Community Arts Enrichment Grant Awards

On April 30th the Arts Commission received 29 grant applications for proposed projects throughout Santa Barbara County. The grants were reviewed by a panel made up of County Arts Commissioners from the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Supervisorial Districts, a member of the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation and Arts Commission staff. Seventeen grant applications were approved for funding in amounts ranging from $600 to $3,500. The $30,000 available this grant cycle is the result of a partnership with the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation, its Education Outreach Committee and the County Arts Commission. Funds come from an established Arts Subsidy fund that earmarks $.25 of every Bowl concert ticket sold going to support the program.

Community Arts Enrichment (CAE) Grants are intended to support artists and arts and cultural organizations by funding projects and a variety of activities that enrich the lives of residents in Santa Barbara County communities. “For the first time, thanks to the SB Bowl Foundation’s Arts Subsidy Fund, the Arts Commission has a dedicated, sustainable funding source to support creative and cultural enrichment activities and opportunities to engage rural and underserved communities county-wide,” states Ginny Brush, Executive Director of the County Arts Commission.

Grant funds awarded will support a variety of new and innovative projects, joint and collaborative efforts that leverage community resources, and provide greater and more diverse participation in the arts. Programs funded ranged from support of an oral history program to be developed by the Lompoc Museum and Historical Society; a Mobile Arts Program organized by Play (People for Leisure and Youth, Inc.) and the Orcutt Children’s Art Foundation; support for Plaza Playhouse Theatre Group in Carpinteria; the Old Time Fiddler’s Contest in Goleta, and a variety of other arts education and music-based projects that benefit youth.

At the end of each program, or project, grantees will be required to provide a final report to the Arts Commission outlining the impact of CAE funding on their community.

The deadline for applications for the next Community Arts Enrichment grants will be September 30th 2012. Grant information is available online.