State arts agency awards nearly $19.5 million in total funding support that reflects its commitment to advancing arts, culture, and creativity in every county in the state

February 12, 2025

SACRAMENTO, CA – The California Arts Council (CAC) has officially announced contracts to disburse more than 800 grant awards for its 2024-25 fiscal year, totaling close to $19.5 million in overall investments for operational and project support to nonprofit organizations and units of government throughout the state of California. Support awarded will continue to benefit communities throughout the state until the end of the project cycle timeline in September 2025.

This year’s investment includes funding for county-designated arts agencies and mentors the development of local arts agencies in counties without a designee. These funds are awarded through the CAC’s State-Local Partners and sister State-Local Partner Mentorship programs, marking the first time since the inception of the State-Local Partners grant in 1980 that all 58 counties in California will receive support for existing or establishing localized arts administration.

The Arts Council is California’s leading public arts grants provider with funding accessible to every county in the state.

“Art makes us who we are in California,” said California Arts Council Executive Director Danielle Brazell. “We are defined by our creative workforce, and our everyday lives are informed, enriched, and uplifted by the artists and cultural workers across our state. On behalf of the CAC, I offer my sincere congratulations – and my gratitude – to each of our award recipients for this grant cycle.”

“We pledged fealty to our comprehensive and field-informed Strategic Framework in our decision making for funding for this fiscal year,” said Council Chair Roxanne Messina Captor. “Council made every effort to make each dollar in our budget go its furthest toward our most important aspirations for our agency, our governor, and our Legislature alike: to create a California for all, where the arts are accessible to all.”

Organizations were awarded grants across nine different program areas designed to benefit the whole of California’s arts and culture ecosystem, including a second year of funding for two-year programs awarded the previous fiscal year. Award funds prioritize many of the aspirations articulated in the agency’s Strategic Framework, specifically increasing opportunities for general operating and multiyear grants, geographic equity, individual artists, small organizations, and state-local partner funding and capacity building.

CAC grant programs are administered through a multistep, public process. Following an open call for applications, submissions are adjudicated by peer review panels made up of experts from the arts and cultural fields and representative of California’s diverse geography; racial, ethnic, and gender identities; perspectives and knowledge.

Interested members of the public, artists, arts organizations, and community leaders are encouraged to visit the CAC website to learn about future grant opportunities as details become available. Notification of grant program guidelines, applications, and technical assistance opportunities will be also published in the California Arts Council’s e-newsletter. Subscribe at https://arts.ca.gov/news/artbeat.

2024-25 Grant Programs and Awards

Awards are listed below by individual program.

• Click here to view a complete list of grantees sorted by county.
• Click here for a complete list of grantees sorted by organization.

Arts & Cultural Organizations General Operating Support

Direct funding to arts and cultural organizations in support of ongoing operations. This list does not include year two funding for previously awarded 2023-24 grantees; those can be found in the general lists at the top of this section.

Number of Grants Awarded: 34
Total Program Investment: $686,005
Grant Award Listings (PDF): 2024-25 Arts & Cultural Organizations General Operating Support

Arts Education Exposure

Support of student attendance at arts performances and exhibits.

Number of Grants Awarded: 47
Total Program Investment: $810,143
Grant Award Listings (PDF): 2024-25 Arts Education Exposure

Arts Integration Training

Support of arts integration training for educators facilitated by teaching artists.

Number of Grants Awarded: 16
Total Program Investment: $302,671
Grant Award Listings (PDF): 2024-25 Arts Integration Training

Creative Youth Development

Support of arts projects for youth outside of traditional school hours.

Number of Grants Awarded: 115
Total Program Investment: $1,928,961
Grant Award Listings (PDF): 2024-25 Creative Youth Development

Impact Projects

Support for collaborative projects that center artists and artistic practice in responding to issues experienced by California’s historically and systemically under-resourced communities.

Number of Grants Awarded: 96
Total Program Investment: $2,059,510
Grant Award Listings (PDF): 2024-25 Impact Projects

State-Local Partners

Support and technical assistance for county-designated local arts agencies.

Number of Grants Awarded: 53
Total Program Investment: $3,431,450
Grant Award Listings (PDF): 2024-25 State-Local Partners

State-Local Partner Mentorship

Support by an existing State-Local Partner for the establishment of a county-designated local arts agency in counties in which no such agency has currently been identified.

Number of Grants Awarded: 4
Total Program Investment: $166,656
Grant Award Listings (PDF): 2024-25 State-Local Partner Mentorship

Statewide and Regional Networks

Support for arts service organizations providing practical resources for the communities they serve.

Number of Grants Awarded: 62
Total Program Investment: $2,145,215
Grant Award Listings (PDF): 2024-25 Statewide and Regional Networks