CALI Futures
CALI Futures funds California artists and cultural workers exploring new, sustainable models for income, ownership, and support in the arts beyond traditional nonprofit and for-profit systems.
Funder: Center for Cultural Innovation
Due Dates: August 28, 2026 (Full application deadline, 11:59 a.m. PT)
Funding Amounts: $5,000 per project (approx. 20 grants/year); $100,000 total funding/year; 12-month grant period
Summary: Supports California artists and cultural workers advancing alternative, sustainable models in the arts beyond traditional nonprofit and for-profit structures.
Description
CALI Futures is a grant program supporting individual artists and cultural workers, as well as teams, across California who are leading or contributing to alternative efforts that create more sustainable, equitable, and mutually supportive conditions in the arts and culture sector. The program uplifts work focused on new models of income, creative ownership, and care—especially those operating outside conventional nonprofit and for-profit systems. Projects can be at any stage, from ideation to implementation or reflection, and should have the potential to transform the broader arts ecosystem by fostering financial stability, strengthening creative ownership, and deepening community connections.
