Expanded Access to Arts and Culture 2025
General Operating Support and Project-Specific Support Grants Available
Expanded Access to Arts and Culture
Grant Applications
2025-2026
2025 Expanded Access to Arts and Culture Grants Timeline
(dates subject to change)
Friday, March 14, 2025: Request for Proposals (RFP) Released
Tuesday, March 25, 2025. 6:00-7:30pm: EAAC Information Session at Fresno City Hall, Council Chambers, open to the public. This session will be live-streamed on CMAC at https://cmac.tv/gov/.
Wednesday, March 26, 2025. 3:00-5:00pm: Fiscal Receiver Information Session (for orgs interested in serving as a fiscal agent for project applicants)/ Zoom. Register here.
Friday, April 4, 2025 at 11:59pm: Letter of Intent (LOI) Deadline. ALL applicants must submit for review by this date to receive direct link to full application.
Monday, April 7, 2025, 6:00-8:00pm: Grant Writing Workshop at Fresno City and County Historical Society’s The Archive on Kern. 2120 Kern St, Fresno, CA 93721. Register here.
Friday, June 6, 2025 at 11:59pm: All applications for EAAC 2025 are due via Submittable. Direct links will be provided to those who successfully submit LOI.
*Additional Workshops will be held for applicants following LOI submission. Registration link will be sent to LOI applicants.
June-July, 2025: Grant Panel Review
August, 2025: PRAC reviews and adopts funding recommendations
September, 2025: Notice of Intent to Award
October, 2025: Awards Disbursed
July 1, 2025-June 30, 2026: Grant Activity Period
-
Request for Proposals: EAAC 2025
Fresno Arts Council invites applications for the following “Expanded Access to Arts and Culture” grant opportunities, furnished by City of Fresno tax funds generated by Measure P:
Emerging Organization General Operating Support (awards up to $50,000)
Established Organization General Operating Support (awards up to $400,000)
Emerging Project Specific Support (awards up to $50,000)
Established Project Specific Support (awards up to $150,000)
-
Review the Policies guiding the application process for Expanded Access to Arts and Culture grants, 2025-26.
Information related to eligibility, funding request amounts, application process, and more.
-
Interested EAAC applicants must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) in order to apply for the EAAC Emerging or Established Organization General Operating and Project Support Grants. LOIs must be submitted by the deadline (April 4, 2025) in order to be eligible to access the EAAC grant portal. Applicants will receive a direct link to the application once screened for eligibility in the applicant’s desired category.
Please allow two weeks for LOI review and notification.
-
Emerging Organization General Operating Support Guidelines
Grant Application Guidelines for Emerging Cultural Arts Organizations seeking General Operating Support. Deadline June 6, 2025 (must submit LOI by April 4, 2025 for readiness review).
-
Established Organization General Operating Support Guidelines
Grant Application Guidelines for Established Cultural Arts Organizations seeking General Operating Support. Deadline June 6, 2025 (must submit LOI by April 4, 2025 for readiness review).
-
Emerging Project Support Guidelines
Grant Application Guidelines for Emerging Organizations seeking Project Specific Support. Deadline June 6, 2025 (must submit LOI by April 4, 2025 for readiness review).
-
Established Project Support Guidelines
Grant Application Guidelines for Established Organizations seeking Project Specific Support. Deadline June 6, 2025 (must submit LOI by April 4, 2025 for readiness review).
-
EAAC Overview and LOI Information Session: Tuesday, March 25, 2025 6:00PM at Fresno City Hall, Council Chambers. Live-streamed on CMAC at https://cmac.tv/gov/.
March 25th Presentation Slides here.
Grant Writing Session at Fresno City and County Historical Society. Archive on Kern (2120 Kern St., Fresno, CA 93721): Monday, April 7, 2025: 6:00-8:00pm. Register here.
-
If your organization is interested in serving as a fiscal sponsor, please reach out to lilia@fresnoartscouncil.org
Potential Fiscal Agent Workshop: Wednesday, March 26, 2025. 3:00-5:00pm via Zoom. Register here.
Fiscal Sponsors
A Fiscal Sponsor is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that provides fiduciary oversight, financial management, and other administrative services to help build the capacity of charitable projects.
Fiscal Sponsors can apply for their own grant and can also apply on behalf of multiple different projects with different applicant organizations.
A Fiscal Sponsor must demonstrate a minimum of two consecutive years of arts and culture programing or indicate that arts and /or culture work of the sponsored project is consistent with/in furtherance of the sponsoring organization’s non-profit purpose.
A Fiscal Sponsor must be in good standing with the IRS, the CA Secretary of State, and the CA Office of the Attorney General.
NOTE: any applicant organization, Established or Emerging, using a Fiscal Sponsor is eligible to apply ONLY for Project Specific grants, not for Operating Support.
-
Review Panels
An adjudication panel made up of community members representative of the cultural, demographic and geographic diversity of Fresno will be assembled. They may include artists and culture bearers and Non-Profit administrators. The Commission and Fresno Arts Council shall ensure that grant applications are reviewed in a transparent, competitive process.
Fresno Arts Council invites applications for panelists via Submittable.
If you are interested in serving as an EAAC Application Review Panelist, please submit your application here.
For a copy of the guidelines in Spanish, contact the Fresno Arts Council at 559-237-9734
Para obtener una copia de las pautas en español, llame a Freno Arts Council (el Consejo de las Artes de Fresno) al 559.237.9734.
