Individual Artist Fellowship
Arts Orange County has been engaged by the California Arts Council, in partnership with Arts Connection - The Arts Council of San Bernardino County and Riverside Arts Council, to administer the application and jurying process for the 2026-27 Region 7 Individual Artist Fellowship, which includes Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Applications Open April 2nd!
Open to artists residing in Orange, Riverside & San Bernardino Counties
All Media - All Disciplines
Emerging - Established - Legacy Artists
Up to $50,000
Open to Artists & Cultural Practitioners residing in Region 7:
Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino Counties
Fellowship Period: August 1, 2026 – July 31, 2027
Arts Orange County is the administering organization for this program in Region 7
APPLICATIONS OPEN APRIL 2nd
DEADLINE MAY 15th
We've also created a page on our site with the full text of the Guidelines so that you can use our embedded Google Translate capabilities to review the text in a number of common language. Access that page here.
See below for answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.
This video from ArtsOC Program Coordinator Nicholas Thurkettle outlines the program and application process. If you have questions not addressed by it or the guidelines/FAQ here, we will hold two free webinars on Zoom. Use the following links!
Background: Why is this program being offered?
With few opportunities for individual artists to apply for funding, and even fewer for their achievements to be recognized, the California Arts Council has created this program as a way to celebrate the state’s artists and culture bearers.
Purpose: What is the intended impact of this program?
The Individual Artists Fellowship (IAF) program will recognize, uplift, and celebrate the excellence of California artists and culture bearers practicing any art form with unrestricted grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000.
Region VII
California Arts Council has contracted with Arts Orange County (ArtsOC) as the lead Administering Organization in Region VII, comprised of the counties of Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino. ArtsOC has joined with the Riverside Arts Council, and Arts Connection – the Arts Council of San Bernardino County in creating a collaborative of the three State-Local Partner arts councils that serve those counties.
The Program
This program will support artists and culture bearers at key moments in their careers, elevating their capacity for continued contribution to the field and our state. Fellowship grants support individual artistic practice through unrestricted funding. This program is intended to support a broad spectrum of artists working in all disciplines, from diverse geographies and communities of all sizes across Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties.
Excellence, for purposes of this grant, is defined as an artist’s:
Unique artistic vision
Ongoing commitment to creative practice
Engagement with and impact on the larger cultural ecosystem
The grant program identifies three career tiers at which artists may benefit from this support:
Emerging Artist Fellows - $5,000
Emerging artists are those in the beginning stages of making their work public and engaging the larger community in their practice. Individuals at this career stage may have had a few public showings of their work, but do not yet have ongoing resources or support.
Established Artist Fellows - $10,000
Artists in the Established tier regularly make their work public and engage the larger community in their practice. Individuals in this tier can give multiple examples of artistic and/or cultural works that have made significant social impact.
Legacy Artist Fellows - $50,000
Artists in the Legacy tier can point to a significant body of work, produced over a substantial period of time, that has engaged their communities and that has made significant social impact.
Artists in this tier may be able to point to Emerging and Established Artists that they have mentored or otherwise positively influenced
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Do I apply here if I live in __________?
To apply through Arts Orange County, you must reside in one of the three counties of Region VII - Orange, Riverside, or San Bernardino. If your address is in a different California county, see above for the other Regions and their respective administering organizations
2. Can I apply for the Fellowship in order to fund my project?
The Fellowship is awarded for artistic practice and is not project based. It is not necessary to state how you intend to spend the award if you receive it; the intent is to empower you to spend it in whatever way furthers your unique goals!
3. Which Fellowship level should I apply for?
You are free to select which of the three levels - Emerging ($5,000,) Establishing ($10,000,) or Legacy ($50,000) you feel best correlates with your body of work. The program guidelines expand on each category in order to help you make your selection; but judges do have discretion to consider you for a different Fellowship level than the one you selected unless you opt-out, so there’s no “right” or “wrong” level.
4. What should I put on my resume/C.V.?
An artist’s practice doesn’t always fit into a neat box, we understand. But in general, your resume should provide a summary, easy to digest at a glance, of information such as your educational background, relevant employment, commissions, exhibitions, awards, grants, shows, productions, and so forth. You can find useful guidelines and a sample structure here: https://www.gcac.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Artist_Resume_Example.pdf
5. How many samples can I share?
You can upload up to ten files representing samples of your work. Those files can be Word documents, .pdfs, images, audio clips, and/or videos.
6. Are there limits on video or audio recordings?
There is an upper limit on the file size of media uploaded to SlideRoom - 250 MegaBytes (MB) for video clips, or 30 MegaBytes (MB) for audio clips. If you feel as though larger files are necessary in order to give an adequate look at your body of work, there is another option - you can host the files on a site such as YouTube, Vimeo, SoundCloud, or more, paste the URL which links to them into either a Word Doc or .pdf, and then upload that list of links to SlideRoom. But be advised - jurors will not review any clip longer than three minutes.
7. I always work with a partner - can we apply as a team?
Unfortunately no; the Individual in Individual Artist Fellowship means exactly that. One person per application only, please!
8. Can my letter of recommendation/testimonial/work samples come from outside Region VII?
Yes! As long as you are at least 18 years of age and have resided in Region VII for at least two years at the time of application, you can present samples and references from anywhere that you have practiced
9. I’m having difficulty either accessing or completing the application due to personal health and/or economic circumstances; what can I do?
Please write to Nicholas Thurkettle (nthurkettle@artsoc.org) and we will find an accommodation that suits your needs
