The Cultural Funding Grant Program is designed to support Ventura-based nonprofit arts and cultural organizations.
Donor Name: City of Ventura
State: California
City: Ventura
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/26/2025
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
The Cultural Funding Grant Program supports the following cultural goals as stated in the “Our Creative Community” section of the 2005 Ventura General Plan:
- To support Ventura’s cultural infrastructure of arts organizations and artists
- To ensure comprehensive access to and involvement in cultural opportunities by all segments of the community
- To support economic development and increase tourism through arts and culture
- To enhance lifelong learning opportunities in the arts for all ages.
These funds are unrestricted and may be used for organizational support, programming, services and work on specific areas:
- Arts or Cultural Organizations: organizations that present, produce, or support cultural, creative, or arts programs and services as a major component of its mission
- Historically Under-Resourced Communities: Groups that have faced systemic barriers to accessing resources and opportunities. Examples include, but are not limited to: elders/seniors, immigrants, tribal communities, individuals impacted by the justice system, LGBTQIA+ individuals, low-income populations, neurodivergent individuals, unhoused individuals, people with disabilities, veterans, women, youth (ages 0-24), or any other status protected under federal, state, and/or local law
- Cultural Equity: Ensuring that arts, creative, and cultural programs and services are accessible, inclusive, and responsive to historically under-resourced communities. This includes removing barriers related to race, ethnicity, income, disability, gender identity, geography, and other systemic factors that limit access to cultural opportunities.
Funding Information
- A total of $103,000 ($90,000 annually + $13,000 rolled over from last year’s grant) will be awarded on a competitive basis, with grants ranging in size from $1,000 – $20,000.
- Grant funding is available to support eligible projects, programs, initiatives, and services and may include general operating expenses. Funding requests may not exceed the benefits to City of Ventura residents.
- Organizations whose annual budgets are less than $10,000 are only eligible to request up to $1,000.
Funding Information
Through the Cultural Funding Grant Program, $90,000 in funding is awarded annually to support Ventura-based nonprofit arts and cultural organizations.
Grant Period
July 2025 – June 2026.
Eligibility Requirements
Organizations must:
- Be in compliance with all City codes, laws, and ordinances
- Be a City of Ventura-based nonprofit arts or cultural organization with 501(c)(3) status
- If a nonprofit organization does not have 501(c)(3) status, it must have a Ventura County-based fiscal agent with 501(c)(3) status
- Present, produce, or support arts, creative, or cultural programs and services as a major component of its mission
- Certify, by means of signature on the application, that they are not delinquent in repaying the City any debt, whether the debt arises from a tax, bill, loan, lease, or other financial obligation. Organizations with a delinquent indebtedness to the City are ineligible to receive funding through this grant
- Be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and operate so as not to discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, or disability.
- Have satisfied the requirements of any previously awarded Cultural Funding Grant from the City of Ventura, including completion of a final report
- Provide proof that the organization maintains an ongoing liability insurance policy with a minimum of $2 million aggregate, and $1 million per occurrence general liability coverage.
For more information, visit City of Ventura.
