday open mic sessions. Increased spring recruitment for POETRY OUTLOUD is improving high school teacher interest to work with motivated students.. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Casa 0101 | 2102 E 1ST ST , LOS ANGELES, CA 90033-3915 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 263-7684 | California's 43th Congressional District | District 53 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, CASA 0101 INC will launch En Mi Jardin, a months-long project that will involve two sets of 10-week writing classes/healing circles and which will culminate in a public performance in April- May 2024 at Casa 0101 Theater. The writing program will function with the clear intention of providing a space that will use trauma-informed and trauma-responsive practices to create dialogue that promotes healing. | CASA 0101 programs include a full season of theatrical plays, art exhibits, and a full arts education program. Plays presented are mostly new works developed at Casa 0101 highlighting the multifaceted Latinx experience and featuring emerging artists. Established works are also presented with an emphasis and commitment to bringing diversity to its casts, designers, producers and crews. Classes in acting, writing, dance and singing are offered at no cost to youth and at low cost to adults. Art exhibits feature local up-and-coming and established artists. Each year CASA 0101 presents 6-8 main stage theatrical productions, 3-5 art exhibits, and thirty 10-week classes, reaching approximately 12,000 audience members a year and 800 students per year. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | San Francisco International Hip Hop DanceFest | 5800 Tehama Ave , Richmond, CA 94804 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 297-9740 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, the San Francisco International Hip Hop DanceFest will collaborate with ANYxMEANS on Know Yourself 2.0, a day-long arts program for Bay Area youth ages 7-10. Students will explore personal topics through mindfulness, hip hop dance, music, discussion, and informal performances for family and friends. | Founded in 1999 by Micaya, The SF International Hip Hop DanceFest exists to support the cultural artistry and theatrical integrity of hip hop dance. The core programmatic goals of the SFIHHDF are to: > Support the evolution of hip hop dance by presenting a range of innovative, high-caliber dance companies with world-class production values. Through these efforts, our goal is to garner positive attention for this rich artistic genre from dancers, audiences and the media. > Broaden understanding of both dance and hip hop culture on the part of our audience and the Bay Area community, and use SFIHHDF as a vehicle for bringing together 3,500-4,000 culturally and economically diverse audiences to the theater. > Contribute to the ongoing development and evolution of the genre by providing a consistent forum for its artists; by facilitating connections among hip hop dance artists, and providing mentorship opportunities for young dancers, and emerging artists and companies. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | PARANGAL DANCE COMPANY | 6112 California Street #2 , San Francisco, CA 94121 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 244-5203 | 11 | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Parangal Dance Company will present its 15th Anniversary production, “Paglinang,” October 7, 2023, at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Through the mediums of storytelling, chants, songs, movement, and live music, “Paglinang” will convey the diverse tapestry of Philippine Indigenous heritage, with a particular focus on the Visayas, Sulu Archipelago, and Mindanao regions. | Our objectives are: |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Museum of Latin American Art | 628 ALAMITOS AVE , LONG BEACH, CA 90802-1513 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (562) 216-4117 | 42 | 69 | 33 | With support from the California Arts Council, Museum of Latin American Art will collaborate with a local advocacy group to develop bilingual, interactive programming related to our Afro-Latinx Exhibitions with pioneering artist Alexandre Arrechea, so that Afro-Latinx communities can share their experiences and learn pathways to sustainable creative employment. | The Mission of the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) is to expand knowledge and appreciation of modern and contemporary Latin American and Latino/a art through its collection, groundbreaking exhibitions, stimulating educational programs, and engaging cultural events. Founded in 1996, MOLAA serves a significant role in the arts and culture, humanities, and museum fields as the only museum in the United States solely dedicated to the exhibition and research of national and international modern and contemporary Latin American, Latino/a and Latinx artists. The collection now includes more than 1,300 works of art in all media including painting, sculpture, drawing, mixed media, photography and video art from Latin America and throughout the United States. In 2014, MOLAA revised its mission statement to include Latino/a and Chicano/a artists and artworks in its collection and exhibition programming to represent more fully its audiences and cultural role in the local and international community. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $42,500.00 | The Colburn School | 200 S GRAND AVE , LOS ANGELES, CA 90012-3007 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 621-1049 | 34th District | District 54 | Senate District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Colburn School will engage with and provide timely and adaptive services for working professional artists, emerging artists, and students working towards an artistic and cultural life, in addition to building an appreciation for performing arts within the regional network of Los Angeles County. | The Colburn School is the region’s recognized leader in performing arts education. Colburn’s four academic units and community programs are: – Community School of Performing Arts enrolls 1,700 students who are between the ages of 7 months and 18 years of age, come from areas across the County and reflect the cultural diversity of Los Angeles. Colburn annually presents 350 free or affordably priced public performances both at it’s downtown campus on Grand Avenue, the art epicenter of Los Angeles, as well as across the County, engaging 36,000+ attendees. We empower our expansive network of musical and dance leaders of tomorrow by equipping them with the tools needed to build creative careers that are sustainable and relevant in our rapidly shifting cultural landscape. We contribute to the creative workforce by supporting professional artists who provide instruction, mentorship, panel discussions, musical direction, and master classes. Colburn’s community impact initiatives serve both internal and external stakeholders simultaneously. Internally, we offer robust learning and performance opportunities for Colburn students in the areas of interactive performance, community engagement, and pedagogy. Externally, we offer a suite of pipeline programs designed to equitably engage students from Title I Schools, present programing for underserved populations, and partner with culturally specific organizations on multiple projects. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Makoto Taiko | 2430 East Colorado Boulevard , PASADENA, CA 91107 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 622-8437 | California's 27th congressional district | District 41 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, Makoto Taiko will connect and empower people of all backgrounds by advancing the practice of taiko (Japanese drumming) through classes, workshops, and performances to inspire artistic creativity and greater cultural understanding throughout California through a unique interpretation of Japanese culture. | 1. Concerts: Since 2009, Makoto Taiko has consistently presented high quality annual concerts for audiences as large as 1,300 attendees. Approximately 70 intermediate and advanced players perform in our annual concerts including about 25 children. Makoto Taiko has continually collaborated with high caliber musicians, and we continue to search for opportunities to improve the quality of our concerts by working with musicians who expand our artistry. Past guest artists include accomplished musicians such as the following: Grammy Award-winning koto musician Yukiko Matsuyama; Grammy Award-winning taiko artist Koji Nakamura; Grammy Award nominated taiko musician, composer, and producer, Shoji Kameda; Grammy Award winner Hawaiian music artist, Daniel Ho; an internationally acclaimed shakuhachi artist Marco Lienhard; Grand Taiko Master Seiichi Tanaka of San Francisco Taiko Dojo; Nihon Buyo traditional Japanese dancer, Hidesomi Bando; electric violinist, Jason Yang; and traditional and contemporary shamisen and koto artist and vocalist Sumie Kaneko. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | RuckusRoots | 2630 Crestmoore Place , Los Angeles, CA 90065 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 967-2766 | California Assembly district 51 | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, RuckusRoots will collaborate with local artist Robin Banks in a series of workshops that engage community in a blend of traditional art forms and sustainability practices. All workshops will center on building climate and drought resilience in underserved communities through hands-on making, learning and engagement. Funds will be used to support program operations and administration, to support teaching artist(s) with a living wage, and to enable RuckusRoots to offer these workshops at zero-cost to community members. | RuckusRoots’ programs fall into three categories: In-School, Apprenticeship and Public, all working to achieve the following goals: 1. Co-create arts programming in communities where it is needed and wanted. Main programs: -In-School: Wild Art, TRASHformation and A.L.I.V.E.: Art Living in Vibrant Environments are offered as enrichment or expanded learning opportunities to elementary and middle school-students. Our multi-week programs last 1-6 months, with students aged 5-13 led by professional local artists. Programs aim to build age-appropriate visual arts skills in the areas of painting, drawing, sculpture, design and/or creative reuse, and social-emotional skills of collaboration, creative confidence and change-making. Each program results in a collaboratively-built, large-scale final artwork, ie: a mural, creative-reuse collage, or sculpture, and culminates with a public showcase i.e.: open house, community event or art walk. Teen / Young Adult: For high-school and transition-aged youth, these programs (The Rebel Garden Project and Public ARTivism Apprenticeship) offer smaller groups of students (10-40) deeper learning and mentoring experiences with practicing artists. Themes of art as activism and as a profession are explored; students gain experience creating artworks as well as in professional development and entrepreneurship (artist statements, documentation, branding, design and project management). Public Workshops: We offer free, youth or multigenerational, multi-series or one-time workshops (Garden Magic, From Earth to Art) in which the public is invited to learn techniques and sustainability-uses of specific mediums (fabric, ceramics, non-toxic paint, biodegradable and natural materials) from local artists and experts. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Brava! for Women in the Arts | 2781 24TH ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110-4235 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 641-7657 | California's 11th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the CAC, Brava! for Women in the Arts will present the world premiere of Kat Evasco’s interactive play, Be Like Water, which examines the mental health impacts of anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies on undocumented families through Lorna, the matriarch of a Filipino-American family of four women. Tensions build as they come to terms with their differing immigration statuses and the lies that Lorna tells to keep her adult daughters in the dark about their “illegal” status. Each character confronts what freedom means and what it takes to create a sense of safety; even if it’s an illusion. The interactive components of this play will allow the audience to more deeply understand the toll discrimination has on immigrant communities and reimagine how a future where immigrants are embraced and valued across all societies. | Brava! for Women in the Arts celebrates over 30 years as a professional arts organization dedicated to cultivating the artistic expression of women, youth, LGBTQIA, people of color, and other underrepresented voices. Brava’s artistic programming includes traditional and contemporary music festivals, a variety of film festivals, contemporary and experimental theatrical productions, international comedy shows, lectures and professional dance productions—making Brava one of the most eclectic and multifaceted arts venues in the Bay Area. Brava is committed to providing affordable space for artistic development and presentation and quality professional arts training for underserved youth in the San Francisco community. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Benicia Chamber Players | 8077 Peppertree Road , Dublin, CA 94568 | Solano | Capital | (707) 315-4533 | With support from the California Arts Council, Benicia Chamber Players (BCP) will establish a consistent presence as the only classical music series solely devoted to live chamber music performances in Benicia, Pleasanton, and Vallejo. New leadership in 2019 stimulated BCP’s fresh vision for regular concert seasons. Significant improvements include securing fiscal sponsorship from Intersection SF, launching a dedicated website and email address for BCP, and expanding its roster of East Bay performers. Unfortunately, the pandemic has hampered BCP’s growth, resulting in a concert hiatus from January 2020 to May 2022. To overcome this setback and realign with our vision, funds will be allocated for advertising, fiscal sponsorship membership renewal and project fees, printing posters and programs, sheet music purchases, staff salaries, venue insurance and rentals, and website and domain fees. | BCP core programs and services are to: | |||
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $30,832.00 | Northern California Arts | 803 Vallejo Way , Sacramento, CA 95818 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 747-5608 | California District 7 | District 6 | District 8 | With the support from the California Arts Council, Nu Art education, Inc. (DBA NorCal School of the Arts) will be able to provide continued staff trainings, pay rent and contribute to staff salaries as well as hire an occupational therapist for our summer camps to ensure students with autism are able to participate in our summer camp with professional support. | The Performing Arts Corps is an in-depth and holistic actor training program spanning nine months for students aged 13-20 who are passionate about learning all aspects of professional theater and film. Students continually grow as artists in a challenging and nurturing environment while also honing business and life skills. The Performing Arts Corps program includes weekly classes, college and career counseling, participation in a leadership institute, intern and volunteer career development opportunities, and performance opportunities. NorCal’s School Outreach program provides Title 1 schools across the Sacramento region after-school theater programs, arts integration residencies, professional development for teachers and teaching artists, social-emotional learning and arts integrative curriculum, and access to theater training for students in underserved communities. NorCal’s Classes and Camps Program immerses the young artist in a fun, creative, and nurturing world where anything is possible. Students learn and enhance theatre performance and film skills while making lifelong friends. NorCal Arts College Admissions Counseling Services is a holistic, identity-based college counseling service that encourages students to find their sense of purpose and embrace their life choices. We provide an array of services designed to fit the individualized needs of each student to assist them in pursuing their higher education and personal goals. Services are provided through informational sessions, workshops, and one-on-one sessions and include pre-admission preparation, admission guidance, essay workshops, and one-on-one counseling. NorCal’s Leadership Institute offers students a variety of small group learning sessions, master classes taught by professionals, interactive workshops, and a multitude of volunteer/internship options that provide them a foundation for a lifetime of opportunities. Courses are designed to foster self-awareness and confidence and develop business and leadership skills with an approach that maximizes life potential while enhancing mental wellness. NorCal’s Expanded Learning program provides an arts-integrated after school program for students. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $50,000.00 | Arts Education Alliance of the Bay Area | 1446 Market Street Intersection for the Arts, San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (619) 993-5147 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Arts Education Alliance of the Bay Area (AEABA) will connect and catalyze arts education coalitions composed of Bay Area school districts, community-based organizations, teaching artists, students, families, and funders across all five regions of the Bay Area through local and regional arts advocacy, networking events, professional learning opportunities, and ongoing, up-to-date communications to ensure all young people throughout the Bay Area have equitable access to culturally responsive, creative practices and caring artistic mentors. | The Arts Education Alliance of the Bay Area CONNECTS and CATALYZES local arts education coalitions for a more just and creative San Francisco Bay Area. We serve as a regional hub and unifying voice for local coalitions of teaching artists, school districts, student and their families, community arts organizations, cultural institutions, city and county agencies, funders, business leaders, and arts education advocates throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Our regional work aligns with Create CA’s state arts education efforts as well as the national efforts of the National Guild for Community Art Education and Arts Education Partnership. The Arts Education Alliance of the Bay Area supports our members to cultivate responsive leadership and advocate for arts education through ongoing convening events, professional learning workshops, monthly newsletters, and advocacy resources. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Arab.AMP / TAC Temescal Arts Center | 511 48th Street , OAKLAND, CA 94609-2058 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 918-2057 | California Assembly district 12 | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, DANCE ELIXIR will produce the 3rd season of AMP Folktales, a collaboration between Arab.AMP and storyteller Nadya Tannous. Taking the form of a 5-episode broadcast series, performance gatherings, and community spotlight initiative; AMP Folktales works in tandem with our 2024 AMP Commissions. | DANCE ELIXIR produces art in the form of live trans-disciplinary performance and social engagement in a manner that supports local and international discourse and cultural empowerment. The organizations also offers educational programs and training at the professional, pre-profession and community level. DANCE ELIXIR’s works are presented locally, nationally, and internationally every year, and consistently prioritizes artists residing in California. Through its Oakland space TAC, DANCE ELIXIR supports year-round Bay Area performance, music, and community organizing. TAC is home to the TACmusic series that offers free workshops, commissioned performances, and residencies for local musicians, dancers, and creatives. In 2017 DANCE ELIXIR launched Arab.AMP, a platform for experimental live art, music, and ideas from the from the AMENASA diaspora and our allied communities. Arab.AMP celebrates the plurality of AMENASA voices operating in futurism and hybrid forms, while also uplifting folk and traditional practices. Directed by Tawil, Arab.AMP operates in partnership with venues and organizations nationally to produce concerts, online programs, artistic commissions, cross-sector community spotlights, and creative residencies for the communities we serve. DANCE ELIXIR programming, mission, and governance are aligned to serve AMENASA and BIPOC empowerment in a way that shapes the field of performing arts and culture. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Bounce Back Generation | 2006 MONTEREY CIR APT E , ALAMEDA, CA 94501-7528 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (415) 570-8765 | 12th District | 18th District | District 7 | Bounce Back Generation is applying to create an artistic representation with youth who have grown up at San Francisco’s Potrero Terraces & Annex public housing to show how they’re feeling having their community change so drastically during the HOPE SF rebuild. We will provide classes, materials and guidance to help the explore feelings of belonging, isolation, change, trauma and resilience allowing them to create a shared creative expression of how they see their culture and whether they can save it from the many forces for change around them using song, meme, video, photo, and oral history. Our lead artist Liam Donaldson will combine the artworks to create a community multimedia project that would live online and a physical history book, or ebook, to be easily shared online or downloaded as a printed document. | Bounce Back Generation provides community learning, support spaces, and peer leadership to learn about and address the impacts of toxic stress and trauma on historically oppressed communities throughout the Bay Area and California. Our website bbgtv.org, and our YouTube channel @bbgtvorg, and local installations and viewings, display our artists’ videos, graphic designs, and podcast created “by the community, for the community”. Our Peer youth and adults are hired by BBG to to tell their own, and their community’s, stories about how racism, poverty, systemic inequities, immigration status, and generational trauma affect them. Their content provides videos, mini-documentaries, learning opportunities, presentations, and social media content to show how they are overcoming stigmas and stereotypes about mental health and self care. The artists use the BBG 6 Building Blocks for Resilience to show how we can bounce back, with awareness, self-care, and coping tools to create community resilience and “people, places, and practices” that support resilience into the next generations. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | BOSS | 1918 UNIVERSITY AVE STE 2A , BERKELEY, CA 94704-3263 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 649-1930 | 12th Congressional District of California | District 14 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS) work with award-winning local filmmaker LeJon Loggins to empower violence-impacted community members served in BOSS programs in Oakland to tell their stories and through storytelling, to enhance healing, empowerment, and self-agency while raising awareness about the realities of violence and entrenched inequity in local neighborhoods. The project will center on a three-month cohort-based training series that will teach storytelling, filmmaking, outreach, and public education skills, resulting in a film that will be shown in the local community and more widely. Funds will be used to pay the filmmaker, for stipends paid to participating violence-impacted community members, and for program supplies and related costs (food, transportation, venue rental for film showing). | BOSS fights for health, wellness, opportunity, and equity for our most vulnerable community members using 3 core strategies : HOUSING SECURITY: Lifting people out of homelessness and promoting housing retention using as many housing resources as possible, e.g. emergency and interim housing programs (shelters, Safe Parking, Tiny Homes), permanent supportive housing programs (for homeless, Transition Age Youth, people with disabilities), reentry housing, housing search and placement services, and rental assistance. WELLNESS & EMPOWERMENT: Multidisciplinary services for very low income and justice system-involved individuals, families and communities impacted by trauma and inequity – services include trauma recovery, violence intervention, restorative justice/community healing, education/training/employment, benefits advocacy and basic needs assistance, housing assistance, and more. Services are located in highly distressed neighborhoods (East and West Oakland) and are provided by individuals with lived experience. SOCIAL JUSTICE: Fighting against the root causes of inequity and injustice through leadership development (paid trainings and civic engagement for impacted individuals), collaborative planning (participating in local, regional, state and national needs analysis and planning forums), and policy advocacy (grassroots organizing, public education, direct actions) in partnership with key social change groups (Californians for Safety and Justice, Alliance for Justice, Time Done, Re-Entry Providers Association of California, California Black Power Network). |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | The Living Earth Show | 55 TAYLOR ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102-3916 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (608) 217-2484 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Living Earth Show (TLES) will support artists and administrators making art and living in California. In addition, TLES will use funds from Arts & Cultural Organizations General Operating Support to pay its Artistic and Executive Directors, as well as pay for our facilities rent in San Francisco, California D&O insurance, California Event Insurance. CAC grant funds will provide crucial support to keep TLES alive and thriving in our home state of California. | The Living Earth Show is a megaphone and canvas for the world’s most progressive artists. One of the premiere contemporary chamber ensembles in the United States, TLES pushes the boundaries of technical and artistic possibility while amplifying voices, perspectives, and bodies that the classical tradition has often excluded. The organization uses the tools of experimental music to facilitate the creation of their collaborators’ most ambitious musical visions and presenting work that reflects and responds to our world. Based in San Francisco, The Living Earth Show has presented seasons of commissioned multimedia productions since 2011, working with dance companies, visual artists, sculptors, poets, drag performers, and other musicians to craft compelling, immersive, California-centric productions. Committed to supporting the next generation of artistic thinkers, The Living Earth Show has been in residence at the Music Department at Stanford University (2019), the University of Michigan Center for World Performance Studies (2019), University of California Davis (2018), and University of South Carolina (2018). In 2022, The Living Earth Show launched Earthy Records: a record label designed to give its collaborators unparalleled access to and control over the manners in which their work is created and consumed. Earthy Records has become a home for innovative, beautiful, and vital experimental classical chamber music, and allows the organization to reach audience members around the world. In 2024, The Living Earth Show opened The Roar Shack, an artistic incubator and performance venue in the heart of downtown San Francisco. Repurposing a bar that had been vacant since 2019, The Living Earth Show created a monthly season of immersive, experimental, San Francisco-centric productions, with each ticket being pay-what-you-can. Presented in partnership with Market Street Arts and a variety of local co-producers, the sold-out 2024-25 series featured world premieres across the spectrum of time-based live performance. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Prospect Art | 4420 PALMERO DR , LOS ANGELES, CA 90065-4222 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 251-4132 | With support from the California Arts Council, Prospect Art will expand our NEW WORK Focus on Los Angeles grant program, which commissions new works by local visual artists through an open call. The program aims to advance Los-Angeles based artists’ careers by providing direct funding to develop socially relevant works that resonate with our times. Artists will receive a $2500 production project grant over six months, with the resulting works featured in our ONE WORK publication series and showcased on our BROADCAST online program. To ensure inclusivity, diverse Los Angeles arts community members will be involved in the selection process, empowering artists to become gatekeepers and amplifying a broader range of voices. | Providing new project grants to visual artist, publishing monthly articles on artists works, providing public webcast discussions with artists and exhibitions. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Street Symphony | 1001 Wilshire Boulevard PMB 2258 , Los Angeles, CA 90017 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 222-6221 | 34th Congressional District | District 54 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Street Symphony will present its 8th annual Messiah Project in partnership with The Midnight Mission, Downtown Women’s Center, and the Skid Row Arts Alliance. The event will include 3 series of 8-12-week music workshops throughout Skid Row facilities to co-compose new pieces of music centering the voices and narratives of people living in Skid Row with experiences of homelessness, incarceration, and reentry. Impact Project support from the California Arts Council will also empower Street Symphony to continue providing all musicians and performers, including systems-impacted community members, with a professional honorarium for the world-class artistic contributions. | Street Symphony musicians provide regular performance and workshop programs to shelters, reentry facilities and clinics in Skid Row, LA County jails, and state prisons. In the last 14 years, Street Symphony groups, composed of leading choral, instrumental, Son Jarocho, Mariachi, and jazz musicians in Los Angeles, have presented over 1500 unique programs, reaching 25,000 people affected by homelessness, incarceration, and poverty in LA. Each engagement is a musical performance as well as an opportunity for dialogue, human connection, and storytelling. Street Symphony also hosts a renown yearly event known as The Messiah Project, a community singalong performance of Handel’s beloved “Messiah,” with community artists as choristers, and even composers and soloists. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $18,000.00 | Company of Angels | 1350 San Pablo St. , LOS ANGELES, CA 90033 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 475-8814 | California's 34th congressional district | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, COMPANY OF ANGELS will continue its Halo Project, a community outreach theater program led by a team of company artists. The project gives artistic presence and voice to working poor, immigrant, minority, and disenfranchised members of east, south, and downtown Los Angeles communities. | Company of Angels is dedicated to creating theater that is deeply connected to its community. We aim to share and help give voice to the many stories that exist in our community. With a collective of Actors, Directors, Playwrights, Designers, and Administrators, our company forges ongoing and meaningful relationships with the residents of Los Angeles. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF FILIPINO AMERICAN ARTS & CULTURE FESTIVAL OF PHIL ARTS & CULTURE | 153 Glendale Blvd , Los Angeles, CA 90026 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 658-1813 | California Assembly district 51 | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF FILIPINO AMERICAN ARTS & CULTURE FESTIVAL OF PHIL ARTS & CULTURE will present the returning 29th annual Festival of Philippine Arts & Culture on September 1 & 2, 2023 at MacArthur Park, Los Angeles. | Our purpose is to advance the understanding of Filipino American arts and culture; to present, promote, preserve and celebrate the cultural heritage Filipinos in America through the arts and humanities; to provide educational and employment opportunities for Filam artists; to serve, educate, entertain and involve the community; to coordinate and conduct-audience and market assessment, research and development; |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | California Institute for Community, Art & Nature | 2150 Allston Way, Suite 460 , Berkeley, CA 94704 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 859-9180 | California's 12th congressional district | District 15 | District 9 | With the support from the California Arts Council, the California Institute for Community, Art & Nature will produce our 4th Annual California Native Ways Festival – a California Indian led and designed Arts & Culture Festival in late Spring 2024 – tentative date – Saturday, 8 June 2024. The Festival will include performances by traditional Californian Indian dancers and storytellers, California traditional arts demonstrators — including basketweavers, boat builders, bead, jewelry and traditional regalia makers, clapperstick makers, traditional food preparers, vendors and panel presentations on various aspects of California Indian culture including the meaning and restoration of traditional place names. | Our three core program areas are: Re-Indigenizing California, Arts & the Environment, and the Center for Berkeley Studies. Activities include: Producing the Annual California Native Ways Festival – a California Indian Arts & Culture Festival; Saving Our Stories: an ongoing project to restore and preserve California Indian Artists’ Archives, the development and publication of a book on the Historic West Berkeley Ohlone Shellmound and Village Site; inaugurating and producing the (now) annual Berkeley Bird Festival, with an emphasis on experiencing birds through the arts including song, painting and drawing, origami, narrative writing, poetry, spoken word and dance; the “Remapping California” project working with California Indian culture bearers across the state to create public education about and understanding of indigenous cultural stories and sites; creating public events focusing on the intersection of art and the environment featuring artists whose work is informed by and interacts with the natural world; and, finally, creating projects focused on the artistic and cultural legacy and creative future of Berkeley, California including collaborating to create a 60s Museum, Historical Society, and Cultural Center and the publication of The Berkeley Anthology — a collection of fiction and nonfiction writings and ephemera from Berkeley’s past and present. The Anthology will examine what makes Berkeley so remarkable, why the city has long nurtured world-class creativity and diversity in the arts and daring innovation in the way its residents lead their personal lives and conduct their civic affairs, and how this spirit can be preserved in our changing times and incorporate Berkeley’s long standing tradition of fighting for equity and justice, both through and for artists individual and collective expression and cultural arts events. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Media Arts Santa Ana, a project of Community Partners | PO Box 1816 , Santa Ana, CA 92701 | Orange | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (888) 906-0340 | California's 46th congressional district | District 68 | District 34 | With support from the California Arts Council, Media Arts Santa Ana (MASA) will work with Lead Artist Pocha Peña to launch the MASARTE Curator Incubator Project, in our new art gallery adjacent to MASA’s current media arts space. The MASARTE Curator Incubator Project will provide curatorial training and exhibition opportunities for Santa Ana’s diverse community. MASARTE will invite guest curators and instructors, including Josephine Talamantez (Founder/Board Chair, Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center), Alessandra Moctezuma (Gallery Director, SD Mesa College) and Tyler Stallings (Director, Orange Coast College Frank M. Doyle Arts Pavillion), to impart a community-based curatorial vision that reflects the values, history, aesthetics and aspirations of Santa Ana’s multicultural arts community. MASARTE Gallery will feature immersive experiences, augmented reality, multimedia works and community-driven exhibitions, providing a vital new voice in the region’s arts community. | MASA’s core programs include the OC Film Fiesta multicultural film festival, SMART Walk (South Main Art, Retail & Technology) resource fair, the Millennial Producers Academy (MILPA), Cafe MASA, Grassroots Garage Band, MASARTE Gallery exhibits, Curator Incubator Project, the OC Teen Cinema Camp, the Youth Murals and Media Class and Taco Truck Cinema. MASA is also a presenting partner in Arts Orange County’s OC Día del Niño festival. MASA promotes self-expression, community empowerment, civic participation and cultural agility by providing affordable film screenings and discussions, media arts training and interdisciplinary workshops to underserved youth and adults in the primarily Latino immigrant and working class communities in and around Santa Ana. Media Arts Santa Ana operates the TVGB Digital Maker Space and MASARTE Gallery, located in the Santa Ana Arts Collective artist affordable housing building, located at 1666 N Main in Santa Ana. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Media Arts Santa Ana, a project of Community Partners | PO Box 1816 , Santa Ana, CA 92701 | Orange | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (888) 906-0340 | California's 46th congressional district | District 68 | District 34 | With support from the California Arts Council, Media Arts Santa Ana (MASA) will expand our free year-round community media arts programming at our media arts instruction, presentation and production space in Santa Ana, TVGB, and launch programming at our new adjoining visual arts/augmented reality gallery, MASARTE. We will deepen our diverse, accessible and bilingual programming, including the 14th OC Film Fiesta multicultural film festival, Millennial Producers Academy (MILPA), SMART Walk (South Main Art Retail & Technology), Youth Cinema Camp, Café MASA and Cine Mujer series. In our new MASARTE gallery, we will produce original exhibits that address community histories, aesthetics, and key issues. MASARTE will also serve as a curatorial incubator, providing classes, workshops, networking and other opportunities for emerging artists to learn how to curate, mount, produce and promote empowering, community-based immersive art exhibits. | MASA’s core programs include the OC Film Fiesta multicultural film festival, SMART Walk (South Main Art, Retail & Technology) resource fair, the Millennial Producers Academy (MILPA), Cafe MASA, Grassroots Garage Band, MASARTE Gallery exhibits, Curator Incubator Project, the OC Teen Cinema Camp, the Youth Murals and Media Class and Taco Truck Cinema. MASA is also a presenting partner in Arts Orange County’s OC Día del Niño festival. MASA promotes self-expression, community empowerment, civic participation and cultural agility by providing affordable film screenings and discussions, media arts training and interdisciplinary workshops to underserved youth and adults in the primarily Latino immigrant and working class communities in and around Santa Ana. Media Arts Santa Ana operates the TVGB Digital Maker Space and MASARTE Gallery, located in the Santa Ana Arts Collective artist affordable housing building, located at 1666 N Main in Santa Ana. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Cerritos Chinese School | 18908 NORWALK BLVD , ARTESIA, CA 90701-5960 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (562) 865-8272 | 45th Congressional District | District 67 | District 36 | With support from CAC, Chinese Culture Association of Southern California (Cerritos Chinese School) will (1) further promote community interest in Chinese cultural arts and language, (2) celebrate the Chinese culture with community members through a Fall Festival and our Asian Pacific Islander (API) speaker series that addresses API equity issues, (both free) (3) ensure our cultural arts teachers, including our calligraphy, knotting, Chinese dance, and Chinese diablo teachers, who are cultural bearers and experts in their craft, can pass on traditions through paid mentees, (4) provide scholarships to underserved families in the community for language and culture classes to increase accessibility to learning cultural arts and (5) continue covering operational costs including rent, staffing, utilities, and association fees to keep tuition affordable to all community members as we recover from the financial hardships of COVID. | Our Saturday morning program has been teaching the Chinese language in the Cerritos community for 50 years. CCASC currently offers 18 language courses that cater to a full spectrum of language skills. Our student body spans from preschool children to adults, from non-speakers to the more advanced students preparing for the AP or SAT II (accredited class). Complementing our language curriculum, activity classes are also offered to introduce students to various aspects of the Chinese culture. Some of our classes include Chinese knotting, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese beading, Chinese folk dance, Chinese yo-yo, and kung-fu. All students are also encouraged to participate in a variety of community events (Cerritos Festival of Friendship, Artesia International Day, Chinese New Year Celebration) as well as compete in track and field, art, and academic contests with other Chinese language schools. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Give 4 Kidz | 16580 BONANZA DR , RIVERSIDE, CA 92504-5719 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (951) 345-9726 | 42 | 59 | 31 | With support from the California Art Council, GIVE 4 KIDZ will provide art workshops, art supplies, and art events for children in under-served communities that fall within the lowest quartile of the California Healthy Places Index(HPI) in the Southern California region. This grant money would enable GIVE 4 KIDZ to continue its vital mission of using art as a powerful tool for healing, self-expression, and empowerment among vulnerable children. By offering these programs and services, GIVE 4 KIDZ not only fosters creativity and artistic skills but also promotes emotional well-being and a sense of belonging. Art has the ability to transform lives, and with this grant, GIVE 4 KIDZ can make a lasting impact on the lives of children who are often overlooked or underserved. | Give 4 Kidz is dedicated to empowering young creatives through two main programs: ‘Art & Me’ and ‘Story Corner’. The ‘Art & Me’ program aims to nurture and support youth by offering them free art materials, workshops, events, and exhibitions. We are proud to collaborate with local artists and organizations that share our vision. The second program, ‘Story Corner’, caters to young individuals with a passion for creative writing. We provide a supportive environment where they can explore their creativity, acquire new skills, and connect with like-minded peers. Through this program, we offer access to writing supplies, events, and workshops led by experienced writers. Our aim is to inspire and foster a love for writing among youth. In this endeavor, we are delighted to partner with local bookstores, authors, and libraries. At Give 4 Kidz, our mission extends beyond traditional boundaries. We strive to reach all children who possess a love for the arts, regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds. To achieve this, we extend our services to family homeless shelters and underserved communities in California. Additionally, we have created remote participation opportunities to ensure inclusivity for all kids. Our goal is to overcome socio-economic challenges and provide equal access to our programs. By embracing diversity and focusing on the potential within each child, Give 4 Kidz is committed to nurturing the creative spirit and enabling young individuals to thrive in the arts. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Afsaneh Arts | PO BOX 1104 , WOODACRE, CA 94973-1104 | Marin | Bay Area – Other | (415) 488-0944 | California's 2nd congressional district | District 10 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, Ballet Afsaneh Art & Culture Society will continue to engage in our post pandemic re-entry efforts, the revitalization of our programming and artists, to meet the challenges of our times. | Ballet Afsaneh Art & Culture Society – Afsaneh Arts, founded in 1986, established nonprofit 501(c)3 status in 1991. The organization focuses on expressive arts of the historic Silk Road regions of Eurasia. The Afsaneh Arts flagship program is Ballet Afsaneh, the professional performance ensemble, annually produces 15 – 20 public performances for festivals, theaters, diaspora community events, schools, museums and cultural institutions in the SF Bay Area and beyond. Strong ties in the diaspora communities, both in the Bay Area and abroad, are maintained through a solid online presence. Staff and board reflect the organization’s mission fostering appreciation of diverse and enduring regional cultures of Central Asia and beyond. Ballet Afsaneh is the only professional, dance focused, performing group on the west coast serving Persian-Iranian, Afghan, and other related Central Asian communities. Afsaneh Dance Academy offers a year round curriculum of classes and workshops in world dance, music, costuming, and cultural studies. A comprehensive online teaching platform, PomegranateGardensDance.com has found a world wide audience, featuring instructors local to the Bay Area, as well as international traditionkeepers. Afsaneh Arts offers community education programs, international exchange projects, collaborations, and fiscal sponsorship for projects of associated Central Asian arts groups. The organization also serves as a creative incubator for emerging world dance and music artists, ensuring continuance of traditional expressive arts of Silk Road cultures in the vibrant diaspora communities of the Bay Area. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Una Productions | 368 Richland Avenue , San Francisco, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 370-4105 | District 12 | District 17 | Disctrict 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, UNA will develop and present the SF performances of ‘’Beyond” (working title). Beyond is a performance project that collectively involves dance, drag, live music and set design, and brings representation to Queer and gender queer performers. Beyond asks questions to intentionally deepen themes of Queer intimacy, experiences within the gender spectrum, and what it means to uncover our authenticity and experience life outside societal norms. At least 90% of the collaborators will be LGBTQIA+. We will also bring on a Production Manager role as well as publicist to assist with the successful scope, reach, and execution of our production. This project will include dance education and community outreach programming that includes sliding scale workshops and free showings throughout the year that specifically engage in themes from the work. | Una’s core programs for the SF Bay Area include dance classes, workshops, studio showings and theater performances. The company also creates dance for film, outdoor performances and online streaming of our performances to create more accessibility to dance and performance. Una has multiple performances and free studio showings a year in San Francisco, as well as international touring, teaching and choreographic commissions. In the Bay Area, we teach ongoing classes for the LINES Ballet Training Program’s curriculum, affordable public dance classes, as well as seasonal workshops open to the public throughout the year. These classes and workshops are accessible to a range of movement backgrounds and experience levels. Una also provides mentorship for young artists, dancers and choreographers as well as outreach with public schools and youth dance programs that include workshops, showings and q&a discussions. Una is currently a partner/company in residence with Lowell Public High School in SF and Westlake School for Performing Arts in Daly City. Una has been presented by UCCS/ENT Center, Z Space, the 92NY Harkness Mainstage Series, The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, the Chutzpah! Festival/BCMAS in Vancouver, Port Hardy, Campbell River, Sointula and Alert Bay – performing for and engaging in cultural exchange with the ‘Namgis First Nation Community, Fusion International (Japan) in Kaga and Tokyo, co-presented by the ODC Theater, presented by the Spectrum Dance Festival at The Launchpad, Movement Research at the Judson Church, Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out, Springboard Danse Montreal, and more. Chuck has been an Artist in Residence of RoundAntennae, Berkeley Ballet Theater, Fusion International (Japan), Brooklyn College/CUNY Dance Initiative, The Launchpad/Dance Initiative (CO), 92nd St. Y, and a choreographic fellow for the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation NDCL. They were also a recipient of the Inaugural Illume Award, the Rainin Opportunity Fund and a USAI grant from the MidAtlantic Foundation. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Nevada County Arts Council (NCArts) | PO BOX 1833 , NEVADA CITY, CA 95959-1833 | Nevada | Upstate | (530) 718-0727 | California's 3rd congressional district | District 1 | District 1 | With support from California Arts Council, Nevada County Arts Council will continue its work with Queer Latinx applied theatre facilitator Daniela Fernández to bolster a new multiethnic LGBTQIA ensemble in our rural, majority white community. Inspiring transformation, change and healing Catalyst will be an antidote to invisibility and isolation as we continue to suffer the effects of the pandemic, while galvanizing authentic community allyship, and the introduction of an intergenerational learning lens, through support for LGBTQIA youth. | As Nevada County’s umbrella organization for the arts, we serve as convenors, consultants, researchers, strategists, advocates, supporters, funders, promotors, policy wonks, and general arts and culture cheerleaders for our community. We offer Arts Incubator, providing fiduciary oversight, financial management, and other administrative services to help build the capacity of cultural initiatives or emerging arts collaboratives who may not yet have their 501(c)(3) status. We offer grant making services and an artist relief fund; we offer pro-bono grant writing consulting; and lead creative sector emergency preparedness and disaster response. We engage in ongoing countywide cultural planning and evaluation, and regional and statewide peer learning and advocacy. We manage the county’s arts directory and community arts calendar, and engage in ongoing promotion of the arts sector through multiple channels. We administer two California Cultural Districts. Grass Valley-Nevada City Cultural District and Truckee Cultural District were redesignated by the State in 2023 for an additional five years, implying a tremendous responsibility to grow and sustain authentic grassroots arts and cultural opportunities, increase the visibility of local artists, nourish community participation in local arts and culture, promote socioeconomic and ethnic diversity, and work against by-products of placemaking such as gentrification, displacement, and racism. We run multiple Arts Education programs; MUSE, a new widely distributed annual guide to arts and subcultures in Nevada County; an we are the Administering Organization for Upstate California Creative Corps, regranting 3.38m in state funds over 19 counties. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | $66,600.00 | Siskiyou County Arts Council | PO Box 1365 , Mt Shasta, CA 96067 | Siskiyou | Upstate | (530) 918-8380 | California's 1st congressional district | District 1 | District 1 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Siskiyou County Arts Council will use the arts to serve the constituency of Siskiyou County with initiatives that encourage and facilitate strong, inclusive communities with particular emphasis on racial equity, environmental protection and awareness, sustainable economic development, and social justice. | Organizational priorities are to increase equity, particularly racial equity, in and through the arts; ensure the long-term vitality of the arts ecosystem by supporting self-organization strategies; and to foster individual creativity throughout life acknowledging art as a fundamental human need. SCAC ensures constituents have equitable access to arts programming and opportunities by providing county-wide arts programming focusing on habitually underserved communities, pursuing strategic local arts initiatives that connect and highlight the arts ecosystem, coordinating emergency preparedness initiatives and mutual aid funds, and offering fiscal sponsorship for nascent arts organizations and projects. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | Classics 4 Kids | 3033 Fifth Avenue Suite 227 , SAN DIEGO, CA 92103 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 231-2311 | California's 50th congressional district | District CA-50 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, Classics 4 Kids will present 6 interactive performances of The Conductor’s Spellbook to elementary-aged students featuring professional musicians, students from the San Diego School for Creative and Performing Arts, and bilingual narrator Yurel Echezaretta under the direction of Artistic Director & Conductor Dana Zimbric. | Classics 4 Kids (C4K) is dedicated to making music education accessible for every child, unlocking the transformative potential of the arts! We engage K-12 students with thrilling orchestra concerts, energetic in-school assemblies, and interactive virtual learning that keeps them inspired. Our engaging programs connect music with STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math), literature, and cultural themes, all in line with California Arts Standards and National Core Arts Standards. We prioritize social-emotional learning and proudly highlight the vital contributions of diverse composers and local artists. Working closely with Title I schools, we aim to boost academic engagement, empower personal growth, and spark creativity in under-resourced students, paving the way for the next generation of innovative artists and thinkers. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | LA River Arts | 6624 DUME DR , MALIBU, CA 90265-4221 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (714) 854-4765 | California Assembly district 50 | District 50 | District 27 | With support from the California Arts Council, LA River Public Art Project (aka LA River Arts) will showcase local artists and community organizations of the San Fernando Valley through an intensive community engagement series in the form of hands-on arts workshops, public art tours, artist talks, and commissioned art projects. Lead artists, Addy Gonzalez and Erin Stone will collaborate with Tongva Culture Bearers, other local artists and cultural organizations to organize and present work at specific sites along the LA River as it flows through the San Fernando Valley. This engagement is leading up to an arts festival in Fall 2024 tentatively titled, Daylighting: LA River Arts / SFV 2024. | LA River Arts advocates for an arts and cultural infrastructure integral to the many revitalization projects along the river’s 51-mile corridor from Canoga Park to Long Beach. We believe that cultural projects are a dynamic way to share the river’s potential with a large public audience, and deepen community connections. Through art-based projects, our work has impacted the conversation on multiple levels. We have heightened the discussion about public space; tilted the conversation about the LA River toward community-driven social spaces; and demonstrated the confluence of nature, art, and play. Our efforts confirm the value of inclusionary art-based public projects, introduce artists and communities to each other, and envision a robust river cultural environment. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | LYRIC OPERA OC | 17620 FITCH STE 280 , IRVINE, CA 92614-6065 | Orange | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (949) 539-5543 | District 47 | 73rd Assembly District | 37th Assembly DIstrict | With support from the California Arts Council, Lyric Opera of Orange County will establish a cultural arts pipeline focused on music, theater, voice, and historical works in lower-income schools in the Orange County region, by providing culturally-relevant arts programming to classrooms, uplifting students to improve their classroom performance, and providing a space to develop their creative decision-making skills. | Professional Opera Productions (205 productions as of 2023), Educational Programs (Opera 101: 900 years of Music in 90 Minutes (available in 5 languages), L’Opera Petit & the Emerging Artist Studio, Opera Engineers, and more), and community engagement programs such as concerts, recitals, scholarship competitions, and more. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $19,249.00 | Ballet Folklorico San Diego Dance Company | 2202 Comstock St. , San Diego, CA 92111 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 446-7283 | California's 53rd congressional district | District 79 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, Ballet Folklorico El Tapatio de San Dieguito will continue to offer free and reduced-cost Mexican Folklorico classes to dancers from low-income families. Funding will support salaries for the group’s instructors for lessons throughout the year and the purchase of dresses used in performances. Funds will also help cover rental costs for practice space. | Ballet Folklorico San Diego Dance Company (BFSDDC) predominantly serves the community of Linda Vista in San Diego, where more than a third of BFSDDC students reside. BFSDDC gives the socio-economically under-served residents a space to express themselves and grow while adding culture and vibrancy to the community through their Mexican dance performances. Students and their parents grow in several ways as participants. First, they learn and can execute technical, authentic, Mexican dance skills. Second, they learn specific trades like sewing (maintenance of dresses), cosmetology (makeup and hair for performances), and marketing (promotion of performances). Third, they learn traits of teamwork, diligence, and respect as members of an ensemble and confidence as performers. The program develops the person, child, individual, and their parents. BFSDDC provides an authentic, cultural experience that celebrates the Mexican history and regional heritage. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Yerba Buena Center for the Arts | 701 MISSION ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103-3138 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 978-2787 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and Chinese-American artist, writer, and experimental Connie Cheng will partner with organizations, residents, businesses, and stakeholders in San Francisco Chinatown to include the participation of community members in developing her commissioned artwork for YBCA’s ninth iteration of its signature triennial, Bay Area Now. Together, we will co-produce and create a community mapping project and film screening series that amplifies the history of Asian immigrant agricultural labor in California and presents narratives of ritual and tradition, foodways, family ties, struggle, and healing. | YBCA is San Francisco’s center for art, collaboration, discourse, and social movement—transforming how our city, the Bay Area, and our country engage with contemporary art, civic participation, ideas, and issues. Over the past 30 years, YBCA has established itself as a leading member of Bay Area arts ecology, facilitating leading-edge programming across Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Film, and Civic and Community Engagement. More recently, YBCA has collaborated with the artists we serve to co-design groundbreaking programs that reflect and nurture our region’s cultural and creative voices. YBCA’s priorities and programming are directly shaped by the Bay Area’s kaleidoscope of perspectives. We support a community of artists, provide opportunities for incubating and sharing powerful work and ideas, and foster civic engagement by deeply engaging people from diverse communities with diverse backgrounds and life experiences, including those historically marginalized and living in under-resourced San Francisco neighborhoods. YBCA is at the forefront of building bold, community-driven, democratized curatorial approaches that are models for the cultural sector. We center the artists and the communities we serve as essential partners, creating a welcoming, living art space that nurtures ideas, exchange, and dialogue. Our programming includes long-term residencies, exhibitions, performances, screenings, events, public projects, think tanks, neighborhood commissions, art projects, ongoing public engagement and convenings, creative placemaking, as well as regranting to artists, open calls, arts advocacy, and community partnerships. YBCA’s programming is created within a DEIA framework, with a strong commitment to fostering anti-racism and anti-oppression work. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $42,500.00 | Dancers' Group | 44 GOUGH ST STE 201 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103-5424 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 920-9181 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Dancers’ Group will offer free programs and services, interfacing frequently with its members. Staff will manage a free membership program, free public programming, Fiscal Sponsorship program, CA$H Dance re-granting program and comprehensive ongoing communications with the dance community in the 11-county greater Bay Area. | Recognized as a national model in the field of dance, Dancers’ Group was founded in 1982. An artist-centric organization closely connected to its constituents, Dancers’ Group offers a portfolio of programs and services under the categories of Free Public Performances, Audience Development, Fiscal Sponsorship, and Information Exchanges and Convenings. During the pandemic and currently, Dancers’ Group 1) serves as a virtual hub of resources, information and news about the dance ecosystem, providing free access for 50k digital users and over 2,200 members to an online Community Calendar, to “In Dance,” a quarterly publication with articles about artists and issues relevant to them, and to weekly emails; 2) offers virtual and in-person support to 98 Fiscally Sponsored projects; 3) distributed CA$H Dance’s re-granting funds (approximately 100k each year) to individual dance artists and small organizations; 4) revised its membership program to be fully free for all members as part of a strategic multi-year effort to continue making programs and services more accessible; 5) presents the Bay Area Dance Week Festival; and 6) produces free live dance performances in alternative spaces via ONSITE. In 2026, Dancers’ Group will present Party On! Party People a series of free public performances created by artists Erika Chong Shuch, Rowena Richie, and Ryan Tacata in celebration of elders. The performance project will bring together five local arts organizations as co-hosts where the parties will take place. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Intersection for the Arts (fiscal sponsor) | 1446 Market Street , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 269-0073 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, StageWrite will strengthen organizational infrastructure with expanded administrative roles, while supporting the immediate needs of our partner school communities with residencies, educator workshops, and teaching artist training to support equitable access for youth to engage with drama as a crucial means of self-expression, identity-building, and well-being. | StageWrite serves approximately 1000 students annually in San Francisco public elementary schools. StageWrite’s Building Literacy through Theatre sequential drama program begins with kindergarten and 1st grade students participating in story dramas based on social issues; 2nd and 3rd graders explore narrative story elements creating performances that reimagine grade-level texts; and 4th and 5th grade students write original work, including monologues and one-act plays, which are performed by the students and by professional actors. Our ADAPTS (Autism & Drama with Artists, Parents, Teachers & Students) program serves students with autism in inclusive residencies to engage students in creative play, improve communication, and encourage personal growth. All StageWrite programs are designed and implemented using student-centered methodology. It is our belief that students learn the most from examining their own thoughts and feelings, and thinking critically about the world. We believe in theatre as a tool for social change, and a means of empowering students and communities. This principle of StageWrite’s work has been a guiding force for 20+ years and has been essential in informing our response to the challenges of today. As a response to the pandemic, StageWrite developed, piloted, and refined two new curricula: “Zoom-a-Rama: Community Through Drama,” designed for distance learning at the start of the pandemic, and “Room-a-Rama” which re-imagined our curriculum to use improvisational drama games and collaborative storytelling activities to build classroom communities and support social emotional learning as students returned in-person, serving 45 classrooms at 6 San Francisco public elementary schools. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Diversionary Theatre Productions Inc. | 4545 Park Blvd , San Diego, CA 92116-2668 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 220-6830 | California's 50th congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, DIVERSIONARY THEATRE PRODUCTIONS INC will be able to offer two arts education programs, the Stonewall Salon and Teen-Versionary, free of charge to the community. These programs recruit low income, at-risk LGBTQIA+ senior citizens and teenagers in FREE theatre ensemble training and promote intergenerational learning through collaborative performing arts projects. | Diversionary Theatre produces plays and musicals and develops new works that explore the issues, characters, and stories of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) community in all its complexity and diversity. By exploring stories of what sets our culture and history apart, as well as stories that focus on LGBTQIA+ people’s humanity rather than their sexuality, we are in a unique position in which we can help bridge the gaps of cultural understanding. Diversionary specializes in uncovering new work by emerging LGBTQIA+ writers, developing their work, and producing World, West Coast, and San Diego Premiere productions on our Mainstage that are subsequently produced on stages across the country and around the world. Additionally, Diversionary offers a total of nine Arts Education programs serving the entire range of San Diego’s population from Elementary School students to Senior Citizens. All of our Arts Education programs are offered 100% free of charge for our community. Activities are integrated throughout Diversionary’s mainstage productions, providing stand-alone programming in our historic site in University Heights, and in classrooms at participating schools, serving thousands of young people and senior citizens across San Diego County. Diversionary is proud of the reputation that we have established by producing quality Mainstage productions and hundreds of other arts events in our Clark Cabaret throughout the year, nurturing new works of LGBTQIA+ theatre, providing a home to some of San Diego’s most talented established and up-and-coming artists, regularly collaborating with local arts and LGBTQIA+ organizations, providing contextualization to and fostering conversations sparked by our productions, and involving the wider community in our mission. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Arts for LA | PO Box 4099 , West Covina, CA 91791 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 332-7641 | California's 34th congressional district | District 53 | District 30 | With support from the California Arts Council, Arts for LA will provide participant honorarias for Lived Experience Artists who participate in our Steering Committee for our Creative Jobs Collective Impact Initiative (CJCII). These artists are trying either to enter and sustain a career in the arts, or have worked in the arts but have been pushed out of the sector / industry for various reasons. Participation in CJCII’s steering committee will provide these lived-experience artists the decision-making authority to shape the strategic recommendations that define how Los Angeles County will reach CJCII’s goals of creating and sustaining 10,000 living wage, creative sector jobs for youth, adults and artists from underrepresented communities by year 2030. | Arts for LA is a voice for the arts in Greater Los Angeles that informs, engages, and mobilizes individuals and organizations to advocate for access to the arts across all communities; arts education for every student; robust investment in the arts; and inclusion of diverse and underrepresented voices. Arts for LA invests in leadership development, growing networks of civically engaged advocates; building deep relationships with elected officials; and working in partnership across sectors to make LA a vibrant, prosperous, creative, and healthy society. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | AlterTheater | PO BOX 150659 , SAN RAFAEL, CA 94915-0659 | Marin | Bay Area – Other | (510) 708-7388 | California's 2nd congressional district | District 10 | District 2 | With support from the CAC AlterTheater will: expand its partnership program to mission-aligned communities in Marin County and the East Bay through listening sessions, community meals, and participant-determined theater workshops; establish a cohort of arts facilitators utilizing the lessons learned from our Arts Learning Project for Native Youth; and produce the free community tour of a world premiere play, Blossom Johnson’s A Boarding School Play. | Alternative Theater Ensemble provides new play development and production programs and services, produces contemporary works from diverse voices, and serves predominantly low-income audiences with these programs and services. In 2011, we started our flagship yearlong playwright residency program, AlterLab, supporting 3-5 writers as each self-identifies a creative risk or challenge they wish to take with their work, supports their fellow playwrights, and writes a new play. Alter Theater historically produces on average 75% of all work created and developed in AlterLab. Our Mainstage Tour program has produced more than 20 world premieres and our commissioning program has been operating since 2008. Adam Greenfield, associate artistic director of Playwrights Horizons, says of AlterLab, “Each play tells such a specific, and underrepresented, story with a unique and glowing voice.” Alternative Theater Ensemble prioritizes meeting communities where they are and adapting theatrical frameworks to their needs. Our shift in focus from traditional theatre productions to applied theatre models reflects ATE’s commitment to responding to the industry’s evolving landscape and supporting communities across the Bay Area through art. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Muckenthaler Cultural Center | 1201 W MALVERN AVE , FULLERTON, CA 92833-2429 | Orange | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (714) 738-6595 | California's 39th congressional district | District 65 | District 29 | With support from the California Arts Council, the MUCKENTHALER CULTURAL CENTER FOUNDATION will provide 2 types of Visual Arts programs in partnership w/ GEO Reentry Services, through which formerly incarcerated students will not only learn charcoal/pastel and ceramics skills and techniques, but will also learn how to constructively express themselves, while building their confidence, discipline & self-esteem. The arts lessons will be correlated with the other programs the students participate in at GEO Reentry Services, such as Restorative Justice, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Anger Management, Parenting Skills, and Employment Readiness program. We will also present culminating exhibits to which friends, family, staff and probation officers are invited, where the students can craft and present stories of their artistic and rehabilitative journey to help w/ reunification with family, times when lives are improved w/good communication skills. | The Muckenthaler produces more than 60 performances, gallery exhibits, festivals and special events; and more than 3,500 hours of arts education classes at the Muck and in 25 outreach sites serving more than 41,000 people every year. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $25,666.00 | Foundation for New American Musicals | 6470 Deep Dell Place , Hollywood, CA 90068 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (650) 833-8584 | District 34 | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council FNAM will be able to manage the increased costs connected with offering Pathway residencies: actor and technical personnel costs have doubled in the past two years, and Pathway Teaching Artists have not had an increase in their hourly rate for more than four years. Costs for ShowSearch have similarly increased. Finally, funds generated from Musi-Cal, FNAM’s cabaret 4-5 times/year presentation of musical theatre works in progress have been reduced by nearly 75% as venue and other costs have increased. | The Pathway provides the first high school in-school show writing programs. Pathway provides in-school multi-week musical theatre show writing residencies in which student teams write 10-minute musicals — book, lyrics and music — that are performed in a showcase done by industry professionals. ShowSearch is a juried competition and mentoring opportunity for high school and college age writing teams. Musi-Cal provides a bi-monthly showcase opportunity for SoCal writing teams to present works-in-progress to a live audience to better inform their process. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | Red Poppy Art House | 2698 Folsom St , SF, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (510) 512-0022 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the CAC, Red Poppy Art House will present the 20th Anniversary Season of the Mission Arts Performance Project (MAPP), a FREE-bimonthly, multidisciplinary, intercultural arts event. Funds will support artists, and administrative costs for MAPPs which includes performances, exhibitions and site-specific Installations, updating the 2nd mural on the 23rd wall and the FREE family Art program. MAPP engages the community with arts-programs focused on current social-themes, facilitating artists and audience collaboration. Incubated in 2003 by the Red poppy Art House, the Mission Arts & Performance Project (MAPP) is a homegrown bi-monthly, multidisciplinary, intercultural happening that takes place in the Mission-District of San-Francisco. Started at RPAH and expanded to the neighborhood, on the first Saturday of every even-month, the MAPP transforms ordinary spaces into pop-up performance/exhibition sites for an intimate-scale artistic and cultural exchange. | Red Poppy Art House produces more than 150 multi-disciplinary events each year including music, poetry, dance, literary events, art exhibitions, workshops and lectures that showcase the talent of local and far-flung artists. The Poppy is known locally, nationally and internationally as a venue that welcomes artists from all backgrounds to share the music of their culture, allowing the changes and fusion that naturally comes from performing in the diversity of San Francisco. Operating from a neighborhood storefront, The Poppy’s intimate performing space is ideal for listening and creating diverse art forms. In addition to its performing program, The Poppy serves emerging arts professionals through its Professional Development Track, which provides training in community arts presentation through workshops and internships. Finally, the Poppy serves neighborhood youth through its monthly free Family Art afternoons. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Una Productions | 368 Richland Avenue , San Francisco, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 370-4105 | District 12 | District 17 | Disctrict 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, UNA Inc. will continue expanding our general operating capacity to include equitable pay for both the Artistic Director, one Administrative Associate and one Program Manager. This is an investment in the sustainable infrastructure of our Queer-led organization. Creating and securing these positions will allow our organization to implement a plan to increase our programming in the San Francisco Bay Area over the next two years – which will include performances of new work in San Francisco multiple times a year and contracting/collaborating with over twenty Queer artists, as well as hosting and teaching weekly public dance classes, seasonal workshops both at sliding scale, perform free showings for the community and engage in outreach exchange partnerships with public high schools. | Una’s core programs for the SF Bay Area include dance classes, workshops, studio showings and theater performances. The company also creates dance for film, outdoor performances and online streaming of our performances to create more accessibility to dance and performance. Una has multiple performances and free studio showings a year in San Francisco, as well as international touring, teaching and choreographic commissions. In the Bay Area, we teach ongoing classes for the LINES Ballet Training Program’s curriculum, affordable public dance classes, as well as seasonal workshops open to the public throughout the year. These classes and workshops are accessible to a range of movement backgrounds and experience levels. Una also provides mentorship for young artists, dancers and choreographers as well as outreach with public schools and youth dance programs that include workshops, showings and q&a discussions. Una is currently a partner/company in residence with Lowell Public High School in SF and Westlake School for Performing Arts in Daly City. Una has been presented by UCCS/ENT Center, Z Space, the 92NY Harkness Mainstage Series, The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, the Chutzpah! Festival/BCMAS in Vancouver, Port Hardy, Campbell River, Sointula and Alert Bay – performing for and engaging in cultural exchange with the ‘Namgis First Nation Community, Fusion International (Japan) in Kaga and Tokyo, co-presented by the ODC Theater, presented by the Spectrum Dance Festival at The Launchpad, Movement Research at the Judson Church, Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out, Springboard Danse Montreal, and more. Chuck has been an Artist in Residence of RoundAntennae, Berkeley Ballet Theater, Fusion International (Japan), Brooklyn College/CUNY Dance Initiative, The Launchpad/Dance Initiative (CO), 92nd St. Y, and a choreographic fellow for the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation NDCL. They were also a recipient of the Inaugural Illume Award, the Rainin Opportunity Fund and a USAI grant from the MidAtlantic Foundation. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Painted Brain | 777 S ALAMEDA STREET 2ND FLOOR , LOS ANGELES, CA 90021-1657 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 474-0444 | Implement the Community-Based Artist Collective program, a culturally competent and accessible arts-based peer-to-peer mental health advocacy program designed to provide access to arts programming that promotes community building, supports mental health and community integration, and expands artistic skills and talents. Program will support social change by expanding the opportunities for dialogue, reflection, and art exploration that supports historically underrepresented populations with the opportunity to depict mental health and other social issues through a peer perspective to counteract stereotypes, dispel prejudice, discrimination, and negative attitudes contributing to the stigma and inequities. Culminating events will feature art developed and curated by the artists, strengthing their social network throughout their self-exploration and community healing journey. | Core to Painted Brain’s (PB) programming are peer focused workforce development, technical training, industrial and therapeutic expressive arts, biopsychosocial rehabilitation groups, and Medi-Cal provider benefit programs. All PB programming is developed primarily by and for people with lived experience. PB technical training includes digital health literacy and cultural competency training that aim to improve the technical skills of individuals of diverse backgrounds to promote workforce development and inclusivity in the workplace. The industrial arts activities support the designs and illustrations of all PB printed materials e.g., flyers, t-shirts, brochures, presentations, and strategic posters. We are a certified training vendor with CalMHSA for the Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist Certification Training program and specialized training in Justice-Involved and Law and Ethics as well as Continuing Education courses. PB’s Community Mental Health Center has been a space for creative collaborations and the development and implementation of our arts programming. In addition, PB meets the client where they are at by offering art-based psychosocial rehabilitation groups at external partner agencies to allow for more access to comprehensive support. We primarily serve transitional age youth and adults experiencing mental health challenges, justice involvement, housing insecurity, disabilities, and social marginalization. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Red Poppy Art House | 2698 Folsom St , SF, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (510) 512-0022 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, as we celebrate our 20th anniversary, RPAH will produce a year-long program of in-person multidisciplinary performances, featuring music, poetry, dance, literary events, visual and performing workshops, art exhibits, and lectures. This program will showcase the talent and contributions of 500 local and international artists, and bring more than 5000 audience members from around the Bay Area to San Francisco’s Mission district. We will sustain our FREE Bi-Monthly MAPP (Mission-Arts-Performance-Project) program and FREE family art classes, and finalize the last steps of becoming a 501(c)(3) organization. We will also apply for the “Legacy Business Registry” as a long-standing, community-serving business that significantly contributes to the history and identity of the Mission. These funds will be critical to keeping our organization operational as we strive to regain our pre-pandemic capacity. | Red Poppy Art House produces more than 150 multi-disciplinary events each year including music, poetry, dance, literary events, art exhibitions, workshops and lectures that showcase the talent of local and far-flung artists. The Poppy is known locally, nationally and internationally as a venue that welcomes artists from all backgrounds to share the music of their culture, allowing the changes and fusion that naturally comes from performing in the diversity of San Francisco. Operating from a neighborhood storefront, The Poppy’s intimate performing space is ideal for listening and creating diverse art forms. In addition to its performing program, The Poppy serves emerging arts professionals through its Professional Development Track, which provides training in community arts presentation through workshops and internships. Finally, the Poppy serves neighborhood youth through its monthly free Family Art afternoons. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,765.00 | ODC | 351 SHOTWELL ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110-1324 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 987-8528 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, ODC will provide its PILOT program free of charge to 6 lead choreographers and their collaborators to support the development of emerging and early mid-career choreographers in the San Francisco Bay Area. Providing comprehensive artistic and professional development mentorship and a framework for shared production responsibilities over an eleven-week period, the program concludes with a premiere of original choreography in ODC’s’s Studio-B performance space. | Since its founding in 1971 by Artistic Director Brenda Way, ODC has developed and received national recognition for its celebrated professional dance company, its school for all ages and skill levels, mentorship and artist support programs, and a fee-free diagnostic healthy dancers’ clinic. ODC collaborates with its sister organization, ODC Theater, to create an energetic community hub in the Mission district as San Francisco’s leading dance campus. ODC programs, all designed to maintain a full-service, diverse artistic culture, are hosted in discrete parts of the organization. Unlike the prevailing tradition among professional American dance institutions, our definition of dance embraces both the fervent amateur and the lifelong professional. ODC School engages anyone who wishes to move, from age two to 98; the 10-member ODC/Dance company, which performs around the world, is known for artistic excellence and for its outstanding outreach programs; and ODC/Health, a model for diagnostic health evaluation and practice, provides its various physical and mental wellness services to the ODC community without cost. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Unscripted Learning | 3717 INDIA ST , SAN DIEGO, CA 92103-3727 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 295-4999 | California's 53rd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, Unscripted Learning will use the art of improvisational theatre to teach concepts of teamwork, creative expression, leadership and problem solving, as well as share improvisational skills and theory to underserved communities. | Developed in conjunction with the National Comedy Theatre in 2017, Unscripted Learning uses improvisational theatre to teach the concepts of teamwork, leadership, and creative problem solving as well as teaching improv skills and theory. Programs include: Connections: An improvisational theatre program for teenagers and young adults on the autism spectrum. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | / (Slash) | 1150 25th Street , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 654-5179 | California's 12th congressional district | With support from California Arts Council, / (Slash) will sustain and strengthen the organization’s core infrastructure, enabling us to continue supporting local artists and curators through collaborative and ambitious exhibitions and public programs that foster community engagement with their practices in the San Francisco Bay Area. With the majority of funds toward artist and curator stipends secured through 2025, $30,000 per year from the California Arts Council will be used toward paying crucial core staff salaries and gallery space rent. Hinging on a strong organizational structure supported by CAC, Slash will collaborate with 27-32 artists–prioritizing emerging and historically underrepresented artists–and an estimated 7 curators on 13 exhibitions in our Main Gallery, Library, and /room/ between October 1, 2023, and September 30, 2025, accompanied by 15-18 public programs. | Slash offers two primary programming initiatives at our space on the Minnesota Street Project campus in the Dogpatch: Our Main Gallery supports Bay Area-based, majority independent guest curators as they organize thematically relevant three-month exhibitions featuring a mix of local, early career, and globally exhibiting artists; and /room/, our small project space, features a series of three-month solo exhibitions of artworks by local, emerging artists selected from annual open calls by guest jurors. We provide each guest curator and exhibiting artist with resources, including stipends, a meaningful exhibition budget, and technical and administrative support, enabling them to explore new ideas and pursue experimental and ambitious works. Alongside exhibitions, Slash organizes public programs–ranging from screenings to live performances–in collaboration with guest curators, artists, and local art organizations–and produces exhibition catalogues in collaboration with art writers and independent art presses. | ||
