The 2024 Arts Education grant program opened in June.
Grant Program Overview
A high-quality arts education is vital for developing imaginative thinkers able to address tomorrow’s most pressing problems and contribute to the vibrancy and culture of their communities. Student involvement in the arts is linked to higher academic performance, increased standardized test scores, greater involvement in community service, and lower dropout rates. Unfortunately, arts programs are frequently cut from the curriculum for budgetary reasons. Consequently, schools turn to parent-teacher associations and fundraisers to continue to operate arts programs. This reliance on outside funding has exacerbated widespread disparities in access to high-quality arts education in our community. Community Foundation Sonoma County is committed to equitable access to arts education. Our Arts Education grant program supports nonprofits providing high-quality arts education for students furthest from these opportunities. Arts education curricula should be delivered by qualified Sonoma County visual, performing, or literary artists providing instruction and creative experiences directly to young people.
The Arts Education Grant Program is invitation only. If you feel your organization meets the criteria outlined below and should be considered, please get in touch with us.
Criteria
To meet the criteria of this grant program, organizations must provide students with the opportunity to:
- Create and share works of art within the visual, literary, and/or performing arts
- Share their work through informal presentations or performances
- Reflect and respond to their own or others’ art
In addition to meeting the above criteria, the requesting organization must be a Sonoma County 501(c)(3) nonprofit or an organization fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
How to Apply
This grant program is open by invitation only. If you have a program or project that strongly fits the Arts Education grant program criteria, please contact Baldemar Ruppert at bruppert@sonomacf.org.
2023 Grant Summary
10 grants were awarded in 2023. The median grant size was $15,000.
| Alexander Valley Film Society | to support the Integrated Filmmaking Intensive program |
| California Poets in the Schools | to support California Poets in the Schools programs with inspiring, poetry creation, arts education workshops |
| Knights of Indulgence Theatre United States | to support the Imaginists’ in-school theatre program |
| Luther Burbank Memorial Foundation | to support the LBC’s Artists in the Schools residency program |
| Santa Rosa Symphony | to support the Simply Strings program |
| Sonoma Community Center | to support Sonoma Community Center’s arts education programming |
| Sonoma Valley Education Foundation | to support the Creative Campus |
| Sonoma Valley Museum of Art | to support Sonoma Valley Museum of Arts program |
| The California Theatre of Santa Rosa | to support the Young Actors Studio & Left Edge Theatre |
| ViVO Youth Orchestras | to support the VIVO Youth Orchestra serving low-income, predominantly Latino students |
For questions about the Arts Education grant program, please contact:
