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Individual Artist Fellowship

Grantor:
CA Arts Council
Portal ID:
100551
Status:
Active
Opportunity Type:
  • Grant
Last Updated:
Categories:

Details

Purpose:

Through regionally based Administering Organizations (AOs), the Individual Artists Fellowship (IAF) program uplifts and celebrates California artists across all disciplines and traditions, highlights their excellence and acknowledges their leadership in shaping traditional and contemporary cultures. 

Excellence is defined by: 
A unique artistic vision 
A sustained commitment to creative practice 
Engagement with and impact on the cultural ecosystem 

Description:

The California Arts Council (CAC) is a statewide agency committed to serving California artists, arts organizations, and communities of all sizes and needs. Guided by racial equity principles, the CAC continuously evaluates its grantmaking practices to ensure fair and inclusive funding opportunities that sustain a vibrant, safe, and resilient creative ecosystem across the state.  
Through regionally based Administering Organizations (AOs), the Individual Artists Fellowship (IAF) program uplifts and celebrates California artists across all disciplines and traditions, highlights their excellence and acknowledges their leadership in shaping traditional and contemporary cultures. 
For this grant, excellence is defined by: 
A unique artistic vision 
A sustained commitment to creative practice 
Engagement with and impact on the cultural ecosystem 
Program Goals  
The CAC will select eight (8) Administering Organizations (AOs) to design and implement a two-year fellowship program that supports individual artists and culture bearers across all disciplines. This initiative is dedicated to ensuring equitable access to resources by reaching artists in all 58 counties. By providing unrestricted funding, the fellowship empowers artists at pivotal moments in their careers, enhancing their ability to contribute meaningfully to California’s diverse communities. Investing in individual artists and culture bearers through this program strengthens artistic expression, creative practice, and community collaboration statewide. 
The AOs will be responsible for the planning and implementation of the Individual Artists Fellowship program in their region, including but not limited to:  
Develop clear application processes and timeline that include managing the collection and screening of applications from individual artists and culture bearers and award management 
Provide access and support for individual artists and culture bearers throughout the course of the application, award, and evaluation processes  
Engage in robust, culturally and discipline-specific engagement and outreach to ensure comprehensive geographic reach within the service area  
Develop an adjudication process that includes peer review panels convened by the AOs and based on the following review criteria: 
Creative Vision: Artist effectively communicates their personal story, artistic medium or practice, and long-term aspirations for their work.  
Aesthetic Excellence: Artistic work and/or examples of cultural practice demonstrate strong alignment with the components of the Attributes of Excellence in Arts for Change1, including commitment, communal meaning, disruption, cultural integrity, risk taking, sensory experience, emotional experience, openness, coherence, resourcefulness, and stickiness.  
Community Engagement and Social Impact: Artist effectively communicates their engagement with their communities and the positive social impact their work has had locally, regionally, and/or statewide, addressing themes including but not limited to race, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.  
Convene fellows at least once over the course of the grant activity period to engage in networking and co-learning 

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible Applicants:

  • Nonprofit
  • Public Agency
  • Tribal Government

Organizations eligible to apply include: Nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3), California organizations Units of municipal, county or Tribal governments 

 

Eligible Geographies:

Applicant organizations may apply to serve one of the eight geographic regions and will indicate in their application which region they intend to serve.

The eight geographic regions are:

  1. Upstate
  2. Capital
  3. Bay Area
  4. Central Valley & Eastern Sierra
  5. Central Coast
  6. South - Los Angeles & Orange
  7. Inland Empire
  8. Far South

Important Dates

The date (and time, where applicable) by which all applications must be submitted to the grantmaker. Time listed as “00:00” equates to midnight.
The date on which the grantor expects to announce the recipient(s) of the grant.
9/26/2025
The length of time during which the grant money must be utilized.
10/01/25-09/30/27

Funding Details

The total projected dollar amount of the grant.
See Notes Below
A single grant opportunity may represent one or many awards. Some grantors may know in advance the exact number of awards to be given. Others may indicate a range. Some may wish to and wait until the application period closes before determining how many awards to offer; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
Dependent
Grant opportunities representing multiple awards may offer awards in the same amount or in varied amounts. Some may wish to wait until the application period closes before determining per-award amounts; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
Dependent
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) provide a letter of intent.
No
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) be able to fully or partially match the grant award amount with another funding source.
No

Available Funding Notes:

Total funding available will be determined based on passage of the state budget and Council allocation priorities.

The funding source allocated to fund the grant. It may be either State or Federal (or a combination of both), and be tied to a specific piece of legislation, a proposition, or a bond number.
  • State
The manner in which the grant funding will be delivered to the awardee. Funding methods include reimbursements (where the recipient spends out-of-pocket and is reimbursed by the grantor) and advances (where the recipient spends received grant funds directly).
  • Advance(s)

Funding Method Notes:

The CAC will select 8 Administering Organizations (AOs) to design and implement a two-year fellowship program that supports individual artists and culture bearers across disciplines. By providing unrestricted funding, the fellowship empowers artists at pivotal moments in their careers, enhancing their ability to contribute meaningfully to California’s diverse communities. 

How to Apply

State agencies/departments recommend you read the full grant guidelines before applying.

Resources

For questions about this grant, contact:
Gabrielle Rosado, 1-916-322-6555, artsfellowsgrant@arts.ca.gov

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