Arts Grants

About Arts Grants

The City of Ojai Arts Commission will begin accepting applications on September 1, 2025 for the 2026 Arts Grants through September 30, 2025. The grants, which are awarded each year at the December Ojai City Council meeting, help to ensure the vitality of the arts in the Ojai Valley. Due to an unprecedented number of applications for the 2026 grants, the City has increased the budget in anticipation of continued high demand.

The grant program funds non-profit arts organizations and individual artists whose primary purpose is to produce or present arts and cultural programs in the City of Ojai and Ojai Valley. Arts Grants are made for one year and projects must be completed within the year 2026, as part of the application guidelines.

The goals of the Arts Grant Program include encouraging artistic excellence, developing new audiences for the arts, promoting diversity in Ojai’s cultural life, promoting and encouraging arts and cultural activities in the City of Ojai and encouraging community partnerships and artistic collaboration throughout the Ojai Valley.

Printable Application(PDF)

Online Application

2025 Arts Grant Recipients and Past Recipients

Please access the following link for a full list of the 2025 City of Ojai Arts Grant Recipients: 2026 Arts Grant Recipients and Past Recipients.

Contact Us

Questions? Email: artgrant@ojai.ca.gov for more information.

Arts Grant Ranking Criteria

  1. Clarity, originality and depth of the idea presented in the proposal.
  2. Qualifications of artists, collaborators and other key people involved in the project.
  3. Projects potential effectiveness in addressing a specific community need.
  4. Soundness of the project plan, including budget and timeline.
  5. Consistency with the organization’s mission and goals.
  6. Organization’s demonstrated ability to successfully carry out past projects.
  7. Organization’s strength and role in the community, including its financial health and ability to raise funds as needed.
  8. Strength and stability of the organization’s management and leadership, or strength and appropriateness of fiscal receiver, if applicable.
  9. Feasibility that the project can be completed if only partial amount of funds requested are awarded.