Cultural Funding Program Goals
The City of Oakland Cultural Funding Program funds Oakland-based art and cultural activities that reflect the diversity of the city for the citizens and visitors to Oakland.
The CFP focuses on three key areas of support:
- General Support
- Neighborhood Arts
- Arts Education
The Program’s broad goals are:
- To provide access to financial support—through a competitive process—to a wide range of Oakland-based artists and nonprofit organizations providing arts and cultural services in Oakland.
- To infuse Oakland’s neighborhoods with arts and cultural activities that increase exposure to, understanding of and respect for diverse cultural heritages, and to support arts activities that engage thecommunity.
- To support arts education activities in Oakland’s schools and among Oakland youth.
Creation of the Cultural Funding Program
Prior to 1985 no formal procedure or criteria existed for evaluating and making funding awards to Oakland-based nonprofit organizations providing arts and cultural programs. However, a few arts organizations aware of the City’s annual budgeting process and procedures successfully lobbied City Council and received funding. The arts community galvanized and asked City Council to establish a process that would provide equal access to City funds for all organizations. The arts community also requested that the City establish an office to manage City funding of the arts and provide support for the growth of, and access to, the arts within Oakland. In response, City Council charged the former Oakland Arts Council with developing a fair and equitable way to distribute public funds for community promotions (the City’s General Fund) and public funds from the Oakland Redevelopment Agency (ORA).
In 1985 the first funding policies and procedures were adopted, establishing the Cultural Funding Program as the City’s and ORA’s funding mechanism to support Oakland-based nonprofit arts and cultural organizations. As such, policies and review procedures were created and a panel system of evaluating applications established to ensure transparency and public trust in the distribution of public funds.
In 1985 the first funding policies and procedures were adopted, establishing the Cultural Funding Program as the City’s and ORA’s funding mechanism to support Oakland-based nonprofit arts and cultural organizations. As such, policies and review procedures were created and a panel system of evaluating applications established to ensure transparency and public trust in the distribution of public funds.