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Blue Line Arts | 405 Vernon St, Suite 100 405 Vernon St, Suite 100, Roseville, CA 95678 | Placer | Upstate | (916) 783-4117 | California District 3 | District 5 | District 4 | With support from the CAC, Blue Line Arts will produce a series of visual arts exhibitions centering LGBTQIA+ artists and their lived experiences. Addressing a community-identified need for increased representation, understanding, and inclusion, the exhibitions and an accompanying series of intergenerational arts programs will elevate LGBTQIA+ voices in Placer County and the surrounding region. | Blue Line Arts is a gallery and arts center that offers a range of educational and community programs within the visual arts. Exhibitions: Adult education and workforce development: Youth Education: Public Art: |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | San Diego LGBT Pride | 3620 30TH STREET , SAN DIEGO, CA 92104-3555 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 297-7683 | California's 53rd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, San Diego LGBT Pride will host a series of exhibitions focused on local LGBTQ+ artists. | Since its humble beginning as a protest march for equal rights in 1974, San Diego Pride has grown into a vital nonprofit organization that functions as the education, advocacy, and arts and culture axis for Southern California’s LGBTQ community. We produce the annual San Diego Pride parade and festival – the largest civic event in the San Diego region – with activities that span a full week, engage over 350,000 individuals, and engage hundreds of LGBTQ performers, visual artists and musicians annually. Secondly, we provide arts and culture, advocacy, and education programs to support and develop the most marginalized sectors of San Diego’s LGBTQ community.San Diego Pride provides over 30 distinct programs and events annually to benefit LGBTQ San Diegans throughout the year including: the Youth Leadership Academy, Orgullo Sin Fronteras (Binational Conference) , She Fest, the #MeTooLGBT Summit, The Trans Day of Empowerment, Pride World Forum, Pride Youth Marching Band, Queer Youth Chorus and Pride Youth Art Show. Since March of 2020, we have transitioned all programming to virtual formats and have engaged over 700,000 LGBTQ community members. As the most philanthropic Pride organization in the world, San Diego Pride has successfully reinvested over $3 Million dollars from our annual festival revenue back into the community through our Pride Community Grant program to support LGBTQ-serving organizations locally, nationally and globally. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $42,500.00 | GYOPO | 801 S Vermont Avenue, Unit 201 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90005 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 421-7974 | California Assembly district 53 | District 53 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, GYOPO will begin paying new part- and full-time staff while maintaining our compensation structure for steering committee members. As an arts service organization, we always provide free public programs with ASL interpretation. Recordings and documentation of our programs are available online for access beyond Los Angeles. | Formed in the wake of the 2016 presidential election, GYOPO was impelled to develop a more vital sense of agency, progress, and connection amongst individuals of the Korean diaspora within and beyond Los Angeles. Since its founding, GYOPO has worked with a range of nonprofit art spaces, cultural institutions, schools, and other venues to organize artist talks, lectures, symposia, and performances by contemporary artists, architects, professors, curators, filmmakers, actors, writers, and other cultural producers, both emerging and internationally renowned. Through diverse programming, GYOPO aims to strike a balance between creating dedicated spaces for “gyopos” (a term in the Korean language that refers to persons of Korean descent who live outside of Korea), and providing free public forums for lively, intergenerational, intersectional, and cross-cultural discussions. GYOPO offers free, year-round programming for the public that fall under categories such as: critical discourse, artist talks, curator lectures, exhibition walkthroughs, symposiums, traditional focus, film screenings, panel discussions, and workshops. Additionally, GYOPO hosts social events for gyopos and the wider community such as the annual Chuseok fundraiser, GYOPO edition launch, welcome receptions, cultivation gatherings, and volunteer retreats. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | One Stage Theatre | 3285 Seldon Ct , Fremont, CA 94539-5625 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (341) 235-9735 | California's 17th congressional district | District 25 | District 10 | With support from the California Arts Council, Fremont Stage 1 Inc. will be able to continue operations including providing live theater to local communities, augmenting schools arts programs with program support and arts exposure, and providing access to live theater to deaf, hard of hearing, non-English language speakers and community residents who are aging in place in residential facilities. Fremont Stage 1 Theatre is a critical part of its community and provides services to students, those struggling with disabilities, those who do not speak English as their first language, older residents in nursing homes and assisted living facilities and the broader community that improve the quality of life of all its its service area. | One Stage Theatre has been performing works of musical theatre, comedy, and drama for over three decades. Our season includes musicals and plays of various formats, performed throughout the year. Additionally, we have theater workshops and performance opportunities for children aged 5 to 17 years old throughout the year. We are the only community theater company serving the Tri-City area (Fremont, Newark, and Union City), and therefore, we are the premier destination for amateur actors, musicians, and creative and technical designers in South Alameda County. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | House of Gongs | 1446 Market Street , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 999-8365 | California District 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, House of Gongs will produce a documentary film called, “Paghilom: Sounds of Healing.” Paghilom is a documentary Film that will explore the healing power of percussive sounds in movement, traditional Filipino tattooing and weaving practices in the lives of Filipinx/o/a master artists, traditional tattoo practitioners, movement practitioners and weavers. Through interviews and footage of their daily lives and performances, we aim to highlight the transformative effects of percussion in these practices on the practitioners and their communities. The funds will be used to support expenses in administrative, research, documentation, videography, pre and post production, promotion and artist fees. | Core Programs include: 1. Gongster’s Paradise – The only Kulintang Festival in North America, Gongster’s Paradise is a concert that celebrates Pilipino Indigenous music, particularly the sounds of kulintang honoring the Godfather of Filipino-American Kulintang Music and NEA Artist Danny Kalanduyan. This festival brings together a dynamic lineup of artists who honor both traditional and contemporary interpretations of kulintang and other Indigenous Filipino soundscapes. It serves as a platform for intergenerational and cross-cultural exchange, featuring master artists from the Philippines, emerging Filipinx diasporic musicians, and innovative artists who integrate ancestral rhythms into modern compositions. Beyond performances, the event fosters conversations about cultural preservation, decolonization, and artistic evolution. Gongster’s Paradise amplifies the presence of Filipino Indigenous music on the global stage, inspiring artists and audiences to reconnect with their roots. 2. Uni at Ugat Music Camp – As the first and only Filipino music-focused camp, Uni at Ugat creates a rare and immersive experience where master artists from the Philippines, music scholars, Filipinx diasporic music expertes/professionals and contemporary practitioners guide artist cohorts in integrating Pilipino cultural elements into their craft. Designed for musicians, composers, and sound artists seeking deeper connections to their Filipino identity, this camp offers intensive workshops, mentorship, and collaborative music creation and exlploration. With a focus on Indigenous and diasporic perspectives, it bridges generations, genres, and geographies, helping Filipino music continues to thrive and evolve. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | "We The People" Cultural Consortium | 5875 MISSION BLVD J137 , JURUPA VALLEY, CA 92509 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (951) 751-3077 | California Assembly district 58 | District 58 | District 31 | With support from the California Arts Council, “We The People” Cultural Consortium will continue to offer The Threshold, a reentry through the arts program for another year. Our target demographic is mothers who are on parole or probation. Our objectives will focus on incarceration/justice systems. The Threshold will utilize the arts as a vehicle to cultivate personal development, build artistic skills, increase self-confidence, nurture self-sufficiency, promote the pursuit of education, and foster family reunification in order to achieve successful reentry to society. The ultimate goal of The Threshold is to reduce recidivism. | For more than two decades “We The People” Cultural Consortium (WTPCC) formerly known as “We The People” Cultural Dance Center, has provided cultural fine arts education and engagement for more than 100,000 people throughout Riverside and San Bernardino counties in the form of classes, workshops, public/private performances, lecture demonstrations and community festivals. The decision to change the organization’s name was led by the intent to leverage community collaborations and expand organizational impact in using the power of artistic expression to also address mental and physical wellbeing. Since the year 2000, WTPCC’s greatest community impact has been through program development and 8-years execution of the Annual Drum, Mask & Dance Festival aimed to increase cultural awareness, appreciation, and respect by highlighting the works of diverse artists and cross-cultural commonalities found in the power of drummed rhythms. WTPCC fiscally sponsored the Let’s Walk IE event that promoted healthy living through dance fitness activities and the power in making healthy choices. Additionally, for 5-years WTPCC supported the Annual Inland Empire’s Ultimate Doundounba Festival which engaged participants in master classes, performance, and competition. This event recognized and celebrated a traditional music and dance practice of Guinea in West Africa called Doudounba which is also known as, “The Strong Man Dance.” In September 2022 WTPCC launched a new program called “The Threshold,” a reentry through art program that targets recently released or previously incarcerated women and/or mothers. It uses the power of the arts to stimulate mindset renewal, promote personal development, enhance parent-child bonding, and reduce recidivism. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Ophelia's Jump Productions | 2009 Porterfield Way, Suite H , Upland, CA 91711-2525 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (909) 734-6565 | California's 28th Congressional District | District 41 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, Ophelia’s Jump Productions will partner with three nonprofit organizations to produce free staged readings or cabaret style performances to raise awareness and/or funds in support of their missions. The three partner organizations are Aging Next which supports Seniors with resources and assistance to allow them to age at home, Children’s Foundation of America which identifies and accesses resources to support foster care, adoption, residential treatment, mental health and community-based programs of the highest quality, so that children in need or who have been the victims of trauma, abuse, neglect or abandonment may lead healthy, productive lives, and Uncommon Good which aims to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty for underprivileged children through a variety of programs that promote health, education, and environmentalism. | OJP produces 4 “main stage” shows annually at our 70 seat theater in Upland and additional programming in our 50 seat studio theatre; we also present staged readings of works in development, and each July we put on the Midsummer Theatre Festival at the Sontag Greek Theatre in Claremont which is co-produced with Pomona College. We have a strong improv and “alternative performance” program and present improv, open mic, performance art, and a wide variety of music shows (such as Flamenco, Appalachian, Middle Eastern and other culturally specific music) on weekends when our main productions are dark. OJP’s Theatre for Good program partners with other nonprofit organizations to raise funds for social justice and community welfare projects by presenting free staged readings of plays coupled with informative presentations and talkbacks. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | "We The People" Cultural Consortium | 5875 MISSION BLVD J137 , JURUPA VALLEY, CA 92509 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (951) 751-3077 | California Assembly district 58 | District 58 | District 31 | With support from the California Arts Council, “We The People” Cultural Consortium will increase visibility of its presence, its artistic mission, and its promotion of the power of art to inspire, empower, and motivate lives. The support will enable us to plan and develop strategies that will strengthen and expand our team as well as broaden our impact from Southern California to communities located in Northern California. It will also allow our organization to update and expand its online presence including website and social media communications. | For more than two decades “We The People” Cultural Consortium (WTPCC) formerly known as “We The People” Cultural Dance Center, has provided cultural fine arts education and engagement for more than 100,000 people throughout Riverside and San Bernardino counties in the form of classes, workshops, public/private performances, lecture demonstrations and community festivals. The decision to change the organization’s name was led by the intent to leverage community collaborations and expand organizational impact in using the power of artistic expression to also address mental and physical wellbeing. Since the year 2000, WTPCC’s greatest community impact has been through program development and 8-years execution of the Annual Drum, Mask & Dance Festival aimed to increase cultural awareness, appreciation, and respect by highlighting the works of diverse artists and cross-cultural commonalities found in the power of drummed rhythms. WTPCC fiscally sponsored the Let’s Walk IE event that promoted healthy living through dance fitness activities and the power in making healthy choices. Additionally, for 5-years WTPCC supported the Annual Inland Empire’s Ultimate Doundounba Festival which engaged participants in master classes, performance, and competition. This event recognized and celebrated a traditional music and dance practice of Guinea in West Africa called Doudounba which is also known as, “The Strong Man Dance.” In September 2022 WTPCC launched a new program called “The Threshold,” a reentry through art program that targets recently released or previously incarcerated women and/or mothers. It uses the power of the arts to stimulate mindset renewal, promote personal development, enhance parent-child bonding, and reduce recidivism. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Chalk It Up Sacramento | 625 S St , Sacramento, CA 95811-7019 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 234-0407 | California's 6th congressional district | District 6 | District 8 | With support from the California Arts Council, Chalk It Up to Sacramento, It’s the Chalk of the Town will expand and enhance our efforts to create a safe, clean, and inclusive Chalk Art Festival, further engaging local artists of diverse backgrounds and sharing with our community the transformative power of public art. For our grants programs and the student art show funds will be used for additional marketing support and educational materials directed to teachers, schools, and community centers, to broaden our reach and foster more participation with a specific focus on underserved communities and Title 1 schools. The grant will enable us to create inclusive and vibrant arts experiences that promote community unity, cultural expression, and deepen the next generation’s appreciation for the arts in Sacramento. | Arts Education Grant Program: awarding mini grants to teachers, schools, and programs that encourage the creative expression of young people throughout the Sacramento region. Grants can be to fund specific projects or field trips, or a simple “Art Supply Closet Restock” grant. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Green Room Theatre Company | 74300 OLD PROSPECTOR TRL , PALM DESERT, CA 92260-5618 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (442) 215-7039 | 41st Congressional District | California's 47th State Assembly District | California's 18th State Senate District | With support from the California Arts Council, GREEN ROOM THEATRE COMPANY COACHELLA VALLEY will present a tour of Wendy Kesselman’s “Maggie Magalita”, a bilingual play with anti-bullying and immigration themes. The tour will build upon the success of our recent effort, a touring production and education program of Gary Soto’s “Novio Boy”. Performances will be supplemented by discussions of the play led by trained leaders from two widely respected youth mentoring programs, Boo2Bullying and the Ophelia Project, reaching audiences at schools, libraries, clubs, places of worship, and other local venues. We will bring artistic and social-emotional skills training to hundreds of students and their teachers, as well as access for Coachella Valley students and families to professional-quality theatre in their neighborhoods. | GRTCCV provides: (1) classes for children, youth, and adults; (2) touring productions; (3) staged readings; (4) ballet folklorico training; and (5) performances of reinvented classics at pivotal Coachella Valley venues. Now in its 16th season, GRTCCV is focusing especially on serving the Central and East Coachella Valley, providing employment development training. Many alumni of our training programs have found paid theatre work in the Coachella Valley and beyond, or majored in theatre at colleges and universities. For many years, the summer conservatory’s large Broadway musical trained 60 young actors and technicians. However, responding partly to changes wrought by the pandemic, recently Green Room has focused on projects that combine bilingual theatre productions with youth discussion groups to address important social issues. The successful 2023 “Novio Boy” project used an engaging Spanish-English romantic comedy and supporting discussion groups to boost teen literacy and social-emotional skills. The recent “Act Against Bullying” project similarly combined an award-winning play with discussion groups focused on bullying prevention/response. In a typical year, GRTCCV sponsors several other projects. These include Shakespeare/classical productions, performances to celebrate Black History Month and other diversity initiatives, and classes throughout the year. Recently we expanded ballet folklorico classes in Indio public schools and spotlighted folklorico performances along with our theatre productions. GRTCCV is innovative in its performance venues, themes, and approaches. For example, we recently devised a play about the history of “Section 14,” addressing a controversial episode when the City of Palm Springs in the 1960s forcibly evicted hundreds of mainly Black and Latine residents from a planned downtown redevelopment site. This innovative project used oral history and a community advisory committee to help develop the play. Our performances have been held in a 400-seat auditorium, a brew pub, bookstores, and even a cemetery in order to reach diverse audiences. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | UniverSOUL Hip Hop | 10736 Jefferson Blvd #385 , Culver City, CA 90230 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 626-3454 | 37 | 55 | 30 | With support from the California Arts Council, UniverSOUL Hip Hop will promote our current part-time Programs Coordinator to a full-time position to support our rapidly growing company and scope of services. The program coordinator will strengthen infrastructure by standardizing internal systems, support our artists to uphold a quality of excellence, and work with the executive director to innovate new programs and partnerships that can better serve our communities. Any additional funds will be used to hire a part-time Communications Coordinator to garner greater visibility and expand our social media presence in a way that reflects our company’s mission and high quality of our programming. This Communications Coordinator will be tasked with producing video content for our Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube pages, as well as updating our website to help streamline and modernize certain outreach efforts. | Our core services include: 1. EDUCATION PROGRAMS: 2. PERFORMANCES: 3. COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS: UniverSOUL Hip Hop produces immersive community engagements that center on communal wellness, collaboration, and creativity. We act as a liaison between our larger partners and local artists in an effort to highlight historically under-resourced communities and foster new collaborations. In our recent community engagement, we partnered with The Music Center of Los Angeles County to bring local street dance artists, community organizations, and college graduates together to launch a summer arts engagement, titled “Love Amplified”. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | LA River Arts | 6624 DUME DR , MALIBU, CA 90265-4221 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (714) 854-4765 | California Assembly district 50 | District 50 | District 27 | With the California Arts Council’s support, LA River Public Art Project will off-set administrative compensation to expand our outreach and advocacy work and include compensation to our Indigenous Cultural Advisors. | LA River Arts advocates for an arts and cultural infrastructure integral to the many revitalization projects along the river’s 51-mile corridor from Canoga Park to Long Beach. We believe that cultural projects are a dynamic way to share the river’s potential with a large public audience, and deepen community connections. Through art-based projects, our work has impacted the conversation on multiple levels. We have heightened the discussion about public space; tilted the conversation about the LA River toward community-driven social spaces; and demonstrated the confluence of nature, art, and play. Our efforts confirm the value of inclusionary art-based public projects, introduce artists and communities to each other, and envision a robust river cultural environment. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $54,998.00 | Tandy Beal & Company (TBC) | 221 Olympia Station Rd , felton, CA 95018 | Santa Cruz | Central Coast | (831) 335-5973 | California Assembly district 28 | District CA-19 | District California | With support from the California Arts Council, Friends of Olympia Station Inc. (dba Tandy Beal & Company, TBC) will continue to expand ‘ArtSmart’, our integrated Arts Education program in three Central Coast counties with: TBC will also return to producing public concerts in theatrical venues. Funds will be used to help support administration salaries for Managing Director, Artistic Director and administrative overhead costs, such as software, mileage, extra insurance needed for work in schools. | After 40 years of touring internationally, TBC currently focuses on regional art-making. LIVE CONCERTS: 2) “Keep on Truckin’”: free 20-minute family shows (Music and Circus), outdoors and covid-safe, with diverse artists and forms: Gospel, Brazilian, Balkan, Latin Percussion, Celtic, Moroccan. Classical, Americana, Old Timey Music, Body Music & Banjo, Circus, Chinese Magic. In parks, schools and senior centers. 3) “HereAfterAfter: a self-guided tour of eternity” on the subject of our mortality(’18, ’24) with 15 outreach events. Partner: Hospice 4) Other new TBC concerts. Examples: “Scoville Units”-’20, “In C”-’22, New Music Works-’24. 5) Free annual Multicultural Fair. Partner: local schools and Chamber of Commerce. ARTS EDUCATION: •”Dance Around the World” 8-week VAPA-aligned residencies furthering kinesthetic and socio-emotional learning; language development; engagement with the beauty of diverse world cultures; and dance. •”The Kindness Project” focuses on caring for others and the broader community. After movement exercises, reflecting, writing, and listening to each other’s essays, students collaborate to choose where they want to expand kindness in the community. Then TBC gives them a check for a non-profit that champions their intentions and choice. •“WideWideWide World” introduces classrooms to different world artists each week. •“Expanding Horizons”-Teaching-Artist Training open to public, partnering with Cabrillo College and Arts Council. Selected teaching-artists receive individual mentorship as paid assistants. Schoolteachers can receive Continuing Education Units to support their commitment to arts-learning. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Escondido Arts Partnership | 262 E GRAND AVE , ESCONDIDO, CA 92025-2803 | San Diego | Far South | (760) 480-4101 | 50th District | 75th District | 40th District | With support from the California Arts Council, the Escondido Arts Partnership will provide a community art space with art exhibitions with free entry, the Art Connections, Teens for Art, ArtStream, and Poets INC. programs and for art instructor stipends, art and office supplies, staff payroll, and rent. | The Escondido Arts Partnership provides a destination for residents and visitors in downtown Escondido and is home to over 500 local artists who reside throughout San Diego County. We provide a free space where all ages can learn about art and community issues through creative expression and hands-on exploration. Offering free entry to monthly art exhibitions featuring 300 locally created artworks at any given time, EAP hosts free ongoing arts education through Art Connection workshops; provides space for the ARC of San Diego’s art classes, the Teens for Art mentorship program, the ArtStream audio/visual digital studio, the PhotoArts Group, performance art experiences such as the Poet’s I.N.C. spoken word poetry events, and an art library for study. We host various foundations and museums in a “Mini Museum” space where people can experience artworks from archives and museum collections such as the Niki Charitable Art Foundation, Mingei International Museum, World Beat Center and more. We operate a California State Certified Farmers’ Market featuring regional farms and artisans that weekly draws 400+ shoppers. Monthly themed art exhibitions like Art & Science, Cali Stillo, Emerging Artist High School Show, “Local Color” for Veterans’ Arts, Book and Fiber Arts, Recycled Art and more, challenge artists from the region to create new work to be viewed. Funded programs support an environment of creativity and engagement, and in this way, we secure artistic excellence now and for our future. We intend to inspire our communities, nurture appreciation of the importance of the arts and increase visitation by offering culturally relevant themes for the annual exhibition calendar. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | N/A | 4504 51st Street , San Diego, CA 92115 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 230-5556 | California's 51st congressional district | District 79 | District 40 | With support from the California Arts Council, The AjA Project will host a year-long paid media arts fellowship program in which young adults negatively impacted by immigration policy and gentrification forge connections between the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII and the civil liberties violations currently plaguing their own communities. Guided by lead artists, youth fellows from the MidCity Community Advocacy Network will connect with internment survivors, draw on the community archive of the Japanese American Historical Society of San Diego, visit an internment site, and participate in housing rights workshops to identify continuity and change in living histories of state oppression and community resistance. As they gain media production and documentation skills, they will share their learning and expand advocacy via documentaries, zines, and a visual campaign for housing justice. | The AjA Project has a strong reputation of delivering high-quality, high-impact programs to young people from diverse cultural, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds. This includes in-school and after-school programs as well as participatory workshops in collaboration with cross-sector partner organizations. AjA’s programs support young people to process experiences, understand their social and political landscapes and use the arts as a tool for creative self expression and social change. This year we have provided programming to newly arrived refugees, teen mothers, youth in detention, young people in military families, and youth across San Diego. The work at AjA remains grounded in the power of photography and visual arts as a tool for all youth, regardless of background, to see themselves as agents of change. AjA remains committed to igniting individual and social change from a grassroots, creative approach. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | The 418 PROJECT | 155 South River Street , Santa Cruz, CA 95060 | Santa Cruz | Central Coast | (408) 602-2940 | California's 20th congressional district | District 29 | District 17 | With support from the California Arts Council, The 418 Project will increase our accessibility by offering no cost working, teaching and performance space to 250+ artists from historically under served communities in the HPI lowest quartile, primarily BIPOC and unhoused people. Having access to centrally located free space means these people can earn a meaningful living through their art, teach others, gain audience, and contribute to our regional economy. Artists are also care givers and service workers–when they are driven out by high prices, not only do they suffer from longer commutes, less time with family, and less access to local resources, but the whole community suffers. California Arts Council’s support of our center and programming can help reverse this situation, thus improving life for everyone in our region. | Since 1993, The 418 Project has provided a home where emerging artists from diverse communities can grow their gifts centered around Community, Mindfulness, Art, and Embodiment. In our new permanent home, we are committed to making a significant difference and we are humbly aiming to create equitable outcomes that benefit all people, especailly those furthest from opportunity. Current offerings include: Fiscal Sponsorship Program: providing fiscal sponsees whose mission resonates with The 418 Project the opportunity to apply for grants and receive donation-based support in service of their art and art-based businesses. In 2024 our fiscal sponsorship program created over $220,000 in financial support. Since its inception this program has benefited more than 30,000 individuals. Artist-Led Mentorship and Performances: 6-10 original, professional level theatrical productions annually that provide training and development for hundreds of artists, technicians and volunteers. Written, directed, choreographed by The 418 Project Artistic Creative Team, comprised of Veteran, BIPOC and/or Queer artists. Mic Drop, monthly forum for primarily BIPOC artists from marginalized communities from the lowest HPI quartile, led by BIPOC Board Member Gregory Speed with collaborating artists. Mic Drop offers significant compensation to one featured artist monthly while simultaneously creating opportunities for many others to perform. Regular Offerings for diverse communities such as Salsa, Afro-Brazilian and Dance for Parkinson’s, led by artists from historically underserved communities. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | PUSH | 447 Minna St, 3rd floor , San Francisco, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 547-9492 | District 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, PUSH Dance Company intends to invest in BIPOC-centered programs meant to engage community-based activism, physical health and mental wellness at our newly developed artists of color sanctuary dance space. | COMPANY Founded in 2005 by Artistic Director Raissa Simpson, PUSH maintains a philosophy that bold movement and intellect can coexist. PUSH is best known for integrating cross-cultural issues and exploring dances that contextualize the African diaspora. FESTIVAL Since its inception, PUSHfestfest has presented works by distinct choreographers representing diverse genres of dance. PUSHfest is a cross-genre dance festival launched in 2014 by PUSH Dance Company. The Festival grew out of a critical need to provide a platform for dance to be appreciated as a diverse and culturally relevant entity within the San Francisco Bay Area. EDUCATION The Youth Company is a pre-professional training program for students pursuing advance technique and performance opportunities. The Youth Company provides added structure in the form of cultivating responsible and civic-minded individuals. The Company also hosts annual PUSHLab Performance Workshops, and educational component of PUSHfest. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $42,500.00 | Community Arts Stabilization Trust | 447 Minna Street 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (303) 304-7957 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, CAST will fund and expand our Dreaming Spaces initiative in San Francisco. CAST provides technical assistance, peer learning, networking, research, policy, and funds supporting arts organizations’ efforts to secure long-term real estate projects. CAST is a major partner in a new 90,000 sq ft arts center at Pier 70 in San Francisco’s rapidly gentrifying Dogpatch neighborhood. Dreaming Spaces is a community listening and gathering initiative through which we will plan this space with and for the artists in the community, together creating a hub for creativity, where art, making, and innovation can thrive. | CAST secures space and works with nonprofit arts organizations to navigate the San Francisco and Oakland real estate markets, among the most expensive in the U.S., and find long-term, affordable facility options. CAST employs three strategies to address arts organizations’ real estate needs: Property Acquisition, Master Leasing, and Knowledge Building. This tiered approach is undergirded by a commitment to organizational capacity building that aims to match arts groups with the right facility option for their needs and capacity, and engage in a process of building their organizational acumen to lease, buy, and/or manage their facility, one of the most resource-intensive elements of any nonprofit arts organization’s operation. CAST also provides forums for arts organizations to hold conversations and connect to resources for space-related concepts. In 2016, CAST launched Keeping Space – Oakland (KSO), a two-year initiative that provided real estate services and support to a wide range of Oakland arts nonprofits and creative enterprises with grants and individualized technical assistance to stem displacement and preserve the cultural character of Oakland. Post-pilot, CAST was able to continue KSO and evolve it into a peer-learning technical assistance model that leverages existing artist knowledge and cultural assets of the Oakland arts community for knowledge-sharing, knowledge-building, and relationship building opportunities. In 2018, CAST created the Cultural Space Ambassadors (CSAs)––a body of cultural practitioners, arts workers, and creatives that embodied the breadth and depth of Oakland’s arts ecosystem, ranging from the traditional arts nonprofit to the grassroots group and arts entity operating with alternative structures. In a year-long process, the CSAs worked to build community across geographies, disciplines, and networks to create a forum of discussion on the new models of operations and cultural space preservation strategies emerging from the Oakland arts community. This year-long process inspired and informed the theme for KSO 2020–Dreaming Spaces. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | CubaCaribe | 60 29th st suite 315 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110-4929 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 279-1034 | California Assembly district 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, CubaCaribe will explore dance and music forms that reflect the shared experience and history of Afro-Brazilians, Afro-Cubans, and African Americans in overcoming systems of oppression. Titled Esperanca Negra to reflect Lead Artist Tania Santiago’s and CubaCaribe’s vision of the promise and hope for better days, the project will involve a series of conversations and gatherings with local dancers, musicians, scholars and community members representing these communities. Out of the gatherings, the lead artist and her collaborators will begin to develop choreography and shape the material in free classes for community members to perform at SF Carnaval. | Community is at the heart of all of CubaCaribe’s programming. Our unwavering focus is on building a thriving community of Caribbean artists in the Bay Area. CubaCaribe’s services include offering ongoing education and performance opportunities for artists and audiences. Core programs include: The Annual CubaCaribe Festival of Dance and Music,which includes performances, lectures, demos, workshops, film screenings, celebrations and more (2005-present); the resident Alayo Dance Company CubaCaribe’s artistic director’s innovative fusion of Afro-Cuban modern, folkloric and popular Cuban dance (2004-present); Cuba Camp, which offers adult campers an intensive two-four days of Caribbean dance and music classes (2004-2006, 2014, 2021, 2024); Annual Noche Caribeña Gala, a cabaret dinner and show fundraiser (2019, 2022-2024); Moving Juntos, Afro-Cuban Dance & Music classes for ages 4-12 (2021-present); Maestros y Raíces, a series of master classes by visiting teachers (2024), and the San Francisco Carnaval Contingent, featuring original choreography taught in a series of classes and performed to live music (2006, 2008 & 2019-present). CubaCaribe also provides fiscal sponsorship services. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Lamorinda Arts Council | PO BOX 121 , ORINDA, CA 94563-0121 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (925) 359-9940 | California's 10th congressional district | District 16 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, LAMORINDA ARTS COUNCIL will continue to work to fulfill our mission to ignite and sustain the arts for all ages, by engaging community participation in all of our artistic programs, including Lamorinda Idol, the High School Visual Arts Competition, Art Embraces Words, Artify Orinda, our two art galleries, and more. LAC is a unique and vibrant organization that brings art to our communities in the East Bay of California. Our Board consists of volunteers who give many hours of their time for our programs. The funds from this grant will go towards our staff expenses, to expand our outreach efforts, track participation by geographical area, and take further steps towards inclusivity. | Founded in 1950 as the Orinda Arts Council, the Lamorinda Arts Council has been stimulating, supporting, and advocating for the visual and performing arts in the schools and community for seventy-five years. In 2015, the Orinda Arts Council became Lamorinda Arts Council, in order to expand our opportunities to include Orinda’s neighbors of Lafayette and Moraga in this vibrant local artistic community. Key contributions to the arts and local community include Lamorinda Idol, the High School Visual Arts Competition, Art in Public Places, curating the Gallery at the Orinda Library, the Art Gallery at Wilder and much more. In recent years, programming has expanded to include new artistic and literary outreach with Art Embraces Words and Art Embraces Poetry. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Palo Alto Art Center Foundation | 1313 Newell Road , Palo Alto, CA 94303 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (650) 617-3535 | District 24 | District 13 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation will collaborate with artist Kija Lucas on The Enchanted Garden, an installation exploring identity, home, displacement, inheritance, and colonialism, through botanical-inspired imagery. | The Art Center believes that its mission is best achieved by connecting the experience of viewing art with direct involvement in making art. Core programs include exhibitions and exhibition-related community programming; arts education programs for school children, both in-school and at the Art Center; a Studio Art Program offering high-quality arts instruction, classes, and workshops in a variety of creative media for adults and teens; and the Children’s Fine Art Program, providing classes, summer camps, and other programs for preschool through middle school-aged youth. | |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $17,000.00 | Nonprofit Theatre Company | 450 Post St Flr 2 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102-1102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 677-9596 | California's 12th congressional district | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, San Francisco Playhouse will expand our world premiere of “My Home on the Moon” to grow community engagement among Vietnamese and Asian-American community centers and the theater. This will be done through sponsoring a Cultural Consultant, free to community workshops, and free tickets to members of the Vietnamese community in the Bay Area, and new outreach to existing community resources through both our own marketing and new partnerships. | Founded by Bill English and Susi Damilano in 2003, we employ hundreds of artists and professionals each year and are proud to be San Francisco’s premiere mid-sized company. Believing that theatre cultivates a more mindful and empathetic community, SFPH executes our mission and engages our community through three core programs: • RISING STARS PROGRAM: In partnership with 20 Bay Area high schools, this program serves over 300 students with our Theatre Attendance Program (TAP) and Play Project Workshop. Sponsored in part by our patrons, the Theatre Attendance Program provides students with the opportunity to see professional theatre at no cost while our summer Play Project Workshop offers students a hands-on experience to learn from community artists then write and perform their own original plays. • NEW PLAY PROGRAM: Theatre is essential. This belief drives SFPH to encourage and facilitate the growth of playwrights and development of new plays, with a focus on plays by women and people of color. We do so in four integral ways: our 5-year 20 play commission program, the 3-play Sandbox Series of world premieres, workshops for developing new plays, and our monthly Monday night reading series. | |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Vantage Theatre | 1251 W MUIRLANDS DR , LA JOLLA, CA 92037-5506 | San Diego | Far South | (858) 454-2659 | 39th | 78th | With support from the California Arts Council NewWorks Theatre will produce two plays, an adaptation of The Trojan Women with women immigrants from war torn countries speaking the dialogue each in their own language with the text projected in English. and Best Laid Plans a new play is based on a true story. An architect has surgery for a brain tumor and wakes up unexpectedly blind. Lost, alone, and despondent, he finds his way back to life, and eventually, architecture with the help of an inner dialogue with the spirit of Ludwig van Beethoven. | Producing and developing new plays or classics from a different vantage point is our focus . We set productions in site specific areas that have been traditionally under-served that reflect the issues of the community . We reach out to the community involving members and relevant organizations in the process of bringing the project to fruition. The Latest project is to restart our New Works in Progress Series at Saint Paul’s Villa. New Works in Progress focuses on a sometimes-forgotten population, Seniors in Assisted living. These are not active seniors in an independent living situation. These seniors have many physical/emotional issues that prevent them from getting on a senior bus and enjoying theatre in a traditional environment. Most are living on fixed incomes and ticket costs are also an issue | |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | BAYCAT | 2415 Third Street Suite 230 , San Francisco, CA 94107 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 701-8228 | District 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, BAYCAT will provide high quality media training to young BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and women filmmakers (ages 18-25) from low-income Bay Area communities. Our paid Studio internship offers a platform for young storytellers to receive immersive, on-the-job film production training and collaborate with community partners to produce new episodes of the BAYCAT original series “Black Biz in the Bay” and “The Bay Sounds Like.” With intergenerational mentorship and guidance from BAYCAT’s in-house team of teaching artists and Studio professionals, interns will work closely with community partners and local artists from initial creative concept to final cut. Together, they will amplify untold stories and the rich culture of the Bay Area. Projects will premiere at a culminating showcase where interns celebrate with the community and publicly declare themselves as artists. | Our award-winning Pathways model offers a continuum of opportunities to meet the needs of young creatives from their first touchpoint and throughout their careers as alumni: BAYCAT ACADEMY provides free digital media education to youth (ages 11+) year-round through our project-based film and audio production curriculum. Mentors guide youth through the creative process to generate and pitch ideas, produce short films, respond to their peer’s work, and connect projects to social justice issues. Courses emphasize hands-on learning to build expertise in professional tools like Adobe Creative Suite and cutting-edge audio/video equipment. Our advanced media makers, “The Crew,” are paid to produce pro bono media for local partners like the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and immigrant advocacy group, PODER. BAYCAT STUDIO, our professional in-house production team, creates socially-conscious media for clients like the Golden State Warriors. Our paid Studio Internship mentors diverse young storytellers (ages 18+) through hands-on experiences in six to eight-week internships focused on skills spanning pre production to post or short term intensives to train participants to apply for on-set employment. BAYCAT interns are better-positioned to secure employment once they graduate with a reel, a stronger resume, a LinkedIn profile, and a network of diverse industry professionals. Programs culminate in public screenings at our Dogpatch headquarters or local cultural venues to celebrate the impact of their work and publicly declare themselves as artists to their community. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Litquake Foundation | 268 Bush Street #4226 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 440-4177 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, LITQUAKE FOUNDATION will fight isolation by bringing literary community to Bay Area Elders (aged 65+). The Elder Project consists of weekly writing sessions combined with hands-on creative exercises to stimulate the senses and memory and to provide an outlet for Elders to preserve and share their stories through creative writing. 2023/2024 Service Objectives: | History & Key Accomplishments: Programs: a. Litquake Out Loud – An annual curatorial program highlighting the Bay Area’s BIPOC & LGBTQ+ writers. 6 curators produce a vibrant, impactful two days of events at a large outdoor stage. 100% free. Expected attendance: 2,500. b. Lit Crawl San Francisco – A one-night ‘pub’ crawl of 60 events that creates collaborations with local arts organizations and writing groups with an emphasis on those who hail and serve BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. 100% free. Expected attendance: 6,000. d. Kidquake – Two days assemblies and meet-and-greets with a diverse array of children’s authors (100% BIPOC) paired with activities run by the Bay’s best interactive educators. Serving the Bay Area’s K-5 public schools students (80% BIPOC, 65% on free/reduced lunch). 100% free. Expected attendance: 1,000 in person, 4,000 virtual. 2) Elder Project – Community-building classes that stimulate the senses and memory and provide an outlet for Elders to preserve and share their stories through creative writing. At 4-5 locations this year with 100+ Elders served. 100% free. 3) Litquake Year Round – A series of 30+ in-person events spanning the winter to early summer, focused on partnering with diverse local arts organizations to increase engagement with literature and storytelling. 80% free. Expected Attendance: 8,000 |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | NAKA Dance Theater | 44 Gough St. Suite 201 , San Francisco, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (650) 759-8770 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, NAKA will sustain its programs, staff and operations from July 2023 to June 2025. Our programs will include: Producing LIVE ARTS IN RESISTANCE performance showcase series; touring Y Basta Ya!, a dance-theater performance and community workshop series and shines a light on the stories of Latina and Indigenous Maya Mam women and their experiences with invisibility, labor rights, domestic violence, and sexual abuse; producing Dismantling Tactic X artist residency in collaboration with SAFEhouse Arts; Co-Facilitating ongoing Circulos de Aprendizaje (Collaborative Learning Circles) with Oakland Latina and Indigenous Maya Mam (Guatemala) immigrant women – using art for healing and addressing issues such as racism and colorism in the Latine community. | -Producing LIVE ARTS IN RESISTANCE, a series of performance showcases, artist residencies and community town halls that address racial inequity & white supremacy in popular culture. -Creating and touring experimental performance works; including Y Basta Ya!, a series of touring dance performances and movement workshops to shine a light on the stories of Latine and Indigenous Maya Mam women and their experiences with invisibility, labor rights, domestic violence, and sexual abuse. Y Basta Ya! Is funded by a New England Foundation for the Arts National Dance Production award, Rainin Fellowship and Guggenheim Fellowship. -Research residencies in Japan and Mexico as part of NAKA’s work in community-based ritual practices -Producing Dismantling Tactic X artist residency and philanthropic forums – convening a cohort of radical, social-practice artists who center their work on the topic of race and white supremacy. -Co-Facilitating ongoing Circulos de Aprendizaje (Collaborative Learning Circles) with San Francisco Latina and Indigenous Maya Mam (Guatemala) immigrant women – using art for healing and addressing issues such as racism and colorism in the Latine community. -Pro-Bono Language Justice Access Consulting, to arts and social justice organizations who want to hire in-person or online sign language interpreters. This includes: referrals for culturally appropriate interpreters who would be a good match for the situation (including trilingual Spanish-English-ASL / Chinese-English-ASL interpreters); sharing best practices about publicity and outreach (best done by Deaf-led organizations); sharing best practices about budgeting for interpreters, necessary prep information that interpreters will need prior to an assignment, interpreter placement, lighting; advocacy for the hiring of Deaf Interpreters. On occasion, NAKA Artistic Co-Director, Debby Kajiyama will serve as a pro-bono coordinator of interpreter services for events, such as the KH FRESH Festival (2023, 2024) Jess Curtis’ Memorial service and Melissa Lewis Wong’s recent show, flowers and fog. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Dance Brigade or Dance Mission | 3316 24TH ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110-3803 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 826-4441 | California Assembly district 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Dance Brigade (aka Dance Mission Theater) will collaborate with Lead Artist Bianca Mendoza to produce Grrrl Brigade – a project that aims to empower girl-identifying students aged 6-18 through dance instruction, performance opportunities, paid internships, and job training. CAC funds will support teaching artist fees and student tuition subsidization for the 2023 – 2024 Fall, Spring and Summer semesters. The program culminates in a fully-staged community-led performance work in Fall, 2024. | – Run a thriving inter/multicultural community arts venue, Dance Mission Theater (DMT); |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $50,000.00 | San Diego Museum Council | 1270 Cleveland Ave Unit B136, San Diego, CA 92103-3379 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 850-8698 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, SAN DIEGO MUSEUM COUNCIL INC will increase accessibility for under-served communities to more than 70 culturally diverse member museums with three major San Diego County regional programs: “Museum Month” (half-off admission) in February “The Big Exchange” (free admission with memberships) in May “Kids Free San Diego” (free admission ages 12 and under) in October At the same time, we will provide substantial marketing support, collaboration opportunities, professional development, co-op advertising and networking opportunities for all member museums and their people and continue to support historically marginalized cultural institutions. | San Diego Museum Council is comprised of more than 80 member museums, aquariums, gardens, historic sites, gardens, parks, and more across San Diego County. We connect hundreds of thousands of residents and tourists each year to a range of arts, culture, history, and science offerings that is diverse, vibrant and unique to the region. Each year, San Diego Museum Council delivers three promotional programs including “Museum Month” in February, “The Big Exchange” in May and “Kids Free San Diego” in October. These signature programs are designed make our museums more accessible by reducing financial barriers for families. The programs include educational, professional development and outreach events and are supported by integrated marketing campaigns. All year round, San Diego Museum Council provides its members with collaborative marketing, professional development, and networking opportunities. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | FRESH Festival | 44 Gough St , San Francisco, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (361) 935-3100 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Kathleen Hermesdorf will FRESH FESTIVAL will continue to present an annual 2-3 week festival of contemporary dance, performance, Somatics, and music in the Mission and Tenderloin neighborhoods of San Francisco that prioritizes work by LQBTQAI+, BIPOC, and femme-identified artists spanning disciplines, genres, ages, and cultural diversity and is produced by a collective leadership team that is 80% QTBIPOC and comprised of working artists. Funds will be used to support fair wages for the leadership team, an increase in accessibility services, and general operating costs. It will also fund stipends for a new Arts Administration Apprenticeship Program that will train future curators and administrators of KHFRESH, giving valuable work experience and skill-building to younger artists. | PROGRAMMING: Annual 10 day to 2 week-long festival of experimental dance, performance art, somatics, and music in the Mission and Tenderloin neighborhoods of San Francisco. Curation prioritizes work by LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, disabled, low-income and/or femme-identified artists spanning disciplines, genres, ages, and cultural diversity. FRESH works to increase economic accessibility as well as accessibility and belonging for disabled, blind, and deaf audiences and participants. The Festival annually presents up to 2 weeks of performances, workshops, community forums, and exchanges that lift up cutting-edge Bay Area artists and present them alongside international artists. 2025 programming includes site-specific performances at CounterPulse and Aunt Charlie’s bar in the Tenderloin. FRESH 2025 is scheduled for late February to early March 2025. SERVICES: FRESH Festival is artist-run by a collective leadership team. We provide critical training, high-quality performances, well-paid creative opportunities, and vital skill-building in arts administration to Bay Area artists. We help increase participation in curation, fundraising, performance, and leadership as a way to combat gatekeeping, inequity, and imbalanced resource distribution in the arts. All programming has NOTAFLOF (no one turned away for lack of funds) ticketing, and we offer a work/exchange program to allow artists or patrons to attend any event for free in exchange for volunteer labor. We host all programming in ADA accessible venues, and offer audio description for the blind as well as ASL interpretation for the Deaf at performances. SERVICES: FRESH Festival provides living wages and a curated, highly visible platform to share performance and teaching work by early, mid, and late-career artists from the Bay and beyond. FRESH presents rigorous training and cutting-edge performances, panels, gatherings and other high-caliber programming that Bay Area dancers and artists crave, maintaining San Francisco’s reputation as a world-class artistic hub. We prioritize serving BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, low-income and/or femme artists and audiences. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Duniya Dance and Drum Company | 1446 Market St , San Francisco, CA 94102-6004 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (510) 213-1537 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Duniya Dance and Drum Company will continue to produce and teach innovative music and dance performance pieces from South Asia and West Africa, compensate dancers and musicians for weekday daytime rehearsals, hire a marketing and communications consultant, create new dance and music repertoire including a South Asian historical walking tour, and supplement the pay of Duniya staff in order to achieve these goals. | -Adult and youth classes in the styles of Bhangra, Bollywood, West African dance, and West African drumming. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | Performing Arts Workshop | 768 Delano Avenue , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 673-2634 | California's 15th congressional district | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, PERFORMING ARTS WORKSHOP INC will collaborate with Lead Artist Dazaun Soleyn to conduct research and community outreach preceding the unveiling of our artist commission program at the Geneva Powerhouse in District 11, centering Black Queer healing work to engage and learn from the community what is desired from a new program, answering the community call in D11 for more access to the arts and artistic space in the neighborhood. Funds will be used to compensate Dazaun and his collaborators to facilitate creative modes of research and community engagement and underwrite rental space and administrative costs for this project at the Powerhouse as we build out the infrastructure for a sustainable commissioning program rooted in our community benefits agreement with D11 with our long-term tenancy at the Powerhouse. | -Artists-in-Residency. We currently engage nearly 1,500 Bay Area youth (PreK-12) at 25 sites annually in sequential dance, music, theater, poetry, and visual/media arts training through 15-30 week residencies, 1-2 hours weekly. We partner with preschools, majority Title 1 schools, transitional housing facilities, afterschool programs, and juvenile hall schools. -Geneva Powerhouse. In 2017, Performing Arts Workshop was selected as the sole tenant and program provider of the Geneva Powerhouse. Here, we host seven youth classes annually, including Community Activism and Brazilian Dance, Spoken Word, Oral Traditions Movement and Herbal Medicine, and Mindful Munchkins, a class for toddlers and caregivers to practice an art form in collaboration with a teaching artist and peers. We also host the Youth Advisory Committee (YAC), a paid cohort of students who provide organizational feedback, event leadership, and future program planning at the Powerhouse. Finally, we offer discounted and donated space to community partners in District 11, Lakeview, and OMI communities and to support Black, Indigenous, Queer, Asian, Pacific Islander, and Latine arts and artists in San Francisco. -Student Publishing and Showcase: We curate and publish an annual student work anthology and present a yearly Student Showcase at the Geneva Powerhouse. -Artist Commissioning Program: “Seismic Shift” – Our new artist commissioning program supports artists of color in creating and presenting transformative works in San Francisco. -Professional Development and Anti-Racist Resource Sharing: We offer monthly Learning and Growth Sessions at the Powerhouse to provide staff with Anti-Racist training and mentorship. We regularly present and share our frameworks, expertise, and learnings with other organizations, such as the San Francisco Unified School District. Our organization most recently received invitations from Emerging Arts Professionals (2022), NYC Arts in Education Roundtable: Face-to-Face (2023), and the National Guild for Community Arts Education (2024) to facilitate workshops on our Anti-Racist Framework and Operations. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Cunamacué | 13823 Velarde Dr , San Leandro, CA 94578-1631 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (408) 334-8838 | District 20 | District 9 | With support from California Arts Council, Cunamacué will increase our staff pay and hours. Cunamacué’s Director will increase her hours from 10 to 16 per week and we’ll increase her pay from $27/hour to $35/hour. We’ll increase our Producer’s weekly hours from 6 to 10 and increase his pay to $30/hour from a flat rate of $100/week. The goal is to eventually get their salaries up to $40/hour. Our free family dance classes and concerts in the community are growing; our first dance theater production will be presented four times this year; and we will work to expand our school programs to more schools. | Our programs include free Family Shows, Family Dance Classes, and Cajon Circles throughout the Bay Area in libraries and community spaces. These family programs are attended by a multi-generational and diverse audience from various cultural backgrounds and serve as an introduction to Afro-Peruvian history, culture, instruments, and dances. We present Afro-Peruvian dance and music residencies in schools and after-school programs in low-income title-1 schools. Students are introduced to Afro-Peruvian culture through school assemblies and study guides that demonstrate various Afro-Peruvian rhythms, instruments, and dances. We produce Afro-Peruvian dance documentaries such as “Herencia de un Pueblo”, “Barrer”, and “Son de los Diablos”, and publish articles that contribute to dance research such as “The Dance Spirituality of African Descendants in Peru”, and “Afro-Peruvian Resilience and Empowerment Through the Dance Son de los Diablos”. Our offerings also include: Afro-Peruvian music and dance workshops for adults; our free “Afro-Peruvian Roots” series — workshops, performances, and community gatherings that highlight Afro-Peruvian dances, instruments, and rituals as living legacies of resilience, resistance, and joy; “Afro-Peruvian Fest”, the only festival celebrating Afro-Peruvian culture in the Bay Area; and dance theater performances highlighting Afro-Peruvian rhythms, dances and rituals as a way to keep ancestral memory alive and serve as a vehicle for healing and transformation. | |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | SPACE | 508 W PERKINS ST , UKIAH, CA 95482-4774 | Mendocino | Upstate | (707) 462-9370 | California Assembly district 2 | District 2 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, SPACE will produce our Latinx community performing arts program, ¡Viva La Cultura! led by, Olivia Zamora. The program includes weekly dance and theater classes, an annual showing of classwork, seasonal dance/theater productions and a Spanish-language summer camp for youth – all focused around supporting Latinx intergenerational learning, cultural enrichment and artistic excellence. | SPACE currently offers over 40 classes-a-week, including: Music Together/Rhythm Kids – Music program for children ages infant through 7. Teen Performing Groups – Advanced performing groups for ages 13-18. Teen Intern Training Program – Offering youth job experience and job-related skills in working with children as well as working in technical theater. Participants have gone on to teach at SPACE and other regional and national theaters. Students often list their SPACE Intern Certificate of Completion on their college and job applications. Performance Workshop – 30 students rehearse and perform a fully-staged musical theater production; 1200 school children attend school day matinees at SPACE Theater. Dance/Theater – Students rehearse and perform fully-staged, theme-based shows created from interviews with participants that address social norms, drug & alcohol abuse prevention, social media addiction, bullying, unlearning racism and gender issues specifically focused on rural youth and families. Latino Community Engagement – Engaging the Latino community as creators, producers, and audience in 2 annual productions. Spring & Winter Dance Festivals – 300+ dancers and singers ages 7 to teens with guest artists, perform in several weekends of shows in December and May. Wanna Dance Latin & Social Dance –Ongoing event on the first Saturday of every month, includes diverse local and regional teachers sharing social dance. Classes & Summer Camps – After-school music, dance, acting, voice classes and summer camps for ages infant to 18 yrs. Contract with Ukiah Unified School District – Performing arts instruction to over 2,200 K-12th graders and to South Valley High School students. Art Exploration – Small groups of children work with master artists to create art using a wide variety of materials. All-Ability Arts – Providing access to the arts for children with disabilities; specialized instruction and accommodations are provided within each class to promote a safe space for self-expression and creativity. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $27,499.00 | Vincent Price Art Museum Foundation | 1301 AVENIDA CESAR CHAVEZ MONT , MONTEREY PARK, CA 91754-0000 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 265-8841 | CA-27 | 49 | CA-25 | The Vincent Price Art Museum Foundation (VPAMF) will support general operations of the Vincent Price Art Museum (VPAM) with support from the California Arts Council. Funding will be used towards salaries for currently unfunded or partially funded staff positions including but not limited to VPAM’s Registrar, Curatorial Assistant, and Curator of Education as well as VPAM’s Development Manager and Communications Specialist whose activities are essential to rebuild the museum’s reduced audience and individual donor bases after the COVID-19 shutdown. | Located on the campus of East Los Angeles College (ELAC), the Vincent Price Art Museum (VPAM) is the only major art museum dedicated to serving the communities of East Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley—regions with the most populous Latinx-majority neighborhoods (96%) and one of the highest concentrations of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) residents (61%) in the United States. VPAM operates a 40,000 square foot, three-story facility that includes seven galleries for temporary exhibitions, student and faculty shows, permanent collection installations, and artist/community-driven projects. The museum also houses a multimedia lecture hall for public programs and classes, as well as a professional vault for its growing permanent collection of approximately 9,000 artworks. In the last five years, VPAM has presented more than 50 exhibitions and an expansive range of public educational programs, foregrounding the work of Latinx, AAPI, Black, Indigenous, and other historically underrepresented artists. These programs center on themes of social justice, cultural identity, and cross-generational engagement, and are offered free of charge to ensure broad community access. VPAM actively engages in building a more inclusive museum field through its support of ELAC’s Museum Studies Certificate Program (MSCP)—one of the only programs of its kind at a community college. As part of this initiative, VPAM facilitates paid, local internships for students, providing hands-on experience in curatorial practice, education, collections care, and museum operations. In support of long-term preservation and public accessibility, VPAM has launched a major initiative to inventory, catalog, and digitize its permanent collection. This multi-year effort will expand access to VPAM’s permanent collection through a new, publicly accessible platform on VPAM’s website. This initiative is central to the museum’s broader commitment to accessibility, and educational engagement, allowing students, researchers, and the general public to connect with the museum’s holdings in new and meaningful ways. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | REACH for Community | 6071 Comey Ave , Los Angeles, CA 90034 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 842-1383 | With support from the California Arts Council, REACH for Community will develop and implement a free, virtual, creative arts technical assistance and professional development series on the interactive Remo virtual platform that will be responsive to the unique needs of CAC’s grantees, promoting strategic growth in organizational development and artistry. | — PUBLIC AWARENESS: producing and curating arts and culture that sparks dialogue, bringing arts-based social interventions to the center of our civic life. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | School of Arts and Culture at MHP | 1700 Alum Rock Avenue , SAN JOSE, CA 95116-1301 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 794-6250 | California's 19th congressional district | District 27 | District 15 | With support from the California Arts Council, the SCHOOL OF ARTS AND CULTURE AT MHP will produce “The Race for Free Spirit: A 50-Year Uprising”, a multimedia production of artists Roy and PJ Hirabayashi. The production highlights their 50-year history of finding a Japanese American cultural voice through taiko, and the struggles over equity, visibility, social justice, community, and place-making through the arts. These themes will be woven together with dialogue, PJ and Roy’s original compositions, and video/photo collages. They will include the rich tapestry of music, dance, song, and visuals documenting their role in shaping the Japanese American identity. “The Race for Free Spirit…” alerts awareness to what is at risk if the widespread growth of taiko erases its historical roots in the Japanese American community. | SOAC expects to serve 100,000 people through: Cultural district exploration and property ownership that will respond to the threat of displacement and culture erasure in East San José and help create tangible opportunities for residents to stay. A California Cultural District designation will fuel the economy; preserve local cultures, traditions, and identities; and shift decision-making power in the neighborhood. SOAC has acquired 1785 Alum Rock Avenue – a building across the street from La Plaza that will serve as a cornerstone of the cultural district. Placekeeping activations that foster a culturally resilient community through signature events, including: Chile, Mole, Pozole, a celebration of Mexican Independence Day; Avenida De Altares, a celebration of Dia de los Muertos; Fiesta Navideña, a celebration for the Mayfair area of East San José; and Fiesta Del Mariachi, which educates about Mariachi music. Los Mercaditos Hunger Relief Program, which addresses the basic needs of its hard-hit community, leading them towards an equitable recovery. Los Mercaditos are structured like farmers markets with access to fresh, healthy food to help families make healthy choices and lower their risk of diet-related disease. The Multicultural Arts Leadership Institute, a professional development opportunity for leaders of color in the arts, culture, and entertainment sectors, empowers arts practitioners from historically marginalized backgrounds with technical skills, philosophical foundations, and networking. The Community Engagement Program, which provides artists, multicultural institutions, and community-based agencies access to La Plaza to present programming that celebrates the local community’s diversity. The Arts Education Program, which enhances the education of children, youth, and adults through culturally specific arts engagement activities. The AEP will engage students via its Summer Camp, Year-Round Program, and Signature Event Workshops. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Noe Music | 1021 SANCHEZ ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114-3312 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 648-5236 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Noe Valley Chamber Music (DBA Noe Music) will connect Black and Latinx expecting mothers with world-class musicians to compose and record original lullabies for their babies, fostering community through music, strengthening maternal health, healing, and parent and child bonding. We will partner with Alameda Health System and their successful BEloved Birth Black centering and Spanish Centering (Latinx) programs—a unique care model that enables midwives to provide perinatal care in a group setting, breaking down hierarchy and building trust in the wisdom of the group. Expecting mothers learn together, and support each other throughout their pregnancies. The Lullaby Project harnesses creative expression through music-making and storytelling to empower women and families, especially those who are most vulnerable and experiencing challenging life circumstances. | Noe Music presents diverse artists in multi-day residencies. Our artists immerse themselves in our community by presenting public concerts for adults, interactive family concerts, and free public school workshops. The range of artists we present includes world, jazz, folk and experimental styles, as well as classical music, with a guiding emphasis on diversity and inclusion. Another core offering is the Lullaby Project—connecting pregnant women experiencing homelessness with professional Bay Area artists to compose original lullabies for their newborns. The project began as a partnership with the Homeless Prenatal Program in San Francisco and Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute. We now expand our collaborations to include Alameda Health System’s Spanish Centering and Beloved Birth Black Centering programs, running eight programs to date. Our intended audience is families of all ages. We create offerings for every stage of life, starting with the Lullaby Project in which we encourage mothers’ musical messages to reach their babies in utero. Our Noe Music Kids series offers interactive concerts tailored to young ears, for kids ages 3 to 12. We also offer free workshops to public schools in SF. At our mainstage offerings for adults, we offer discounted student tickets and complimentary childcare for those parents who would otherwise struggle to attend. All of our public offerings are wheelchair accessible. