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APPLICATION PROCESS CLOSED

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The School of Arts and Culture at MHP (SOAC), in partnership with the California Arts Council (CAC) and SVCreates, is administering a pilot program with the goal of uplifting an inclusive workforce and supporting the vibrancy of organizations that create and preserve the cultural identities of all California communities.

The California Arts Council Administrators of Color Fellowship (CAC ACF) seeks to address the dearth of opportunities for people of color in arts administration, with the intention of creating a pipeline for people of color across and throughout the arts sector. CAC ACF programming is made possible in part by a grant from The James Irvine Foundation and a one-time increase in state arts funding.

The SOAC will pair 10 arts administrators of color with an equal number of arts and culture organizations dedicated to equity and community engagement for a nine- to 12- month paid fellowship.  Fellows and Host Organizations will represent the geographic diversity of California across nine regions.  The SOAC will administer the application process for both Fellows and Host Organizations:

  1. We will supply a suite of resources for Fellows, including a stipend of $50,000, and provide professional development opportunities and immersion in a learning community.

  2. We will also re-grant $35,000 to Host Organizations and provide them with guidance to create an effective fellowship experience for their Fellows.

As the Administering Organization, the SOAC designed the program delivery, is managing the application process, and will foster a cohort-based learning community for Fellows and Host Organizations.   

PROGRAM TIMELINE

Fellow and Host Organization Selection:

  • April - August 2020: Applications being accepted from Fellows and Host Organizations

  • September - October 2020: Panel reviews are conducted for Fellows and Host Organizations 

  • November 2020: Fellows and Host Organizations are selected

  • November - December 2020: Grants and fellowships awarded; public announcement

Fellowship Implementation:

  • December - January 2020: Fellows begin nine to 12-month placement

  • January or February 2021: Fellows and Host Organizations to potentially participate in the Irvine Foundation’s New California Arts Fund (NCAF) convening (to be determined)

  • April 2021: Fellows participate in program-specific cohort convening administered by SOAC

  • August - October 2021: Fellowships completed

  • December 2021: Program assessment and final report submitted

GRANT PROCESS

Applications will be evaluated by a panel with representation from CAC, SVCreates, SOAC, and other professionals from the creative sector, arts administrators and/or artists.

ADMINISTERING ORGANIZATION

School of Arts and Culture AT MHP (soac)

SOAC is a vibrant, cultural institution in East San Jose that seeks to catalyze creativity and empower community. For the past 10 years, we have been pioneering an approach to build authentic diversity and inclusion in Silicon Valley's arts and culture sector. We are excited to expand this work on a statewide level in partnership with CAC, The James Irvine Foundation, and SVCreates.

PARTNERS 

tHE California Arts cOUNCIL (cac)

The California Arts Council is a state agency with a mission of strengthening arts, culture, and creative expression as the tools to cultivate a better California for all. It supports local arts infrastructure and programming statewide through grants, initiatives, and services. The California Arts Council envisions a California where all people flourish with universal access to and participation in the arts. 

CAC recognizes the historic marginalization of people of color within the field of arts administration and acknowledges that the barriers to the arts and culture field among people of color are compounded by the intersection with socio-economic status, geographic isolation, gender identity, and disability. Structural and systemic barriers to careers in the arts include the culture of unpaid labor, educational requirements by employers, and geographic or social isolation from cultural institutions with paid staff opportunities.

SVCreates (SVC)

SVCreates is a network of leaders who care about the cultural and aesthetic quality of life in Silicon Valley. They are conveners, promoters, incubators, and investors in Silicon Valley’s creative ecosystem. Their mission is to accelerate Silicon Valley’s creative culture.

The James Irvine Foundation

The James Irvine Foundation believes every Californian – regardless of who they are or where they live – should have the opportunity to create a better life for themselves and their families. Support to Fellows and Host Organizations are made possible in part by a grant from The James Irvine Foundation.