Artists invited to apply for Arts Making Impact Grant by February 16th
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture is calling local artists to apply for the Arts Making Impact grant.
“There is a tremendous scarcity of arts funding … it’s something we all agree that we want for our kids and our families and our elders … and so these grants to really engage our community for free and create l access points and breakdown barriers is huge," said executive director Sarah York Rubin of the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture.
Funded through the Santa Barbara Bowl Arts Subsidy, applicants must be based in Santa Barbara County and provide services to Santa Barbara County residents.
"The Artist Making Impact grant is to help individual artists in any way from supplies to anything that they need," said Santa Barbara County Arts Commissioner Mariko Tabar.
"Have people work out their own creative and cultural expression to provide new platforms, and make connections and amplify voices," said York.
If you’re interested in applying for the grant, the county encourages artists and nonprofits to reach out as soon as possible.
“My hope is that this continues to have this huge county wide reach, and that we’re able to bring children into artistic spaces," said York.
“And in turn that they will bring in more stimulation to the community," said Tabar.
Applicants can apply for up to $5,000, and the deadline to apply is this Friday, February 16, 2024.
Information and guidelines are available at sbac.ca.gov/county-grants.
This year’s program is limited to arts and culture nonprofit organizations with an annual operating budget under $500,000 or for grassroots projects with nonprofit fiscal sponsorship.
“We are hoping to continue to maximize the available funding to support smaller groups that may not have as many resources,” said Mary Harris, Arts Commission Chair.
The Arts Making Impact (AMI) grant program was established in 2012 via a partnership between the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission and the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation.
As part of a lease agreement with the County of Santa Barbara, the Santa Barbara Bowl has created a community arts subsidy fund with fifty cents per ticket sold.
The total funding available for this cycle is $50,000.
Since the program was launched in 2012, the Arts Making Impact grant has catalyzed greater community engagement in the arts and culture of our region.
Since the initial grant cycle, many diverse organizations and cultural practitioners have received support to expand resources and increase arts and culture access countywide.
These funds continue to reach communities that have limited resources to support arts and culture opportunities.
The County Arts Commission reviews the grant applications and determines funding awards.
The 15-member body comprises three representatives from each Supervisorial District who have been appointed by the Board of Supervisors.
Proposals that build beneficial collaborations and help to eliminate current barriers to cultural activities such as access to transportation, materials, artists, music, and art instruction to underserved communities are encouraged.
For more information, visit www.sbac.ca.gov.