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | MUSEUM EDUCATORS OF | 137 N LARCHMONT BLVD 680 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90004-3704 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 271-7281 | California Assembly district 50 | District 50 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Museum Educators of Southern California (MESC) will prioritize professional development opportunities offering targeted workshops that empower our members with the latest knowledge and best practices in museum education. Upgrading our digital capabilities, including website enhancements and online resources, will expand our reach to a wider audience. We will also invest in community outreach initiatives, fostering collaborations and partnerships with community organizations and underserved communities. By organizing special events and tailoring programs, we will ensure accessibility and inclusivity. Finally, we will enhance our marketing and communication efforts through comprehensive campaigns, digital advertising, and social media outreach to attract more members and supporters. These strategic allocations will enrich our professional development programming and positively impact the Southern California community. | Museum Educators of Southern California (MESC) is one of the oldest and largest organization in the nation serving museum education professionals. For over 30 years, MESC has provided its members with opportunities for professional development, theoretical discourse, practical training, and networking. Since MESC’s founding, the field of museum education has evolved, and in response to this, in 2015, members of the MESC Board of Directors began to reevaluate the purpose of the organization. With guidance and support from membership, the board launched a two-year, multi-phase process that resulted in a new organizational mission, vision, values, and leadership structure–voted on and approved by membership in June 2017–that now serve as the foundation for MESC. Through this time of strategic development and growth, MESC has continued to offer core programming to membership including an Annual Institute. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Green Room Theatre Company | 74300 OLD PROSPECTOR TRL , PALM DESERT, CA 92260-5618 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (442) 215-7039 | 41st Congressional District | California's 47th State Assembly District | California's 18th State Senate District | With support from the California Arts Council, GREEN ROOM THEATRE COMPANY COACHELLA VALLEY (GRTCCV) will enhance its efforts to provide professional-quality theatre and educational programming to under-served communities in the Coachella Valley. This will include hiring support staff, supporting innovative theatre projects, and working with community partners to offer diverse and relevant programming. GRTCCV aims to enhance literacy, job skills, and community connections. Green Room is delivering projects that combine bilingual plays with youth discussion groups to address important social issues of special concern in the East Coachella Valley, such as bullying and immigration. Green Room is also expanding its ballet folklorico classes in Coachella Valley public schools. GRTCCV is also programming theatre works addressing the needs of historically under-resourced or marginalized groups, such as people of color and the LGBTQ+ community. | GRTCCV provides: (1) classes for children, youth, and adults; (2) touring productions; (3) staged readings; (4) ballet folklorico training; and (5) performances of reinvented classics at pivotal Coachella Valley venues. Now in its 16th season, GRTCCV is focusing especially on serving the Central and East Coachella Valley, providing employment development training. Many alumni of our training programs have found paid theatre work in the Coachella Valley and beyond, or majored in theatre at colleges and universities. For many years, the summer conservatory’s large Broadway musical trained 60 young actors and technicians. However, responding partly to changes wrought by the pandemic, recently Green Room has focused on projects that combine bilingual theatre productions with youth discussion groups to address important social issues. The successful 2023 “Novio Boy” project used an engaging Spanish-English romantic comedy and supporting discussion groups to boost teen literacy and social-emotional skills. The recent “Act Against Bullying” project similarly combined an award-winning play with discussion groups focused on bullying prevention/response. In a typical year, GRTCCV sponsors several other projects. These include Shakespeare/classical productions, performances to celebrate Black History Month and other diversity initiatives, and classes throughout the year. Recently we expanded ballet folklorico classes in Indio public schools and spotlighted folklorico performances along with our theatre productions. GRTCCV is innovative in its performance venues, themes, and approaches. For example, we recently devised a play about the history of “Section 14,” addressing a controversial episode when the City of Palm Springs in the 1960s forcibly evicted hundreds of mainly Black and Latine residents from a planned downtown redevelopment site. This innovative project used oral history and a community advisory committee to help develop the play. Our performances have been held in a 400-seat auditorium, a brew pub, bookstores, and even a cemetery in order to reach diverse audiences. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Shakespeare Youth Festival | 1210 S SYCAMORE AVE , LOS ANGELES, CA 90019-1533 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 334-0105 | California Assembly district 54 | District 54 | District 30 | With support from the California Arts Council, LOS ANGELES DRAMA CLUB INC will be able to begin a new chapter in our mission to use theatre to create diverse communities of belonging and self-empowerment for youth across Los Angeles. With a new executive director coming on in June, our goal for this year is to begin the expansion of our foundational programs, such as our annual Shakespeare Youth Festival, our Summer Institute and our Shakespeare in the City outreach programs, and make them even more accessible to the youth of LA and the surrounding areas. | Since 2010, Los Angeles Drama Club/Shakespeare Youth Festival has successfully built an ongoing artistic community of youth who, through the creative process of “putting on a play,” have found a passion, a purpose, and a safe place to express themselves and gain self-worth from their collective accomplishments. Our programs include our annual Spring Shakespeare Festival, which brings together youth from all over Los Angeles to rehearse and perform three to four Shakespeare plays in rotating repertory, Summer Institute (our summer theater and play-writing camps), and our in-school/after-school workshops and residencies, called Shakespeare in the City. Additionally, we travel to Botswana, Kenya, and Guanajuato, Mexico annually to conduct workshops for youth. While our nonprofit is registered as Los Angeles Drama Club, in 2019, we began using Shakespeare Youth Festival as our public name, to better reflect our mission. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Ayurda Arts | 184 John Henry Cir , Folsom, CA 95630 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 673-7868 | With support from the California Arts Council (CAC) grant, Ayurda Arts proposes a new interactive south Asian folk art education for all ages. The proposal addresses the lack of knowledge and awareness about South Asian folk art in California. This unawareness leads to limited cultural appreciation, disparities in access to resources, and hindered preservation. Ayurda will utilize the grant funds to develop and implement educational videos, interactive art classes, and cultural events that educate and engage 500 californians about the rich history, diverse artistic techniques, and socio-economic significance of each unique art form. The program’s focus on education ensures the preservation and celebration of centuries old art and contributes to cross-cultural understanding, encouraging all Californians to appreciate the rich diversity of artistic expressions. We want to inspire from South Asia but create in California. | The core program of Ayurda Arts is focused on providing comprehensive arts education and cultural experiences centered around South Asian folk art. The organization will offer a range of services to achieve this, including: Art Workshops and Classes: Ayurda Arts conducts art workshops and classes where individuals can learn various techniques, skills, and artistic practices specific to South Asian folk art. These sessions are designed to be accessible to participants of all ages and skill levels. Cultural Events and Exhibitions: Ayurda Arts organizes cultural events and exhibitions to showcase the richness and diversity of South Asian folk art. These events provide opportunities for artists to display their work and for the community to engage with and appreciate South Asian artistic traditions. Artist Collaborations and Residencies: Ayurda Arts facilitates collaborations between local artists, cultural practitioners, and the community. These collaborations involve artists working closely with community members to co-create art projects, share knowledge, and promote cross-cultural understanding. Outreach and Community Engagement: Ayurda Arts actively engages with the community through outreach initiatives. This includes partnering with local organizations, schools, and community centers to bring art experiences and educational resources directly to the community. Online Resources and Digital Engagement: Ayurda Arts utilizes digital platforms to provide online resources, tutorials, and virtual exhibitions, making art education and cultural experiences accessible to a wider audience. This allows individuals to engage with South Asian folk art regardless of their location or physical accessibility. These core programs and services collectively aim to preserve and celebrate South Asian artistic traditions, promote cultural appreciation, and empower individuals to embrace their heritage and express themselves through art. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Self-Help Hunger Program. | 823 58th St. , OAKLAND, CA 94608 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 944-2443 | 12th | 18th | 9th | With support from the California Arts Council, Oakland Communities United for Equity & Justice (OCUEJ)’s Self Help Hunger Program (SHHP), an organization founded ‘by and for’ displacement-vulnerable low-income BIPOC North Oakland residents, has supported our community for 15 years. The SHHP delivers direct services in a broader context of community and cultural solidarity, and of mutual support. To bolster this sense of culture and community, the SHHP hosts quarterly community arts & cultural gatherings. The ‘Every Day Is Black History Month’ series in North Oakland draws the full spectrum of North Oakland residents, artists, vendors, allies and community leaders. Our place-based celebratory events build bridges in our community . . . even between prosperous homeowners and chronically-homeless folks! Along the way, community-based musicians, artists, poets, and other cultural practitioners are supported as they delight, inform, and unify our festival goers. | Oakland Communities United for Equity & Justice (OCUEJ), through our flagship Self-Help Hunger Program (SHHP), addresses social, health, and economic pressures affecting low-income, displacement-vulnerable, and unhoused North Oakland residents. We provide direct services in a community advocacy and empowerment framework and operate collaboratively, with 16 other community service agency partners. Services include: Nutritional support through a free food pantry operating 4 days/week, offering produce & other foods rescued from the waste stream and/or donated from local sustainable urban farming training programs & enterprises to our 1,500 constituents. This includes twice-weekly prepared meals served by our Cooks For Food Justice food industry employment-readiness trainees and graduates. Most importantly for CA Arts Council reviewers, culture/arts/community-building gatherings showcasing Indigenous, African-American, Latinx, and Asian-American traditions and practitioners from Oakland; Anti-displacement organizing and empowerment trainings & practice, often in conjunction with partner organizations, for vulnerable North Oakland residents to more effectively self-advocate for public policy changes before public agencies and lawmakers. The SHHP also organizes our served constituency, to advocate for: our rights, access to resources & services, and authentic representation. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $42,500.00 | Ink People Center for the Arts | 627 3rd Street , EUREKA, CA 95501-0417 | Humboldt | Upstate | (707) 442-8413 | District 2 | District 2 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, Ink People Inc will expand professional development opportunities for the 100+ projects fiscally sponsored within the DreamMaker Program, will support a regional leadership cohort of cultural practitioners and creatives, and will collaborate with allied organizations and artist-leaders to create a regional cultural summit. The Ink People will also continue to develop advocacy and networking efforts throughout the region and State. | The Ink People is a community-based, grassroots, artist-run, arts and culture organization. For 44 years, we have organized our work around community access principles and the belief that art, in all its forms, is essential to the human spirit and well-being. We base our activities in a philosophy of sharing and community-building, and we work to connect community members with resources for cultural development. With over 700 subscribers, we nurture cultural enrichment through education and engagement of artists and communities. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Opera Parallele | 44 PAGE ST STE 400 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102-5975 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 626-6279 | California Assembly district 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Opera Parallele and partners will produced the third iteration of “Expansive’, a collaboration between Opera Parallèle and the Transgender District which celebrates the breadth of transgender and gender non-binary performing artists by showcasing transgender performing artists working in classical music and opera. Our partnership furthers the Transgender District’s strategic initiatives to celebrate the culture, resilience and resistance of transgender people in the city’s Tenderloin area through arts and culture programming led by and for transgender people, while economically supporting transgender artists, performers, business owners, cultural workers, and more. | Opera Parallèle develops and performs contemporary opera, commissions new works, and re-orchestrates contemporary grand opera, breathing new life into underperformed masterworks for the 20th & 21st centuries. Embracing rituals of old while bravely finding space for the new, this tension sparks creativity – colorful collisions that inspire new ways of experiencing opera. Born in San Francisco, a city built on both old and new, between art and technology, Opera Parallèle merges tradition with innovation to reimagine the power of opera in the modern world, highlighting stories of social relevance that explore the depth of the human condition. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | SO SAY WE ALL | 6373 LAMBDA DR , SAN DIEGO, CA 92120-4704 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 887-2856 | California's 53rd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, SO SAY WE ALL will offer members of the LGBTQ+ community within the San Diego region an opportunity to participate in “The Whole Alphabet,” focusing on the cultivation of true life stories as literary narratives. The 12-month project will provide free online writing and storytelling workshops delivered in real-time by master storytellers, accompanied by 1:1 coaching provided by SSWA teaching artists. Preceded by four general storytelling workshops (open to the public), participants will then refine their personal narratives over the course of eight 2-hour intensive workshops and subsequently present their works before a live audience at a storytelling performance showcase that is free and open to the general public. Readings will be videotaped and posted online for downloading at no cost from the SSWA website. | So Say We All (SSWA) provides: creative writing workshops; performance opportunities through live storytelling and literary events; professional one-on-one performance / public speaking and literary coaching; visiting writers reading series; publication opportunities both in print and digital media; literary arts symposiums; public radio and podcast storytelling production through partnerships with PRX / KPBS, The La Jolla Playhouse, and other organizations; and academic achievement support for youth and young adults at San Diego community college campuses. In addition to core programming, the organization offers special arts projects focusing on military veterans, the LGBTQ+ community, and presenters from immigrant families. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Compassionate Artists Inc. | 2833 E 1st St , Long Beach, CA 90803-2548 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (562) 334-5031 | California Assembly district 58 | District 58 | District 32 | With support from the California Arts Council, COMPASSIONATE ARTISTS will continue its Mission to bring the JOY of Music, Dance, and Art to residential care facilities for financially disadvantaged seniors. With CAC capacity support, Compassionate Artists will be able to employ one part-time assistant to help improve our outreach and our efficiency in marketing, bring on an additional Arts Therapy consultant to ensure our programs provide maximum necessary health benefits to our seniors, add an additional partner facility for FY 2023-2024, and expand our dance program by hiring additional dance/movement technicians for specialized chair exercise/yoga for seniors. In particular, the Arts Therapy practitioner will review our materials/protocols, ensuring the activities and projects bring maximum cognitive benefit to our seniors even as they are enjoying social and emotional support through art and music programming. | We have grown to six facilities in the last year. These include two transitional housing facilities for formally homeless seniors. Our programs include arts and crafts – two art workshops a month at each of our facilities, dance/movement/yoga – a monthly activity to each of our facilities, professional musician recitals – two at each facility per month, our theatre program – once a month per facility – presented our partner nonprofit entities in the performing arts space and our touring jazz group. We bring special guests, ensembles, and a youth orchestra quite often to each of our facilities. We also have several individual artists who want to share in our mission and perform a few times per year. Our Artists and partner nonprofits combine to make our programming intergenerational. All of our artists are high-level, skilled professionals, and we pay them accordingly. We take great pride in getting to know the individuals in our audiences. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Pony Box Dance | 3687 Hackett Avenue , Long Beach, CA 90808 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (562) 256-0198 | California's 47th congressional district | District 70 | District 33 | With support from California Arts Council, Pony Box Dance Theatre will With support from CAC, PBDT will provide therapeutic dance classes, at the Downtown Women’s Center, a shelter for unhoused, and GEMS Uncovered, a nonprofit serving individuals that have experienced trafficking. Choreographer/Childhood Abuse Survivor Jamie Carabetta will lead “my/story” workshops, reframing traumatic events through dance. | 1. Pony Box Dance Theatre, Professional Repertory Company 2. Best Foot Forward, Cultural Enrichment Program 3.The Dance Renewal Project |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Museum of Dance | 77 Van Ness Avenue Ste 101 , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (520) 780-6672 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from CAC, the Museum of Dance will expand our programmatic growth and impact in the fields of education and archives, specifically our MODED+MODARCHIVES initiatives. This crucial financial support, combined with MOD’s matching funds, will total $120,000 over two years, allowing us to develop MOD’s education and archives digital platform and implement key initiatives such as dance programs in public schools and the digitization of dance archives. We are grateful for the significant support we have received in restricted funding for these initiatives. Additional funding is needed to cover the contracted personnel fees. To raise the necessary matching funds, MOD is actively organizing Gala activities in 2024 and 2025, as well as strengthening our partnerships with private schools. Personnel fees are crucial for MOD to continue expanding our opportunities and ensuring access for all. | Our core programs and services include: Education Partnerships: Collaborating with local and national schools, we provide comprehensive dance education programs for students of all ages, including movement, technique, choreography, performance, and dance history. We also offer civic engagement projects and paid internships, fostering a deep connection between dance and community. Artist Partnerships: Working closely with local and national dance artists, we offer support, resources, and space for their presentations, performances, lectures, and teaching work. By nurturing these partnerships, we contribute to the growth and visibility of dance artists. Archive Partnerships: We collaborate with local and international dance archives, shining a spotlight on hidden dance archives and assisting in the interpretation and understanding of their significance. By showcasing these archives, we contribute to the broader appreciation and preservation of dance history. Exhibition Planning and Preparation: Engaging with students, local artists, national and international historians, and archivists, we design and create dynamic “Pop-Up” exhibitions that explore the connections between dance and communities. These exhibitions foster a sense of community engagement and connection. At the Museum of Dance, we are dedicated to creating an inclusive and enriching environment that celebrates the art of dance and its profound impact on our lives. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $30,832.00 | Mendocino Art Center | 45200 Little Lake Street PO Box 765, MENDOCINO, CA 95460-0765 | Mendocino | Upstate | (707) 937-5818 | California Assembly district 2 | District 2 | District 2 | With the support of the California Arts Council, the Mendocino Art Center will be able to continue the reimaging process started in late 2022 with the pending closure of the art center. The Board of Directors, staff, a diverse group of stakeholders and community representatives all with direct input have agreed on a new model of programming that better serves the changing demographics in an ever evolving rural community. | Art classes for the Northern California communities; art classes for youth outside of school hours; artists-in-residence; three art galleries; events for the community. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Movement Liberation | c/o Commonweal PO Box 316, Bolinas, CA 94924 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (510) 717-8799 | District 8 | District 15 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Movement Liberation will be able to continue offering unique healing dance workshops and retreats for our Black, Indigenous, and People of Color community that have exponential impact in the community, are facilitated by trauma-informed BIPOC artists, and are accessible to all bodies and minds. This grant will go towards paying BIPOC staff (e.g., Executive Director, Assistant, Accessibility Coordinator) at a fair market rate consistent with ML’s mission, helping to sustain a financially vulnerable organization with a proven record of providing transformative healing experiences through the arts to the Bay Area BIPOC community. | Movement Liberation offers dance programs aligned with our 4 strategic pillars: Movement Liberation offers workshops & retreats held in a container for healing and growth. Here, adults with diverse movement experience, ages, genders, body types, and abilities all become dancers. They improvise & introduce their movement signatures into the room. This range of expression invites all to stretch out of their comfort zones & explore new ways of moving, resting, breathing and dreaming together. The practice of liberation inside these dance spaces transforms the life and leadership of each individual beyond these spaces – at home, at work, in the community – creating a ripple effect of inspiration and empowerment across communities. Anchored by a theme, the energy in the room, and the needs of the participants, facilitators guide dancers through an exploration of different movement patterns, relational landscapes, & embodied points-of-view. They may invite dancers to pause, pay attention to breath patterns, use peripheral vision, witness each other, be witnessed (a growth edge for some), explore boundaries, release – no two experiences are ever the same. Employing trauma-informed facilitation, they encourage participants to take up space, stand in their dignity, and move relationally. Within this space, there is immense potential for original movement, trauma release, and somatic repatterning. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | Veteran Art Institute | 3392 TURNER CIR , CAMERON PARK, CA 95682-9159 | El Dorado | Capital | (916) 952-3291 | Republican | Assembly District 5 | District 1 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Veteran Art Institute (VAI) will enhance our venue by implementing software, the “Enterprise Information Management.” This allows veterans to host an interactive “site page” hosting profiles, artworks and compelling stories. This ability to connect veterans and their narratives to each other, to patrons and to the general public, has long been sorely needed!!! With broadened reach, VAI can assist veterans addressing critical issues, particularly high suicide rates, mental health struggles and promoting psychological well-being and healing. Additionally, VAI contributes to development of an inclusive and empathetic California community. | The Veteran Art Institute is an art-based service for veterans as stated in our mission. The core programs and services offered by the Veteran Art Institute (VAI) are to offer California veterans a safe space to practice and explore their art, connect with like minded veterans and tell their stories to the public if so desired. VAI also hopes to create a sense of camaraderie among veterans, often lost when they leave the military. The goal is to create a dynamic platform.. The current state of the VAI is static and does not meet our mission. This grant would help build out the Veteran Art Institute to offer an open-ended platform to educate veterans, active military and the public about how art heals. This can be achieved by developing the website to be interactive, thus attracting more Veterans who might need help but do not want to disclose it. The “art of doing art” is therapy, encouraging veterans to free their minds from internal or external influences facilitating healing. Especially targets veterans who do not wish to engage government “help” such as the VA etc. Art has been called the 2nd Responder — and addresses the 20+ suicides in the veteran community. Isolation is often an impact of veteran mental health. VAI aims to increase the visibility of our participating and new veteran artists and demonstrate how Art Transforms and Heals. With this in mind, VAI hopes to foster greater understanding and empathy within the community towards the experience of veterans. Not to mention, enriching the artistic CA landscape by bringing forward unique perspectives and experiences. Art and Healing is at the center of VAI’s Core Programs and Services. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Community Works West | 110 Broadway , Oakland, CA 94607-3716 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 268-8116 | California's 13th congressional district | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, COMMUNITY WORKS WEST INC will engage a local artist who has been impacted by incarceration to create a mural in support of Community Works’ Restorative Hub in San Francisco. At the CW Restorative Hub, youth, adults and families will receive services and learn skills that help them heal from the impacts of system involvement and, create a path to healthy sustainable lives with a focus on repairing and reconnecting relationships with themselves, their families, and communities. | Community Works West is the premiere provider of restorative justice programs in the San Francisco Bay Area, launching in 1997 with the first restorative justice program in a county jail and the first pre-charge diversion program for youth in San Francisco and Alameda counties. Our restorative justice, arts, and human service programs include anti-violence, job readiness, batterers’ intervention, and family-strengthening services for individuals, families, and communities affected by incarceration. Our restorative arts programs provide a safe and creative space for individuals to overcome the trauma of incarceration. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Meztli Projects | 6615 Easton Street , Los Angeles, CA 90022 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 637-4375 | California's 40th congressional district | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Meztli Projects will use the General Operating Relief funds to support staff salaries and sustain the only studio space for Native and Indigenous artists in Los Angeles. | Meztli Projects provides culturally relevant and competent arts programming to Native/Indigenous populations as well as the general public. Workshops range from printmaking such as screen printing and lino block printing to beading, drum making, mural painting, and zine making. Youth Development: Meztli Projects’ (Ready 2 Rise Project) is a unique set of interlocking programs between youth, artists and cultural workers from East Los Angeles who have been impacted by street violence and incarceration, developed to specifically center impacted youth by building a framework for participation, decision-making, apprenticeship, and entrepreneurship. The suite of programs include a Cultural Worker Apprenticeship program, a Youth Arts & Action Workshop Series and a 10-month program focusing on Arts-Based Healing Practices. Each program folds into the next creating a pathway for employment and wellness through art making, opportunities to assist program facilitators, and mentorship. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | FaTasiLima | 101 Horne Avenue , San Francisco, CA 94124 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 312-7115 | 17 | Weiner | With support from the California Arts Council, FaTasiLima will continue with its mission of ushering in a nouveau Black renaissance in San Francisco, by building strong and sustainable infrastructure to provide high-quality programs and services that will have the greatest impact. Specifically, this general operating grant will fund collaborations with local artists and venues, fund administrative salaries, office supplies, building utilities, technology maintenance and purchases, as well as professional development—providing support and visibility for San Francisco’s only shrinking demographic. | FaTasiLima cultivates arts-focused experiences which advocate and preserve the history, legacy, and culture of Black generational San Franciscans; the city’s only shrinking demographic. We accomplish this with art exhibitions and immersive fashion shows which foster partnerships with local artists and community based organizations. Our panel discussions facilitate critical thinking, education and engagement aiming to spark community involvement. The artists of our organization collaborate to create fine artworks which have graced the walls of community centers, art galleries, museums, and non-profit organizations, and even in the private homes of our community members across San Francisco. As a cultural practice, FaTasiLima is involved in researching and documenting ancestral lineage, stories, and experiences and using various artistic mediums to convey and interpret that information as a form of resistance and cultural preservation. | |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Long Beach Camerata Singers | PO BOX 90511 , LONG BEACH, CA 90809-0511 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (562) 900-2863 | California's 47th congressional district | District 69 | District 33 | With support from the California Arts Council, Camerata Singers of Long Beach will present a series of community and student events in October 2023, including an environmental faire, a choral concert, student workshops and student/adult choral concerts relating to Camerata Peace Project 7, programmed around the theme of how we use and preserve our water resources (“Our Beautiful Oceans”). The overarching theme is Environmental Justice. | Camerata Singers of Long Beach (CSLB) is a 90-voice classical music chorus completing its 58th season. The organization is led by Grammy-winning Artistic Director, Dr. James K. Bass, Director of Choral Studies at UCLA. It produces 4 concerts per year, including the annual Peace Project, examining social justice topics, an annual performance of Handel’s Messiah, ChoralFest Long Beach in the Spring, and Evening of Song to finish the season. CSLB is the artistic partner of the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra. In the summer months, LBCS presents its free, community based outdoor concert series, The Front Porch Concerts. LBCS also runs two education programs. The Camerata Children’s Music Academy provides three weekly workshops teaching music fundamentals to pre-K children at the Long Beach YMCA Early Education Program, which runs state-funded child development centers for low-income families. Peace4Youth is presented in partnership with the Long Beach Unified School District, and brings the Peace Project into Middle and High Schools. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $36,666.00 | Bell Arts Factory | 432 N VENTURA AVE STE 101 , VENTURA, CA 93001-1953 | Ventura | Central Coast | (805) 641-3132 | California Assembly district 37 | District 37 | District 19 | With support from the California Arts Council, BELL ARTS FACTORY will continue utilizing the arts to highlight the diversity of thought and culture in our community, and to encourage acts of greater good. At the intersection of the arts and nonprofits, we provide all community members access to the arts. | After-school art programs English and Spanish , Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturdays. Summer Spanish Art Programs. We also offer offer monthly community events, low cost artist studios, and monthly gallery openings. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Marin Society of Artists | 1515 3RD ST , SAN RAFAEL, CA 94901-2710 | Marin | Bay Area – Other | (415) 454-9561 | California's 2nd congressional district | District 12 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, MARIN SOCIETY OF ARTISTS INC will foster opportunities with and for people of differing backgrounds and life experiences to incorporate the arts in their lives, with particular focus on access for the immigrant population of color in the nearby San Rafael Canal community. | We support art makers and creators in all stages of development & foster activities encouraging the general public, whether they consider themselves creators or not, to incorporate arts, culture and human enrichment in their lives. Core programs at the Art Center in San Rafael, CA include: free or affordable visual arts exhibitions; classes, critiques & workshops in a broad range of arts & enrichment activities; small ensemble, voice & performance; poetry/literature; health & life improvement. Our Crossroads Program makes the Art Center available for diverse community use. We provide space and services for artist studios, youth & under-served communities, and other arts & community groups. We partner with Blind & Vision Impaired of Marin to host & provide workshops with 1 to 1 assistance for vision challenged artists. We partner with agencies like Alchemia.org & Canal Alliance.org and The Canal Arts.org to support creative efforts of developmentally challenged artists, & in newcomer communities of color such as the Canal district of San Rafael. We sponsor art activities for youth. Programs are on-line, at the Art Center, in local schools, at the Boro Community Center in the Canal and elsewhere in the community. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | ABADA-Capoeira San Francisco | 3221 22nd Street , San Francisco, CA 94110-3006 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 206-0650 | California Assembly District 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, ABADA-CAPOEIRA SAN FRANCISCO (ACSF) and lead artists will conduct a Capoeira instructional and performance project for youth 13-19. Using Afro-Brazilian arts, this project addresses a community-identified need for accessible, inclusive, skill-building opportunities that support the physical and mental health of teenagers. | ACSF brings high-quality, culturally authentic, and awe-inspiring Afro-Brazilian arts to the streets, schools, and stages of the Bay Area. Programs center around Capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian art created by enslaved Africans in Brazil in response to oppression and used to fight for freedom. Capoeira combines self-defense, dance, ritual, acrobatics, and music in a rhythmic dialogue of body, mind, and spirit. It’s internationally practiced and protected under UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Rooted in resilience, Capoeira’s history of uniting diverse populations in their quest for freedom and justice shapes ACSF’s mission and programs. ACSF provides year-round arts education; cultural festivals and performances; artist exchange and residency opportunities; apprenticeships and artist employment; and classes for children, teens and adults in Capoeira, dance, music, and fitness—providing people opportunities to learn about, experience, and participate in art rooted in tradition. Programs develop artistic and physical skills; cultivate and support cultural practitioners and next-generation artists; inspire cultural awareness, creative conflict resolution, and civic engagement; and foster health and cultural connectedness. ACSF’s Capoeira Arts Center enlivens the Mission District, housing the performance company, hosting internationally attended cultural festivals, and providing daily instructional programs and affordable rental space to artists and organizations. To remove barriers and encourage participation, ACSF provides: |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Arts Benicia | 1 Commandant's Lane , BENICIA, CA 94510 | Solano | Capital | (707) 747-0131 | California District 8 | District 11 | District 3 | With support from the California Arts Council, Arts Benicia will initiate a printmaking program for teens and young adults, building on its long-time signature Printmakers’ Workshop founded in 2001 by Bill Harsh. The project will reach out to youth in disadvantaged and diverse segments of the community to provide uplifting and formative art education experiences. It will ensure the development of the next generation of California printmakers by providing access to instruction, mentoring, and equipment that would otherwise not be accessible. | Since its formation in 1987, Arts Benicia has established a compelling series of ongoing annual exhibitions, classes for adult, teens, and children, events, and public programs that have contributed significantly to the region’s cultural vitality and attract thousands of visitors each year. A community-based non-profit organization, Arts Benicia serves as a hub for the visual arts community in Benicia and the Historic Arsenal District, and it offers resources and benefits for artists, including opportunities to exhibit and promote their work. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | United Cambodian Community | 2201 EAST ANAHEIM STREET SUITE 200 , LONG BEACH, CA 90804-3411 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (562) 433-2490 | California's 47th congressional district | District 70 | District 33 | With support from the California Arts Council, United Cambodian Community Center in Long Beach will expand its successful existing arts program for youth 14-24, Living Arts, to additionally serve middle-school and elementary school students in a comparable during and afterschool program designed for these younger students. Living Arts has been in place for over seven years. During community events and outreach programs, parents and younger children such as middle school students and elementary children have asked us if we could include them in arts programming and we have long wanted to do so. We will employ UCC staff, local professional artists, and other qualified parties to provide after-school arts instruction at various local elementary and middle schools on a rotating basis. | UCC provides culturally competent social services to the Cambodian community in Long Beach, home of Cambodia Town, the largest population of Cambodians in the nation. In the early 1980s, over 300,000 Cambodian refugees immigrated to the United States as survivors of the Cambodian Genocide. From 1975-1979, the Khmer Rouge killed over 2 million Cambodians, while survivors endured slavery, torture, starvation, rape, and other major traumatic experiences. UCC was established in 1977 by a small group of Cambodian refugees to integrate Cambodian immigrants into Long Beach by providing housing, economic, and benefit enrollment support. Since then, UCC has developed into a multi-service agency providing youth development, workforce development, gang prevention, and mental health services to address the changing needs of the growing Cambodian population. Currently, UCC’s mission is to elevate the Cambodian community through local engagement and leadership that embodies Cambodian cultural values. UCC has four strategic program areas: Health Equity, Youth Enrichment, Community Integration, and Economic Inclusion. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Alena Museum | 935 61st St suite 1 , Oakland, CA 94608-1365 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 684-0685 | California's 13th congressional district | District 15 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Alena Museum will be able to launch our Revolutionary Acts of Service Project (RASP). The mission of RASP is to bring forward and embody the spirit of the revolutionary movements of the 60’s and 70’s by using our North Oakland Cultural Wellness hub to incubate four cultural practitioners with work centered on radical service, to lead key service-based wellness workshops, and to host a revolutionary acts of service event for our community. The CAC funds will be used to cover the cost of our cultural practitioner projects for RASP, along with the cost for Alena to bring the RASP activation directly to our community. | Space-keeping Public Artivism Mutual aid |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | House of Gongs | 1446 Market Street , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 999-8365 | California District 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, House of Gongs will produce a new cultural program “Uni at Ugat Music Camp” derived from Maguindanao and Tagalog terms, “Sounds and Roots”. A 3-day music camp offered to Filipinx artists looking to write music by embracing Filipino gongs and Indigenous instrumentation into their body of work and community members drawn to learning more about traditional and contemporary Filipino music. It is aimed at providing a unique opportunity to learn Indigenous instruments, and music production methods working with Master artists from the Philippines and Filipinx music industry experts in the diaspora, to encourage music writing inspired by rooted Indigenous Filipino arts. Produced works will be published on streaming platforms and culminate at Gongster’s Paradise 2025. Funds will be used for venue, artist fees, administrative, recording and production. | Core Programs include: 1. Gongster’s Paradise – The only Kulintang Festival in North America, Gongster’s Paradise is a concert that celebrates Pilipino Indigenous music, particularly the sounds of kulintang honoring the Godfather of Filipino-American Kulintang Music and NEA Artist Danny Kalanduyan. This festival brings together a dynamic lineup of artists who honor both traditional and contemporary interpretations of kulintang and other Indigenous Filipino soundscapes. It serves as a platform for intergenerational and cross-cultural exchange, featuring master artists from the Philippines, emerging Filipinx diasporic musicians, and innovative artists who integrate ancestral rhythms into modern compositions. Beyond performances, the event fosters conversations about cultural preservation, decolonization, and artistic evolution. Gongster’s Paradise amplifies the presence of Filipino Indigenous music on the global stage, inspiring artists and audiences to reconnect with their roots. 2. Uni at Ugat Music Camp – As the first and only Filipino music-focused camp, Uni at Ugat creates a rare and immersive experience where master artists from the Philippines, music scholars, Filipinx diasporic music expertes/professionals and contemporary practitioners guide artist cohorts in integrating Pilipino cultural elements into their craft. Designed for musicians, composers, and sound artists seeking deeper connections to their Filipino identity, this camp offers intensive workshops, mentorship, and collaborative music creation and exlploration. With a focus on Indigenous and diasporic perspectives, it bridges generations, genres, and geographies, helping Filipino music continues to thrive and evolve. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | The Art Spread | 3843 S Bristol St #270 , Santa Ana, CA 92704-7426 | Orange | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (951) 973-1064 | 69 | With support from the California Arts Council, ART SPREAD will empower artists facing adversity and promote empathy through art. The Art Spread’s mission to lead these artists with adversity to success not only provides them with opportunities for growth but also helps showcase their unique perspectives and talents to a wider audience and under-served communities. Through this program, artists can find a platform to express themselves, share their stories, and contribute to the community. Art has the power to evoke emotions, challenge societal norms, and bridge cultural divides. By supporting artists with adversity, The Art Spread can create a positive impact, both within the artistic community and in society as a whole. | The Art Spread creates a platform for artists to tell their stories. We market artistry, mentor artists personally and professionally, and create financial opportunities for artists. We also invite everyone to paint with us at our art-and-adversity awareness workshops. Our events are accessible through in-person and virtual attendance. | ||
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Left Coast Chamber Ensemble | 55 TAYLOR ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102-3916 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 617-5223 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, LEFT COAST CHAMBER ENSEMBLE INC will offer chamber music performances and community events in Northern California, with programming that creates conversations between contemporary and older music and shows thematic links between works,. This gives audiences many ways to understand and enjoy the music. Programs include two presented as part of the California Festival–‘Voices of Change’ and ‘Imaginary Pancake- Songs of California.” Others are ‘Clarinet Shadows,’ ‘Old and New Soldiers’ Tales’ and workshops and performances associated with ‘Music and the Art of Storytelling.’ Left Coast will commission and premiere new works from Sarah Gibson, David Dominique, and others; and will perform new and old works by composers such as Kaija Saariaho, Gabriella Smith, Elinor Remick Warren, Vivian Fung, Johannes Brahms, Jonathan Russell, Reena Esmail, and Jessie Montgomery. | The core programs of the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble include: |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | The World Stage | 4321 Degnan Blvd , LOS ANGELES, CA 90008-0694 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 934-6313 | District 37 | District 55 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, THE WORLD STAGE PERFORMANCE GALLERY will sustain its 34 year, Los Angeles based, African American cultural arts organization with general operating support and relief for rent, utilities, and staffing expenses. The two-year grant funding will continue the creation and presentation of Jazz, African Diaspora spoken word/literature, and women’s African drumming, and weekly concerts by intergenerational Artists for and with our underserved multi-ethnic community, in the Leimert Park cultural village. | Organization program and services include Wednesdays: Anansi Writer’s Workshop, Thursdays: Billy Higgins Instrumental Jazz Jam Session, Friday: Concert Series, Saturdays: Trap Drum Workshop, Jazz Vocal Workshop, S.H.I.N.E. MAWUSI Women’s African Drum Circle; Sundays: World Stage Big Band and Rose Gales Vocal Jazz Jam Session. Performances at The World Stage generally occur on Friday and Saturday evenings. Please view our calendar for upcoming events. The World Stage fosters exchange and interaction between artists of all ages and levels, and provides a place for self-discovery, experimentation and critical feedback in a nourishing environment. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $50,000.00 | Barcid Foundation | 2811 Scott Place , Los Angeles, CA 90026 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 504-4897 | California Assembly district 34 | District 43 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Barcid Foundation will provide an expanded creative development program for Native American writers to express themselves through new literary material and visual content that will focus on healing the pervasive social, political, and economic inequalities experienced by Native communities. | The Barcid Foundation offers genuine career building programs, workshops and additional opportunities that advance Native American artists and youth. We have developed successful relationships with tribes, art foundations, studios and networks to offer career building art initiatives for Native Americans. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | CIRCUIT NETWORK | 499 ALABAMA ST APT 203, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110-1380 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 863-2441 | CA 11th Congressional District | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Circuit Network will work with circus artist Sara Toby Moore to develop a series of free workshops based in her signature human cartoon process. Participants will be drawn from the Cosmic Elders and youth agencies including San Francisco Youth Circus to launch a pilot series of 8-14 physical comedy workshops encompassing the Atomic Comic Academy. The workshops, held at Z Space, will result in the formation of a physical comedy ensemble, the Atomic Comics, who will offer a culminating public presentation of two performances at Z Space in the summer of 2024. Atomic Comics will also perform as part of the 2024 Night of Ideas at the San Francisco Public Library in a free public event co-sponsored by the French Consulate, Villa Albertine, KQED, SFMOMA and Circuit Network. | Circuit Network seeks to foster the unique and powerful voices and participation of artists who may have historically been considered outsiders in the mainstream world of performing arts presenting. In addition to providing tour booking and management services, promotional support, and a wide range of technical assistance, Circuit also has the specific goal of commissioning, producing or presenting the work of our roster artists in our home base of San Francisco. Circuit has built audiences in San Francisco for the multidisciplinary, thought-provoking work of our roster artists and affiliate artists that we’ve commissioned and presented locally. The current roster includes Culture Clash, Ruben Martinez, Dan Wolf and Felonious, playwright and clown actor Sara Toby Moore, and Pamela Z. Circuit also serves as fiscal sponsor and producer for several artists and projects, including the annual San Francisco Electronic Music Festival, composer Richard Marriott of Club Foot Orchestra, and multidisciplinary composer Guillermo Galindo. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Artist Magnet Justice Alliance | 1600 3rd Ave Apt 29 , Oakland, CA 94606 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (661) 802-1546 | 13th Congressional district of California | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Artist Magnet Justice Alliance will engage Audubon Middle School (an LAUSD school located in Leimert Park, South LA) in its free in-school program, ART HIPPIE MOVES, inspiring cultural pride through storytelling and learnings, including African Dance and the Dunham Technique. | AMJA provides the following free arts services: (1) annual virtual professional development and networking events in which emerging arts leaders have the opportunity to engage established arts practitioners to network, receive mentorship and discuss important issues relevant to the industry; Artist Magnet Justice Alliance’s core programs are targeted to support emerging arts-makers from marginalized communities, centering QTBIPOC artists. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | Playwrights Project | 3675 Ruffin Road, Ste. #130 , San Diego, CA 92123 | San Diego | Far South | (858) 384-2970 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 77 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, Playwrights Project will provide an artistic community for individuals returning home after incarceration by conducting playwriting programs at reentry facilities and providing year-round work opportunities for those returning home via internships, writers circles, teaching artist trainings, work as teaching artists, and as paid creators, advisors, writers, actors and panelists on productions that will be presented to the general public and toured to correctional facilities or aired via video on institutional television. Each presentation will be followed by a post-performance discussion led as a restorative circle for audiences to process emotions, ideas and reactions to the work and pose questions to a panel of returned citizens and experts in the justice system. | Playwrights Project provides playwriting workshops in schools, communities, and correctional facilities, conducts the annual California Young Playwrights Contest for writers under the age of 19, and professionally produces community readings and full productions of Plays by Young Writers and The Mosaic Festival. Playwrights Project’s programs engage underserved populations in dramatizing stories drawn from imagination and life experiences, including reflections on the impact of poverty, incarceration, addiction, foster care, and military service. Recognizing that life presents difficult situations, forces beyond our control, and challenging decisions, the programs guide individuals to reflect on past experiences with compassion, create fictional plays that examine hardships, explore positive non-violent solutions, look forward to brighter futures, and celebrate the resilience gained by triumphing over difficulties. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $19,125.00 | Music/Arts Organization | 321 BELL ST , E PALO ALTO, CA 94303-1506 | San Mateo | Bay Area – Other | (415) 516-4573 | With support from the California Arts Council, Redtone Records will launch the Wellness Tour, a ten-city initiative merging music and education to spotlight health disparities in BIPOC communities. Led by musician Artelia Green and Redtone Records, the project will combine documentary screenings and live performances, thereby providing an in-depth understanding of youth wellness and the systemic impact of racism. The tour’s events will offer culturally responsive stress management strategies, while Artelia Green’s concerts will integrate music with practical tools for stress relief. This initiative builds upon Artelia Green band leader, Tiffani Marie’s previous work in conducting trauma screenings and establishing university research labs. Ultimately, the Wellness Tour aims to empower communities by raising awareness of toxic stress and its links to chronic illness, and offering resources to cultivate and sustain wellness. | Redtone Records is a multifaceted organization with a deep commitment to preserving, strengthening, and enhancing arts, culture, and community across the Bay Area. We believe in the power of cultural artists — those who represent communities threatened by injustice, displacement, underrepresentation, and sustainability issues — to tell powerful stories and catalyze social change. Our mission is to uplift and empower these artists, who we view as bearers and preservers of culture, and to ensure that their voices are heard amidst an entertainment industry that often prioritizes negative, divisive narratives. Our core program includes a robust artist development initiative, whereby we produce and promote the works of artists in our state-of-the-art studio. We view these artists as agents of change, and we strive to provide them with the resources they need to make an impact in the world through their art. In addition to artist development, we are actively involved in advocacy work for a more equitable Bay Area. Recognizing the rising real estate market that threatens to displace Artists & Communities of Color, we work collaboratively with local government, foundations, and corporations to secure large-scale investments in arts, culture, and community preservation. Our advocacy efforts focus on tangible solutions such as subsidized housing for artists and cultural leaders, the establishment of cultural arts districts, and paths to home, land, and business ownership for BIPOC artists and communities. Our services extend beyond the realm of music and into the heart of community building. We are committed to creating a thriving arts and culture scene rooted in racial justice and equity. We envision a Bay Area where cultural traditions are preserved, community bonds are strengthened, and arts serve as a conduit for justice, healing, and human connection. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Ballet Folklorico Mexico Danza | 1472 Zephyr Ave , Hayward, CA 94544 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 909-3413 | California's 14th congressional district | District 20 | District 10 | With support from the California Arts Council, East Bay Center for the Preservation of Cultural Arts will continue to teach students the art of Ballet Folklorico (Mexican traditional dance). The grant will help pay the salaries of our dance instructors and pay for the rent to keep our dance academy open; thus allowing many Latinx low-income students in the community learn about the beautiful Mexican culture through the art of dance. | Our non-profit dance company, East Bay Center for the Preservation of Cultural Arts, is dedicated to preserve and present the beautiful Mexican culture through dance. Our dancers are given opportunities to perform at some of the Bay Area’s largest events and companies. Sponsor master instructors in a variety of performance art forms to increase the educational experience of students. Our goal is to showcase their talent across multiple stages and gain confidence on stage. We accomplish this by offering education and dance classes to children, teens, and adults, of all experience levels, and nationalities from our diverse Bay Area community. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | $66,600.00 | Friends of the Arts | 527 Flume St, Unit 2 , Chico, CA 95928-5608 | Butte | Upstate | (530) 228-2860 | California's 1st congressional district | District 3 | District 1 | With support from the California Arts Council, Upstate Community Enhancement Foundation (UCEF) will operate BCAC.tv, our digital media arts center in Chico which has traditionally focused on at-risk youth. We will continue to partner with CSU, Chico and Butte College on good-fit grant opportunities for the community and local schools; and Butte County Office of Education, (BCOE) – $5,000 of the total award amount will support implementation of Poetry Out Loud. Additionally, we will continue to partner with BCOE to get artists back into schools and work to create full access to and equity in arts education programs and resources for K-8 students through BCOE’s “Any Given Child” partnership with UCEF. Finally, we will continue to provide technical/financial/programmatic assistance to arts and cultural groups and individuals while focusing on the underserved and marginalized in Butte County. | Friends of the Arts has two primary programs: 1) Art Grant Awareness and Education workshops, roundtable discussions, and one-on-one sessions. Recent events include Grant Writing 101, and 2.0. These were followed by a series of roundtable zoom meetings where attendees were encouraged to present projects to one another. Our focus is on education and creating greater access to information, and techniques on how to successfully apply for and obtain grants. Creating grants mentors is one goal of this focus – particularly in underserved and marginalized communities. 2) Partnerships with BIPOC groups and individuals as well as institutions such as CSU, Chico, i.e., the LatinX festival on Campus. And with Butte County Office of Education facilitating the Poetry Out Loud competition and the Artist In Schools program (working with developmentally disabled, underserved and marginalized students), and Any Given Child Program ensuring arts for all children. Our county has been in constant crisis since 2017, beginning with the Oroville Dam Spillway crisis where 180,000 people were evacuated to five devastating fires, one of which was the destroyed Paradise in 2018. These fires have consumed 17,500 homes and 5,000 businesses – 16% of our housing stock. Then in 2020 the covid pandemic. Friends of the Arts continues to take on recovery efforts through art therapy and cultural restoration as well as try to rebuild our fragile arts network. We are also working with the City of Chico, CSU, Chico, city museums, the Mechoopda Tribe and cultural organizations to explore a Chico Cultural Corridor or District. Our goal is to utilize the arts as a tool for community building and personal transformation to improve community health and resilience. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | NCRT | 300 5TH ST , EUREKA, CA 95501-0306 | Humboldt | Upstate | (707) 442-6278 | California's 2nd congressional district | District 2 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, NCRT, Inc and partner non-profit Centro Del Pueblo, will produce in 2024 a number of cultural and performing arts projects, including traditional dances, cultural festivals in Centro del Pueblo’s Sanctuary Gardens, mural-painting, and new devised works of theater, centering the indigenous migrant/LatinX lived experience in rural Humboldt County. These projects will all be artistically developed and led by Centro Del Pueblo, with NCRT offering administrative, technical, and production support. | The North Coast Repertory Theatre has provided over four decades of quality live theatre to the Humboldt County region. As the owning and managing organization of the 5th and D Street Theater, NCRT proudly hosts fellow theater company, Redwood Curtain Theater, after Redwood Curtain lost their own performance space in 2022. Together with RCT, NCRT mounts six main-stage productions a year, along with hosting concerts, dance shows, poetry readings, and community fundraisers. Additionally, NCRT partners with many other local cultural organizations on various projects – including the development of new works of theatre – as well as serving as local arts re-granting agency for Humboldt County. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | The Wayward Artist | 4915 Alton Parkway , IRVINE, CA 92604 | Orange | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (949) 378-0706 | District 47 | District 73 | District 37 | With the support from the California Arts Council, The Wayward Artist will launch it’s 4th Season of Wayward Voices. Wayward Voices was born in light of the murder of George Floyd and the civil unrest of Summer 2020. Wayward voices amplifies, empowers, and uplifts BIPOC artists and their experiences. Since it’s inception and supported by CAC Impact grants, the program continues to grow. In 2023, over 30 artists of color found paid professional opportunity to create their art. In 2024, we hope to expand the program once again. These funds will support BIPOC artists through paid professional opportunity, the development and administering of a BIPOC playwright’s program, and securing the rights and production costs of a BIPOC mainstage production. | Core Programs and Services – The Wayward Artist Internship and Mentorship Programs OC Theatre Guild Membership and Collaboration Educational Outreach and Partnerships Wayward Voices: BIPOC Artist Initiative Community Engagement and Support |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $42,500.00 | InterMusic SF | 135 Main Street, Suite 1140 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 818-2825 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, InterMusic SF will continue to provide essential programs and service to our broad and diverse network of working professional musicians in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our work with and for the community includes fiscal sponsorship, active technical assistance, annual project funding, and unique performance opportunities. We strive to develop and improve current programs and services for our network through initiatives that are driven by the shifting needs of our community. | InterMusic’s core programs include paid performance opportunities, grantmaking, fiscal sponsorship, professional development, and free live performances for Bay Area audiences. InterMusic SF annually hosts SF Music Day, a free public music festival that features 25 Bay Area-based ensembles and attracts roughly 3,000 local audience members for 7 hours of continuous music at the historic SF War Memorial & Performing Arts Center. Launched in 2008, SF Music Day showcases diverse cultural and musical traditions, including blues, chamber-folk, classical/Western European (early, classical, romantic, and new), experimental, gospel, hip-hop, jazz, R&B, tango, world music, and countless genres that have resulted from the blending of multiple traditions. SF Music Day captures the scope of diversity and excellence that defines the Bay Area as a leader of arts and culture. Our Musical Grant Program uses an open application process, funding 25 Bay Area musical projects annually, and has cumulatively awarded $1.2MM, supporting nearly 400 local projects. InterMusic SF believes that musicians, composers, and concert presenters face financial barriers to creating, celebrating, and practicing the art of small ensemble music making. With 86 Affiliate artistic entities that include individuals, ensembles, composers, concert presenters, and community-rooted art organizations, InterMusic SF serves as a trusted fiduciary and provides Affiliates with pathways to grant funding opportunities and tax-deductible donations. Affiliates also receive access to professional development opportunities including free technical assistance sessions for musicians by industry experts. InterMusic SF’s professional development workshops are free and open to the public. They feature experts who engage with local artists to assist and support musicians in building and sustaining careers in the arts. Topics include Engaging the Press, Grant Writing, Body-Awareness Practices, Performance Contract Drafting, and Musical Entrepreneurship. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Redwood Curtain Consortium | 928 H ST , ARCATA, CA 95521-6233 | Humboldt | Upstate | (707) 440-9208 | With support from the California Arts Council, Redwood Curtain Consortium/Theatre will produce its first full-scale Education Series since before the pandemic, which will fulfill the community’s need in Humboldt County for access to affordable theatre education for youth and adults. Classes will cover many areas of theatre disciplines, including Acting, Design, Management, Movement, Writing, among others, and are expected to impact approximately 200 participants, with most receiving scholarships or waivers to participate. | EDUCATION Formally, RCT offers an Education Season every year with a plethora of theatre classes and workshops available for our community. As the only organization in Humboldt County that offers these types of continued education, RCT takes our role seriously and strives to best fit the needs of the community. To this end, classes are taught by diverse local teaching artists and occasional guest artists in all aspects of theatremaking including, but not limited to; Introduction to Playwriting, Acting for Teens, Scene Study, Unarmed Stage Combat, Musical Theatre Dance, and How To Be A Movie Extra. These classes all offer sliding scale rates and RCT offers scholarships for folks who may not otherwise be able to afford them. MAINSTAGE SEASON CASTING | |||
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | ELM | 2960 KERNER BLVD , San Rafael, CA 94901 | Marin | Bay Area – Other | (415) 870-9053 | California's 2nd congressional district | District 10 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, ELM will expand our approach to music pedagogy, and repertoire, to celebrate the diverse Latin American cultural traditions of our community. CAC funds will be used to develop an ELM track to inspire and educate our community regarding culturally-relevant music and traditions. | Enriching Lives through Music (ELM) is a multi-year, tuition-free, community-based music program primarily for first generation Latine students in San Rafael, California. We promote social change through the ambitious pursuit of musical excellence. ELM currently offers 170+ children ages 8-18 instruction on orchestral instruments, year-round, for their entire childhood – providing increasing layers of support to them and their families as they grow older. We plan to admit a new cohort of 25-30 third grade students each year. ELM is based on a model of inclusivity, equity, and intensity. Students participate in ELM for 10 hours, four days per week. After school, students study their primary instruments (violin, cello, flute, clarinet, oboe, trumpet, trombone), participate in enrichment classes, and receive academic support. In addition to instrument-specific classes, all students have weekly sectionals, weekly ensemble (orchestra) rehearsals, and musicianship/theory classes. On Saturdays the ELM community joins together to rehearse in orchestras. ELM creates opportunities for students to thrive creatively, academically, socially, and emotionally. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Poetic Justice | PO Box 3997 , San Diego, CA 92163 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 881-7334 | 53 | San Diego 78th | San Diego 39th | With support from the CAC, Poetic Justice will increase fair compensation for current staff from justice-involved communities who are building and expanding an organization run by historically resilient people with personal experience of the carceral system. Poetic Justice is intentionally a community within and beyond women’s prisons and jails, with a belief in our shared humanity and in the critical urgency of providing trauma-informed poetry as tools in women’s facilities. We value community, support the data-driven restorative impact of poetry, and believe in the inestimable worth of people given no other option but prison – an historically oppressive system originally created by and for men. Poetic Justice is committed to serving and being served by people with lived experiences of women’s prison, and committed to a fundamental right to fair wages. | Poetic Justice offers gender responsive and trauma informed classes in the following California carceral settings: Other PJ Work in California A typical weekly class provides gender-diverse and sensitive access by incorporating mindful breathing, trauma-responsive programming, community support, creative writing, and therapeutic visual arts. For example, participants might explore aspects of anxiety, worthlessness, shame, etc. through poetry’s grapho-motor process within a trusted community engaged in evidence-based healing because putting language to the unspeakable supports healing from root causes of trauma and PTSD, and provides pathways forward. Whereas abuse, depression, and addiction damage language centers, poetry reactivates them. In fact research indicates that poetry (rhythm, metaphor, rhyme) activates the right hemisphere. The left brain is responsible for acquisition and expression, but the right brain’s ability to integrate unrelated concepts into comprehensible metaphor with repetition and syncopation can access language pathways damaged by trauma. Research, including JW Pennebaker’s work, shows “writing about upsetting events improves physical and mental health,” but only by creating safe communities for interoception and embodied agency. The traumatized brain doesn’t remember in logical sequences; trauma memory returns in sensory experiences rooted in the limbic system rather than language centers – this is why poetry is consequential for healing. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Pieter Performance Space | 2701 N Broadway , Los Angeles, CA 90031 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 886-9845 | 34th Congressional district of California | District 52 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Pieter Performance Space will Pay essential staff salaries in order to maintain consistent operations and programming. | Pieter Performance Space is located in a 4000 square foot historic ballroom in Lincoln Heights LA, and provides a platform for local, national and international artists to explore their distinct and overlapping aesthetics and interests while building their LA audiences. Pieter’s offerings center communities often marginalized in arts and performance spaces and nourish and support the growth of LA’s creative community. Pieter’s core programming welcomes more than 15,000 individuals each year and since its founding, Pieter has offered more than 4,000 workshops, classes, performances, and coalition-building meetings and presented more than 150 multidisciplinary artists. Pieter collaborates with dozens of regional organizations, collectives, and artist-led projects to ensure the strength of LA’s creative communities. Pieter’s core offerings include: Community and Special Event Rentals: Pieter provides a robust community rental program for artists to use the studio as a platform for creative exploration, to teach classes and workshops, for performances and public offerings, for activist gatherings and healing arts programming, and for a range of other creative uses. Rental rates are tiered, offering lower subsidized rates to BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ , disabled individuals, and people experiencing financial hardship. Pieter also has a special event rental program with access to the studio at market rates for larger events and programs. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,165.00 | SAFEhouse Arts | 145 Eddy St , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102-4702 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 518-1517 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, SAFEhouse Arts will support two individuals with the AIRspace Award for QTBIPOC Artists, which is tailored to the needs of each artist. Tachíria Flamenco will curate and perform in 12 monthly showcases focused on sharing the rich culture of flamenco dance and music and how it interacts with other art forms. SevanKelee Boult will conduct an 8 week workshop titled “Pose and Prose” combining yoga practice with thoughtful writing prompts for a complete mind-body experience. | SAFEhouse for the Performing Arts was founded in 2007. RAW (resident artist workshop) was the first program that SAFEhouse Arts created and has supported over 800 groups since it was founded. RAW is a free residency program that provides rehearsal space and a performance opportunity. SAFEhouse Arts also produces the West Wave Festival series, a 28-year old program that has been presented at the ODC Theater, Z Space and the Joe Goode Annex in San Francisco. Also in 2007, SAFEhouse Arts began producing AIRspace, a residency program for queer performance. AIRspace was founded at the former Jon Sims Center in 1987 and is the longest running residency program for queer artists in the United States. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | SAFEhouse Arts | 145 Eddy St , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102-4702 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 518-1517 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, SAFEhouse Arts will produce the following programming: | SAFEhouse for the Performing Arts was founded in 2007. RAW (resident artist workshop) was the first program that SAFEhouse Arts created and has supported over 800 groups since it was founded. RAW is a free residency program that provides rehearsal space and a performance opportunity. SAFEhouse Arts also produces the West Wave Festival series, a 28-year old program that has been presented at the ODC Theater, Z Space and the Joe Goode Annex in San Francisco. Also in 2007, SAFEhouse Arts began producing AIRspace, a residency program for queer performance. AIRspace was founded at the former Jon Sims Center in 1987 and is the longest running residency program for queer artists in the United States. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Sovern LA, Sovern | 5757 W ADAMS BLVD , LOS ANGELES, CA 90016-2440 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 424-3540 | As an arts and cultural organization committed to Healing Justice, at Sovern, we believe that investing in the arts is vital for fostering creativity, cultural enrichment, and community well-being. With the support of the California Arts Council, we aim to strengthen our organizational infrastructure and enhance our operations. The funding will help us invest in strategic planning, fundraising initiatives, and staffing, improving our capacity. By strengthening our administrative and financial capabilities, we can better prepare to navigate potential challenges and become a sustainable and resilient arts organization. Funding will also support technology and equipment for adapting to evolving needs, particularly accessibility. Modernizing our digital infrastructure will enable us to better serve artists, reach broader audiences, and ensure program sustainability. | The backbones of our current programming are art exhibitions, artist residencies, and donation based, culturally relevant art and wellness workshops that support mental health. We support emerging artists of color with exhibition opportunities and mentorship to advance their careers and support their emergence into the Los Angeles arts landscape. All of our workshops are donation based so folks can sign up free of charge, supporting equitable access. We also have a childcare treasury so that we can support mothers with a stipend to cover their children’s care while they come to our services to support their own well being. Our workshops range from hands-on art, to artist talks, yoga/movement, financial wellness, talking circles, and book clubs. During exhibition runs, we integrate exhibition themes into our donation based public programs that promote dialogue, reflection, and self-expression. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $54,998.00 | YouthBeat | 520 3rd Street, Suite 109 , OAKLAND, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 922-0060 | California's 12th congressional district | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Youth Beat will provide free, in-depth, film, photography and animation courses to 350+ Oakland youth — mostly low-income youth of color who are growing up in historically under-served neighborhoods. Students will learn from a diverse team of accomplished media artists; learn to use current, industry-standard media gear; develop storytelling skills; and build confidence as they begin telling their own and other community members’ stories. | YouthBeat serves elementary, middle, high school and transitional aged youth, and all of our programs are provided completely free of charge for participants. Programs for school age youth take place as part of the school day, after school, and during the summer. Our Apprenticeship Programs provide paid training for high school graduates who do not have 4-year college plans. All participants develop their creative talents and learn cutting-edge media arts skills using professional, industry-standard gear provided for FREE by KDOL-TV, the Oakland Unified School District’s Education Access TV Station. Courses cover animation, photography, design, and videography and all are taught by accomplished media artists who focus not only on building students’ arts talents and skills but also on building a safe, nurturing learning community that encourages creative risk taking, builds lasting friendships within a culturally diverse group of students, and develops leadership and teamwork skills. Many of our students also “find a passion.” Mason, for example, explains that he started with Youth Beat just to get his Arts requirement out of the way. He enrolled for a 2nd and 3rd year, he says, because he found something that makes him “feel alive.” |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $50,000.00 | Create CA | 85 S. Grand Ave., , Pasadena, CA 91105 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 578-9315 | California's 28th congressional district | District 41 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, Create CA will amplify our collective impact in the field of arts education and build the public will and local organizing infrastructure necessary to ensure all California students receive a culturally responsive arts education. | Create CA works to fulfill its mission through three programs: The Arts Now program trains advocates to work with local school boards, design strategic arts education plans, and improve resources for arts education. Participants receive strategic coaching, training, communications support, and micro-grants. The Student Voices program provides leadership training and advocacy opportunities for current public school students. Our annual Student Arts Advocacy Day is the largest arts advocacy training event for high schoolers in California. Lastly, Create CA’s public will program influences decision-makers, raises awareness about the benefits of arts education, and increases access to and participation in the arts. