California Arts Council Opens Its 2023 Grant Season

SACRAMENTO, CA – The California Arts Council (CAC) has announced the opening of its 2023 grant season, with online applications now being accepted for six grant programs. 

The California Arts Council is a state agency with a mission of strengthening arts, culture, and creative expression as the tools to cultivate a better California for all. The Arts Council is California’s only public arts grants provider with funding that is accessible to all 58 California counties. 

The California Arts Council 2023 grant program offerings have been carefully designed to benefit the whole of California’s arts and culture ecosystem, with focused considerations for first-time applicants, small and mid-size arts and organizations, folk and traditional art forms, county local arts agencies and arts service organizations, and balanced opportunities with deep investment for both general operating and project-based support.

“Much discussion, deep-thinking and active listening have brought us to where we are today, and we are so proud to announce that our 2023 grant season is now open to the ever-expanding landscape of arts and cultural organizations across our great state,” said CAC Executive Director Jonathan Moscone. “This scope of this year’s programs and their allocations were created with holistic intentions, and with the open ears and open hearts of our Council members and agency staff to the needs of our expansive and diverse communities.”   

2023 CAC Grant Opportunities

Details for the 2023 state arts grant opportunities are available below. More information, including grant-specific details, dates, guidelines, and staff contacts can be found at https://arts.ca.gov/grants/grant-programs.

All application submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. on June 6, 2023.

Arts & Cultural Organizations General Operating Support – Up to $30,000 each year for two years of direct funding to arts and cultural organizations in support of ongoing operations, prioritizing small organizations.

Administering Organization: Folk and Traditional Arts – Up to $1,000,000 in funding for one or more Administering Organizations (AO) with a demonstrated capacity for statewide and regional reach that will regrant funds, provide technical assistance, and/or build capacity with artists and arts organizations in support of folk and traditional arts expressions.

Impact Projects – Up to $25,000 in support collaborative projects that center artists and artistic practice in responding to issues experienced by California’s historically and systemically under-resourced communities.

State-Local Partners – Up to $75,000 for support and technical assistance for county-designated local arts agencies.

State-Local Partner Mentorship – Up to $50,000 in support for the establishment by an existing State-Local Partner of a county-designated local arts agency in counties in which no such agency has currently been identified.

Statewide and Regional Networks – Up to $50,000 in support for arts service organizations providing practical resources for the communities they serve.

Grant Applicant Instructional Videos & Additional Resources

For first-time applicants:

2023 Grant Applicant Website & Registration Overview
Click here to watch
If your organization is interested in learning how to explore the CAC website and register as an organization for grants for the first time, please watch this video. Learn how to find the guidelines for our latest grant programs and register your organization profile before applying for your state arts funding. 

For returning applicant organizations:

Organization Certification, Contact and Address Changes
Click here to watch
If you are a returning applicant to CAC grants, please review this video on the certification process in order to reapply for CAC grants or update any contacts for your organization.

More application resources:

Additional information for grant applicants, including FAQs, informational videos, archived webinars, resource documents, templates, and more can be found at www.arts.ca.gov/grants/resources.

For program-related inquiries, refer to our directory of our Arts Program Specialists contact information at our grants staff contacts page. Please read grant guidelines, application instructions, and Frequently Asked Questions before reaching out to designated staff. 

Follow the California Arts Council on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram, and join the conversation around arts grant season using #ArtsCA.


Media Inquiries Only:
Kimberly Brown
Public Affairs Specialist
kimberly.brown@arts.ca.gov

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The California Arts Council is a state agency with a mission of strengthening arts, culture, and creative expression as the tools to cultivate a better California for all. It supports local arts infrastructure and programming statewide through grants, initiatives, and services. The California Arts Council envisions a California where all people flourish with universal access to and participation in the arts.

Members of the California Arts Council include: Consuelo Montoya, Chair; Vicki Estrada, Vice Chair; Gerald Clarke; Caleb Duarte; Ellen Gavin; Leah Goodwin; Alex Israel; Phil Mercado; Roxanne Messina Captor; Nicola Miner; and Olivia Raynor. Learn more at www.arts.ca.gov.

The California Arts Council is committed to increasing the accessibility of its online content. For language and accessibility assistance, visit https://arts.ca.gov/about/about-us/language-communications-assistance. To read this announcement in Spanish, please use the website’s Google Translate tool by clicking the “Translate” link in the upper righthand corner of this page.

El Consejo de las Artes de California se compromete a aumentar la accesibilidad de sus contenidos en línea. Para obtener ayuda con el idioma y la accesibilidad, visite https://arts.ca.gov/about/about-us/language-communications-assistancePara leer este anuncio en español, utilice la herramienta Google Translate del sitio web haciendo clic en el enlace “Traducir” situado en la esquina superior derecha de esta página.

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