Artist Opportunities
The City of Santa Monica supports and celebrates artists through grants, fellowships, and residencies. Explore past Artist Fellows, Residents, and other grant recipients from 2010 to the present here.
Continue the Process:
Santa Monica Individual Artist Grants
BACKGROUND & 2026 PROGRAM SUMMARY
The Santa Monica Individual Artist Grants program fosters the creation of new work, recognizes artistic excellence, and celebrates our community’s commitment to creativity and innovation. Since its launch 15 years ago, the program has supported nearly 80 individual artists across disciplines, including visual art, writing, choreography, performance, and music.
The program operates in two parts:
- Artist Fellowships, competitive awards that honor and support mid-career Santa Monica artists (typically two to four each year, by nomination only).
- Artist Project Grants, which provide Santa Monica-based artists—including emerging artists—with funding to strengthen their practice. Project Grant funds may be used for essential expenses such as materials, marketing, professional documentation, studio or rehearsal space, and costs related to shipping, framing, or installing work.
Together, these opportunities ensure that local
artists receive the recognition, resources, and support they need to
thrive—while strengthening Santa Monica’s arts and culture ecosystem and
enriching the creative life of residents and visitors alike.
2026 INDIVIDUAL ARTIST GRANTS PROGRAM TIMELINE
- Application Opens: Tuesday, September 2, 2025
- Application Workshop & Staff Appointments: September 2025
- Application Deadline: Tuesday, September 30, 2025, at 11:59 PM (PT)
- Staff Review: October 2025
- Panel Review: November 2025
- Award Notifications: December 2026
- Grant Period: January – December 2026
GUIDELINES & APPLICATION MATERIALS
Please read the complete program guidelines before submitting an application!
2026 GUIDELINES
2026 APPLICATION (Survey Monkey Apply)
2026 APPLICATION TEMPLATE (to help prepare your application questions)
LEARN ABOUT OUR 2025 ARTIST FELLOWS here.
QUESTIONS?
Please contact artsgrants@santamonica.gov
PROGRAM HISTORY & DESCRIPTION
The Art of Recovery initiative launched in November 2020 as part of the City of Santa Monica’s Economic Recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of the initiative was to harness the arts to play a major role in the recovery efforts while highlighting Santa Monica as a cultural hub and destination for unique experiences through two distinct programs: AoR Microgrant and AoR Producing Partners.
Inspired by the WPA-era Federal Art Project, AoR was designed to be responsive and adaptable and support Santa Monica’s artists and economy by: employing artists and arts producers, partnering with businesses to stimulate economic activity, enlivening public spaces, including parks, streets, and other community areas and producing new artworks and events that foster connection and cultural vibrancy.
READ MORE ABOUT AOR & AVAILABLE FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES HERE
Camera Obscura Art Lab Studio Residency
- Where
- Camera Obscura Art Lab, 1450 Ocean Ave.
- Application and Guidelines Click here for application and guidelines.
- Applications Will Be Available
- Annually in the fall
- Latest Application Deadline
- Friday, April 12, 2025, 12:59 PM PT
- Eligibility
- LA County Residents
- Length
- 14 Weeks
- Required
- Workshops
- Culminating Exhibit/Performance
Annenberg Community Beach House Fall and Spring Writer Residency
- Where
- Annenberg Community Beach House, 415 PCH
- Application and Guidelines
- On hold, to be announced
- Eligibility
- LA County residents; writers of poetry, plays, and fiction
- Length
- 9 weeks per residency
- Fall is October - December
- Spring is January - March
- Required
- Public Events
- Office Hours
- Weekly Blog Posts
ACBH Choreographer Residency
- Where
- Annenberg Community Beach House, 415 PCH
- Applications Will Be Available
- Biennially (even years) in January
- Application Deadline
- Biennially (even years) in March
- Eligibility
- LA County Residents
- Length
- 3 months onsite planning and 5+ weeks rehearsal/performance in September and October
- Required
- Site Sensitive Public Oriented Work
- Public Practice
- Blog Posts
Current opportunities:
See applications page here.
Art of Recovery microgrants, quarterly reviews
150th Anniversary microgrants, deadline 11/10/25
Santa Monica Poet Laureate application, deadline 11/30/25, more about the program here.
Recent opportunities:
Local Canvas artwork display opportunity, pilot closed 8/18/25, check back for future iterations