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | N/A | 1206 Maple Ave Ste 1100B , Los Angeles, CA 90015 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 599-6216 | California's 34th congressional district | District 53 | District 30 | With support from the California Arts Council, Heidi Duckler Dance will continue its partnership with SHIELDS for Families providing site-specific 12-week residency for the “re-entry” population in South Los Angeles. Guided workshops are designed to encourage movement, creativity, relaxation, and social cohesion. The residency culminates in performances created with participants. | Over the past 38 years, HDD has produced over 500 original works locally, nationally and internationally, creating interdisciplinary performances in many iconic locations, including: the Ambassador Hotel, Herald Examiner Building, LA City Hall, Van Nuys Flyaway Bus Terminal, Dunbar Hotel, and on the Tall Ships at the Port of LA. Its programs reach more than 7,500 individuals each year. Led by Heidi Duckler, HDD is a company of 12 resident artists and 5 staff committed to upholding inclusiveness, consciousness, vulnerability, and connectivity through their craft. From its inception, HDD has made accessibility and inclusion core components of its mission. HDD works to promote access and cultural equity by focusing on engagement and building public/private partnerships with the capacity to strengthen neighborhoods. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | $66,600.00 | PLUMAS ARTS | PO BOX 600 525 Main Street, QUINCY, CA 95971-0600 | Plumas | Upstate | (530) 283-3402 | California's 1st congressional district | District 1 | District 1 | With support from the California Arts Council, Plumas County Arts Commission will continue to inspire and engage communities in our rural county by sustaining and adapting quality programming, as well as maintaining and developing diverse partnerships. State Local Partnership funds will bolster existing, and develop new programs in Plumas County communities identified in the lowest quartile of the Healthy Places Index. State Local Partnership funds will continue to support organizational capacity, regranting opportunities, and artist fees in pursuit of this goal. | Plumas Arts serves as the local arts planning and programming agency for Plumas County and representative to the California Arts Council’s State Local Partnership (since 1981). Our efforts include ARTS EDUCATION workshops in schools and for all ages, VISUAL ARTS GALLERY and art displays showcasing work by dozens of regional artists, INFORMATION SERVICES our county’s most comprehensive cultural events calendar, press releases about events and opportunities, as well as an ARTIST DIRECTORY on plumasarts.org in addition to regular features in regional newspapers, PRODUCING FESTIVALS, EVENTS & PERFORMANCES that highlight local culture and celebrate a diversity of traditions, FISCAL SPONSORSHIP and TECHNICAL SERVICES for arts and community groups, serving as a COMMUNICATION LINK among these groups and we own, care for and manage two historic facilities, the PLUMAS ARTS GALLERY & TOWN HALL THEATRE the county’s only movie theatre and largest performing arts venue as community resources. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | Mariachi Women’s Foundation | 5280 E. Beverly Blvd. Unit C , LOS ANGELES, CA 90022 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (858) 847-5419 | 40th Congressional District of California | State Assembly District 51 | State Senate District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, the MARIACHI WOMENS FOUNDATION will collaborate with Watsonville & Pajaro poets, mariachi musicians, and folklorico dancers to address community environmental justice concerns through the co-production of a culturally relevant, strengths-based, and trauma-informed artistic event. It will cultivate hope and action and will address concerns about climate change, human health, and environmental safety. This artistic event will strengthen the creative expression of artists, inform and uplift farmworkers, Latinos, women, youth, and the community-at large with the support of local community, schools, government agencies, individuals and organizations. This inclusive, cross-sector and collaborative effort will strengthen community resilience, unify common community efforts and create a new platform for artistic projects that foster creative social change. | Core Programs and Services include: 1. MARIACHI MUSIC PERFORMANCE 2. MARIACHI MUSIC EDUCATION 3. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Diablo Symphony Orchestra | PO BOX 2222 , WALNUT CREEK, CA 94595-0222 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (925) 323-2827 | California's 11th congressional district | District 16 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, DIABLO SYMPHONY ASSOCIATION will use grant funds for venue rental, music purchase and rental, and personnel costs. | The DSO’s main programs are to provide performance opportunities for local musicians, perform to diverse audiences at nominal prices, collaborate with local performing artists, promote local composers, sponsor a concerto competition, and conduct educational outreach. The DSO: |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | WEAD | 23 Maine Avenue , Richmond, CA 94804 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 847-4916 | With support from the California Arts Council, WOMEN ECO ARTISTS DIALOG (WEAD) will increase our staff capacity to meet the needs of our growing network of women-identified artists (especially those who are marginalized by low income, race, gender, disability, or other barriers), who focus their creative practice on ecological art and social-justice art. WEAD will address these issues intersectionally with a grass-roots networking and mentorship strategy, low-to-no cost professional development programs, and educational programming. Staff will manage day-to-day operations, (including communications, publications, website, and memberships), adding both financial and organizational stability. This will enable our working Board to focus on our ecological and social-justice mission, sustain our current programs to provide professional development opportunities at low-to-no cost for socially-engaged artists, and develop new initiatives which are designed for underserved communities. | WEAD programs and services include: Membership fees can be subsidized for women who cannot afford them. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Urban Arts Collaborative | 295 Main Street, Suite #300 , Salinas, CA 93901 | Monterey | Central Coast | (831) 512-2721 | California's 20th congressional district | District 30 | District 12 | With support from the California Arts Council, Urban Arts Collaborative will hold weekly workshops in visual interdisciplinary arts, wellness, mentoring, and public art engaging children ages 8 to 12 youth 13-28 and adults to develop visual arts skills to creatively give voice to the issues that impact their lives via healing-informed approach to the arts in addition UAC offers gallery and studio space free of charge and materials included to create art. | Together, these programs overlap holistically and intersect to create a uniquely cohesive, dynamic, and strength-based approach to advancing artistic expression, food justice, environmental stewardship, community belonging, and social justice leadership. Urban Arts Collaborative provides art and wellness workshops, mentoring, and public art events that engage youth in developing their creative voice. Guided by experienced artists, youth gain arts skills and techniques, express themselves about issues that matter to them, and gain collaborative and leadership skills they need to succeed as artists, in higher education and employment, and in life. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | East Wind Lion Dance | 727 North Broadway #129, LOS ANGELES, CA 90012 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 369-0026 | 34th Congressional | CA 54th | 26th | With support from the California Arts Council, East Wind Foundation for Youth will begin a women’s lion dance class. This class will support gender equity in a male-dominated performing art field. East Wind Foundation wants to recruit, develop, and nurture an all women lion dance team. An ancient Chinese tradition, lion dancing is historically and traditionally performed by men. East Wind will level the playing field for gender equality in Chinese cultural performing arts by creating an extra women’s lion dance training session. | The EAST WIND FOUNDATION FOR YOUTH, INC is a 501(c)3 registered organization based in the heart of the Los Angeles Chinatown community. Established in 1972 by Sifu Ron Quan, East Wind’s focus on working towards creating opportunities and making positive impacts on at-risk youths has made them a leader in the global community of not-for-profit institutions. This long-standing tradition has instilled confidence and self-esteem in every person invested with the organization. East Wind has grown since its modest beginnings and seeks to continue its success in three key areas: Performing Arts (lion dance, dragon dance, and martial arts demonstration), Education (college prep, individual tutorial upon request, interview prep, mentor/mentee programs, and scholarships), and Community (volunteering clean-up in Chinatown, Alpine Park clean-up, Halloween Community Carnival, annual Holiday performances, Lotus Festival, Los Angeles Marathon, and Chinatown Golden Dragon Parade). |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Brown Recluse Zine Distro | PO BOX 22281 , OAKLAND, CA 94623-2281 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (415) 305-4856 | 12 | 18 | 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Brown Recluse Zine Distro will be able to continue our free printing for Black zinemakers program printing for two more years and implement a interactive workshop series for queer and trans Black, indigenous, and marginalized writers of color, covering zine education and history. | We are the only zine distro to offer 100% of the cover price to Black zinemakers and also offer printing to Black zinemakers who cannot access self-publishing resources. We print for free of charge full color laser and risograph printing. Because self-publishing takes time and resources we recognize the barriers to marginalized communities to be able to participate. With donations for white allies we create a specific route of redistribution for allies and help Black self-publishing flourish. Brown Recluse has been slowly working on digitizing a zine archive that dates BIPOC involvement in zine culture for the last 30 years. We see this as an accessible alternative to a university zine archive or physical zine library. Right now, we are still in the process of collecting and scanning. We hope to have the time and resources to build out the digital archive, which includes supporting QTBIPOC in tech to assist our page builds. We also recognize our unique position as between generations of the last zine boom of the 2000s and current youth discovering zines, because of this we have always offered programming in the form of zine workshops, panel discussions, and political workshops to pass along zine skills and self publishing knowledge. In the pandemic we pivoted to offering digital workshops and panels. We offer 100% of cover price of zines to Black zine makers, and also free printing to Black zinemakers when self-publishing is inaccessible in their communities. We offer our profits as monthly microgrants to queer and trans black people in Oakland in need. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | ChromaDiverse, Inc. | 401 HARRISON ST APT 36F , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105-2795 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (917) 797-1726 | 17th District | Senate District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, CHROMADIVERSE, INC. (CD), will use the funding for general operating expenses to create digital archives for our performing arts partners. The Oakland Ballet Company (OBC) Legacy Project is one of our primary partner activities. OBC celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2025, and these funds will assist us in hiring additional interns to capture the stories of the Oakland Ballet and its alumni. Our primary partner activities also include developing the digital asset management system for the public viewing website and digitizing photographs, programs, Playbills™, and videos for the purpose of capturing accurate metadata from these assets. The funds will help subsidize salaries and consulting fees for web design and social media campaigns and offset costs for supplies like banker’s boxes, acid-free folders, and envelopes for safeguarding clients’ materials. | We bring focus and direction to our partners’ projects by highlighting three key areas. First, we identify their access and storage/space issues, noting items in the archive that are at risk. Next, we identify historical assets that enable the organization to tell their complete story from founding to present. Lastly, we identify assets that are needed immediately for marketing, fundraising, instruction, and the restaging of choreographic works. These steps make the challenge of preserving and presenting a collection less daunting. To build the most accurate chronology for the digital archive, we digitize performance programs and Playbills™, which supply the who, what, where, and when, becoming the foundational source of data for a CD DigitalVault™. This data includes the date, performance works, artists, choreographer, composer, costume, scenic and lighting designers, and donors. Traditionally, this metadata is manually typed into a database, a process that can take more than 120 minutes per program. CD has developed an AI-based software application called CD SmartCapture™ that makes the process 15 to 20 times faster, extracting keywords from digitized programs to create metadata for the collection rapidly and accurately. CD SmartCapture lifts and populates the data into the CD DigitalVault with one click. We train our partners to operate the CD DigitalVault so materials can be quickly accessed, utilized, and added to when needed. We also hire and train interns to handle archival materials, digitize content, and provide quality assurance of metadata to corresponding assets. Additional interns from local colleges will be hired under this grant. By using the CD DigitalVault, dancers, choreographers, fundraising and marketing staff, teachers, historians, and balletomanes worldwide gain access to important archival materials, giving all the opportunity to explore each institution’s legacy. | |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $42,500.00 | Dance Brigade or Dance Mission | 3316 24TH ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110-3803 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 826-4441 | California Assembly district 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Dance Brigade (aka Dance Mission Theater) will support our Bay Area-wide network of artists of color, families, social activists, LGBTQ+ community, choreographers, dancers, and students – over 70% of whom are low-income. Funds will support Dance Mission Theater’s staff and contractors who run our programs and operate our theater. | – Run a thriving inter/multicultural community arts venue, Dance Mission Theater (DMT); |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Son of Semele Ensemble | 4009 West Avenue 43 , Los Angeles, CA 90041 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 841-9151 | California's 34th congressional district | District 53 | District 24 | Son of Semele Ensemble seeks general operating support from the California Arts Council to pay for a portion of production costs and artist salaries, as well as a portion of the PT-salary for our Producing Artistic Director. All production work and staff/artist hiring is done by our Producing Artistic Director, the primary administrator and creative leader for our company. We are in conversation with multiple venues to host our future projects and with your support we will fill all creative and administrative roles within our season with talented, qualified, and capable individuals, and present multiple productions and new work festivals in 2024/2025. | Son of Semele Ensemble has developed three artistic programs which make up our season of ticketed events, serving thousands of Angelenos annually. These events include stage productions, co-productions, and new work festivals. All together these events feature the unique talents of hundreds of artists. In our history, we estimate that we have been at the center of 200 different events attended by over 23,000 people. Pre-pandemic, a typical season includes multiple productions and co-productions, as well as the series of Creation Festivals (new works festivals) which are curated through a no-cost, open application process. PRODUCTIONS & CO-PRODUCTIONS We present multiple productions each year that are selected and realized through our collaborative approach. Proposed by staff members, vetted by the company as a whole, and selected by the Producing Artistic Director, these productions feature the artistic work of Son of Semele Ensemble’s core company. We also produce co-productions in partnership with other venues and creative collaborators. These projects are selected based on the artistic potential of each. Our productions and co-productions each receive 8-15 performances over 2-4 weeks and have served many thousands of Angelenos through ticketed public performances. CREATION FESTIVALS We produce new work festivals (which we call Creation Festivals) periodically throughout the year, each focused on a different form of live performance (solo work, devised work, and short-form plays). Our Creation Festival series provides an opportunity for outside theatre artists to have their work presented by Son of Semele and to receive administrative, marketing, and artistic support throughout the full production process. The festival environment gives each artist exposure and a community of like-minded artists from which to grow and learn. Our Creation Festivals run 1-4 weeks and serve approximately 1,200 Angelenos annually through ticketed festival performances. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Motion Pacific Dance | 850 Front St. #474 , SANTA CRUZ, CA 95060 | Santa Cruz | Central Coast | (408) 508-5125 | California's 20th congressional district | District 29 | District 17 | BBQueer (Black, Brown and Queer) Fest is a series of performances, collective community actions, workshops and private gatherings culminating in a multi-day festival in September and October 2023. Funding will be used to support the third annual festival in the Fall of 2023. Additionally, funds will be used for development of “BBQueer All Year”, a series of community engagement efforts that create spaces for QTBIPOC (Queer + Trans Black, Indigenous, People of Color) community to connect, thrive and collaborate to catalyze cultural transformation. | Motion Pacific offers over 1500 dance classes each year for students aged 3 and up. The dance program supports over 100 youth/teen students per semester, as well as a vibrant population of adult dancers. Classes cater to dancers who are just beginning, to those at the pre-professional level. In addition to our regularly scheduled curriculum, Motion Pacific holds dance workshops throughout the year, hosting artists from the local, regional, national, and international stages. At Motion Pacific, the presentation of dance thrives at all levels. To this end, we run several programs in addition to our bi-annual performance seasons. Our max10 program is an uncurated presentation of short works presented in a low-tech environment. Majesty: A Queer Dance Party and Variety Show hosts drag, burlesque, and queer artistry. Every April, Motion Pacific hosts Santa Cruz Dance Week, a public performance for dance studios and groups in the greater Santa Cruz area. Finally, we co-host the BBQueer Fest, an annual series of workshops, classes, performances, and panels for and by the Black, Brown, and Queer communities. These programs seek feedback and discussion between artists, audiences, and peers. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Liberty Arts | 108 W. Miner St. , Yreka, CA 96097 | Siskiyou | Upstate | (530) 842-0222 | California's 1st congressional district | District 1 | District 1 | With support from the California Arts Council, LIBERTY PAINTING CORP (dba LIBERTY ARTS), as one of a few regional cultural resources, will continue to provide programs and services that engage our diverse community in the exhibition of arts, opportunities for participation and art education including hands-on creating for our youth. We will continue to use responsive strategies for social inclusion in: the selection of exhibitions; invitations to create in community workshops through scholarships; and facilitate outreach that sends traveling artist groups to remote parts of our county which are recognized in the bottom quartile of the California Healthy Place Index. We believe access to the arts is an important part of healthy development and will strive to include all in our county in their creation and expression. | Our core programming is through our exhibition schedule, which is generated from our community, and includes: LOCAL FOCUS- exploring work by regional artists; BRIDGE SHOWS- bringing new work and ideas in from metropolitan areas, and OPEN-CALL opportunities inviting the community to participate (often for the first time) in curating, creating and exhibiting work. Annually, members are invited to propose a show. As future curators, they prepare a presentation, outlining the theme/invitation/artists to be exhibited. All proposals are considered, with a vote by community participants selecting the most promising for inclusion in our upcoming exhibition schedule. Art education is delivered through our Explorations outreach classes, which introduce students/visitors to art in a gallery setting, with local artists often sharing their knowledge and creative inspiration. Students are introduced to work through context, language and process. They have the opportunity to individually view the art, and come together for discussion. They then create personal work related to the themes and processes in our dedicated studio. During COVID, we developed relationships with three outlying schools in our county. Now, Liberty Arts transports 8-12 artists with supplies (including a printing press), into these schools for projects not normally seen in a classroom. We have made the 150-mile round trip journeys to school in the lowest HPI quartile areas or so remote they have no score. Liberty Arts also serves our community as a venue for performance and special events, hosting musicians and biennial fashion extravaganzas on the adjacent City Plaza. This year we held “Special Delivery” events which featured twelve speakers who introduced audiences to a wide range of topics through 18-slide presentations. We shared The Red Dress Project/MMIP, The Living Memorial Sculpture Garden honoring veterans, Language of Monsters, and the Art of Burning Man among the 24 subject themes. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | EBPCO | 312 8th st , OAKLAND, CA 94607 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 922-8476 | With support from the California Arts Council, East Bay Photo Collective (EBPCO) will be able to expand our programs, and improve our effectiveness by covering part of the rent on our two locations and by adding hours for paid staff. In 2021 we opened our gallery, Oakland Photo Workshop, and in June of 2023, a Community Darkroom, which, before opening, was attracting interest in the workshops and affordable darkroom facilities on offer. Rent on these spaces is our largest single expense. Through all EBPCO’s hundreds of programs and events since 2017, executives and staff have been volunteers. Paying part-time staff in 2022-23 greatly improved the scope and effectiveness of our programs, but increased overhead cost. Fundraising, managing staff and finances will also greatly benefit from additional paid staff hours. | Oakland Photo Workshop Gallery: A hub for exhibitions and community engagement, EBPCO’s gallery exhibits and supports artists traditionally under-represented by arts institutions through financial and technical support for artists in printing and framing their work, as well as the development of guest curators bringing new and dynamic voices to the gallery. Creative Community: Free monthly programs promoting camaraderie and creative growth with Online Critiques, Photo Walks, and Photographer Socials. EBPCO Community Darkroom: A traditional silver gelatin darkroom designed for teaching and preserving film photography techniques and supporting photographers in need of a low-cost darkroom. Photography Out Loud: Free bi-monthly online talks by photographers addressing social issues. Youth and Adult Education: Craft and creativity workshops for adults, as well as subsidized photography programs for youth taught in cooperation with local institutions. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Cheza Nami Foundation | 5424 Sunol Blvd. Ste. 10-153 , Pleasanton, CA 94566 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (925) 398-3827 | California's 15th congressional district | District 16 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Cheza Nami Foundation will launch a series of movement dancing and drumming community engagement workshops based on the traditions of African and her Diaspora in cities across the Bay Area from October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024. Funds from the CAC Impact Grant will allow us to both publicize these workshops to underserved communities and keep the workshops free for all to participate and compensate participating artists equitably. | We offer activities to community organizations, schools and corporations while addressing educational and social needs that help foster community building, global citizenship and personal enrichment through our core programs: Cultural Arts and Learning (CAL) school assemblies for K-12, Drumming & Dancing Workshops – in-school and in-community workshops, Community engagement Drum Circles, Summer Camps for k-12 youth, Community arts programs for hand on engagement in center of learning on public community spaces, Taste of Africa Festival – Cheza Nami’s signature annual extravaganza and community celebration of African art, food music and dance, Essence Production: Cheza Nami’s music and dance production that celebrates the oneness of humankind through music and dance that brings together local master artists to collaborate on fresh works for public presentation annually. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | The Short Centers | 5051 47th Avenue , Sacramento, CA 95824 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 456-5166 | District 7 | District 10 | District 8 | With support from the California Arts Council, Developmental Disabilities Service Organization, through its theater outreach project, the Short Center Repertory, will create three new productions to serve three communities of disability: developmental, cognitive and neurological; Blind and Low Vision; and Deaf and Hard of Hearing. | DDSO runs four multidisciplinary art centers serving Sacramento and San Joaquin Counties, and one life skills program for adults with severe and profound disabilities. Outreach programs include a touring theatre company (The Short Center Repertory), a public art mural project, and an online archive of artists with developmental disabilities. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | BoxoPROJECTS | 62732 Sullivan Road , Joshua Tree, CA 92252 | San Bernardino | Inland Empire | (917) 669-6098 | California's 8th congressional district | District 42 | District 16 | With support from the California Arts Council, BoxoPROJECTS will produce and oversee the production of “Borrowed,” an immersive experience designed to uplift marginalized communities and inspire action to mitigate the climate crisis. The artistic direction of “Borrowed” will be led by Conni McKenzie, an experienced Black dance and digital artist residing in San Francisco. McKenzie’s creative practice focuses on exploring the interconnectedness of art, nature, and sustainability. By incorporating dance, nature exposure, and dialog, “Borrowed” aims to educate, inspire, and empower audiences to take meaningful steps towards addressing climate change within their own communities. “Borrowed” draws inspiration from the perspectives of Black climate leaders who advocate for collective reform and community-driven solutions. By fostering a sense of agency and empowerment, “Borrowed” aims to engage audiences in the necessary societal changes required to reduce global emissions. | Artist residencies |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | $66,600.00 | Trinity County Arts Council | PO BOX 1887 , WEAVERVILLE, CA 96093-1887 | Trinity | Upstate | (530) 623-2760 | California's 2nd congressional district | District 2 | District 2 | With support from the California Arts Council, TRINITY COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL ASSOCIATION will serve as a conduit, bridge builder, producer and advocate of accessible arts education for all ages, the professional development of artists and culture bearers, and increased access to artistic opportunities for underserved and historically marginalized communities. We foster cultural vitality, sustainability and pride through culturally relevant artistic experiences, events and programs that empower artists and culture bearers to meaningfully enrich our community, with a commitment to prioritize our most historically marginalized peoples first, and to support a broad spectrum of artistic expression, mediums and traditional cultural practices in order to uplift and nurture the well-being of our county’s diverse creative and cultural ecosystem. | Trinity County Arts Council represents a deeply rural and underserved community and has an abiding commitment to prioritize social and racial equity. Outreach and Access to our underserved communities is highly prioritized and underlies all of our programming, including those regions in the lowest 15% HPI, and underserved cultural communities including the Hmong, Native American, Latinx, LGBTQ+, and the geographically remote. All TCAC programs and services are designed, evaluated, and regularly improved in order to equitably reach all of our citizens, provide direct access to the arts and culture by diverse ages and demographics, and assist in the development of professional artists and community arts organizations while promoting Trinity County as an Arts & Culture Destination. We facilitate arts education for all ages through workshops offered locally and outside of Trinity. We prioritize youth arts education through the Festival of Light Art Music & Dance Scholarship, and Artists in Schools Programs, augmenting k-12 arts education, and involvement in the North State Together internship program. We provide opportunities for musicians and artists to network, exhibit and sell their art through the signature events that we produce. These events have a proven track record for attracting residents and visitors from beyond Trinity County; Monthly Art Walk, Artists in Action, Wintu We Are Still Here Project, Get To Know Your Neighbors Storytelling and Culture Project; Festival of Light Crafts Event and Art, Music and Dance Lessons Scholarship Program, Art 4 Arts Sake, Music in the Park, Trinity Alps Chamber Music Festival, and Trinity Heritage Days Festival. Artists enjoy increased exposure to a wide audience through the Art in Public Places Program. |
| State Local Partner Mentorship | 2023-24 | $50,000.00 | Arts and Culture El Dorado | 525 Main Street , Placerville, CA 95667-2400 | El Dorado | Capital | (530) 295-3496 | California's 4th congressional district | District 5 | District 4 | With support from California Arts Council, Arts and Culture El Dorado will enter Year Two of our mentorship of Alpine County. With Year One goals having been met — working with elected officials and County staff, merchants, artists, and community leaders; convening a Steering Committee; choosing a name and deciding on organizational structure; initial program development; identifying a leading candidate for the new Executive Director position; and identifying an office location — we look ahead to our Year Two goals of filing for nonprofit status, presentation of public programs, hiring the Director, refining the organizational budget, identifying Board members, and moving into the new office space. In addition, two more community meetings will be held, one in Markleeville and one in Bear Valley, communities that are often cut off from one another due to weather conditions. | Switchboard Gallery Exhibition Series |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | OX | 80 Turk Street , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 378-9077 | California's 17th Congressional District | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, OX will develop and produce the collaborative performance piece Two Rooms, and associated free educational community research sessions. The collective research is crucial to the project, shaping its direction and final content. The final performance includes community research and presents the same experimental dance/drag solo performed simultaneously by lead artists Cornelius and Gabriele in two separate, but adjacent studios for intimate audiences. The audience may choose to cycle between rooms throughout the performance. Drawing on content/imagery from myths of the Minotaur/Labyrinth it explores themes of monstrosity, otherness, and hybridity. Structurally, the piece reflects on togetherness and collectivity despite distance/separation, and moving forward through the uncertainty. | OX’s core annual programming consists of monthly experimental and cabaret nightlife events, WorkMORE! a semi-annual commissioning platform for performing artists working within Drag’s expanded field, 2-3 performances annually in theaters, galleries, museums, storefronts or public spaces. OX also provides free performance and finance workshops for artists. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Encore | 700 West 9th Street Unit 2920 , Los Angeles, CA 90015 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 896-6459 | California Assembly district 37 | District 57 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, Encore will significantly improve access to our programs for participants and audience members from under resourced communities. First, we will increase the number of students who receive financial assistance to participate in Encore programs. This further extends our safe space for students to develop their identity and build life skills to go out into the world, regardless of their financial position. Second, we will increase access to audience members by providing free tickets to see our productions to both our scholarship recipients as well as to community partners that serve foster youth and title one schools in South Central and the Harbor Cities of Los Angeles. | Encore Theatre Group’s programmatic activities are the productions of high quality live theater. This ranges from mainstage musical productions with four to five month production timeframes, to studio series productions aimed at highschoolers and young adults, as well as a young players program aimed at elementary students. Our services include Field Trip Opportunities for students from all over Los Angeles County to attend, and our Jr Counselor training program aimed at Middle and High School Students to encourage leadership and on the job training through staff positions in our summer camps. Encore provides our field trip performance tickets at a greatly reduced price to local schools and works with the Los Angeles Police Department to provide free tickets to more than 1500 children per year. This service and partnership has been thriving for over 8 years and Encore was thrilled to be one of the first theaters to welcome students back to live performances in the Spring of 2022 – with masking and vaccination policies in place. Through this partnership we welcome students who have never seen live theater and do not have the financial means to attend many of Los Angeles’s professional theater venues. Students come in from South Los Angeles, Compton, Watts, Wilmington, and more to enjoy a day at the theater and see their peers on stage. Our Junior Counselor training program also returned this summer as we came out of the strict shutdowns of the COVID pandemic. Students ages 13-17 who had previously participated in Encore’s programs were invited to complete an application process and to tell Encore how they would be able to encourage and mentor summer camp participants. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Diamond Wave, a fiscally sponsored project of Independent Arts & Media | 2830 20th St , San Francisco, CA 94110-2825 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 236-2289 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Diamond Wave will present dynamic creative programs centering the experiences of diverse queer and trans people, including: the THEYFRIEND nonbinary performance festival, the soft defiance project exploring queer mental health, and the Artists’ Adaptability Circles program putting historically marginalized artists, arts workers and culture bearers to work creatively addressing issues arising in their lives and communities. | Diamond Wave currently offers two programmatic thrusts. The THEYFRIEND Nonbinary Performance Festival and events uplift, center and celebrate nonbinary identity through dynamic performances and community-building events. Our community-centered consulting services center peer exchange and artist-to-artist learning focused on professional and creative development as well as creating economic opportunity for creatives. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Active Cultures | 1370 N St Andrews Pl , LOS ANGELES, CA 90028 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (917) 916-5432 | District 30 | District 51 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Active Cultures will realize a new series of works and community-oriented programs through late 2023 and 2024 with artists Amy Lien and Enzo Camacho, in their first major project in Los Angeles and California, and with a focus on their work with Filipinx migrant and activist grassroots groups in our city. A grant of $25,000 will support the compensation of a project-based community manager; fees for the artists and their collaborators; and production and programming costs. | Active Cultures offers programming in three concentric tiers: Member and Community Programs, Public Projects, and Large-Scale Community Events. Our year-round projects provide opportunities for deep collaborations with artists over time, building public programming that centers broad and diverse artistic practice and prioritizes direct engagement with Los Angeles audiences. We embrace the concept of radical hospitality to inspire curiosity and feed empathy, while gathering communities to experience art accessibly with intention and conviviality. We operate in the public sphere to deepen our relationships to land and food, and we uplift Los Angeles as a vital hub of the international art and food movement. Food is the essential lens through which we examine fundamental questions about power, cultural expression, history, equity, climate futures, and ourselves. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | Outside the Lens | 125 14th St , San Diego, CA 92101 | San Diego | Far South | (858) 349-7578 | District 50 | District 77 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, Outside the Lens (OTL), in collaboration with the Sherman Heights Community Center (SHCC), will present Sherman Storytellers, a K-6 after school program using digital media arts workshops and film screenings to explore the neighborhood’s 30-year history of celebrating Día de los Muertos. Using film, photography, and mixed media, youth will document, engage and celebrate their community’s culture in context of this long standing tradition. Projects will include works by both professional and local young artists, displayed in a final showcase. In response to the neighborhood’s need for after school programming for children in elementary school, Sherman Storytellers provides the opportunity to document the cultural heritage of Sherman Heights residents using audio, video, and photography, honoring community identity and preserving the legacy of their Día de Los Muertos celebration. | Outside the Lens engages the next generation of artists, storytellers, and innovators through media arts education. Through our programs, youth learn media arts skills, media literacy, socio-emotional development, vocational exploration, and civic engagement. Our Media Educators create a learning environment centered on trauma-informed practices, culturally responsive teaching, socio-emotional learning, and restorative practices. K-8 Programs: Partnering with schools and districts, we enhance students’ learning by integrating media arts and technology into core curricula (Math, Science, Social Sciences, English Language Arts) for grades K-8. These projects deepen students’ understanding of core content, cultivate media arts skills, and foster a well-rounded educational experience. Our after-school programs and summer camps offer youth opportunities to explore their passions, develop new skills, and discover the transformative power of media arts. Teens and Transitional Age Youth Programs: We provide specialized programming for teens and Transitional Age Youth (TAY) (18-25 years old) through community partnerships. Our projects enhance media literacy, promote social-emotional wellbeing, and foster intergenerational community connections. This programming develops creative pathways for career and college readiness, encourages self-discovery, and civic engagement, empowering teens to amplify their voices and effect positive change. Educator Trainings: We offer arts-integration teacher training to help educators integrate art-based lessons into their curriculum. Available for individual educators, grade level teams, schools, or districts, these trainings provide innovative ideas, practical skills, and ready-to-use projects aligned with Media Arts and Common Core standards. Summer Camps: Our Media Arts Summer Camps offer youth in grades K-8 to explore various artistic mediums, such as photography, filmmaking, graphic design, and animation. Community Workshops: Our weekend and evening media arts workshops, open to families, teens, and adults, cater to both budding artists and experienced creators seeking further skill development. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $32,082.00 | SAMAHAN ARTS | 1933 CORTE MARAVILLA , CHULA VISTA, CA 91914-4627 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 946-7409 | California's 53rd congressional district | District 79 | District 40 | With support from CAC, SAMAHAN PERFORMING ARTS will be enabled to continue fulfilling its mission of educating the diverse San Diego community regarding Filipino performing arts by offering classes and performances of folk dances and music. Funds shall be used primarily for wages of dance and music instructors, choreographers, as well as performing artists. | Samahan was established with the purpose of educating the community on how to perform Filipino folk dances & music, while instilling in the Filipino American students the appreciation for their cultural heritage as well as, gaining confidence, discipline, and a real sense of community. Our programs include multi-generation dance and music classes, public and private workshops, a Train-the-Trainer program, and performances for community events. We service the County of San Diego and are often contacted to perform in Southern California and other regional areas of the United States. Through SAMAHAN’s annual events such as the Philippine Cultural Arts Festival, the Concert of Philippine Dances & Music and Pamana Junior Concert, our students showcase what they have learned throughout the year. SAMAHAN’s performing groups, the SAMAHAN Philippine Dance Company, Rondalla Music & Pakaraguian Kulintang Ensemble, have been recognized as one of the major ethnic performing groups in San Diego county. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | JAZZLINE INSTITUTE | 5924 ALLEN AVE , SAN JOSE, CA 95123-2620 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (415) 860-9866 | 19th Congressional District | District 28 | District 15 | With support from the California Arts Council, JaZzLine INSTITUTE will present a series of 8 free masterclasses with Bay Area master drummers, allowing master Black artists to pass on their cultural legacy to youth in their community, and centering Black Bay Area communities whose culture is threatened by gentrification. | JaZzLine INSTITUTE is dedicated to the preservation, celebration, and education of the historical and cultural significance of music out of the African-American diaspora through performance and educational programs. We produce masterclasses and workshops with visiting artists, educational programming in public schools, music scholarship fundraisers for local youth, memorial programs for departed local musicians, radio programming including live in-studio concert broadcasts, jam sessions for youth, educational events in local juvenile detention centers, and concert programming celebrating Black History and centering women in music. We recognize musical pioneers in our community, both living and departed, through our BAJABA awards. JaZzLine INSTITUTE celebrates diverse forms of music from the African-American diaspora including Negro spirituals, jazz, blues, R&B, soul, gospel, and hip-hop. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | RX BALLROOM DANCE | 28 AGAVE CT , LADERA RANCH, CA 92694-0877 | Orange | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 938-1620 | California's 49th Congressional District | California's 74th State Assembly District | California's 38th State Senate District | With support from the California Arts Council, Rx Ballroom Dance will be able to pay for teacher salaries, teacher training, and curriculum development for both the participant program and the teacher training. These funds will enable us to expand our program substantially to new locations and in turn help many more people. | Rx Ballroom Dance provides free, adaptive ballroom dance programs designed for individuals living with Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, and other neurological or age-related conditions. Our core programs blend the artistic beauty of ballroom dance with evidence-based therapeutic strategies to improve quality of life, mobility, and emotional well-being. All programs are culturally inclusive, community-centered, and accessible to people with disabilities. 1. Free Weekly Therapeutic Dance Classes 2. Care Partner Involvement 3. Student Performances & Showcases 4. Community Engagement & Education 5. Instructor Training & Evaluation Partnerships Together, these services create a joyful, empowering space for healing and artistic expression. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $42,500.00 | Association of California Symphony Orchestras | 633 W 5th St., Ste 6000 c/o LBBS, LOS ANGELES, CA 90071 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (800) 495-2276 | California's 34th Congressional District | District 54 | District 28 | With support from the CAC, the Association of California Symphony Orchestras will fund staff salaries. As an arts service organization, staff are our most important asset. Maintaining a highly skilled team is vital for delivery on our mission to support and build the capacity and relevance of orchestras and music organizations. | The Association of California Symphony Orchestras (ACSO) is the collective force for orchestral music in California and the West. Founded in 1969, ACSO is the longest-running and largest membership-supported organization of its kind in the United States and is the preeminent leader in connecting, providing resources and education, and advocating for its community. Guided by its commitment to be the voice, the forum, and the network for a growing community of orchestras, choruses, festivals, youth and university orchestras, aligned businesses, and orchestra professionals, ACSO provides essential leadership, networking, and learning through its annual conference; year-round educational, networking, and advocacy programs; and customized research and technical support. Advocacy Professional Development Capacity Building Peer-to-Peer Learning |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $42,500.00 | Arts for LA | PO Box 4099 , West Covina, CA 91791 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 332-7641 | California's 34th congressional district | District 53 | District 30 | With support from the California Arts Council, Arts for LA will expand our portfolio of direct service and technical assistance and education programs. On a person-to-person basis, we teach how to engage and mobilize communities to entrench art and arts education into their constituents’ lives. Funds will also supplement salaries. | Arts for LA is a voice for the arts in Greater Los Angeles that informs, engages, and mobilizes individuals and organizations to advocate for access to the arts across all communities; arts education for every student; robust investment in the arts; and inclusion of diverse and underrepresented voices. Arts for LA invests in leadership development, growing networks of civically engaged advocates; building deep relationships with elected officials; and working in partnership across sectors to make LA a vibrant, prosperous, creative, and healthy society. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Write Now! SF Bay | 1717 Cabrillo Street , San Francisco, CA 94121 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 577-9557 | California's 12th congressional district | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Write Now! SF Bay will offer year-round programming including creative writing workshops and mental health care workshops, public events, and publications serving the San Francisco Bay Area’s people of color, who comprise 60% of population. We will also expand strategies for our five anthologies of BIPOC poetry, prose and visual art to be adopted by more schools and libraries in the Bay Area and statewide. Since 2015, we have supported 400+ emerging and established BIPOC writers and artists in the Bay Area. In 2022 we began working with local partners in Pacifica and the Central Coast to cross-fertilize between Bay Area and local BIPOC writers and artists. | Write Now! SF Bay is run by and for writers/artists of color to nurture an ongoing multicultural community of emerging and established writers of color though a year-around program of creative writing workshops, public events and publications. Participants create and present prose, poetry, and visual art that reflect the diverse complexities of the San Francisco Bay Area’s 60% BIPOC population. Since 2015, we have served over 400 local Black, Brown, Indigenous and People of Color—Latinx, Asian/Asian American, Middle Eastern, LGBTTQIA+ and more. We bring together emerging writers with published writers, educators, healers and activists working for change. We value cross-fertilization and we outreach to diverse communities so they can engage with each other within the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. Our non-hierarchical approach is “Each One, Teach One.” We learn by listening to each other and supporting individuals to find their unique voice and contribution to the circle of humanity. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Macro Waves | 1420 45th ST #50, , Emeryville, CA 94608 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (415) 713-7856 | California Assembly district 15 | District 15 | District 9 | With the support from the California Arts Council, Macro Waves will produce Re-worlding the Unimaginable, a collaborative multi-sensory exhibition exploring what it means to imagine an unimaginable future for humanity. Rooted in an abolitionist framework, Re-worlding the Unimaginable is a series of narratives posing questions that aid us in rethinking potential futures. What if colonizers gave back the land they stole? What if the industrial prison complex was abolished? What are the dangers of relying on Artificial Intelligence models such as predictive policing? Re-worlding The Unimaginable posits issues of community destabilization, colonialism, and capitalism as deeply connected intersectional systems while offering an immersive exhibition experience that uses emerging technology as a critical tool for cultivating a stimulating environment where participants can engage in inquiry and re-imagine futures of what is possible. | As a collective, Macro Waves specializes in creating experiential art, interactive installations, and immersive exhibitions. Our programs incorporate a combination of multimedia installations, new media, projection mapping, performance, and storytelling. We conceptualize projects with the intention of cultivating meaningful partnerships with community activists, organizers, collectives, and other artists based in the Bay Area. Through an intersectional framework, we integrate healing in our creative practice as a form of radical justice, so that we may unlearn cemented patterns reinforced by generations of trauma and violence. Our projects and programs focus on the topics of mental health, healing justice, and collective care. We offer alternative modalities of multisensory healing-based experiences that encourage participants to practice self-care and collective care. All of our projects are participatory, inclusive, and accessible to the community. In response to the pandemic, Macro Waves expanded its programs and services, integrating new media and technology-based solutions towards creating safe, socially distanced, and online-based opportunities to engage with our works. We have developed virtual gallery platforms, produce augmented reality art tours, live stream production and conceptualized new creative projects. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Women's Audio Mission | 542-544 NATOMA ST #C-1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103-2817 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (800) 926-1338 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Women’s Audio Mission (WAM) will commission new work and provide a recording studio residency to the artists of Skip the Needle in WAM’s professional recording studios, culminating in a Local Sirens Concert featuring Skip the Needle in collaboration with two other BIPOC, female and gender-expansive musical artists, hosted at a premier venue in the San Francisco Bay Area. Skip the Needle are an all-female, all-queer, and majority Black super group of Bay Area music legends who make music that addresses social justice issues and reclaims rock for women, for queer people, for Black people, “subverting people’s minds by injecting them with joy.” Local Sirens artist residencies/concerts provide a supportive space for BIPOC women/ gender-expansive artists to build community, create critical artist support systems, and engage with their communities. | WAM has consistently engaged thousands of women, girls, and gender-expansive individuals every year from historically marginalized communities over the last 22 years: ● Girls on the Mic (GotM) annually provides 2,000+ girls/gender-expansive youth from the most under-resourced communities in Northern California (96% low-income/93% BIPOC/ages 11-18) with free music production and media arts training that inspires them to amplify their voices and creativity. ● Local Sirens Concert Series serves 30-40+ under-represented women artists every year (majority low-income; 100% BIPOC) with performance opportunities at premier venues like Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, SF Jazz, Brava, Dolby, The Independent, Rickshaw Stop, etc to audiences of 2,000+ ● WAM’s Artist Residency programs provide free recording studio services and artist mentorship/development in WAM’s professional recording studios to 4-5 local female/gender-expansive artists each year, as well as digital distribution and promotion to expand their audience. ● WAM Core Training/ Adult Education provides music production and industry certification training to 500+ women/gender-expansive students every year ● Paid Internship program: WAM’s paid internship program serves 90 college-age women/gender-expansive young adults (94% low-income; 84% BIPOC)/year with education, career counseling, mentorship and job placement in creative careers at companies like Dolby, Pixar, Pandora, NPR, Sony, Disney, ESPN, etc. ● WAMCon is a national recording arts conference series for women/gender-expansive aspiring recording engineers and music producers. WAM has hosted dozens of conferences in Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, Boston, and virtually reaching 2,000+ women/gender-expansive people from 30+ countries and featuring music producers, songwriters and recording engineers who have worked with everyone from Selena Gomez to Cardi B to P!nk and Rihanna. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Detour Productions | 1280 Pine Street #102 , San Francisco, CA 94109 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (408) 772-9227 | California Assembly district 17 | District CA-11 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Detour Dance will produce its 15th anniversary home season featuring We Build Houses Here, a fully immersive dance theater work that explores sanctuary spaces and rebuilding from wreckage caused by the displacement of queer and POC communities from San Francisco. This production blurs the boundaries of contemporary dance, devised theater, and drag while creating a refuge for our community to imagine a new future, home, and salvation. | Detour Productions is a grassroots collective that creates immersive, site-responsive performances rooted in queer, trans, disabled, and BIPOC experiences. Founded in 2009 by Eric Garcia and Kat Gorospe Cole, Detour blends dance, theater, and drag to push the boundaries of performance and expand whose stories get told—and how. Our flagship program is the creation and presentation of evening-length immersive works. Recent productions include The Twilight Aristocracy (2024), which transformed Fort Mason Center’s General’s Residence into a queer maximalist secret society, and We Build Houses Here (2023), which turned Oasis Nightclub into a post-shipwreck world of survival, connection, and communal rebuilding. Earlier works such as Quake (2022), Up On High (2022), Fugue (2017), and Beckon, (2015) explore themes of gentrification, racialized desire, mental health, legacy, and queer ancestry. Across all projects, we emphasize collaborative devising, deep research, and performances rooted in place. Detour also runs Clutch The Pearls, a monthly cabaret uplifting experimental new work by queer and trans dancers and drag artists. Now in its sixth year, Clutch has become a staple in San Francisco’s queer performance scene, providing mentorship and consistent stage opportunities for emerging artists. Our Workshop Series and Seasonal Intensives support artist development through training in devising, ensemble practices, drag performance, makeup, self-producing, budgeting, and grant writing. These programs are open to all, with a focus on creating intergenerational spaces that reflect our community’s full spectrum of experience and access needs. Other key accomplishments include producing the Tiny Dance Film Festival (2010–2020), participating in CHIME with Margaret Jenkins Dance Company, and receiving multiple Izzie nominations. In 2024, Detour became a 501(c)(3), marking a new chapter in our long-standing commitment to queer-centered artmaking, community, and sanctuary. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Detour Productions | 1280 Pine Street #102 , San Francisco, CA 94109 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (408) 772-9227 | California Assembly district 17 | District CA-11 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Detour Dance will produce its 15th anniversary home season of work that blurs the boundaries of contemporary dance, theater, and drag, centering the prismatic experiences of San Francisco’s BIPOC and LGBTQ+ artists and community members. In addition to these performances, Detour will present professional development workshops and a monthly salon series for emerging artists, while strengthening organizational capacity and sustainability by investing in coaching, professional services, and salaries for our co-directors. | Detour Productions is a grassroots collective that creates immersive, site-responsive performances rooted in queer, trans, disabled, and BIPOC experiences. Founded in 2009 by Eric Garcia and Kat Gorospe Cole, Detour blends dance, theater, and drag to push the boundaries of performance and expand whose stories get told—and how. Our flagship program is the creation and presentation of evening-length immersive works. Recent productions include The Twilight Aristocracy (2024), which transformed Fort Mason Center’s General’s Residence into a queer maximalist secret society, and We Build Houses Here (2023), which turned Oasis Nightclub into a post-shipwreck world of survival, connection, and communal rebuilding. Earlier works such as Quake (2022), Up On High (2022), Fugue (2017), and Beckon, (2015) explore themes of gentrification, racialized desire, mental health, legacy, and queer ancestry. Across all projects, we emphasize collaborative devising, deep research, and performances rooted in place. Detour also runs Clutch The Pearls, a monthly cabaret uplifting experimental new work by queer and trans dancers and drag artists. Now in its sixth year, Clutch has become a staple in San Francisco’s queer performance scene, providing mentorship and consistent stage opportunities for emerging artists. Our Workshop Series and Seasonal Intensives support artist development through training in devising, ensemble practices, drag performance, makeup, self-producing, budgeting, and grant writing. These programs are open to all, with a focus on creating intergenerational spaces that reflect our community’s full spectrum of experience and access needs. Other key accomplishments include producing the Tiny Dance Film Festival (2010–2020), participating in CHIME with Margaret Jenkins Dance Company, and receiving multiple Izzie nominations. In 2024, Detour became a 501(c)(3), marking a new chapter in our long-standing commitment to queer-centered artmaking, community, and sanctuary. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Catalina Museum for Art & History | 217 METROPOLE AVE , AVALON, CA 90704-0000 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 510-4652 | 42nd Congressional district of California | District 69 | District 33 | Catalina Museum for Art & History requests $25,000 to support the Intergenerational Community Art Project. This free program will engage 20 Mexican American families in utilizing printmaking to share their family history, celebrate their culture, and foster social change by impacting the artwork on display at CMAH and the stories included in the CMAH oral history collection. | CIM provides a variety of unique programs including art and history exhibitions, programs for children and families, lectures, and performances. The provision of both onsite and virtual programming better serves people on the island, as well as those who live on the mainland or prefer to participate from home. CIM serves 20,000 people annually. Approximately 15% are Catalina residents, and 85% live in mainland California and beyond. Tourism is Catalina’s primary industry. The island welcomes more than 1 million visitors annually. CIM programs include: |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | AfroSolo Theatre Company | 762 Fulton Street, Suite 307 Third Floor, San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 346-9344 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, AfroSolo Theatre Company will use General Operating Support funds toward producing the 30th Annual AfroSolo Arts Festival, a year-long series of programs united by a theme, in addition to general operating expenses and artist fees. The programs consist of AfroSolo in the Gardens, a free jazz concert featuring two or three vocalists and/or instrumentalists on Yerba Buena Gardens’ outdoor stage; AfroSolo in the Gallery, a visual arts exhibit featuring up to five artists at the African American Center at San Francisco’s Main Public Library; and the festival’s main component, the Black Voices Performance Series that consists of several weekends of solo performances by Black theater, spoken word and dance artists. | AfroSolo Theatre Company’s core programming is anchored by the annual AfroSolo Arts Festival, a year-long, multidisciplinary celebration of Black arts and culture. Each year’s programming is united by a central theme and structured around three primary components: AfroSolo in the Gardens – A free, outdoor jazz concert held at Yerba Buena Gardens featuring acclaimed Black vocalists and instrumentalists. This accessible event invites intergenerational and multicultural audiences to experience the richness of Black musical traditions in a communal setting. AfroSolo in the Gallery – A curated visual arts exhibition showcasing up to five Black artists at the African American Center of San Francisco’s Main Public Library. This public-facing exhibit creates opportunities for emerging and mid-career artists to present socially engaged work in a civic space. Black Voices Performance Series – The centerpiece of the festival, this series features solo theatre, spoken word, and dance performances by African American and Diasporic artists. Presented at culturally significant venues such as the African American Art and Culture Complex, these performances elevate personal narratives that speak to collective histories, resilience, and transformation. AfroSolo also runs year-round community engagement initiatives. These include: Through accessible programming, strategic partnerships, and culturally responsive practice, AfroSolo provides visibility and support for Black artists while fostering healing, dialogue, and joy in the communities it serves. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | TONALITY | 325 N Larchmont Suite 306 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90004-6717 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (910) 358-7130 | California's 30th congressional district | District 51 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Tonality will be able to facilitate music workshops with the diverse student population at the Los Angeles High School for the Arts, focusing on BIPOC and LGBTQ youth and develop and premiere a concert together on the theme of education. | Tonality was established in 2016 to serve as a professional choral environment where racial and ethnic diversity would be represented both in the vocal performers and in the genres of music presented. In its second year, Tonality added an extra focus of presenting topics of social justice, particularly issues that affect the most marginalized within our community. Currently, Tonality is proving to be one of the most racially diverse professional choral ensembles in the country. Our commitment to present diverse composers and perspectives to issues of social justice increases every year. Furthermore, our endeavors to expand diversity extends to our Board of Directors, who also strive to maintain a strong sense of diversity in both racial and gender identities. Lastly, Tonality work’s to reflect diversity within the artists and composers is also reflected in the collective mission to serve a diverse audience. Tonality’s core programs include its seasonal concerts, Tonality Youth Scholars Choral Education Program, Systems change in classical music Speaker Series and increasing diverse voices in Music, Film, Tv Special Projects. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Koreatown Youth and Community Center, Inc. | 3727 W 6TH ST STE 300 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90020-5108 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 365-7400 | 34th | 54th District | 26th District | With support from the California Arts Council, Koreatown Youth and Community Center, Inc. (KYCC) will use the arts to teach high school students and older adults to investigate cultural lifeways, culinary foodways, racial, economic and health inequities in our community through our intergenerational, multilingual and multiethnic Koreatown Storytelling Program (KSP). In 2023-2024, KSP will explore the LGBTQIA+ community in Los Angeles’ Koreatown. We will record our multiethnic and multilingual LGBTQIA+ older adults on their life experiences – their home countries, cultural traditions, childhood, faith, family, immigration and coming out narratives, intersectionality, discrimination, and milestones and celebrations. Our ten-month curriculum includes in-depth workshops on oral history and ethnographic techniques, a historical overview of the community, interview skills, technology how-tos, traditional arts, foodmaking and innovative programming around culture, traditions, immigrant enclaves and civil rights. | KYCC’s core programs include: (1) Youth Services provides academic assistance, leadership development, mentoring, and enrichment for children from K-12th grade. (2) Kids Town Preschool provides early childhood education for young children. (3) Clinical Services provides comprehensive mental health services for children, youth and their family, including individual and family therapy, child abuse prevention and intervention, and parent education. (4) Prevention Education reduces substance abuse and advocates for a safe and healthy community. (5) Recovery Services provides outpatient substance use disorder treatment services, including individual, group and family counseling; case management; and recovery support services to youth aged 12 to adult. (6) Community Economic Development provides financial case management and education for low-income families to attain financial stability. (7) Housing Services provides Rapid Re-housing services, tenant case management services, and includes 390 units of affordable housing. (8) Environmental Services focuses on community beautification to improve quality of life. (9) Enhanced Care Management Services provides intensive, whole-person centered case management to improve outcomes of children and adults enrolled in Medi-Cal who are facing complex medical and psychosocial challenges. KYCC began our Intergenerational Initiative in 2017 to promote greater understanding and respect between generations. We unite multiple generations to address the multiple needs of our participants and families. Our approach spans generations, with ages ranging from preschool children to older adults. As part of our Intergenerational Initiative, Koreatown KSP was launched as a pilot program in March 2020 at the start of the pandemic, when our limited-income older adult community was further isolated and at higher risk. Since then, KSP has implemented different cohorts with different themes each year. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Academy of Music for the Blind | 911 Norumbega Dr , MONROVIA, CA 91016-1820 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 824-6811 | 32nd Congressional district | 48th Assembly District | 25th Senate District | With support from the California Arts Council, AMB will be assisted in paying salaries for 2 years for up to 25 teachers for our all-day Saturday program for musically gifted blind youth. AMB provides 1 teacher for every student in order to ensure maximum educational benefit: a ratio especially necessary when educating blind youth online. | We provide musically gifted blind children between the ages of 4 and 18 a full Music and Performing Arts Education in our all-day Saturday program. This 7-hour program provides 6 private one-one-one classes in Guitar, Piano, Wind, Percussion, Voice & Dance, and Braille Music & Technology, and also 2 Group classes in Band and Chorus. Weekday lessons are also available to supplement the all-day Saturday program. AMB students put on 2 public concerts each year, and provide their music services to other Charities’ fund raisers around once every month. In addition, AMB offers 2 types of educational programs for the broader population: internships for college students wishing to work in the field of service to youth with disabilities, and our Online Teacher Training Program which trains both public and private teachers how to teach music to blind youth. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | Intersection for the Arts | 1446 Market Street c/o Intersection for the Arts, San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 626-2787 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, SFUFF will organize film screenings and action-focused discussions of “Sa Amin: Our Place”, SFUFF’s documentary film about the Filipino community’s efforts to stay and thrive in San Francisco’s SOMA neighborhood despite a century of displacement pressure. Using the technique called “story as a claim to place”, screenings are planned in Filipino diaspora communities in Los Angeles, Stockton, and San Diego, and in working-class communities of color in San Francisco; and the Sa Amin website will be expanded into a resource that connects communities, sharing lessons, strategies, and stories contributed by each community. Created with and by the SOMA Filipino community, “Sa Amin” pioneers a model for communities across California to use storytelling to combat erasure and displacement. | SF Urban Film Fest produces storytelling and film-based programs in collaboration with cultural and community organizations and is based in the City of San Francisco, California. Our programming includes film screenings coupled with interactive discussions, storytelling workshops aimed at civically-minded professionals, community members and advocates, as well as place-focused gatherings that connects physical and social spaces in cities. Our services include short film projects that support grass-roots efforts to address unjust urban planning such as to advocate for more affordable housing, transit options and open space in underserved areas to name a few. The SF Urban Film Fest is in its 10th season, with events throughout the year and a week-long festival coming up spring 2024. While historically all our programs are in person, due to the 2020 global pandemic, most of our programming were virtual, with only a few socially distant, COVID-19 compliant, in person events. However starting with the 2022 and 2023 festivals, our events are hybrid and in person. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | BODY WEATHER LABORATORY | 636 MILWOOD AVE , VENICE, CA 90291-3876 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 361-1764 | the 36th Congressional district of California | District 61 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, BODY WEATHER LABORATORY will partner with the Electric Lodge in Venice, to produce and present the project entitled “Flower of the Season”, in two 4 week artist residencies which will include classes in dance, movement and media and public performances; everything free-of-charge. | In our 27th year as a non-profit organization, Body Weather Laboratory has a history in Venice and in downtown Los Angeles as a community institution with dedicated audiences. We network and partner with organizations including Venice Community Housing, the Japan America Cultural and Community Center and Beyond Baroque where we have developed and presented work. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | AXIS Dance Company | 1370 Tenth Street N/A, Berkeley, CA 94710-1510 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 625-0110 | 12th Congressional district of California | District 14 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, AXIS Dance Company will produce 12 free accessible AXIS Open Community Classes: 6 in-person and 6 virtual, alternating each month, taught by disabled dancers and designed to support disabled people and our communities’ creativity, embodiment, and well-being through guided movement, dance, and meditation. | Our Artistic Advancement Program serves as a training ground for professional D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists and consists of our Summer Intensive, Company Appreniceship, Choreo-Lab, and Teacher Trainings. Our Summer Intensive, now entering its seventeenth year, provides professional development for dancers at all levels of their growth through a multi-day experience that connects participants. Our Choreo-Lab paves the way for D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent choreographers to elevate their artistry through mentoring, networking, and peer support while producing original work. We have built a robust professional development suite of services that deepens Choreo-Lab participants’ understanding of the craft, including grants & fellowships, budgeting, production, presenting, and disability justice workshops, an enhanced year-round mentorship component, and opportunities to connect with Choreo-Lab Alumni and meet with presenters to learn from them. Through our Choreo-Lab program, we have a unique capacity to increase the representation of D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists in the dance field. Many educators lack the tools or training to confidently create inclusive learning spaces for D/deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent students. AXIS bridges that gap. We pair 45-minute integrated dance performances with artist-led discussions, introducing young audiences to disability representation and the expressive power of movement. These experiences are joyful, interactive, and often a student’s first encounter with professional dance. In tandem, we equip educators with tools to create inclusive classrooms through movement-based exercises and dialogue about language, access, and belonging. Our focus on youth programming furthers our goal to introduce new populations to integrated dance. In 2024, AXIS reached 8,000 K-12 students in the Bay Area. 50% of participants were from low-income communities and 80-100% of participants were BIPOC. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | RENAISSANCE INSTITUTE OF MUSIC, INC. | 1933 S DITMAR ST , OCEANSIDE, CA 92054-6428 | San Diego | Far South | (858) 997-5821 | 49th Congressional district of California | State Assembly (District 74) | State Senate (District 38) | With support from the California Arts Council, RENAISSANCE INSTITUTE OF MUSIC will provide instruments and music instruction to students ages 7 to adult, so they can perform together in cooperative musical ensembles and share their music with the wider community in local performance venues. RIOM will provide Teaching Artist Certification Course students with paid internships to empower them to become teachers and leaders in the ensembles and their communities. | Our programs provide free instrumental music instruction, music books and instruments loaned to students aged 5 through adult. We encourage adult family members to join and share the experience with their children. We teach through private lessons, small group instruction and in large ensembles. Our focus is on orchestral performance, at beginning, intermediate and advanced levels. Students participate in offering free concerts to the community several times a year at several different venues, and learn and perform a wide variety of musical genres. Our focus is on making music together with mutual support in the shared pursuit of excellence. We value radical inclusion and the strong connections that making music together creates among us as musicians, with our families and with our surrounding communities. Our tuition-free Teaching Artist Certification Course provides young dedicated musicians with teacher training, conducting, advanced musicianship, high level training on their primary instrument, and builds leadership skills that empower them to become teachers, mentors, and leaders in their communities. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | First Exposures | 265 Shotwell St , San Francisco, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 716-8651 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, First Exposures will provide substantive instruction and mentorship in photography to under-resourced youth via its 32-week Academic Year Session. | FX offers two mentoring sessions each year: Academic Year Mentorship: FX’s 30 academic-year mentees meet weekly on Saturdays for four-hour sessions over a 32-week period. Mentees are matched 1:1 with a mentor/adult role model, providing individualized guidance for the duration of their FX experience. Mentees choose to work with either “traditional” film photography or digital photography. Throughout the year, mentees have opportunities to go on photo walks around the city, field trips to explore new areas like the Marin Headlands and cultural institutions like SFMOMA, and take part in unique photo-based opportunities like constructing a community altar for Dia de los Muertos at the Oakland Museum. In the culmination of the year and their efforts, mentees are exhibited in our annual art auction at SOMArts Cultural Center and have their work showcased in the First Exposures’ gallery space with their family, friends, and the public. Summer Group Mentoring: Over the summer months, San Francisco’s families, schools, shelters, and centers struggle to find creative ways to keep underserved youth engaged. First Exposures’ summer program, inaugurated in 2014, teaches digital photography and darkroom film photography in small group settings with two mentors and five mentees acting as a team to provide a unique shared experience and more peer-to-peer learning. The program serves 30 mentees over an 8-week period and concludes with a public exhibition of mentee work. