Webinars start on Jan. 7: Learn more about applying, guidelines, and eligibility. Grant deadlines are March 4 and March 11.
Artists and festival organizers can apply for one-time grants to support their work and strengthen the arts culture of Berkeley.
These grants fund individual artists to create new work and festival organizers to put on events.
Applicants for each category can attend separately designed webinars, starting January 7, to learn about guidelines, eligibility, and how to apply.
- Individual artists in Berkeley can get $5,000 for original work and a public presentation. This year’s grants are for dance, folk and traditional arts, literary arts, music, and theater.
- Festival organizers can apply for up to $7,000 to put on events in Berkeley. Events can be new and small in scale or an established festival.
Organized by the City of Berkeley’s Civic Arts Program, these grants support a culturally vibrant and diverse arts ecosystem in our community. View grant guidelines on the application portal and apply by the March deadlines.
Grants to support artists’ new projects
Individual Artist Project grants are open to individuals with proof of a residential address in Berkeley. Partnership, group, or collective applications are ineligible.
This grant category is discipline-specific for the next grant cycle. Applicants who applied in the last grant cycle are not eligible to apply at this time.
Dance, folk and traditional arts, literary arts, music, and theater are eligible for this grant cycle. The next grant cycle, opening January 2027, will be open to film and new media, multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary arts, social practice, and visual arts.
- Grant request amount: fixed amount of $5,000
- Total funding available in this category: $50,000
- Eligible project disciplines: Dance, Folk and Traditional Arts, Literary Arts, Music, and Theater
- Artists' Grant Informational Webinar: January 7, 2026, at 5:30 pm
- Application deadline: March 4, 2026, at 11:59 pm
- Grant activity period: July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027
Submit an Individual Artist Project grant application by March 4 at 11:59 pm.
Grants for Festivals and Special Events
Festival Grants can be used to support community festivals and events that honor or preserve a wide variety of cultures.
Events must be open to the public in Berkeley city limits and have a free component. This grant can fund one- or multi-day events. It generally funds events that occur once per year and isn’t intended to fund ongoing programming.
501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), and 501(c)(6) nonprofit organizations producing a festival in Berkeley are eligible to apply. Additionally, organizations without a nonprofit exempt status can team up with an existing nonprofit 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor to apply. Grantees are responsible for obtaining all necessary event permits.
- Grant request amount: up to $7,000
- Total projected funding in this category: $156,315
- Festival Grant Informational Webinar: January 9, 2026, at 12:00 pm
- Application deadline: March 11, 2026, at 11:59 pm
- Grant activity period: July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027
Submit a Festival Grant application by March 11 at 11:59 pm.
Berkeley Civic Arts program supports cultural vibrancy
Civic Arts grants provide a way to expand the reach and increase the vibrancy of Berkeley's arts, a core part of our community.
For questions about these grants, contact the Civic Arts Program at civicarts@berkeleyca.gov, (510) 981-7539, or schedule a virtual appointment.
If you're an artist or festival organizer in Berkeley, we encourage you to apply for one of our grants. And if you know someone who might be interested, please spread the word!
