Administering Organization – Individual Artists Fellowship Grant

The California Arts Council offers the Individual Artists Fellowship to support California artists across diverse disciplines. This program emphasizes racial equity and is administered through regionally-based organizations that assist artists in their applications and promote their work. Funding tiers range from $5,000 to $50,000, aimed at emerging to legacy artists, ensuring that a broad spectrum of artistic expression is recognized and celebrated. The initiative underscores the importance of artists' contributions to their communities.

Background & Purpose
The California Arts Council’s policies and practices prioritize racial equity and have a broad geographic reach into communities of all sizes and needs, and this includes providing critical services to artists and to the community at large. The CAC is committed to funding opportunities that support all of California’s creative ecosystem. Offering fellowship support to artists responds to the CAC’s Strategic Framework by directly supporting individuals who embody aesthetics, a key value of the CAC, recognizing all art forms and artistic traditions that enable full and meaningful creative expression.
Through a network of regionally-based Administering Organizations (AOs), the Individual Artists Fellowship (IAF) program will continue to recognize, uplift, and celebrate the excellence of California artists practicing any art form.
Excellence, for purposes of this grant, is defined as an artist’s:

• Unique artistic visionOngoing commitment to creative practiceEngagement with and impact on the larger cultural ecosystem

This program will support artists at key moments in their careers, elevating their capacity for continued contribution to the field and our state. Fellowship grants support individual artistic practice through unrestricted funding. This program is intended to support a broad spectrum of artists working in all disciplines, from diverse geographies and communities of all sizes across the state of California.
Administering Organizations (AO)
The AOs will be responsible for the planning and implementation of the Individual Artist Fellowship program in their region, including but not limited to:
Provide access and support for individual artists and culture bearers throughout the course of the application, award, and evaluation processesEngage in robust, culturally and discipline-specific engagement and outreach to ensure comprehensive geographic reach within the service areaConvene fellows at least once over the course of the grant activity period to engage in networking and co learningProvide platforms including but not limited to virtual or print publications, exhibits, or performances to increase the visibility of the work of the fellowsEngage in regular reporting to and collaboration with the CAC, including providing interim and final reports on program outcomes and findings.
Funding Structure
Administering Organizations will regrant fellowship awards to provide unrestricted funding in support of the fellows’ artistic practice. The following three tiers of funding are available. (Awards will be funded at the full dollar amount for each tier, partial awards will not be made):

• CAC Emerging Artist Fellows - $5,000

Emerging artists are those in the beginning stages of making their work public and engaging the larger community in their practice. Individuals at this career stage may have had a few public showings of their work, but do not yet have ongoing resources or support.
CAC Established Artist Fellows - $10,000
Artists in the Established tier regularly make their work public and engage the larger community in their practice. Individuals in this tier can give multiple examples of artistic and/or cultural works that have made significant social impact.
CAC Legacy Artist Fellows - $50,000
Artists in the Legacy tier can point to a significant body of work, produced over a substantial period of time, that has engaged their communities and that has made significant social impact. Artists in this tier may be able to point to Emerging and Established Artists that they have mentored or otherwise positively influenced.
Each AO will make grants to a minimum of three fellows in each career tier. The total grant award is for $800,000.
AOs may use up to 20% of the grant award for administrative costs and costs associated with program design and implementation, including convening and publication and/or production costs to support visibility of fellows’ work.
AOs will regrant the remaining 80% of funds to individual artists and culture bearers in their region(s).

Eligibility

Applicant organizations for this funding opportunity may apply to serve Region IV only Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Marin, Mendocino, Modoc, Mono, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Joaquin, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo, and Yuba countiesAdministering Organization Eligibility RequirementsCalifornia-basedDocumentation as being a California-based nonprofit arts/cultural organization; an arts-based unit of municipal or county government; or a tribal government, or nonprofit social service organization with a principal place of business in CaliforniaArts programming Applicants must have a minimum two-year history of consistent engagement in arts programming and/or services prior to the application deadline.501(c)(3) organization as applicantNon-governmental applicant organizations must demonstrate proof of nonprofit status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or section 23701d of the California Revenue and Taxation Code.Local government An arts-based unit of municipal or county government; or a tribal governmentFinancial documentationApplicants must provide a minimum of two years of basic financial information via the Budget Snapshot.Certificate of good standing Nonprofit organizations must have “active status” with the California Secretary of State (SOS) showing evidence of “good standing” at the time of application. Signatures on required attachments Letters and other attachments requiring signatures must include completed digital or scanned signatures in order to be considered for funding. A blank signature field will not be acceptedExisting capacity in the following areas:Administering grant programs to individuals, including providing direct grant payments to artists and cultural practitioners;Providing technical assistance to grant applicants; andEmploying a robust online grants management system.

Ineligibility

What We Do Not FundAs applicants:State agenciesFederal agenciesNon-arts organizations not involved in arts activitiesFor-profit organizationsNonprofit organizations not in “good standing” with California Secretary of StateFormer grantee organizations not in compliance with CAC grant requirements, such as failing to submit a final report (as stipulated in grant agreement)Expenses incurred before the start date or after the ending date of the Grant Activity PeriodExpenses that would supplant other state fundingOperational, administrative, or indirect costs of schools, colleges, or universitiesFundraising activities or services such as grant writing, annual campaigns, or fundraising eventsLobbying activities that are intended to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials or specific legislationPrograms or services intended for private use, or for use by restricted membership (including programs that require college or university enrollment for participation)Projects with religious purposesTrusts, endowment funds, or investmentsConstruction projects, purchase of land and buildings, or capital expenditures used to maintain, upgrade, acquire, or repair capital assetsEquipment purchases (equipment rentals are eligible)Debt repaymentHospitality expenses, meals, or foodOut-of-state travelSchools and school districts are not eligible to apply for CAC grants.