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | American Conservatory Theater | 415 Geary Street , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 439-2337 | California Assembly District 12 | District 17 | District 11 | With additional support from the California Arts Council, American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) will sustain and enhance our year-round ACTsmart residency program, providing in-depth and empowering theater education workshops at four San Francisco high schools serving marginalized youth. Through writing and acting monologues, scenes, and short stories, students use theater as a tool to explore social justice issues relevant in their lives. Residencies are led by an A.C.T. teaching artist in collaboration with classroom teachers and help integrate theater into school curricula. | Founded in 1965 by William Ball, A.C.T. opened our first San Francisco season at the Geary Theater in 1967. Locally focused yet globally renowned, our honors include a Tony Award for outstanding performance and training, the prestigious Jujamcyn Theaters Award, and most recently A.C.T. has been recognized as a Legacy Business by the City of San Francisco. The largest theater company in Northern California, in a normal operating year A.C.T. regularly employs more than 600 actors, directors, designers, technicians, faculty, teaching artists, and professional staff members each year. We serve an annual audience of nearly 200,000 people through transformational productions, visionary artistic training, and impactful educational programs. Our core programming consists of: 1) a mainstage season of eclectic and relevant works, 2) intensive actor training in our Conservatory, and 3) ongoing community engagement. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | First Exposures | 265 Shotwell St , San Francisco, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 716-8651 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | Will support from the California Arts Council, First Exposures (FX) will expand its efforts to provide substantive instruction and mentoring in photography to the Bay Area’s under-resourced youth, with a focus on San Francisco’s Mission district. CAC funds will provide FX with fiscal resources vital to building staff capacity to match programming demands, | FX offers two mentoring sessions each year: Academic Year Mentorship: FX’s 30 academic-year mentees meet weekly on Saturdays for four-hour sessions over a 32-week period. Mentees are matched 1:1 with a mentor/adult role model, providing individualized guidance for the duration of their FX experience. Mentees choose to work with either “traditional” film photography or digital photography. Throughout the year, mentees have opportunities to go on photo walks around the city, field trips to explore new areas like the Marin Headlands and cultural institutions like SFMOMA, and take part in unique photo-based opportunities like constructing a community altar for Dia de los Muertos at the Oakland Museum. In the culmination of the year and their efforts, mentees are exhibited in our annual art auction at SOMArts Cultural Center and have their work showcased in the First Exposures’ gallery space with their family, friends, and the public. Summer Group Mentoring: Over the summer months, San Francisco’s families, schools, shelters, and centers struggle to find creative ways to keep underserved youth engaged. First Exposures’ summer program, inaugurated in 2014, teaches digital photography and darkroom film photography in small group settings with two mentors and five mentees acting as a team to provide a unique shared experience and more peer-to-peer learning. The program serves 30 mentees over an 8-week period and concludes with a public exhibition of mentee work. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Alphabet Rockers (School Time Music LLC) | P.O. Box 8636 , Emeryville, CA 94662 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (415) 505-5248 | California's 13th congressional district | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Alphabet Rockers, a fiscally sponsored organization of Sozo Impact and winner of the 2023 GRAMMY award for Best Children’s Album, will fund artists in delivering anti-racism music and dance concerts, workshops and curriculum to our communities. | Alphabet Rockers primary goals are to: We do this through: Our programs and services are co-directed by founders, Tommy Soulati Shepherd (he/him/they) and Kaitlin McGaw (she/her), and includes diverse multi-disciplinary hip hop artists from the Alphabet Rockers collective. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | East Bay Center for the Performing Arts | 339 11TH ST , RICHMOND, CA 94801-3105 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (510) 234-5624 | California's 8th Congressional District | District 14 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, East Bay Center for the Performing Arts will provide approximately 350 students in grades 4-6 at three of Richmond’s most under-resourced elementary schools with nine weeks of instruction in Mexican/Latin American folk music and storytelling with teaching artists Dolores “Lolis” Garcia and Claudio Naranjos Vega, local Son Jarocho artists. | 1) Training/Instruction: Year-round comprehensive courses, private instruction, recitals & student support services at the Center’s state-of-the-art facility nurture 350 students ages 3-18, including 110 Young Artist Diploma Program students, who represent the most committed 7th-12th graders in our program. The Center provides them with an intensive year-round, 6-year, tuition-free, cross-cultural, cross-disciplinary (music, theater, dance) performing arts program. 2) School Partnerships: Provides foundational music, dance and theater instruction for 3,700 students at 17 Title I TK-12 public schools & 4 community centers, along with professional development for 50 public school classroom. 3) Artistic Productions: The Center’s “Call & Response” program involves our 7 youth/young adult performing resident companies (90+ students) reaching local audiences of 20,000+ annually through more than 75 community gatherings, recitals and the creation of new work. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Pieter Performance Space | 2701 N Broadway , Los Angeles, CA 90031 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 886-9845 | 34th Congressional district of California | District 52 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Pieter Performance Space will host a 5 month residency program in partnership with lead artist Arthur “Sonny” Hill to offer free Esgrima de Machete (Afro-Colombian Stick Martial Arts) community classes. This residency program will culminate in a three-day festival welcoming Master teachers from Colombia and other locations to share this important Afro-Diasporic form with people across LA. | Pieter Performance Space is located in a 4000 square foot historic ballroom in Lincoln Heights LA, and provides a platform for local, national and international artists to explore their distinct and overlapping aesthetics and interests while building their LA audiences. Pieter’s offerings center communities often marginalized in arts and performance spaces and nourish and support the growth of LA’s creative community. Pieter’s core programming welcomes more than 15,000 individuals each year and since its founding, Pieter has offered more than 4,000 workshops, classes, performances, and coalition-building meetings and presented more than 150 multidisciplinary artists. Pieter collaborates with dozens of regional organizations, collectives, and artist-led projects to ensure the strength of LA’s creative communities. Pieter’s core offerings include: Community and Special Event Rentals: Pieter provides a robust community rental program for artists to use the studio as a platform for creative exploration, to teach classes and workshops, for performances and public offerings, for activist gatherings and healing arts programming, and for a range of other creative uses. Rental rates are tiered, offering lower subsidized rates to BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ , disabled individuals, and people experiencing financial hardship. Pieter also has a special event rental program with access to the studio at market rates for larger events and programs. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Macro Waves | 1420 45th ST #50, , Emeryville, CA 94608 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (415) 713-7856 | California Assembly district 15 | District 15 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Macro Waves Collective will invest the 1st year of funding towards essential capital improvements on its new Emeryville experimental studio and the 2nd year of funding towards wages of 3 core administrative staff who will manage all creative direction of programs and partnerships, technical operations, and project finances for the creative hub. This studio will be dedicated to artistic incubation, creative experimentation, and community building. The fundamental improvements include building out a fabrication workshop, media lab, gallery, and flexible multi-use space that will prioritize access to other QTBIPOC+ artists based in the Bay Area seeking opportunities to explore new avenues of their practices and bodies of work. A core program for this studio will be an annual residency for interdisciplinary artists, community organizers, and cultural disruptors. | As a collective, Macro Waves specializes in creating experiential art, interactive installations, and immersive exhibitions. Our programs incorporate a combination of multimedia installations, new media, projection mapping, performance, and storytelling. We conceptualize projects with the intention of cultivating meaningful partnerships with community activists, organizers, collectives, and other artists based in the Bay Area. Through an intersectional framework, we integrate healing in our creative practice as a form of radical justice, so that we may unlearn cemented patterns reinforced by generations of trauma and violence. Our projects and programs focus on the topics of mental health, healing justice, and collective care. We offer alternative modalities of multisensory healing-based experiences that encourage participants to practice self-care and collective care. All of our projects are participatory, inclusive, and accessible to the community. In response to the pandemic, Macro Waves expanded its programs and services, integrating new media and technology-based solutions towards creating safe, socially distanced, and online-based opportunities to engage with our works. We have developed virtual gallery platforms, produce augmented reality art tours, live stream production and conceptualized new creative projects. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Ballet Folklorico Anahuac | 3125 FLUSHING MEADOWS DR , MODESTO, CA 95355-8413 | Stanislaus | Central Valley | (209) 605-5668 | California Assembly district 12 | District 12 | District 5 | With support from the California Arts Council, Ballet Folklorico Anahuac in conjunction with GI Forum in Modesto, develop 2 programs that highlight distinct Mexican traditional holidays. The project seeks to bring community together in celebration and re-integrate art in our community. | Ballet Folklorico Anahuac serves the Stanislaus community, located in the City of Modesto. We offer classes in ballet folklorico for students of all ages and levels. We have an academy of dance for children and young adults and a performing company that presents professional programs around the state. We also offer fitness classes in n Zumba and other techniques. Anahuac also offers educational programs for schools in our region including after-school programs, educational assemblies and residencies. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Hero Theatre | PO BOX 26275 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90026-0275 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 206-6415 | 30 | 52 | 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, HERO Theatre Inc will continue work on NUESTRO PLANETA, a multimedia commissioning, development, and theatre and film production initiative that explores how systemic racism and climate change are interconnected, bringing vital climate crisis messages to vulnerable BIPOC communities, particularly Los Angeles residents from the Latiné diaspora to share self-care tools and lessen human environmental impact. Nuestro Planeta begins in Latin America. Because most Latiné people have deep connections with their countries of origin–countries that have been harmed–Nuestro Planeta is focusing on specific Latiné countries, tying environmental justice issues happening there with how Latiné-American families are directly affected. During the grant period, we will continue to develop and produce our first commission by Diana Burbano: NUESTRO PLANETA: ALONDRA, set in the Colombian Andes and Amazon rainforest. | HERO’s goal is to create programming that has a lasting impact on audiences and helps shape a better society. We produce elaborately staged readings, full productions of plays, and special events like FESTIVAL IRENE: a 2-week festival honoring the life and legacy of Cuban playwright Maria Irene Fornés. We commission bold, innovative new work. In 2019, HERO launched OUR AMERICA new play commissioning series, in which BIPOC playwrights explore real stories of cities in America undergoing vast socio-economic change. Under this, HERO produced Amina Henry’s TROY, inspired by THE TROJAN WOMEN and based on true stories of unhoused women in L.A. HERO partnered with local shelters to invite more than 300 unhoused women to attend and provided free tickets, round-trip transportation, concessions, and a post-show talkback with artists. HERO’s 2023 production of Henry’s NOTHING, NOTHING continues these partnerships and responds to audience desire to celebrate Black women and joy. In 2021, HERO launched NUESTRO PLANETA (NP), a multimedia new works initiative rooted in research around ecological concerns in Latine countries and the U.S. and how Latine American families are directly affected. In September 2021, HERO presented an elaborately staged reading of FLEX by Candrice Jones about a Black high school girls’ basketball team that explores such themes as teen pregnancy and abortion. In 2022, we produced Velina Hasu Houston’s TEA and also RISE: An Immersive Exploration of Gun Violence in Schools which received critical acclaim. HERO’s education programming serves elementary through high school students in the L.A. school district, specifically through Inner-City Arts and solo writing and performance classes at Homeboy Industries for formerly incarcerated youth. HERO’s Dukakis Mentorship Program, provides early career artists and administrators one-on-one mentorship; 50+ artists served. HERO frequently invites communities represented in the work on our stages to attend our programming for no cost. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Department of Sound | 2514 Chinatown Alley, Sacramento CA 95816 , Sacramento, CA 95816 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 996-2999 | California Assembly district 7 | 6 | 8 | With support from the California Arts Council, Department of Sound will use funds to support partial compensation for the Director of Education and two program managers whose roles are essential in meeting current and future requests for music and podcast production education programming. We will recruit 30 new instructors to increase capacity to fulfill requests for the Valley Producer Academy School Program. Additionally we will engage in local community events, music festivals, and school activities to meet prospective candidates; connect with local music teachers, school administrators, and community leaders who can refer qualified candidates; and attract educators through social media and online job posts. Newly contracted instructors will then be trained and equipped with the necessary skills and support to provide continued exceptional music education experiences for students in underserved communities in the Sacramento area. | Department Of Sound provides comprehensive music, audio engineering, and podcast production education through high-quality, technology-enabled curricula. We empower students and educators to create a wide range of meaningful and authentic content without expensive instruments or specialized equipment beyond an Internet-enabled device. We utilize an innovative approach to learning, offering multiple points of access for students, including online courses, mentorship programs, social media tutorials, community events, schools, and professional media industry locations. We fulfill our mission by producing educational content, such as the Sound Mind Curriculum for mental health support through music and mindfulness, developing partnerships with public schools and community organizations, and disseminating free and accessible music education resources. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Lieder Alive | 14 IMPERIAL AVE , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123-3604 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 561-0100 | 11th Congressional District of California | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, LIEDER ALIVE will expand the scope and relevance of art songs in California by introducing lieder (art songs) to a wider, even more diverse audience of historically under-served communities. Through engaging workshops of creative writing and music, identified communities will experience the healing process of expressing feelings with the written word and setting those words to music. Veterans, seniors, adults, and students from disenfranchised parts of San Francisco and the greater Bay Area will engage in an ongoing restorative experience through this creative art form. | *The organization is preparing its14th season of presenting chamber music, including known and new vocal and instrumental artists. *At the core of our Lieder Alive Amici Educational Program is an immersive and intimate environment for professional and aspiring professional vocal artists, pianists, and other instrumental musicians to explore their craft. This includes intensive coaching sessions and performance opportunities with Lieder Alive. *The organization has evolved into an organization with a much broader and more extensive outreach serving new and historically under-served audiences. Multiple languages are being presented, and the authenticity of the artists is primary. Both elements have prompted a change to the mission statement embracing the global aspect of the organization. *A concerted effort is being made to engage historically marginalized groups. We seek to create engaging opportunities for under-served groups of community members who would benefit from the healing experience of poetry put to music – the essence of Lieder. *Lieder Alive has a collaboration with an online music distributor |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Eugenie Chan Theater Projects (ECTP) | 1446 Market Street c/o Intersection for the Arts, San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 640-3300 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Eugenie Chan Theater Projects will support regular staff compensation, including a cultural director, the hiring of a development assistant per Covid 19-delayed strategic plan, and production support for our free-to-the public programs. | ECTP’s low- or no-cost productions offer community identity, entertainment, education, and fresh, often humorous perspectives that ask our California audiences to examine their own place as immigrants, transplants, and longtime residents of the Golden State. Even for audiences outside the state, ECTP productions illuminate the American immigrant experience and its ramifications today. Key projects are accessible to both English and Chinese speakers in both traditional theater stages and community spaces. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | DSTL Arts | 1069 W. Avenue 37 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90065 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (760) 521-7018 | California's 34th congressional district | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the CAC, DSTL Arts will host, through our Creative Impact program, a series of arts-based workshops dedicated to teaching & artistically responding to the history & development of Public Transportation in the Los Angeles County region as well as its current-day impact on Pedestrian Safety, Environmental Justice, & other community-informed topics. Each workshop session will engage participants in an arts-based activity resulting in the collaborative creation of a limited series of Public Transportation-related posters, & each poster, along with other community-generated art submissions, will be anthologized as part of our Creative Impact book series. Additionally, the posters produced through this workshop series will be placed at various bus shelters and/or local light rail stations to further promote rider safety & environmental justice awareness initiatives. | DSTL Arts fulfills its mission to inspire, teach, and hire emerging artists from underserved communities through a variety of arts-based programs, mentorships, and publishing opportunities for emerging writers and artists. This includes our Poet/Artist Development Program offering mentorships, professional development, and publishing opportunities to emerging poet/artists, ages 18 and older, specifically from historically-marginalized communities. Furthermore, our Art Block Zine and Aurtistic Zine publications feature emerging writers and artists from Los Angeles County and beyond, and in particular, neurodivergent artists from ages 6 and older through Aurtistic Zine. Our Conchas y Café bilingual community writing workshop series produces a biannual zine of the same name featuring the work of bilingual (English/Spanish) and monolingual (Spanish-speaking) adults learning new skills and techniques in creative writing. Lastly, our Creative Impact community-based, social justice-themed arts workshops provide paid teaching artist internships to select emerging poet/artists enrolled in our Poet/Artist Development Program and poet/artist-led, intergenerational, social justice-focused, arts workshops and publishing opportunities for our broader community. To make all of these programs accessible to our community, DSTL Arts offers our Mobile Art Lab as an additional resource, bringing a uniquely fitted vehicle to community settings where access to large-format scanners/printers, tablets, and WiFi is limited, thereby addressing the digital divide our community members often experience. And to further engage and celebrate our community and program participants, we host a monthly podcast that highlights local artists and featured artists from our zines, as well as provide all of our workshops as both in-person and virtual programs that exist in perpetuity on our YouTube channel where individuals are welcome to continue their learning experience. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | ZiRu Dance | 303 TWIN DOLPHIN DRIVE 6TH FL , REDWOOD SHORES, CA 94065-1497 | San Mateo | Bay Area – Other | (510) 504-6290 | California's 15th congressional district | California's 21st State Assembly | California's 13th Senate District | With support from the California Arts Council, ZiRu Dance aims to tour “VANTAGE: a Study of Xenophobia and Race” and aims to increase the impact of its “Move and Release” Classes and “Pathways to Recovery” Performance by including senior citizens and refugees displaced by the conflict in Ukraine. The organization intends to train dance therapists and dancers from underserved communities to facilitate future workshops, thereby empowering them to bring the therapeutic benefits of dance to their respective communities. In addition, ZiRu Dance intends to develop a curriculum that will enable these organizations to create final performances showcasing the artistic and therapeutic journey of their participants to a larger audience. This expansion of the program aims to reach a larger community and promote the healing and expressive power of dance. | Silicon Valley Dance Festival (SVDF): Inaugurated in 2016, SVDF brings world class contemporary dance to Silicon Valley. SVDF curates an immersive experience, equivalent to 5-7 trips into San Francisco to view contemporary dance. Move and Release: Created in collaboration with One Life Counseling, this new movement therapy program is offered to Silicon Valley residents aimed at addressing social isolation, mental health, xenophobia, and racism experienced during the COVID pandemic. ZiRu Dance partners with community organizations to offer the Move and Release classes, prioritizing organizations supporting youth mental health. ZiRu continues to partner with One Life Counseling in research and development of this dance movement therapy and class and will be training more dance therapists and dancers to offer classes to more youth, adults and seniors in need. The creation and premiere of new dance works: ZiRu Dance aims to harness the power of dance as a catalyst for social change. ZiRu’s most recent work, “VANTAGE,” uses dance, cultural identity, storytelling, and racial justice advocacy to explore how we engage with live art in a post-COVID, multiracial community. This project focuses on four cultural viewpoints—Chinese American, African American, Mixed Race, and Latinx—and incorporates panel discussions with BIPOC community partners. ZiRu is currently working on “Pathways to Recovery” — a project addressing PTSD and the pathways to healing – using the Move and Release classes as a source of research and movement generation. Exchange Programs: ZiRu Dance offers a variety of exchange programs including Dance Dream & DIVE. The Dance Dream program brings international dancers from abroad to San Francisco for a pre-professional dance camp experience where they will learn from ZiRu’s community of dance educators and ZiRu’s professional dancers. The DIVE program provides professional dancers in the San Francisco/Silicon Valley area the opportunity to connect with and work with professional companies abroad. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Synchromy | 1390 North Arroyo Blvd , Pasadena, CA 91103 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (360) 305-7825 | California Assembly district 43 | District 43 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Synchromy will produce two seasons of new music by diverse LA-based composers, bringing underrepresented musical voices to underserved communities in accessible, welcoming, non-traditional venues and formats across Los Angeles county. In addition to concerts, we provide professional development for composers and foster community engagement through ongoing partnerships. The General Operating Support grant will go toward artist fees, production and exhibition costs, and marketing and administrative costs. As an organization in a steady growth phase, this grant will also enable us to hire a communications manager in order to broaden and deepen audience engagement. We will also use the funds to develop and implement accessibility strategies. Synchromy is motivated to provide funded opportunities for composers, musicians, and community partners navigating this uncertain post-Covid economy. | LIVE MUSIC PROGRAMMING SUPPORT FOR COMPOSERS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Deborah Slater Dance Theater | 3435 Cesar Chavez #210, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110-2423 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 308-1612 | District 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Art of the Matter Performance Foundation will: continue development of new artistic work and pay our performing company members and artistic collaborators; continue our residency program and pay lead resident artists and present their work in fully underwritten performances, pay staff members, and pay the rent for our studio/small theater space. | Deborah Slater Dance Theater live performances |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Southern Exposure | 3030 20TH STREET , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110-2780 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 863-2141 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, in 2023-25 Southern Exposure will present a series of 50-80 large-scale projects, visual arts exhibitions, performances, workshops, public conversations, gatherings, and other events in our Mission District gallery in San Francisco, to create a forum on contemporary socio-political and cultural issues and new modes of production that focuses on historically marginalized communities. We will also engage 100-150 youth from historically marginalized communities in a series of arts education programs that provide teens with a visual art space to explore issues relevant to them, as well as opportunities to exercise leadership skills and utilize art as a tool for social change. | Since 1974, the needs and voices of artists have been the driving force behind Southern Exposure (SoEx)’s activities. Through our extensive, innovative programming, SoEx strives to experiment, collaborate, and educate while providing an extraordinary resource center and forum for artists of all ages. Our Artists in Education programs strive to catalyze leadership opportunities for young artists in underserved communities, enabling them to utilize their artistic vision to express their perspectives on the social issues that impact their lives. Our Curatorial Council – a group of BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and immigrant artists who lead SoEx’s creative vision – curates our Projects and Exhibitions program and promotes innovative, risk‐taking visual art practices. And Alternative Exposure is our major re‐granting initiative that provides funding and promotion for the independent, self‐organized work of artist collectives that serve, highlight, or lift up historically marginalized artistic communities within the Bay Area arts community. Having always been located in San Francisco’s Mission District, SoEx has become an even more critical institution for visual artists, especially those that are historically marginalized, given the neighborhood’s and City’s rapid economic transformation. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $20,868.00 | More Más Marami Arts | C/O School of Arts and Culture at MHP 1700 Alum Rock Avenue, San Jose, CA 95116 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 963-9513 | California's 19th congressional district | With support from the California Arts Council, More Más Marami Arts (MMM) will host their 5th annual playwriting and emerging arts festival, MMM Fest, in July 2024, while supporting the creation of new art in the months leading up to the festival. MMM Fest will feature performances of four plays by local playwrights and three community-devised theater pieces. MMM will support the creation and development of these plays and devised works by facilitating community workshops where South Bay artists and residents can collaborate, seek feedback, or provide input on works that reflect their identities, cultures, and concerns. The festival will also include expositions by emerging visual and performing artists in the South Bay. Expositions will be organized in partnership with local organizations. | Programs include innovative productions, script readings, open mics, audioplays, monthly livestreams, educational workshops, and opportunities for and with underserved communities of San Jose and the South Bay Area. MMMA’s programs include: Writers Launchpad is MMMA’s yearly script incubator program. MMMA Directors choose four to five scripts and select the cast for each. The directors and writers then implement a once-a-week series of rehearsals over a two-month period; the rehearsals double as workshops for the writers. Writers use the feedback from their directors and actors to make edits to the script. Scripts are debuted for a festival of table reads to a live audience. Originally a live and in person series, this year it has moved online to adjust to our current world. Story Chain was initiated as a way to continue to create together during COVID-19. For Story Chain, community members come together virtually and create a full length script from start to finish over the course of a couple months. Writers pitch, write, and edit together to create a full-length show and to learn tips and tricks from each other. New writers and those with more experience work together to create a script that reflects a bit of each of the creators. Trespass Theatre takes theatre from the stage to your neighborhood. Local writers and artists are able to create a piece that is centered around a specific space in the Bay Area. MMMA has performed outdoor shows in parks that have focused on climate change, and a LGBTQ+ show in the Billy DeFrank Center. The goal is to create theatre that is accessible and available to everyone while celebrating the uniqueness of the South Bay. MMMA is planning a schedule of shows for Spring 2021 to perform safely outdoors. | ||
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Longshadr Productions | 1102 Warren Creek Road , Arcata, CA 95521 | Humboldt | Upstate | (707) 223-0265 | With support from the California Arts Council, Longshadr Productions will grow its organizational infrastructure to continue serving Humboldt County and Northern California through new community-based arts programming that uplifts and celebrates historically marginalized communities through a form of “Theatre of Place”. Specifically, Longshadr will invest in long-term equipment rentals, transportation and touring costs, rehearsal space rentals, website maintenance, accessibility services, and a bookkeeping software. In Year 2, Longshadr Productions will pilot bringing its Artistic Director on part-time staff. | Longshadr’s programs and productions are all community-developed. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Empire Arts Collective | 2791 24th St Room 13, Sacramento, CA 95818-3255 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 548-8588 | California Assembly district 7 | District 7 | District 6 | With support from the California Arts Council, Empire Arts Collective will continue to empower hundreds of Sacramento performers of all abilities to step on a stage for the first or 500th time. Our proven theatre, improv comedy, and arts incubation programs use a holistic approach that differs from traditional theatre and is particularly effective at building community and welcoming people as their whole creative selves. We pass on the financial help and use our resources in three ways: keeping costs down for participants and patrons; paying for personnel and materials to create joyful, inclusive, and unique art experiences; and investing in art incubator projects with the potential to grow and reach more audiences than our own. We are committed to offering and expanding our joyful creative play and community-building in classes, programs, and performances. | Empire Arts Collective’s 2 core programs include EAC Out Loud and the Visual Arts Program. EAC Out Loud brings together performers, directors, designers, and playwrights to tell stories from queer and QTBIPOC perspectives. Through thoughtful casting, engaging rehearsal processes, and community-rooted outreach, we aim to create theatrical experiences that are as joyful and complex as the people who make them. This program supports original productions, staged readings, and future development opportunities that align with our mission of inclusion, artistic innovation, and equity in the performing arts. The Visual Arts program is a space for artists, particularly those living with chronic pain or illness, who want to share their work, reach new audiences, and push creative boundaries together. When visual and performing artists get in the same room, unexpected magic happens. A painting can inspire a stage design, a costume can shape a character, an installation can become part of the story. This program is about that overlap—the space where ideas collide, disciplines mix, and something totally new emerges. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | 5 Elements Youth Program | 2830 20th St, San Francisco, CA 94110 1111 Junipero Serra Blvd SF, CA 94112, San Francisco, CA 94112 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 424-6303 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, 5 Elements Youth Program will uplift youth leadership in San Francisco through culturally relevant arts programs, projects, mentorships, workshops, and community-rooted events that cultivate shared-power and exploration of their self-determination and creative expression. | 5E implements evidence-based practices and multicultural frameworks, using the arts as a vehicle to overcome adversity. We utilize culturally-relevant art forms rooted in hip hop culture including: Visual & Graffiti Arts; DJing & Music Production; Lyricism & Spoken Word; Dance, Breaking, & Performing Arts. Our programs and services include: Enrichment Art Projects: Tailored weekly programs that teach artistic skills that supplement academic curriculum. Utilizing experiential learning methods our collaborative projects range from 8-32 weeks. 5E incorporates outdoor learning and field trips such as bringing youth to cultural ceremonies, performances, museums, parks and recreational spaces, on hikes and camping. Programs are facilitated during the school day, in after-school hours, or seasonally. For example, many 5 Elements projects culminate in painting a mural at school or at a community site. Cultural & Community-Based Workshops and Events: 5 Elements curates arts events and conferences that support emerging youth leaders. These events create cultural platforms for youth to reimagine justice through visual and performing arts rooted hip-hop. Education 4 Liberation Network & 5E Youth Network: 5 Elements facilitates training tools and spaces for youth, educators, administrators, and community members, to advance their shared vision for critical and humanizing models of youth development and community wellness. We train intergenerational groups of youth and their adult allies to lead visual art projects that reclaim public spaces for causes that transform marginalized neighborhoods into equitable communities. Social Justice Consulting: 5 Elements provides technical assistance and designs support systems for our community based partners utilizing unconventional methods, with innovative interdisciplinary perspectives on youth development. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $19,249.00 | Danse Lumiere | 31 Anchorage Rd , Sausalito, CA 94965 | Marin | Bay Area – Other | (510) 439-7518 | 2nd Congressional District | 12th District | 2nd Senate District | With support from the California Arts Council, Danse Lumiere will be able to to pay administrators for the activities of the company and for grant writing. We would be able to pay artist fees for rehearsing and performing and also our production costs. All of our programing supports diverse women in the arts in California. | Our core programs are performances, classes, workshops and our Women Directors, Choreographers and Composers program. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $54,998.00 | One Institute | 7655 W SUNSET BLVD , LOS ANGELES, CA 90046-2725 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 376-6801 | California's 30th congressional district | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, ONE Archives Foundation (ONE) will continue to enact our mission to spotlight LGBTQ+ histories and stories through high-quality, low or no cost history, arts, education, and cultural programming. As the oldest active LGBTQ+ organization in the country, ONE convenes richly diverse queer and trans communities for dialogue, reflection, celebration, and mobilization in the face of discrimination and erasure, and in furtherance of queer humanity. | Each year, One Institute produces dozens of high-quality, low to no cost queer history-focused education, arts, and cultural public programs at our two primary programming locations (One Gallery in West Hollywood, ONE Archives at USC Libraries in South Los Angeles) and across LA County at various partnered arts programming hubs. Our public programs, exhibitions, and multimedia projects tell the intersectional histories and stories of LGBTQ+ lives. In collaboration with LA-based curators and artists, these projects feature original creative content as well as materials from ONE Archives at USC. Recent projects include: – It’s Where I Belong: 40 Years (and More) of Drag in West Hollywood (May-June 2025), exhibition on local drag history that uncovers rarely-seen materials from the ONE Archives and from community contributions to spotlight this uniquely queer art form; One also provides critical K-12 educational initiatives, including youth mentorship programs, curriculum development, and advocacy work, including: |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $54,998.00 | ESMoA | 14929 Hawthorne Blvd , Lawndale, CA 90260-1502 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (424) 277-1020 | 43 | District 61 | District 35 | With support from the California Arts Council, ARTLAB21 FOUNDATION will operate the Experimentally Structured Museum of Art (ESMoA) in El Segundo, reimagining creativity and achieving greater cultural equity/access through (1) entirely free programming, (2) experimentation around curatorial practices and interpretative materials, (3) amplification of the voices of marginalized artists, and (4) outreach/engagement of more Title 1 schools situated in areas that fall into the lowest quartile of the California Healthy Places | ESMoA believes that many people should contribute to the interpretation and creation of art in an atmosphere that is free – we do not charge fees for admissions or programs – and freeing to visitors and artists. Since 2023, we have been headquartered in Lawndale, where 40% percent of residents are immigrants and 63% identify as Latinx. We are its first-ever visual arts space, with a gallery and art workshop studio. At our weekly drop-in Art Maker Space, visitors create art – collages/lino prints/drawings/paintings – at long tables, family-style. A weekly session for young children (3+) combines storytelling and artmaking. Experiences – our word for exhibitions – offer curated presentations of contemporary art. One recent show was XICANA!, a cross-generational look at the Chicana Arts Movement featuring 67 artists, which travels in June to Escondido with an expanded checklist of San Diego artists. In the upcoming Experience GRIEF, our guest curator will trace stages of grief. As with each Experience, ESMoA will commission new works of art. ESMoA nurtures artists. Through the LAB Residency, local artists create new work to accompany Experiences and lead workshops. We have just initiated an international exchange program. For Experience 62: STATIONS (2025), undergraduates from El Camino College collaborated with visiting students from the University of Fine Arts Münster, Germany, on a mural. Under an initiative called EXTENSION, ESMoA organizes Experiences beyond our four walls. Our first such venture was EDGE (2024), which brought together the work of L.A. graffiti writers/muralists. To commemorate Juneteenth, we partnered with the organization Black in Mayberry on the exhibition FREEDOM. ESMoA is integrated into the community’s fabric. Our team leads a school library-based Story Artlab sessions as well as workshops at the City’s Youth Day Parade, Day of the Dead festivities, and “Chalk Away” muralmaking on City Hall Plaza. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Alegria Bilingual Bookstores & Arts Collective | 1029 Vía De La Paz , Los Angeles, CA 90272 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (305) 450-5756 | With support from the California Arts Council, Alegria Bilingual Bookstore & Arts Collective (Alegria) will implement a series of free bilingual poetry workshops and open mics for the L.A community entitled Healing Together Through Poetry. This project will use poetry as a tool to educate, transform and uplift our community, throughout the grant period. These writing workshops and open mics will be facilitated by our credited Latinx and Afro Latinx poets. The workshops and open mics will go together and will happen once a month. Our writers will first workshop their poems then share their work with a trusted community. Each month we will facilitate a workshop and open mic that touches on different community needs. Grant funds will mainly be used to compensate poets for their research and work, marketing, space rental, and writing materials. | Alegria Bilingual Bookstores & Arts Collective (Alegria) published a full roster of Latinx and Afrolatinx writers through our publishing press. Latinx stories only makeup 6% of the literature industry, which is why it is crucial for us to continue to illuminate and amplify the voices of these artists. We also bring essential literary resources and poetry workshops in both English and Spanish to underserved communities throughout Los Angeles. Our mobile bookstore allows us to directly serve our target population of BIPOC, Latinx and immigrant communities in Los Angeles. To these communities, Alegria brings our Latinx and Afrolatinx poets to present spoken word poetry events, where audiences get to hear stories all across the Latinx diaspora. Alegria also hosts writing workshops for these communities in both English and Spanish to provide them a space to engage with poetry and begin to writer their own stories. Lastly Alegria brings bilingual literature resources such as short story and poetry books for our communities to read and engage with. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Alegria Bilingual Bookstores & Arts Collective | 1029 Vía De La Paz , Los Angeles, CA 90272 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (305) 450-5756 | With support from the California Arts Council, Alegria Bilingual Bookstore & Arts Collective (Alegria) will continue to bring necessary bilingual literary resources, spoken word poetry events and writing workshops to underserved communities throughout Los Angeles. Alegria is both an independent publishing press that specifically publishes the unrepresented group of Latinx and Afro Latinx authors in Los Angeles, and also works as a mobile bookstore that brings bilingual literary resources, writing workshops and writing events to our target population (more below) in Los Angeles. We use writing and literature as a tool to inspire, uplift, and heal our communities. These funds will allow us to extend our reach throughout Los Angeles, and continue to transform lives through the power of writing, spoken word, and literature in both Spanish and English. | Alegria Bilingual Bookstores & Arts Collective (Alegria) published a full roster of Latinx and Afrolatinx writers through our publishing press. Latinx stories only makeup 6% of the literature industry, which is why it is crucial for us to continue to illuminate and amplify the voices of these artists. We also bring essential literary resources and poetry workshops in both English and Spanish to underserved communities throughout Los Angeles. Our mobile bookstore allows us to directly serve our target population of BIPOC, Latinx and immigrant communities in Los Angeles. To these communities, Alegria brings our Latinx and Afrolatinx poets to present spoken word poetry events, where audiences get to hear stories all across the Latinx diaspora. Alegria also hosts writing workshops for these communities in both English and Spanish to provide them a space to engage with poetry and begin to writer their own stories. Lastly Alegria brings bilingual literature resources such as short story and poetry books for our communities to read and engage with. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | URBAN VOICES PROJECT | 420 S SAN PEDRO ST #423, LOS ANGELES, CA 90013-2192 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 741-1887 | CA-34 | District 57 | Distract 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, URBAN VOICES PROJECT will provide music engagement programs to Skid Row residents and beyond marginalized by homelessness, mental health struggles, and unemployment, using music as a bridge to community, health and social services. These programs include community singing workshops, family singing workshops, Music Education and Wellness Labs. | To place music & singing community spaces in every medical and social service site across Los Angeles, to create community and a more comprehensive, holistic system for engaging individuals coping with the conditions of homelessness. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Sol Treasures | 519 BROADWAY ST , KING CITY, CA 93930-3230 | Monterey | Central Coast | (831) 386-1381 | California's 20th congressional district | District 30 | District 12 | With support from California Arts Council, Sol Treasures will continue with our arts and cultural heritage programming in rural South Monterey County in the underserved areas of King City, San Lucas, San Ardo, Bradley, and San Antonio. We provide arts during class time and after-school programming to 6 rural schools and 5 CHISPA housing communities. On-site weekly workshops for parents/toddlers, youth, teens, and seniors. Spring and Fall Community Theater productions with free tickets to all area youth (approximately 2000 per production) Ableton Digital Music Production workshops, violin, guitar, and piano lessons. Technical theater training. Two weeks of summer camp. Four interactive Gallery exhibits, including school docent tours/art projects. Día de los Muertos preparation for Parade and Community Altar. In total, approximately 20,000 incidents of service to SMC residents. | Sol Treasures is a (501 (c) 3 non-profit organization founded in 2008 as an Art and Cultural Center. Sol Treasures provides opportunities for community members of all ages to experience and create art in King City and the other Southern Monterey County communities. Sol Treasures provides art programming where none or very little exists. Underserved, rural-living children and youth have opportunities for creative expression. Sol Treasures serves 400 to 500 individuals weekly through visual and performing arts programs. Sol Treasures’ annual programs include after-school art enrichment classes; children’s musical theater productions, with each production providing a live theater experience for 2,000 of the region’s students; community choruses for students and adults; SOL-O Youth Strings Orchestra; and summer visual and performing art camps for children. Sol Treasures also has technical theatre classes, teaching all aspects of sound, lighting and visual technologies. The Sol Treasures Art Gallery and Gift Shop offer 7-8 annual art exhibits. Sol Treasures in collaboration with La Cocina organize the Dia de Los Muertos Community Altar, Parade and Festival to include classes on costuming, face painting, sculpting, and poetry. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | $70,800.00 | Arts and Culture El Dorado | 525 Main Street , Placerville, CA 95667-2400 | El Dorado | Capital | (530) 295-3496 | California's 4th congressional district | District 5 | District 4 | With support from California Arts Council, Arts & Culture El Dorado will continue to serve as the principal entity providing arts services and access to arts experiences to rural El Dorado County, including programs for veterans, young people, artists and arts organizations, and the general public. We will also be able to maintain operating capacity to offer programs like The Big Read (awarded) and Poetry Out Loud, keep Switchboard Gallery open seven days a week, administer the Arts Incubator, develop a public art master plan for the City of Placerville, present ag programs like Colors from the Farm, and promote, connect and empower culture and the arts throughout the County. | Switchboard Gallery Exhibition Series |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | World Arts West | 1446 Market St. , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 474-3914 | California's 12th congressional district | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, World Arts West will partner with lead artist/culture bearer Kiazi Malonga to curate and produce two weekends of events at YBCA’s Bay Area NOW in October 2023. Together, we will create a platform of visibility for our historically underrepresented cultural artist community. CAC funds will support artist fees for our esteemed cultural artist cohort who will plan and participate in four programs: Festival Opening Land Acknowledgement; Elder Circle; Ancestor Tribute; and Art + Culture Traditions + Political Power speaker series. | World Arts West Dance Festival Arts Equity Research Artist Service Programs Cultural Artist Visibility & Advocacy Grants Accelerator Program (GAP) Wallace Foundation National Arts Partners Regranting Cohort Special Artist Commissions |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | $70,800.00 | Alameda County Arts Commission | 1106 Madison St., Suite 336 , Oakland, CA 94607 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 208-9646 | California's 12th congressional district | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Alameda County Arts Commission will provide a broad range of arts programs to the arts community and extremely diverse 1.7 million County residents. The grant will support staff positions and programs focusing on Advocacy, Grants to Arts Organizations, Public Art and Arts Education. | The Arts Commission fulfills its mission through: |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | $66,600.00 | San Benito County Arts Council | 35 5th St. Suite D , HOLLISTER, CA 95023 | San Benito | Central Coast | (831) 636-2787 | California's 18th congressional district | District 29 | District 17 | With support from the California Arts Council, the SAN BENITO COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL will increase arts and culture equity, impact and accessibility for all residents in San Benito County through expanded programs, services and funding. CAC Funds will be applied to general operations, including salaries and rent, and Poetry Out Loud. | The San Benito County Arts Council’s signature programs and services include: |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $50,000.00 | Fulcrum Arts | 145 North Raymond Avenue , PASADENA, CA 91103 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 793-8171 | California's 27th congressional district | District 41 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council Fulcrum Arts will deliver artist-driven and designed programs in professional development with top experts, industry-networking, and cross disciplinary collaboration for 100-200 diverse artists throughout Southern California: fiscal sponsorship for over 85 organizations, financial management and mentoring; and leadership in regional arts advocacy coalitions. | We focus on the intersection of art, science, and social change across the spheres of human creative achievement and reflect on the diverse cultural groups that comprise the Pacific Rim. This geographic focus favors a multicultural dialogue, decentralizing Eurocentric historical narratives in favor of more inclusive perspectives. Fulcrum Arts also offers support to artists, independent arts organizations, and non-profit cultural organizations through fiscal sponsorship, professional development, consulting, and financial services. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | Fulcrum Arts | 145 North Raymond Avenue , PASADENA, CA 91103 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 793-8171 | California's 27th congressional district | District 41 | District 25 | Fulcrum Arts will present Procession, a large-scale performance and festival of commissioned works at Los Angeles State Historic Park that center and uplift the voices of Indigenous practitioners and other culture bearers, tracing the history of the Los Angeles River. Procession engages communities with the geographic and cultural memory of Los Angeles through the legacy of the Los Angeles River (Paayme Paxaayt). The project begins this summer and includes storytelling activities, educational workshops, and a performance involving hundreds of Angelenos converging at a free public festival on October 21, 2023. This collaborative work invites residents and participants to engage with the history of the ground beneath our feet and be active agents of change simply by caring for human and more-than-human systems. | We focus on the intersection of art, science, and social change across the spheres of human creative achievement and reflect on the diverse cultural groups that comprise the Pacific Rim. This geographic focus favors a multicultural dialogue, decentralizing Eurocentric historical narratives in favor of more inclusive perspectives. Fulcrum Arts also offers support to artists, independent arts organizations, and non-profit cultural organizations through fiscal sponsorship, professional development, consulting, and financial services. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | zambaleta | 488 Weldon Avenue , Oakland, CA 94610 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (415) 690-0047 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, ZAMBALETA will expand its community music education programs in the San Francisco Bay Area and online. With the onset of the COVID pandemic in April 2020, Zambaleta launched Labyrinth Online – an online music education platform focusing on the modal traditions of the Middle East, the Mediterranean, Central and South Asia. Till now, the platform has presented synchronous (live) music courses. In the coming two years, Zambaleta will roll out asynchronous (pre-recorded) courses to widen the program’s reach and lower the courses’ price point to make them more accessible to students of all backgrounds while supporting its instructors with with a passive income revenue stream. In parallel, Zambaleta will re-introduce its in-person community music classes in both Alameda and San Francisco counties. | Zambaleta offers music classes, presents performances, and produces events focusing on the Middle East and Africa. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Hijos del Sol Arts Productions | 443 E Alisal St, Suite C , Salinas, CA 93905-4514 | Monterey | Central Coast | (831) 210-2552 | 18th Congressional District of California | District 29 | District 17 | With support from the California Arts Council HIJOS DEL SOL ARTS PRODUCTIONS will provide professional arts instruction and create cultural enrichment opportunities for children, youth, and families. Hijos del Sol instructors, apprentices, and students will design and organize three community exhibits: Garabatos, Días de Muertos, A Toda Madre. | Hijos del Sol, meaning “Children of the Sun,” embodies a philosophy of interconnectedness and sharing. Established in 1994 by Native American and Latino migrant artists in East Salinas, our award-winning organization has been repeatedly recognized by city, county, and state officials for impactful programming. At Hijos del Sol, every participant is encouraged to explore their creativity freely, fostering authentic self-expression and personal empowerment. In 2024, we reached 2,979 youth and engaged over 2,442 community members in our events. Recent survey results demonstrate that Hijos del Sol fosters artistic growth, confidence, and community. The findings highlight our impact in nurturing both creativity and a supportive community. 76.9% feel a strong sense of belonging HIJOS DEL SOL EXPERIMENTAL ARTS STUDIO is our unique model key for youth to find freedom of expression. With our hub in East Salinas, participants create without fear, unleashing their emotions, imagination, and enthusiasm. HIJOS DEL SOL TRAVELING EXPERIMENTAL ARTS STUDIOS are set up on school grounds for all students to access and rotate into the experimental studio environment. In the coming year, we expect to continue to work with all 14 schools of the Salinas City Elementary District and more. HIJOS DEL SOL CULTURAL EVENTS WITH ARTS EXHIBITS work with students throughout the year fosters a sense of belonging and cultural appreciation. At these events, we keep our traditions alive, preserving our heritage. 1) A Toda Madres, 2) Dia de los Muertos, and 3) Garabatos. HIJOS DEL SOL TRANSFORMATIVE COMMUNITY MURALS include vibrant, symbolic images that reflect the strength of our people, uplift our community, and spread messages of unity and hope. HIJOS DEL SOL APPRENTICES are a cohort under the guidance of Arts Director Jose G. Ortiz and Jose “Pepe” Nolasco. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | ARMORY CENTER FOR THE ARTS | 145 N RAYMOND AVE , PASADENA, CA 91103-3921 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 792-5101 | California's 27th congressional district | District 41 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, Armory Center for the Arts will continue an artist residency program at the Pasadena Community Job Center. The Job Center connects employers with skilled day laborers, ensuring fair wages, dignity, and good working conditions. Artists Michelle Rose Glass and Myisha Arellano, in concert with Armory Teaching Artists, will build upon eighteen months of trust working with the Job Center community. At the Job Center’s request, we will provide bi-monthly, relevant, drop-in art-making experiences at the Center’s weekly food distribution site, which serves 150 families weekly. This process will culminate with a final collaborative project and presentation during Pasadena’s art walk in Fall 2024. This proposal exemplifies our post-pandemic mandate of ensuring equitable access to art for everyone by meeting people where they are. | The Armory is one of the only organizations in the San Gabriel Valley to offer free arts programming year-round. Our programs enhance social-emotional wellness, provide a powerful vehicle for self-expression, unite communities, and help inspire creative career pathways for youth: Off-Site Programs: Year-round free programming to historically underserved children, teens, older adults, families, system-impacted youth, and unsheltered individuals. School-Based Programs: Cross-curricular instruction to students in Title I classrooms in Pasadena that merge visual arts with core curriculum, including math and environmental sciences. On-Site Studio Programs: Tuition-based arts classes for children, teens, and adults, designed and taught by Armory Teaching Artists at our main facility. Contemporary Art Exhibitions: Rigorously researched and professionally presented exhibitions, screenings, performances, publications, lectures, and panels. Admission is always free. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | The Vacaville Museum | 213 BUCK AVE , VACAVILLE, CA 95688-3835 | Solano | Capital | (707) 447-4513 | 8th district | 11th District | Third Senate District | With support from the California Arts Council, The Vacaville Museum will implement sustainable systems that support programming, communication, marketing, and fundraising. The Museum offers programming and exhibits on the history of Solano County, California. Staffed by knowledgeable and passionate individuals who are dedicated to preserving and sharing the area’s rich legacy, visitors can explore exhibitions that highlight the cultural, economic, and social aspects of local history, | The Museum’s commitment to education and community outreach is reflected in its many programs and initiatives. These include workshops and classes for children and adults, lectures and presentations by local historians and scholars, and collaborations with schools and other organizations to promote the study of local history and culture. The Museum has recently changed its programming strategy to be more layered and interactive. It’s now reflective of a dynamic space where community members visit often for events and exhibits. For example, the Museum has implemented a low-cost music series to celebrate the performing arts and reach a more diverse audience. These concerts take place in the exhibition gallery so visitors can enjoy both the exhibit and the music. The Museum is committed to ensuring all ages feel welcome by hosting age-appropriate activities into its programming, such as hosting a ‘Grape Stomp’ in conjunction with an exhibit about the agriculture of grapes and the history of wine making in Solano County, having food truck nights, and coordinating with the many events put on by the Downtown Association. Sharing our local history in a way that is relevant and interesting while making the museum space accessible to all is of deep importance to the mission work. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $54,998.00 | Street Poets | 2116 Arlington Ave. Suite 310 , Los Angeles, CA 90018 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 737-8545 | District 37 | District 55 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, Street Poets Inc will be able to continue to support our staff salaries and benefits, operational costs and office rent so that we can continue to provide top-notch arts programming for our at-promise and underserved youth and their families from diverse backgrounds. | Street Poets programming consists of transformational poetry/music workshops designed specifically for system-impacted youth. These include those in LA County’s juvenile detention facilities, community centers, and underserved public school, and at our Street Poets office and via our Poetry in Motion Van. Weekly workshops are supplemented by leadership training and mentoring, open-mic events, poetry performances and poetry reading series, as well as youth-driven books, CD and DVD projects that amplify/illustrate the kind of fearless creative work that inspires young people. Annually, we reach approximately 650 at-risk youth, ages 11-18, through our long and short-term workshops, and over hundreds more via one-time Street Poets performances at schools and in the community. We also reach thousands of additional youth and adults via our Poetry in Motion Van programming. After 30 years of facilitating healing, transformational poetry, writing, and music production workshops; hosting inspirational community open mic events; and providing mentoring support and leadership retreats for youth and young adults in Los Angeles, Street Poets has put down permanent roots in the city it has served so well. Street Poets’ future arts/cultural center sits directly across the street from John Adams Middle School just south of downtown Los Angeles. Slated to open in 2025, the future Street Poets’ permanent home begins an exciting new chapter in our evolution as a culture-shaping, system-changing community-based organization. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $92,500.00 | CA for the Arts | 1731 Howe Ave #585 , SACRAMENTO, CA 95825-2209 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 296-1838 | California's 6th congressional district | CA-6 | CA-6 | With support from the California Arts Council, Californians for the Arts (CFTA) will champion arts and culture as essential to vibrant communities through statewide programming, services, and advocacy networks that foster public awareness, center equity, and generate resources to cultivate a thriving cultural sector and creative industries. Singular in its cross-sectoral approach, bridging connections, empowering arts and cultural communities, and uplifting marginalized voices, CFTA is a vector translating public need to public policy. CFTA’s diverse approach holds space for leaders, practitioners, entrepreneurs, and youth to articulate vision, strategy, and equity across the cultural sector from arts education, youth development, and creative workforce to folk arts, community planning, and public health. CAC funds will support marketing and programmatic initiatives to bridge deeper conversations between statewide BIPOC leaders and cultural practitioners from San Ysidro to Del Norte. | Each April, we direct Arts, Culture & Creativity Month, an annual month-long spotlight on the arts to raise visibility and awareness about the value of our sector, to empower arts advocates to take action, and to spur greater investments in our industry and workforce. We celebrate and elevate our impacts through media campaigns and calls to action that increase our visibility and change the way that the arts are perceived. We lift these impacts to the Capitol during Advocacy Week, where arts delegates meet with legislators to press for their support. We activate the state with training and toolkits that spur local actions and increase advocacy capacity of the sector. We inform the field of latest policy news and advocacy resources and provides opportunities for the field to share their challenges with us through our Regional Conversations programs, held in eleven regions across the state. We provide information year-round through consistent social media engagement and awareness campaigns and publicity to inform the public of issues and news from our sector. We offer professional development webinars on policy and legislation, funding opportunities and tools for the field to be informed and effective advocates. We produce impact surveys and offer data aggregation to support case making. Producing original content, we bring together thought leaders and practitioners around arts and culture impact themes to share their change making work and to discuss new strategic possibilities and the policy changes that we should be thinking about. We partner, supports, and builds coalitions with statewide arts organizations and artists, monitors legislation and budget allocations, brings California perspectives to national arts advocacy by serving as the group selected by Americans for the Arts (AFTA) to lead the state’s delegation to the annual Arts Advocacy Day in Washington, DC, among many other arts policy leadership affiliations. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | In The Band | 2118 WILSHIRE BLVD STE 1170 , SANTA MONICA, CA 90403-5704 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (424) 320-8585 | California's 36th congressional district | District 51 | District 24 | With support from California Arts Council, In The Band (formerly Sound Art) will use general operating relief to sustain our infrastructure and overhead costs of supporting our music education and career readiness programs for vulnerable youth in underserved L.A. neighborhoods. With professional musicians as teaching artists, our mobile Music Education program uses contemporary music to teach the fundamentals of musicianship to K-12 students. Utilizing teaching teams of professional composers and audio engineers, our School to Career Readiness program provides music education, mentorship and job training in songwriting, recording and production using the latest industry-standard Digital Audio Workstation technology, to at-promise youth, homeless young adults and foster youth in transitional housing, ages 14-25. | Our core programming provides on-site mobile music education to underserved students from K through 12th grade and at-risk, homeless and foster youth, ages 17 – 24, using contemporary music to teach the fundamentals of musicianship. Through one-on-one interaction, demonstrations and instruction from professional musicians, composers and audio engineers, we offer age-appropriate instruction in alignment with VAPA standards for school aged students. In The Band also offers songwriting, recording and production for homeless and foster youth, ages 17-24. School aged students will learn to play a minimum of four quality pieces of music and will master an instrument within one year, while our older youth will write, produce and record music. In addition, students will have opportunities to release music on the internet and perform at events throughout the city. In The Band curriculum includes the following topics: Tempo; Dynamics; Techniques specific to each instrument; Techniques for audio production and recording; Rhythmic concepts; Understanding and Reading musical notation; Writing musical notation; Understanding ‘beat’ and measures in 4/4 and other time signatures; Introduction to the music of world cultures; Introduction to rhythmic concepts (reading and writing); and Introduction to ensemble playing; and Introduction to performance. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Fern Street Circus | 4063 Polk Ave , San Diego, CA 92105-1436 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 320-2055 | 52nd congressional district of California | District 79 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, FERN STREET COMMUNITY ARTS (FSCA) will bring live circus and community resources to residents at City parks in underserved communities. Each year FSCA creates a mobile circus show that entertains and uplifts San Diego’s most diverse and historically underserved neighborhoods. The Tour brings residents a free-of-charge circus production with live music, professional artists from around the world, student performers and a truck & trailer set painted by a noted San Diego street artist, Surge. Each spring, the Circus plays parks in San Diego’s Mid-City including FSCA’s home City Heights neighborhood and parks in southern San Diego and San Ysidro, the part of the city nearest the border with Mexico. Fern Street Circus shows are rooted in community engagement on every level and are built through strong community partnerships. | Founded in 1990, Fern Street Circus (FSC) has built a legacy of circus in San Diego through a series of annual shows in Balboa Park, Golden Hill, City Heights, and in neighborhoods across San Diego County. EDUCATION. FSC’s education programs focus on serving communities mostly through City recreation centers. At Mid-City Gym in City Heights, we teach low-income youth free-of-charge, emphasizing skill building, conditioning, team work and cultural understanding. PERFORMANCE. Known for creating performances with a playful sense of place, the Circus mixes adult professionals with after-school students. Anchor elements include live music; sets conceived and built by locally known visual artists; and a bi-lingual, non-linear narrative. FSC’s Neighborhood Tour takes place each spring, with free shows in Mid-City San Diego neighborhood parks. COMMUNITY. The Circus is resident in City Heights, interacting daily with and supporting activists and their constituents from around the world. In September 2023, FSCA moved into a recently vacated elementary school in City Heights, Central. At the former Central campus, FSCA has a 2,500 square foot gym with wood floors,, 20′ ceiling, natural light and a stage, as well as 4 classrooms for training, storage and an office. This is FSCA’s first-ever dedicated indoor space. Fern Street Community Arts was named Live Well San Diego’s Central Region “Public Health Champion” of 2025. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Vita Art Center | 28 West Main St. 28 West Main St., Ventura, CA 93001 | Ventura | Central Coast | (805) 644-9214 | 26th congressional district | Steve Bennett | 19th State Senate district | With support from the California Arts Council, Vita Art Center will allocate the grant funds to hire additional staff who will provide crucial administrative support to enhance our organizational infrastructure. By expanding our team, we aim to strengthen the operational capacity of our arts and cultural organization. | Since 2008, Vita Arts Center has been a cornerstone for quality art education, impactful community outreach, and vibrant exhibits. We connect Ventura to enriching art programs with a special focus on the families that live in our immediate neighborhood. In the primary community we serve, 46% of households are below the poverty level and 75% are Hispanic. Our outreach strategies aim to ensure that our entire community has access to quality arts education and programming. Vita Art Center’s high-quality enrichment experiences in the visual arts are taught by local teaching artists, each specializing in their area of expertise, sharing their knowledge and passion with our community. With 20 programs per week, we provide students with a solid foundation in art. Students develop critical-thinking skills, creativity, visual literacy, self-esteem, and an appreciation of art. By teaching fine art skills, we equip students with the tools they need to express their creative voices. We’re committed to breaking down barriers through scholarships, free programming, and mentorships. Our facilities include four galleries, a dedicated teen exhibition wall, a ceramics studio, and an outdoor classroom, creating a vibrant space for learning and expression. Vita Art Center hosts 16 exhibitions annually that blend local and international talent. We inspire and educate the community via school trips, workshops, and tours. Our Teen Programs include Friday Night Studio, Ceramics, Metalsmithing, Summer Intensives and volunteer opportunities. Our Youth Programs offer after-school activities, summer camps, on-site school programs, and family art workshops aimed at fostering early artistic engagement. For adults, Vita Art Center presents a range of opportunities, from ceramics studio classes and memberships to wellness-themed arts programming and workshops in Metalsmithing, painting, drawing, and sculpting. Vita Art Center is dedicated to enhancing lives through the arts, championing inclusion, and nurturing creative potential across all ages. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Mosaic America | 38 South 2nd Street , San Jose, CA 95113 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 718-6729 | California Assembly district 18 | District 25 | District 15 | With support from the California Arts Council, Mosaic America will produce “Beautiful Dark,” a collaborative dance piece choreographed by Cambodian classical dancer Charya Burt, with live original music exploring the social and psychological impact of colorism including the social phenomenon of skin whitening and the physical, emotional, and cultural implications it has for persons of color. | Founded in 2013 as Sangam Arts, Mosaic America is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides an innovative platform for artists from diverse backgrounds to come together to collaborate and co-create world-class multicultural music and dance performances. Using a wide range of cultural and artistic expressions from Folklorico and Tap to Kathak and Hula, our presentations are carefully curated to that help us see our common humanity while allowing us to celebrate the traits that make us unique. Our unique approach and reputation for quality programming have helped us gain support grantors and foundations such as California Arts Council, Office of Cultural Affairs City of San Jose, SVCreates, Applied Materials Foundation, Hewlett Foundation and Knight Foundation. In addition to our year-long performance schedule, we are proud to host Mosaic Festival Silicon Valley, an annual interactive multi-cultural arts experience, highlighting performances from diverse cultures that live in Silicon Valley. Mosaic Festival was created as a grassroots movement to break cultural silos and inspire solidarity and inclusion in our community. Through our Mosaic Fellows program, we highlight and promote a group of celebrated artists who have not only distinguished themselves through technical excellence and creativity, but have demonstrated their commitment to building bridges across cultures, genres, and geographies. Through the Mosaic brand and programming, we lend recognition and power to these artists who possess a particular blend of instinct and talent: that of building community while representing their art; thus supporting Mosaic America’s mission. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Santa Barbara Dance Institute | 1330 State St., Suite 207 , Santa Barbara, CA 93101 | Santa Barbara | Central Coast | (805) 245-0794 | California's 24th Congressional District | District 37 | District 21 | With support from the California Arts Council, Santa Barbara Dance Institute will build its organizational capacity and performance, extend its program reach and impact, and increase its earned revenue. These general operating funds will be used to develop critical artistic and administrative staffing. SBDI will: 1) hire 1 to 2 additional teaching artists; 2) provide them training in SBDI’s effective teaching methodology to maintain the quality and performance standards of its programs; and 3) grow the current administrative position to full-time. SBDI will expand programs throughout Santa Barbara County including teacher training/professional development, after-school and in-school programs/residencies, intergenerational programs, and performances/cultural events. By freeing up the Executive Director’s time with admin support, the E.D. will be able to spend more time as Artistic Director, which is necessary to broaden SBDI’s programming and impact. | SBDI was founded in 2005 by dance artist/educator Rosalina Macisco as a learning institution for all individuals. Its track record includes providing in-school and after-school dance education and professional development for individuals and organizations that want to infuse dance into their curricula and offerings. Engaging all ages and communities in dance, SBDI’s programs include creative aging classes for seniors, intergenerational learning, and arts experiences for persons with disabilities and accessibility challenges. Over the years, SBDI has enriched the lives of 27,000+ children, 80+ teachers, and 32,000+ audiences. Focusing on community organizations with little or no arts programming and families without access to dance, SBDI has cultivated a growing demand for its inclusive programs that immerse participants in music and dance, fostering pride in personal achievement, love of the arts, and curiosity about the world. SBDI delivers consistent, structured classes, celebrating Latin cultural rhythms along with a variety of music genres. SBDI programs (for youth, seniors, and intergenerational audiences) create human connections, deepen our understanding of ourselves, and foster social-emotional learning and resilience. SBDI has conducted programs for Santa Maria-Bonita School District, Santa Barbara Unified School District, Orcutt USD, Goleta USD, and Carpinteria USD, and held programs for community organizations in Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, and Goleta. Surveys show that 100% of participating teachers acknowledge SBDI programming for giving them the opportunity to see their students in a different light; 90% saw a positive change in the behavior of their students; and 90% incorporated SBDI’s management skills into their classrooms. A longitudinal study on SBDI students by Dr. Dabos from California State University Channel Islands showed that more than 28 of the Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets (supports and strengths that young people need to succeed) improved in SBDI students as a direct result of participating in the organization’s year-long programs. