Artistic Innovation Program

The Investing in Artists: Artistic Innovation program is administered by the Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI), an organization established to enhance the working lives and creative support systems for California artists across all disciplines. Since its inception in 2007, and through the backing of The James Irvine Foundation and The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the program has awarded over $2 million to more than 300 artists throughout California. The program’s current cycle, supported by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, continues this legacy with an emphasis on fostering artistic innovation in the Bay Area. The purpose of the Investing in Artists: Artistic Innovation program is to support Bay Area working artists in the performing and media arts who are creating new work that advances their creative processes, encourages new collaborations, and supports artistic growth and experimentation that pushes the boundaries of their disciplines. Eligible disciplines include dance, music, musical theatre, opera, theatre, video, film, and animation. The program aims to serve artists who represent a wide range of cultural expressions and artistic practices within these fields. The program offers a competitive application process with approximately eight grants of up to $9,000 awarded annually over three rounds from 2024 to 2026. Each round targets different counties in the Bay Area to ensure geographic diversity. For the 2025 round, eligible applicants must reside full-time in San Mateo, Santa Clara, or Santa Cruz counties during the application and grant period (October 2025 to October 2026). In 2026, eligibility will extend to artists residing in Marin, Napa, Solano, or Sonoma counties. Eligible applicants must be individual working artists who meet specific criteria: they must propose a new project that has not occurred before the start of the grant period, have presented work publicly within the last three years, and be at least 18 years old at the time of application. A working artist is defined as someone who has received training in an artistic discipline, dedicates at least ten hours per week to their artistic practice, identifies as a professional artist, and seeks to derive income from their work. Certain groups and individuals are ineligible, including artist collectives, nonprofit or fiscally sponsored organizations, students, group performances, and individuals with conflicts of interest related to CCI. The 2025 application cycle opens on June 9, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. PT. An information session will be held on June 25, 2025, from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. PT. Additionally, CCI will host Office Hours on July 2, July 9, and July 16, 2025, to address applicant questions. The application deadline is July 25, 2025, at 11:59 a.m. PT, with notifications sent by September 29, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. PT. The grant support period runs from October 2025 through October 2026. Applicants are encouraged to review the program’s guidelines, FAQs, and application preview documents before applying. For support, applicants can contact CCI staff via email at grants@cciarts.org or by phone at 415-288-0530. Technical assistance is provided through Submittable’s support platform. The program is made possible through the generous support of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

Applicants are encouraged to review grant guidelines, FAQs, and application preview documents prior to applying.