Administering Organization – Individual Artists Fellowship (Bay Area) Grant

Overview

Note: 

• The California Arts Council (CAC) has approved eight regional Administering Organizations (AOs) for the Individual Artists Fellowship (IAF) program: 1) Bay Area (Kala Art Institute); 2) Central Valley & Sierra (Kern Dance Alliance); 3) Inland Empire & South Coast (ArtsOC); 4) Far South (Commission for Arts and Culture / Cultural Affairs); 5) Central Coast (Arts Council Santa Cruz County); 6) Capital (Teatro Nagual); 7) Upstate (Nevada County Arts Council (NCArts)); 8) South (Los Angeles Performance Practice).

• If you are an individual artist, apply to the statewide fellowship program through the Regional AO listed above/below that serves your county.

• Individual artists must live in the region they are applying to and may submit an application to only one region.

Background & Purpose

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. The program includes three fellowship tiers with a different award amount:

CAC Emerging Artist Fellows – $5,000

Emerging artists are those in the beginning stages of making their work public and engaging the larger community in their practice.

CAC Established Artist Fellows – $10,000

Artists in the Established tier regularly make their work public and engage the larger community in their practice.

CAC Legacy Artist Fellows – $50,000

Artists in the Legacy tier can point to a significant body of work, produced over a substantial period of time, that has engaged their communities and that has made significant social impact.

The CAC approved eight regional AOs for the fellowship in September 2025. Each of the AOs has information and  details regarding their Individual Artists Fellowship programs, including application deadlines. If you are an individual artist, apply to the statewide fellowship program through the Regional AO listed below that serves your county. Please note: Individual artists must live in the region they are applying to and may submit an application to only one region.

• Bay Area (Kala Art Institute) - Counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Sonoma

• Central Valley & Sierra (Kern Dance Alliance) - Counties: Amador, Calaveras, Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Mono, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tulare, Tuolumne

• Inland Empire & South Coast (ArtsOC) - Counties: Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange

• Far South (Commission for Arts and Culture / Cultural Affairs) - Counties: Imperial, San Diego

• Central Coast (Arts Council Santa Cruz County) - Counties: Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Ventura

• Capital (Teatro Nagual) - Counties: Yolo, Solano, Sacramento, El Dorado, Alpine

• Upstate (Nevada County Arts Council (NCArts)) - Counties: Del Norte, Siskiyou, Modoc, Humboldt, Trinity, Shasta, Lassen, Mendocino, Tehama, Butte, Plumas, Lake, Glenn, Sierra, Colusa, Sutter, Yuba, Nevada, Placer

• South (Los Angeles Performance Practice) - County: Los Angeles

Region 3 – The Bay Area – Administered by Kala Art Institute

The CAC has selected Kala Art Institute to design and implement a fellowship program that supports individual artists and culture bearers across all disciplines in the Bay Area. 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 Individual Artist Fellowships program for the Bay Area (Region 3) serves artists residing in the following counties:

• Alameda County, Contra Costa County, Marin County, Napa County, San Francisco County, San Mateo County, Santa Clara County, Sonoma County.

Note: If you do not reside in one of the above counties, but are a resident of California, please apply through the appropriate regional Administering Organization listed above.

All Individuals may submit an application in one career tier only. Awards will be funded at the full dollar amount for each tier; partial awards will not be made.

Eligibility

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