Through the Office of Cultural Affairs, the City of San José offers several programs of financial support to ensure a continuing and rich variety of cultural opportunities for its residents as well as visitors to the city.

The City of San Jose awards Operating Grants to a limited number of professionally-managed San Jose arts organizations with ongoing, year-round arts programming. The grants support general operating needs.

How to Apply

The Operating Grant application is an online application submitted through WebGrants, the City’s one-stop online portal for all grant opportunities offered throughout the City. All applicants will access, complete and submit electronic applications using the WebGrants portal. The application will be posted on WebGrants immediately following the first pre-application workshop, the date of which is noted below.

Guidelines

The Operating Grant Guidelines for FY 2020-2021 Funding Cycle are now available. 

Application Deadline for FY 2020-21 Funding Cycle

Monday, January 27, 2020, 5:00 p.m.

Pre-Application Workshops

First-time prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to contact Karen Park at 408.793.4334 in advance of the deadline and to attend a pre-application workshop. Please RSVP at grantsworkshop@sanjoseca.gov 

Operating Grants (Two Identical Workshops):

• Tuesday, December 3, 2019: 1:00 - 3:00 p.m., Room T-1254
• Wednesday, December 11, 2020: 3:00 - 5:00 p.m., Room T-1254

Cultural Data Profile Requirement

All Operating Grant applicants are required to complete an annual profile through DataArts (formerly the Cultural Data Project) and attach the corresponding San Jose Operating Grant Funder Report with the grant application. The completion of the profile will require an investment of time so applicants are encouraged to start well before the grant deadline. The DataArts website contains helpful links to online training and a toll-free Help Desk. Please consult the Operating Grant Guidelines for details regarding the Cultural Data Profile requirement.