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. Every year, we distribute $200,000+ directly back into our community’s artists, arts organizations, and creative projects in Santa Cruz County. Read below to find the right opportunity for you. Sign up for our Mailing List to stay up to date with the Arts Council’s grant offerings.
Cultivate Grants
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.
- Applications open: Fall 2022
- Grants made: Early 2023
- Check in this summer to learn how to apply
Support Grants
- Operating support for arts organizations
- Application open: Fall 2022
- Grants made: Early 2023
- Check in this summer to learn how to apply
SPECTRA Grants
- For teachers and schools
- Learn more here
Support Grants Program Update
Support Grants provide operating support for 501c3 or fiscally-sponsored arts organizations in Santa Cruz County.
Arts Council is not currently accepting Support Grant applications.
Our team has been engaging in a strategic visioning and planning process, seeking 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.
- Support Grants Program Changes Shared: By June 2022
- Support Grants 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 that a thriving creative community is essential to a strong and vibrant Santa Cruz County. Grants Program objectives 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)
Other Resources
Taxes for Self-Employed Artists (Feb 2022) Video // Slide Deck
Questions?
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.
