Develop Quick Grant

Develop Quick Grant is sponsored by Arts Council Santa Cruz County. This grant offers rolling applications for professional development opportunities for artists and arts organizations.

Funding for professional development (activities that improve artistic skills or expand business and professional capacity) up to $1,000. Develop quick grants do not require a public presentation/exhibition. Open to Santa Cruz County artists and arts organizations.

**Apply online in the grants portal from September 3, 2025 to May 26, 2026 • Monthly applications due on the last Tuesday of each month. ** Please read the guidelines before beginning your application. Guidelines include important information about eligibility and review criteria.

Watch this recording of the grants orientation, which goes over the guidelines, how to apply, recent changes, and more. Download the presentation slides from the grants orientation. Arts Council grant applications must be completed online in the grants portal.

Download a list of application questions here. We are launching a new pilot of rolling "quick grant" applications! Applications open September 3 and will remain open through May 26.

Submit an application by the last Tuesday of each month for grants awarded by the end of the following month. No awards will be made in December due to the holidays (awards will be made in January instead). Attend in person or on Zoom,**registration encouraged**.

The orientation will begin with a presentation by Tamara Liu, Grants Program Manager, covering everything you need to know about Arts Council grants. There will be time for questions after the presentation. In-person at Watsonville Center for the Arts, 375 Main Street, Watsonville and Zoom.

No registration, but if you prefer Spanish please emailgrantsprogram@artscouncilsc. org several days ahead of time so we can plan to have a Spanish-speaking staff member present. Click the link below to join the Zoom meeting.

Office hours are informal times when you can get grant application support from Grants Program Manager Tamara Liu. You can drop in during any of the scheduled times, and since there isn’t a presentation, you don’t have to be there at the beginning or stay til the end. If lots of folks show up at once, we’ll use a learning circle approach, with each person sharing questions or ideas.

If you’re the only one, you will get direct one-on-one support! No questions or situations are too simple or too complicated. Hope to see you there!

Can’t attend at this time, or want to request an in-person meeting? Click here to book a time or emailgrantsprogram@artscouncilsc. org.

**Apply by the last Tues of the month → Decisions by → For activities/expenses starting in:** * **September 30**→ Decision: late October → Activities: November or after * **October 28** → Decision: late November → Activities: December or after * _No awards made in December_ * **December 23** → Decision: late January → Activities: February or after * **January 27**→ Decision: late February → Activities: March or after * **February 24** → Decision: late March → Activities: April or after * **March 31** → Decision: late April → Activities: May or after * **April 28**→ Decision: late May → Activities: June or after * **May 26**→ Decision: late June → Activities: July or after Develop quick grant applications close for the summer All funded activities/expenses must take place within one year from when the grant is awarded.

## Develop Quick Grant FAQs * We are piloting a new "quick grant" approach with rolling applications! You’ll receive a decision (and funds) more quickly. Applications open September 3 and will remain open through May 26.

Submit an application by the last Tuesday of each month for grants awarded by the end of the following month. No awards will be made in December due to the holidays (awards will be made in January instead). * To create this faster turnaround time, the review process will be streamlined: Only Arts Council staff will review and score grant applications, with recommendations approved by the Executive Director.

The Grants Committee and Board are removed from the process, but will still be provided with informational reports about Develop quick grants awarded. * Grant maximum will be reduced to $1,000 (from $1,500) as part of this new “quick grant” approach. * There will no longer be a first-time applicant pool for Develop quick grants.

Applications from both first-time and returning applicants will be evaluated together. * If you are awarded a Develop quick grant, you must wait one year before re-applying. * We have $5,000 in additional funding available this year, thanks to increased funding from Hewlett Foundation.

This funds about 5 Develop quick grants and is a one-time increase for this year only. Yes, we recognize that in certain cases materials or supplies can have a significant impact on an artist’s skills or career, even if they are “consumable” and will be used up quickly. However, you must be able to make a clear case for why those specific materials will have an impact for you in the long term.

What will happen once those materials/supplies are gone? Will you then be at a new place in your artistic development? If so, it may be worthwhile to apply.

If not, an application for those materials/supplies will likely not be very competitive compared to other applications. We know every artist needs access to materials and supplies, but since our grants are limited by our available budget, we want to ensure our grants have the most impact possible. First, read the guidelines and attend the grants orientation (or watch the recording).

Once you've done that, if you're still unsure, please feel free to reach out and ask! Email our team at grantsprogram@artscouncilsc. org.

We would like to learn more about your recent professional development (in the past two years) and how the activities/expenses you are seeking funding for are related to the professional development work you have engaged in most recently. If you are planning to have an audience and / or participants, then you most likely are eligible to apply for a Create grant, which has a higher maximum award.

If you're not planning to share your work publicly as part of the grant, then a Develop quick grant may be a better fit. However, certain activities can sometimes fit either type of grant. First, read the guidelines and attend the grants orientation (or watch the recording).

Once you've done that, if you're still unsure, please feel free to reach out and ask! Email our team at grantsprogram@artscouncilsc. org.

The video recording, slides, and transcript from the grant orientation will be posted on this webpage (above). If you’d like to meet with Grants Program Manager Tamara Liu, book an appointment or email grantsprogram@artscouncilsc. org.