Individual Artists Fellowship (IAF) Program - Arts Council Santa Cruz County (Central Coast Region)

Individual Artists Fellowship (IAF) Program - Arts Council Santa Cruz County (Central Coast Region) is sponsored by California Arts Council (administered by Arts Council Santa Cruz County). The Individual Artists Fellowship (IAF) program recognizes, uplifts, and celebrates the excellence of California artists and culture bearers practicing any art form with unrestricted grants.

Individual Artists Fellowship (IAF) ### Welcome! Arts Council Santa Cruz County is excited to support the Central Coast's creative community by administering the California Arts Council’s Individual Artists Fellowship program. Begin working on your application in the grants portal.

Presented on Zoom,these orientations will begin with a presentation by Tamara Liu, Grants Program Manager, covering everything you need to know about applying for the Individual Artists Fellowship. There will be time for questions after the presentation. ¿Desea solicitar un servicio de interpretación al español?

Email our team at grantsprogram@artscouncilsc. org Each region will offer their own office hours, informal times when you can get Individual Artists Fellowship application and online grants portal support. **Arts Council Santa Cruz County** * Mondays from 4-5pm starting April 20th - June 1 (EXCEPT May 25).

* Wednesday, May 27, 4-5pm **Arts Council for Monterey County** **Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture** * April 3 & 15 from 12-1pm **San Benito County Arts Council** * Tue May 12, 2026 6pm – 7pm * Fri May 8, 2026 12pm - 1pm **San Luis Obispo County Arts** * Fridays from 2-4pm (April 17 through May 29, except May 8th) **Ventura County Arts Council** * Tuesday, May 12, 12-2pm Please plan to submit your application well before the 5pm deadline in case of technical difficulties or other issues.

The grants portal is often slower to load as the deadline approaches. You will receive a confirmation email after you submit your application. Communication about this fellowship will be sent from: administrator@grantinterface.

com. Please add this email to your safe sender list. If you do not receive this email or have any other questions, please contact our team at grantsprogram@artscouncilsc.

org. This is the quiet phase of the application process. You will not hear from us during this time.

Questions? Email the Arts Council Santa Cruz County program team at grantsprogram@artscouncilsc.

org Tamara Liu, Grants Program Manager Juliana Bruno, Program Coordinator Through regionally based Administering Organizations, the Individual Artists Fellowship program uplifts and celebrates California artists across all disciplines and traditions, highlights their excellence, and acknowledges their leadership in shaping traditional and contemporary cultures.

**For this fellowship, excellence is defined by:** * A unique artistic vision * A sustained commitment to creative practice * Engagement with and impact on the cultural ecosystem The California Arts Council selected Arts Council Santa Cruz County to design and implement the Individual Artist Fellowship program that supports individual artists and culture bearers across all disciplines in the six Central Coast counties: Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and Ventura.

This initiative is dedicated to ensuring equitable access to resources by reaching artists across all 58 counties. By providing unrestricted funding, the fellowship empowers artists at pivotal moments in their careers, enhancing their ability to contribute meaningfully to California’s diverse communities.

Investing in individual artists and culture bearers through this program strengthens artistic expression, creative practice, and community collaboration statewide. ## Eligibility: Who Can Apply?

To be eligible, you must: * Be an individual artist or culture bearer; * Be a current resident of Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, or Ventura County as verified by your Government-Issued Photo ID, your utility bill, or lease agreement; * Be at least 18 years old when you apply; * Have primarily resided in California for at least two consecutive years; * Have a valid Tax ID number (which will be verified if selected for an award).

**Fellowship awards are taxable and fellows will be issued 1099s. Applicants should consult a tax advisor for their own specific circumstances. ** ## Ineligibility & Restrictions * If you have been awarded a Legacy fellowship before, you cannot apply.

However, past fellows in the Emerging or Established categories are welcome to apply for the next level. * Applicants may not apply under a fiscal sponsor, as an artist group or collective. * Students enrolled in a K-12 school are not eligible to apply.

