PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The Creative Economy Fund (fka Creative Industries Incentive Fund) awards project grants to arts, cultural, and creative-based commercial businesses that are located in the City of San José and involved in the production or distribution of the arts, including manufacturers, service providers, presenters, and designers, among others. Funding supports projects and activities aimed at building successful arts, cultural, and creative-based small businesses in San José. For the 2025 grantmaking round, a total of $40,000 is available.

Grants of up to $8,000 will be awarded through a competitive grant application process. Competitive applicants will contribute to the city’s cultural vibrancy, demonstrate readiness for project implementation, grow and achieve greater financial resilience, and demonstrate economic impact(e.g., attracting visitors, generating sales tax, creating jobs) in the City of San José. Competitive applicants will also reflect the City’s diverse cultural communities and creative-based commercial landscape.

The Creative Economy Fund is an initiative of the City of San José Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs (OEDCA). The Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI), a nonprofit intermediary focused on the economic security of individuals in the arts, is partnering with OEDCA to administer it. 

Please visit the San José Creative Economy Fund webpage here to view an application preview (.doc and .pdf versions), grant guidelines, and frequently asked questions.

ELIGIBILITY 

To be eligible for Creative Economy Fund consideration, businesses must meet the following criteria: 

• Be a commercial enterprise, including small businesses (defined by the City of San José as businesses with 35 employees or less) and sole proprietorships (Note: businesses do not have to be brick and mortar; they can be online storefronts or nomadic enterprises);
• Be based in San José;
• Primarily provides a cultural, creative, or arts-related service or product; 
• Be in good standing with the City of San José, evidenced through possession of an active San José business tax certificate (aka business license, business permit)* and fulfillment of OEDCA or any other City department’s funding requirements, if applicable; and
• Cannot have a conflict of interest (family or financial relationships) with the boards, staff, and directors of CCI or OEDCA.

Past CIIF grantees, along with past and current Creative Economy Fund grantees, are eligible to apply if a final report has been submitted to and approved by CCI prior to the deadline of June 20, 2025. Please note that first-time applicants may be prioritized.

HOW TO APPLY 

Applications will be accepted from April 28, 2025, at 9 a.m. PT through June 20, 2025, at 11:59 a.m. (morning) PT. Complete applications must be submitted by the deadline—no exceptions will be made. In addition, applications with missing or inaccessible content (e.g., corrupted or password-protected files) will not be reviewed.

Businesses with more than one owner, principal, et al., will select a single representative (i.e., a lead applicant) to create a Submittable account and apply. If funding is approved, this individual will be responsible for fulfilling the grant requirements.

QUESTIONS & SUPPORT

CCI staff are here to help and listen. For assistance, please email us at grants@cciarts.org (include Creative Economy Fund in the subject line) or call 415.288.0530. You may also schedule a time to speak here. For Deaf applicants and those with hearing loss, contact CCI using the California Relay Service—our staff is trained in making and receiving these calls.

For technical assistance (e.g., upload issues), request support at: https://www.submittable.com/help/submitter/. Submittable’s business hours are 9 am – 5 pm MT. They aim to respond within 24 business hours.

*Para obtener un paquete de solicitud completo y preguntas frecuentes, visite la página web de Pa'lante aquí.*

El Programa de Becas para Artistas Pa’lante, una iniciativa de LA ASAMBLEA, apoya a las personas que son trabajadoras de las artes y la cultura del condado de Sonoma con $30,000 en fondos sin restricciones.

LA ASAMBLEA se compromete a un proceso de solicitud justo y transparente para el Programa de Becas para Artistas Pa'lante. La misión de LA ASAMBLEA es promover a las personas que son trabajadoras de las artes y la cultura del Condado de Sonoma: económicamente, por medio de la educación, proporcionando espacios para convivir y promoviendo la salud y el bienestar. 

En el segundo año del Programa de Becas para Artistas Pa'lante, se anima a todos las personas trabajadoras de las artes y la cultura que hablan español con lazos significativos con el Condado de Sonoma a presentar su solicitud. Si necesita asistencia para acceder a la información del programa o requiere un proceso de solicitud adaptado, por favor comuníquese con nosotros al menos una semana antes de la fecha límite de solicitud para obtener más información. Debido al gran volumen de solicitudes, es posible que no podamos atender las solicitudes recibidas después del 4 de abril de 2025 a las 5:00 horas pm. En el Segundo Año, sólo se aceptarán solicitudes de artistas que hablan español. 

El Programa de Becas para Artistas Pa'lante es posible gracias a la financiación del William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, la asociación programática del Center for Cultural Innovation, y la producción y liderazgo de programas de Kimzin Creative y On the Margins. LA ASAMBLEA es dirigida colectivamente por los ACTIVADORES, un grupo de diversas personas trabajadoras de las artes y la cultura locales.

