City of San Diego offers grant funding for artists to help increase awareness of regional issues
SAN DIEGO – The City of San Diego and its regional partners have released a new grant opportunity for artists and cultural practitioners to inspire change within the region’s communities.
Through the Far South/ Border North program, grant award recipients will develop artistic content and carry out public campaigns that increase regional awareness of issues impacting San Diego and Imperial counties, including public health, energy and water conservation, climate mitigation, civic engagement and social justice matters, according to a press release.
“The Far South/Border North program offers artists and cultural practitioners in our region an extraordinary opportunity,” Jonathon Glus, Executive Director of the City’s Commission for Arts and Culture, said in a press release from the City of San Diego. “We know artists and cultural practitioners bring an important engagement perspective to intersectional work in environmental, civic and community health, and we appreciate the California Arts Council’s investment in San Diego and Imperial counties’ most disproportionately impacted communities.”
Spearheaded by the City of San Diego, Far South/Border North is a California Creative Corps arts program implemented through a bi-county regional collaborative and partnership with the Catalyst of San Diego & Imperial Counties, San Diego Regional Arts and Culture Coalition and San Diego Foundation, the release reads.
The program provides funding to artists and cultural practitioners to help support the health and well-being of communities in the lowest quartile of the California Healthy Places Index in San Diego and Imperial counties, while continuing to enrich their creative, artistic and cultural practices, it reads.
“We are pleased to partner in this work that will shine a light on and grow public and private funding for artists and cultural practitioners,” said Megan Thomas, President & CEO of Catalyst of San Diego & Imperial Counties. “We are excited about this opportunity to artistically and creatively elevate the dialogue about equitable resources for health, environmental, and other social justice issues across San Diego and Imperial counties.”
“Implementing the Far South/Border North program is vital to building a stronger regional creative sector,” said San Diego Regional Arts and Culture Coalition Executive Director Felicia Shaw. “Collectively, we will help support San Diego and Imperial artists and cultural practitioners while bringing awareness to the importance of the arts and health equity within our communities.”
Far South/Border North is funded through a $4.75 million California Creative Corps grant from the California Arts Council.
Grant guidelines and information sessions to assist potential applicants are available at farsouthbordernorth.com. Applications will be accepted through 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 22. A second round of grant applications for organizations to regrant to artists and cultural practitioners will be released in the spring, the release reads.