City Arts and Culture Grant Applications Now Available


Oakland, CA – Applications are now being accepted for the City of Oakland’s 2022-2023 Cultural Funding Program grants supporting organization programs and individual artist projects. Applicants must be Oakland-based and all activities must be presented in Oakland between January 1, 2023 and August 31, 2023. Interested nonprofit organizations and artists may access the grant guidelines and applications at http://bit.ly/3gb7z8b . The submission deadline is Thursday, January 12, 2023, at 5 p.m.

“These grant opportunities seek to affirm the expression, recognition, and understanding of the array of diverse communities that make Oakland unique and vibrant,” said Oakland Cultural Affairs Manager Roberto Bedoya.

To assist applicants, Informational Webinars will be presented in mid-December. Details on the webinars will be posted on http://bit.ly/3gb7z8b

The Neighborhood Voices for Individual Artist Projects grant opportunity seeks applications from artists and cultural workers that are focused on building neighborhood vibrancy and community cohesion. The program will award grants of $10,000 to Oakland-based artists and cultural workers. The Neighborhood Voices for Organization Programs grant opportunity encourages applications from Oakland-based cultural community builders that are focused on enhancing neighborhood vibrancy and community cohesion. Applications must be for recurring arts and culture programs that have been in place for at least two years at the applying organization. The program will award grants of $20,000 to Oakland-based non-profit organizations.

Proposed projects and programs may include, but are not limited to: cultural heritage practices; performance programs in dance, music or theater; visual art and public arts projects, programs, classes, workshops, and exhibitions; and literary activities. All proposals should be rooted in a sense of place.

The Cultural Funding Program relies on a competitive panel process to determine award recipients and funding allocations. Among the criteria being considered by the selection panel is a racial equity category that seeks to encourage grants that create cultural opportunities for communities impacted by racial disparities and help reimagine pathways for a more equitable society. The category includes consideration of whether the programs are led by, and serve, groups and communities impacted by racial disparities.

Grant recommendations from the review panel must be reviewed by the Funding Advisory Committee and approved City Council before contracts are awarded.

The Cultural Funding Program is administered by the City’s Cultural Affairs Division. For more information, please visit www.oaklandculturalarts.org or contact Raquel Iglesias at (510) 238-2212 or [email protected].

About the Cultural Affairs Division

The Cultural Affairs Division is housed in the City’s Economic & Workforce Development Department. The division includes the City’s cultural funding program, which provides approximately $1.5 million in grants to support the arts in Oakland; the public art program, which has more than $1 million in funds currently dedicated for public art installations across Oakland and staff working on special events and film production permitting.

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