The San José Office of Cultural Affairs is a division of the Office of Economic Development, which is a part of the City Manager’s Office. The Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) awards grants to community based organizations for the purpose of enhancing the cultural growth, resources, and vitality of San José.
Donor Name: City of San Jose
State: California
City: San Jose
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 02/06/2023
Size of the Grant: 2,500 to $15,000
Details:
take pART: Cultural Participation and Community Engagement Grants (hereinafter referred to as “take pART Grants”) support specific arts activities offered by non-professional arts organizations and community service organizations with continuing arts programs, as well as very small semiprofessional and professional arts organizations seeking to secure City support for specific arts activities, rather than general operating support.
Take Part Grants are intended to serve as partial support for arts activities, with awards no more than half of a granted project’s budget and usually significantly less.
Eligible activities include, but are not limited to, community-based arts projects that involve San Jose residents directly in the artistic process, as well as projects by small artist-centered groups that do not have the need to build the kinds of institutional infrastructure required of Operating Grant applicants.
take pART Grants support three guiding principals of Cultural Connection, San Jose’s plan for cultural development in the coming decade:
- Cultural Participation: Supporting residents’ personal, active participation in arts and culture.
- Cultural Pluralism: Using culture as a connector and fostering a “cultural commons” through arts and culture.
- Public Value of the Arts: Using personally meaningful arts experiences to help achieve community goals and create a better San Jose.
Funding Information
- Groups may submit take pART grant requests between $2,500 to $15,000. However, an applicant’s grant request may not exceed:
- 25 percent of the group’s entire organization-wide expenses in its most recent fiscal year; and
- 50 percent of the project’s cost, whichever is less.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applications that are complete and submitted by the deadline will be accepted from groups that meet all the following conditions:
- The group has a principal place of business in San Jose.
- Exception: A group that does not maintain a central place of business and consistently has had annual budgets below $150,000 can qualify if they offer a majority of their programming in San Jose.
- The group has 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, or is the sponsored project of a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor.
- The group has no more than a total of one FTE (Full-Time Equivalent) paid administrative staff.
- Exception: A group that is applying for a project, program or “series” that does not constitute the majority of its programming for FY18-19 is exempt from this eligibility criterion.)
- The group, in its current form, has at least a one-year history of providing arts programs in San Jose in venues that are accessible to people with disabilities.
- The group’s project: 1) has expenses of at least $5,000; and 2) takes place during July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2019 in the city of San Jose; and is not intended solely as a fundraiser nor to convey a religious message or advocate a political position.
- The group a) is not a division/department within the City of San Jose; b) did not submit a FY2018-19 Festival, Parade and Celebration Grant application for the project; c) will not submit a FY2018-19 Operating Grant application.
- The group is in compliance with requirements pertaining to any previous grant it has received through the Office of Cultural Affairs.
- The group has a principal place of business in San Jose.
For more information, visit City of San Jose.
