Our Mission and History

The Fresno Arts Council (FAC) is a private, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 1979 under the name of the “Alliance for the Arts” by local artists, arts organizations and interested individuals who wished to create a voice for the arts in the Central San Joaquin Valley.

Our mission is to “enrich peoples lives through the arts.” Our purpose is to foster an arts community that recognizes and honors the contributions of its citizens to the arts; advocate to city, county, state and national institutions on issues of concern to valley artists; collaborate with community leaders, businesses, corporations, foundations and other arts organizations to bring artists and audiences together.

History and Funding

The FAC's first grant of $25,000 came from the California Arts Council (CAC) in 1980 and was designated to provide technical and administrative assistance to various arts groups in Fresno County. Within a year its purpose expanded to sponsor and encourage cultural education and creative activities as well as serve as the umbrella unit for all county arts organizations in such areas as legislation, education, and community awareness of the arts.

In addition, it coordinated and disseminated information concerning the arts. Beginning in 1991, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the FAC hired folklorist, Amy Kitchener who developed our program of folk arts locally and created performances and exhibits with cultural communities. The Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA) was formed under our guidance and now has incorporated and lauched its own organization under the leadership of Kitchener.

In the mid-1990’s Fresno passed the Arts to Zoo, a measure collecting .001% of sales tax for cultural organizations. The money was distributed for a year and a half before the tax was declared illegal. In 1998 the remaining money was given to the FAC and the Fresno Regional Foundation for distribution. The funds given to the FAC will be distributed until 2010 when the money will be deplete.

The County of Fresno does not contribute financially to the FAC. The City of Fresno provides office space to the FAC as in-kind support. We have an annual fundraiser, "Dining with the Artists," which has proven successful. Other income comes from grants, memberships, individual supporters, sponsors for our Horizon Awards event, and corporate sponsors. Our Executive Director does not take a salary.

Economic Base

Fresno, located in the center of California, is one of the richest agricultural regions in the nation. $2 billion worth of agricultural products are grown here each year though much of the processing of these products are done in Southern California or elsewhere. Most of the farm lands are in the rural, west side of Fresno where a number of cities in that area have a populations under 5,000. The work force for farming is made up primarily of migrant workers.

According to the Census figures in 2002, the median income for a family in Fresno County in 2002 was $38,455. The per capita income for the County was $15,495 with about 22.90% of the population below the poverty line.