CAC Established Artist Fellowship - Central California (Monterey, San Benito, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz)

The California Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship Program (CAC IAF) is a statewide grant program with specific guidelines for the Central California Region, serving artists in 17 counties: Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Stanislaus, Tulare, and Ventura. This application is for Micro Region 3, which includes Monterey, San Benito, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties. SVCREATES administers the program in partnership with the California Arts Council and local arts agencies.

The program offers three fellowship tiers: Emerging Artist Fellows ($5,000, up to 38 awards), Established Artist Fellows ($10,000, up to 22 awards), and Legacy Artist Fellows ($50,000, up to 3 awards) across the 17-county region. Fellowship grants provide unrestricted funding to support individual artistic practice. Applicants must be 18 years or older, have a minimum two-year history of artistic practice in California, and reside in one of the eligible Central California counties. Recipients of the 2021 CAC Individual Artist Fellowship are not eligible. Individuals may submit an application in one career tier only.

Applications are reviewed based on creative vision, aesthetic excellence, and community engagement and social impact. Required application materials include narrative responses (500, 250, and 250 word maximum responses), work samples (up to 10 digital images and/or up to 3 video/audio samples at 5 minutes maximum each), an artist resume, and a letter of support from a key stakeholder or community member. Optional supporting documents may include press materials, flyers, or programs. Legacy Artist Fellowship finalists must attend an online interview with the review panel. Jury dates are 6/1/23 - 7/31/23. Applications are submitted online through the designated Lead Agency for your county.