* Individuals may submit an application in only one career tier. ### **Application & Review** The online application includes narrative questions, work samples, an artist resume/CV, and one letter of support. Applications will be evaluated on three main areas: 1.

**Creative Vision:**Artist effectively communicates their personal story, artistic medium or practice, and long-term aspirations for their work. 2.

**Aesthetic Excellence:**Artistic work and/or examples of cultural practice demonstrate strong alignment with the components of theAttributes of Excellence in Arts for Change, including commitment, communal meaning, disruption, cultural integrity, risk-taking, sensory experience, emotional experience, openness, coherence, resourcefulness, and stickiness. 3.

**Community Engagement and Social Impact:**Artist effectively communicates engagement with their community(ies) and the positive social impact their work has had locally, regionally, and/or statewide, addressing themes including but not limited to race, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. * Arts Council Santa Cruz County will manage the application and review process for all six counties in the Central California Region.

* Diverse panels of individual artists and culture bearers from across the Central Coast will review the applications and rank them based on the above criteria. * The panels will convene to discuss the rankings and submit recommendations to the Arts Council Santa Cruz County’s Board of Directors for final approval. Review meetings aren't open to the public.

* Due to the anticipated volume of applications, feedback will not be available to applicants or the public. All award decisions will be final. * Only a limited number of fellowships will be awarded.

* Awards will be funded at the full dollar amount for each tier (below). Partial awards will not be made. * Arts Council Santa Cruz County will manage award notifications, grant agreements, and payments.

## Fellowship Funding Levels The California Arts Council’s Individual Artists Fellowship is designed to meet artists where they are in their creative journey. Three different fellowship levels have been created to provide support for each career stage: ###### Emerging Artist Fellows - $5,000 Emerging artists are those in the beginning stages of making their work public and engaging the larger community in their practice.

Individuals at this career stage may have had a few public showings of their work, but do not yet have ongoing resources or support. ###### Established Artist Fellows - $10,000 Artists in the Established tier regularly make their work public and engage the larger community in their practice. Individuals in this tier can give multiple examples of artistic and/or cultural works that have made a significant social impact.

A substantial portion of their income may come from their art. ###### Legacy Artist Fellows - $50,000 Artists in the Legacy tier can point to a significant body of work produced over a substantial period of time that has engaged their communities and made a significant social impact.

Artists in this tier may be able to point to Emerging and Established Artists that they have mentored or otherwise positively influenced, and may have received national recognition for their work. ## Fellowship Requirements Awarded funds are unrestricted and do not require any reporting.

Fellowship recipients will be**required to submit a W-9 form**with their Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) for payment purposes. Additionally, to protect artists, we perform identity verification, which may include SSN/ITIN matching with the IRS and a brief video introductory call.

Fellowship Term: September 1, 2026-August 31, 2027 - Activities related to the Fellowship happen during these 12 months. We highly encourage fellowship recipients to: * Make yourself available for interviews to help promote your work, the Fellowship, and the statewide Individual Artists Fellowship cohort. * Join convenings hosted by Arts Council Santa Cruz County and Central Coast partners to network and engage in co-learning.

* Participate in program evaluation, including but not limited to providing feedback, sharing stories, and other relevant information.

**If you do not reside in one of the six Central Coast Counties**(Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and Ventura Counties),but are a resident of California, please apply through the appropriate regional Administering Organization below: Nevada Arts Council, serving Butte, Colusa, Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, and Yuba Counties Teatro Nagual, serving Alpine, El Dorado, Sacramento, Solano, and Yolo Counties Kala Art Institute, serving Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Sonoma Counties Kern Dance Alliance serving Amador, Calaveras, Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Mono, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tulare, and Tuolumne Counties Arts Council Santa Cruz, serving: Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and Ventura Counties Video recording, slides, and transcript from 04/15 Application Orientation Application Question List The list of application questions is available as a Google doc (make a copy) or as a Microsoft Word doc (download).

You can work on the questions outside the grants portal then copy & paste your answers into the online form. A list of some of the frequently asked questions from Zoom orientations, Zoom office hours, emails.