City opens second round of Creative Venues grants to further support local arts

The City of Sacramento's Office of Arts and Culture has opened a second round of the "Creative Venues Grant" program to support a wider range of independent venues that contribute to the local cultural scene.

Grants of $10,000 and $20,000 will be available to for-profit, independent venues, including music venues, art galleries, and bookstores, that support Sacramento-based musicians, authors and artists. Up to eight $10,000 grants and five $20,000 grants will be awarded.

"We're excited to launch this second round of the Creative Venues Grant program to extend support to even more venues across Sacramento," said Melissa Cirone, grants and programs manager at the Office of Arts and Culture. "These spaces are essential to maintaining the vitality of our cultural community, and we remain dedicated to ensuring their growth and resilience."

The second round of grants is divided into two categories of funding:

• $10,000 grants for independent bookstores and art galleries
• $20,000 grants exclusively for live music, performance, and comedy venues

The grants, set at $10,000 or $20,000 each, will support projects that can be completed within 18 months. These grants are open to venues in all Sacramento city districts.

Eligible applicants must be for-profit businesses based in Sacramento, operating for at least eight months, and regularly hosting public events that feature local talent. Recipients of the first round of awards are ineligible to apply for the second round.

Grant funds can be used for various expenses such as website development, ticketing systems, event security fees, artist payments, marketing, rent, and insurance costs. All expenses must be new costs incurred after the grant agreement and must be documented.

In the first round of the program, a total of $315,000 was awarded to 15 venues across the city of Sacramento. Recipients were selected by a grants panel and received awards of either $10,000 or $25,000.

Funds for the grant program come from the federal American Rescue Plan dollars to support creative businesses.

Applications for the grants are due Oct. 28, 2024.

For more details and application guidelines, visit the City of Sacramento's Office of Arts & Culture website.

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