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May 2026

2026 Zoo Labs FUND Program Update

The 2026 round of the Zoo Labs: FUND marks the sixth and final year of programmatic support for Bay Area music entrepreneurs.

Launched in 2021, the Zoo Labs: FUND was created in response to the lack of financial capital available to Bay Area music entrepreneurs to start or scale their creative businesses. Over its six years, the FUND has awarded $1.14 million to 68 culturally-rooted, artist-led teams representing more than 200 individuals from across the region. Additionally, the Zoo Labs: FUND has also provided access to business education, mentorship, and networking opportunities for music entrepreneurs and teams, moving traditional business training to expand the infrastructural support that music creatives have access to across every stage of their entrepreneurial work.

From building music-centered community spaces to creating conferences that ensure cultural connection to traditional music, from opening Indigenous music schools to leading immersive retreats for musicians, Zoo Labs: FUND has continued to support culturally rooted, artist-led teams in expanding their music entrepreneurship in ways that foster creative expression, create space for healing, and strengthen local connection. Through Zoo Labs’ “Alumni Spotlight” video series, featuring entrepreneurs like Destiny Muhammad, Firebird School of Music & Art, Rahkii “Hyp” Holman, and Autonomous Region, we are invited to hear directly from many music creatives as they reflect on how the FUND has shaped their work and entrepreneurial paths.

While 2026 represents the final funding round for the Zoo Labs: FUND, more updates on Zoo Labs’ broader work will be shared later this year, including a new documentary and highlights from the final grantee cohort. Broader opportunities for music businesses are also emerging across the field.

Applications for the 2026 Zoo Labs: FUND will open on June 9, 2026. Find out more about the FUND, previous grantees, and review the guidelines for this final cycle here.

CCI GRANT OPPORTUNITIES

San José Creative Economy Fund - Opens May 12

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 from May 12 to June 26, 2026, at 11:59 a.m. (morning) PDT.

Interested in learning more?

Attend the San José Creative Economy Fund Information Session on Thursday, May 14, 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:

May 27 from 12:00-1:00 p.m. PT (Register Here)
June 16 from 4:00-5:00 p.m. PT (Register Here)

June 23 from 3:00-4:00 p.m. PT (Register Here)

Quick Grant - Apply by May 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 May 15 at 11:59 a.m. (morning) PT for activities starting on or after June 16, 2026.

Investing in Artists: Tools & Equipment - Opens May 19

The Investing in Artists: Tools & Equipment program award 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 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 from May 19 to June 26, 2026, at 11:59 a.m. (morning) PDT.

Interested in learning more?

Attend the Investing in Artists: Tools & Equipment Information Session on Thursday, May 21, at 9:00 a.m. 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:

June 3 from 9:00-10:00 a.m. PT (Register Here)
June 15 from 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. PT (Register Here)

June 25 from 1:00–2:00 p.m. PT (Register Here)

CALI Catalyst - 2026 Program Update

In June 2026, the CALI Catalyst program will launch a new iteration of its grantmaking, building on its long legacy of continuing to support the kinds of leadership the field needs now. Updated guidelines and application details will be released at that time.

Learn more about the history of the CALI program as well as the most recent grantees from the 2025 round here.

CCI ADVOCACY

CCI Grantee, Metagov, Announces The Protopian Prize

The Protopian Prize Fiction Contest invites artists, storytellers, and dreamers to share their vision of people working toward liberatory futures, meeting obstacles, and making real change. “Protopian”—a word coined by Kevin Kelly, one of our contest’s judges—means an achievable, optimistic future characterized by continuous, incremental progress rather than revolutionary leaps or a static, perfect state. Protopian stories imagine a future that is neither flawless nor catastrophic, but instead workably better than today. It’s about plausible progress rather than perfection or collapse.

Submissions open May 1, 2026, and will close on July 31, 2026.

Proof of Concept Short Film Grant

Black Film Space is collaborating with cliveRd., founded by friend of CCI, Danielle Bennett, to support and fund projects made by independent Black filmmakers.

Proof of Concept Short Film Grant is seeking one short film script under 20 minutes/pages that aims to serve as a teaser/preview for a feature film with narratives that feature nature.

The grant total will be $8,000, in addition, the winner will have the option to shoot at a private estate in Jamaica—an exclusive, complimentary location provided by cliveRd. The location can be used to tell the stories of multiple peoples not just of Jamaica.

WORKSHOPS IN THE FIELD

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.

