Q: Can you tell us about the history and impact of the Arts Council Santa Cruz County Grants program?
A: As one of the Arts Council’s original programs, we’ve offered grants to local creatives for over 40 years! In 2017, we began working on a new strategic plan that centered on racial equity, and we started making shifts to our grants program accordingly. Our main goal has been to redirect funds to historically underresourced artists and organizations, especially in Watsonville, and we’re seeing some great results! Even since I began this role in 2022, I’ve been excited to see the progress we’ve made in a relatively short amount of time.
Q: What kind of impacts are we talking about?
A: This past year, over 51% of our grant funds went to BIPOC artists and organizations, and over 34% went to Watsonville artists and organizations—an increase of at least 10% for both demographics since 2021. As a note, we don’t consider demographics related to applicants' identities (such as race) during the review process in alignment with our nondiscrimination policy. The work to increase funding to BIPOC communities mostly focuses on outreach and application support, which our Grants Ambassadors play a huge role in. We do give further consideration the geographic locations and neighborhoods most impacted by inequities as indicated by the California Healthy Places Index.
Q: What types of grants does the Arts Council offer?
A: We offer grants for both individual artists and organizations in a wide range of artistic disciplines, including cultural festivals, digital media, literary works, and traditional arts. Our grants fall into three categories: Create grants for funding arts/culture projects that are open to the public, Develop grants for professional development, and Support grants for nonprofits and fiscally sponsored arts organizations. Non-arts nonprofits are eligible to apply for Create grants, too, if they are collaborating with an artist on a project! Free orientations and one-to-one assistance are available for prospective applicants. For more details about our grants, visit our website.
Q: What are the proposed changes to the grants program?
A: To address increased demand within our staff capacity, we’re making several changes:
CREATE GRANTS: Now available annually only during Cycle 2 (instead of twice per year). Individual artists and organizations can apply in February/March 2025 for projects taking place between July 2025 - June 2026.
DEVELOP GRANTS: Also available annually only during Cycle 2 (instead of twice per year). Individual artists and arts organizations can apply in February/March 2025 for professional development activities from July 2025 - June 2026. Support grantees are now eligible to apply for Develop grants again, and We’re developing a list of vetted professional development opportunities for organizational applicants.
SUPPORT GRANTS: Still available annually during Cycle 1 for nonprofits and fiscally sponsored arts organizations. The next application period is September/October 2024 for funds awarded in January 2025. A larger portion of these grants will now be multi-year (3-year) grants. Additionally, funds are reserved for Support grantees to attend professional development workshops without application requirements.
Q: What general changes are being implemented?
A: We’re eliminating the Elevate Grant Program, with the current cohort concluding this year. The budget for Elevate will be integrated into our other grants programs via the changes described above. Watsonville Grants Ambassadors will be available to assist Watsonville arts organizations this year as well as individual artists through outreach, workshops, and application support. We’re also planning to host our first informal grantee gathering to foster connections within our artistic community. Stay tuned for more information!
Q: How do these changes affect the overall support for the arts community?
A: We're streamlining things to focus more on what our grantees need. These changes should have minimal impact on current grantees and actually open up more opportunities for multi-year funding and professional development support.
Q: What are your future goals for the grants program?
A: We’re continuously refining our eligibility requirements, review criteria, application prompts, and final reports to make them more accessible. Collecting and reviewing feedback from applicants and grantees helps us identify and prioritize necessary improvements. In the long term, we aim to offer meaningful capacity building for arts organizations through an equity lens, invest in collaborative partnerships with non-arts organizations and businesses, and foster county-wide collaborations. We’re also working towards uplifting queer communities and increasing accessibility of our grants for individuals with disabilities.
Q: How can the community stay informed and get involved?
A: Subscribe to our grants newsletter for updates, follow us on social media for the latest news and opportunities, and learn more about the grants program on our website. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to us—together, we can continue to make a positive impact on our artistic community!
Tamara Liu
Grants Program Manager
(831) 475-9600 Ext. 16