Individual Artists Fellowship (IAF) Program is sponsored by California Arts Council (through Administering Organizations). Uplifts and celebrates California artists across all disciplines and traditions, highlighting their excellence and acknowledging their leadership. Administered through regional organizations, providing unrestricted funding to empower artists at pivotal career moments.

Administering Organization — Individual Artists Fellowship - California Arts Council Administering Organization — Individual Artists Fellowship Through regionally based Administering Organizations (AOs), the Individual Artists Fellowship (IAF) program uplifts and celebrates California artists across all disciplines and traditions, highlights their excellence and acknowledges their leadership in shaping traditional and contemporary cultures.

The program includes three fellowship tiers with a different award amount: CAC 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. CAC Established Artist Fellows – $10,000 Artists in the Established tier regularly make their work public and engage the larger community in their practice.

CAC 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 that has made significant social impact. The CAC approved eight regional AOs for the fellowship in September 2025.

Information about each of the AOs and details regarding their Individual Artists Fellowship programs, including application deadlines, are listed below. If you are an individual artist, apply to the statewide fellowship program through the Regional AO listed below that serves your county. Please note: Individual artists must live in the region they are applying to and may submit an application to only one region.

Counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Sonoma Application Open: April 2, 2026 Application Close: June 5, 2026 Fellowship Period: September 1, 2026 – August 31, 2027 Project Description for Kala Art Institute With support from the California Arts Council, Kala Institute will plan and implement the Individual Artist Fellowship program (Region 3).

The scope of work includes developing grant guidelines, managing a competitive application, putting together panels and review process, and selecting Fellows, providing direct grant payments through an online grants management system to selected artists and cultural practitioners.

In addition, Kala Institute will provide outreach, marketing, and info sessions and technical assistance to applications both in person and online throughout region 3 (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Sonoma counties).

Throughout the process, Kala will support for artists and culture bearers, engaging in outreach for geographic reach, convening fellows for networking and co-learning, and providing exhibition, performance and public program opportunities to raise visibility and highlight the work of Fellows. Organization Summary for Kala Art Institute The heart of Kala’s mission is supporting artists and engaging the community.

Kala’s artist residency program offers professional facilities to those working in and across printmaking and digital media, new media, public art, sculpture, installation, and performance.

Kala’s artist residency program is known for the support it offers to artists, specialized resources spanning printmaking, photography, sculpture and media arts, points of contact with accessible staff, and the caliber of work artists are able to produce and share with the community while in residence.

Kala’s artist residencies provide time, space, equipment, and a knowledgeable network of artists (175+ artists a year) to foster dialogue, risk-taking, creation of new work, and community building. Kala’s exhibitions and gallery, free and open to the public Tuesday-Saturday, provide a platform for innovative presentations of contemporary art and a forum for artists and the public – sparking conversations across views and timely topics.

This complex web of timely topics includes racial and social justice, displacement, the environment, community wellness, and more. Kala hosts community events, film screenings, artist talks, and performances in the galley too. Kala fosters a fresh approach to experimentation, as artists investigate the interface of digital work, work made by hand, and everything in between.

A spirit of exchange and education is nurtured through all Kala’s programs.

Kala offers quality arts education to the general public and local youth through its on-site art classes – after school studio art, teen studio workshops, family and community art-making sessions, summer art programs, field trips, and a robust Artists-in-Schools program, established in 1991, providing artist-led instruction to students in neighboring East Bay public schools.

Providing multiple points of access to space and resources through artist residencies, exhibitions, and arts education is more important than ever as we fight for equitable engagement in the midst of these challenging times.

Additional Information for Kala Art Institute California’s 13 th Congressional District Counties: Amador, Calaveras, Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Mono, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tulare, Tuolumne Application Open: May 1, 2026 Application Close: June 12, 2026 Fellowship Period: August 1, 2026 – August 1, 2027 Project Description for KDA With support from the California Arts Council, Kern Dance Alliance (KDA) will uplift artists across 14 counties by serving as the Administering Organization (AO) for the Individual Artists Fellowship (IAF) program in Region 4: Central Valley & Eastern Sierra.