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | BAVC Media | 145 9th St Ste 101 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 861-3282 | CA 12th District | District 17 | District 11 | BAVC Media shares the California Arts Council’s commitment to cultivating collaborative projects between artists and under-resourced communities. This commitment is reflected in our MediaMaker Versed program: a series of workshops, hands-on labs, and trainings for creators of all ages and skill levels. We aim to fill the gap in access to media arts education, towards sparking and sustaining careers in the media arts. The artists we hire teach sold-out workshops on in-demand topics from audio and video production to emerging technology; and have served over 400 Bay Area residents to date. With support from the California Arts Council, BAVC Media can expand the Versed program by (1) hiring more professional artists from diverse backgrounds to train youth and adult media makers; and (2) providing more media makers with technical skills, industry knowledge, and creative community. | BAVC is a community hub and resource for media makers in the Bay Area, California and across the country, serving over 7,500 freelancers, filmmakers, job-seekers, activists, and artists every year. BAVC provides access to media making technology and education, storytelling workshops, a diverse and engaged community of makers and producers, advisory and AV production services, media making grants and other resources. BAVC advocates for those whose stories aren’t being told, and provides the resources for anyone to create and share, and amplify their stories and those of their communities. BAVC’s diverse, inclusive, and innovative programs lead the field in media training for youth and educators, technology and multimedia focused workforce development, visually-driven new media storytelling and audio-visual preservation. BAVC has been a trusted community educator, collaborator, incubator, community builder and resource for the media arts world since 1976. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $42,500.00 | Latino Theater Company | 514 S SPRING ST , LOS ANGELES, CA 90013-2304 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 489-0994 | California Assembly district 34 | District 57 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, Latino Theater Company will produce and host “Encuentro: 2024”, a multicultural national theater festival dedicated to showcasing New American Theater of equality and underrepresented voices and artists at the Los Angeles Theatre Center. | LTC was founded in 1985, and has grown into one of the nation’s premiere Latino theater companies. As LTC has evolved, our role as the operator of the LATC has become critical to our mission. As we continue to explore the U.S. Latine experience in bold and contemporary terms in our work, we program our Fall and Spring Seasons with work that speaks to important issues and highlight new voices within the Latine, African-American, Asian-American, Jewish-American and LBTGQ+ communities. As the company has evolved, our role as the operator of the Los Angeles Theatre Center has become critical to our mission. Since assuming operations in 2007, we have: Produced 164 plays and created over 4,318 jobs As the Latino Theater Company approaches its 38th year of operations as a culturally-specific and unique ensemble of artists who have created work essential to the Latine U.S. theatrical canon, the need to plan and implement a succession plan to a new generation of artists has become a priority. The incoming leadership will work in tandem with outgoing leadership to learn the company’s organizational culture, behavior and identity, participate in artistic and managerial decisions, and make a smooth transition into their respective leadership roles to guarantee organizational sustainability during and post-succession. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Megan Lowe Dances | 1446 Market St , San Francisco, CA 94102-6004 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (909) 859-9069 | State Assembly District 17 | State Senate District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Megan Lowe Dances will continue our mission of creating perspective shifting dance that highlights Asian American artists and builds connections with our BIPOC communities. We’re committed to making creative spaces with a BIPOC majority, in both our hiring practices and the participants of dance classes we lead, de-centering normative white/eurocentric experiences and cultivating diversity in Bay Area dance. MLD will continue to pay our collaborators hourly rates reflective of SF living wages. With CAC support, we’ll be able to increase the number of our free public arts offerings to the SF Bay Area, including performances, workshops, and gatherings. Free offerings are more welcoming to those with barriers to accessing the arts, and reaching a wider audience will help MLD learn/grow as an organization, resulting in greater community impact. | Through thoughtfully crafted dance-theater productions, free site-specific performances, donation-based workshops, and community outreach programs, Megan Lowe Dances encourages individuals to engage their creativity and express their unique cultural experiences. As an organization under the artistic direction of a mixed Asian dance artist, MLD creates work in solidarity with Asian American and BIPOC communities. We’re also rooted in a community of women and LGBTQIA+ creatives making site-specific, contemporary, and aerial dance. MLD is immersed in a collective of improvisational dancers and movement researchers, who practice contact improv and other forms of dance experimentation. We play with the unorthodox and somatic edges of dance, where new values, methods, and nonhierarchical organizing are developed. Megan contributes her voice and leadership as a dancer of the global majority in a white-dominated field. MLD is a winner of two prestigious Isadora Duncan Dance Awards in Outstanding Achievement in Performance. Recent choreographies have been seen at ODC, Fort Mason, de Young Museum, Legion of Honor Museum, and 500 Capp Street, as well as in KQED Live, SF Aerial Arts Festival, SF Trolley Dances, United States of Asian America Festival, and CAAMFest. In 2022-2024, MLD offered over 30 free performances, 25 open rehearsals, and 15 donation-based workshops/classes, reaching thousands who don’t normally experience dance. MLD emboldens individual inquiry and idea-sharing through highly collaborative processes, harnessing each artist’s skills and interests to their fullest potential. We create forums for communal connection by practicing horizontal leadership that nurtures inclusive, egalitarian artistic processes. MLD also facilitates invigorating dance classes and workshops for organizations, schools, universities, and dance festivals, which inspire movers of all ages, experience levels, body types, races, cultures, and socio-economic backgrounds. MLD motivates dancers to build stronger creative ecosystems through acts of connection and creation. | |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $30,832.00 | Los Angeles Review of Books | 672 La Fayette Park Pl suite 30 , Los Angeles, CA 90057 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 952-3950 | California's 28th congressional district | District 50 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Los Angeles Review of Books (LARB) will continue to support our staff and operations during an office relocation and redevelopment of our flagship website. Since 2015, LARB has paid below market rate for an office in a complex that is now undergoing development into luxury condominiums. With the support of CAC, we can transition to a new central space in downtown Los Angeles for the public programs and publishing activities we offer to the larger California community. The move will require a substantial increase in monthly costs, and we are simultaneously undergoing a redesign of our website to improve site security and functionality. This grant will allow us to maintain our online and physical infrastructure without any interruption to our programming. | LARB publishes new reviews, essays, and interviews online every day, as well as a print journal, the LARB Quarterly Journal, featuring original fiction, poetry, essays, and art, and the LARB Radio Hour, a weekly show featuring author interviews and discussions about literature. Our educational and public arts programs include the LARB Publishing Workshop, an immersive, collaborative program designed for students interested in publishing; writing workshops and seminars; a year-round internships for college students; LITLIT (the Little Literary Fair), an annual public festival celebrating West Coast independent publishers and literary arts. The LARB Book Club, a level of our membership program, brings writers, readers, and LARB editors together quarterly in conversation about a selected title; the LARB Luminary Evening series features writers in conversation with readers in homes around Los Angeles. In all of our publications, programs, and events, LARB aims to connect writers and artists to readers both in Los Angeles and across the globe. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $42,500.00 | Arts for Healing and Justice Network | 2727 E Anaheim St #4722 , Long Beach, CA 90804 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 304-4772 | California Assembly district 28 | District 49 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, Arts for Healing and Justice Network (AHJN) will provide our members with resources and support to help further our collective mission. Through our network of 15 member organizations, AHJN serves a wide population of system-impacted and at-promise youth across the County – providing culturally-responsive, healing arts education, youth leadership development, and youth-focused advocacy. All of our programs are centered around the specific cultural context of Black and Latinx culture — representing most of the youth we serve. Your gift will go toward AHJN’s Peer Support Fund. This fund allows us to provide resources, structure, and coordination for the collaborative work of community-based arts education organizations serving system-impacted youth in Los Angeles County. | Under AHJN, 23 member agencies provide high-quality arts education that includes creative writing, spoken word, visual arts, theater, dance, digital media, and music programming to system-involved and at-promise youth in Los Angeles County— and the adults who serve them. We serve youth at Probation-run facilities, schools, and community sites in neighborhoods throughout the county. In 2015, we piloted the first-ever coordinated, multidisciplinary arts program for youth experiencing incarceration in Los Angeles County. After receiving positive feedback from the youth and staff involved, that pilot has now grown to ongoing, year-round arts programming. Today, AHJN coordinates arts education for justice system-involved young people, youth leadership development, youth- and member-led advocacy, and community-based arts services that support wellbeing as a means of prevention for at-promise youth. We provide healing-informed arts education programming to 2,000 young people a year. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $54,998.00 | Los Cenzontles Cultural Arts Academy | 13108 SAN PABLO AVE , SAN PABLO, CA 94805-1311 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (510) 233-8015 | California's 8th congressional district | District 15 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Los Cenzontles Cultural Arts Academy will provide cultural arts programming for underserved communities, including a cultural arts training for young people; creation of original music rooted in traditional Mexican genres; performances of traditional and popular Mexican music and dance; digital media including short videos and feature-length films; and, outreach to underserved communities. | In our San Pablo/Richmond neighborhood: Nationally: And beyond – media and online production: |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | One Institute | 7655 W SUNSET BLVD , LOS ANGELES, CA 90046-2725 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 376-6801 | California's 30th congressional district | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, ONE Archives Foundation will host Circa, the first and only queer histories festival in the United States. Kicking off during LGBTQ+ History Month, October 2023, this month-long, LA County-wide programming series will showcase the trailblazing histories and vibrant cultural contributions of the LGBTQ+ community through the lens of present-day challenges and triumphs. | Each year, One Institute produces dozens of high-quality, low to no cost queer history-focused education, arts, and cultural public programs at our two primary programming locations (One Gallery in West Hollywood, ONE Archives at USC Libraries in South Los Angeles) and across LA County at various partnered arts programming hubs. Our public programs, exhibitions, and multimedia projects tell the intersectional histories and stories of LGBTQ+ lives. In collaboration with LA-based curators and artists, these projects feature original creative content as well as materials from ONE Archives at USC. Recent projects include: – It’s Where I Belong: 40 Years (and More) of Drag in West Hollywood (May-June 2025), exhibition on local drag history that uncovers rarely-seen materials from the ONE Archives and from community contributions to spotlight this uniquely queer art form; One also provides critical K-12 educational initiatives, including youth mentorship programs, curriculum development, and advocacy work, including: |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | $66,600.00 | San Mateo County Office of Arts and Culture | 500 County Center , Redwood City, CA 94063 | San Mateo | Bay Area – Other | (650) 387-0160 | California's 15th Congressional District | District 21 | District 13 | With support from the California Arts Council, the San Mateo County Office of Arts and Culture (OAC) will strengthen current, programming, including the annual arts/culture grants cycle, Arts in County Jails, public art projects, showcase of artists in the County Galleries, production of equity workshops, Poetry Out Loud and arts education programs, and our annual Countywide Celebration of the Arts in September 2024. New programming implemented in 2023 will include a Youth Cultural Ambassador Program, County Poet Laureate, and work with the Youth Probation Department. | The San Mateo County Office of Arts and Culture (OAC) is a leader in regional arts advocacy efforts, working to further accessibility to, and support of, all art forms such as music, dance, visual arts, literature, theater, film and video, traditional crafts and folk arts, and new media. The OAC also administers an annual grants program to provide funding to community arts organizations and artists. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Bell Arts Factory | 432 N VENTURA AVE STE 101 , VENTURA, CA 93001-1953 | Ventura | Central Coast | (805) 641-3132 | California Assembly district 37 | District 37 | District 19 | With support from the California Arts Council, BELL ARTS FACTORY (BAF) will provide El Circulo de Amigas (a growing circle of local BIPOC women with artists and wellness facilitators) with space and funding for community workshops and events which dynamically combine art-making with wellness education and practices. The series is designed to inspire and foster collective dialogues and practices around wellness as an expression of creativity, vitality, self-referral. Regular reflection around common ancestral traditions that once supported wellbeing will also be routinely woven in to the art-making process. | After-school art programs English and Spanish , Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturdays. Summer Spanish Art Programs. We also offer offer monthly community events, low cost artist studios, and monthly gallery openings. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | $66,600.00 | Tehama Arts Council | PO BOX 1201 , RED BLUFF, CA 96080-1201 | Tehama | Upstate | (530) 278-5691 | California's 1st congressional district | District 3 | STATE SENATE DISTRICT 1 | With support from the California Arts Council, Tehama County Arts Council will continue to promote and support the visual and performing arts, as well as cultural activities within all communities in the county. We will provide opportunities for artists of all ages and backgrounds, culture bearers and cultural groups to participate in our gallery, art classes, annual Art Walk, Missoula Children’s Theatre, student art contest, community art grants, Poetry Out Loud, Cowboy Poetry and other collaborative artistic endeavors. These endeavors may include exhibitions, performances, workshops, cultural events and a wide range of other creative activities. | The Tehama County Arts Council (TCAC) was established in 1982 by the Tehama County Board of Supervisors to promote visual and performing arts as well as other cultural endeavors in Tehama County. Since incorporating as a 501(c) (3) nonprofit public benefit corporation in September 1985, the TCAC has coordinated, sponsored, funded, produced, and participated in hundreds of local arts events. The TCAC functions as an umbrella organization, encouraging and supporting the visual arts, dance, theater, music, design, and more. In recent years the impact of the TCAC on the community has been greatly enhanced by an art gallery and increasing activity in our community art studio. We bring art to our citizens and honor local artists with support through inclusion in community activities we sponsor and grant support. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $12,833.00 | Art Produce | 3139 UNIVERSITY AVE , SAN DIEGO, CA 92104-2008 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 500-2787 | California's 53rd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With funds from the California Arts Council, Art Produce will continue to mentor and support emerging artists, curators and cultural leaders with an emphasis on BIPOC and underrepresented communities. These funds will help create a new guest curatorial program, support a gallery assistant/installer, provide stipends for interns, artists in residence, exhibiting artists, and help maintain the physical space and garden. Our mission is to build community and foster civic engagement through arts, education and public culture. | Art Produce serves neighborhood families, schools and the artist community providing space that includes an art gallery, public garden, classrooms, and food/beverages. Public programs activate the neighborhood and allow artists to experiment in community engaged exhibits and performance in a real community where people live and work. Our programs include our Artist in Residence program, free weekly inter-generational art workshops, internships, and learning lab (a laboratory in building community and developing creative social space). |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Latino Theater Company | 514 S SPRING ST , LOS ANGELES, CA 90013-2304 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 489-0994 | California Assembly district 34 | District 57 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, Latino Theater Company will conduct its community college program, Impact Theater Initiative, that provides an intellectual platform for community college students to engage in cultural dialogue through the performing arts. | LTC was founded in 1985, and has grown into one of the nation’s premiere Latino theater companies. As LTC has evolved, our role as the operator of the LATC has become critical to our mission. As we continue to explore the U.S. Latine experience in bold and contemporary terms in our work, we program our Fall and Spring Seasons with work that speaks to important issues and highlight new voices within the Latine, African-American, Asian-American, Jewish-American and LBTGQ+ communities. As the company has evolved, our role as the operator of the Los Angeles Theatre Center has become critical to our mission. Since assuming operations in 2007, we have: Produced 164 plays and created over 4,318 jobs As the Latino Theater Company approaches its 38th year of operations as a culturally-specific and unique ensemble of artists who have created work essential to the Latine U.S. theatrical canon, the need to plan and implement a succession plan to a new generation of artists has become a priority. The incoming leadership will work in tandem with outgoing leadership to learn the company’s organizational culture, behavior and identity, participate in artistic and managerial decisions, and make a smooth transition into their respective leadership roles to guarantee organizational sustainability during and post-succession. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Cornerstone | 1892 Marney Avenue , LOS ANGELES, CA 90032 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 613-1700 | 34th Congressional District | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Cornerstone Theater Company in collaboration with choreographer Ana Maria Alvarez will create a new movement-based narrative theatrical project that functions as an activist intervention. Marrying Cornerstone’s and Alvarez’s creative engagement practice with the community organizing of partners in the activist community, this collaboration will ignite new dialogue and incite artistic response to social change movements. | Community engagement is at the heart of what we do; we collaborate with non-professionals in a specific context to create vivid, living theater. The process – sharing story, experience, and expertise across lines of difference – is as vital as the performance. The notion of community itself is a creative question defined anew in each Cornerstone project. Recent collaborating communities include: public housing residents; Indigenous peoples in Los Angeles; veterans and military families; people impacted by the prison system and residents of LA’s port community San Pedro. Upcoming projects engage communities whose vote is being suppressed, communities whose neighborhoods have been impacted by the LA fires, and citizens, activists and grassroots organizers in LA County. We reach communities and establish authentic engagement by building relationships across time, and rooting those relationships in solidarity, resource sharing, deep listening, collaboration and presence. It takes time to earn just one person’s trust; it takes time to map a creative container for vulnerable collaboration – and we invest the time it takes. We believe in building community power and centering community voices, with and for low-income and systemically excluded and disinvested communities. Our audiences and co-creators are first-time theatergoers, speakers of non-English languages, elders, children, families, people impacted by the prison system, current and formerly unhoused people. We conceive and develop community collaborations together with a broad range of partners from community service, advocacy and action organizations like Homeboy Industries, Westside Food Bank, MEND and Gabrieliño/Tongva Springs Foundation, to public agencies like HACLA (Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles) and Metro. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | SABROSAS LATIN ORCHESTRA | 340 ANDREW AVE , ENCINITAS, CA 92024-1130 | San Diego | Far South | (760) 975-2598 | 49th Congressional District | State Assembly District 77 | State Senate District 38 | With support from the California Arts Council, Mo Rhythm School of Percussion will enhance communities through free concerts promoting diversity in salsa music, by performing as an all female salsa band “Sabrosas Latin Orchestra”, and mentor the next generation of female artists. Salsa is one of the most male dominated music genres. By some estimates only 10% of salsa artists are female (mostly singers) so there are limited opportunities for young artists to experience mentorship or leadership from women in this genre. We provide mentorship and work experience to students considering a career in music, through partnership with local high schools and colleges. We also perform at benefit concerts for other nonprofits and organizations who support underserved and latino communities. The grant will cover artists fees, original music creation, sound management, and the mentorship program. | Providing musical events to foster community building and community support. Providing networking opportunities to women in this field of music. Raising the visibility of female artists in the field of music of the african diaspora, including salsa (Sabrosas Latin Orchestra). Mentoring young women to provide them with valuable work experience and networking opportunities with established female artists. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Enrichment Works | 5605 Woodman Ave., Ste. 207 , Valley Glen, CA 91401 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 780-1400 | California's 29th congressional district | District 43 | District 27 | With support from the California Arts Council Enrichment Works will employ at least one administrator as well as actors and artists/cultural practitioners to create and perform theatrical works. Funds will also be used for rent, utilities and insurance as we continue to bring live theater and diverse programming to schools and community venues. | Enrichment Works creates theater pieces about topics that youth are learning about in school (mythology, historical figures, fables) and topics that are relevant to young people (nutrition and health, financial literacy.) The organization integrates theater arts with these important subjects to help students connect emotionally to the topics they are required to learn. Enrichment Works has produced over 55 original plays based on the Content Standards for California Public Schools. The plays and musicals have been presented at over 500 schools for more than 550,000 students. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | The Francisco Homes | 1224 W 40th Place , Los Angeles, CA 90037 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 293-1111 | 37th Congressional District | 59th District | 28th District | With support from the California Arts Council, Starfish Stories Inc DBA The Francisco Homes (TFH), will continue to engage TheatreWorkers Project (TWP) to implement LIFER: Stories from the Inside/Out enabling men on parole from serving life sentences to express themselves through a two-part incentivized, rehabilitative theatre process that will begin with a writing component to be used as the basis for a script. The second phase will include acting coaching, rehearsals and 2 performances, each followed by participant-audience dialogues. The process and performances will be documented and streamed to multiple audiences. The participants may choose to join both the writing and performance components of the program or conclude their creative journey with the writing portion. Stipends will be paid for each workshop, rehearsal and performance they participate in. | The Francisco Homes provides housing and an environment where our residents have a full range of daily choices and an individualized service plan which is their road map to a successful transition from prison to freedom. We provide case management, counseling, groups, workshops and life skills classes along with opportunities for community service. We greet them with a hug and the simple statement, “Welcome Home.” |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $54,998.00 | N/A | 4504 51st Street , San Diego, CA 92115 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 230-5556 | California's 51st congressional district | District 79 | District 40 | With support from the California Arts Council, THE AJA PROJECT will continue fulfilling our mission of collective liberation through participatory storytelling. We will continue to deliver programming at the intersection of photography and social justice that uplifts the lived experiences of young people in our urban communities and pushes for systemic changes. | The AjA Project has a strong reputation of delivering high-quality, high-impact programs to young people from diverse cultural, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds. This includes in-school and after-school programs as well as participatory workshops in collaboration with cross-sector partner organizations. AjA’s programs support young people to process experiences, understand their social and political landscapes and use the arts as a tool for creative self expression and social change. This year we have provided programming to newly arrived refugees, teen mothers, youth in detention, young people in military families, and youth across San Diego. The work at AjA remains grounded in the power of photography and visual arts as a tool for all youth, regardless of background, to see themselves as agents of change. AjA remains committed to igniting individual and social change from a grassroots, creative approach. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | New West Symphony Association | 2100 E THOUSAND OAKS BLVD STE D , THOUSAND OAKS, CA 91362-2914 | Ventura | Central Coast | (805) 498-5800 | California's 26th congressional district | District 44 | District 27 | With support from the CAC, New West Symphony can provide quality outreach and educational opportunities to over 16,000 students in Ventura County each year through our annual Symphonic Adventures concerts and | Founded in 1995, NWS is a professional orchestra that, under the direction of Grammy-winning Music Director Michael Christie, draws its players from the rich talent pool of Los Angeles-area professional musicians. NWS presents 12 Masterpiece concerts annually, performing major works from the symphonic repertoire with internationally-acclaimed artists as guest soloists. NWS is the resident company of the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza and Rancho Campana Performing Arts Center in Camarillo, reaching out to 2,500 concert goers each concert weekend performed. NWS is a significant cultural and educational institution in the community. As a service-oriented organization, we provide quality outreach and educational opportunities to over 16,000 students in Ventura County each year through our annual Symphonic Adventures concert programs for youth, our traveling Music Van, VIP Family Club, CONNECT! Club, Quick Bowman Youth Piano Competition and Recital, Masterclasses Educational Outreach, and Laby Harmony Project. New West Symphony education programs reach out to 16 school districts in Ventura and Los Angeles Counties. During the pandemic season, the organization created new online programs, including artists’ interviews, music education lectures and lifestyle content reflecting the culture, music, and tradition of our region. GLOBAL SOUNDS, LOCAL CULTURES, introduced education and entertaining 4-day festivals to celebrate and embrace diverse cultural traditions and societies that profoundly impacted each other’s music over the centuries. Curated by ethnomusicologists and incorporating musical traditions of cultures represented here in Southern California, each explored traditions through world music and instruments, and renowned guest artists. This project included 29 online events and reached viewers in 55 countries. We collaborated with 17 cultural organizations and 27 guest artists, 66% from BIPOC communities, in the music and traditions of 7 cultures through their influence on western classical music and vice versa. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | N/A | 1532 35th Ave. , Oakland, CA 94601 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (415) 320-6534 | California Assembly district 18 | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Afro Urban Society will create ‘Egwu Onwu: Mixtape for the Dead & Gone # 2’ -Onwudiwe (MDG2), via a series of community engagement workshops, and ceremony events. Community creative workshops and ceremony events will recreate and reimagine grief songs drawing from Igbo traditions of Ọdịnanị. Onwudiwe, ‘Death is bad’ in Igbo, is the 2nd in a series of creative workshops and ceremony events as part of our ‘Obi gbawara’m//My Heart Shattered or What happens after I die?’ (OGB) project, that explores Igbo traditions of art and performance in death and mourning. | Incubate: We curate and host various fellowship and training programs enabling our community members to level up on their creative and artistic craft and practice. Our offerings include: Celebrate: We celebrate the work of community of artists and creatives with and through performance, cultural expression, media, and community events such as: Elevate: |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Los Angeles Artist Census | 1151 Marion Avenue , Los Angeles, CA 90026 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (305) 793-4239 | California Assembly district 51 | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Los Angeles Artist Census, in collaboration with artist Rumpelstiltskin Morgan, will produce An Accessibility Guide to Los Angeles Art Spaces. This first of its kind digital resource, map, and guide will be created through intensive collective research and public outreach—resulting in improved access for people with disabilities and those with accessibility needs. Grant funds are allocated to compensate diverse artists from diverse communities, including BIPOC, disabled, LGBTQ+ and those within the lowest HPI quartile, for their contributions to focus group discissions. It will also go to the facilitation of public programming that invites artists to contribute to the project’s creation. With input from these events, we will develop an interactive digital platform that will feature a filterable map that addresses diverse access needs as expressed by the community. | Founded in 2018, the LOS ANGELES ARTIST CENSUS (LAAC) is a grassroots, artist-driven research initiative that gathers and shares data about the needs of LA County visual artists. LAAC studies a wide scope of issues relating to artists’ healthcare, housing, employment, income, debt, representation, and compensation in the local arts industries. Using comparative analysis, we measure and assess the quality of life of visual artists and raise awareness about issues that broadly affect the wider art community. In particular, we examine how intersectional identities pertaining to race, gender, age, queerness, and ability affect the experiences of artists in LA County. LAAC recognizes that traditional data-based research is conducted from a position of false neutrality, and has a history of sustaining social inequities. As such, our research employs a mixed-methods approach that is democratic, participatory, and multi-vocal. Countering common issues of representation, we host community workshops and discussions that invite local artists and arts organizations to collaboratively design, distribute, and analyze surveys with our team, in their respective regions. By working alongside artists and arts organizations, LAAC builds relationships with and between these communities, which allows us to gather and provide data that is often overlooked or misinterpreted by the institutions that ordinarily conduct quantitative research. Working in this way, LAAC has developed innovative research methods, informed by radical feminist research practices. LAAC studies artists because artists are free thinkers and independent laborers. They offer a snapshot of the economic conditions that affect laborers as a whole, and demonstrate how issues of representation have broader socioeconomic consequences. By identifying barriers artists experience when accessing resources, LAAC seeks to develop essential resources for addressing disparities in cultural representation and funding. We hope to translate these inquiries into open discussions, public programs, survey research, and reports hosted in partnership with local arts organizations. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Collaborative Artists Bloc | 515 OLEANDER DR , LOS ANGELES, CA 90042-1313 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (424) 200-1304 | With support from the California Arts Council, Collaborative Artists Bloc will sustain general operations to support the presentation of dynamic, immersive theater that targets and engages the diverse Black and Brown communities of South Los Angeles, including a full-length production of Nikkole Salter’s LINES IN THE DUST in November 2023; another full-length production in 2024; and a series of public engagement events around each production to foster community participation in the theater-making process. Funding will support equitable compensation for all artistic and production staff, other production expenses, and community outreach and engagement. | Collaborative Artists Bloc produces accessible, empowering theater that engages our constituents as artists, audiences, and cultural change makers. Our programming presents the diverse, untold stories of the underserved Black and Brown communities of South Los Angeles. There is an urgent need, long neglected by mainstream cultural institutions, for marginalized communities to see themselves and their lived experiences reflected in the arts. CAB productions are written, developed, and performed by artists of color. These works address the communities of South LA as audiences and assert unequivocally the richness and vitality of stories that center Black and Brown lives. We bring theater directly to our targeted communities with shows that are both financially and geographically accessible. Our outreach and engagement initiatives are designed to invite Black and Brown South LA communities into the experience of theater, with shows staged both in these communities’ own neighborhoods (far from the city’s mainstream arts centers) and in arts-centric neighborhoods like West Hollywood, where we create a welcome space for historically marginalized stories and audiences. Productions span a range of event types including fully staged plays, free readings and virtual events, and community fundraisers, providing varied engagement opportunities for people of different income levels and interests. Through neighborhood canvassing in Watts, pay-what-you-can tickets, post-show talkbacks led by community artists and activists, robust social media interaction, and voter registration at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, we make our programming accessible and inviting to low-income, BIPOC, and queer audiences. In 2022, we also hosted a scholarship-eligible educational acting workshop to foster creative growth and expression for BIPOC artists. These unique and customized theater experiences offer diverse pathways for community members to access the truth-telling, culture-shifting power of the arts. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Shiptyard Trust for the Arts | 101 Horne Ave , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 822-0922 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, SHIPYARD TRUST FOR THE ARTS will collaborate with Shipyard Artist in Residence William Rhodes to create a quilt that tells the story of the Hunters Point Shipyard workers and their families during and after World War II. William will work with local seniors in interactive workshops to explore their family histories with the shipyard. He will create a quilt inspired by their stories, with assistance from shipyard artist and historian Stacey Carter, who will provide historical context and photos. A culminating exhibit at the Shipyard Gallery will inspire other local residents to research their own stories. The project is a valuable opportunity to preserve and honor the contributions of the shipyard workers and to engage the community in a conversation about the shipyard’s future. | STAR supports artists through curated exhibitions, a dedicated website and social media presence, and periodic Open Studios events that create opportunities for sales and exposure. The organization also offers professional development in presentation, pricing, sales, and marketing to strengthen artists’ careers. STAR’s Artist-in-Residence program provides 18 months of free studio space to three artists from Bayview Hunters Point. Launched in 1996, the program has significantly increased local artist participation, with more than half of residents securing permanent studios afterward. Teaching artists lead classes at nearby schools and senior centers, enriching lives through creative engagement. On-site classes, tours, and events at the Shipyard connect children, adults, and seniors with the artistic process and the site itself. Uncovering and sharing the Shipyard’s layered history—also the history of this traditionally African American neighborhood—remains a central focus. STAR maintains a free website, www.shipyardartists.com, where all Shipyard artists have individual, editable pages. Online and in-person art sales through exhibitions and auctions further support artists’ visibility and income. In 2018, construction began on a new artist building secured by STAR as a community benefit. It was halted due to falsified soil testing, delaying development. STAR continues to advocate for its completion and for upgrades to existing facilities. Our newest project, CRANE, expands this work by using public art, storytelling, and community events to highlight the Shipyard’s historical significance and deepen awareness of its relationship to Bayview Hunters Point. CRANE also invites the local community to participate in shaping the Shipyard’s future through dialogue, memory, and shared vision. CRANE will culminate in the fall of 2026 with a major light and sound installation around the landmark gantry crane. STAR also collaborates with the U.S. Navy to provide informational meetings on environmental cleanup, while hosting independent events that raise public understanding and promote long-term safety. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Modesto Sound | 110 Santa Barbara Avenue, Suite C , Modesto, CA 95354 | Stanislaus | Central Valley | (209) 573-0533 | California's 10th congressional district | District 21 | District 5 | With support from the California Arts Council, Modesto Sound will be able to pay some of their general operating expenses. | Modesto Sound’s core programs and services are: |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | VOENA | 260 SEMPLE XING , BENICIA, CA 94510-3135 | Solano | Capital | (707) 751-1515 | District 5 | District 14 | District 3 | With the support from the CAC, VOENA will expand their reach into the lives of children who may not or may never have access to a music education. VOENA’s programs seek to cultivate youth voices, and narratives that include generational, cultural, and erased traditional musical performance, and instrument training. Teaching Artists teach in low performing HPI identified areas within the city. Scholarships are awarded to students with a passion for music whose caregivers lack sufficient financial resources. Salaries: Teaching Artist ($15,000) | VOENA children’s choir was founded in 1994 to fill a gap in public schools for music education. What began with a dozen children has since grown into a world-renowned children’s choir with 125 to 150 members ages 4 to 18 representing a diverse range of cultural backgrounds. With its home base in Benicia, VOENA serves members from throughout the North San Francisco Bay region. The four major areas of musical programing include: 1. Ongoing vocal music training and development of choir members through regular rehearsals and lessons; 2. public performances and global tours, 3. VOENA in the Schools (VIS) programs; 4. need-based scholarships so no child is excluded due to inability to pay. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Manilatown Heritage Foundation | 868 Kearny Street , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 312-7239 | California's 11th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, MANILATOWN HERITAGE FOUNDATION will offer pre-colonial Philippine music and dance instruction at San Francisco’s International Hotel Manilatown Center. The “Manilatown Ancestral” program will offer a monthly beginner-level workshop for all ages/abilities and weekly training and monthly presentation opportunities for continuing advanced students. Manilatown Ancestral will be a free and family-friendly program open to the general public. | The Manilatown Heritage Foundation’s core program is to maintain the legacies of San Francisco’s historic Manilatown neighborhood and the 1977 International Hotel Eviction by maintaining the International Hotel Manilatown Center as both a memorial to these legacies and as a multipurpose community gathering space for creative expressions relevant to today’s community. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | LOTUS SILICON VALLEY | 1543 CALLE DE AIDA , SAN JOSE, CA 95118-1905 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 621-2290 | With support from the California Arts Council, LOTUS SILICON VALLEY will continue our mission to make Indian classical music accessible to all. The grant will assist us immensely in funding larger venues/halls for events, conducting research to unearth, present, and preserve rare musical compositions, organizing special events to encourage more students of music to perform, providing some remuneration to artists, and acquiring a sound system that will greatly enhance the experience. It will help our events to be larger to enable more people to attend and more artists to perform. | The core programs and services of LOTUS are: 1) Monthly live concerts of 2 to 3 performers based on their skill level – Junior, Intermediate or Senior – showcase their talent for the level and duration of the performance. Its 45 mins for Junior, 1 hour 15 mins for Intermediate and 2 hours for Senior level performances. 2) We also conduct yearly Music Festival in honor of Saint Thyagaraja – one of the doyens of Carnatic Classical Music where 300 to 500 students and teachers perform over a weekend attended by a 1000 people in audience. 3) We also conduct special Teacher-Student concerts where a student performs along with their teacher to showcase the talent as well as what involved in the process of learning the nuances of Indian Classical Music. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | The Quinan Street Project | 656 Quinan Street , Pinole, CA 94564 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (510) 585-4942 | 5th Congressional district of California | District 15 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Quinan Street Project will engage TK-6th grade students in The Folklorists, a culturally-relevant storytelling and oral tradition podcast and assembly program serving public-school students in Contra Costa County, igniting creativity and multimedia skills in a diverse learner population. | The Quinan Street Project’s primary objective is to bring high quality arts education to public elementary school classrooms in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. With lessons addressing both the California Visual and Performing Arts Standards, as well as Common Core English Language Arts Standards, students use their bodies, voices, and imaginations to actively engage with text and stories as well as their own emotions and feelings. Curricula are diverse and able to be utilized in special day classes as well as general education classrooms and can range in grade level from Transitional Kindergarten to 6th Grade. Since 2013 QSP has been able to reach thousands of children annually and has seen exponential growth in the learners’ confidence, communication skills, and love of storytelling. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, QSP has begun producing “The Folklorists: A Multilingual Podcast of the Strange and Unusual” to bring the joy of storytelling and history to more children, families, and classrooms near and far. Each episode is crafted with care for academic relevance and includes a free curriculum supplement that is easy for families or classrooms to use to dig deeper into the content. As an extension of this work, The Quinan Street Project also offers summer camps and workshops to all interested learners so that they may pursue a deeper knowledge of the craft of theatre and storytelling if they choose. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | The Quinan Street Project | 656 Quinan Street , Pinole, CA 94564 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (510) 585-4942 | 5th Congressional district of California | District 15 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Quinan Street Project will provide arts education to the children of Contra Costa county via public school partnerships, media programming, and on-site workshops, camps, and special events. Through social-emotional learning, trauma-informed teaching, and culturally responsive pedagogy, QSP works to nurture young learners’ creativity and critical thinking skills. | The Quinan Street Project’s primary objective is to bring high quality arts education to public elementary school classrooms in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. With lessons addressing both the California Visual and Performing Arts Standards, as well as Common Core English Language Arts Standards, students use their bodies, voices, and imaginations to actively engage with text and stories as well as their own emotions and feelings. Curricula are diverse and able to be utilized in special day classes as well as general education classrooms and can range in grade level from Transitional Kindergarten to 6th Grade. Since 2013 QSP has been able to reach thousands of children annually and has seen exponential growth in the learners’ confidence, communication skills, and love of storytelling. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, QSP has begun producing “The Folklorists: A Multilingual Podcast of the Strange and Unusual” to bring the joy of storytelling and history to more children, families, and classrooms near and far. Each episode is crafted with care for academic relevance and includes a free curriculum supplement that is easy for families or classrooms to use to dig deeper into the content. As an extension of this work, The Quinan Street Project also offers summer camps and workshops to all interested learners so that they may pursue a deeper knowledge of the craft of theatre and storytelling if they choose. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Marigold Project Inc | 540 Alabama Street San Francisco, CA 94110 , San Francisco, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 535-0371 | 12th District | 17th Assembly | 11th District | With support from the California Arts Council, Marigold Project Inc. will produce the annual Day of the Dead Festival of Altars. The funds will enable us to continue delivering educational workshops, create sacred spaces for healing, and preserve and document indigenous cultural practices facing erasure. The grant funds will be used to continue supporting local underrepresented artists, performers, educators, and cultural leaders and our artist fellowship program. We will support ritualists, curanderas, and other healers. The funds will allow us to continue paying our consultants and staff. Ultimately, the grant funds provide sustaining funds for Marigold Project’s impactful work, preserving cultural heritage, fostering community connections, and providing accessible and enriching experiences free of cost as our contribution to creating a more equitable San Francisco. | Marigold Project Inc produces the annual Day of the Dead Festival of Altars. We continue to deliver community workshops, and ceremonies creating sacred spaces for healing, and preserving and documenting Indigenous cultural practices that are at risk of erasure. Our funding supports local underrepresented artists, performers, educators, and cultural leaders, including our Artist Fellowship Program. We also provide support for ritualists and other practitioners of healing arts. These resources allow us to continue compensating our consultants and staff. Ultimately, the grant funds sustain the Marigold Project’s work, preserving cultural heritage, creating community connections, and providing accessible and enriching experiences, all at no cost, as part of our contribution to creating a more equitable San Francisco. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Samuel Lawrence Foundation | PO BOX F , DEL MAR, CA 92014-0137 | San Diego | Far South | (858) 481-1673 | 49th Congressional District | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, Samuel Lawrence Foundation (SLF) will help fund one of its Arts outreach programs: Dance Start, which offers free dance lessons set to classical music in Head Start classrooms across San Diego County and offers free tickets to quality local arts events to under-served children and their families. The program is designed to increase opportunities for underrepresented youth to thrive and bridge the cultural gap, to help make our world a better and safer place. Society must focus on making the arts more accessible and attractive for younger generations to counteract the effects of overexposure to screens, curb violence, foster inclusion and develop creativity, using arts as a means of expression and social change. | All SLF programs and projects demonstrate the power of our guiding principles: collaboration, shared learning, innovation. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | $66,600.00 | Commission for Arts and Culture / Cultural Affairs | 1200 Third Ave., Ste. 924 , San Diego, CA 92101 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 236-6800 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 77 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Commission for Arts and Culture will advance an equitable and inclusive creative economy and arts ecosystem that reflects the cultural diversity of San Diego through activities related to the capacity building for artists and organizations. CAC funds will support the following: Poetry Out Loud. Produce Poetry Out Loud with the local organization Write Out Loud and San Diego Public Library. Nonprofit Arts Capacity Building. Expand capacity building for small/mid-size nonprofits serving San Diego county communities within the lowest quartile of California HPI. Specifically, expand an accelerator to train organizations to better compete for national/state/local public funding. Artist Capacity Building. Conduct capacity building for San Diego county artists of various disciplines to prepare them to compete for and complete public art commissions in San Diego and elsewhere. | Through the Commission, the City invests in San Diego communities through grantmaking, placemaking, accessible arts and cultural experiences, global cultural initiatives, performance spaces, and individual artists/culture bearers. The goal is to enrich every neighborhood through arts, culture, and creativity through each community’s self-determination. Over the last 37 years, this investment has been disseminated through two core programs, Public Art and Funding. The Public Art Program transforms the human experience of the city’s built environment through public art. The Commission stewards the Civic Art Collection of over 950 objects, integrates art into capital improvement projects, and ensures the inclusion of art or cultural space in private development projects. The Commission is the largest arts grantmaker in the region and annually awards funds for general operating and project-specific support. These grants are fundamental to the sustainability of many organizations. This general operating support is often the most significant annual grant and the sole multi-year funding to organizations of all sizes. For project support, the City’s grant is routinely awarded over multiple years, also providing continuity for festivals and events such as Pride San Diego and many of San Diego’s film festivals. Initiatives focus on data collection and field assessments, cultural planning, cultural tourism, creative youth, cultural space, technical assistance for organizations, and training and support for artists, and poet laureateship and municipal photography fellowship programs. Historically recognized for supporting arts and culture organizations, Commission now focuses on the broader creative sector – including creative industries and individual artists- and community-wide issues where the arts can play an essential role, such as civic engagement and social justice. In 2025, through the Commission the City adopted the Creative City cultural plan, a long-term plan to advance arts, culture and creativity for the benefit of San Diegans as well as the the greater Cali-Baja megaregion. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | A PLACE OF HER OWN | 1890 Bryant St., 302 1890 Bryant St., 302, SF, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 722-4296 | District 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, A PLACE OF HER OWN will expand its culturally sensitive, arts-based healing program for women of color to include an alumni training and support tract, “PLACE Project 2.0.” Alumni from past PLACE cohorts in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Central Valley will continue their healing and transformation to build strength as a group and grow their ability to serve more communities. New art-based workshops will explore and support their needs and healing journeys. The program will also provide leadership development opportunities, expand their skills in facilitation, mentoring, communications, feminine informed leadership, curation, public speaking, and event production. Alumni will be encouraged to develop ideas for future PLACE supported projects that serve their community networks. This project culminates in a series of Artists’ Talks. | We offer both hybrid, online and in-person lectures, workshops, art exhibitions, lectures and artists’ talks sharing intuitive art making processes for self-reflection, and group discussions that help explore and release generational family trauma. Participants learn to recognize and release family patterns, including links to cultural and societal dysfunction. To claim aspirations, and grow self-agency, the art workshops, artists’ talks and exhibitions provide platforms to artistically answer the question: “If you had a place of your own, what would it be?” This is an artistic exercise in “self-agency”. Leadership Development: |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | A PLACE OF HER OWN | 1890 Bryant St., 302 1890 Bryant St., 302, SF, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 722-4296 | District 11 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, A PLACE OF HER OWN, an arts-based healing program for women of color, will be able to sustain its core infrastructure: director’s and facilitators’ salaries, administration, and rent. It will also help us to continue to expand our virtual and in-person engagement to sustain and scale our ability to support women of color and their communities. We provide culturally sensitive, artistic tools and community to help heal generational patterns of trauma and continue to build the inner strength of our alumni, those women who have engaged with PLACE’s in-depth programming. | We offer both hybrid, online and in-person lectures, workshops, art exhibitions, lectures and artists’ talks sharing intuitive art making processes for self-reflection, and group discussions that help explore and release generational family trauma. Participants learn to recognize and release family patterns, including links to cultural and societal dysfunction. To claim aspirations, and grow self-agency, the art workshops, artists’ talks and exhibitions provide platforms to artistically answer the question: “If you had a place of your own, what would it be?” This is an artistic exercise in “self-agency”. Leadership Development: |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | The Center for ArtEsteem | 3111 West Street , Oakland, CA 94608 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 652-5530 | District 12 | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Attitudinal Healing Connection will provide a hands-on, year-long unit on environmental sustainability and fashion, exploring surface pattern design, screen printing, and merchandising with ~60 middle school students in three science and art integration classes at West Oakland Middle School. | ARTESTEEM Projects include: *ArtMobile *Oakland Super Heroes Mural Project *Professional Development HEALING CIRCLES COMMUNITY BUILDING |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | $66,600.00 | Madera County Arts Council & Circle Gallery | 424 North Gateway Drive , Madera, CA 93637 | Madera | Central Valley | (559) 661-7005 | California's 16th congressional district | District 5 | District 12 | continue to support and promote the arts throughout our communities. Partnering with Madera Unified School District to bring arts education in our local schools, offering in-house arts education, visual and performing arts classes, and community enrichment programs and acting as a catalyst for arts project throughout our County. SLP provides vital operational support toward salaries and rental of our facilities including our 5,000 square foot gallery. | We provide art instruction to schools in Madera County. We provide a gallery to allow artists to show and sell their work. We also offer on-site classes and workshops in all types of art, visual and performing. In addition, we work toward getting art created in public spaces through a partnership with the Madera County Arts Authority. Most recentlly, in partnershp with Madera Unified School District, we launched Madera Theatre Project,, a community-like live theatre group. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Mil-Tree | P.O. Box 1762 , Joshua Tree, CA 92252 | San Bernardino | Inland Empire | (323) 791-2986 | District 23rd | District 47 | District 19 | With support from the California Arts Council, Mil-Tree Veterans Project will increase its capacity to support veterans and their families living and working in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, by augmenting the hours of our outreach coordinator and hiring two part-time staff to aid with communications and administration. | Mil-Tree’s core programs are creative and art-based workshops, and retreats that support our vision to provide safe spaces for veterans returning to civilian life to gather, express themselves and tell their stories in a non-judgmental environment. We do this through ongoing creative programs that engage veterans and their families, active military and the greater community. Mil-Tree is a grassroots nonprofit organization based in the High Desert community of Joshua Tree, California serving San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. The organization is inclusive and offers creative outlets in the arts and held spaces for dialogue and discussion for veterans, active military and civilians. Mil-Tree was created to welcome our veterans home not only with words by providing various opportunities of engagement with the community at large. Recognizing the loss incurred by leaving the close-knit unit formed in the military, this organization strives to help build new relationships within the community. We include active military, family members and civilians to accomplish this goal, and provide different types of art workshops and projects, including movement, writing, art, music, theater, building and rock climbing. We also provide dialogue circles and retreats to help support the ongoing transition from military service into civilian life. Our programs have a strong track record of positive impact on program participants. Those who participate feeling alone or isolated find a fun, safe and creative environment where collaboration and expression lead easily to new friendships. We have found that arts and dialogue are the best way to bridge different parts of community, building on trust and the things we have in common. Often our programs lead to personal transformation and growth, and the synergy created between our participants is recognizable and profound. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | VELASLAVASAY PANORAMA | 1122 W 24TH ST , LOS ANGELES, CA 90007-1724 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 746-2166 | 37th Congressional District of California | District 57 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, Velaslavasay Panorama will sustain general operating expenses to continue: grassroots artistic diplomacy through the presentation and proliferation of immersive panoramas; developing collaborative partnerships with cultural practitioners and diverse artists; and providing low-cost access as a neighborhood museum, garden and exhibition hall. | Immersive panoramic installations are the philosophical center of the VP and are presented on a semi-permanent basis. Former works included: “Panorama of the Valley of the Smokes” (2000-2004), a surreal scene of the LA basin 200 years ago and “Effulgence of the North” (2007-2017), a hypnotic depiction of the Arctic landscape by night. “Shengjing Panorama,” (2019-present), our current panorama on view, is a visionary experience of daily life in Shenyang, China circa 1910-1930 and the first ever US-China collaborative panorama. Beyond the panorama, the VP curates highly collaborative performances, film screenings and illustrated lectures on visual art, arcane culture and experimental media. Programs include: “Union Square Florist Shop,” a living installation and performance of a bygone flower store circa 1969; an archo-historical illustrated lecture by the Shenyang Visual Archive; an evening of magic lantern performances by Charlotte Pryce; a 16mm film screen series with Jesse Lerner exploring themes of tourism, documentary, surrealism and archaeology in Mexican cinema; theatrical performances of “The Grand Moving Mirror of California,” a moving panorama tradition dating back to 1853. Our blossoming garden is an extension of immersive landscape art offering an oasis of lush, tropical foliage. Located in Council District 8, we are open to the public weekly on a by-donation basis and serve an annual visitorship of over 15,000 people. Our performances, exhibits programs are primarily focused on serving the Los Angeles community at our headquarters in West Adams/University Park but we reach additional audiences nationally and internationally by sharing our work at festivals, universities, conferences and other presenting opportunities including via postal mail. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | $66,600.00 | Stanislaus Arts Council | 1315 J St , Modesto, CA 95354-0924 | Stanislaus | Central Valley | (209) 529-3369 | California's 5th congressional district | District 22 | District 5 | With support from the California Arts Council, CENTRAL CALIFORNIA ART LEAGUE INC will support the arts and artists in Stanislaus County through education, exhibition, financial support, and the recognition of artistic excellence. We endeavor to create a vibrant cultural presence for the people of Stanislaus County. We are committed to championing policies and practices of racial and cultural equity that empower a just, inclusive, and equitable community. We shall serve as the State/Local Partner of the California Arts Council as a regional voice representing artistic issues and advocacy. We shall work in partnership with artists, arts organizations, community groups, businesses, governmental agencies, and educational institutions to strengthen the accessibility and impact of the arts as aesthetic, personal, economic and social resources. | Central California Art League, dba Stanislaus Arts Council operates a small gallery in downtown Modesto, provides classes for youth and adults at the gallery, and throughout the community by collaborating with other arts and cultural organizations, organizes a monthly Art Walk for the community of artists, local businesses and residents, and administers a teaching artist program (CLASS) that provides art instruction in elementary schools throughout Stanislaus County. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Circo Zero | 2842 FOLSOM ST , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110-4014 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 846-2273 | House District 12 | California Assembly District 17 | California Senate District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Circo Zero will further its mission of creating performances and programs that respond to political crises while centering queer bodies and ideas. Driven by anti-racist and decolonial practices, we will expand our solidarity services for QT/BIPOC artists and communities; advance ongoing collaborations with Black and Native artists to support projects they envision and enact; and support the operations underpinning our two current projects in development: Fabric, a two year long series of free workshops building professional creative skills for local artists, community conversations addressing critical issues in the field, and two performances integrating and compensating participants from the series to share their learnings from the project; Tell, a dance performance using anti-ractist tactics to address issues of racial harm and healing through participatory and inclusive community-based art. | In addition to creating and producing works of politically-engaged performances, Circo Zero provides the following programs and services: |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | San Ramon Academy of Music | 4404 Fitzwilliam St , Dublin, CA 94568-4576 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (310) 945-6494 | With support from the California Arts Council, San Ramon Chamber Ensemble will establish a vibrant and inclusive chamber music program that reaches across the greater East Bay area. We will host deeply moving concerts for students and families, providing opportunities for personal and musical growth. Through comprehensive scholarships, including free lessons, instruments, transportation, and more, we will ensure access and support for talented students from diverse backgrounds. Our program aims to create a long-term avenue for success in classical music, transcending racial, gender, and ethnic barriers. By empowering students to create new narratives from existing traditions, we will nurture personal and artistic growth. Through music education, we will make a meaningful and transformative impact on the lives of talented students, fostering a more inclusive and diverse classical music community. | The San Ramon Chamber Ensemble, a 10-week course held four times a year, offers tailored instruction and personalized mentorship to 3-5 groups of 2-5 students per group, matched according to their strengths and areas for growth. Through the Socratic method and guest workshops, our curriculum fosters musical ingenuity and cultural appreciation. SRCE provides free music education to students between ages 8 and 17. Our program aims to overcome language and cultural barriers while addressing the structural inequities of racism and xenophobia that affect our participants and other people of color in the classical music field. As we continue to expand our reach, we are using our existing platform as a springboard to include more underrepresented groups from the greater East Bay Area. SRCE offers an all-encompassing scholarship to ensure that financial barriers do not hinder their musical journey. This comprehensive scholarship covers all transportation expenses, provides instruments, and offers supplemental one-on-one private lessons. By actively reaching out and forging partnerships with community organizations, schools, and local artists, we strive to create a more inclusive and diverse musical community. At the end of each course, students showcase their progress with performances, inspiring them through role models who exemplify the diversity of the musical profession. We are committed to empowering students and creating opportunities for them to excel in the classical music world, regardless of their background. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Davis Shakespeare Festival | 1812 TRIBUTE RD STE A , SACRAMENTO, CA 95815-4311 | Sacramento | Capital | (530) 802-0998 | California's 6th congressional district | District 6 | District 8 | With support from the California Arts Council, DAVIS SHAKESPEARE ENSEMBLE INC will fund staff salaries and space rental. DSF’s primary program for 2023-2025 will be Vacancy Arts Collective (VAC). VAC’s mission is to cultivate community joy by aligning socially conscious art with equitable practice. To fulfill this mission, we will continue to engage with community partners to produce works that explore aspects of identity and culture, largely through the lens of the performing and media arts. | Our core program is VACANCY ARTS COLLECTIVE. Vacancy Arts Collective’s mission is to cultivate community joy by aligning socially conscious art with equitable practice. The focus of the project is on process and “people first” practices. VAC produces works that align with the identities of the artists and team members involved with each production, thereby expanding the types of artistic projects produced by DSF. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Museum of Social Justice | 115 PASEO DE LA PLZ , LOS ANGELES, CA 90012-2922 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 224-8759 | California's 34th congressional district | District 54 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Museum of Social Justice will retain staff and incorporate ongoing leadership development into the Museum’s operations, design, research, and learning modules (in-person and online) of our public exhibitions and programming. Additionally, purchasing the equipment needed to develop our exhibitions’ media aspects further provides another layer of interaction for visitors. | As part of its permanent collection, the Museum showcases the work of women missionaries who established schools, medical clinics, and other services for refugees of the Mexican revolution in the early 1900’s, including the first integrated drinking fountain in Los Angeles from circa 1917. Through a collaboration with the Bradley Center at Cal State University, Northridge the museum was able to digitize over 2,000 photographs documenting life in Los Angeles for poor Latinos beginning in 1899. The museum has worked with a variety of curators to plan exhibitions on diverse social justice themes, including the Civil Rights Movement, immigration, and East L.A. student activism. In 2017, the Museum began partnering with artists from under-served communities to produce artistic responses to our major exhibitions. The museum invests in young adult leadership to act as docents, support our media needs, research our archives, develop educational components for upcoming exhibitions, etc. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Vigilant Love | 1000 North Alameda Street, Suite 240 c/o Community Partners, Los Angeles, CA 90012-1804 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 245-2025 | 34 | 54 | 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Vigilant Love will host its 2024 Solidarity Arts Fellowship, an arts and storytelling-based program for college-aged Muslim and Japanese American youth to build cross-communal solidarity, unpack Islamophobia and racism, and embrace the value of community-engaged arts as a medium for powerful transformation. | Vigilant Love (VL) came together in December 2015 within days of the San Bernardino shooting in response to a nationwide wave of Islamophobia. VL was started by an intergenerational group of women and nonbinary femmes and founded upon long-standing relationships and solidarity building between SoCal-based Muslim and Japanese American leaders after 9/11. By using arts and healing practices to build bridges between two communities with interconnected histories of profiling, surveillance, and incarceration in the U.S., VL strives to model the kind of multi-ethnic and intergenerational movements needed to resist xenophobia, Islamophobia, and discrimination. Our core programming reflects these values and brings together Muslim American, Japanese American, and other communities to challenge cyclical violence. This programming includes: VL’s Solidarity Arts Fellowship (SAF), an arts-based program for youth which has run for 5 cycles and hosted 70 fellows; organizing around community health and safety, such as with our current campaign, #ServicesNotSurveillance, focusing on access to mental health; VL’s annual Bridging Communities celebration, which creates space for connection through arts and food and welcomes hundreds of community participants during Ramadan each year; and VL’s pilgrimage to Manzanar, one of the sites where 11,000 of over 120,000 Japanese Americans were unconstitutionally forced from their homes and incarcerated during WWII, which offers an occasion to honor the experiences of former incarcerees through creative presentations and storytelling. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | African-American Shakespeare Company | 762 Fulton Street, Suite 305 Suite 305, San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 680-3830 | California's 11th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, African-American Shakespeare Company will create a touring program to engage community members in their neighborhoods. We will also invest in caption screening for the program to make it more accessible for community members with hearing impairments. | Season Performances “Shake-It-Up” Arts Education Program |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | VOX FEMINA LOS ANGELES | 3341 Caroline Ave. , Culver City, CA 90232 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (310) 922-0025 | California Congressional District 37 | District 55 | District 28 | Support from the California Arts Council will help to sustain and enhance VOX Femina’s current programming and operations, paving the way for continued stability and growth. The grant will support VOX’s goals to continue to commission new works and perform quality choral music for an expanded and diverse audience; to expand VOX’s Music Education programs serving under resourced public school students; to continue to diversify the Board, staff and singer membership; and to engage in dynamic collaborations with other artists and arts organizations. | VOX has performed with the Colburn Orchestra in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, at the Valley Performing Arts Center; the LA Philharmonic and the LA Master Chorale in Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 at the Shrine Auditorium; and with the LA Philharmonic in a Disney Hall performance of Gustav Holst’s The Planets, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. VOX was awarded the San Francisco Classical Voice Audience Choice Award for the Best Choral Performance of the 2019-2020 season in the LA area. In 2024, VOX was awarded the Margaret Hillis Award for Artistic and Organizational Achievement by Chorus America, and made its debut at Carnegie Hall with National Concerts. VOX’s season is comprised of three subscription concerts (at the Colburn School’s Zipper Concert Hall and First Congregational Church of Los Angeles), three free community concerts, an informal cabaret night, and numerous guest appearances at events throughout greater Los Angeles. Since the pandemic, VOX has continued to live stream its content in order to serve the audience gained through digital content, and to allow for greater accessibility to our concerts. VOX’s Music Education Program serves public school children in underserved L.A. neighborhoods with a four-tiered program: the Concert for Youth (to which public school students are bused to a VOX concert during school hours), the Youth Choir Festival (a performance clinic for up to six high school choirs), the Choral Scholar Program (offering qualified high school applicants the opportunity to rehearse and perform with VOX, including one-on-one mentorship by VOX’s Assistant Conductor for 12 weeks, with participation in VOX’s June concert marking the culmination of the program), and the Justice Choir (a 14-week program teaching the fundamentals of choral singing to students at schools with little or no music programming. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $30,832.00 | Villa Musica | 10373 Roselle Street, Suite 170 , San Diego, CA 92121 | San Diego | Far South | (858) 550-8100 | 51 | District 77 | District 39 | With support from the CAC, Villa Musica will strengthen the organization’s infrastructure and build capacity in order to oversee and expand programs. Funds will be used to hire staff, upgrade technology, and support community-based outreach at five satellite sites in underserved neighborhoods. | Villa Musica offers an extensive array of programs at both its dedicated facility and in various community locations. Our target audience is anyone “Pre-K to Gray” with a passion for music. Programs serve all ages and backgrounds regardless of ability to pay. From our early childhood music program, which caters to the youngest musicians in the community, to programs which brings seniors out to enjoy a lesson, a concert, or a class with like-minded folks, we have something for everyone. In addition to private and group lessons and community ensembles and five satellite sites at libraries in under-resourced communities, Villa Musica offers 1) music programming for students at schools limited by their access to instruments and/or instruction due to budget constraints; 2) ENCORE!, featuring programs designed especially for seniors including Musical Biographies™, a partnership with UCSD Shiley-Marcos Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center that brings together seniors living with dementia and their care partners to create a scrapbook of memories inspired by a musical playlist; 3) Music on the Move, San Diego!, a 14-seat passenger van that carries instruments, pop-up canopies, teaching materials, etc. so Villa Musica can offer group music lessons and performances in outdoor spaces. Villa Musica is partnering with senior community centers, and senior residences to bring this program to elderly people who are unable to experience live music due to public health restrictions and/or family/living situations. Since its founding, Villa Musica has engaged the community through numerous strategies, including collaboration with schools, libraries, and non-profit partners, marketing through print and broadcast media, and scholarship funding so that no student is turned away due to lack of funds. Now, with robust programming serving people of all ages, Villa Musica is focusing on deepening existing programs to attract new students and offer even more impactful experiences. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Write Now! SF Bay | 1717 Cabrillo Street , San Francisco, CA 94121 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 577-9557 | California's 12th congressional district | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Write Now! SF Bay will present “Talking to Strangers 2.0,” ten free creative writing workshops and three mental health awareness workshops. Ten mini-publications will be created, to be shared at intimate neighborhood readings and a large creative showcase in Fall 2024 at the San Francisco Main Library. This project will expand on the success of “Talking to Strangers” mini-publications (2021-2022) in breaking through social isolation and reaching non-literary communities by through visual art, poetry and flash prose by writers and artists of color, distributed via street outreach and BIPOC businesses in marginalized neighborhoods like San Francisco’s Mission District, Chinatown and the Oakland’s Fruitvale District. The project will include English and bilingual materials to increase communication between immigrants and the American-born who are reclaiming their heritage, language, and culture. | Write Now! SF Bay is run by and for writers/artists of color to nurture an ongoing multicultural community of emerging and established writers of color though a year-around program of creative writing workshops, public events and publications. Participants create and present prose, poetry, and visual art that reflect the diverse complexities of the San Francisco Bay Area’s 60% BIPOC population. Since 2015, we have served over 400 local Black, Brown, Indigenous and People of Color—Latinx, Asian/Asian American, Middle Eastern, LGBTTQIA+ and more. We bring together emerging writers with published writers, educators, healers and activists working for change. We value cross-fertilization and we outreach to diverse communities so they can engage with each other within the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. Our non-hierarchical approach is “Each One, Teach One.” We learn by listening to each other and supporting individuals to find their unique voice and contribution to the circle of humanity. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | n/a | 2781 24TH ST , San Francisco, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 672-6550 | With support from the California Arts Council, Cuicacalli will have access to the stability needed to run a small company by allowing us to grow, retain, and advance the uniquely qualified artistic staff who operate our organization. CAC funding will support stipends to Cuicacalli’s two Directors and one Assistant Director and support our October 2023-September 2024 California based arts programming, which includes Dia de los Muertos at the de Young Museum, our free arts education programming, including dance and music for K-12 youth culminating in our annual México Lindo Y Querido performance to take place at Brava Theater, our annual Viva el Mariachi programming taking place at Mission High, our annual Dia de los Madres programming taking place at the Exploratorium, and our annual Summer Camp. | Cuicacalli Escuela de Danza (classes): Offered weekly from August to May and take place at Brava Theater. Ballet Folklórico, led by Jesus Cortes. Three levels (beginning, intermediate, advanced). This class explores dance styles evolved in Mexico resulting from the diaspora of music, rhythm and dance from Pre-Hispanic Indian, European, African and Asian cultures. Students perform dances characteristic of varying regions focusing on group, couple and individual choreographies. Classes include warm-up and stretching leading to lifelong habits of physical health. Contemporary dance, led by Artistic Director, Jesus Cortes. One group of mixed level: A diverse contemporary class beginning with stretching, body awareness, and moving through warm up combinations that accumulate into full dance choreographies. Classes emphasize technical strength building, floor work, and contemporary and ballet concepts and vocabulary. Cuicacalli Dance Company, led by Artistic Director, Jesus Cortes. One group of mixed level, who meet on commission. Cuicacalli Dance Company fuses dance styles inspired by cultural traditions and modern day themes. These choreographies revive traditions and reflect social and environmental situations. By including dance styles such as Indigenous, Folkloric, and Contemporary, Cortes expands traditional and modern dancing with a new lens. Cuicacalli Mariachi Program “Mariachi La Misión,” led by Ariane Cortes. One mixed level group meets weekly. Students learn to make Mariachi music through individual coaching and ensemble work. Students explore Mariachi music forms and hone their skills in voice and unique Mariachi instruments Mariachi La Misión connects music, history and culture of Mexico through the art form that brings together all generations. Cuicacalli Summer Arts Camp and Young Adult Summer Internship meets in June. A Spanish bilingual and culturally rich program for children ages 6 to 12, with young adult internship possibilities. Classes are intertwined with weekly field trips and focus on music, dance, and visual art. | |||
