Inside Arts Council: Grants for The Arts Tamara Liu

On this episode of Inside Arts Council Santa Cruz County. We talk with Grants Manager Tamara Liu about how local artists and arts organizations fund their work, why public benefit matters, and how equity efforts are reshaping who receives support. We share clear advice on eligibility, applications, and ways to get involved.

• What a grant is 
• Where re-granted funds come from locally
• Eligibility tied to residency and public sharing
• How to simplify the application and submit work samples
• Why demand exceeds supply and how reviews work
• Equity progress across South County and communities of color and queer artists
• Links between arts education, grants, and Open Studios
• The council’s role in advocacy, training, and connections
• How donors and volunteers expand flexible funding

Find Tamara: 
Arts Council Santa Cruz Santa Cruz County

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Transcript

What A Grant Actually Is

SPEAKER_00 0:13

Welcome back to Speak for Change Podcast. I'm your host, Tom Sage Petterson. Today's episode is part of the Inside the Arts Council Santa Cruz County series, where we explore the role and impact of the Arts Council and the work it does to support our local and cultural ecosystem. In this episode, I'm joined with Tamara Liu, Grants Manager at the Arts Council of Santa Cruz County. We talk about what grants are, why why they matter for the arts, and how they can be a viable source of support for artists, especially those who are emerging or just getting started. I hope you enjoyed today's conversation. Welcome to the podcast.

SPEAKER_02 0:52

Yeah, thanks so much for having me. Really happy to be here and just share a little bit about the Arts Council and the grants we offer.

SPEAKER_00 0:59

And so, okay, like this is coming from a place of for me where I I didn't know what grants were till till embarrassingly long time in my arts career. Okay. Can you explain to me what is a grant?

SPEAKER_02 1:16

Yeah. Um so a grant can is basically just money that you can get to do what you want to do with your art. And um, you know, we offer there's different types of grants, so it depends, you know, on the exact grant you're getting. But for example, we offer three different types of grants at the arts council. Um we have uh general operating support grants for arts organizations, so that's really to support the arts organization organization itself and their mission. And then for artists, we have both project grants for a specific creative project that you might be working on, and uh professional development grants as well to help you kind of build your skills as an artist. So it's really just funds that you can get directly to help you do what you're already doing as a creative.

Where The Money Comes From

SPEAKER_00 2:07

Man. So I mean, this is just money. This is like you could just get money for doing art. And so where does the money come from? Is it just like you just the arts council just has money and you're they're just like tomorrow, just deal with this. Like, what's going on?

SPEAKER_02 2:22

No, that's a great question. And it's I think one one thing people don't really understand. Like the arts council is actually a nonprofit. So um we the arts councils can take a variety of forms in different places, but the one here, Arts Council Santa Cruz County, is a nonprofit, 501c3 public charity, um, which means that we fundraise to get money to give out as grants. So all the money that we give out comes from other grants that we've gotten, possibly uh from like foundations, um, from local government. A lot of our funding is from the county of Santa Cruz and the city of Santa Cruz. Yeah. And from individual donors, of course, that's really an important piece of where we get our money to give out. There are other types of grants from other types of organizations. There's like private foundations, which are often um like a family foundation where a family has a lot of wealth and wants to create a charity based off of that. Um, and they often have an endowment and have kind of this setup amount of money that they give out every year, but that's a totally different setup than what we have at the Arts Council.

Who Qualifies And Basic Criteria

SPEAKER_00 3:29

Yeah. Man, that's awesome. So, okay, so who qualifies for these grants? It's just any artists. So you were mentioning artists and organizations, and it depends on the grant. So there's like different types of grants. Um, but like let's say I'm an artist and I'm just like, okay, like money on the table. I have a creative project, you know. What do I need to do? Do I even qualify? Like, how do you qualify? How like who does anyone qualify, or is there certain parameters that people have to fall under?

SPEAKER_02 3:58

Well, we're very focused on the county here in Santa Cruz. So you have to live in Santa Cruz County if you're an artist or if you're an organization, you have to be based here in Santa Cruz County. Um, and there are a lot of other rules which we put in our guidelines. But um, we do there's not, you know, we're pretty flexible like for individuals. Um, even if you're under 18, you can get a grant. We have made a couple grants to minors. Um, usually your parent or guardian has to sign off on that.

SPEAKER_01 4:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:30

Um you have to be committed to your art and the project, you kind of have to demonstrate some things in the grant application. So depending on which grant you're applying for, there's different criteria that we use to evaluate that.

SPEAKER_01 4:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:44

Um but yeah, and if it's a creative project, um, the one piece that we also look at is like, are you presenting that work somewhere publicly? Are you having an event or a show or sharing it online even maybe? Um, but making the art available to our community.

SPEAKER_01 5:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:03

So that's a big piece of that one too. And it has to be available here in Santa Cruz County again.

unknown 5:08

Yeah.

Demystifying The Application

SPEAKER_00 5:09

So I do not like applications. Uh, you know, so like what like in general, right? You know, I feel like when I go to the DMV, like there's forms and all this stuff. Like, like what is this, like what what can you demystify this application for me a little bit? Like, what is this application? Like, what do I have to do here?

