The Alameda County Arts Commission provides financial support to Alameda County nonprofit arts organizations through the ARTSFUND Grants Program. The Grants Program supports all art forms – dance, literature, media arts, music, theater, visual arts, traditional arts and crafts, multidisciplinary programs, etc.
Donor Name: Alameda County Arts Commission
State: California
County: Alameda County (CA)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 02/08/2022
Size of the Grant: $1,000
Grant Duration: 24 Months
Details:
The ARTSFUND Grants Program supports arts activities in Alameda County provided by Alameda County nonprofit organizations. With a focus on Alameda County organizations, the goals of the Program are to:
- Promote the development of Alameda County as a center for all art forms and creative expression;
- Increase the offerings of high quality arts programs;
- Advance arts organizations of all sizes with an emphasis on small and mid-budget sized organizations;
- Promote arts organizations with unique and innovative programs;
- Encourage arts organizations in communities that have relatively few established arts programs;
- Promote participation in arts activities by Alameda County’s diverse community;
- Encourage Alameda County organizations that provide arts programming as the total focus of the organization.
The ARTSFUND supports Alameda County based nonprofit organizations that provide arts programs which are offered to the public through various forms such as in-person, online and virtual. The intention of ARTSFUND is to support arts organizations that provide the majority of their programs to Alameda County community members. The Arts Commission recognizes that due to the pandemic, many organizations have new online and virtual programs, and other types of program engagement opportunities that may also serve participants beyond Alameda County.
Grant Awards
ARTSFUND applications are evaluated by the Arts Commission’s Grant Review Committee. Grant awards are reviewed by the Members of the Arts Commission and recommended to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors for final approval. All eligible arts organizations, including small, medium and large budget organizations, may apply to this Grant Program. The standard ARTSFUND grant award amount is $1,000. To support one of the primary goals of this program, the Arts Commission may give larger grant awards to small and mid-budget sized organizations.
For the purposes of this program, the Arts Commission considers a large budget organization to have an annual operating budget of $1 million or more. The ARTSFUND Grant Review Committee and the Members of the Arts Commission may decide to recommend that specific organizations receive awards between $1,000 – $2,500 or more, depending on various factors such as the total amount of possible award funds, number of eligible applications received, and the ranking based on the stated evaluation criteria. All ARTSFUND applicants will be considered for the established grant award amounts described above. Therefore, applicants will not submit a specific funding request. Applicants are not asked to specify how the grant funds will be used; the grant funds can be used to support programs and/or general administrative and operating costs.
Use of Funds
The ARTSFUND Grant award may be used to support programs and/or general administrative and operating expenses to continue the on-going activities of the grantee organization.
Funding Cycle
The grant period for the 2022 ARTSFUND grant funding cycle is the 24-month period from July 1, 2022 (first allowable event date) to June 30, 2024. Grant award funds are anticipated to be disbursed by June 30, 2022, and may be used over the course of the full 24-month grant period.
Support for the ARTSFUND Grant Program
ARTSFUND is supported by three funding sources:
- The County of Alameda;
- Community member contributions to the ARTSFUND Program donated along with County property tax payments;
- Contributions by community members and County employees through the Foundation for the Arts in Alameda County.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicants must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible to apply and receive an ARTSFUND grant:
- Be governed by a board of directors; board must include at least three persons who conduct meetings on a regular schedule such as monthly or quarterly.
- Be headquartered in Alameda County (main address can be a PO Box located in Alameda County).
- Offer arts programming as a regular, on-going part of organization’s activities. Arts programming must be the primary focus of the organization or the arts programs must be an essential and indispensable aspect of the organization’s programs.
- If programs, performances, or services are exclusively within a single facility, that facility must be in Alameda County. Information on the physical location of the facility must be included in application.
- Have provided consistent in-person, online and/or virtual arts programs during the most recent calendar year, January 1 to December 31, 2021, with the intended majority of participants being Alameda County community members.
- Plan to provide consistent in-person, online and/or virtual arts programs during the ARTSFUND grant period of July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2024, with the intended majority of participants being Alameda County community members.
- All programs or projects funded with ARTSFUND grant funds must be available and open to the public. Attendance, participation and engagement may be through in-person, online and/or virtual formats.
- Applicant did not receive a grant award in the most recent grant cycle which was the 2021 ARTSFUND grant program (dispersed in June 2021).
Applicants must meet one of the following criteria:
- 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) with the applicant organization’s location within Alameda County and with information regarding Federal incorporated status with effective date of exemption established for at least one year prior to due date of the ARTSFUND application; community colleges with 501(c)(3) status are not eligible; or
- If not a 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4), an organization may be eligible to apply using a fiscal sponsor. It is required that the fiscal sponsor is a 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) and that both the applicant organization and the fiscal sponsor are formal organizations with elected boards of directors that hold regular meetings. An organization with the sole function of being a fiscal sponsor is not required to be located in Alameda County.
All of the following are not eligible to be an ARTSFUND grantee or a fiscal sponsor:
- For-profit organizations. Departments, divisions, projects, commissions and boards of the County of Alameda. Departments and boards of city governments and special districts. Individual artists. Elementary or secondary schools and school districts, boards and associations. Organizations or activities that are part of the curriculum of a college, university or community college; provided, however, that this exclusion shall not apply to any class that is not for college, university or community college credit and is not a part of the curriculum of a college, university or community college. A foundation, established for the support of a college, university or community college, that is exempt from taxation under the IRS Section 501(c)(3) is eligible as long as the foundation is the applicant. Programs not accessible to the public. Expenses incurred before the starting date of the grant period of July 1, 2022. Organizations with services in Alameda County for less than one year prior to date of application deadline. Organizations seeking funds to hire a separate commercial organization, business or individual to manage and produce all aspects of the activities funded by the grant. An independent component, such as a program or department, which is part of a larger parent organization, cannot apply independently as the applicant unless the component is both programmatically and administratively distinct from the parent organization, has its own staff and budget, and generally has an independent board of directors that has substantial responsibility for oversight and management. To qualify the applicant should be equivalent to a stand-alone institution with a separate mission from its parent organization.
For more information, visit 2022 ARTSFUND Grant.