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Capitol Creative Alliance | 730 I St Suite 200, Sacramento, CA 95814-2600 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 747-0998 | District 6 | District 7 | Dictrict 6 | With support from the California Arts Council, Design Sacramento (dba Capitol Creative Alliance) will secure a dedicated office space at our current co-working facility, The Urban Hive, for our team to work together in person. This will improve the capacity of our organization by creating opportunities for in-person meetings and relationship-building, and improved collaboration on hands-on projects. Funds from this grant will also support the transition of our co-directors from independent contractors to part-time employees. This will reduce some of their financial stressors and improve their capacity to maintain our current operations and programs. | We carry out our mission through our programs that are grounded in Community Engagement, Workforce Development, and Education. Through our Community Engagement programs, we host Creativity Speaks, a salon-style Speaker Series designed to celebrate local creatives, affect attendees/listeners to be inspired by creatives outside their industry, and build our creative community. We feature traditional and non-traditional creatives to draw mixed audiences to encourage intermingling between creative industries, as well as traditional and non-traditional creatives. Creativity Speaks is dedicated to equitable representation and a celebration of the diversity of creative thought. We also host networking events that bring our community together, and discussions on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility topics that affect our community. Our Workforce Development programs create awareness of, and access to, careers in our regional creative workforce. Ascenders Academy is a six-month mentorship cohort that provides emerging designers with tools, skills, and community relationships that will take them to the next level of their careers. We also host an annual Creative Career Fair, connect people with work through our Job Board and personal connections, and create opportunities for local creatives to connect with potential employers and clients and expand their network. Our Education programs offer opportunities for creatives at all levels to develop new skills and advance their careers through hybrid learning models, studio tours, workshops, lectures and more. We also partner with local colleges and universities to share our programs, services and opportunities. Finally, Design Week Sacramento is an annual celebration of our creative community and is a culmination of all of our programming. Throughout the week, we offer Lectures, Panels, Workshops, Networking Events, Studio Tours, and more. All events are hosted by our local design community with the mission to improve the awareness of, and access to, the diverse careers that make up our creative economy. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | 4C LAB | 110 S. Orange Ave, Azusa, CA 91702 , AZUSA, CA 91702-4400 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 224-5893 | 32nd Congressional District | 48th Assembly | 22nd Senate District | With support from the California Arts Council, under-resourced BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) youth, ages 15-20, will participate in a NO-COST nine month multi-week immersive arts program titled “Rest Is Our Resilience” led by 4C LAB staff and professional teaching artists exploring social justice, inclusivity, and culturally-relevant storytelling. This program will culminate in a free live community performance. | The 4 C’s are: To create, to communicate, to collaborate, to build community. These 4 C’s are at the core of all of our programming. 4C LAB Creative Residency programs provide multi-week culturally responsive arts immersion led by professional teaching artists with embedded California curriculum standards for Middle and High School students. 4C LAB Creative Residencies introduce the power of building community and creating positive social impact by sharing personal stories through art. The program includes workshops across various art forms including dance, theatre, poetry and multimedia, and culminate in a public performance. The 4C coLAB performance ensemble brings together young creative visionaries, ages 15-20 who are committed to creating original work across art forms to create a global creative community to affect positive social impact. Through multi-disciplinary workshops, guest artists, mentorships and building an ensemble, the 4C co-LAB performs their collective work in an annual live show and various events. These young artists have opportunities to travel and collaborate with other Creative Visionaries across the nation and world. CREATIVE COALITION is a platform and quarterly mixer enabling like-minded organizations, artists and creatives to partner, share best practices and resources and connect. Events include guest speakers, opportunities for creative inspiration and topic discussions to progress the work as a global creative community. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Bay Area Music Project | 740 SANTA CLARA AVE , ALAMEDA, CA 94501-3334 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 917-6050 | California Assembly district 18 | District 18 | District 9 | With support from CAC, Bay Area Music Project (BAMP) will be able to expand its in-and-out-of-school music education program throughout Alameda and Oakland, prioritizing under-resourced students from diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, starting from kindergarten through high school. BAMP currently serves over 250 students across four program sites and is poised to extend its music production programming for high school students in 2023. BAMP’s model emphasizes socio-emotional learning through artistically rigorous ensemble training and performance opportunities that promote creative expression, teamwork, discipline, and social responsibility. BAMP programs use music to build community and future community leaders during the formative stages of identity development. BAMP collaborates with local artists, community arts organizations, and public partnerships to achieve its mission. | Bay Area Music Project (BAMP) serves 250 K–12 students from under-resourced communities in Alameda and Oakland, CA, where access to high-quality music education is limited. Over half of our families identify as low-income, and BAMP is committed to making music education accessible through full-tuition scholarships, free instruments, and inclusive programming. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $50,000.00 | Film Independent | 5670 Wilshire Blvd., 9th Floor 9th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90036 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 556-9361 | District 30 | District 55 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, Film Independent will build on four decades of work to support filmmakers, with an emphasis on supporting emerging and mid-career filmmakers from backgrounds underrepresented in the film and entertainment industry. We will accomplish this by continuing to provide intensive mentorship opportunities, professional development, networking opportunities, industry access, filmmaker grants and more through our vital Artist Development, Film Education, Membership and year-round screening programs. | Our Artist Development (AD) programs offer free labs for selected screenwriters, directors, producers, episodic content creators and documentary filmmakers to experience valuable career building and networking opportunities. We also offer over $6M per year in grants and awards and run an annual film finance market. Project Involve, our signature AD program, fosters the careers of filmmakers from communities historically excluded from the industry (including women, people from BIPOC communities, LGBTQ+ filmmakers and filmmakers with disabilities). Each year, up to 35 filmmakers are given the opportunity to hone skills, form creative partnerships, create short films and gain industry access needed to succeed as working artists. Our Education programs offer virtual and in-person opportunities to learn from renowned artists, stay up-to-date on the distribution landscape and acquire the acumen needed to secure financing. Our Future Filmmakers program serves youth creators in middle and high school, who receive mentorship from emerging and professional filmmakers and become empowered to find their voice and tell their own unique stories through film. We produce the annual Film Independent Spirit Awards, the premier awards event recognizing excellence in independent film and television, and Film Independent Presents, a year-round program offering unique virtual and in-person cinematic experiences. Through our International programs, we connect international filmmakers with leading U.S. entertainment professionals through comprehensive filmmaker education, business training, professional networking opportunities and tailored mentorships. International Fellows from all over the globe are selected for a year-long mentorship program that includes a Residency in Los Angeles, which provides master classes, industry sessions, field trips, cultural engagement and access to individual Mentors for project support and networking. We also travel abroad to better understand the global media landscape and organize in-depth workshops for filmmakers all over the world. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Music in the Mountains | 131 S. Auburn Street , Grass Valley, CA 95945 | Nevada | Upstate | (530) 265-6173 | California's 1st congressional district | District 1 | District 1 | With the help of the California Arts Council, Music in the Mountains will engage in The Together We Sing Project, a collaborative project intending to engage community artists to co-create a project centered around the human voice and the community health benefit, especially for rural seniors, of group singing. The project will include several free workshops involving using the human voice to heal trauma. It will culminate in a large-scale choral concert with full symphonic orchestra with all community partners involved in the program, and ideally including other installations of community art and the work of local artistic practitioners. | Since 1982, Music in the Mountains has annually produced concerts and education programs for children and adults. Since 1982, it has held orchestral, choral and chamber music concerts, as well as extensive education programs – both in and outside of the classroom. The concerts serve approximately 10,000 listeners. The education programs serve 6,000+ children through Music for Young Minds, Youth Orchestra, First Notes after school music classes, student concerts, and the Young Musicians Competition Adult education programs, including vocal workshops, Zoom music lectures, and professional musician mentoring serve approximately 1000 people per year. During the pandemic, MIM shifted its programming to online platforms, producing over 250 hours of virtual content for more than 30,000 households. The online offerings included, 10 concerts, 15 short videos, nine months of virtual choir and youth orchestra rehearsals, and more than 80 hours of other education programs and virtual music workshops. For decades MIM volunteers have made the organization’s programming possible. In 2023, over 250 people donates nearly 5000 hours of their time to connect, inspire and serve their community through great musical programs and education. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Invertigo Dance Theatre | 11166 LUCERNE AVE , CULVER CITY, CA 90230-4244 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (424) 229-2141 | California Assembly district 54 | District 54 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, INVERTIGO DANCE THEATRE will launch its Voices of Parkinson’s Storytelling Initiative, a public dance and spoken word performance co-created with its Dancing Through Parkinson’s (DTP) community. DTP provides free storytelling through movement classes to people with Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative, mobility, or age-related conditions, with a focus on increasing flexibility, balance, stability, creativity and joy. The Storytelling Initiative will uplift and center the experiences and artistic expression of people with Parkinson’s. | Invertigo’s core programming is focused on offering dance theatre as a catalyst for racial equity and public engagement with and between communities that are systemically marginalized and less resourced. All programs activate dance as a transformational mode of storytelling and community-building as part of a movement practice. Invertigo pursues its mission through its professional dance repertory and production company, and a series of community engagement programs, including Dancing Through Parkinson’s. In 2018, Invertigo was awarded the National Dance Project Production Award – one of the highest national honors in dance – for its new dance production, FORMULAE & FAIRY TALES, hailed as “dance theatre at its finest” by the LA Dance Chronicle and declared “a breakthrough show” by the LA Times. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Elysian Valley Arts Collective | 2041 Blake Ave , LOS ANGELES, CA 90039 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 664-0202 | 34th District | District 52 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, ELYSIAN VALLEY ARTS COLLECTIVE will provide no-cost arts and culture programming to our underserved community in Los Angeles. We use arts and culture to explore common ground, celebrate community and highlight local artists. | Elysian Valley Arts Collective, now known as Frogtown Arts, is dedicated to the belief that everyone—from painters to pickle makers—is an artist with a story worth sharing. We champion the transformative power of the arts by creating collaborative, educational, and celebratory spaces that uplift our local river communities and foster a deep pride of place. At the heart of our work is connection—between neighbors, across generations, and through culture. Our programs are designed to reflect and serve our diverse community. We offer free art classes for youth, seniors, and all ages in disciplines ranging from ceramics and painting to quilting, poetry, and even Ecuadorian bread dough art (Masapan). These creative experiences are presented in partnership with local businesses, schools, and government at our project space, local studios, and with our mobile studio during community events, ensuring accessibility and inclusion for all. First Fridays is a monthly evening of art exhibits, live music, DJ’s, good food, pop ups, shopping experiences, community booths, free and low-cost arts & crafts activities for all. Our Frogtown Artwalk is a self-guided tour that takes you into studios, workshops and a series of pop-up galleries hosted by businesses in Elysian valley. Illuminate the Night transforms the river path into a living gallery of art, light, and performance. These celebrations bring together local artists, businesses, and residents to share music, dance, spoken word, activities and visual installations that reflect the spirit of Frogtown. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | ArtsOC | 17620 Fitch Avenue Suite 255, Irvine, CA 92614 | Orange | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (714) 556-5160 | 47 | 73 | 37 | With support from the California Arts Council, ARTS ORANGE COUNTY will present its annual “Día del Niño,” a free admission festival celebrating the artistic richness and cultural heritage of OC’s Latinx community through engaging arts experiences for all ages, featuring participatory workshops and performances by award-winning professional artists, community groups and young artists. | Arts Orange County fulfills its mission by offering the following programs and services: Regranting – when funds are available. During pandemic, raised private funds and secured County funding, oversaw regranting of nearly $8 million. In 2023-24, served as Administering Organization for CAC’s Individual Artist Fellowship Program in Region I (Imperial, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego counties). Orange County Arts Awards, honoring artists, arts visionaries and arts patrons Creative Edge Lecture, presenting thought-leaders in the field of creativity Imagination Celebration, county-wide, six-week festival of arts for families & children in collaboration with Orange County Department of Education Día del Niño, a free festival of Latino arts for families and children OC Jails Project, creative writing instruction to Transitional Age Youth SparkOC.com, online arts calendar Newsletter, bi-monthly ArtsOC institutional & arts community news Leadership Convenings, bringing together arts leaders of various cohorts and artists for regular online and in-person gatherings to share concerns, best practices Breaking Through, webinars for arts leaders about exemplary local programs fulfilling diversity, equity and inclusion goals Emerging Arts Leaders-OC Consulting and Project Management services on cultural planning & public art to municipalities and arts organizations |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Flyaway Productions | 1068 Bowdoin St. , San Francisco, CA 94134 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 672-4111 | U.S. House of Representatives district 15 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Flyaway Productions and a team of community leaders will produce ODE TO JANE, a multi-layered public art project inspired by the Janes, a network of Chicago activists in the pre-Roe v. Wade era. ODE TO JANE connects the resistance strategies of the 20th century to the addiction crisis, threats to women’s bodies, racial reckoning, and most important, the complex intersection of these realities. ODE TO JANE brings together dance artists, a composer, community leaders, and two museums to explore these complex issues through a creative lens. By exploring the question, “What would Jane do?” ODE TO JANE will reveal an artful, accessible public art performance that counters the misogyny dominating current state legislative trends. | PERFORM: We make dances that are site-specific, off the ground, and justice-driven. We perform in unlikely places, activating the sides of buildings above bleak city streets. Discarded needles; unhoused bodies lining sidewalks. This is where we create. Our site-specific dances impact neighborhoods because they unfold at the very place where conflict lives. For us, a building is a witness. It holds the complexity of a neighborhood’s history in its “hands,” I-beams, or concrete walls. Our tools include coalition building, an intersectional feminist lens, and a body-based push against the constraints of gravity. From 2017-2023, Flyaway created The Decarceration Trilogy: Dismantling the Prison Industrial Complex One Dance at a Time. We continue to create new work centering incarcerated artists and exploring prison systems change. TEACH: We offer year-round classes to adults, teens, and youth. We offer GIRLFLY, a Youth Art & Activism Program, integrating dance-making and activism. Our training with youth offers some remedy for the ways women and girls/GNC youth remain underserved in public culture as a whole. We also offer teaching residencies that link social justice content, school curriculum, and movement innovation, where your young artists are our collaborators. ADVOCATE: We provide a bridge between the arts, gender justice, racial justice, and everyday life. We are constantly developing new forms for community engagement and coalition building with activists and non-arts partners. COLLABORATE: We have worked with Bay Area Dance Artists Bianca Cabrera, Quinn Dior, Clarissa Dyas, Laura Elaine Ellis, Sonsherée Giles, MaryStarr Hope, Megan Lowe, Jhia Jackson, Saharla Vetch and natalya shoaf. We also work in collaboration with designer Sean Riley, rigger Dave Freitag, and over a dozen women/nonbinary composers, including Pamela Z, Madlines, Jewlia Eisenberg, Carla Kihlstedt, Van Anh Vo, Melanie DeMore, and Theresa Wong. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Invertigo Dance Theatre | 11166 LUCERNE AVE , CULVER CITY, CA 90230-4244 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (424) 229-2141 | California Assembly district 54 | District 54 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, INVERTIGO DANCE THEATRE will provide health insurance, fair wages, and subsidies for internet fees for its part-time staff, dancers and teaching artists, as well as additional paid vacation days for its full-time staff 100% of whom identify as women, trans, and/or as part of the LGBTQIA++ community. Staff support will underwrite at least three Invertigo Dance Theatre public events and performances per year and weekly Dancing Through Parkinson’s classes, which are free and accessible for people with Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative and age-related conditions. | Invertigo’s core programming is focused on offering dance theatre as a catalyst for racial equity and public engagement with and between communities that are systemically marginalized and less resourced. All programs activate dance as a transformational mode of storytelling and community-building as part of a movement practice. Invertigo pursues its mission through its professional dance repertory and production company, and a series of community engagement programs, including Dancing Through Parkinson’s. In 2018, Invertigo was awarded the National Dance Project Production Award – one of the highest national honors in dance – for its new dance production, FORMULAE & FAIRY TALES, hailed as “dance theatre at its finest” by the LA Dance Chronicle and declared “a breakthrough show” by the LA Times. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Ace Makerspace | 6050 LOWELL ST STE 214 , OAKLAND, CA 94608-2793 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (205) 908-5245 | California Assembly District 12 | District 18 | District 7 | With grant funds from the California Art Council, we will increase our team member compensation levels to at least the median of our peer organizations (nonprofits in Alameda County with $250k-$500k in expenses). The funding will allow us to meet our goals of providing livable wages for current staff and converting our part-time staff to full-time employees (FTEs). Funds will also help pay for a portion of the total compensation for a development associate who will help us begin our donor and grant engagement efforts. We plan to fund this position after the life of the grant using increased development efforts and more program offerings. These two goals will allow us to expand outreach efforts and programming, permanently increase salaries and FTE hours, support continued DEI policy creation, and strengthen ADA compliance management. | We have organized our space by tools, areas and programs spread across 5 distinct workspaces: Laser cutting, wood workshops, textiles, electronics, 3d printing, wide format printing, and metal milling. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco | 750 KEARNY STREET 3RD FLOOR , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108-1861 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 986-1822 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, CCC will plan and implement workshops and public art action “Public Opinion Pigeon” in collaboration with lead artist Bijun Liang engaging San Francisco’s Chinatown community members to voice civic opinions for public spaces through humor and playful arts creation. The program is also supported by community co-creation, documentation, and evaluation process. | CCC offers programs grounded in racial equity reflective of the complexities and diversity of the community. These initiatives are designed to use arts, education, and community mobilization to shift dominant and regressive narratives, foster understanding, and uplift the voices of marginalized communities, including immigrants, refugees, people of color and LGBTQ+. CCC’s dynamic exhibition series features both established and emerging marginalized artists to spark dialogue on social justice issues while exploring themes relevant to contemporary society, such as: The “Museum Without Walls” initiative empowers marginalized communities through artistic co-creation & participation in community-based art projects. This has included local artist, Summer Mei-Ling Lee’s “Liminal Space/Crossings” which drew upon her year long research into immigration history, and consisted of storytelling workshops with Single Room Occupant (SRO) residents that evolved into an outdoor light art piece. CCC offers educational programs, such as the Chinatown History & Art Tour (C.H.A.T) program. This immersive, place-based learning opportunity educates participants on the art and history of Chinatown’s community activism and resiliency. The guided tour visits different art activation sites in the neighborhood including murals throughout the streets of Chinatown. As an advocate for artists, culture bearers, organizations, and neighborhood business associations, CCC plays a vital role in the responsive mobilization of community to produce various artistic projects. These art activations have addressed economic recovery, protests for racial justice in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, and stands against anti-Asian racial and sexual violence. Resources and support for emerging artists and cultural practitioners are provided through artist-in-residence programs, mentorship initiatives, and networking opportunities. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Media Arts Center San Diego | 1100 Market Street Suite 326, San Diego, CA 92101 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 230-1938 | California's 53rd congressional district | California's 80th District | 78th District | With support from the California Arts Council, Media Arts Center San Diego, will partner with community-based organization Second Chance and two local filmmakers, Amada Torruella and Edwin Cruz, on a year-long Emerging Makers training program for 20 system-engaged youth (ages 14–18) by providing them with documentary production knowledge, technical training, media literacy tools, a safe environment to explore personal narratives and social justice concepts, and a deeper appreciation of the moving image. | MACSD programs, events, and film festivals are inclusionary—designed with audiences, participants, and community collaboration in mind. A summary of core organizational programs and services can be broken down into three categories: WATCH—San Diego Latino Film Festival (SDLFF) celebrates its 32nd anniversary in March 2025 introducing viewers to contemporary US-Latino and Latin American cinema. Additional programming includes the Que Viva Outdoor Cine Latino Series, and daily screenings of at our Digital Gym Cinema. LEARN—Media education programs for youth include: Teen Producers Project, Youth Media & Tech Camps, ¡Tu Cine! Student Film Showcase, the iVIE Awards & Student Film Festival and in-school media programs. CREATE—Tools for community-based media production and collaboration include: Frontera Filmmakers, a grassroots training course for independent filmmakers; and Video Production Services, helping community groups make digital media presence accessible and affordable. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $54,998.00 | AlterTheater | PO BOX 150659 , SAN RAFAEL, CA 94915-0659 | Marin | Bay Area – Other | (510) 708-7388 | California's 2nd congressional district | District 10 | District 2 | With support from CAC, AlterTheater aims to leverage its 18 year legacy of empowering historically underrepresented theater artists and engaging the community through its key initiatives: AlterLab and our Mainstage Producing Program. This year we’re supporting seven diverse playwrights, encompassing identities such as Native (Pueblo, Dińe, Nez Perce), African American, Latinx, Queer, and more. As we navigate the pandemic recovery process, our priority lies in carefully reintroducing local, in-person programs, including our community listening sessions. Amidst the departure of co-founder Jeanette Harrision, AlterTheater is undergoing a significant transformation, and the grant funds sought will play a pivotal role in our journey toward establishing a more sustainable organization with enduring relationships and meaningful community engagement throughout the year. | Alternative Theater Ensemble provides new play development and production programs and services, produces contemporary works from diverse voices, and serves predominantly low-income audiences with these programs and services. In 2011, we started our flagship yearlong playwright residency program, AlterLab, supporting 3-5 writers as each self-identifies a creative risk or challenge they wish to take with their work, supports their fellow playwrights, and writes a new play. Alter Theater historically produces on average 75% of all work created and developed in AlterLab. Our Mainstage Tour program has produced more than 20 world premieres and our commissioning program has been operating since 2008. Adam Greenfield, associate artistic director of Playwrights Horizons, says of AlterLab, “Each play tells such a specific, and underrepresented, story with a unique and glowing voice.” Alternative Theater Ensemble prioritizes meeting communities where they are and adapting theatrical frameworks to their needs. Our shift in focus from traditional theatre productions to applied theatre models reflects ATE’s commitment to responding to the industry’s evolving landscape and supporting communities across the Bay Area through art. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Immersive Arts Alliance | 1401 21st Street #7821 , Sacramento, CA 95811-5226 | Sacramento | Capital | (628) 286-3883 | 13th Congressional | 9 | 15 | With support from the California Arts Council, IMMERSIVE ARTS ALLIANCE (IAA) will contract with and pay a BIPOC curator who lives in Oakland and has familiarity with the community, inviting his / her / their choice of artists, of theme and subject matter for the 2nd iteration of the Biennial “Oakland Festival of Immersive Arts” (OFIA). As this is a General Operating Grant these funds will be used to help fund the organization as it makes this Curator hire and as it enables the 2nd OFIA, operationally. The Festival, following its July 2022 premiere, has shown itself to be successful in enlisting organizational allies in the Oakland community. The Festival commissions work from Oakland artists. 1500+ people attended the premiere festival, in spaces along the Broadway corridor in July 2022. Media partners: BART, OaklandSide and KQED. | IAA creates events, and we create educational programming. The Oakland Festival of Immersive Arts (OFIA) — presented with the support of the City of Oakland, in partnership with Oakland Central, Oakstop, and other local community organizations — took place for the first time in July, 2023, the inaugural event of a Biennial series, providing a unique and wide-based platform for art and artists in Oakland, and presenting to 1500+ people during its 6-day run. We formed IAA to present ambitious works of public art. In 2022 we presented the Bay Area premiere of Shimon Attie’s Night Watch, a floating exhibition that displayed portraits of individuals from 8 continents granted political asylum by the U.S. In 2023 we presented a tour of the Mobile Light Art Station, which visited downtown Oakland, West Oakland and the Tenderloin in SF, displaying animations on loan to IAA by six Bay Area artists + performances on the ground level. We have created Artist Salons featuring artists from many disciplines. This provides IAA with opportunities to partner with other presenting organizations, growing our base of supporters. The Artist Salons to date have all sold out. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Calidanza | 8181 Kirkwall Ct , Sacramento , CA 95829 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 599-3441 | California Assembly district 8 | District 10 | District 8 | With support from the California Arts Council will develop a program with Twin Rivers School District that will provide art programs to students that include dance, music, art and crafts. The goal of the program is to promote positive self identity, cultural heritage and use art to heal. | Calidanza Mexican Dance Company is a multi-faucet community based organization that serves the artistic and cultural needs of the Latino community of Sacramento, CA. Our organization offers classes, workshops, public performances, in school arts programming and educational shows in and around the Sacramento community. The purpose of this project will be to offer the underserved Latino population of Sacramento a viable outlet to learn, observe, participate or appreciate Latino/Mexican arts programming in their own communities as well as in public venues open to the public. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | VALLEJO TEACHING ARTISTS INC | 925 YORK ST , VALLEJO, CA 94590-6254 | Solano | Capital | (415) 272-2720 | Fifth District | District 14 | District 3 | With support from the California Arts Council, VALLEJO TEACHING ARTISTS, INC. will use the funds as general operating monies to assist the organization in expanding its programming and services to better fulfill its stated mission. VTA’s rapid growth and success has identified an urgent need for additional support to offset general operating expenses and increased office costs. Types of anticipated general expenses include: expanding accounting services, increasing payroll, adding insurance coverages and legal support, tax preparation, improving our communications to the public through website development, annual reporting, and quarterly newsletters. | VTA serves a diverse population of Solano County and neighboring counties in grades K-12. This dynamic program was created by a group of dedicated families and stakeholders that were seeking choices within the school landscape of the city. The program uses the EL Education model to find and bring working artists into the school to enrich the learning community. Teaching Artists offer dance and visual art, music, creative writing and theatre lessons and experiences to the students. Students have opportunities for self-directed, self-guided collaborative projects to experiment with mediums, express their artistic voices, share their work with authentic audiences and connect to their academic work and professional artists in a meaningful way. Currently, the Five Core Programs are: |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Trails and Vistas | 10309 CROMLEY SQ , TRUCKEE, CA 96161 | Nevada | Upstate | (213) 500-7758 | California Assembly district 1 | District 1 | District 1 | With support from California Arts Council, Nancy Lopez will collaborate with Artists/Culture Bearers on three interrelated projects aligned with Trails & Vistas’ mission: to create community by celebrating the arts and nature. The Dreaming Tree Field Trips are outdoor experiences for youth to create, discover, and learn from Culture Bearers, environmental teachers, and visual and performing artists. With grant funds, students will use art-based Field Journals to deepen learning. Building Community Through the Arts Workshops will provide access to free bilingual art, dance, and InnerWellness events, to build relationships bridging cultures and increase equitable access to arts and nature events for underserved community members. Art Hikes within nature, Trails & Vistas’ signature event, feature installations of musicians, dancers, poets and visual art. Grant funds will increase Art Hike access for Latinx community members and other underserved populations. | Art in Nature Field Trips – an interactive art hike for 400+ California and Nevada third grade students with music, poetry, environmental studies, and visual art. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | The Veterans Art Project | 2422 Cades Way , Vista, CA 92081 | San Diego | Far South | (760) 295-0799 | California's 49th congressional district | District 76 | District 36 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Veterans Art Project, in partnership with established and developed relationships with local Veterans Service organizations, will provide free ongoing access to arts instruction and artmaking for Veterans and Active-duty military, along with their spouses, dependents and caregivers, in a safe, supportive, and culturally competent community setting at the Chula Vista Veterans Center in Chula Vista Ca and in house at our school of Ceramics and Glass in Vista Ca. These classes will provide a bridge to wellness for this community as they deal with their conditions and navigate the transition from military to civilian life. We are excited to offer a dignified display component for these classes located at The Bonita Cultural center in Chula Vista Ca, spring 2024. | Vetart provides the following free classes; Ceramics, Glass casting, workshops to Veterans, active duty, their families and caregivers. Therein, Vetart provides ongoing weekly classes at several locations in San Diego county including the VA La Jolla, The San Marcos and Chula Vista VET centers, and our School of Ceramics & glass, in Vista, CA. Organized demonstrations, workshops, and Art Exhibits occur at alternate locations throughout the San Diego region, State and Nationally. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | transcenDANCE Youth Arts Project | 5700 El Cajon Blvd , San Diego, CA 92115-3737 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 310-5330 | California's 53rd congressional district | District 79 | District 38 | With support from the California Arts Council, TRANSCENDANCE YOUTH ARTS PROJECT will work alongside youth ages 9-18 years to co-create our Performance Group’s 17th annual production, Small Steps, Big Moves. Three cohorts totaling up to 55 students will experience the holistic and culturally affirming creative process with professional Teaching Artists through a robust performing arts program. | transcenDANCE programs provide youth development opportunities through a unique three-tiered program model: CONNECT, CREATE, CONTRIBUTE. transcenDANCE CONNECTS to youth and communities through in-school and out-of-school time dance classes, artist-in-residency programs, outreach performances, and summer camps. CREATE is the heart of the transcenDANCE programs. Youth explore dance and the performing arts through rigorous dance training and immersion in a social change and social emotional learning curriculum over 9 months, which culminates in an annual performance on a professional San Diego stage. transcenDANCE alumni CONTRIBUTE to transcenDANCE through performances, teaching and choreography assistantships and paid roles, and mentoring of incoming students. All students have access to mental health services, mentorship, and leadership development opportunties. Our students’ transformative experience develops their leadership skills, social and emotional resilience, and confidence to change the trajectories of their lives and positively impact the communities they live in. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $54,998.00 | transcenDANCE Youth Arts Project | 5700 El Cajon Blvd , San Diego, CA 92115-3737 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 310-5330 | California's 53rd congressional district | District 79 | District 38 | With support from the California Arts Council, TRANSCENDANCE YOUTH ARTS PROJECT will fund general operational expenses including rent and a portion of the salaries for our Managing Director, our Development & Operations Coordinator, and other core staff. | transcenDANCE programs provide youth development opportunities through a unique three-tiered program model: CONNECT, CREATE, CONTRIBUTE. transcenDANCE CONNECTS to youth and communities through in-school and out-of-school time dance classes, artist-in-residency programs, outreach performances, and summer camps. CREATE is the heart of the transcenDANCE programs. Youth explore dance and the performing arts through rigorous dance training and immersion in a social change and social emotional learning curriculum over 9 months, which culminates in an annual performance on a professional San Diego stage. transcenDANCE alumni CONTRIBUTE to transcenDANCE through performances, teaching and choreography assistantships and paid roles, and mentoring of incoming students. All students have access to mental health services, mentorship, and leadership development opportunties. Our students’ transformative experience develops their leadership skills, social and emotional resilience, and confidence to change the trajectories of their lives and positively impact the communities they live in. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $17,000.00 | Pedal Press | 2117 Esplanade , Chico, CA 95926 | Butte | Upstate | (530) 520-3110 | District 1 | District 3 | District 1 | With the support from the California Arts Council, Pedal Press will utilize our studio to host five local artists each in two-month residencies. Each artist will gain full access to our printmaking equipment, host two free community workshops, and create original work for their own final show. | Our organization offers accessible and affordable printing services to our community. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | Black Female Project Inc | 520 3rd St Suite 208 , Oakland, CA 94607 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (925) 658-2016 | 13th Congressional District of California | District 15 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, BlackFemaleProject will present the third annual Black Women’s Roots Festival. This program, including an in-person festival and a free video livestream, will showcase a diverse and multigenerational array of talent from emerging to veteran artists in blues, gospel, country, and roots music and including instrumentalists, vocalists, and poets, and will center Black women roots artists whose culture is threatened by gentrification. | BlackFemaleProject uplifts the voices of Black women, affirms our experiences, and offers insights for achieving self-defined success in the workplace and beyond. BlackFemaleProject uses digital media and in-person events to bring Black women together— across generation and industry—to engage in sisterhood, resource and knowledge sharing, inspiration, healing, and growth, all focused on improving career experiences for Black women and improving the overall well being of workplaces. We envision a world in which Black women can show up and be celebrated as their full selves without any negative consequence. BlackFemaleProject hosts a weekly podcast documenting Black women’s experience in the workplace and in the arts; produces the annual Black Women’s Roots Festival, a community festival celebrating the historical and cultural contributions of living and departed Black women artists in blues, jazz, country, roots, and gospel music; produces an annual free 10-week youth arts intensive with classes in vocal and instrumental music; hosts panel discussions and workshops on navigating racism and sexism in the workplace and the arts; conducts a diverse and consistent social media campaign to promote Black women in the workplace and the arts; hosts virtual training sessions for Black women leaders in the workplace and the arts; produces arts workshops and intensives for youth; and hosts film events, festivals, and social events promoting the contributions of Black women. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Arts Council Santa Cruz County | 1070 River Street , Santa Cruz, CA 95060 | Santa Cruz | Central Coast | (831) 475-9600 | California's 20th congressional district | District 28 | District 17 | With support from California, ARTS COUNCIL SANTA CRUZ COUNTY will work alongside 4 Latinx women artisan leaders to plan and carry out the first Watsonville Mercado Artesanal on the Central Coast. Over 12 months, we’ll convene, advise, and co-host. Artisan leaders will learn and practice event planning tools, engage new and existing volunteers, and reach the region’s diverse community, especially traditionally excluded immigrant families and artisan vendors. This hands-on project will strengthen relationships with nonprofits and City staff. The artist-identified Mercado Artesanal is the culmination of listening to emerging artists of color for three years and meeting them where they are in their understanding of navigating arts-related institutional systems. The Arts Council will follow the artists’ lead in the event style, content, pace, definition of art and culture, and budget management on this project. | Guided by its 2022-27 Strategic Plan, Arts Council Santa Cruz County will build, support, and sustain a dynamic, responsive, and inclusive arts culture in Santa Cruz County as characterized by: Through grants to artists and arts organizations, arts education programs that serve more than 18,000 youth across Santa Cruz County, and community initiatives such as Open Studios, the Tannery Arts Center, and the Watsonville Center for the Arts, we help Santa Cruz County thrive. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $54,998.00 | SAN FRANCISCO CHILDRENS ART CENTER | 2 Marina Boulevard Fort Mason Center, Building C, San Francisco, CA 94123 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 771-0292 | California's 12th congressional district | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, San Francisco Children’s Art Center’s (SFCAC) will continue our mission to provide process-oriented artmaking experiences that nurture creative self-expression to honor and amplify the voices of children in San Francisco. We will prioritize our work in economically vulnerable and historically marginalized communities, with a particular focus to address the identified need for developmentally-appropriate, open-ended, visual arts exploration in Early Education classrooms in San Francisco Unified School District and in Head Start preschools in San Francisco. Working collaboratively with classroom teachers, we will nurture students’ creative, social, and emotional development while strengthening our community partnerships. With California Arts Council funding, we will hire and train new teaching artists, prioritizing BIPOC and bilingual artists, allowing us to expand residency programs and increase our reach to San Francisco’s youngest artists. | Annually, SFCAC serves approximately 1200 San Francisco children, ages 2-10 years old, and their teachers and families. Our students are predominantly from economically vulnerable families (70%) and students of color (90%). SCHOOL PROGRAMS: OUT-OF-SCHOOL ART CLASSES & CAMPS: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: COMMUNITY OUTREACH: |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $42,500.00 | Los Angeles Performance Practice | 110 Judge John Aiso St. #722 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90012 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (401) 640-1651 | California Assembly district 34 | District 45 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, Los Angeles Performance Practice (LAPP) will host and further develop our deeply enriching programs for artists, including free artist consultation sessions, artistic and professional development workshops, research and development support for new creative projects, and a newly piloted program that creates an intentional community of artists who gather for robust peer-to-peer systems of support as they resource a new performance project. | I. Programs for Artists FREE ADVICE | Open consultations with staff and guest advisors from LA arts institutions to encourage a generous exchange of ideas, practices, knowledge, and resources. WORKSHOPS | Professional development sessions cover practical skill-sets such as grant writing and budgeting, as well as creative topics like devising performance and dance practices. RESEARCH + DEVELOPMENT (R+D) | Early project support gives time and space to multidisciplinary artists developing new projects. Includes childcare. ACCELERATOR | A cohort of independent artists meet monthly to deepen self-producing skills and resource new work. CASUAL | Artists show experimental work in early development to viewers for critical feedback. II. LIVE ARTS EXCHANGE [LAX] FESTIVAL III. CREATIVE PRODUCING IV. FIELD INITIATIVES INDIVIDUAL ARTIST FELLOWSHIPS | We administered unrestricted funds to a broad range of LA County artists as an Administering Organization for the California Arts Council in 2023. RESEARCH IN THE ARTS | A comparative study of contemporary performance-making examining geographic funding disparities, now expanded to include institutional networks for alternative governance in the arts. BRIDGE THE GAPS | An artist recovery initiative offering microgrants and residencies to wildfire-impacted artists in Los Angeles, in partnership with the City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs. MENTORSHIP | Through the LA County Department of Arts and Culture, we offer paid internships focused on production and development in the arts. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Equitable Vitrines | 3435 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 450 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90010-1918 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 421-7974 | 34th Congressional District | District 53 | District 24 | With support form the California Arts Council, Equitable Vitrines will contribute to the competitive and equitable salaries of its Executive Director, Yoon Ju Ellie Lee and of the Artistic Director, Matt Connolly. Additionally, these funds will allow for support in developing and executing a new strategic plan, which is crucial for Equitable Vitrine’s continued growth and development. | Our mission prioritizes the visibility of under-represented artists and thinkers, with special attention given to projects that have no way of being realized in conventional settings. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $15,583.00 | Cambrian Symphony | 1578 BALLANTREE WAY , SAN JOSE, CA 95118-2106 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 712-3671 | District 18 | District 28 | District 15 | With support from the California Arts Council, Cambrian Symphony will present a series of four concerts during the 2023-24 season, collaborate with the San Jose Dance Theater in their annual production of The Nutcracker and present outreach performances at Title 1 Schools. Cambrian Symphony’s mission is to promote and enrich the arts in San Jose by actively mentoring middle and high school students in performance side by side with adult professional musicians. We believe that our music should be accessible to all, and offer our concerts free to the public and charge no tuition to our student musicians. | Cambrian Symphony’s core programs and services consist of a series of three concerts presented at the Hammer Theater in San Jose, CA and other venues, and our annual collaboration with the San Jose Dance Theater for their production of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. The orchestra also presents free chamber music concerts at Title 1 schools. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Grupo de Teatro SINERGIA | 2332 W 4TH ST 2332 W 4th ST, LOS ANGELES, CA 90057-2702 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 382-8133 | 34 | District 53 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, SINERGIA Theatre Group-Grupo de Teatro SINERGIA will continue its FREE Staged Reading Program of new plays to offer Latin playwrights to present their work to the public. | Grupo de Teatro SINERGIA (Synergy Theater Group) is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit arts organization operating out of the William Reagh Los Angeles Photography Center, located at 2332 W 4th St., in the heart of the Westlake District, one of the most densely populated and economically challenged areas of Los Angeles on the outskirts of Downtown. We organize arts programs representing the major ethnic groups residing within a five-mile radius of the Center, primarily Latino immigrant groups from Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Mexico. Throughout the years, SINERGIA has worked diligently to establish a working relationship with the surrounding community in order to integrate them as welcomed members of the company. Our focus continues to be on works and arts education programming relevant to our underserved community. We presently serve a highly transient, zero to low-income population, comprised mostly of first-generation immigrants. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Epiphany Dance Theater | 1446 Market Street , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 647-1443 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, EPIPHANY DANCE THEATER (EDT) will produce/present the 20th Annual San Francisco Trolley Dances (SFTD): a free, 3-day site-specific series of thought-provoking, accessible dance performances and educational programs, connecting the Financial District with Fisherman’s Wharf, starting at One Bush and Battery Bridge to the California/Drumm Street cable car turnaround, on to the Exploratorium and Fisherman’s Wharf, including the historic docks and fishing fleet. We’ll travel along MUNI’s Market Street railway, calling out the preciousness of our coastline and Golden Gate history, remembering the original people and early immigrants of these lands, as well as the environmental consciousness of our waters and wildlife along our amazing SF Bay. EDT will commission new choreography from seven local dance artists (at least 70% each year are from Historically Marginalized Communities [HMCs]). | Epiphany’s programs include an annual performance season; the highly acclaimed San Francisco Trolley Dances (SFTD); on-site and online community educational programs; and outreach activities for youth and adults in the Bay Area and around the world. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Embodiment Project | 3316 24th St. , San Francisco, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (510) 418-5419 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Embodiment Project will produce the Get Free Festival (GFF), a week-long street dance festival that builds community and uplifts BIPOC dancers. All GFF programming — including an opening showcase, 30 dance classes and panels, and two experimental battle events — is free. Designed and led by Rama Mahesh Hall and Nicole Klaymoon, GFF showcases vulnerable autobiographical stories and builds community through street dance. The festival will take place in July, with events across both Oakland and San Francisco. The project will serve more than 1500 community members, 30 artists, and 75 street dance students. | Embodiment Project’s year-round activities include street dance classes for youth and adults; workshops and conversations about hip hop histories; and annual performances of new evening-length works performed in both San Francisco and Oakland in order to reach broad audiences throughout the Bay Area. Our communities served include dance audiences, Bay Area POC communities, street dance enthusiasts, and youth. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | The Leela Institute | 23650 Community St. , West Hills, CA 91304 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (424) 208-9707 | California's 30th congressional district | District 45 | District 27 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Leela Institute will revive and perform the work “Pancha Jati,” a contemporary presentation of classical music and dance traditions from North and South India created and choreographed by renowned kathak master and guru, Pandit Chitresh Das, originally performed in 2002. | Leela’s nationally touring dance company, Leela Dance Collective (LDC), has garnered critical acclaim under the artistic direction of renowned kathak artists Rukhmani Mehta, Seibi Lee, and Rachna Nivas, and engages some of today’s leading dancers and musicians, as well as collaborative artists of other genres. LDC’s repertoire represents the breadth and depth of kathak, and amplifies the voices of a new generation of female artists. Through traditional works, cross genre collaborations, and cutting edge choreography, LDC is making kathak relevant for contemporary audiences worldwide. In addition to performances in public spaces, LDC is expanding its performances in community spaces, such as libraries and local schools. In 2019, Leela joined the roster for the Music Center Performing Artists in Schools and Neighborhoods Program, a program designed to inspire creative thinking and introduce audiences K-12 to the world’s diverse cultural traditions through school performances. Through this program, LDC serves as a model for artistic excellence, inspires creative thinking, and introduces young audiences to the joy of kathak and the rich history of India’s cultural heritage. Leela’s educational arm, the Leela Academy, provides world-class education and training in kathak and Hindustani classical music to children and youth. The Leela Academy’s cornerstone program, the Leela Youth Dance Company (LYDC), serves as our elite pre-professional performing group for girls in grades 7-12. The program champions excellence in kathak while serving as a platform for youth leadership development that empowers young South Asian American women as artists, cultural ambassadors and leaders of social change. Finally, the Leela Foundation provides the financial infrastructure critical for the viability and sustainability of classical Indian artistic traditions. Through the artists, educators and programs supported, the Foundation ultimately seeks to ensure that communities worldwide and generations to come have access to the richness and depth of India’s artistic traditions. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Arrowhead Arts Association | PO BOX 1925 , LK ARROWHEAD, CA 92352-1925 | San Bernardino | Inland Empire | (909) 337-4296 | 23rd Congressional District | District 34 | District 19 | With support from the California Arts Council, Arrowhead Arts Association will continue to bring musical arts to the residents, youth and visitors of the San Bernardino mountain communities through our general operations. | AAA provides vital arts programming to our mountain communities through our signature Youth Enrichment Program, and through Community Concerts. YOUTH ENRICHMENT PROGRAM Our Youth Enrichment Program operates in partnership with the Rim of the World Unified School District to provide direct support to our local school music students through: Private Music Instruction – Scholarships are paid quarterly to teachers to subsidize the cost of student lessons. Instrument Rental Scholarships – Instrument rentals are available to all string students. Music Camp Scholarships – We provide scholarships for local students to Arrowbear Music Camp and other regional music camps. Musical Performances in the Schools – We present annual musical performances to three elementary schools, reaching over 1,700 children grades K through 6, without cost to the school district. Early Childhood Music Program – This program introduces kindergarten through third grade children in our local elementary schools to the musical concepts of melody, harmony, tempo, dynamics, rhythm, and musical notation. Introduction to the Orchestra Program – We introduce third grade children to each section of the orchestra by giving them the opportunity to see, hear, touch, and play real orchestra instruments. String Program and Youth Orchestras – Our string programs include the Elementary, Elementary Advanced, Intermediate Orchestra, Intermediate Chamber Players, and Young Artists’ Ensemble at three elementary schools in the Rim of the World School District. After-school programs include the Elementary Advanced for advanced grades 5-6 string players. Middle and High School string musicians can participate in the Intermediate Orchestra, Intermediate Chamber Players, and Young Artists’ Ensemble. Frosty Fiddles, Stringtacular – These youth recitals provide all music students, grades 4-12, with an opportunity to perform. COMMUNITY CONCERTS Fall Music Festival – We present a yearly concert by the Riverside County Philharmonic. Youth Symphony Concerts – We present free concerts by regional youth symphonies. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Embodiment Project | 3316 24th St. , San Francisco, CA 94110 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (510) 418-5419 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Embodiment Project will expand and deepen our work as an interdisciplinary arts organization that uplifts dance as a form of resistance and collective healing. We will do so through programming focused primarily on BIPOC communities, survivors of sexual harm, youth, and incarcerated/formerly incarcerated individuals. | Embodiment Project’s year-round activities include street dance classes for youth and adults; workshops and conversations about hip hop histories; and annual performances of new evening-length works performed in both San Francisco and Oakland in order to reach broad audiences throughout the Bay Area. Our communities served include dance audiences, Bay Area POC communities, street dance enthusiasts, and youth. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Neighborhood Music School Association | 358 South Boyle Ave , Los Angeles, CA 90033 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 268-0762 | 34th Congressional District of California | District 53 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Neighborhood Music School will continue its robust music education outreach programming in Los Angeles. This includes our in-school enrichment programs at nearby elementary schools, tuition-free group classes at our community partner locations, performances, and additional open houses and events. | Founded in 1914 by musician and composer Carrie Stone Freeman, Neighborhood Music School was first known as the Los Angeles Music Settlement and was a part of the Settlement movement, a cause which helped immigrant families to assimilate and adjust to their new home in Los Angeles. Our neighborhood of Boyle Heights is one of Los Angeles’ oldest and was known as “the Ellis Island of the West Coast” due to its large and diverse immigrant population throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. True to its original purpose over a century ago, Neighborhood Music School offers low-cost, high-quality one-on-one music instruction on a wide variety of instruments. Students at NMS typically take one private lesson per week on the instrument of their choice, and many play multiple instruments. In addition to private instruction, NMS provides collaborative, performance-based learning environments to students through our Ensemble Program and Summer Camp offerings. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Dancers Group - Fiscal Sponsor for Grown Women Dance Collective | 44 Gough Street, Suite 201 , San Francisco, CA 94103 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (925) 680-4400 | California's 12th congressional district | District 15 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Grown Women Dance Collective will produce world-class dance performances, community arts and wellness classes for children, adults and seniors in under-resourced communities, and dance and movement-based workforce development training. Funds will support artists and staff; increasing increase our capacity to empower BIPOC artists, center the voices of historically marginalized community members, and strengthen our organizational partners’ missions through art. We will celebrate and strengthen Black and Brown communities; support cultural resistance, resilience, self-empowerment and joy. Support will help create spaces that inspire a sense of belonging, dignity, trust, joy, collaboration, and innovation and empower folks from historically disinvested groups to leverage their strengths, imagine new possibilities, achieve goals, re-invest people-power back into our communities, and collectively create a more just future. | Our programs celebrate resistance, resilience, self-empowerment and joy. Performances & Narrative Shift Choreography: We create world class performances led by dancers of color in our 50’s and 60’s, centered around African American experiences and achievements. Our choreography shifts the narrative on important societal issues such as mass incarceration, homelessness, voting rights, and environmental justice. We challenge stereotypes, create cross-cultural, intergenerational, and cross-class bridges, catalyze new conversations and community action, and create a forum for healing based on art, justice, and human connection. Dance and Healthy Movement Instruction in Under Resourced Communities: Pilates Certification Training and Mentorship for Underestimated Community Members: |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $42,500.00 | California Association of Museums | P.O. Box 1775 , Alpine, CA 91903 | San Diego | Far South | (831) 471-9970 | California's 48th congressional district | District 75 | District 40 | With support from the California Arts Council, the California Association of Museums will produce programs and services that provide practical information to museum workers, help museums adapt to contemporary challenges, and support the association’s work plan to become a more equitable association. | CAM’s core programs are an annual conference to explore best practices in the museum field, an electronic newsletter, webinars, and an active advocacy program. The conference averages about 600 attendees annually, with diverse representation of California museums and their workforce. The newsletter, CAM eNews, includes information about funding, professional development, and job opportunities. CAM also actively monitors legislation, fosters strategic initiatives and field leadership, and communicates with elected officials on museum interests. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Cooper Family Foundation | 3819 SUPERBA ST , SAN DIEGO, CA 92113-1740 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 245-3387 | 52 | 79 | 18 | With the support of the California Arts Council the Cooper Family Foundation (CFF) will provide a Juneteenth arts festival celebrating the end of slavery, the Emancipation Proclamation, and African American culture in San Diego. Traditional Black and African music, dance, and spoken word will be performed for a crowd of up to 5,000. Our FREE Juneteenth festival at Memorial Park will present jazz, R&B, funk, hip hop, rap, gospel music, traditional line dance, mime, prose, and poetry. The celebration promotes emotional healing to those experiencing the legacy of slavery, discrimination, and exclusion through pride in Black culture, group affinity, and the curative powers of music, dance, and spoken word. Generally excluded from events of this caliber, low-income community members are welcome to enjoy the festival, a free meal, community resources, health screenings, and vaccinations. | The Cooper Family Foundation exists to run the Juneteenth Remembrance and Celebration in San Diego, California. Our Juneteenth Celebration provides African American music, song, dance, poetry, storytelling, community health and wellness resources, entrepreneurial vendors, and food, free of charge to an audience of up to 5,000. Our objectives are: |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Dohee Lee Puri Arts | 44 Gough Street #201 , San Francisco, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (510) 316-1106 | District 12 | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Dohee Lee Puri Arts will work with East Oakland’s Asian immigrant and refugee community to develop “길굿” (Gil Gut) – Ritual on the Road – Land to Land, a performance art work that blends traditional Korean ritual practices with contemporary visual art installation, sound and movement, with ongoing workshops and community-based ritual performances leading toward a full installation and performance of the work at OMCA (previously the Oakland Museum) and including a workshop at CSU San Marcos to adapt the work to tour to other California communities. | Artistic Director, Dohee Lee was born on Jeju Island in South Korea. She trained at the master level in Korean dance, Korean percussion, and vocals rooted in Shamanism. Her organization focuses on integrating these traditional ritual forms with contemporary influences into programs and services that emphasize the mythical, experimental, ritualistic, historical and healing aspects of performance and installation, catalyzing new relationships between identity, nature, spirituality, and the political. Programs and services include: -Workshop and leadership development program with Oakland-based immigrant and refugee organizations leading up to public, multidisciplinary performance rituals around the Bay Area. -Land and Us: Future Ritual, a new narrative dance project in development with Asian immigrant and refugee communities around California and the U.S. -SingingBody Workshop series, offered live and online, exploring sound to create a mystical and universal language. These workshops expand participants’ expressive vocabularies of feelings, energies, memories and stories from the current time to the past ancestral time to merge together and create a new art practice and learning scoring process to facilitate ritual or teaching purpose. -National and international touring of Dohee Lee’s multidisciplinary performance works. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Dohee Lee Puri Arts | 44 Gough Street #201 , San Francisco, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (510) 316-1106 | District 12 | District 18 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council, Dohee Lee Puri Arts will continue to produce, perform and tour contemporary performance art grounded in traditional Korean ritual practices and informed by BIPOC community members’ experiences in California today, and to provide visual and performing arts workshops that promote self-expression, community engagement and holistic healing, primarily for East Oakland immigrants, refugees and asylees. | Artistic Director, Dohee Lee was born on Jeju Island in South Korea. She trained at the master level in Korean dance, Korean percussion, and vocals rooted in Shamanism. Her organization focuses on integrating these traditional ritual forms with contemporary influences into programs and services that emphasize the mythical, experimental, ritualistic, historical and healing aspects of performance and installation, catalyzing new relationships between identity, nature, spirituality, and the political. Programs and services include: -Workshop and leadership development program with Oakland-based immigrant and refugee organizations leading up to public, multidisciplinary performance rituals around the Bay Area. -Land and Us: Future Ritual, a new narrative dance project in development with Asian immigrant and refugee communities around California and the U.S. -SingingBody Workshop series, offered live and online, exploring sound to create a mystical and universal language. These workshops expand participants’ expressive vocabularies of feelings, energies, memories and stories from the current time to the past ancestral time to merge together and create a new art practice and learning scoring process to facilitate ritual or teaching purpose. -National and international touring of Dohee Lee’s multidisciplinary performance works. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $54,998.00 | TONALITY | 325 N Larchmont Suite 306 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90004-6717 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (910) 358-7130 | California's 30th congressional district | District 51 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, Tonality will be able to continue to support our staff salaries, benefits and production costs so that we can continue to provide top-notch arts programming and exposure to social justice issues for diverse populations. | Tonality was established in 2016 to serve as a professional choral environment where racial and ethnic diversity would be represented both in the vocal performers and in the genres of music presented. In its second year, Tonality added an extra focus of presenting topics of social justice, particularly issues that affect the most marginalized within our community. Currently, Tonality is proving to be one of the most racially diverse professional choral ensembles in the country. Our commitment to present diverse composers and perspectives to issues of social justice increases every year. Furthermore, our endeavors to expand diversity extends to our Board of Directors, who also strive to maintain a strong sense of diversity in both racial and gender identities. Lastly, Tonality work’s to reflect diversity within the artists and composers is also reflected in the collective mission to serve a diverse audience. Tonality’s core programs include its seasonal concerts, Tonality Youth Scholars Choral Education Program, Systems change in classical music Speaker Series and increasing diverse voices in Music, Film, Tv Special Projects. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | MID-CITY COMMUNITY MUSIC | 4011 Ohio Street , San Diego, CA 92104 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 268-1312 | California's 53rd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With Support from the California Arts Council, Mid-City Community Music (MCCM) will provide group guitar instruction and instruments to previously incarcerated individuals at Second Chance, a local leader in workforce readiness training, sober-living housing, and reentry services in San Diego. Building on the success of their 2022-23 Reentry Through the Arts guitar program at Second Chance, MCCM aims to serve 32 more individuals in the upcoming year. This program uses research-based methods to help participants develop new personal narratives and integrate back into the community. Participants will be given instruments, supplies and group instruction in the basics of playing guitar in a social setting free of charge. The program prioritizes cultural relevance and inclusivity by employing bilingual teaching artists and incorporating music samples that reflect the diverse backgrounds of the participants. | MCCM serves San Diego’s Mid-City neighborhoods through the following programs: Juvenile Court and Community Schools (JCCS) Instrument Instruction Community Concerts Mid-City Entrepreneurs |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | Diamano Coura West African Dance Company | 1428 ALICE STREET; SUITE 201 , OAKLAND, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 326-1968 | California Assembly District 12 | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, Diamano Coura West African Dance Company will engage in | Diamano Coura offers weekly public classes in music and dance, arts advocacy and information sessions and serves as a community hub for youth-initiated arts education projects. We motivate artists to maximize their potential and encourage youth to explore and express their cultural and ethnic heritage through our arts-in-education programs. Collage des Cultures Africaines Annual Festival and its repertory concert is Diamano Coura’s shown commitment to partnering with other artists and community members to use the inherent power of the arts in breaking barriers that stagnate, to open up corridors that encourage social and economic development, while simultaneously fostering health and well-being. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Haemil Performing Group | 1220 CRENSHAW BLVD , LOS ANGELES, CA 90019-3128 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (714) 576-9284 | 37th Congressional district of California | 54 | 30 | To support the successful execution of the 10th Annual Korean Music and Arts Festival as a part of Korea Day 2023 and the continued promotion of Korean traditional music and performing arts. | 1. The Annual Roar Cultural Festival, held since 2022, promotes Korean performing arts to both Korean and non-Korean communities. Its goals are to: |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $18,475.00 | Monterey Museum of Art | 559 PACIFIC ST , MONTEREY, CA 93940-2805 | Monterey | Central Coast | (831) 372-5477 | 20 | 30 | 17 | With support from the California Arts Council, Monterey Museum of Art (MMA) will broaden visual arts access and participation to underserved populations of all ages within four communities in the lowest 25% ranking on the HPI in Monterey County. Guest Artist, Joe Ramos, a renowned photographer raised in Gonzales, will lead photography workshops with the public in East Salinas, Gonzales, Greenfield, and King City at public library Art Days and public school Open Houses. Mr. Ramos’ theme will be the importance of capturing and preserving family histories and stories and will tie in with his four-month exhibit at the MMA. Mr. Ramos will be supported by the MMA’s Mobile Museum, which will reproduce and display some of the Artist’s works, connect to the artist’s current exhibit, and reproduce the artistic messages. | Since 1959, The Monterey Museum of Art has served the community, preserving and presenting the legacy of California art through enriching exhibitions, public programs, and art education initiatives. The Museum serves a diverse audience, including over 20,000 in-person visitors and program participants annually. Visitors and program participants travel to the Museum primarily from throughout Monterey County and other areas of California, with a smaller portion of visitors coming from international locations. The Museum continues to make exhibitions accessible to historically underserved communities—from throughout Monterey County and the state. To engage historically underserved communities, the Museum continues to offer free admission to youth under the age of 18, college students, and military. The Museum also continues to offer a free school visit program for K-12 students from Title 1 schools. Each student who attends a Museum school visit goes home with free admission tickets to return to the Museum with their family. Additionally, the Museum provides free bussing for classrooms to visit—thanks to grant support. Free Family Days is another key way that the Museum reaches historically underserved communities. Combined, school visits and free Family Days serve over 7,000 K-12 students and youth and families each year (approximately 30% of the Museum’s total annual visitorship). Building relationships with schools, libraries, and other community organizations led to increased engagement with art at the Museum prior to COVID. The Museum is now working to build back its accessible programming for and outreach to K-12 classrooms and youth and families—with an emphasis on free mobile pop-up art experiences that the Museum will offer at locations throughout Monterey County. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Healing Rhythms | 12561 Palm Dr Ste. D, Desert Hot Springs, CA 92240-4521 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (619) 917-2101 | With support from the California Arts Council, HEALING RHYTHMS will implement a transformative arts program focused on promoting emotional well-being among at-risk youth in the historically marginalized community of North Palm Springs. Through a series of interactive workshops and performances, we aim to harness the healing power of traditional West African drum, dance, and storytelling to empower youth to express their emotions, develop resilience, and foster positive self-identities. The grant funds will be utilized to compensate skilled drummers and facilitators, acquire necessary instruments and equipment, cover administrative expenses, and provide transportation support for participants. By fostering creativity and emotional exploration, HEALING RHYTHMS seeks to cultivate a supportive environment for these young individuals, nurturing their mental and emotional health while promoting social cohesion and personal growth. | Core Programs Services | |||