For a copy of the guidelines in Hmong, contact the Fresno Arts Council at 559-237-9734.
Hu rau lub Fresno Art Council ntawn 559-237-9734 yog tias koj xav tau ib daim ntawv luam u alus Hmoob txog peb cov lus coj qhia.
For a copy of guidelines in Punjabi contact the Fresno Arts Council at 559-237-9734
ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਵਿਚ ਦਿਸ਼ਾ-ਨਿਰਦੇਸ਼ਾਂ ਦੀ ਕਾਪੀ ਲਈ ਫਰਿਜ਼ਨੋ ਆਰਟਸ ਕੌਂਸਲ ਨੂੰ 559-237-9734 'ਤੇ ਸੰਪਰਕ ਕਰੋ
Support for Fresno’s Arts Communities:
About Measure P’s “Expanded Access to Arts and Culture Fund”
In 2018, City of Fresno residents voted to approve Measure P, also known as the FRESNO CLEAN AND SAFE NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS TRANSACTIONS AND USE TAX, a three-eighths (.0375) percent sales tax ordinance, dedicated to improving parks, arts, and recreation facilities, services, and access in the City of Fresno. Funds collected by the sales tax can be used for purposes including, but not limited to, clean and safe parks; new parks and recreation facilities; youth and senior recreation and after-school facilities and job training; improved walking and biking trails; the San Joaquin River Parkway; beautification of streets; and expanded access to arts and culture. Measure P is a renewable thirty-year initiative implemented by the City of Fresno with oversight by the Parks, Recreation, and Arts Commission (PRAC), a nine member committee established by the ordinance, with Mayoral appointments.
Twelve percent (12%) of funds collected by the sales tax are designated for improving access to arts and culture via competitive grants for cultural arts nonprofit organizations within City limits. This process is discussed in category 4 of the ordinance.
Fresno Municipal Code Section 7-1506(b)(4) Expanded Access to Arts and Culture.
(A) Twelve percent (12%) percent of the funds made available from Section 7-1504 shall be made available on an annual basis to invest in competitive grants for nonprofit organizations that support and expand access to arts and cultural programming.
(B) Grants funded pursuant to this paragraph shall be implemented by the Commission in partnership with the Fresno Arts Council, or its successor local arts agency, using multiple solicitations that allow for a diverse set of programs, with different program sizes and reach, including core operating and project-support grants, to be funded. The Commission shall ensure that grant applications are reviewed in a transparent, competitive process.
(C) Prior to the implementation of subparagraph (B), the Commission shall work in partnership with the Fresno Arts Council, and local arts and cultural stakeholders, to develop a Cultural Arts Plan for the City of Fresno that would identify needs in the arts and cultural community; prioritize outcomes and investments; and develop a vision and goals for the future of Fresno arts and cultural programs that are reflective of the cultural, demographic, and geographic diversity of Fresno. This process shall include a robust community engagement process, including multiple public meetings. The Cultural Arts Plan shall be updated every five years by the Commission.
(D) Funding for operating support distributed pursuant to this paragraph shall support organizational stability for arts and cultural organizations that reflect the cultural, geographic and demographic diversity of the City of Fresno; and reflect the proportion of each grantee's overall operations that serves residents within, or visitors to, the City of Fresno sphere of influence.
(E) Grants funded pursuant to subparagraph (B) shall prioritize organizations and programs that support and expand diverse public or youth engagement and equity.
Cultural Arts Plan Vision
Cultural arts in Fresno will be recognized, prioritized, inclusive, accessible, and continue to reflect, celebrate, and connect the community.
City of Fresno Cultural Arts Plan
Fresno’s Cultural Arts Plan was developed through a year-long process involving robust community participation. A partnership between a consultant group, Network for Culture and Arts Policy (NCAP), the City of Fresno PARCS Department, Fresno Arts Council, and the Parks, Recreation and Arts Commission (PRAC), with multiple opportunities for public surveys, meetings, and draft comments, individual interviews with community arts stakeholders, and research into Fresno’s cultural arts assets and needs, ultimately led to the approval and adoption of Fresno’s Cultural Arts Plan, which must be reassessed and updated every five years, according to requirements set forth in the ordinance. The Cultural Arts Plan was adopted by the Fresno City Council on August 10, 2023.
Fresno’s Cultural Arts Plan identifies the following goals, with associated strategies, in addition to defining funding priorities. These goals and funding priorities informed the development of Cultural Arts Grant Programs, managed by the Fresno Arts Council with stakeholder input and PRAC involvement and oversight.
-
See Cultural Plan for recommendations, strategies, and funding priorities:
-
Desired Outcome: Establish a strong foundation to support and expand access to arts and culture through grant-making and community engagement.
-
Desired Outcome: Cultural arts organizations and assets will be stabilized, restored and activated to expand access to arts and culture.
-
Desired Outcome: Expand access to a variety of arts and cultural education programs to provide educational opportunities for people of all ages.
Desired Outcome: Equip artists, cultural practitioners and organizations with the skills and organizational resources to stabilize and expand operations.
-
Desired Outcome: Elevate and celebrate arts and culture to strengthen a sense of community.
-
Desired Outcome: Expand access to arts and culture by eliminating barriers and investing in innovation.
-
Desired Outcome: Establish a strong foundation to support and expand access to arts and culture through policy planning and municipal investment.