Folk & Traditional Arts Staff
Barry Bergey, Folk & Traditional Arts Director – (202) 982-5726 or via email
William Mansfield, Folk & Traditional Arts Specialist – (202) 682-5678 or via email
Cheryl Schiele, Folk & Traditional Arts Specialist – (202) 682-5587 or via email

Arts Education Staff
Terry Liu, Arts Education Specialist – (202) 682-5690 or via email

Challenge America Staff
Dinah Walls, Challenge America Specialist – (202) 682-5586 or via email
Erin Jenkins Waylor, Challenge America Specialist – (202) 682-5411 or via email

Funding Streams

There are two major streams of funding that folk & traditional arts organizations can apply to: Access to Artistic Excellence and Learning in the Arts.  There is also additional funding available through Challenge American Fast Track Grants.

Read more about the National Endowment for the Arts’ grantmaking and application process on the Alliance’s website.

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A Convening on the Economic Recession and its Impact on the San Francisco Arts Community

On January 12, 2008, the San Francisco Arts Commission, in partnership with Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, ArtsForum, and the San Francisco Foundation, convened a forum to discuss the economic recession and its impact on the arts sector in San Francisco.  Over 300 individuals and arts groups gathered and the event was intended as the first step in a multiple-objective process linking local government, the philanthropic community, businesses, and the general public.  The goal of these organizations' collaborative actions is to ensure that San Francisco’s cultural community survives the current economic recession.  The first of several such public discussions, the convening served to solicit feedback from the community on four central questions:

1. How does the economic recession impact you and/or your organization?
2. What are you doing in response?
3. What do you need?
4. What are possible solutions?

The complete 26-page notes from the meeting are available for download or visit the Art Forum blog by Theatre Bay Area to add your comments.

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The Alliance’s Traditional Arts Development Program makes contracts up to $1,500 to support consultancies, mentorships, and travel opportunities that foster a new level of growth for individual folk & traditional artists and organizations engaged in this field in California.  Requested services may be focused on organizational, program, and/or artistic development goals.  Individual artists and cultural practitioners, as well as organizations, whether incorporated or not, may apply.

A sampling of past contracts include:

Artistic Mentorships

Gen Taiko (San Francisco), an organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and presenting Japanese traditional arts including taiko (traditional Japanese drumming), traditional folk dance, and folk song forms. Its artistic director, Melody Takata, was trained by National Heritage Fellow Madame Fujima Kansuma to learn the Nihon Buyo (Japanese classical) dance called Kojo No Tsuki (Moonlit Castle Ruins). Ms. Takata taught the dance to four of her students and performed it at Gen Taiko’s 10th Anniversary Concert in November 2005.

Organizational Consultancies:

Kwashi Amevuvor (Los Angeles), a master drummer from Ghana, West Africa, worked with consultant Janet Planet, who assisted him with marketing and web design to develop professional promotional materials to publicize the work of the artist and the traditional cultural arts of Ghana. In addition, Ms. Planet’s consultancy supported Mr. Amevuvor’s efforts in organizing a cultural study tour of Ghana.

Travel Opportunities

The Eszterlánc Hungarian Folk Ensemble (Foster City) traveled to Southern California to perform for an audience of over two thousand at the annual Magyar Sajtónap (Hungarian Press Day) hosted by the newspaper California Hungarians. At this event Eszterlanc dancers had the opportunity to perform with members of the Karpatok Folk Ensemble of Southern California, which is led by Istvan Szabo.

Requests for organizational consultancies, artistic mentoring, and travel support may be submitted to the Alliance at any time.  Download the application and application instructions from the Alliance’s website or call (559) 237-9812 to request a copy be mailed to you.

The Alliance’s Traditional Arts Development Program is supported by grants from the California Arts Council, the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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Native Arts @ NEFA
The National Native Artists Exchange
New England Foundation for the Arts

Deadline – Ongoing

The Native Artist Exchange, a program of the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), provides support for Native artists residing in any of the 50 United States to travel to different regions of the country so that they may exchange artistic knowledge and skills. This fund is designed to encourage and assist American Indian, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian artists, and provides an opportunity for Native artists to teach, learn, and collaborate in traditional and/or contemporary Native art forms through travel from one region to another across the nation.

For more information, including guidelines and application materials, visit the New England Foundation for the Arts’ website.

