Guidelines

Guidelines and eligibility requirements vary from program to program. However, with few exceptions, there are a number of general eligibility requirements that apply to the Cultural Funding Program. Those requirements are:

1. If an individual artist applicant, be an Oakland resident at least 18 years old.

2. If an organization, be an Oakland-based nonprofit organization that meets the following criteria:

a) Be registered as a nonprofit organization with the State of California and have Internal Revenue Service (IRS) 501(c)(3) status with an Oakland address,

b) Have a functioning Board of Directors,

c) Have business offices located in Oakland and letterhead with an Oakland business address (P.O. Boxes alone are not acceptable) and phone number, and

d) Comply with federal regulations pertaining to federal grant recipients by meeting the provisions of: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1963; Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; Americans with Disabilities Act and Age Discrimination Act of 1975.

Deadlines

All Cultural Funding Program categories operate on an annual cycle. Typically guidelines and applications are published in the fall of each year.  Application deadlines are usually in January for programs scheduled to occur between the following July 1 and June 30 (the City’s fiscal year).

Contact Information & Mailing List

For additional program information, please contact the Cultural Funding Program staff. 

To join our mailing list please send an email which includes your name, mailing address, telephone number and email address to: jjong@oaklandnet.com

Specify if email or postal mail is preferred

Loans

The Northern California Grantmakers Arts Loan Fund is available to nonprofit cultural arts organizations and individuals that are recommended for funding from the City of Oakland ’s Cultural Funding Program (CFP). The primary function of the loan is to financially help bridge the gap when award recommendations are approved by Oakland City Council, and when organizations or individuals actually receive their grant monies. In total, the Arts Loan Fund provides four types of loans:

1.  Secured Loans: Collateralized by your CFP grant contract (organization or individual awardees);

2.  Benefit or Performance Loans: Secured with benefit proceeds or box office returns (organizations only);

3.  Opportunity Loans: for new revenue streams or cost-savings opportunities (organizations only);

4.  Quick Qualifier Loans: available up to $5,000 (organizations only)

Awardees that have secured a loan through the Arts Loan Fund that are not on track with the agreed upon loan repayment schedule may be ineligible to receive new funding from the CFP.  Awardees with loans that are not in good standing as determined and verified by the Arts Loan Fund Steering Committee may have their outstanding loan retired with any future CFP awards.

Program Overview

 

Guidelines

 

Applications & Forms

 

FAQs

 

Funding Advisory Committee

 

FY07–08 Awardees