Artful Entrepreneurship

RHIZOMATIC ARTS

5/7

Work of Art: Portfolio Kit

SPRINGBOARD FOR THE ARTS

5/13

Models for Artist Housing

ARTIST SPACE TRUST

5/19

In Person Artist Legal Cafe (Bay Area)

SELC

5/19

Niche Markets for Writers

SPRINGBOARD FOR THE ARTS

5/28

Legal Basics for Artists

CREATIVE CAPITAL

Ongoing

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.

FIND FUNDING

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.

Ashley Longshore Excellence in the Arts Award

NATIONAL

The Ashley Longshore Excellence in the Arts Award is a $25,000 unrestricted award supported by artist Ashley Longshore that deepens support for artists in the disciplines of Theater (Musical Theater), Design (Fashion), and Visual Arts. In addition to the cash award, artists will benefit from further mentorship and professional development opportunities that are intended to positively impact artists’ long-term career goals. Apply by May 6.

Rauschenberg Medical Emergency Grants

NATIONAL

The Rauschenberg Medical Emergency Grants program provides one-time grants of up to $5,000 for recent unexpected medical, dental, and mental health emergencies to artists in financial need* who are creating in the visual arts, film/video/electronic/digital arts, and choreography.

Only generative artists are eligible—artists creating their own, independent work, with recent and ongoing opportunities for the public to experience that work. To be eligible to apply, your average adjusted gross income for the last two years you’ve filed tax returns must be no greater than $75,000 ($150,000 for joint filers). Apply by May 12.

Anita Wetzel Residency Grant

NATIONAL

The Anita Wetzel Residency Grant is a new opportunity focused on mature artists (45 years old and up) to create new work and fully immerse themselves in WSW’s supportive environment. This residency gives artists the necessity of time and space, 4-6 weeks, to live and work away from the stresses of daily life. Artists may choose to work in any one or more of our studios: intaglio, letterpress, papermaking, screen printing, or darkroom photography. Apply by May 15.

Creation & Development Fund

NATIONAL

The Creation & Development Fund supports the creation, development and mobility of new artistic work that advances racial and cultural justice and results in live experiential exchange between artists and community.

The fund provides a framework for relationships to develop, over time, among diverse artists, arts organizations, and communities. Through the investment of commissioning funds from arts organizations and NPN direct subsidies, each project is eligible for multi-level support. Apply by May 18.

Rauschenberg Dancer Emergency Grant

NATIONAL

The Rauschenberg Dancer Emergency Grant program provides one-time grants of up to $3,000 to professional dancers facing dire financial emergencies, due to the loss or lack of recent/current live performance work, because of circumstances outside of their control. Apply by May 19.

Special Awards in the Arts Program

BAY AREA

The Gerbode Foundation announces its 2026 Special Awards in the Arts Program – Music Awards, dedicating $400,000 to support the creation and development of new music projects by California-based music creators.

This artist-centered initiative supports innovative composers, songwriters, producers, sound artists, and tradition bearers working across contemporary, experimental, and culturally rooted musical practices. The program reflects Gerbode’s ongoing commitment to investing in artists and the creative processes that bring new work to life. Applications open now.

Madrone Art Grant

BAY AREA

The Madrone Artist Grant is a microgrant and group showcase program rooted in the long, living history of Madrone Art Bar. From its walls lined with local artwork to its role as a gathering space for artists, writers, musicians, and neighbors, Madrone has long served as a quiet incubator for San Francisco’s creative life. This grant carries that spirit forward, honoring the bar’s enduring commitment to local culture by supporting visual artists and helping their work continue to circulate, evolve, and be seen. Applications open now.

OTHER RESOURCES

Creative Workers Rising

LOS ANGELES

The Arts & Culture Coalition of Altadena (ACCA) is hosting a resource fair for Eaton fire-impacted creatives on

May 30, 2026 from 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM at the Eaton Fire Collaboratory.

The event will connect artists, musicians, dancers, writers, and other creative workers with critical resources, services, and support for recovery, resilience, and rebuilding. Attendees can expect opportunities to learn about funding, housing, legal aid, and other forms of assistance, while also building community with fellow creatives navigating post-fire recovery.

National Arts Marketing, Development and Ticketing Conference

NATIONAL

Arts Reach is hosting the National Arts Marketing, Development, and Ticketing Conferences in 2026 in Seattle, August 11 & 12. Constituents of the Center for Cultural Innovation can take advantage of a special 3-for-1 registration offer and the lowest price by registering by the deadline. This conference provides two full days of networking and strategy-sharing under the theme "New Ways Forward—Relevance and Resurgence." Apply by May 21.

STAY CONNECTED