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The Guitar Center Music Foundation

Deadline – Ongoing

The Guitar Center Music Foundation’s mission is to aid nonprofit music programs across America that offer music instruction so that more people can experience the joys of making music.

The Guitar Center Music Foundation accepts grant applications throughout the year from 501(c)(3) organizations that offer music instruction programs to participants of any age.  The applicant program must successfully enhance the state of music education in the United States.  The Grant Committee reviews all applications three times yearly, and grant awards range from $500 to $5,000.

For more information visit the Guitar Center Music Foundation’s website.

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Creative Connections Fund
James Irvine Foundation
Deadline: March 6, 2009

The Creative Connections Fund supports creativity and the expansion of diverse, relevant cultural offerings in local communities across California and primarily outside San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.  The Fund offers project grants of up to $50,000, over a maximum of 24 months, through an open, competitive review process.

The Creative Connections Fund aims to support small and midsize arts organizations with a diversity of projects and ideas. Our rationale is two-fold.

To view a list of the most recent Creative Connections Fund grantees, visit the James Irvine Foundation's website.

For more information, including guidelines and application process, visit the James Irvine Foundation’s website.

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Grants for Arts Projects – Access to Artistic Execllence
National Endowment for the Arts

Deadline: March 12, 2009

Access to Artistic Excellence grants are designed to encourage and support artistic excellence, preserve our cultural heritage, and provide access to the arts for all Americans. Support is available to organizations for projects that do one or more of the following:

• Provide opportunities for artists to create, refine, perform, and exhibit their work.
• Present artistic works of all cultures and periods.
• Preserve significant works of art and cultural traditions.
• Enable arts organizations and artists to expand and diversify their audiences.
• Provide opportunities for individuals to experience and participate in a wide range of art forms and activities.
• Enhance the effectiveness of arts organizations and artists.
• Employ the arts in strengthening communities.

The National Endowment for the Arts is particularly interested in projects that extend the arts to underserved populations – those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. An organization may request a grant amount from $5,000 to $150,000.

For more information, including guidelines and instructions to apply, visit the National Endowment for the Arts’ website.

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Performing Diaspora
CounterPULSE

Deadline: March 16, 2009

CounterPULSE's Performing Diaspora is a festival, residency program, commissioning program, and symposium featuring dance, music, theater, media and interdisciplinary artists who are using traditional forms as a basis for experimentation and innovation.  Created in partnership with several local and statewide organizations, Performing Diaspora is a two-year initiative challenging artists and audiences to explore the evocative questions associated with this work.

Performing Diaspora represents a significant and sustained engagement between CounterPULSE and artists, designed to support artists and instigate dialogue & exchange.

Performing Diaspora includes:

• Residency Period—June & November 2009, including free studio space to develop work
• Work-in-Progress Showings—Monthly work-in-progress showings where artists will receive & offer feedback on each other's work
• Symposium—Artists will be invited to participate in community discussions and a symposium about innovation within traditional performance.
• Performing Diaspora Festival—November 5-22, 2009, at CounterPULSE; Artists will perform one weekend of festival and will receive payment for their work
• Additional Support—Select festival artists will be selected to receive a 2nd year of support including commissioning and presentation of a full-length performance work.
• This program is open to artists and groups who reside in the state of California, are over 18, and who use traditional forms as a basis for experimentation & innovation.

Application Workshops:

We encourage you to attend one of our application workshops. Both workshops will take place at CounterPULSE, 1310 Mission Street @ 9th, San Francisco.  To register for a workshop, email or call 415.626.2060.

Thursday, February 26th, 7-8:30pm
Saturday, March 7th, 11am-12:30pm

The Performing Diaspora Program is made possible by support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Columbia Foundation, the James Irvine Foundation, the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, the Ken Hempel Fund for the Arts, San Francisco Grants for the Arts, the San Francisco Foundation and the members and supporters of CounterPULSE.

To find out more about the Performing Diaspora program, and to download full application information, visit CounterPULSE’s website.

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Young Ambassors Program
Smithsonian Latino Center

Deadline: March 31, 2009

The Smithsonian Latino Center's Young Ambassadors Program consists of an in-depth seminar designed to encourage Latino youth to examine and embrace their cultural identity and an internship opportunity that increases the participants exposure to the arts and culture field.  The goal of the program is to foster knowledge and pride in Latino cultural identity, as well as provide the participants with financial support with which to seek higher education.  Through the program, we empower Latino youth to develop leadership and academic skills.  This program is made possible through the generous support of Ford Motor Company Fund.