Building on a decade of transformative grantmaking, including the administration of the $4. 2M KDA Creative Corps (KDACC) program, KDA will implement a two-year fellowship program celebrating artistic excellence and equity. Funds will regrant $360,000 to Emerging ($5,000), Established ($10,000), and Legacy ($50,000) Artist Fellows, with $90,000 for administration and outreach.

KDA’s robust online grants management system, culturally sensitive outreach, and professional development workshops will ensure equitable access for diverse artists living in our region’s most disinvested communities. By convening fellows, producing virtual showcases, and amplifying their work, KDA will elevate voices shaping the region’s cultural ecosystem.

Organization Summary for KDA KDA serves a diverse population through our programs: Adapti dance®: Dance + Disability offers adaptive dance classes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Books in Motion ®: Dance + Literacy links dance and literacy to inspire children to read. Children’s Dance Education + Outreach Program provides at-risk youth with an afternoon of dance at the Bakersfield Fox Theater.

Dancing with the Angels connects foster care families through the arts. Healing Motion : Dance + Therapy are dance therapy sessions for cancer patients and survivors. National Dance Day provides a celebratory day of dance classes for the community to enjoy.

National Honors Society for Dance Arts recognizes artistic merit, leadership, and academic achievement in students studying dance. Memory Moves ®: Dance + Therapy are dance therapy sessions for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. Mighty Movers : Dance + Therapy are dance therapy sessions for pediatrics patients.

Open Stage affords creatives access to the Bakersfield Fox Theater’s technical staff and theater amenities for free. Paso a Paso utilizes dance to support empowerment through life-skills workshops for Kern County high school girls, specifically Latinas. Shine for Girls : Dance + Math = Success combines dance with math to improve girls’ math scores and spark interest in Steam .

Taste of Dance celebrates cultural diversity in Kern County by showcasing cultures through culinary and performing arts. KDA Creative Corps is a $4. 2 million dollar re-granting program awarded by the California Arts Council to KDA in support of arts programs that positively impact the lives of people living in the Central Valley’s lowest quartile of the California Healthy Places Index.

The $4. 2 million California Arts Council grant has been used exclusively for the regranting and administering of the KDACC. It has NOT be used to fund KDA’s existing programs, which will continue to operate alongside the KDACC.

KDA continues to need funding and support to meet its daily and annual operating needs. www. kdacreativecorps.

org Additional Information for KDA Bakersfield, CA 93389—2407 California’s 23 rd Congressional District Inland Empire & South Coast Counties: Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange Application Open: April 2, 2026 Application Close: May 15, 2026 Fellowship Period: August 1, 2026 – July 31, 2027 Project Descriptions for ArtsOC With support from the California Arts Council, Arts Orange County will serve as Administering Organization for Region 7 for the CAC’s Individual Artists Fellowship Program, leading a consortium of the State-Local Partners serving the region’s three counties that will assist in its implementation.

Organization Summary for ArtsOC Arts Orange County fulfills its mission by offering the following programs and services: Regranting – when funds are available. During pandemic, raised private funds and secured County funding, oversaw regranting of nearly $8 million.

In 2023—24, served as Administering Organization for CAC’s Individual Artist Fellowship Program in Region I (Imperial, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego counties).

Orange County Arts Awards, honoring artists, arts visionaries and arts patrons Creative Edge Lecture, presenting thought-leaders in the field of creativity Imagination Celebration, county-wide, six-week festival of arts for families & children in collaboration with Orange County Department of Education Día del Niño , a free festival of Latino arts for families and children OC Jails Project, creative writing instruction to Transitional Age Youth SparkOC.

