Creative Catalyst Fund: Individual Artist Fellowship Program

Courtesy of San Diego Union-Tribune, photo by Eduardo Contreras

Creative Catalyst Fund: Individual Artist Fellowship Program (CCF Fellowship Program) provides opportunities for local professional artists to create new work that advances their careers and encourages civic engagement and social change in San Diego neighborhoods. Through partnerships with 25 pre-selected nonprofit arts and culture organizations, The San Diego Foundation will fund fellowships ranging from $10,000 to $20,000 for up to 10 local professional artists.

San Diego-based professional artists working in the disciplines of visual, performing, literary and film arts and at all stages of their careers are eligible to apply. Artists must be at least 18 years old and not currently enrolled or plan to enroll in a degree program during the fellowship. Awards will be used to develop new work with fellowships beginning July 2013 and ending by June 30, 2014.

The CCF Fellowship Program will provide:

Artist Fellowships
Competitive grant program to provide artists with the gift of time, space, mentorship and community to create new work.
Professional Development
Training to enhance the Fellows’ business knowledge and career prospects as creative entrepreneurs.

2012 Artist Fellows

2013-2014 Creative Catalyst Fund: Individual Artist Fellowship Program

Letter of Intent/Request for Qualifications

The purpose of this Letter of Intent/Request for Qualifications (LOI) is to invite your participation in a funding program for individual artists. The San Diego Foundation (The Foundation) Creative Catalyst Fund: Individual Artist Fellowship Program (CCF Fellows Program) provides grants ranging from $10,000 to $20,000 to support the creation and development of new work conceived by San Diego-based professional artists and focused on creating opportunities for civic engagement or advancing social change through arts and culture.

The CCF Fellows Program first seeks to advance the professional careers of artists of all disciplines, elevate the profile of the artistic community and encourage creative expression in the region. The CCF Fellows Program will enable the creation of new work which will be artistically innovative in terms of the artist's own practice, and/or discipline. Our long-range goal is for San Diego to become a place where creativity and all makers of art can thrive.

The CCF Fellows Program also advances the goals of The Foundation’s Malin Burnham Center for Civic Engagement and Our Greater San Diego Vision, an unprecedented community visioning process that engaged tens of thousands of San Diegans in imagining the future of our region. Informed by the Center and the Vision, the Program is grounded in the belief that direct support to artists has a positive and demonstrable impact on the vitality and vibrancy of neighborhoods and the lives of its residents. From improving civic dialogue, to defining and expressing community and cultural identity, promoting cultural tourism, and integrating the creative arts into our learning environments, the contributions of individual artists can be evidenced in a multitude of ways that make our communities stronger. Investing in artists not only invests in individuals, but empowers our communities, economies and cultures. Few investments provide such diverse and valuable returns and none is as vital to our cultural heritage and public life.

Applications are due no later than 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 27, 2013