For Grantseekers
Haz clic aquí para información sobre nuestro programa de becas en español.
Fund Your Next Dream
Unlock thousands of dollars in grant funding for your next artistic project. When artists and organizations get the support they need, Santa Cruz County becomes a stronger place to live.
When to Prepare Your Application
Arts Council is currently not accepting grant applications. The next opportunity to apply for a grant will be in 2022.
Sign up for our Mailing List to stay up to date with upcoming Arts Council grant offerings.
CULTIVATE GRANTS
Applications open: February 2022
Grants made: July 2022
SUPPORT GRANTS
Application open: Fall 2022
Grants made: Early 2023
Find the Right Grant For You
Every year, we distribute $200,000+ directly back into our community’s artists, arts organizations, and creative projects in Santa Cruz County. There are three grant types; scan below and find the right opportunity for you.
Fuel Your Work With a Cultivate Grant
Make your creative dream a reality. Tackle your professional development goals or fuel your next arts or cultural project in Santa Cruz County. This grant funds up to $3,000, and is open to all Santa Cruz County artists and arts organizations.
Looking for Create or Develop Grants? You’re in the right place! We have combined these two grants into the new Cultivate Grant.
(ENG) Grant Information Session: February 10, 2022, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
(ESP) Orientación de Becas: February 15, 2022, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Applications open: February 16, 2022
Application deadline: March 23, 2022 @ 5pm
Grant email notifications sent: June 3, 2022
Grants awarded: July 1, 2022
Updated 2022 Grant Guidelines will be posted here in February 2022.
Log in to the application portal.
Reference the 2021 grant cycle documents below:
Spring 2021 Cultivate Grant Guidelines (English) (Updated Feb 2021)Guía de Asistencia Para Becas Cultivadoras (Español)(actualizado feb 2021) /
2021 Cultivate Grant Virtual Orientation (English)
Watch the recording of our live virtual orientation from February 11 here:
Download the presentation slides here.
2021 Orientación virtual de Becas Cultivadoras (Espanõl)
Mira la grabación de la sesión en Español aquí:
Descarga la presentación de diapositivas aquí.
2021 Cultivate Grant Workshop/Q&A
Watch the recording of our live Q&A session from February 25, 2021 here.
Download the presentation slides here.
Sustain Your Organization with a Support Grant
Get the operating support you need for your 501c3 or fiscally-sponsored arts organization in Santa Cruz County. Open to all arts organizations, regardless of budget size. In 2021 grant awards were up to $7,000.
Arts Council is currently not accepting grant applications. The next opportunity to apply for a grant will be in 2022. We’ve made this decision in order to better support our current partners while our team engages in strategic visioning and planning for the remainder of 2021. Through this process, we seek to align the way we make grants to meet the historic and evolving needs, interests, and assets of our arts sector. This work is part of an organization-wide effort to realign and adapt our vision, mission, and programming to ensure accessible, relevant, and impactful services and programs.
Grant Program Changes Shared: By April 2022
Grant Program Changes Implemented & Application Opens: Fall 2022
Grants Announced & Payments Sent: Early 2023
How Grants Are Reviewed
Proposals are reviewed and scored by staff, board members and volunteers with subject area expertise. The Grants Committee considers these scores and makes funding recommendations to the Arts Council Board of Directors for approval.
Why We Fuel the Arts
We believe a stronger Santa Cruz County comes from a thriving creative community. Our objectives of the Grants Program are to:
- support the creation and presentation of artistically excellent work
- increase the success of artists and the sustainability of arts organizations
- engage new audiences in the arts
- expand equitable access to the arts (improvement of disparities in representation and access in the arts)
- increase social impact through art (advancement of social and racial justice issues in our community)
Connect With Us
If you’re curious about something you didn’t see answered above, or for technical assistance with accessing or navigating the Arts Council’s online grants portal, email us at grantsprogram@artscouncilsc.org.