For more information, including guidelines and application materials, visit the Smithsonian Latino Center’s website.

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Common Ground Initiative
First Nations Composer Initiative
Deadline: April 1, 2009

The First Nations Composer Initiative, a program of the American Composers Forum, is dedicated to serving the needs of American Indian, Alaska Native, First Nations, and Indigenous makers of new music throughout Indian Country.

The Common Ground Initiative seeks applications from indigenous makers of new music (composers, performers, groups, sound artists, songwriters, etc.) from the United States and Canada to support creation, performance, and audience/community building activities involving native musical artists.

The goals of Common Ground are to support activities that boost traditional and contemporary indigenous creative musicians through commissions, residencies, performance and production, travel/study, and outreach.

Individual awards will range from $500 to $7,500.  Grants are designed to give an immediate financial boost to makers of new music at a time when this help would have a significant career-enhancing effect.

For more information visit the First Nations Composers Initiative’s website.

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California Story Fund
California Council for the Humanities

Deadline: April 1, 2009

The California Story Fund is a small grants program to fund unique story projects in communities throughout the state.  The projects that make up the California Story Fund provide opportunities for Californians to contribute their stories to the evolving story of our state.

The Council will award grants of up to $10,000 to nonprofit organizations for public humanities programs that bring to light compelling stories from California’s diverse communities and provide opportunities for collective reflection and public discussion.

You can learn about the California Story Fund in an upcoming webinar.

The webinars will be held on the following dates:

Thursday, February 26, 2009 – 3:30-5:00 pm
Wednesday, March 4, 2009 – 12:00-1:30 pm
Monday, March 9, 2009 – 7:00-8:30 pm

To register for a webinar, please email the Council.  Attendance is on a first-come-first-served basis. There is a limit of 20 participants per webinar session.

When registering, please include your:

Name:
Organization:
Address/City/State/Zip Code:
Phone number:
E-mail address:

Please indicate your first and second choice of webinar dates.

After registering, you will be notified of the webinar you are enrolled in and receive instructions for joining the meeting. Please note: Webinar participation will require a computer with an Internet connection and involve a long distance telephone call.

For more information about the California Story Fund, including guidelines and application forms, visit the California Council for the Humanities’ website.

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Opportunities & Resources

Building Leadership for Change: Connecting Services to Social Movements

Thursday, March 12, 2009 – 8:30 am to 5:00 pm
Preservation Park, Nile Hall
1233 Preservation Park Way
Oakland, California

Propelled by community organizing and civic engagement, there has been a historic shift in our nation’s leadership. Are you thinking about new opportunities and challenges in social change? What are the potential impacts of the economic crisis? Are there creative ways we can think about our work in this context? Many of our organizations work with and serve low income immigrants and communities of color-- What are the creative ways to engage our constituents and clients to build leadership and power?

You should come if:

• Your organization provides services to, advocates for or works to inform low income immigrants and people of color in the Bay Area AND
• You are interested in exploring the potential for leadership development, community organizing and social change in your organization.

Explore and learn about:

• Different models of how other organizations build leadership and engage constituents for social change through service work
• The economic crisis and its impact on our communities, organizations and government and foundation funding
• Making impact together: Opportunities and challenges of coalition work

Childcare, food, and translation provided.

Register online or contact (415) 821-4808, extension 103.

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Disaster Relief Assistance
Craft Emergency Relief Fund

The Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF), a national organization supporting craft artists, would like to make sure that any professional craft artists who may have been affected by California’s wildfires is aware of the disaster relief assistance available from CERF.

CERF’s programs include:

• Grants up to $1,500

• Loans up to $8,000

• Booth fee waivers at craft shows

• Discounts on materials and equipment from craft suppliers

• Assistance with business development

• Disaster forums to facilitate craft community disaster preparedness and recovery

For more information visit CERF’s website.

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Americans for the Arts Archived Webinars

Americans for the Arts produces a series of webinars presented by field experts; topics range from leadership succession in the arts to arts in rural communities to the election’s impact on the arts.  Americans for the Arts has recorded and archived each webinar produced from September to December 2008 and has made them available for purchase and download.

The webinars are flexible enough to meeting demanding schedules and affordable enough for multiple use.  Each webinar is $85 for members and $125 for non-members.

For more information visit Americans for the Arts’ Webinars website.

