Applications Open for City Grant Program: $500K for Creative Economy Pilot Project

City of Sacramento is now accepting applications for grants of up to $25,000 for ideas that support the implementation of the Creative Economy Pilot Project.

The Creative Economy Pilot Project is an initiative by the City of Sacramento to increase economic activity and improve public spaces through art, food, and technology initiatives. The City is offering $500,000 in microgrants up to $5,000 and larger grants up to $25,000 to support projects such as pop-up events, art installations, and street performances in Sacramento’s neighborhoods.

In October 2016, then Mayor-elect Steinberg articulated his vision to make Sacramento a destination city through, among other things, transforming Sacramento’s economy into an Innovation + Creative Economy. On January 10, 2017, the Sacramento City Council unanimously approved the Creative Economy Pilot Project that consists of four strategies that expand civic innovation beyond the technology sector:

Make Sacramento a Platform for Experimentation
Build a Place-based Neighborhood Ecosystem around Food, Tech, and Art
Empower Individual Creators, Makers and Entrepreneurs
Practice What We Preach: Civic Engagement and Innovation in City Hall

These strategies are intended to provide policy direction to the City Manager to initiate testing and experimentation, data collection and analysis, policy development, and systems rethinking. Results will be used to inform the development of future programs and versions of the City’s Economic Development Strategy.

Creative Economy Pilot Project grants will fund art, food, and tech experiences in the City of Sacramento.

The purpose of Creative Economy Pilot Project grants is to support arts and culture projects that stimulate economic development and activity. Two types of grants will be offered: (1) microgrants of up to $5,000, and (2) grants of up to $25,000.

The types of projects the City envisions will be funded under the program include those that focus on:

public art/installations
performing arts/music
Farm-to-Fork
urban tech
pop-ups
temporary activations
multi-purpose spaces
marketing/communications
youth/education
cultural equity
underserved communities

Application Deadline: July 30 at 11:59pm

Prospective applicants are advised to review the Creative Economy Grant Guidelines (PDF) in their entirety before starting an application at:

Apply for a Creative Economy Pilot Project Grant

Workshops

The City will hold an online workshop and an in-person workshop to provide an overview of the application process and provide prospective applicants an opportunity to ask questions about the Pilot Project.