Support Grants

Serving the Arts Community

We serve as a connector between artists, arts networks, government leaders, arts advocates, arts educators, and arts education organizations.  Through grants to artists and arts organizations, arts education programs that serve more than 20,000 youth across Santa Cruz County, and community initiatives such as Open Studios, the Tannery Arts Center, and the Watsonville Center for the Arts, we help Santa Cruz County thrive.

Support Grants

General operating support for Santa Cruz County nonprofit or fiscally-sponsored arts organizations of all budget sizes. Annual grants of up to $7,000 with applications accepted once per year. First-time applicants are welcome to apply.

Our Objectives

We provide funding for artists and arts organizations in Santa Cruz County 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)

Eligibility

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

• Applicant must:
• Have as its primary mission the development and delivery of arts and/or cultural programming to the public.
• Be a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization or have a fiscal sponsor that is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
• Be based in and produce the majority of its work in Santa Cruz County.
• Have completed required reports for previous Arts Council grants.
• Submit only one application for one Arts Council grant per cycle.
• Have a board-approved non-discrimination policy.

Ineligibility

• Support Grants Do Not Fund
  • Capital improvements, construction, or renovation projects
  • Government departments, boards, or programs
  • Foundations that do not produce arts programming.
  • Social services, political or religious advocacy, or for-profit organizations.
  • School programs (the Arts Council funds school programs through our Arts Ed program and SPECTRA grants).
  • Culinary arts or healing arts organizations.
  • Universities and colleges, unless they are providing fiscal sponsorship for one arts program only.