Individual Artist Fellowship

Purpose

Through regionally based Administering Organizations (AOs), the Individual Artists Fellowship (IAF) program uplifts and celebrates California artists across all disciplines and traditions, highlights their excellence and acknowledges their leadership in shaping traditional and contemporary cultures. Excellence is defined by: A unique artistic vision A sustained commitment to creative practice Engagement with and impact on the cultural ecosystem

Description

The California Arts Council (CAC) is a statewide agency committed to serving California artists, arts organizations, and communities of all sizes and needs. Guided by racial equity principles, the CAC continuously evaluates its grantmaking practices to ensure fair and inclusive funding opportunities that sustain a vibrant, safe, and resilient creative ecosystem across the state. Through regionally based Administering Organizations (AOs), the Individual Artists Fellowship (IAF) program uplifts and celebrates California artists across all disciplines and traditions, highlights their excellence and acknowledges their leadership in shaping traditional and contemporary cultures. For this grant, excellence is defined by: A unique artistic vision A sustained commitment to creative practice Engagement with and impact on the cultural ecosystem Program Goals The CAC will select eight (8) Administering Organizations (AOs) to design and implement a two-year fellowship program that supports individual artists and culture bearers across all disciplines. This initiative is dedicated to ensuring equitable access to resources by reaching artists in all 58 counties. By providing unrestricted funding, the fellowship empowers artists at pivotal moments in their careers, enhancing their ability to contribute meaningfully to California’s diverse communities. Investing in individual artists and culture bearers through this program strengthens artistic expression, creative practice, and community collaboration statewide. The AOs will be responsible for the planning and implementation of the Individual Artists Fellowship program in their region, including but not limited to: Develop clear application processes and timeline that include managing the collection and screening of applications from individual artists and culture bearers and award management Provide access and support for individual artists and culture bearers throughout the course of the application, award, and evaluation processes Engage in robust, culturally and discipline-specific engagement and outreach to ensure comprehensive geographic reach within the service area Develop an adjudication process that includes peer review panels convened by the AOs and based on the following review criteria: Creative Vision: Artist effectively communicates their personal story, artistic medium or practice, and long-term aspirations for their work. Aesthetic Excellence: Artistic work and/or examples of cultural practice demonstrate strong alignment with the components of the Attributes of Excellence in Arts for Change1, including commitment, communal meaning, disruption, cultural integrity, risk taking, sensory experience, emotional experience, openness, coherence, resourcefulness, and stickiness. Community Engagement and Social Impact: Artist effectively communicates their engagement with their communities and the positive social impact their work has had locally, regionally, and/or statewide, addressing themes including but not limited to race, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. Convene fellows at least once over the course of the grant activity period to engage in networking and co-learning