By Kathy Chouteau
Visual Artists of Richmond (VAR), a Richmond volunteer advocacy group that creates artist opportunities, shares resources and supports member art, received a $2,000 District Arts Partner grant from Arts Contra Costa County (ARTSCCC).
The ARTSCCC grant is awarded to artist-led organizations that provide vital community art services in Contra Costa County and seeks to “strengthen and empower art organizations who fill gap services by acknowledging their important work,” according to the organization. The grant can be applied to general operations support for 2025.
Alongside VAR, Las Juntas-East Bay Artist Guild, Alamo Danville Artists’ Society, Art Guild of the Delta, Concord Art Association, Epperson Gallery, Lamorinda Arts Council and the Martinez Art Association also received District Arts Partner grants.
Data from a survey of 185 organizations revealed 47 percent of annual budgets for art organizations in Contra Costa County are below $25,000, according to ARTSCCC Executive Founding Director Jenny Balisle, in reference to the Creative Pulse: A Baseline Study of Contra Costa County’s Arts and Culture Sector report by Dr. Anh Thang Dao-Shah of Creative Equity Research Partners.
This year marks the first-ever District Arts Partner grant for Contra Costa County. Balisle added that ARTSCCC is in the beginning stages of building an arts foundation, and as it garners additional support for the arts community, it will look to expand the District Arts Partner program.
While the District Arts Partner grant program is administered by ARTSCCC and its fiscal sponsor Independent Arts & Media, funding for it is made possible from the Zellerbach Family Foundation, Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation and Contra Costa County.