New Applicants
Welcome! The California Arts Council supports organizations and individuals that provide arts engagement for all Californians:
for those who will be our future,
who have unique experiences,
their own life stories,
who have different needs and priorities,
and walk their own paths.
Grantee image courtesy of CubaCaribe. Photo by Andy Mogg.
Q&A for new applicants:
All applications are submitted through our online application portal and grants management system, www.calartscouncil.smartsimple.com. An account must be created to access the system. Applications generally include narrative questions to be completed by an applicant and required attachments.
Read the guidelines in full before beginning an application.
Contact our staff for technical assistance, we are here to help!
Create a profile in our online grants management system early in your process.
Give yourself plenty of time to prepare and submit an application.
Be specific and be clear. Successful proposals address the grant program requirements and goals.
Be authentic. Celebrate what makes your proposal unique. Avoid jargon in your narrative.
Prepare your narrative in a word processing application (MS Word or Google Docs) before inputting your narrative into the online grants management system.
You will receive a notification via our online grants management system if your application is not approved for funding. Notes from the panel review will be provided to you to aid in your understanding of the rank assigned to your application and to assess how you may improve your application for future funding opportunities. We truly want applicants to be successful in receiving a grant and our staff is available to provide technical assistance and support as needed.