SPEAKER_02 5:31

Totally, yeah. And I totally understand that applications can feel really overwhelming sometimes, especially when you've never done it before, and all of a sudden there's all these things you have to enter and fill, and it's like, ah, yeah. But we've worked pretty hard to try to make the application as simple as possible. So it shouldn't take that much time. Yeah. Um it basically, you know, the beginning part gathers some information about you and the whatever you're applying for. Um and uh, for example, like if you're doing up an art exhibit, like when is it taking place? Where is it taking place? There's kind of this is fundamental basic info. And then there's some written responses where you get to write about all the details of what you're asking money for, basically. Like tell us why you want these funds. And there are specific questions. So, like for the creative projects, we ask, you know, how are you gonna be promoting it? Because we want people to see it, that kind of thing. Um and then there are also work samples that you can submit. So work you've done previously, um, photos, videos, can also be like marketing materials, anything that kind of helps demonstrate that you can fulfill what you're applying for.

SPEAKER_01 6:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:43

Um and that's pretty much it. So yeah. And oh, we do collect demographics as well about yourself. Yeah. Um, like your optionally you can enter your race and gender and things like that, but we never look at that during the review process.

SPEAKER_01 7:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:01

Um, the evaluators don't have access to that. So that's really just used for us to kind of track where our funds are going and see where we can do more outreach, maybe, and things like that.

SPEAKER_00 7:11

Yeah. So what what for you are some obstacles that have come up with grants? Like what have been some like just challenges that have come up?

SPEAKER_02 7:21

Hmm. I mean, there is a lot. It's yeah, it's that's an interesting question. Um, this is my first role in the grant making side. And before that, I've done grant writing for different organizations and groups. And so it was really interesting to kind of transition from being an applicant on the other side and being like, oh yeah, this is this is actually kind of complicated. There are a lot of challenges to it and to doing it well.

SPEAKER_01 7:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:49

I mean, our goals are always to try to make it more accessible, more eat like make it as easy as possible for folks to apply and get the funding. Um, of course, we because we have to fundraise all the money that we give out, there's never quite enough, unfortunately. Um, so it is a little competitive, and that's always one of the hardest parts is people get denied and don't get the grant. And that, you know, ultimately we wish we could give everyone the money that they are asking for, but it's just not possible. Um So yeah, I think that's a challenge. Um, over the last few years, we've been really working hard to make sure that the grants get distributed in an equitable way, that folks from like diverse backgrounds and communities can access them and know about them. Um I would say like historically, like over five years ago, most of our funds went to the city of Santa Cruz, like folks located in the city, and mostly older white folks.

SPEAKER_01 8:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:49

Um, so we've been trying to kind of rebalance that and we've made really great progress. A lot of our grants now go to folks who are identifying as people of color, um, queer communities, and and South County, Watsonville. Um, and it I was just looking at the numbers and it was like, oh, like our funding actually kind of aligns with the county demographics now. So that's pretty cool. Like I mean, yeah. Um oh, and it's all our our individual grants are available in Spanish as well. So people who are more comfortable in Spanish are welcome to apply in that in Spanish, which I think is really great. Um another challenge. I mean, this is one that I feel like we don't talk about too much, but it's just like the framing of the questions. That's been really interesting to me. Um being new to grant making because everyone interprets the question in a different way. And so you get like all sorts of like you try to make the question as clear and easy to understand as possible, but then everyone still has their own way of understanding and so you get all sorts of different answers. And so that's that's been an interesting challenge, I feel like.

SPEAKER_01 10:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:00

Um, so as we're trying to make things accessible and clear, it ends up being like good for some folks and then like confusing maybe for other folks.

Why Grants Matter For The Arts

SPEAKER_00 10:08

Yeah, totally. Oh man. So in general, why do you think grants are important for the arts community, for the arts council? Like, why is this something that's important?

SPEAKER_02 10:19

I mean, people need money. And, you know, it brings ultimately brings more arts into our community and gives art artists and arts organizations the resources they need to create art and to present art. And, you know, I think we need art now more than ever. It, you know, helps our community well-being, it brings us into connection with each other, it helps us understand different perspectives. I mean, it can just lift some of the stress of life by participating in or creating art. Um, and we really need that now. Um and giving artists the money they need to do that is the best way, I think.

Linking Education, Grants, Open Studios

SPEAKER_00 11:02

Absolutely. I love that. All right. So this is like a bigger picture, like zooming out. Um so how do you see like the grants education and open studios kind of like reinforcing each other at the Arts Council? Like, how do you see that relationship happening?

SPEAKER_02 11:23

Yeah. Um I see arts education, you know, mostly focusing on youth, though they do serve up like older folks as well.