com , online arts calendar Newsletter, bi-monthly ArtsOC institutional & arts community news Leadership Convenings, bringing together arts leaders of various cohorts and artists for regular online and in-person gatherings to share concerns, best practices Breaking Through, webinars for arts leaders about exemplary local programs fulfilling diversity, equity and inclusion goals Consulting and Project Management services on cultural planning & public art to municipalities and arts organizations Additional Information for ArtsOC 17620 Fitch Avenue Suite 255 South – Los Angeles & Orange Commission for Arts and Culture / Cultural Affairs Counties: Imperial, San Diego Application Open: March 2, 2026 Application Close: April 30, 2026 Fellowship Period: August 1, 2026 – August 31, 2027 Project Description for Commission for Arts and Culture / Cultural Affairs With support from California Arts Council, City of San Diego Cultural Affairs and its advisory body, Commission for Arts and Culture (Commission) will serve as Region Administering Organization for the Region 8 Individual Artists Fellowship Program (IAFP), serving San Diego and Imperial counties.

In alignment with the recently adopted Creative City cultural plan vision, the initiative will elevate the visibility of artists and cultural bearers, affirming their vital role in our bi-county, border region’s culture, ecologies and traditions. IAFP offers seldom-provided financial resources, applying our belief that artists build thriving practices and community-change impact through access to funding, networks, and support.

By harnessing its regional network, Commission seeks to sustain and invest in Region 8’s dynamic arts ecosystem, amplifying the voices of its diverse and innovative artistic communities—an essential part of the region’s identity.

Organization Summary for Commission for Arts and Culture / Cultural Affairs Through the Commission, the City invests in San Diego communities through grantmaking, placemaking, accessible arts and cultural experiences, global cultural initiatives, performance spaces, and individual artists/culture bearers. The goal is to enrich every neighborhood through arts, culture, and creativity through each community’s self-determination.

Over the last 37 years, this investment has been disseminated through two core programs, Public Art and Funding. The Public Art Program transforms the human experience of the city’s built environment through public art. The Commission stewards the Civic Art Collection of over 950 objects, integrates art into capital improvement projects, and ensures the inclusion of art or cultural space in private development projects.

The Commission is the largest arts grantmaker in the region and annually awards funds for general operating and project-specific support. These grants are fundamental to the sustainability of many organizations. This general operating support is often the most significant annual grant and the sole multi-year funding to organizations of all sizes.

For project support, the City’s grant is routinely awarded over multiple years, also providing continuity for festivals and events such as Pride San Diego and many of San Diego’s film festivals.

Initiatives focus on data collection and field assessments, cultural planning, cultural tourism, creative youth, cultural space, technical assistance for organizations, and training and support for artists, and poet laureateship and municipal photography fellowship programs.

Historically recognized for supporting arts and culture organizations, Commission now focuses on the broader creative sector – including creative industries and individual artists- and community-wide issues where the arts can play an essential role, such as civic engagement and social justice.

In 2025, through the Commission the City adopted the Creative City cultural plan, a long-term plan to advance arts, culture and creativity for the benefit of San Diegans as well as the the greater Cali-Baja megaregion.

Additional Information for Arts and Culture / Cultural Affairs 1200 Third Avenue Suite 924 California’s 52 nd Congressional District Commission for Arts and Culture / Cultural Affairs Arts Council Santa Cruz County Counties: Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Ventura Application Open: April 15, 2026 Application Close: June 1, 2026 Fellowship Period: September 1, 2026 – August 31, 2027 Project Description for Arts Council Santa Cruz County With support from the California Arts Council, Arts Council Santa Cruz County will serve as AO for the Central Coast’s Individual Artists Fellowship program, collaborating with arts councils and agencies from Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura County.

Our goal is to increase access to funding for underrepresented artists, affirm their intrinsic value for fellowships, and develop their skills for future opportunities. We will implement a streamlined online application and award system. Comprehensive artist assistance, including virtual workshops and personalized partner support, will be provided.

Targeted outreach, utilizing culturally relevant materials and community networks, will engage diverse artists. Fellowships will be awarded through five peer review panels. We will organize fellow convenings in Northern and Southern regions to celebrate deserved acclaim, build community, inspire future artists, and enrich California’s cultural landscape.

