apply to become a creative corps community partner
Central Coast Creative Corps is a pilot grant program offering 23 awards of $140,000 to hire a local artist or culture bearer for 12 months to support community health outcomes and resilience.
Funded by the California Arts Council, the program’s goal is to uplift the creative workforce by catalyzing new approaches to culturally and contextually relevant engagement. Areas of focus include (1) public health awareness messages to stop the spread of COVID-19; (2) public awareness related to water and energy conservation, climate mitigation, and emergency preparedness, relief, and recovery; (3) civic engagement, including election participation; and (4) social justice and community engagement
Of the funding, $100,000 will compensate an artist for work on the initiative; with $20,000 allocated for materials; and $20,000 to the organization for administration. Read the full guidelines here.
Update: We were humbled to receive applications from 150 organizations accomplishing phenomenal work in the region, and would like to congratulate the 23 selected Creative Corps Community Partners:
Awardees from Santa Barbara County: the Barbareño Chumash Tribal Council; Community Health Centers of the Central Coast, Inc. (CHCCC); Family Service Agency - Guadalupe “Little House by the Park”; Freedom 4 Youth; Awakening Giantz; Blue Sky Sustainable Living Center of the Cuyama Valley.
Awardees from the Central Coast Region (counties of Monterrey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz, Ventura): Mixteco Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP); Community Health Trust of Pajaro Valley; the Coastal Watershed Council; Housing Matters; Esperanza Community Farms; Safe Ag, Safe Schools; The Village Project, Inc.; El Sistema USA/Salinas, Inc; Costanoan Indian Research Inc.; the San Benito County Clerk-Recorder-Elections; Lumina Alliance; RACE Matters SLO County; Nyeland Promise; LULAC Colonia Council; Lucha Inc.; the County of Ventura; and Santa Paula Latino Town Hall.
Map of Santa Barbara County’s lowest-quartile HPI tracts. The CA HPI (Healthy Place Index) evaluates health outcomes by census tract according to 23 key drivers — like education, jobs, and clean air and water. Lowest-quartile tracts are prioritized for this program, as well organizations serving populations who have been historically denied access to health-supportive resources.
Artists of all disciplines interested in program participation- please register for the new Central Coast Artist Directory, which will be provided to organizations receiving grants as a resource for hiring artists.
The directory will continue to be used to share information about grants, funding opportunities, teaching opportunities, collaborations, studio shares, and other resources.