SPEAKER_01 11:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:35

But I think yeah, giving kids access to the arts is super important and showing them how valuable it is and how they can express themselves through art, through creativity at a young age, um, especially when we're thinking about the narrative of the arts. And a lot of people who don't grow up with arts think of it, oh, that's just something rich people do, or they that's just something people do in their free time. Like, that's not for me. Yeah. And they don't realize like how beneficial and fun and amazing it can be. And um, like I was just reading a report from one of our grantees yesterday who was holding painting workshops. And she said that she had some people come to her workshops who had never painted before in their lives, and they thought, oh, I couldn't like that. I I thought it wasn't for me, but then I tried it and now I want to do it all the time.

SPEAKER_01 12:26

Right.

SPEAKER_02 12:27

Um, and they found some real value in it. So yeah, starting young, like I think helps so that those like weird stigmas don't get in your head. Yeah.

unknown 12:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:38

Um, and because we need, you know, people to develop creatively over their life if they're gonna become artists and they're if they're gonna be able to build career as an artist. Um so I think the Arts Ed program is doing some really great things in terms of like mentoring youth. Um, they have like a a high school student teacher program where the high school students assist the main teaching artists. Yeah. And so there's creating pathways for kids to grow creatively and maybe pursue a career in the arts, which we're all told is impossible, but it's not. Um, there's so many people who make a living off of art.

SPEAKER_01 13:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:20

Um and then, you know, grants, I feel like could kind of be like the next step. Like once you have that practice of your art, you can go for a grant and get some money to kind of give you the boost you need to keep that going. Um and especially our grants, since we try to make them very open, very accessible and flexible. It's good for like emerging artists or young artists, as well as established artists.

SPEAKER_01 13:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:50

Um, and then open studios is like, I feel like maybe our most public-facing program. You know, there's hundreds of artists that participate, and you see the signs everywhere, and everyone goes.

SPEAKER_01 14:04

Yeah.

The Arts Council’s Role In Community

SPEAKER_02 14:05

And it's a great chance for artists to sell their work, um, to reach wider audiences, um, and to like make money in a different way. Like a grant, you're getting kind of funding up front for something, and then open studios, you're selling your work. Um, and open studios is very visual art focused. So that's that's great. And I think it's a really important opportunity. And you I I mean, one of the things that I think is so amazing about Open Studios is just seeing how many artists are have work that they can sell, and how many people care about that. It's like a really beautiful thing to see. And that's just visual arts. And then you think about all the other types of art, and really like that's how it should be. Like, everyone is creative, everyone has that inside them, and uh creativity should be a way of life that we are all you know expressing and yeah, sharing.

unknown 14:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:00

So, in general, like if you could describe the importance of the arts council in in our community, like what would be the role of the arts council? Like, why is it so important?

SPEAKER_02 15:15

We really focus on supporting the artists and the arts organizations so that we have arts in our community so that they can do what they do. I mean, it's it isn't easy being an artist. Like, yes, it's possible to have a career, but it's definitely not something that is an easy path forward in our society, you know, um which is very focused on, you know, consumerism of different sorts and like cap like making money and producing like money, producing things for whoever, not just creativity. Um so yeah, I I think um we do yeah, we do really important work in just like supporting the community and the creativity of the community. And we also, you know, advocate for what the needs are. We can kind of have a broad sense of what the artistic community needs, what's available to the community, what isn't, and support them. You know, we do professional development workshops and things like that too. And we have connection. So we're thinking about what our role can be in and bringing people together more.

SPEAKER_00 16:29

Love that. All right. So here's your last hurrah. Where can people find you? Like, is there anything else you would like to say to the people about anything regarding the grants or the arts council or arts in general?

SPEAKER_02 16:46

Yeah. So where can people find us? We have a website, artscouncilsc.org, like artscouncil Santa Cruz. So artscouncilsc.org. We're also on Instagram and Facebook, I believe. Um and we have an email, we have a few email lists. So I would love for you to sign up. We have a monthly newsletter that goes out that includes a lot of those opportunities and offerings. Um, if you're interested in grants specifically, we also have a grants newsletter, which you can sign up for on our website that goes out like periodically, like kind of quarterly. Um, and you'll get direct notices about our grant openings. Um and then anything remaining I want to share. I mean, I think the word grant can sound scary to a lot of people. So I would just, you know, if you're an artist and you've never applied for a grant before, I would encourage you to check it out. And I'm always available to just chat about it and answer any questions you have. Um and especially, you know, folks from Watsonville. We're still trying to get more funding to that part of the county and trying to rebalance what we've done in previous years, like I said. So we really want Watsonville folks to apply. Um and if you are not an artist, but you are like an audience member or someone who likes supporting the arts, I would encourage you to get more involved with the arts council. Maybe you can uh volunteer, maybe you can be a donor. Like there's a lot of opportunities, and we really heavily depa uh depend on individual donations to do what we do because they give us the most flexibility, and you know that's a big part of how we're able to make grants possible. So yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:36

Well, Tamara, thank you so much for coming on to Speak for Change. It's been an honor to talk with you.

SPEAKER_02 18:41

Yeah, you too. Always love talking with you.

SPEAKER_00 18:44

All right, this has been Speak for Change Podcast. I'm your host, Thomas Sage Peterson. Uh, thank you and have a wonderful day.