California Arts Council: the cultural equity and community arts framing

The Strategy

The California Arts Council (CAC) is California's state arts agency, funded by the state legislature and the NEA. Their funding prioritizes cultural equity — expanding arts access for communities that have been historically underserved, including communities of color, low-income communities, rural communities, and people with disabilities. The cultural equity framing: CAC wants to see how your project serves communities that have been historically excluded from arts funding. Name the specific communities and show how they are involved in the project — not just as audiences, but as participants, advisors, and co-creators. The CAC programs: CAC has multiple grant programs — Arts Education, Community Arts, Cultural Pathways (for culturally specific organizations), and General…