California for the Arts

“California has an opportunity to lead by demonstrating that arts funding is not charity. It is public infrastructure,” shares Faith J. McKinnie, the founding director of Black Artist Foundry, an organization that supports Black artists across California through funding, professional development, advocacy, and public programming.

Last month, the California Arts Council presented the first-ever sector-specific strategic plan, “California’s Future Is Creative: Strategies for Cultural Resilience, Economic Growth, and Global Leadership,” bringing together state leaders, agency partners, creative economy experts, artists, advocates, and cultural leaders to present the plan’s six key recommendations and what the next steps are for implementation.

Watch the full recording: https://youtu.be/P8LTr1Gg_SM?si=-NN8r_33KPmjgFni

The recent Governor’s May Revise excluded critical arts funding, so we are continuing to call for a $50 million investment in the California Arts Council and $40 million for the Performing Arts Equitable Payroll Fund to sustain arts jobs. Take action today: https://www.caartsadvocates.org/take-action

¡En Español! El arte como catalizador para transformar vidas. Escuchen a Ulises Rodríguez, director asociado de Arts Connection San Bernardino County, contar cómo fue introducido a la música en la secundaria y preparatoria, cuando empezó a seguir malos caminos. La expresión cultural y creativa lo transformó completamente, convirtiéndolo en el líder que es hoy.

Ahora, Ulises forma parte de un movimiento estatal que lucha por más inversión pública en el arte y la cultura, para que beneficie a todas las comunidades californianas. Como miembro de California for the Arts y de California Arts Advocates, Ulises pide tu apoyo para fortalecer el movimiento a favor de la creatividad. Juntos, podemos transformar nuestras comunidades con el poder de las artes.

¡Únete hoy! https://bit.ly/m/caforthearts-caartsadvocates-member
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Art is the catalyst for transforming lives. Ulises Rodriguez, Associate Director of Arts Connection, the Arts Council of San Bernardino County, was introduced to music in middle and high school, when he was getting into trouble.

“But music pulled me out of that environment and pushed me to be more creative, to connect with my traditions and my culture, and to learn how to create free, healthy, safe spaces for our people. Now I’ve been able to play music in different states across the country. I’m still organizing with my community and, more than anything, I’m still raising my voice so we can find more support—so our youth can keep doing this.”

Join Ulises as a member of California for the Arts and California Arts Advocates because your arts story has power. Together, we will advocate for the transformative power of the arts.

Join or renew today: https://bit.ly/m/caforthearts-caartsadvocates-member

⏰ The clock is ticking, and here's why the next 72 hours matter.

California's Legislature has a constitutional deadline of Monday, June 15th, to pass a budget. But the real deadline is sooner: the budget bill has to be printed and finalized by this Friday, June 12th. That's the 72-hour rule.

On June 5th, the Senate and Assembly each introduced their budget plans. Our two priority asks, $50 million for the California Arts Council and $40 million for the Performing Arts Equitable Payroll Fund, are not in either version.

We have heard that our numbers are considered too high for this year; however, we are not giving up. Any increase in funding is a victory worth fighting for.

The Governor has until June 29th to act once the bill reaches his desk. That means the decisions being made in Sacramento RIGHT NOW determine whether creative communities thrive or remain underfunded.

📞 Call your legislator today: https://secure.everyaction.com/IsPhlmpbKkK1OLB_Am6qgg2

Remind them that art work is real work and an essential service to every community in California.

This week, California for the Arts CEO Julie Baker and Sacramento-based social practice artist Janine Mapurunga joined Capitol Public Radio’s Insight with host Vicki Gonzalez for a candid conversation about the lack of critical arts funding in this year’s state budget.

With just a week to go before the budget deadline, advocates across the state are helping spread the word about the organization’s and campaigns in support of critical investments for artists, arts workers, and community-based arts organizations.

Listen to the full episode: https://www.capradio.org/news/insight/2026/06/08/shasta-county-election-results-california-arts-council-funding-summer-reading-preview/

“The arts are part of everything we do. They're part of our economy, our education, our community; they bring us together, and the investment in the arts is an investment into every single person in our state.”
Rachel Osajima, director of the Alameda County Arts Commission, shared this message at the CA Arts & Culture Summit earlier this year.

As a California Arts Council State-Local Partner grantee, the Alameda County Arts Commission distributes resources to hundreds of artists, organizations, and community partners. These investments strengthen local economies, expand educational opportunities, and connect communities through creativity and culture.

Yet the Governor’s current proposed budget excludes critical arts funding, leaving the Legislature as the only path forward.

One in ten California jobs is connected to the creative economy. Investing $50 million in the California Arts Council and $40 million in the Performing Arts Equitable Payroll Fund is a investment in jobs, communities, and California’s future.

This is not a fiscal question—it’s a values question. Now is the time to speak up. Take action today: https://www.caartsadvocates.org/take-action

Thank you, Charles Duncombe, of City Garage in Santa Monica, and the Aresis Ensemble, for highlighting the positive impact of the PAEPF on his theater! It is vital to invest in initiatives like the PAEPF to ensure the arts continue to thrive.

While we wish every PAEPF applicant could share a success story, the one-time allocation of $11.6 million for PAEPF was fully dispersed despite over $40 million of funding requests. We are urging lawmakers to invest $40 million in the PAEPF to sustain arts jobs, organizations, and local economies.

We have until JUNE 15th to make our VOICES HEARD! Call your lawmakers: https://www.caartsadvocates.org/paepf-40m