Sonoma arts education grants available

Creative Sonoma is providing grants for innovative arts education programs serving students in the county who may have limited access to arts training.

County Supervisor James Gore applauded the grant program, saying that “the arts have the power to teach young people skills well beyond the actual creation of art itself.”

“Programs that will be funded with these grants can help our young people build their ability to think critically and be creative problem solvers which will be essential to their future success,” said Gore.

Creative Sonoma is a division of the Economic Development Board tasked with supporting the county’s creative commmunity.

Grants are available to nonprofit organizations that provide students, ages 2 to 18, with opportunities to participate in high quality art programs.

Individuals working with fiscal sponsors may also apply.

Eligible projects can incorporate any creative discipline, from photography and writing to theater, graphic design, crafts, filmmaking and more. Projects can be produced in schools, or in out-of-school settings.

Projects will be evaluated based on their creativity and innovation, and the anticipated impact they will have on their participants.

The deadline for application is Thursday, April 12.

The grants are being provided in a partnership between the Community Foundation Sonoma County and Creative Sonoma, a division of the Economic Development Board of Sonoma County.

Elizabeth Brown, CEO of Community Foundation Sonoma County, says the foundation has “prioritized the distribution of (its) resources through the lens of equity.”

“These grants are specifically directed to provide arts opportunities to students who might not otherwise have access to it across our county,” said Brown.

Grant guidelines outlining eligibility and application forms are available at www.CreativeSonoma.org/grants.

Questions on the project can be sent to Samantha.kimpel@sonoma-county.org. For more information, contact Kristen Madsen at kristen.madsen@sonoma-county.org.