The Santa Barbara County Arts Commission and Office of Arts and Culture has announced the recipients of the 2019 Arts Making Impact (AMI) grant cycle. Arts and culture organizations countywide were eligible to apply for program support.
Among the recipients are: Youth Arts Alive in Santa Maria, the countywide Art Without Limits’ Arts Career Day Conference, and The Arts Fund in Lompoc for its Teen Mentorship Program.
Funding allocations were determined by a panel comprised of County Arts Commissioners and representatives from the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation. Through the program, a total of $50,000 will be disbursed.
AMI grants funds to projects and activities that enrich the lives of Santa Barbara County residents and aid a variety of innovative projects and collaborative efforts that leverage community resources and encourage greater and more diverse participation in the arts.
The $50,000 grant funding is made available through a strategic partnership between the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation and County Arts Commission through an established arts subsidy that earmarks $50,000 annually from Santa Barbara Bowl concert ticket revenue.
This year’s program was extremely competitive. Grant requests received from 49 organizations and artists totaled $230,000 with only $50,000 available. Per the program guidelines, organizations could request a maximum grant of $5,000.
The high volume of applicants demonstrates the commitment of organizations to planning and providing access to the arts for residents and visitors countywide. In the 2019 cycle, AMI grant funds will contribute to diverse programming throughout the county.
In Santa Maria, Youth Arts Alive will receive $5,000 in funding to provide culturally-responsive art classes for youth, creating viable social alternatives to gangs and violence. Classes are offered at no cost to youth and will be led by local professional artists.
Another AMI grant recipient, the Cuyama Valley Family Resource Center, plans to bring together artists, youth and permaculture education specialists to install four large sculptures using alternative building and sculpting materials.
This project is designed to help foster an increased sense of identity and stewardship in Cuyama.
Additionally, AMI funds will help support the Art Without Limits’ Arts Career Day Conference, where teens from across the county will have the opportunity to learn about careers in the arts.
In Lompoc, AMI funding will help The Arts Fund expand its Teen Mentorship Program, which offers local artists the opportunity to mentor high school students in their area of expertise.
Additional organizations receiving funding in the 2019 AMI grant cycle include: Boxtales Theatre Company, Everybody Dance Now!, Jewish Federation of Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Arts Collaborative with Marco Pinter and TOTEM, Mental Wellness Center.
PCPA- Pacific Conservatory For the Performing Arts, Ruben Espinoza, Santa Barbara County Trails Council, Santa Barbara Education Foundation, Santa Barbara Symphony Orchestra, and the Santa Maria Philharmonic.
— Gina DePinto for Santa Barbara County.