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A Message from Our Director
Photo courtesy of Company of Angels. |
Dear Colleagues,
It has been a full summer at the Department of Arts and Culture and for arts, culture, and creativity across Los Angeles County with grantee summer programs, events, free concerts, and more — and August means it's Grants Season! Our core grant funding opportunities are open. Nonprofits with community and cultural services can apply for our Organizational Grant Program and Community Arts Impact Grant programs, while young people across the County can access two incredible paid internship opportunities — the Bloomberg Arts Internship for rising high school seniors, and the Arts Internship Program for college students..
We're also celebrating a major investment in the next generation of artists and educators through our Arts Education Collective Advancement Grant program. We've awarded 36 education agencies over $800,000 to expand dance, music, theater, media arts, and visual arts programming — work made possible through the generosity of the Board and the Arts Ed Collective's funding partners. And for those tracking the broader field, our education-focused newsletter has returned with updates, fresh research, and opportunities.
We take real pride in standing behind the organizations, students, and arts educators who make the County's cultural life possible. There's still a lot ahead. Read on for the details, and thank you, as always, for being part of this work!
Onward!
Kristin Sakoda |
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Organizational Grant Program (OGP)
Photo courtesy of Deaf West Theatre Company. Photo by Jeff Lorch.
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OGP provides Los Angeles County nonprofit arts organizations funding to address priority needs and ensure cultural services for our diverse communities.
Application Deadline:
October 5, 2026 | 11:59PM (PST)
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Community Impact Arts Grant (CIAG)
Photo courtesy of FA-MLI, Inc.
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CIAG supports arts projects and programming taking place at nonprofit social service and social justice organizations, and in tribal governments and municipal departments, enabling these organizations to deliver a wide variety of cultural services to County residents.
Application Deadline:
October 5, 2026 | 11:59PM (PST)
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Arts Internship Program (AIP)
Interns attend the 2025 Art Summit event. Photo by Yoko Morimoto.
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AIP provides eligible LA County arts nonprofits, municipalities, and social justice/social service organizations that offer arts programming with grants to hire undergraduate and community college students for 400 hours of paid work experience. The program will maintain a flexible timeline to be responsive to both students and organizations.
Application Window:
September 3, 2026 – October 8, 2026 | 11:59PM (PST)
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Bloomberg Arts Internship (BAI)
BAI interns on a cultural excursion to the California African American Museum. Photo by Monica Almeida.
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BAI program, started in 2012, is a national program that offers paid summer internships to rising public high school seniors at arts and cultural organizations. The Department of Arts and Culture is partnering with Bloomberg Philanthropies to bring BAI to Los Angeles County, as part its Creative Career Pathways for Youth work. LA County BAI provides an 8-week paid summer internship, along with professional development, college preparation support, dedicated mentorship, and educational and cultural excursions.
Application Deadline:
October 7, 2026 | 11:59PM (PST)
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ADVANCEMENT GRANT AWARDS FOR ARTS EDUCATION
Students and teachers at Azusa High School. Photo by Fiona Cansino. |
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We finalized awards this month for the 2026-27 Advancement Grant Program, totaling $812,600 to support 36 local education agencies. The program offers matching grants to LA County school districts and charter networks working to expand access to instruction in dance, media arts, music, theater, and visual arts. Entering the 14th year of the program, grant projects expand all the time. New band programs, film and dance instruction, mural residencies, and folklorico workshops are launching, and other projects expand access to instruments, curricula, and performance spaces. We're proud that these projects strengthen the continuity of arts education from elementary through high school, and the connections to college and career pathways in the arts. The Advancement Grant Program is made possible with funding from the LA County Board of Supervisors, Arts Ed Collective Funders Council, and direct contributions from the Herb Alpert Foundation, The Deutsch Foundation, The Music Man Foundation, and Sony Pictures Entertainment. |
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ARTS EDUCATION COLLECTIVE NEWSLETTER
RE-LAUNCHES
Students at Azusa High School. Photo by Fiona Cansino. |
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We relaunched our Arts Ed Newsletter this month, distributed to school districts, arts orgs, funders, teaching artists, and collaborators. It'll be produced quarterly to highlight events, deadlines, and programs related (or adjacent) to the Arts Ed Collective. This edition features, among other information and opportunities for the field, an announcement of Advancement Grant awards (detailed above), and a look at our new report, Drawing Connections: A Social Network Analysis of the LA County Arts Education Collective, which reveals the connective power of the network formed through the Collective's convenings and events |
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Public Artists in Development
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Professional Development Workshop Recordings
This spring, we brought back our Professional Development workshops specially crafted for artists! In this series, The PAiD Program took artists on a deep dive into fabrication related topics and skills specific to public art. You can watch any of the workshop recordings on our website for FREE. |
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IN BRIEF
- New federal work requirements are changing how many residents maintain access to food and health care through CalFresh and Medi-Cal. To help residents navigate these new requirements, which may include completing volunteer or work hours, LA County is setting up a Workfare/Community Service program that connects impacted residents with volunteer opportunities at designated worksites. If you’re part of a nonprofit, faith-based organization, or government agency, your organization may be able to help fellow residents meet the new federal requirements while supporting the needs of our communities. More info is here, and to see if your organization can participate, complete this form.
- We're proud to have been part of the Ford Foundation's America's Cultural Treasures regional initiative and now, to share a new evaluation of the effort from SMU DataArts. Collective Funding with Intention: Lessons from America’s Cultural Treasures Regional Grantmaking Initiative explores the implementation, outcomes, and lessons from this collaborative investment in BIPOC arts and cultural organizations. In addition to the full report, there's an accompanying article with key findings and takeaways.
- Also from our friends at SMU DataArts, we're sharing the Generative AI in the Performing Arts Survey, a study that will examine the real-world impacts of generative AI on performing artists working in theater, dance, and live music. It's meant for anyone who works in the performing arts, at any career stage, or in any creative role: performers, directors and choreographers, designers, and technicians. While there has been significant discussion about AI and the arts, there is very little information about how these technologies are actually affecting artists’ work, income, career opportunities, and creative practices. This research aims to fill that gap — the findings will be used to inform policy discussions, funding priorities, advocacy efforts, and field-wide support strategies for artists navigating the changing landscape of generative AI.
- Join staff from the National Endowment for the Arts for a September 16 in-person grant workshop to learn more about grant opportunities and the process for applying for federal grants to support arts projects. We'll be there, as well as staff from the California Arts Council and the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, to share information on additional grant opportunities to support artists and arts organizations throughout California. It's at the newly re-furbished Vision Theatre Performing Arts Center in Leimert Park! Register here.
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