Arts Ecosystem: Venues & Spaces Grant

Background

Over the past two years, Prebys Foundation has invested in the arts ecosystem to strengthen organizational capacity, reach new audiences, and deliver engaging programs that foster dialogue, connection, and belonging. Another critical capacity need for our region is affordable, accessible venues and spaces.

The arts play a vital role in creating social cohesion, economic opportunities, and a sense of belonging in the San Diego region. However, the arts community faces significant challenges, including unequal access to arts and culture as well as organizational capacity and infrastructure.

The foundation’s strategy plan and theories of investments in the last two years focused on building internal and external capacity in the arts and culture landscape.

Long-term goals of the foundation for the Arts are to:

• Ensure great arts education, programming, and institutions are accessible and exciting to all communities and neighborhoods.
• Support emerging and underrepresented artists to create and be celebrated for their art, and to live and thrive in San Diego County.
• Strengthen and diversify public support (funding and audience engagement) for inclusive and innovative art and artists.

Invigorating creative venues and spaces contributes to the health of arts and culture organizations and the surrounding community. It fosters well-being and pride of place within neighborhoods and across the region. This initiative builds on the past two years of work while also honing in on ongoing community discussions about accessible, affordable venues and spaces for arts experiences and participation in San Diego County.

This initiative’s goals are to:

• Enhance access to quality venues and spaces.
  • Venues and spaces are:
  • Traditional arts and culture venues (e.g. museums, theatres, arts and cultural centers)
  • Community spaces (e.g. community centers, schools, senior centers, libraries)
  • Less-traditional community spaces (e.g. parks/​nature, streetscapes, cafes, warehouses)
• Build the capacity of the arts and culture organizations managing and/​or activating these spaces.

Criteria

• Projects/​activities must align with at least one of the following activities related to the venue/​space as a means of increasing access to arts and culture within the community:
  • Maintenance or development of new/​upgraded arts and culture infrastructure (e.g. lighting or sound systems)
  • Increased mutually beneficial partnerships and collaborations
  • Enhanced vibrancy of the venue/space’s neighborhood/​surrounding area (for example, driving traffic to local businesses, building social trust, activating dark areas in ways that enhance public safety)
• Project must focus on populations/​communities that are most disconnected from engagement with arts and culture experiences (e.g. addressing transportation or cultural barriers; centering new/​emerging artists, artists or organizations that have historically had less access to resources, or art deserts).
• Venue/​space has activities open to the public for a length of time that allows meaningful community relationships to form and community members to engage in multiple arts and culture experiences or events.
• Venue/​space activation must occur during the grant period.
• Connect activation of venue/​space with the needs of the surrounding neighborhood/ community, as evidenced through organization history and/​or proposed project design.

Funding

Grants will be up to $250,000 over 1 year. Total Funds for the Initiative: $3.75M. We anticipate awarding 30 – 35 grants.

Funding may be general operating or programmatic, as long as costs and activities align with the goals and outcomes of the initiative

Eligibility

_You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website._

• Eligiblity
  • 501(c)(3) organizations, fiscally sponsored entities, or tribal entities
  • Located in and serving San Diego County
  • Organizations where a central part of the mission and vision is arts and/​or culture
  • Current grantees are eligible to apply as long as the current award does not overlap with this grant
• What We Will Fund
  • Increased access to arts and culture experiences through activation in places where access to arts and culture amenities is limited or significantly underinvested.
  • If your organization is committed to a venue or space for a longer duration (own, operate, or rent):
  • Infrastructure to enhance the space and/​or artist/​audience experience (including addressing safety, ADA, or other needs)
  • Costs related to partnerships and collaborations (e.g. shared space, affordable rent programs)
  • Technology that supports consistent activation of the venue/​space (e.g. paperless ticketing, digital ticket lottery system)
  • Performances, exhibitions, art-making, and other related activities in specific venues and spaces.

Ineligibility

• What We Will Not Fund
  • Organizations where a central part of the mission and vision is not arts and/​or culture
  • Capital campaigns
  • Endowments
  • Planning grants
  • A venue/​space that is fully or primarily virtual
  • A venue/​space that is not yet built
  • Infrastructure purchases/​upgrades with a short window of use