State-Local Partner Mentorship

The State-Local Partner Mentorship (SLP-M) program, administered by the California Arts Council (CAC), is designed to establish local arts agencies in the four California counties that currently lack such infrastructure: Alpine, Glenn, Kings, and San Joaquin. The goal of this initiative is to ensure that all counties in California have access to an official, county-designated organization that supports arts and cultural activity for the benefit of individuals and communities at a local level. Local arts agencies (LAAs) play a critical role by providing financial support, services, and programming to artists, arts organizations, and the broader community. These agencies may function as local government units, nonprofit organizations, or hybrid entities. The SLP-M program will award grants to existing State-Local Partners (SLPs), who will act as mentors to help cultivate new SLPs in the four targeted counties. Applicants must be current grantees of the CAC’s State-Local Partners Program to be eligible. Qualified applicants may include nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status in California, municipal, county, or Tribal government units, and fiscally sponsored entities. The maximum grant amount available is $50,000 for the one-year grant activity period, which begins October 1, 2025, and ends September 30, 2026. No matching funds are required. However, organizations with annual revenues exceeding $250,000 may not request grant funds totaling more than 50% of their most recently completed fiscal year revenue. The application period for this grant opens on April 2, 2025, and closes on June 5, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. Panel reviews will take place between July and August 2025, and funding decisions will be announced in September 2025. Funds are expected to be disbursed between January and March 2026. A final report detailing the use and impact of the grant must be submitted by October 30, 2026. To support applicants, CAC offers virtual office hours with Arts Program Specialist Jonathan Estrada. These sessions are scheduled for April 7, May 5, and May 27, 2025. Interested applicants must register in advance to participate. For any questions or technical assistance, applicants are encouraged to contact Jonathan Estrada at slpmentorgrant@arts.ca.gov. Applications must be submitted through the CAC’s online grants portal at calartscouncil.smartsimple.com.