Organization Summary for Arts Council Santa Cruz County Culturally rich and historically neglected communities are elevated, celebrated, and have a position of power in the arts ecosystem that reflects their cultural assets Art and artists drive the County’s cultural and economic success and well being Santa Cruz County residents of all backgrounds are engaged in a continuum of meaningful and relevant arts engagement activities that provoke a greater sense of belonging BIPOC artists and arts organizations that serve the County’s BIPOC community are well-resourced and well-positioned for their important work To do so, the Council will pursue five strategic priorities: Promote an inclusive vision of arts in the County and the importance of vibrant and thriving arts ecosystems Increase investment in BIPOC communities and organizations in Watsonville and throughout the County Partner with a diverse set of actors to develop the County’s cultural economy Elevate the importance of high-quality, culturally relevant arts learning and support capacity and programming to foster the future generation of artists and art lovers Strengthen the Council’s culture and operations to enable its intended impact in the community Through grants to artists and arts organizations, arts education programs that serve more than 18,000 youth across Santa Cruz County, and community initiatives such as Open Studios, the Tannery Arts Center, and the Watsonville Center for the Arts, we help Santa Cruz County thrive.

Additional Information for Arts Council Santa Cruz County California’s 20 th Congressional District Arts Council Santa Cruz County Counties: Yolo, Solano, Sacramento, El Dorado, Alpine Application Open: May 4, 2026 Application Close: June 5, 2026 Fellowship Period: September 1, 2026 – August 30, 2027 Project Description for Teatro Nagual With support from the California Arts Council, Teatro Nagual will create an equitable, multilingual regranting program to distribute $240,000 in unrestricted fellowship awards to emerging, established, and legacy artists in Region 2.

Drawing on our experience managing the Sacramento Artists Corps and leading the Capital Region Creative Corps—where, as a City of Sacramento employee, I administered $3. 75 million in support of 208 artists and 25 organizations—we will implement a culturally responsive selection process centered on artistic excellence, equity, and social impact.

CAC funds will support outreach, technical assistance, adjudication, and artist convenings, while amplifying the visibility of awardees. Our approach prioritizes trust, transparency, and cultural competency to ensure historically underserved artists across the region access vital support to sustain and elevate their work.

Organization Summary for Teatro Nagual We were founded in 2006 when we opened the very successful musical, “Let the Eagle Fly,” about the life of Cesar Chavez. Besides doing full-length plays, we organize bi-lingual theatre classes for youth and for adults. We are frequently commissioned by other organizations to write and perform plays concerning environmental and social justice concerns.

Additionally, we hold Cabarets at the Sofia, Home of B Street Theatre and regular mixers for all Sacramento artists every other month at the ReUnion Underground in Old Sacramento.

Additional Information for Teatro Nagual Sacramento, CA 95823—6368 Nevada County Arts Council (NCArts) Counties: Del Norte, Siskiyou, Modoc, Humboldt, Trinity, Shasta, Lassen, Mendocino, Tehama, Butte, Plumas, Lake, Glenn, Sierra, Colusa, Sutter, Yuba, Nevada, Placer Application Open: April 6, 2026 Application Close: May 6, 2026 Fellowship Period: August 1, 2026 – July 31, 2027 Project Description for Nevada County Arts Council (NCArts) With support from the California Arts Council, Nevada County Arts Council will partner with its entire peer network of State-Local-Partners across our 19-county Upstate Region, building on our regranting and grantmaking experience to implement an equitable, accessible multilingual program that supports artists whose work demonstrates artistic merit, community impact, and a commitment to practice.

Funds will be used to grant Fellowships directly to individual artists, with remaining funds supporting outreach, technical assistance, panel facilitation, and program administration. Our approach will prioritize historically underserved communities across 47,000 square miles of rural Northern California through inclusive application and review processes that center multiple equity lenses.

Together with county arts agencies in every county, we will elevate artists as essential voices in advancing community well-being and shaping the cultural vitality and capacity of our Upstate Region.

