Mark your calendars: California’s arts grant season is on its way
This is a time of unexpected and unprecedented changes to the ways in which each of us work, communicate, connect, and experience our everyday lives.
As your state arts agency, the California Arts Council is prioritizing this year’s grant funding to nurture and heal our communities through the arts; to keep the doors of our arts and cultural institutions open; to protect jobs in the creative field; and to preserve our cultural heritage, our stories, and our culture bearers.
In response to the current, urgent needs of the field, our Council has streamlined all grant programs into three categories and six specific grant opportunities for 2021, with applications opening this November. This year’s grant programs have been informed and developed by public input and data in alignment with our Strategic Framework Decision Support Tool.
These grants feature NEW funding, including general operating support for organizations and fellowships to support the creative practice of individual artists, as well as continued support for project-based activities.
Take a look at the 2021 program offerings below and stay tuned for more details prior to our season launch in November!
2021 CAC GRANT OPPORTUNITIES – COMING SOON
GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
Arts & Cultural Organizations General Operating Relief – Up to $30,000 in operational relief funding for arts and cultural organizations who have experienced economic hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic, prioritizing small organizations
Statewide and Regional Networks – Up to $35,000 in support of arts service organizations providing practical resources for the communities they serve
INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS SUPPORT
Relief for Individual Artists & Cultural Practitioners* – Up to $1,000 in unrestricted rapid relief support for artists and cultural practitioners of color facing dire economic consequences due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Individual Artists Fellowship – From $5,000 to $50,000 to recognize, uplift, and celebrate the creative practices of California artists at key career levels
*Initial funds for this program will be awarded to a single partner organization to administer the relief funding on behalf of the CAC. Applications for individual artist and cultural practitioner grants will be announced through both the CAC and the partnered administering organization at a later date during the grant season.
PROJECT-BASED SUPPORT
Impact Projects – Up to $18,000 for collaborative projects that center artists and artistic practice in responding to issues currently faced by California’s communities, prioritizing projects of small organizations
JUMP StArts – Up to $50,000 for high-quality arts education and artists-in-residence programs for priority youth and young people impacted by the justice system
NEW ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENT: RACIAL EQUITY STATEMENT
As the CAC has been evolving our own race and equity practices, we invite our grant applicants to start, continue, or strengthen their racial equity practices with us. For the 2021 grant season, we ask that all applicant organizations* submit a racial equity statement as a required part of the application process.
The racial equity statement should explain the applicant’s commitment and tangible efforts to advancing the leadership of and service to indigenous people, communities of color, racially and ethnically diverse individuals, tribal communities, immigrant and refugee communities, and communities whose principal languages are not English.
We recognize that organizations/projects led by people of color, or other systematically marginalized community members, may already do the labor of weaving racial equity into their work; this is not a moment for the CAC to validate but rather to honor that work.
To aid applicant organizations in developing their race equity framework, we are hosting a training workshop that will take place at the end of this month that will offer additional context about our agency’s own racial equity learning journey. The workshop will be facilitated by our new Race and Equity Manager, Katherin Canton. Details and registration information can be found at this link.
*Not required to be eligible for Individual Artists Support programs.
