Arts Council Santa Cruz County is excited to announce the recipients of our 2026 Create Grants, supporting 29 projects that will bring arts experiences, cultural celebrations, performances, workshops, exhibitions, and storytelling opportunities to communities throughout the county.
This year's projects reflect the incredible breadth of creativity thriving in Santa Cruz County. From Aztec dance ceremonies and multicultural festivals to memoir workshops, public murals, chamber music premieres, comedy festivals, and youth arts opportunities, these projects showcase how artists and cultural organizations help build stronger, more connected communities.
Many of this year's grantees are creating opportunities for people to share their stories, celebrate cultural identity, and engage with the arts in meaningful ways. Projects honor Hispanic/Latine, Filipino American, African, Chinese, and Indigenous traditions while creating spaces for community dialogue, learning, and creative expression.
The funded projects also expand access to the arts through free public events, scholarships for music education, disability-inclusive programming, and workshops designed for participants of all experience levels.
Together, these projects demonstrate the many ways the arts enrich life in Santa Cruz County—preserving traditions, inspiring creativity, fostering belonging, and bringing people together.
Congratulations to all of our 2026 Create Grant recipients. We look forward to following these projects as they develop and sharing opportunities for the community to participate throughout the coming year.
2026 CREATE GRANT RECIPIENTS
- Alexandra Rocha-Alvarez
- Alisa Sieber
- Annika Berry
- Andrea Hart
- Cabrillo College Foundation
- Círculo de poetas & Writers
- Cynthia Ling Lee
- DNA's Comedy Club
- Emily Antflick
- Estasia Barrientosi Cisse
- Flex Kids Culture
- Hermelinda Matias
- Jase Earl
- Kalpulli Ehecacoatl
- Karina North
- Livia Charman
- Loubayi Arnaud
- Mi Gente CA
- Rebeca Escobedo
- Resource Center for Nonviolence
- Santa Cruz Barrios Unidos
- Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter Foundation
- Santa Cruz County Music Teachers' Association of California
- Santa Cruz Dance Week
- Scotts Valley Multicultural Fair through SVEF
- Samantha Bounkeua
- Tobera Project
- Vivian Vargas
- Wildfire Community, LLC
“These projects demonstrate the power of the arts to bring people together, preserve cultural traditions, and create spaces for belonging and creative expression,”
Tamara Liu, Arts Council Santa Cruz County Grants Manager
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