FECHAS IMPORTANTES

• Apertura de la Solicitud en Línea: 7 de Abril de 2025, 9 a.m. hora del Pacífico
• Fecha Limite de la Solicitud:  Lunes 12 de mayo de 2025, 2:59 p.m. hora del Pacífico
• Solicitud de adaptaciones o ajustes: 30 de abril de 2025, 5 pm hora del Pacifico

ELEGIBLE PARA LA BECA

Los trabajadores del arte y la cultura, como se describe a continuación, son elegibles para postularse. 

• Es usted un trabajador artístico y cultural que habla español. 
• No se requiere la ciudadanía estadounidense.          
  • Es un artista individual con vínculos significativos con el condado de Sonoma. Esto significa que tiene o está en el proceso de lanzar o expandir una práctica artística en el condado de Sonoma. Un artista con vínculos importantes con el condado de Sonoma vive, trabaja, asiste a la escuela, actúa, presenta o crea dentro del condado. **Residir en el condado de Sonoma no es un requisito de este programa de subvenciones.** 
• Tiene un ingreso bruto anual individual que sea menor que el ingreso medio del condado de Sonoma de $75,000. (Según el Departamento de Vivienda y Desarrollo Comunitario de California, las personas en el condado de Sonoma con un ingreso bruto anual de $70,500 se consideran de bajos ingresos.)
• Tiene 18 años de edad o más en el momento de la presentación de la solicitud.

NO ELEGIBLE PARA LA BECA: 

• Solicitudes incompletas.
• Aquellas personas que tengan un conflicto de interés (relaciones familiares o financieras) con las juntas directivas, el personal y las personas que lideran el Center for Cultural Innovation, la Fundación Hewlett, Kimzin Creative y On the Margins. 
• Aquellas personas que hayan obtenido previamente una beca del Programa de Beca para Artistas Pa'lante. 
• Organizaciones sin fines de lucro o patrocinadas fiscalmente.
• Colectivos, cooperativas o colaboraciones de artistas.
• PREGUNTAS: Envíe un correo electrónico a asambleacollective@gmail.com, o visite la página web  https://asambleacollective.com/palante

PREGUNTAS Y AYUDA

Si tiene preguntas sobre el proceso de solicitud, o se le dificulta completar la solicitud, envíe un correo electrónico a asambleacollective@gmail.com, o visite la página web https://asambleacollective.com/palante.

Si no tiene acceso a Internet, llame al (415) 212-9064.

Si necesita asistencia técnica, como resolver problemas con la carga de archivos o restablecer su contraseña, póngase en contacto con Submittable completando el formulario de ayuda que está en la parte inferior de esta página (https://www.submittable.com/help/submitter/). El horario de atención de Submittable es de 9:00 a.m. a 5:00 p.m., Hora de Montana. Su objetivo es responder en un plazo de 24 horas hábiles.

Notifications for this cycle will be shared via Submittable on June 15, 2025, by 5 pm PT. 

We encourage you to add Submittable to your Safe Senders list so that you don't miss any communications from CCI--see instructions here.

The Quick Grant program supports artists and arts organizations' financial resilience through professional development support.

The Quick Grant program provides grants of up to $600 to California artists, creatives, cultural practitioners, and cultural producers, and San Francisco/San Jose nonprofit arts administrators to participate in professional development activities that build administrative capacity, hone business skills, and strengthen the financial resilience of the grantee’s practice, area of cultural production, or arts organization.

WHO CAN APPLY

• California artists, creatives, cultural practitioners, and cultural producers; and
• San Francisco and San José nonprofit arts organization staff

ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES

• Professional development activities that build administrative capacity, hone business skills, and/or strengthen the financial resilience of the grantee’s practice, area of cultural production, or arts organization.
•  Activities must begin after application notification. For example, for the May 15 deadline, the proposed activity must start on or after June 16.

INELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES

• Activities focused primarily on creative or artistic skill development, art teaching/teaching artist methods and techniques, or artistic presentation/production.
• Activities that support an applicant’s adjacent enterprise.
• Requests to support overhead, general operating expenses, or lost income.
• Funding to purchase art supplies, materials, or advance inventory. 
• Activities proposed by artists, creatives, cultural practitioners, or cultural producers to support the operations of a nonprofit organization or a role in arts administration.
• Activities that have already taken place or that will occur before application notifications are sent.

To view an Application Preview (.doc and .pdf versions), Grant Guidelines, and Frequently Asked Questions, please visit the Quick Grant webpage here.

For technical assistance (e.g., upload issues), request support at: https://www.submittable.com/help/submitter/. Submittable’s business hours are 9 am – 5 pm MT. They aim to respond within 24 business hours.