Organization Summary for Nevada County Arts Council (NCArts) As Nevada County’s umbrella organization for the arts, we serve as convenors, consultants, researchers, strategists, advocates, supporters, funders, promotors, policy wonks, and general arts and culture cheerleaders for our community.

We offer Arts Incubator, providing fiduciary oversight, financial management, and other administrative services to help build the capacity of cultural initiatives or emerging arts collaboratives who may not yet have their 501(c)(3) status. We offer grant making services and an artist relief fund; we offer pro-bono grant writing consulting; and lead creative sector emergency preparedness and disaster response.

We engage in ongoing countywide cultural planning and evaluation, and regional and statewide peer learning and advocacy. We manage the county’s arts directory and community arts calendar, and engage in ongoing promotion of the arts sector through multiple channels. We administer two California Cultural Districts.

Grass Valley-Nevada City Cultural District and Truckee Cultural District were redesignated by the State in 2023 for an additional five years, implying a tremendous responsibility to grow and sustain authentic grassroots arts and cultural opportunities, increase the visibility of local artists, nourish community participation in local arts and culture, promote socioeconomic and ethnic diversity, and work against by-products of placemaking such as gentrification, displacement, and racism.

We run multiple Arts Education programs; Muse, a new widely distributed annual guide to arts and subcultures in Nevada County; an we are the Administering Organization for Upstate California Creative Corps, regranting 3. 38m in state funds over 19 counties.

Additional Information Nevada County Arts Council (NCArts) Nevada City, CA 95959—1833 California’s 3 rd Congressional District Nevada County Arts Council (NCArts) Los Angeles Performance Practice Application Open: April 20, 2026 Application Close: June 6, 2026 Fellowship Period: September 1, 2026 – August 31, 2027 Project Description for Los Angeles Performance Practice With support from the California Arts Council, Los Angeles Performance Practice (LAPP) will act as an Administering Organization in Region 6 (Los Angeles County) to administer funds for the Individual Artist Fellowships program, a program that is fully aligned with our core mission of supporting independent artists in the region.

Los Angeles Performance Practice successfully served as the Administering Organization for the Individual Artist Fellowships program for Los Angeles County during the program’s most recent round in 2022—2024 Organization Summary for Los Angeles Performance Practice Free Advice | Open consultations with staff and guest advisors from LA arts institutions to encourage a generous exchange of ideas, practices, knowledge, and resources.

Workshops | Professional development sessions cover practical skill-sets such as grant writing and budgeting, as well as creative topics like devising performance and dance practices. Research + Development (R+D) | Early project support gives time and space to multidisciplinary artists developing new projects. Includes childcare.

Accelerator | A cohort of independent artists meet monthly to deepen self-producing skills and resource new work. Casual | Artists show experimental work in early development to viewers for critical feedback. II.

Live Arts Exchange [LAX] Festival Since 2013, LAX has served as a highly visible platform for performances, immersive installations, happenings, and talks that are geographically focused around Downtown LA. LAX consistently uplifts underrepresented voices, engaging artists with limited resources whose projects would benefit from being witnessed. We connect projects to partners who can provide diversified systems of support.

We work closely with independent artists’ projects, providing the scaffolding of institutional support on every layer of development: ideation, grant writing, partnership cultivation, touring and management.

LAPP advocates for local initiatives with national impact: Individual Artist Fellowships | We administered unrestricted funds to a broad range of LA County artists as an Administering Organization for the California Arts Council in 2023.

Research in the Arts | A comparative study of contemporary performance-making examining geographic funding disparities, now expanded to include institutional networks for alternative governance in the arts. Bridge the Gaps | An artist recovery initiative offering microgrants and residencies to wildfire-impacted artists in Los Angeles, in partnership with the City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs.

Mentorship | Through the LA County Department of Arts and Culture, we offer paid internships focused on production and development in the arts. Additional Information for Los Angeles Performance Practice 110 Judge John Aiso Suite 722 South – Los Angeles & Orange California Assembly District 34 Los Angeles Performance Practice Get the latest news by signing up for our newsletter!

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