Grant support in California is available to help artists create or enhance projects.
Grants for artists in California usually come in one of two common arrangements: calls for artists, or commissions for specific exhibits or works, and development grants, which support ongoing artistic programming. Grants are provided to both individual artists and creative organizations. Government agencies like the California Arts Council are major supporters of artistic grants, but funding is also available from nonprofit artistic foundations and businesses.
Calls for Artists
Calls for artists are some of the most common project opportunities for individual artists in California. Calls for artists are announced by local governments, museums, businesses and private foundations. Calls for artists usually support visual arts commissions or installations, but some calls are for works of performance art. Recent calls in California include a proposed public art installation in San Carlos and a biannual juried art competition in San Francisco. The California Arts Council (cac.ca.gov) provides information about open calls for California artists.
ARC Grants for LA Artists
The ARC Grant is intended to help individual artists in Los Angeles County who need assistance finishing projects or pursuing opportunities that have the potential to greatly advance their careers. This opportunity is funded by the Durfee Foundation but is administered by the Center for Cultural Innovation, which accepts and reviews applications. The ARC Grant provides up to $3,500 to help artists promote their work. The money can be used for the rental of exhibit space, travel or shipping expenses or commissioning collaborators. The ARC Grant is not intended for core project expenses.
Traditional Arts Development Grant
The Alliance for California Traditional Arts supports creative programs in the folk and traditional arts --- styles or expressions of art with a historic cultural tradition. The programs eligible for funding from the Traditional Arts Development Grant are diverse, ranging from "Native American Ohlone basketry and African-American quilt-making to cowboy poetry and Vietnamese opera," according to ACTA. Individual artists may apply for funding to support educational opportunities like master classes and associated expenses such as travel costs.
California Arts Council Music Presenting Grant
The California Arts Council supports a number of grant opportunities in the performing arts. One such opportunity is the Music Presenting Grant, which is funded in collaboration with the state Department of Justice. This grant provides assistance to arts organizations and individuals to provide low-cost or free music performances for public benefit. Funded projects usually have an educational or community development focus. This grant has been used to support a range of artistic presentations, including one-time performance events, programming for performance series and touring musical performances.
