October is National Arts & Humanities Month, and Inland Empire Community Foundation, Arts Connection – the San Bernardino County Arts Council, Riverside Arts Council, and the California Desert Arts Council are pleased to announce that it has received a grant for $4.7 million from The California Arts Council (CAC) to administer funds for a new state arts program called the California Creative Corps. The CAC sees this program primarily as a job creation and infrastructure development opportunity that will increase the ways in which artists are engaged in public work. California Creative Corps is an economic and workforce recovery pilot program intended to fuel positivity, regain public trust, and inspire safe and healthy behavior across California’s diverse populations through artist-led messaging disseminated via a media outreach and engagement campaign. This program will provide grants to local, regional, and statewide organizations in all 58 counties to fund unemployed and underemployed artists to create public awareness messages and projects in support of civic engagement and community participation in multiple priority areas including: pandemic recovery and environmental, civic, and social engagement. IECF is designated as one of 14 Administering Organizations (AOs) selected by the California Arts Council to administer regranting funds specifically in the Inland Empire, through a collaboration with three local arts agencies - Arts Connection – the San Bernardino County Arts Council, Riverside Arts Council, and the CA Desert Arts Council. Funds will support IE-based artists and organizations through innovative public art, media, and engagement projects and campaigns aimed at addressing health inequities in highest-priority communities. The intention of this grant program is to provide as broad a geographic reach as possible and serve all 58 counties while prioritizing communities that demonstrate the highest levels of need as indicated by the California Healthy Places Index (HPI). Jennifer Kane, Executive Director of Arts Connection - The Arts Council of San Bernardino County said, “There is often a lot talk about engaging artists as solutions partners in systems change work, but this program will finally provide significant funding and sustainable strategies for artists and both arts organizations and arts adjacent organizations to work with artists to co-create powerful community projects and support increased visibility of our region’s talented creatives. I am honored to partner in building this program for our region’s arts community.” Other organizations designated as Administering Organizations for their respective regions are: 18th Street Arts Center, ArtsLB, The Center for Cultural Power, The City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, Community Partners, Kern Dance Alliance, Latino Community Foundation, Nevada County Arts Council, Sacramento Office of Arts and Culture, San Francisco Foundation, Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture, United Way of Merced County Inc., and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Look for opportunities to participate in regional listening sessions for program design and local partnerships in the next few months. Artist applications will go out in mid-2023. This program dovetails with other exciting developments in the arts and culture sector in the Inland region. Arts Connection – the San Bernardino County Arts Council, Riverside Arts Council, and the California Desert Arts Council are partnering with Americans for the Arts and the launch of the Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6), a national study of the economic impact of the nonprofit arts and culture industry in the Inland Empire. The three arts councils have also launched Inland Leadership for Arts, Culture, and Creative Economy, a leadership consortium dedicated to advancing the arts, culture, and creative industries sector in the Inland region. For more information on these efforts, please email: research@artsconnectionnetwork.org. What leaders are saying: “Engaging our artists here in the Inland Empire through public art, media and engagement projects will lead to innovative solutions, provide needed jobs and enhance the quality of life for our region’s residents. Through these funds, the Inland Empire art community will apply their skills and talents and I look forward to their success.” - Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Gomez-Reyes “Investing in arts and culture is foundational to building vibrant communities for future generations. I am thrilled that this $4.7 million grant from the California Arts Council is coming to the Inland Empire, and look forward to the impact the California Creative Corps initiative will have on our region.” - Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes “Congratulations to IECF and their regional partners for securing this critical funding! A state investment in the regional creative workforce is long overdue. Art is a powerful medium to express our deepest emotions, connect our communities and influence social change. These artists inspire creativity beyond brush strokes and musical notes, encouraging us to push the envelope and think outside the box. I look forward to the enrichment of our community that will result from this investment.” - Senator Richard Roth “I want to thank and congratulate the Inland Empire Community Foundation for all its work to ensure a successful $4.7 million application for a new arts program here in the Inland Empire. The arts play a valuable role in helping communities thrive by bringing joy, entertainment, related jobs, and inspiring our youth and all residents to greater understanding of one another. The Inland Empire Legislative Caucus which I chair was pleased to work with the ICEF and other state organizations to secure this funding.” - Assemblymember James C. Ramos