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Grupo de Teatro SINERGIA | 2332 W 4TH ST 2332 W 4th ST, LOS ANGELES, CA 90057-2702 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 382-8133 | 34 | District 53 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, GRUPO DE TEATRO SINERGIA will create a grant writer position that will help move our organization one step above to achieve our goal in providing cultural programming for our underserved immigrant community. At present time, all our grant applications are done, in a voluntary basis, by two members of the organization and our Artistic Director. | Grupo de Teatro SINERGIA (Synergy Theater Group) is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit arts organization operating out of the William Reagh Los Angeles Photography Center, located at 2332 W 4th St., in the heart of the Westlake District, one of the most densely populated and economically challenged areas of Los Angeles on the outskirts of Downtown. We organize arts programs representing the major ethnic groups residing within a five-mile radius of the Center, primarily Latino immigrant groups from Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Mexico. Throughout the years, SINERGIA has worked diligently to establish a working relationship with the surrounding community in order to integrate them as welcomed members of the company. Our focus continues to be on works and arts education programming relevant to our underserved community. We presently serve a highly transient, zero to low-income population, comprised mostly of first-generation immigrants. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Diamond Wave, a fiscally sponsored project of Independent Arts & Media | 2830 20th St , San Francisco, CA 94110-2825 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 236-2289 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Diamond Wave will present the fourth annual THEYFRIEND, a multiday performance festival uplifting, centering and celebrating nonbinary performers. Presented in San Francisco in collaboration with local arts presenters and nightlife venues, THEYFRIEND will feature approx. 40 nonbinary performers and attract an estimated audience of 500 people. Funding will also support festival documentation and the subsequent on-demand stream in early 2024. | Diamond Wave currently offers two programmatic thrusts. The THEYFRIEND Nonbinary Performance Festival and events uplift, center and celebrate nonbinary identity through dynamic performances and community-building events. Our community-centered consulting services center peer exchange and artist-to-artist learning focused on professional and creative development as well as creating economic opportunity for creatives. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | DSTL Arts | 1069 W. Avenue 37 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90065 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (760) 521-7018 | California's 34th congressional district | District 51 | District 24 | With support from the CAC, DSTL Arts will continue providing literary arts workshops, paid teaching artist internships, and mentorships for emerging poet/artists from historically-marginalized communities; and we will continue publishing multiple publications featuring the writing and artwork produced by participants in our various community-based programs. | DSTL Arts fulfills its mission to inspire, teach, and hire emerging artists from underserved communities through a variety of arts-based programs, mentorships, and publishing opportunities for emerging writers and artists. This includes our Poet/Artist Development Program offering mentorships, professional development, and publishing opportunities to emerging poet/artists, ages 18 and older, specifically from historically-marginalized communities. Furthermore, our Art Block Zine and Aurtistic Zine publications feature emerging writers and artists from Los Angeles County and beyond, and in particular, neurodivergent artists from ages 6 and older through Aurtistic Zine. Our Conchas y Café bilingual community writing workshop series produces a biannual zine of the same name featuring the work of bilingual (English/Spanish) and monolingual (Spanish-speaking) adults learning new skills and techniques in creative writing. Lastly, our Creative Impact community-based, social justice-themed arts workshops provide paid teaching artist internships to select emerging poet/artists enrolled in our Poet/Artist Development Program and poet/artist-led, intergenerational, social justice-focused, arts workshops and publishing opportunities for our broader community. To make all of these programs accessible to our community, DSTL Arts offers our Mobile Art Lab as an additional resource, bringing a uniquely fitted vehicle to community settings where access to large-format scanners/printers, tablets, and WiFi is limited, thereby addressing the digital divide our community members often experience. And to further engage and celebrate our community and program participants, we host a monthly podcast that highlights local artists and featured artists from our zines, as well as provide all of our workshops as both in-person and virtual programs that exist in perpetuity on our YouTube channel where individuals are welcome to continue their learning experience. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | OnStage Playhouse | 291 THIRD AVE , CHULA VISTA, CA 91910-2721 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 422-7787 | California's 52nd Congressional District | District 80 | District 18 | With the support of CAC grant funds, the OSP’s Page to Stage program will fully fund a two-year workshop program for local playwrights from underrepresented communities to develop and stage a full-length play. The funds will also enable a four-week run of their plays in OSP’s regular season, hiring local artists and providing necessary resources for the playwrights. This funding empowers the playwrights, fosters community collaborations, and creates an inclusive theater community that uplifts marginalized voices and promotes social change and inclusivity within the community. | OnStage Playhouse (OSP) is the only live theatre in San Diego’s South Bay, producing a season of six full-length plays annually in our 70-seat venue. Each show runs 4–6 weeks and features contemporary, diverse stories reflective of our region. We are committed to accessibility, offering discounted tickets to seniors, students, low-income individuals, and active military. We also provide free admission to all high school and college students in San Diego County, ensuring young people have access to thought-provoking theatre that fosters empathy and deeper community awareness. Education & Workforce Development New Works Development Community Engagement |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | Queer Rebels Productions | 1446 Market Street , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (510) 216-2698 | California's 12th congressional district | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Queer Rebels Productions (QRP) will conduct our fifth Intergenerational Curatorial Residency (ICR), a 6-month residency program for two Queer and/or Trans Black, Indigenous, and people of color (QTBIPOC) artists who will curate and present one work-in-progress showing and one final performance in April 2024. QRP will provide: a venue for 1 work-in-progress showing and one free, in-person and livestreamed culminating presentation; a graphic designer to create promotional materials; a videographer and photographer to document performances; and a technical assistant. QRP’s ICR will: | Queer Rebels operates 3 core programs: In addition to our 3 core programs, QRP holds an end of year fundraiser party in San Francisco that includes performances by QTBIPOC artists. By engaging QTBIPOC in the creation of personalized new art projects we feel we are honoring our mission. We are proud of our legacy and our community has continued to grow and achieve great success. Many QRP alumni artists have gone on to create their own projects and organizations, and the QTBIPOC artist community in the San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most thriving artistic communities in the United States. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | Queer Rebels Productions | 1446 Market Street , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (510) 216-2698 | California's 12th congressional district | District 19 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Queer Rebels Productions will produce our year-round, in-person programs centering Queer and Trans Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, including Give Us the Word, Living Legends, Intergenerational Curatorial Residency, and Queer Rebels Fest. CAC funds will support Queer Rebels Productions’ Artistic Director KB Boyce, Administrative Director Nazelah Jamison, and the production expenses for our 2023-2025 performances. | Queer Rebels operates 3 core programs: In addition to our 3 core programs, QRP holds an end of year fundraiser party in San Francisco that includes performances by QTBIPOC artists. By engaging QTBIPOC in the creation of personalized new art projects we feel we are honoring our mission. We are proud of our legacy and our community has continued to grow and achieve great success. Many QRP alumni artists have gone on to create their own projects and organizations, and the QTBIPOC artist community in the San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most thriving artistic communities in the United States. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $42,500.00 | Education Through Music-Los Angeles | 2501 W BURBANK BLVD STE 301 , BURBANK, CA 91505-2347 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 433-7600 | California's 30th congressional district | District 43 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, ETM-LA, Inc. will provide equitable support to a network of LA County schools, districts, communities, and artists through quality music education programs and professional development. Students in under-resourced areas will receive free music classes taught by teaching artists to close the achievement gap. | Education Through Music-Los Angeles incorporates interdisciplinary learning into the academic curriculum by collaborating with music teachers, artists, and academic teachers on an ongoing basis through professional development workshops and participation in school staff meetings. We address the cultural needs of each school through collaborative strategic planning and by practicing a culturally responsive approach to teaching music. ETM-LA employs the following key initiatives: Through these key initiatives, ETM-LA strives to broaden and deepen school and community understanding of, and support for, arts education. We work to build school and community efforts towards sustaining programs independently and long term. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $54,998.00 | N/A | 6417 S. Main St , Los Angeles, CA 90003-1525 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 459-1420 | California Assembly district 53 | District 53 | District 30 | With support from the California Arts Council Piece by Piece will fund its general operating and staffing costs that allow us to reach 3,000 residents of Skid Row and South Los Angeles who have experienced homelessness or extreme economic instability. Through free mosaic workshops, led by professional staff and visiting artists, Piece by Piece offers a safe-harbor learning environment that fosters improved self-confidence and a greater sense of well-being and community. Participants gain mosaic and interpersonal-communication skills as they progress through a series of workshops that offer opportunities to earn income: selling art through our Social Enterprise, fulfilling contracts for corporate gifts/awards, and/or working on small and large-scale murals commissioned across greater Los Angeles. Many participants become ‘Certified Mosaic Artists’ and establish their own mosaic practices while others become teaching assistants at Piece by Piece. | Programs include: – Artisan Certification Program: Progressive skill-building course guiding participants through four certification levels in mosaic. – Directed Studies: Multi-week sessions focusing on advanced techniques led by Piece by Piece instructors and professional Visiting Artists. – Open Studio: Open session for active participants to create personal projects, refine skills, and receive support from instructors. – Community Outreach: Group projects with community members in an inviting, low-commitment setting. – Social Enterprise: Artisans complete orders and commissioned projects, receiving an hourly wage for their work. – Studio Prep Associates Program: The organization employs individuals who have experienced homelessness to provide program support sorting, preparing, and managing donated mosaic materials. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | Esperanza Community Housing Corporation | 3655 S GRAND AVE STE 280 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90007-4377 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 748-7285 | District 37 | District 57 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, Esperanza will produce “La Vida es un Festival”, Esperanza’s 4th Annual South Afro-Latinx Festival, a one-day event scheduled for August 2024, at the Mercado la Paloma. The primary objective of the festival is to cultivate and promote performing artists of Afro-Latinx descent while engaging the community through performing arts and cultural activities. Through this immersive festival, we aim to create a platform for Afro-Latinx communities and allies to come together, celebrate their rich heritage and culture, and foster a dialogue around social justice issues. The unique blend of entertainment, education, and wellness activities will provide an opportunity for artists, activists, and educators to share their talents, experiences, and knowledge with a wider audience, in addition to engaging community members in educational cultural activities and wellness strategies. | Esperanza advances the health, dignity, and human rights of South LA through: 1) Affordable Housing – Addressing displacement and housing vulnerability in South L.A., our safe and affordable family housing units offer security and shelter to hundreds of residents. 2) Health and Access to Care – Promoting a broad culture of wellness, Esperanza educates and supports the empowerment of community members to improve health and increase access to care. 3) Economic Development – Facilitating local economic development, Mercado La Paloma provides growth opportunities and financial stability to small, family-owned businesses. 4) Arts and Culture – Stimulating involvement in the arts and increasing civic engagement, our programming celebrates South L.A.’s rich heritage and vibrant traditions. 5) Environmental Justice – Ensuring families are safe from toxins in their homes and neighborhoods, Esperanza advocates for public policy through a human rights and environmental justice framework. 6) Policy Advocacy & Systems Change – Advocating around our core programs, and in partnership with allied organizations, at both the local and state levels, our main focus is on community power-building, equitable development, displacement and gentrification prevention, preservation & production of affordable housing, transit justice, environmental justice, immigrant rights, and public health. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Lompoc Theatre Project | 740 NORTH H STREET 238 , LOMPOC, CA 93436-4521 | Santa Barbara | Central Coast | (805) 400-7145 | District 24 | District 37 | District 21 | With support from the California Arts Council, the Lompoc Theatre Project will be able to hire Grant Writers and fund raisers to enable us to complete Phase II of the renovations of The Historic Lompoc Theatre.This will enable us to give an artistic voice to cultural communities who have been silent for too long, and have regular live performances on its stage for the first time in over 50 years. | We are dedicated to providing educational and cultural experiences for all ages, abilities, and backgrounds, with an additional focus on the underserved and disadvantaged youth in Lompoc, CA. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | La Pocha Nostra | 3435 CESAR CHAVEZ STE 330 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110-4540 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (925) 878-9345 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, La Pocha Nostra Intercultural Performance and Community Arts Projects will create a new live performance plus contracted fee-based and free performances, bi-monthly radio/spoken word projects, film and video festivals, and in-person workshops in performance pedagogy. Awarded funding will underwrite GOS expenses during the grant period. | Founded in 1993, LPN’s goal is to provide a home for a loose network of rebel artists from various disciplines, generations and ethnic backgrounds, who share our desire to move the “other” from the margins of storytelling to its center. Projects range from performance solos and duets to large-scale multi-media performances created by changing combinations of the eight performance artists who currently comprise LPN’s performance troupe, along with guest artists from around the world. These collaborations reflect our desire to dissolve borders surrounding culture, ethnicity, gender, language, and métier. LPN’s most significant contribution to the contemporary arts field has been in the hybrid realm of performance/installation. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Creative Growth Art Center | 355 24th Street , Oakland, CA 94612 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 836-2340 | California Assembly district 18 | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California arts Council, Creative Growth Art Center will partner with the Down Syndrome Connection of the Bay Area (DSCBA) to provide a series of facilitated art classes with Creative Growth client artist Nicole Storm, supportive by Creative Growth teaching artist facilitators, to culminate in a multi-site exhibition for Creative Growth’s 50th Anniversary. | Creative Growth Art Center provides high-quality art studio and exhibition programming to 140-160 adult and young-adult artists with developmental and concurrent disabilities. In the studio art program, our artists explore a range of visual arts, including painting, drawing, print making, woodwork, ceramics, fiber arts, fashion design, rug making, mixed media, and digital arts. Eighteen staff art instructors facilitate our studio program, which Creative Growth artists attend one to five days per week. Our Saturday Youth Program provides early exposure to the arts for young people with disabilities ages 15–22. Creative Growth also provides gallery representation for our artists, each year presenting at least 6 exhibitions in our Oakland gallery and exhibiting our artists’ work in approximately 20 external art fairs, gallery shows, and museums in the US and Europe, including prestigious contemporary art fairs in Paris, New York, and Miami. Adult artists attend our program for free and receive 50% of net sales of their work. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | $66,600.00 | Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture | Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration 500 West Temple Street, B-79-2, Los Angeles, CA 90012 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 202-5858 | California's 34th congressional district | District 53 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture will provide year-round professional development services including continued support for over 450 grantee nonprofit arts organizations to advance cultural equity and inclusion, scholarships for nonprofit management and regional convenings addressing additional topics specific to the arts and culture sector. | We provide leadership, services, and support in areas including grants and technical assistance for nonprofit organizations, countywide arts education initiatives, commissioning and care for civic art collections, research and evaluation, access to creative pathways, professional development, free community programs, and cross sector creative strategies that address civic issues. All of this work is framed by our longstanding commitment to fostering access to the arts, and the County’s Cultural Equity and Inclusion Initiative. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Nueva Vision Community School | 21618 Saticoy Street Apt. 202, Canoga Park, CA 91304 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (818) 610-9440 | California's 30th congressional district | District 45 | District 27 | With support from the California Arts Council, Nueva Vision Community School will continue offering free and affordable music programs that serve various underserved communities throughout Los Angeles. We offer lessons in piano, guitar, drums, voice, and winds. Grant funds will be used for staff salaries, program materials, and rent. | Since 2005, we have been committed to providing free and affordable, quality music education to the children and youth of the San Fernando Valley. We offer lessons in piano, guitar, drums, voice, and other instruments. |
| State Local Partner Mentorship | 2023-24 | $50,000.00 | Amador Arts | 110 Broad Street (Inside the Historic Grammar School) , Sutter Creek, CA 95685 | Amador | Central Valley | (209) 256-8166 | District 5 | District 1 | District 4 | With support from the California Arts Council, Amador County Arts Council will mentor and partner with artists, creatives, cultural practitioners, and San Joaquin County community leaders to develop and establish a State Local Partner agency to serve San Joaquin County. | The Amador County Arts Council (Amador Arts) keeps the arts central to Amador’s life through programs, services, and initiatives. (1) PUBLIC OFFICE: Our accessible public office is open to the public and is located at registered historic site #456, the Sutter Creek Grammar School, where anyone is welcome to visit with staff, use free art supplies, and enjoy some creative time in a beautiful historic setting, perhaps while visiting the ghost girl who lives on site. Our “STUDIO” programming offers targeted open hours for families (Wednesdays from 12-2 when they have “early release”) and for teens (Tuesdays from 3-5). (2) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE: One full-time employee equipped to provide a suite of technical assistance to artists and arts organizations needing support on California Arts Council grants or arts business matters. (3) PRODUCING PERFORMANCES: Since its establishment, Amador Arts has played a central role in performing arts throughout Amador County. Most notably, since 1998, our “TGIF Free Summer Concerts” have brought live music to thousands of people in outdoor places where it is otherwise not available, including Pioneer California—9th percentile on the Healthy Places Index. Producing Poetry Out Loud since 2016 with multi-generational poetry opportunities in addition to the traditional competition. Free performances of historically significant literary arts and music for local events and fundraisers. (4) ARTS CLASSES AND ARTS EDUCATION PLANNING: Amador Arts is a trusted consultant to Amador County Unified School District providing support and administration for the district Arts Plan and the rollout of Prop 28. Additionally, since 2012, Amador Arts has been teaching visual arts classes to 100% of the public school students at the 6 public elementary schools within Amador County, including Chinese cultural arts education and the principles of art. (5) PROMOTING THE ARTS: Weekly newsprint, monthly radio, social media, blog covering impacts of the arts. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Kearny Street Workshop | 1246 Folsom Street, Suite 1 , San Francisco, CA 94103 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (510) 789-5966 | California Assembly district 17 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Kearny Street Workshop will create a community-responsive arts fellowship for Asian Pacific American (APA) visual artists culminating in a healing retreat with award-winning faculty and facilitators, and a year-end exhibition. | KSW makes artists out of community members and community members out of artists. For the past 50 years, KSW has nurtured the creative spirit, offered an important platform for new voices to be heard, and built artistic communities. We prioritize racial justice and healing, prioritizing art that expands liberation for all people, especially Asian Pacific Americans. KSW’s core programs include: |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $42,500.00 | The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles | 1238 W. 1st Street , Los Angeles, CA 90026 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 481-2273 | California's 34th congressional district | State Assembly District 51 | State Senate District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles (SCLA) will ensure the continuity of care and quality for our network of artists, which encompasses a pipeline of new, emerging, and well-established theater artists working with us both onstage and behind the scenes. SCLA focuses our outreach for and engagement in this network across Los Angeles County, with an emphasis in the area’s under-resourced communities. Our core programs in service of this network of theater artists includes theater arts employment and training for youth and U.S. military veterans, as well as mainstage productions featuring Equity and non-Equity actors, as well as a range of professional theater designers, directors, technicians, and creative producers. | SCLA’s current programming operates on three intersecting tracks: Professional Mainstage Theater Production; Arts-Based Employment and Workforce Training; and Arts Education. Our Mainstage Productions, produced via a contract with Actors’ Equity Association, are performed by professional actors. Productions are produced for general audiences with special Student Matinee performances offered to Title 1 schools. Most recently, in March and April of 2023, SCLA staged 30 performances – 27 general admission performances and 3 performances for schools – of The Tempest: An Immersive Experience. The Los Angeles Times named this production one of the “nine top Los Angeles theater offerings for 2023.” Will Power After-School serves youth aged from 14-24 who are hired as full-time, paid employees to study, create, produce, and perform adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays. Youth are guided throughout by trained teaching artists/mentors, human relations facilitators, and peer mentors who are program alumni. In 2012, SCLA launched Veterans in Art (ViA), a program offering short-term paid vocational training in technical theater arts and life-skills development for high-need, chronically underemployed, honorably discharged U.S. military veterans. Its goal is to build confidence and community for veterans who are struggling with their reentry to civilian life. ViA participants work as venue and scenic crews, audio engineers, wardrobe assistants, and technical directors for professional and WPY productions. Will Power to Schools offers teachers at Title 1 schools from LAUSD with in-person professional development seminars, arts integration training projects, and free innovative curriculum materials. This nationally-recognized program enhances the way teachers at Title 1 schools inspire meaningful classroom engagement related to the works of William Shakespeare. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | YoloArts | 508 Gibson Road , WOODLAND, CA 95776-8250 | Yolo | Capital | (530) 309-6464 | California's 4th District | District 4 | District 3 | With support from the California Arts Council, YOLO COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL INC will continue and expand the CommUNITY through Art project – an arts engagement project, led by professional artists, aimed at increasing human connection through creative practices for those that are unhoused, in recovery, processing trauma, and/or are struggling with their mental health. By providing quality art materials and instruction, participants are invited to engage in skill exploration in a supported environment while gaining self-confidence and creative problem-solving skills. This artist residency project will expand to Mercy Coalition’s Recovery Café, a restorative community, in West Sacramento and in partnership with Yolo County Health and Human Services at their Woodland, CA Wellness Center. | Our support and dedication to the arts in Yolo County has its foundation in projects reflecting the cultural make-up of the county as we work to connect artists, young people, students, art supporters, the community at large, and political and business stakeholders to our developing arts culture. YoloArts promotes access to arts through our arts education programs in public schools around Yolo County, by operating two public art gallery, Gallery 625 and The Barn Gallery, sponsoring arts events and celebrations, working with local jurisdictions on community engagement and economic development through the arts, and providing professional development activities and opportunities for artists and the county-wide art community. The Art & Ag Project remains a signature creative placemaking effort for us as it connects artists with Yolo County farms, and results in an arts showcase at our annual Art Farm Gala. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | Chopsticks Alley Art | 38 S 2nd Street , San Jose, CA 95113-2501 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (831) 239-9710 | California Assembly district 18 | District 25 | District 15 | With support from the California Arts Council, Chopsticks Alley Art (CAA) will produce a full-scale theatrical production of anew play, Tales of Ancient Viet Nam, written by Vinh G. Nguyen. This culturally significant theatrical production, a first of its kind in the Bay Area, is an adaptation of famous and beloved Vietnamese folktales geared toward elementary school-age children and their families. It will raise awareness and encourage conversations about ethnic and cultural identity, reflection, and empowerment. CAA will produce six performances of this theatrical production in a local San Jose theater venue. The world premiere production will occur over two weekends in September of 2024 and will draw 600-700 community attendees. | Founded in 2014, Chopsticks Alley Art (CAA) creates educational arts programming that celebrates and addresses the needs of Southeast Asian Americans to celebrate their cultural heritage while engaging in social issues affecting our communities. Past programs have included art classes, gallery exhibits, free cultural festivals, and pubic art-making events. CAA has an established record of programing successful and accessible cultural events that appeal to a demographically diverse and inter-generational audience. One of our primary first initiatives, Chopsticks Alley Eats, organized community members to promote volunteerism in support of homeless children. Chopsticks Alley has an online, multimedia publication to share the voices of young Vietnamese and Filipino Americans through talk shows, podcasts, and other media. Building from this online platform, we launched Chopsticks Alley Arts as a 501(c)(3) organization in 2017, furthering the impact of our programming. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | $70,800.00 | Office of Arts and Culture | 915 I Street 3rd Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814 | Sacramento | Capital | (916) 808-3979 | California's 6th congressional district | District 7 | District 6 | With support from the California Arts Council, Sacramento Office of Arts and Culture will invest in funding and capacity building in unincorporated areas of Sacramento. With a population of over 600,000, these unincorporated communities include some of the lowest quartile census tracts in Sacramento County and, historically, have not received the level of city and county funding support as the incorporated areas. This investment will provide much needed resources for cultural activities in these neighborhoods. Funds will also support implementation of Poetry Out Loud. | The four core programs of the Office of Arts & Culture (OAC) are: 1. Grants & Capacity Building Programs; – These include Cultural Arts Awards, an operating support program and joint program of the City of Sacramento and Sacramento County; Cultural Equity Investment Program, for organizations led by, and predominantly serving marginalized communities; and Sacramento Cultural Match Fund for grassroots creative placemaking, in partnership with social justice focused crowdfunding platform ioby.org. An annual schedule of professional development trainings accompany each of these grant programs. 2). Arts Education – training and vetting of teaching artists for Any Given Child Sacramento, partnership in Sacramento Arts Education Consortium, and management of Artlook, an equity driven arts education database and mapping tool for Sacramento schools. 3.; Art in Public Places – APP includes management of a collection of 700 works of art, commissioning new work, and engagement with the community in creative placemaking activities. 4; Sacramento Film + Media – oversees the city’s film office which is responsible for permitting film in the City and improving the climate for, and expanding production of, film in the city. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | The Strindberg Laboratory | PO Box 29824 , LOS ANGELES, CA 90029 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 265-6313 | California's 28th congressional district | District 53 | District 24 | With support from the California Arts Council, The Strindberg Laboratory will create theater engagement programming that actively and intentionally includes participants and audiences from diverse walks of life to help build bridges between individuals and communities that are normally separated. We do this by creating community-driven workshops, pop-up events, and productions for underserved participants and audiences, with all of our programming and performances offered free-of-charge. | The Strindberg Laboratory (TSL) provides theater workshops, facilitates training, shepherds productions to otherwise marginalized communities. Our core organizational programs have included Break It To Make It, an unprecedented partnership that provides an integrated pipeline of support through theater arts, higher education, and rehabilitative service for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals. Another core TSL service is our Community-Based Workshops. In recent years, TSL has worked with homeless, LGBTQ+, and autism spectrum communities, with some of these workshops culminating in public productions. The third core aspect of TSL’s programming is our community-driven productions. In this regard, TSL is developing a new production of “Macbeth,” and also co-created “No Labels, No Walls,” an international arts group working for a more inclusive and equal world. The group launched with its first festival in September 2019, which took place in Helsinki, Finland. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | California Chamber Orchestra | 43460 Ridge Park Drive, Ste. 220 , Temecula, CA 92590 | Riverside | Inland Empire | (909) 496-3030 | California's 50th congressional district | District 75 | District 28 | With support from the California Arts Council, GOLDEN VALLEY MUSIC SOCIETY INC, dba California Chamber Orchestra, will present diverse chamber ensemble and orchestral music concerts to intergenerational audiences that represent all demographic components in the greater Inland Valley region, with a particular focus on the Murrieta, Temecula, and Lake Elsinore communities. | The California Chamber Orchestra (CCO), operating under the umbrella of the Golden Valley Music Society, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 2005. Led by Artistic Director and Conductor Dana Zimbric, CCO hosts nearly 20 professional concerts and recitals annually, distinguishing itself as the primary professional orchestra in the Temecula/Murrieta area. Comprised of leading professional musicians from across southern California, CCO has maintained a collective bargaining agreement with the American Federation of Musicians Local 325 since 2023. From 2005 to 2019, CCO collaborated with the Old Town Temecula Community Theater to present an annual seven-concert Classical Series, four of which showcased the orchestra. Since July 1, 2019, the orchestra has shifted its focus to the Gershwin Performing Arts Center in Murrieta for its annual concert series. Since October 2008, CCO has hosted Classics at The Merc, a Sunday afternoon series featuring chamber recitals by professional soloists and small ensembles. Held in the intimate setting of the Old Town Temecula Community Theater, this series offers a unique musical experience for audiences. In the upcoming 2024-2025 season, the series will highlight the region’s premier chamber musicians in a monthly recital format. Since 2012, CCO has been dedicated to providing music education to over 20,000 students in the Temecula and Murrieta communities. This includes live theater performances of classical works like “Peter and the Wolf” and “Carnival of the Animals,” as well as interactive assemblies for elementary students. Additionally, the organization offers coaching for middle and high school orchestras, master classes, and affordable or complimentary tickets to CCO performances. Collaborations, such as the “Just Add Jazz” project with acclaimed jazz vocalist Sherry Williams, further enrich the educational experiences provided by CCO. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Fresh Meat Productions | PO BOX 460670 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94146-0670 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (707) 563-1117 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Fresh Meat Productions (FMP) will organize and produce our 23rd annual FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL of transgender and queer performance June 15-17, 2024 (Z Space, SF). Our FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL is a beloved community gathering with artists creating and performing new work at the intersections of trans, racial and disability justice. CAC funds will support Artist Fees of the festival’s 18 performing artists and ensembles, and will also support our festival’s annual commissioning program, FRESH WORKS! — FMP will award FRESH WORKS! commissions of $7,500 each to 5 BIPOC transgender, gender-nonconforming and queer artists, to support the creation of new work. FMP will present the world premiere of these 5 commissioned works at the 2024 FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL. | Fresh Meat Productions (FMP) will celebrate our 25th Anniversary Season during this CAC grant period! Based on our commitment to trans/racial/disability justice, Fresh Meat Productions’ year-round programs and events are all either FREE or $0+ sliding-scale with no one turned away for lack of funds. Our programs: support the creative expression, artistic advancement, professional development, and cultural leadership of transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) and queer communities; empower and connect audiences; foster dialogue and learning; promote the evolution of transgender arts and culture; and build vibrant, resilient, connected communities. Our programs include: THE CREATION AND PERFORMANCE OF NEW WORK: PERFORMING ARTS PROGRAMS & EVENTS: ENGAGEMENT AND EDUCATION: ADVOCACY: |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $54,998.00 | Fresh Meat Productions | PO BOX 460670 , SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94146-0670 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (707) 563-1117 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Fresh Meat Productions (FMP) will organize and present year-round programs and events that support the San Francisco Bay Area’s transgender, gender-nonconforming (TGNC) and queer communities. These programs will include: our 23rd and 24th annual FRESH MEAT FESTIVALS of trans and queer performance; Sean Dorsey Dance’s 19th annual and 20th Anniversary home seasons; FRESH WORKS! Commissions for BIPOC TGNC/queer artists; community-nominated Seed Commission grants to Bay Area TGNC artists; a trans-supportive dance workshop series; financially supporting/co-sponsoring 8 other Bay Area trans community arts events; and advocacy for intersectional justice in the performing arts. During the grant period, these activities will reach over 6,000 SF Bay Area audiences – and will provide paid employment and resources to more than 200 trans, gender non-conforming and queer California residents. | Fresh Meat Productions (FMP) will celebrate our 25th Anniversary Season during this CAC grant period! Based on our commitment to trans/racial/disability justice, Fresh Meat Productions’ year-round programs and events are all either FREE or $0+ sliding-scale with no one turned away for lack of funds. Our programs: support the creative expression, artistic advancement, professional development, and cultural leadership of transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) and queer communities; empower and connect audiences; foster dialogue and learning; promote the evolution of transgender arts and culture; and build vibrant, resilient, connected communities. Our programs include: THE CREATION AND PERFORMANCE OF NEW WORK: PERFORMING ARTS PROGRAMS & EVENTS: ENGAGEMENT AND EDUCATION: ADVOCACY: |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $54,998.00 | KERN DANCE ALLIANCE | PO BOX 12407 , BAKERSFIELD, CA 93389-2407 | Kern | Central Valley | (661) 491-5376 | California's 23rd Congressional District | District 34 | District 16 | With support from the California Arts Council, KERN DANCE ALLIANCE (KDA) will use grant funds to assist with general operations costs such as salaries for contractual personnel, marketing and promotions, accommodations for the disabled, facilities and associated utility fees. | KDA serves a diverse population through our programs: – ADAPTIdance®: DANCE + DISABILITY offers adaptive dance classes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. – BOOKS IN MOTION®: DANCE + LITERACY links dance and literacy to inspire children to read. – CHILDREN’S DANCE EDUCATION + OUTREACH PROGRAM provides at-risk youth with an afternoon of dance at the Bakersfield Fox Theater. – DANCING with the ANGELS connects foster care families through the arts. – HealingMOTION: DANCE + THERAPY are dance therapy sessions for cancer patients and survivors. – NATIONAL DANCE DAY provides a celebratory day of dance classes for the community to enjoy. – NATIONAL HONORS SOCIETY FOR DANCE ARTS recognizes artistic merit, leadership, and academic achievement in students studying dance. – MemoryMOVES®: DANCE + THERAPY are dance therapy sessions for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. – MightyMOVERS: DANCE + THERAPY are dance therapy sessions for pediatrics patients. – OPEN STAGE affords creatives access to the Bakersfield Fox Theater’s technical staff and theater amenities for free. – Paso a Paso utilizes dance to support empowerment through life-skills workshops for Kern County high school girls, specifically Latinas. – SHINE for GIRLS: DANCE + MATH = SUCCESS combines dance with math to improve girls’ math scores and spark interest in STEAM. – Taste of Dance celebrates cultural diversity in Kern County by showcasing cultures through culinary and performing arts. – KDA Creative Corps is a $4.2 million dollar re-granting program awarded by the California Arts Council to KDA in support of arts programs that positively impact the lives of people living in the Central Valley’s lowest quartile of the California Healthy Places Index. The $4.2 million California Arts Council grant has been used exclusively for the regranting and administering of the KDACC. It has NOT be used to fund KDA’s existing programs, which will continue to operate alongside the KDACC. KDA continues to need funding and support to meet its daily and annual operating needs. www.kdacreativecorps.org |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $45,832.00 | Diablo Ballet | PO BOX 4700 , WALNUT CREEK, CA 94596-0700 | Contra Costa | Bay Area – Other | (925) 943-1775 | California's 11th congressional district | District 16 | District 7 | With support from the California Arts Council (CAC), Diablo Ballet will host its 2023-24 and 2024-25 subscription seasons for 5,000 Bay Area residents; and lead arts instruction, including the Performing Arts Education & Enrichment for Kids (PEEK) program at eight elementary school sites, a behavioral health hospital unit, and a juvenile detention center in the East Bay. A total of 1,000+ children and young teens will participate in creative movement activities. | Since 1993, Diablo Ballet has been committed to enriching, inspiring, enlightening, and educating children and adults from Contra Costa and Alameda Counties through classical and contemporary dance performances. Diablo Ballet is the County’s first professional, award-winning dance company; and whose world-class dancers have performed throughout the U.S., Europe, and South America. It’s ballet school, which launched in August 2019, is the first in the history of Contra Costa County operated by a professional ballet company and includes a Dance for Parkinson’s Program offered free by-weekly classes for Parkinson’s patients and their caregivers. Diablo Ballet is committed to serving youth through its engaging arts education initiatives in Title-I schools in the East Bay and in Juvenile Hall in Martinez. Diablo Ballet has reached more than 75,000 underserved elementary school students and at-risk teens with its interactive Performing Arts Education & Enrichment for Kids (PEEK) Program since 1995. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Red Ladder Theatre Company | 161 Jackson Street, Suite 220 , San Jose, CA 95112 | Santa Clara | Bay Area – Other | (408) 657-7582 | California's 19th congressional district | District 27 | District 15 | With support from the California Arts Council, Red Ladder Theatre Company will provide participatory arts programming to a broadly diverse cross-section of our community, centering equity, access, and inclusivity to promote well-being, celebrate culture, build resiliency and empower participants through the transformative power of creative self-expression. | Often impacted by marginalization and systemic disparity, Red Ladder’s participants span a wide range of ages, experiences and abilities, with backgrounds that often include racial segregation, economic hardship, teen pregnancy, developmental disability, housing insecurity or incarceration. The company fills the void where the resources to nurture life-skills critical to the healthy development of children and enrichment programs for struggling adults are not available. Red Ladder creates partnerships with community organizations and conducts residencies in schools, community centers, prisons and juvenile justice institutions, working with participants over an extended period of time to engage their creativity and amplify their voices through devised theatre and performance pieces developed by the participants to tell their own stories. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | SFIAF | 1471 Guerrero St, #3 , San Francisco, CA 94110-4371 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 399-9554 | California's 12th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, the San Francisco International Arts Festival will continue to build on its commitment to cultural diversity, anti-racism, and economic equity. This commitment has been central to our mission and values throughout our 20-year history, and it is practiced throughout our organization in our working relationships with historically under-served communities, our board, hiring practices, and programming. A CAC grant would support: · Our cornerstone annual performance and educational International Festival in June 2024 with a theme “IN DIASPORA: I.D. for the New Majority”, featuring over 100 events by 50 artists; · The Last Supper Party, a monthly spoken-word and music series; · Support services for a diverse group of independent artists and ensembles that includes strategic planning, fundraising, and fiscal sponsorship. | The annual Festival The Last Supper Party Women in Jazz & World Music (WJWM) Lift Every Voice Artist Support Services Produced Projects Examples include: 2024-2026 “Wong Wei’s Legacy”, written by William Roper, music by Francis Wong, choreography by Lynn Huang. 2020-22 “Daughters of the Delta”, composed by Michelle Jacques and Cava Menzies with arrangements by Bryan Dyer. 2016-18 “IYA: The Esselen Remember” (staged readings), written by Luis Juarez in collaboration with the Ohlone Costanoan Esselen nation, directed by Kinan Valdez. 2009-16 “PLACAS: The Most Dangerous Tattoo”, written by Paul Flores, directed by Michael John Garces, starring Ricardo Salinas. |
| Statewide and Regional Networks | 2023-24 | $42,500.00 | Intersection | 1446 Market Street , San Francisco, CA 94102 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 626-2787 | California's 11th congressional district | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Intersection for the Arts will continue to offer our robust programs and arts services including fiscal sponsorship, professional development, and low-cost shared administrative and creation space in the heart of San Francisco to diverse Bay Area artists and cultural workers. CAC funding will support Intersection’s capacity building programming for the Bay Area’s artists and small arts organizations including our Arts Finance Empowerment Camp, BIPOC Leadership Program, Accelerator Incubator, Coaching Cohort Circles, Fiscal Sponsorship Program, and our Annual Membership Meeting. | For six decades, Intersection for the Arts has served as a bedrock institution in the San Francisco Bay Area, providing critical support to artists and small arts organizations across disciplines. As a nonprofit deeply rooted in the region’s artistic landscape, Intersection offers a unique blend of services that empower artists and cultural workers to bring their creative visions to life. At the heart of Intersection’s work is our Fiscal Sponsorship Program, which enables over 145 artists and arts organizations working in visual arts, literary arts, music, theater, dance, arts education, advocacy, and emerging art forms to access funding, grants, and administrative support. This program helps artists navigate the often-complex nonprofit funding landscape while focusing on their creative work. Intersection’s Artist Empowerment Programs are designed to equip artists with the tools and skills they need to thrive. Offerings include THRIVE: A BIPOC Arts Leadership Program, the Arts Finance Empowerment Camp, the Art of the Hustle marketing cohort, Coaching Cohort Circles, Grants Coaching, and an Annual Membership Meeting. These programs strengthen artists’ entrepreneurial skills, financial literacy, and leadership capacity. In addition, Intersection offers low-cost administrative and creation space in the heart of San Francisco, providing affordable co-working, rehearsal, and event space where artists can collaborate, experiment, and build community. Through these core programs and services, Intersection ensures that Bay Area artists and cultural workers have access to the vital resources, networks, and learning opportunities they need to grow. With a passionate team of artists supporting artists, Intersection upholds our mission of helping the arts sector thrive, building a more vibrant, inclusive, and resilient cultural ecosystem in the process. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | TuYo Theatre | 2971 Greyling Dr , San Diego, CA 92123 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 944-2719 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council TuYo Theatre will produce PÁSALE PÁSALE, a new immersive theatre production created for the residents of San Diego County to increase civic engagement and social justice through theatrical performance. | The core programming of TuYo Theatre is a community and professional theatre company. TuYo Theatre produces plays, staged-readings, theatrical developmental workshops, and educational theatre programs. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | JACCC | 244 S San Pedro St , LOS ANGELES, CA 90012-3856 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 628-2725 | California Assembly District 34 | District 54 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, JACCC will decrease social isolation and increase well-being in our community’s elders by expanding our weekly, bilingual older adult ukulele classes and providing opportunities for them to perform for intergenerational audiences throughout Southern California. | Our core programs and services ensure JACCC remains an authentic bridge between past, present, and future for Japanese and Japanese American arts and culture. [VISUAL ARTS]: Our exhibitions bridge traditional and contemporary practices, showcasing the work of Los Angeles-based culture bearers and their students of Ikebana (flower arranging), Chado (tea ceremony), Shōdo (calligraphy), and more. [PERFORMING ARTS]: Pre-pandemic, we co-produced the Los Angeles premiere of the Broadway musical, Allegiance, starring George Takei (2018). More recently in 2022, we hosted the 45th Anniversary Tour of performer, composer, and taiko teacher Kenny Endo; and, served as the only West Coast host and venue for a concert with OKI, the leading musician of the music of the Ainu, Japan’s northernmost indigenous people. [CULINARY ARTS]: Aligned with UNESCO’s recognition of washoku (traditional Japanese cuisine) as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, in 2013 we expanded our definition of “arts and culture” to launch a new $4.5M Culinary Arts Center. We showcase Japanese and Japanese American cuisine through workshops, pop-ups, community dining experiences, demonstrations, and, with the Black/African American and Latinx communities, ethnic intersections in Little Tokyo. [ADVOCATING FOR OUR COMMUNITY]: Through the Sustainable Little Tokyo (SLT) initiative, we support our neighborhood and advocate for a healthy, equitable, and culturally-rich Little Tokyo for generations to come. SLT is a partnership between JACCC (the lead and fiscal agent), the Little Tokyo Community Council (LTCC: an umbrella coalition of residents; businesses; and religious, cultural, and community organizations), and the Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC: a social services organization and community developer). SLT has garnered national recognition within the fields of creative placemaking and racial equity in the arts, receiving support from The Kresge Foundation, Surdna Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Angel City Jazz | 520 BAUGHMAN AVE , CLAREMONT, CA 91711-3732 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (323) 573-2110 | With support from the California Arts Council, Angel City Arts will launch a new project in 2024, Concerted/ Rest, which is a commission of three site-specific pieces to be performed where people experiencing homelessness are seeking welcome and refuge. For several evenings after each performance, structures will remain at each site for a responsive light and audio installation, creating a sanctuary space for its visitors. | Angel City Arts is responsible for producing: – The Angel City Jazz Festival, a multi-week event featuring the best contemporary Jazz artists from LA as well as on the national scene. | |||
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,213.00 | San Diego Symphony | 1245 7TH AVE , SAN DIEGO, CA 92101-4302 | San Diego | Far South | (619) 235-0800 | California's 52nd congressional district | District 78 | District 39 | With support from the California Arts Council, the San Diego Symphony will present a concert anchored by a performance of “Tres minutos” by Southern California composer Nicolás Lell Benavides. This 45-minute opera is Inspired by a real program that reunites families separated by immigration policies at the Mexico-U.S. Border, but only for three minutes, “Tres minutos” imagines the story of Diego and Nila, a brother and sister who share DNA but not citizenship. Nicolás Lell Benavides will work with the Symphony’s VP for Impact & Innovation and Symphony identified community partners MAAC Project and Casa Familiar to engage San Diego’s Latino/a and Latino/a immigrant communities to organically develop additional creative components that amplify the opera’s themes the community feels resonate with their experience. These components might include readings, poetry, visual art, or other creative elements. | Through a rich mixture of innovative and educational concert programming, the Symphony makes music an integral part of the cultural and intellectual fabric of the region and seeks to improve the quality of life for residents of all ages. The Symphony offers a wide range of concert experiences, including Jacobs’ Masterworks classical concerts at Jacobs Music Center and the Conrad Prebys Summer Season at the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. Each year the Symphony serves a diverse audience of more than 250,000 people of all ages from throughout the region. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $25,000.00 | Justice for My Sister | 1000 North Alameda Street, Ste. 240 , Los Angeles, CA 90012 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 533-3706 | California's 34th congressional district | Democratic | Democratic | With support from the California Arts Council, Justice For My Sister will cover facilitators’ salary stipends for Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the 2023 edition of our BIPOC Sci-Fi Screenwriting Lab, and stipends for our 20 program participants. Our BIPOC Sci-Fi Screenwriting Lab program is an artistic development program for low-income BIPOC artists to establish their voices as screenwriters and pave the way for their economic independence. | Our programs aim to elevate the voices of emerging filmmakers of color who don’t see themselves represented in the TV and film industry due to nepotism, unpaid internships and exclusionary hiring practices. We also give access to arts to youth and families in communities of color where an arts education is sorely lacking. Our programs reach 2000 participants per year and include: |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | Bay Area Music Project | 740 SANTA CLARA AVE , ALAMEDA, CA 94501-3334 | Alameda | Bay Area – Other | (510) 917-6050 | California Assembly district 18 | District 18 | District 9 | With support from the California Arts Council, BAMP will continue to develop a college and career pipeline for marginalized youth whose communities have historically been underrepresented, excluded, and exploited by the music industry. BAMP’s current SoundLab program empowers Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), female and gender-diverse and low-income youth from second grade to middle school. Now, the program seeks to launch a Digital Audio Production & Design program for high school students. Together, they will serve as a critical empowerment pipeline and create a replicable model for industry-wide change. The programs cover skills including composition, recording, editing, and mixing of original songs, sound design, live sessions, and podcasts, both in-studio and on computers. | Bay Area Music Project (BAMP) serves 250 K–12 students from under-resourced communities in Alameda and Oakland, CA, where access to high-quality music education is limited. Over half of our families identify as low-income, and BAMP is committed to making music education accessible through full-tuition scholarships, free instruments, and inclusive programming. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | $66,600.00 | Colusa County Arts Council | 151 Fifth Street , COLUSA, CA 95932 | Colusa | Upstate | (530) 458-2222 | California's 1st Congressional District | District 4 | District 1 | With support from the California Arts Council, Colusa County Arts Council will reimagine and expand its arts programming to provide critical public resources for artists representing the diverse experiences, points of view, and cultural heritages of Colusa County. The requested funds will help two newly appointed administrative employees transform CCAC’s public presence and expand its footprint throughout the rural communities it serves. This funding will allow CCAC to exhibit new and under-resourced artists, host public events promoting local artists and makers, offer additional educational opportunities to Colusa County students, recruit new members and renew the participation of existing members with improved member benefits, procure new supplies for its facilities, improve the functionality and design of its online and print communications, streamline its retail operations, and cover overhead costs. | General programming includes monthly art exhibitions in our gallery, “Live Lit” literary reading series featuring local writers, collaborative community events, and fundraising events that feature live music or local artists. General programming also encompasses our Public Arts Advisory Committee, which commissions public artworks throughout the county. Special programming includes Creative Youth Development and Levitt AMP Colusa programs. Creative Youth Development providesfree arts education after school for area youth. This programming includes monthly art lessons at five of the rural branches of the Colusa County Free Library, monthly Family Day workshops held in our gallery space, beginner music workshops, multi-generational craft classes, and four-day arts camp for 5-13 year olds. Levitt AMP Colusa provides 10 free live concerts featuring original music by professionally touring musicians from all over the United States. We partner with local non-profits and community groups to make these events a place where our community resources and values can surface. Booking emphasizes artists and genres who appeal to diverse audiences in our county. Beyond programming, the Colusa County Arts Council uses its resources for community collaboration, mentoring, and advocacy. These services include classroom visits at local schools to promote our programs and share opportunities with art students, hosting middle and high school arts instructors in our gallery to share resources and collaborate, partnering with local non-profits like the Rotary Club and Lion’s Club, providing resources to Upstate California Creative Corps grantees and other artists, advocating with local school districts around arts education measures like Prop 28, and participating in programming and professional development offered by other California public arts organizations. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $54,998.00 | Flyaway Productions | 1068 Bowdoin St. , San Francisco, CA 94134 | San Francisco | Bay Area – San Francisco | (415) 672-4111 | U.S. House of Representatives district 15 | District 17 | District 11 | With support from the California Arts Council, Flyaway Productions will: 1. Premiere IF I GIVE YOU MY SORROWS, a multi-layered project featuring ten site-specific performances/ stories from incarcerated/formerly incarcerated women; three-panel discussions; and an art exhibition by female incarcerated artists from CCWF, curated by incarcerated artists, and presented in partnership with MoAD and Empowerment Avenue. 2. Lead GIRLFLY, San Francisco’s only stipend-based youth program combining activism and dance innovation for girls/GNC youth ages 14-19. 3. Engage in development (one year of teaching/relationship building) with community leaders and the Tenderloin Museum for ODE TO JANE, a large-scale site work to premiere on the Asian Art Museum Building (2024). ODE TO JANE connects the resistance strategies of the 20th century to the addiction crisis, threats to women’s bodies, racial reckoning, and the complex intersection of these realities. | PERFORM: We make dances that are site-specific, off the ground, and justice-driven. We perform in unlikely places, activating the sides of buildings above bleak city streets. Discarded needles; unhoused bodies lining sidewalks. This is where we create. Our site-specific dances impact neighborhoods because they unfold at the very place where conflict lives. For us, a building is a witness. It holds the complexity of a neighborhood’s history in its “hands,” I-beams, or concrete walls. Our tools include coalition building, an intersectional feminist lens, and a body-based push against the constraints of gravity. From 2017-2023, Flyaway created The Decarceration Trilogy: Dismantling the Prison Industrial Complex One Dance at a Time. We continue to create new work centering incarcerated artists and exploring prison systems change. TEACH: We offer year-round classes to adults, teens, and youth. We offer GIRLFLY, a Youth Art & Activism Program, integrating dance-making and activism. Our training with youth offers some remedy for the ways women and girls/GNC youth remain underserved in public culture as a whole. We also offer teaching residencies that link social justice content, school curriculum, and movement innovation, where your young artists are our collaborators. ADVOCATE: We provide a bridge between the arts, gender justice, racial justice, and everyday life. We are constantly developing new forms for community engagement and coalition building with activists and non-arts partners. COLLABORATE: We have worked with Bay Area Dance Artists Bianca Cabrera, Quinn Dior, Clarissa Dyas, Laura Elaine Ellis, Sonsherée Giles, MaryStarr Hope, Megan Lowe, Jhia Jackson, Saharla Vetch and natalya shoaf. We also work in collaboration with designer Sean Riley, rigger Dave Freitag, and over a dozen women/nonbinary composers, including Pamela Z, Madlines, Jewlia Eisenberg, Carla Kihlstedt, Van Anh Vo, Melanie DeMore, and Theresa Wong. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | homeLA | 3760 MAYFAIR DR , LOS ANGELES, CA 90065-3209 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 709-2691 | 34th Congressional district of California | District 52 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, homeLA will showcase perspectives on homelessness and resilience through art from foster youth voices and in partnerships with foster-led art organizations and foster-youth advocates. For a second year, homeLA will produce The We in Me: Beyond House RESILIENCE with foster-led arts organization, MoFundamentals. This program centers the talents and creativity of young artists impacted by the foster care system, providing them with mentorship, a creative outlet, professional art opportunities and pathways, and support through a foster-youth centered approach to healing through the arts. Artists working in dance, music, film will be subsidized through comprehensive support and given a platform to share their work and expand their community. homeLA’s The We in Me programs are produced by the communities they serve. | homeLA is a nomadic, site-specific performance platform that supports experimental artists in dance, performance, and media through three core programs: public performance, education, and community outreach. All cater to diverse audiences that represent the multicultural and ethnic diversity of Southern California. Public Performance: We produce two major performance events annually that enable the development and presentation of experimental work while creating space for community connection and the amplification of underrepresented histories. These projects engage dance, performance, film, video, intermedia, and sound artists through a three-month residency and rehearsal structure embedded within domestic, historic, or public architecture. Artists create original work in dialogue with site-specific histories and community narratives. Since our founding, we have made a significant investment in professional artists of Southern California, employing 220 artists and 511 collaborators, and reaching over 5,100 attendees through intimate, immersive programs. Our accompanying discursive programming fosters deeper connections between artists’ work and audiences, creating space for reflection, shared learning, and cultural exchange. Education: Launched in 2020, inSITE provides free after-school master classes in site-specific dance and film for students enrolled in Title I public high school dance programs. Led by professional California artists, students engage in critical thinking about public space, land, and belonging through collaborative choreography and site activation. inSITE has served 75 youth across multiple campuses and remains a cornerstone of our commitment to educational equity. Public Engagement: Launched in 2021, The We in Me is homeLA’s public education platform exploring homelessness, housing insecurity, and belonging through the lens of empathy, art, and civic engagement. It offers arts programming that fosters awareness, learning, and action, while amplifying voices and livelihoods of those with lived experiences of housing insecurity and system-impacted youth. It has reached over 1,800 community members through in-person and online programming. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $38,499.00 | ACAM | 1345 South Burlington Avenue , Los Angeles, CA 90006 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 230-6696 | California's 34th congressional district | District 53 | District 30 | With support from the California Arts Council, Angelica Center for Arts and Music will provide youth development opportunities to disadvantaged, underserved youth ages 4-17 through tuition-free afterschool arts classes in dance, music, and theatre. Funds will be used primarily to support salaries for teaching artists to deliver classes offered twice weekly for 38 weeks a year. In addition, funds, will help cover cost of rent, liability insurance, instruments, supplies, and support salaries for executive director and assistant. Youth will be able to study individually, in group lessons, and in ensembles to explore and develop their talents and will be able to perform in multiple times. Participating in ACAM activities, youth will enhance self-esteem, self-confidence, and develop a sense of their own identity. Parents, students and teaching artists will collaboratively create a strong creative community. | ACAM emphasizes positive development of youth in the Pico Union of downtown Los Angeles by exploring and developing their creative abilities through the study, practice, and performance of the arts, dance, music and theatre, in a safe environment. An El Sistema inspired organization, ACAM incorporates group teaching and peer-to-peer learning, an emphasis on ensemble and performance, and a spirit of “giving back” to the community. ACAM provides after-school and summer instruction in group classes, private lessons and ensembles throughout the year at no charge to students by teaching artists who have extensive training in their area of expertise. Classes are offered tuition-free throughout the year at Angelica Lutheran Church and Hope Street Family Center. Ninety classes are delivered weekly to youth ages 4-17 years of age. Students have frequent opportunities to perform, and progress is evaluated during 19 public concerts each year and in juries twice a year. Parents and students are surveyed twice a year to assess the impact of the program. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | homeLA | 3760 MAYFAIR DR , LOS ANGELES, CA 90065-3209 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (213) 709-2691 | 34th Congressional district of California | District 52 | District 26 | With support from the California Arts Council, homeLA will continue building capacity as a curatorial agent and supporter of independent dance and performance art that is legibly queer and BIPOC-centered; expand audiences and accessibility; increase staff salaries; seek our own 501c3 status; persevere in the field with consistency; stay relevant; and have the support we need to hold the public’s attention. | homeLA is a nomadic, site-specific performance platform that supports experimental artists in dance, performance, and media through three core programs: public performance, education, and community outreach. All cater to diverse audiences that represent the multicultural and ethnic diversity of Southern California. Public Performance: We produce two major performance events annually that enable the development and presentation of experimental work while creating space for community connection and the amplification of underrepresented histories. These projects engage dance, performance, film, video, intermedia, and sound artists through a three-month residency and rehearsal structure embedded within domestic, historic, or public architecture. Artists create original work in dialogue with site-specific histories and community narratives. Since our founding, we have made a significant investment in professional artists of Southern California, employing 220 artists and 511 collaborators, and reaching over 5,100 attendees through intimate, immersive programs. Our accompanying discursive programming fosters deeper connections between artists’ work and audiences, creating space for reflection, shared learning, and cultural exchange. Education: Launched in 2020, inSITE provides free after-school master classes in site-specific dance and film for students enrolled in Title I public high school dance programs. Led by professional California artists, students engage in critical thinking about public space, land, and belonging through collaborative choreography and site activation. inSITE has served 75 youth across multiple campuses and remains a cornerstone of our commitment to educational equity. Public Engagement: Launched in 2021, The We in Me is homeLA’s public education platform exploring homelessness, housing insecurity, and belonging through the lens of empathy, art, and civic engagement. It offers arts programming that fosters awareness, learning, and action, while amplifying voices and livelihoods of those with lived experiences of housing insecurity and system-impacted youth. It has reached over 1,800 community members through in-person and online programming. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $46,749.00 | Southland Sings | 1320 Calle Galante , San Dimas, CA 91773 | Los Angeles | South – Los Angeles & Orange | (626) 235-2596 | California Assembly district 48 | District 48 | District 25 | With support from the California Arts Council, Southland Sings will continue to empower young people to find and use their authentic voices through writing, performing, and animating their own original piece of musical theater. We serve about 1,000 students each year in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside Counties. In our “My Story, My Voice: Poetry to Song” program, students work individually and in small groups to create and perform a musical theater work based on a curriculum topic and/or stories from their life experiences. This program has been especially effective in serving neuro-divergent students with moderate to severe disabilities, incarcerated youth, youth in foster care, children experiencing houselessness, and children dealing with psychiatric issues, in addition to general education classrooms. | Southland Sings offers two programs: “My Story, My Voice: Poetry to Song” and our new “From the Page to the Stage.” Both programs serve K-12 children, children with disabilities, children undergoing residential psychiatric treatment, children experiencing homelessness, and system-engaged youth. “My Story, My Voice: Poetry to Song” teaches children to become writers, composers, singers, and performers of their own original musicals. Working together, the students improvise and write melodies with original accompaniment, and then merge their musical creation with their own lyrics. The finished piece contains 5-8 original short songs and poems, dialogue, movement, and narration. There is also an optional component that allows students to create original animations of their work. “From the Page to the Stage” uses the same methodology as “My Story, My Voice: Poetry to Song,” but the students create a play instead of a work of musical theater. In both programs, students determine the theme and plot of their work, create characters, dialogue, and narration based on their life experiences or on a common classroom subject. Students work both individually and in small groups over 10-14 consecutive 60-minute weekly sessions. The project culminates with a student-performed show for a live audience. |
| Impact Projects | 2023-24 | $21,250.00 | La Jolla Playhouse | 2910 La Jolla Village Drive , LA JOLLA, CA 92037 | San Diego | Far South | (858) 550-1070 | California's 50th Congressional District | District 77 | District 38 | With support from the California Arts Council, THEATRE & ARTS FOUNDATION OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY, DBA La Jolla Playhouse, will celebrate the San Diego community of Barrio Logan with a visit from internationally renowned Little Amal, a 12-foot puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee and a symbol of human rights and migration. In collaboration with TuYo Theatre and Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center, La Jolla Playhouse will produce a local Little Amal event as part of its Without Walls programming. This event will shine a spotlight on the social justice history of the formation of Chicano Park in Barrio Logan to raise global awareness and protect its future. Little Amal’s walk from San Diego Bay to Chicano Park will culminate in a free-of-charge, public, community festival with music, dance, art, and food. | La Jolla Playhouse realizes its mission and goals through five initiatives which typically reach around 70,000-100,000 people annually. (1) The six-show Subscription Season includes Playhouse commissions, new plays and musicals, and re-imagined classics. The Playhouse’s productions include 120 world premieres, 70 commissioned works, and 37 transfers to Broadway, and 42 Tony Awards. (2) The acclaimed Without Walls (WOW) series breaks barriers by moving beyond the boundaries of a traditional theatre space. It gives us the opportunity to commission and present site-specific, immersive, and interactive works, and includes an accessible, multi-day annual WOW Festival. (3) The Uplifting the New and the Next in American Theatre initiative supports the development of diverse new voices, the creation of new work, and gives artists the time, space, and resources to develop projects and gain valuable feedback from audiences. Programs include Native Voices new play festivals, Latinx New Play Festival, DNA New Work Series, and Veterans Playwriting Workshop. (4) The Playhouse reaches more than 20,000 people each year through our Learning & Engagement programs, collaborating with schools and cultural and service organizations throughout San Diego County. Programs include the Performance Outreach Program (POP) Tour (elementary schools), JumpStart Theatre (middle and high schools), student matinees (middle and high schools), Technical Theatre Training for educators and incarcerated youth, as well as Military & Veterans Programs and Voices of Our City Choir Theatre Workshops (unhoused population). (5) The Developing the Next Generation of Theatre Professionals initiative supports our antiracism and diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, while providing training, mentorship, and career opportunities for emerging arts leaders. Programs include paid internships, Directing Fellowship, Artist-in-Residence, and observerships. |
| State-Local Partnership | 2023-24 | $66,600.00 | Sierra County Arts Council | 212 Main St. P.O. Box 546, Downieville, CA 95936 | Sierra | Upstate | (530) 289-9822 | California's 1st congressional district | District 1 | District 1 | With support from the California Arts Council through the State-Local Partnership program, the Sierra County Arts Council will fulfill its mission to bring together community and art. Sierra County Arts Council will work with artists, civic groups, organizations, and local government, across our rural frontier to provide arts education and cultural opportunities for all residents and visitors of Sierra County. We will promote, support, and advocate for the arts through local, regional, state, and national collaboration. | Our mission is to enrich lives and provide artistic opportunities by inviting all people to share in artistic creation, expression, and education. Sierra County Arts Council’s purpose is to promote, support, and advocate culture and the arts for both residents and visitors of Sierra County through regional collaboration and as the designated local arts agency of the California Arts Council’s State Local Partnership Program. Our programs and services reflect the needs and inspiration of the isolated frontier communities we serve. We are dedicated to bringing arts education and programming to our rural schools and to providing access to artistic services and programs to everyone in Sierra County. We also manage the only gallery and theater in Sierra County to provide a broad spectrum of programming and activities. Our organization is deeply connected to every aspect of Sierra County life including our local government, our schools, and our business communities. |
| General Operating Support | 2023-24 | $54,998.00 | Teatro de la Tierra | 414 N Park Ave , Fresno, CA 93701 | Fresno | Central Valley | (559) 485-8558 | California's 16th congressional district | District 31 | District 14 | With support from the California Arts Council, EL TEATRO |