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| | CALI Futures - Opens June 9 | | |
CALI Futures, a new grant program administered by CCI, builds on the CALI program’s longstanding legacy of supporting leadership in the arts and culture sector through approaches that adapt to evolving needs and changing times. This new iteration of the program provides grants of up to $5,000 to artists and cultural workers throughout California who are meaningfully contributing to alternative efforts outside traditional nonprofit and for-profit arts and culture systems that have not worked for everyone.
Applications open on June 9, and you can learn more about this new program here.
| | Zoo Labs: FUND - Opens June 9 | | | | |
Now in its sixth and final year, Zoo Labs: FUND provides grants of up to $50,000 to culturally rooted artists (i.e., artists whose work is deeply influenced by their cultural heritage, traditions, and community experiences and who draw upon the stories, symbols, practices, and values of their cultural background to inform their art) who face challenges or structural hurdles to accessing capital and aims to create more opportunities in the local creative economy.
Applications will be accepted from June 9 to August 7, 2026, at 11:59 a.m. (morning) PDT.
Interested in learning more? Attend the Zoo Labs: FUND Info Session on Thursday, June 11, at 12:00 p.m. (noon). PT. Register Here.
CCI will also host three virtual Office Hours sessions for applicants to ask questions and receive answers from staff in real time:
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| | San José Creative Economy Fund - Apply by June 26 | | | | |
The San José Creative Economy Fund awards project grants of up to $8,000 to arts-, culture-, and creativity-based commercial businesses located in the City of San José and involved in the production or distribution of the arts, including manufacturers, service providers, presenters, and designers, among others.
Applications will be accepted until June 26, 2026, at 11:59 a.m. (morning) PDT.
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| | Investing in Artists: Tools & Equipment - Apply by June 26 | | | | |
The Investing in Artists: Tools & Equipment program awards grants of $1,000–$5,000 to individual craft artists to purchase artistic tools and equipment that support their ability to make object-based work.
The 2026 round is open to individual craft artists, folk and traditional artists, and craftspeople residing full-time in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, or Virginia.
Applications will be accepted until June 26, 2026, at 11:59 a.m. (morning) PDT.
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| | Quick Grant - Apply by June 15 | | | | |
The Quick Grant program provides up to $600 in professional development funds to staff members of nonprofit arts organizations based in San Francisco or San José, as well as to California-based artists, creatives, cultural practitioners, and cultural producers. This program supports artists and arts workers with funding to enroll in workshops, attend conferences, and work with consultants, coaches, and mentors in order to build their administrative capacity, hone business skills, and strengthen the financial resilience of an organization, artistic practice, or area of cultural production.
Apply by June 15 at 11:59 a.m. (morning) PT for activities starting on or after July 16, 2026.
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| | Vallejo Artists Mutual Fund - An Update | | | | |
Launched in April 2026, the Vallejo Artists Mutual Fund, administered by CCI, provides financial support to Vallejo-based individual artists and cultural leaders whose work meaningfully contributes to keeping the local creative community active, connected, and thriving. Taking a different approach to artist support infrastructure, this Fund invites Vallejo artists to participate in a local redistribution process that empowers artists to see and name the people whose work meaningfully contributes to the vitality of their local arts ecosystem. You can learn more about the Fund, it’s goals, and the referral-based process here.
The Vallejo Artists Mutual Fund evolved from a previous program, the Vallejo Arts Fund, which was guided by the leadership, insight, and artistic vision of individuals deeply rooted in Vallejo. We extend our gratitude to the following individuals whose contributions influenced what the Fund is today (ordered by last name): Claudia Alick, Alison De La Cruz, Lori Herrera, Chelsea House, Kerby Lynch, ser marin luna, Maia Mills-Low, Suilma Rodriguez-Rizzo, September Thorton, and Maria Tucker. We also recognize the many community members whose participation in focus groups, surveys, and ongoing conversations, particularly throughout 2025, has also informed this work.
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CCI seeks grant panelists to support our California and National grant programs for individual artists and arts workers. Prospective panelists should be interested in the grantmaking process and in supporting individuals in the arts. We also encourage folks who are coming up in the field to consider serving on a grant panel as a professional development experience. All panelists receive an honorarium for their valuable time, insights, and efforts.
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| | Three of the Key Research Papers Behind The Cookie Jar Collective | | | | |
Read about the three studies that are shaping the Cookie Jar Collective—on understanding the current challenges faced by independent arts workers and on building a worker-centered benefits ecosystem.
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| | Beyond the Numbers: Measuring America’s Hidden Creativity | | | | |
Art is subjective. What is not subjective? How complicated quantifying the people who create and support art can be! Complications aside, R2i Lab commissioned Joanna Woronkowicz and Douglas Noonan, Co-Principals of I/O Research (and also co-founders and co-directors of the Arts, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship Lab and Indiana University’s Center for Cultural Affairs) to understand what it would take to take on such a herculean task. The result? Beyond the Numbers: Measuring America’s Hidden Creativity A report that “synthesizes what is known – and what remains missing – about the creative workforce and latent creativity in the United States.”
