General Operating Support

The California Arts Council’s General Operating Support grant program is designed to provide flexible, unrestricted funding to arts and cultural organizations across the state, helping sustain their core operations and artistic programming. Recognizing the challenges of economic uncertainty and the need for equitable investment, the CAC prioritizes organizations that contribute to the cultural health of California’s diverse communities and geographies. Eligible applicants include California-based nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations, municipal, county, or Tribal government units, fiscally sponsored organizations, and arts service or network organizations with annual revenue of $5 million or less. Arts producing or presenting organizations must have annual revenues of $1.5 million or less. Organizations must demonstrate that their primary purpose is the delivery of arts, creative, or cultural programming. This determination is based on the organization’s mission, purpose statement, and program summary, as assessed by CAC staff. The grant offers up to $30,000 for one year of general operations support. For organizations with total revenue above $250,000, a 1:1 match is required, and CAC funding across all programs in a single year must not exceed 50% of the organization’s most recently completed fiscal year revenue. Organizations with total revenue below $250,000 face no such funding limitations. Re-granting and pass-through funds are excluded from total revenue calculations. Organizations applying to the 2025 cycle of the State-Local Partners program are ineligible for this funding. Applications for the 2025 cycle open on April 2, 2025, and must be submitted by June 5, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. Awards will be determined after panel review during July and August 2025, with funding notifications expected in September. Grant activity begins October 1, 2025, and ends September 30, 2026. Funds are anticipated to be disbursed between January and March 2026. A final report is due by October 30, 2026. The CAC offers virtual office hours for technical assistance, hosted by Arts Program Specialist Leslie Giovanini, on April 7, April 28, and May 27, 2025. These sessions are drop-in and require advance registration. For further support, applicants may email Leslie Giovanini directly at genopsgrant@arts.ca.gov. All applications must be submitted through the CAC’s online application portal: calartscouncil.smartsimple.com.