The Community Catalyst Grant Program is an evolution of the Arts Access Grants. The Community Catalyst Grant Program has the goal of uplifting historically under-resourced populations in Santa Clara County through community-driven, impactful artistic projects . Rather than a change, this is an evolution of the program intended to accomplish three things:
- Lower the Barrier to Entry: The Community Catalyst Grant opens up funding to individual artists, informal collectives, and unincorporated groups who were previously ineligible
- Narrow the Focus to Community Ownership: The review process places its highest emphasis (40%) on community leadership, co-creation, and lived experience rather than institutional longevity or traditional "artistic excellence".
- Simplify the Application and the Reporting: The new program significantly reduces administrative burden by streamlining application materials and offering multi-format final reporting options.
The focus of this program are projects that utilize arts and culture as a catalyst for community dialogue, healing, collective action, and/or capacity building in under-resourced communities.
Applications open, September 1, 2026.