The Cultural Funding Program seeks to bring Oaklanders together to create and support a sense of belonging through arts and culture.
Today the City of Oakland announced that applications are now being accepted for the 2022-2023 Cultural Funding Program grants to support arts non-profit organizations and community festivals. Applicants must be Oakland-based and all activities must be presented in Oakland between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024. Interested nonprofit organizations may access the grant guidelines and applications at www.oaklandculturalarts.org. The submission deadline is Thursday, August 31, 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 July and August. Details on the webinars will be posted on www.oaklandculturalarts.org
The Neighborhood Voices for Festivals Grant Program aims to bring Oaklanders together to create and support a sense of belonging within a community, foster social connections that lift our spirits, feed our community well-being and offer visions for our collective future through festival culture. The program will award grants of up to $20,000 to Oakland-based non-profit organizations producing festivals in Oakland. Grantees will be required to demonstrate a funding match of 1:1 for the City funding. Festivals are defined as a wide variety of in-person events that are free and open to the public, including small-scale and first-time festivals to large-scale and established festivals.
The Cultural Organization Assistance Grant Program is a two-year grant opportunity that supports Oakland-based 501(c)3 non-profit arts and culture organizations. Priority funding goes to groups deeply rooted in Oakland communities. The grants will provide general operating support up to $35,000 for two years. Organizations must have received funding from the Cultural Funding Program for at least two of the last four years. Fiscally sponsored organizations and individuals are ineligible for this grant opportunity.
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 riglesias@oaklandca.gov.
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 million annually in grants to support the arts; the Public Art Program, which commissions and supports public art across Oakland; professional development programs for artists and arts organizations; and volunteer advisory bodies of the City.