The deadline for a new grant program to fund artistic endeavors across the state has been extended.

The state of California is making an unprecedented investment in the arts. The “California Creative Corps” program will award 60 million dollars in grants statewide to implement media, outreach, and engagement campaigns.

The goal is to increase awareness related to issues such as public health, water and energy conservation, climate mitigation, and emergency preparedness, relief, and recovery.

The Nevada County Arts Council is the administering organization for the upstate region, which covers 19 counties in the northern part of the state. It will award more than $3 million in grants for artists, as well as for arts and social service organizations that will employ artists between Spring 2023 and Spring 2024.

Supporting local outreach with local knowledge, as well as technical assistance for artists, and program development and evaluation, are multiple county arts agencies serving what amounts to the largest, most diverse, geographic area in California.

“We are identifying issues that are specific to communities across our service region, and inviting artists to position themselves to create awareness around them and get paid for it,” says Eliza Tudor, executive director at Nevada County Arts Council. “We want our process to be as inclusive and accessible as possible and to draw upon creative processes that spur conversation around how to create lasting change that our diverse populations can take pride in.”

The launch of a statewide Creative Corps pilot program is the result of a recommendation from the governor’s economic and jobs recovery task force and is the first of its kind in the nation. Grant applications are now open and will run until 11:49 p.m. April 28, 2023.

There are multiple mechanisms in place for support in the grant application process, both regionally through Upstate Creative Corps, and locally, through county arts partners. These include informational webinars, grant writing workshops, training and panel discussions. To learn more visit www.upstatecreativecorps.org.