industries, with employers in both the nonprofit and for-profit realms. Services provided could include connecting students to existing CareerTechnical Education coursework, internships, job shadowing, on-the-job training, an alumni association for arts internship programs, and an online job board for employment opportunities. This would expand pipelines to more diverse staff in arts and cultural organizations as well as other employers in the creative industries.
and culture. The vast majority – 92 percent of those municipalities (81 of 88) – do not provide grants or funding opportunities for the arts, although cities often have a closer connection and deeper knowledge of local artists and arts collectives in their areas. While the Arts Commission’s Organizational Grant Program provides support for close to 400 nonprofit arts organizations, it does not have a way to support artists or collectives that are not organized as nonprofits.
Solution: Establish center(s) that link students and mature workers, especially those from communities of color, low-income, LGBTQ and disabled communities, and other communities that are under-represented in the arts, to educational, training and networking opportunities to help them gain skills to work in creative jobs.
This strategy is similar to a program of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs that funds the five boroughs to re-grant to small budget and fiscally sponsored organizations. It would initiate a 1:1 matching municipal arts grant program in LA County, with diversity, equity, inclusion and access built into the guidelines, to provide re-granting funds for fiscally sponsored organizations, collectives, traditional and folk arts and individual artists. Cities would be required to establish a formal system for reviewing proposals and making grant awards that meet professional standards and practices in the field, to ensure the funds are distributed fairly and equitably. This program would:
Partners: High schools, two and four year colleges, community organizations and businesses Projected Cost and Timeline: $490,000 ongoing annual costs
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE ARTISTS/CREATORS WORKING GROUP 6. Neighborhood Bridges: Municipal Grants to Expand Arts and Cultural Programming to All Neighborhoods and Communities
decentralize arts funding throughout the region,
LA County consists of 88 municipalities with diverse approaches and needs to arts
build infrastructure for diverse artists,
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