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Health Insurance for Artists: Information and Resources

According to the Urban Institute's 2003 study, Investing in Creativity: A Study of the Support Structure for U.S. Artists, access to quality, affordable healthcare is one of the most difficult challenges facing artists today in the U.S.  Indeed, it is one of the most difficult challenges facing many Americans.  Artists in the workforce, in particular, exhibit a clear need for better information about healthcare and health insurance options, and about how to improve access to resources locally.

In an effort to deliver information and resources to artists, organizations, and communities on options for affordable, local healthcare and health insurance, The Artists Health Insurance Resource Center (AHIRC) and Leveraging Investments in Creativity (LINC), both in partnership with the Actors Fund, have compiled extensive information regarding health insurance and healthcare for artists.  The information is available to everyone without charge.

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Online Training Courses to Master Proposal Writing

The Foundation Center hosts several online training courses in proposal writing.  The Statement of Need helps novice or inexperienced grantseekers master a critical component of proposal writing – preparing a statement of need.  The Project Description is an in-depth look into the preparation and writing of the project description section of a proposal.  The Budget demystifies the preparation of the project budget included in funding proposals.  The Comprehensive Course is a thorough, step-by-step guide to preparing an effective proposal for foundation support, covering every section of the proposal.  The courses include interactive exercises and assignments, case studies, a final exam, and a printable certificate of completion.  Lessons can be taken at any pace, and can be reviewed often.  For more information visit the Foundation Center’s website.

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FEATURES

What's New

Funding

Events

Opportunities & Resources

ABOUT ACTA

The Alliance for California Traditional Arts strives to "ensure California's future holds California's past" by providing programs and services to support the state's diverse living cultural heritage. The Alliance cultivates the growth of traditional arts and culture through Stewardship, Services to Artists, and Connection-Making.

Support ACTA

CONTACT ACTA

Website:
http://www.actaonline.org

Staff:
Amy Kitchener, Executive
Director
akitch@actaonline.org
559.237.9813

Sherwood Chen, Associate Director
sherwood@actaonline.org
415.346.3800

Lily Kharrazi, Living Cultures Grants Program Manager
lilyk@actaonline.org
415.346.5200

Suzanne Hildebrand, Administrative Coordinator
The New Moon Editor stoler@actaonline.org
559.237.9812

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Melanie Beene
Executive Director, Community Initiative Funds
San Francisco Foundation
San Francisco, CA

Emmett Castro, V.P. of Finance and Administration
Certified Public Accountant, Castro Accountancy Corporation
Fresno, CA

Jo Farb Hernandez, Secretary
Director, Natalie and James Thompson Art Gallery, School of Art and Design, San Jose State University
Director, SPACES
Principal, Curatorial and Museum Management Services
Watsonville, CA

Joel Jacinto,
Executive Director, Search to Involve Pilipino Americans
Los Angeles, CA

Sojin Kim, Ph.D.
Curator,History Department, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
Los Angeles, CA

Amy Kitchener (ex officio)
Executive Director, ACTA
Fresno, CA

Frank LaPena
Professor Emeritus, American Indian Studies, CSU Sacramento;
Traditional Maidu dance master; Visual Visual Artist
Sacramento, CA

Malcolm Margolin
Founder and Publisher, Heyday Books
Executive Director, Heyday Institute
Berkeley , CA

Libby Maynard
Co-founder and Executive Director, Ink People Center for the Arts
Eureka, CA 

Chike Nwoffiah, V.P. of External Development
Executive Director, Oriki Theatre
Mountain View, CA

Peter Pennekamp, Executive Director
Humboldt Area Foundation
Bayside, CA

Amy Rouillard
Senior Programs Manager, California Council for the Humanities
San Diego, California

Charlie Seemann, Board President
Executive Director, Western Folklife Center
Elko, NV

Daniel Sheehy, Ph.D.
V.P. of Governance
CEO, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
Washington, D.C.

Deborah Wong, Ph.D.
Professor of Music
University of California, Riverside

Honorary

Bess Lomax Hawes
Retired Former Director, Folk & Traditional Arts Program, National Endowment for the Arts
Woodland Hills, CA

FUNDERS

THE COLUMBIA FOUNDATION

EAST BAY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

EVENTS

Get your personalized plate.
Proceeds from the plate sales will benefit the California Arts Council (CAC).

To subscribe to the weekly CAC Update, please visit their website.