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| | A Better Future is Possible | | | | |
This summer, CCI is producing A Better Future is Possible, an intimate gathering of invited artists, creatives, funders, and cross-sector partners. The event will take place on July 30 in Berkeley, California. Together, participants will explore alternative models in which artists and creatives drive change and help create the conditions for economic, social, labor, and creative flourishing. We're excited to be developing this special gathering and look forward to sharing insights and learnings from the conversation in the months ahead.
Attendance is by invitation and space is limited. If this gathering resonates with you and you're interested in learning more, please contact us at events@cciarts.org
| | Meet CCI's New Grants Manager! | | | | |
As Grant Manager, Ikhsan (He/Him) has joined CCI after working with private foundations, corporate philanthropy, and nonprofits. He has handled over $200 million worth of grants throughout the country, as well as internationally, and at the state and local municipal levels.
In his latest positions at the California Endowment (where he is working on systems-change initiatives regarding the role of art in community health), the Culver City Arts Foundation (where he is developing Project Possibility and the Artist Laureate program), and through his work supporting Mastercard's grantmaking initiatives, he has worked with many creative entrepreneurs to enhance the creative economy. He is an advocate of the idea that art as a social change and a community inclusion technique, as well as local art, is a driver of economic growth and community-focused development.
Ikhsan has a Business degree with a concentration in Social Impact. He is a gym enthusiast.
| | Meet CCI's New Program Associate, Grants! | | | | |
Will Tamura (they/them) is a Bay Area-based culture worker championing independent filmmakers and advancing inclusive storytelling. They are deeply committed to art as a tool for political and social change.
Most recently they were a Programmer at Chicken & Egg Films, a non-profit for documentary filmmaking. While at C&E they specialized in grantee selection, creative development of supported films, and designing filmmaker labs. They also shaped strategic programmatic initiatives, including the Theory of Change and expanding support for trans and nonbinary filmmakers. Prior to C&E, they built a strong foundation in justice-oriented work as a Legal Assistant to Jim Chanin, a Bay Area-based civil rights attorney. They have also held roles at A24 and Cinetic Media.
Will received their B.A.s in Film and Political Science from UC Berkeley and their M.A. in Film and Media Studies from Columbia University. They are passionate about repertory film, mutual aid and queer literature.
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Senior Program Officer, AmbitioUS - The Senior Program Officer is a key member of the AmbitioUS team at CCI, which operates within a specific scope of responsibility and decision rights, in collaboration with other CCI teams. AmbitioUS is a time-limited initiative of the Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI). It uplifts alternative economies that expand equitable access to ownership, resources, and opportunities, ensuring that all communities can thrive socially, financially, creatively, and culturally. The initiative will sunset in December 2028, so we are looking for a motivated self-starter who can bring the work over the finish line.
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The following workshops are provided by our peers in the field, and are not affiliated with CCI. Please contact their respective presenters with any questions.
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At The Crossroads
CA LAWYERS FOR THE ARTS
6/3
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Virtual Legal Clinic for Creatives
SPRINGBOARD FOR THE ARTS
6/11
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The Pitch That Fits
SPRINGBOARD FOR THE ARTS
6/25
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Legal Basics for Artists
CREATIVE CAPITAL
Ongoing
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| | Do you have an upcoming professional development workshop/training for artists or arts workers? We may be able to share it in our monthly e-newsletter. Contact info@cciarts.org with details. | | The following funding opportunities are provided by our peers in the field, and are not affiliated with CCI. Please contact their respective administrators with any questions. | | | |
Emergency Resources for Artists and Freelancers |
Find a running list of resources and opportunities to support emergency needs.
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Emerging Artists Contest
GLOBAL
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The Dream Foundry Contest for Emerging Artists is an annual, no submission fees contest with cash prizes for new and aspiring artists. We accept existing portfolios, retain no rights to your submissions, and offer the opportunity to have your work reviewed by professional, working artists. In addition to their cash prizes, winners get featured at Flights of Foundry, an annual convention where industry professionals come to discuss all things related to the speculative arts. Apply by June 8.
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Production Grants
NATIONAL
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Dance On Camera recognizes that funding is crucial at all stages of film production. Whether you need to write a script, pay for a location, secure an editing suite, or pay your performers, our Production Grants can help you get closer to finishing your film. Production Grants are open exclusively to Dance On Camera Members. Applications typically open in the early Spring and grantees are notified in July. Apply by June 22.
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imprint: a QTBIPOC writing fellowship
NATIONAL
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imprint is a dance writing fellowship program designed for US-based BIPOC and/or queer dance writers. Artistic Director Bhumi B Patel will support 3 emerging dance writers through writing and publishing mentorship. Emerging means anyone who is not an experienced dance writer. Apply by May 15.
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Craft Artists Emergency Relief Grant
NATIONAL
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CERF+ offers $3,000 Emergency Relief Grants to craft artists who experienced a recent and substantially disruptive emergency or disaster. Applications rolling.
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| | | | Springboard for the Arts Seeking New ED | |
Our longtime friends and colleagues at Springboard for the Arts are seeking their next Executive Director as longtime leader Laura Zabel transitions after 21 years to lead the national Creative Change Coalition. This is an exciting opportunity to help shape the next chapter of a nationally recognized, artist-centered organization that supports artists in building sustainable lives and more just, connected communities. Springboard is looking for a values-aligned leader with imagination, experience, and a deep commitment to artists and equity.
Learn more about the role and apply below.
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