The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors met with representatives of the arts sector to congratulate grant recipients. (photo by David Franco)

The Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture announced $5.6 million in grants to 353 nonprofits through the 2026-27 Organizational Grant Program and Community Impact Arts Grant awards.

The Organizational Grant Program supports the L.A. County nonprofit arts sector with grants to organizations working in visual arts, performing arts, film and media, literary arts and arts education. The funding ensures diverse communities have access to the arts, with funding shown to reach 95% of the zip codes in L.A. County. OGP grants will benefit 266 organizations, 44 of which are first time applicants to the program. As a combined cohort, the two-year OGP grants awarded approximately $10.1 million to 527 organizations for fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27.

Through OGP, the department addresses systemic inequity in arts funding in the nonprofit sector – 94% of the organizations that were awarded have budgets under $5 million and 44% have budgets under $200,000, with 91% of the total OGP funding allocation awarded to micro, small and midsized organizations with budgets under $3 million. The organizations are often underfunded and serve communities of color, historically marginalized and rural communities.

Grantees can use funds to support operating needs, from staffing and organizational infrastructure to public arts programming for communities. Grantees can also access the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture’s professional development opportunities through the program.

The organizations represent a wide variety of service areas and missions. The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts received a grant for multidisciplinary performing arts programs. The Autry Museum of the American West’s grant supports artistic and cultural programs including exhibitions, the Block Party, National Day of the Cowboy and Autry After Hours programs. The Mariachi Women’s Foundation provides mariachi women and girls with opportunities in music performance, education and community engagement. Rhythm Arts Alliance connects system-impacted youth ages 7-25 with drumming, dance and song so they can heal from trauma. First time grantee, the Banjee Ball Foundation, uses ballroom culture to provide creative, education and career opportunities to LGBTQIA individuals and women. The Geffen Playhouse will use funds to support continued artistic programming.

Different than the department’s longstanding funding for nonprofits with a primary focus on the arts, the Community Impact Arts Grant supports arts-based programs of social justice and service organizations. CIAG was created to make arts services available to L.A. County residents who might not experience them through traditional venues, and encourage the integration of the arts in cross-sector work. The total CIAG allocation is $500,000, and awards range from $1,550-$6,700. Grantee programs span art forms, communities and service areas, from therapeutic visual arts to social justice filmmaking, music education for youth, dance empowerment and memory programs for people with dementia.

“This year, 353 organizations across Los Angeles County will use this vital public funding to sustain the arts – dance companies and theaters, film and media arts, youth arts programs, choral groups, museums, literary arts and so much more – reflecting a diverse array of art forms and cultures,” Department of Arts and Culture Director Kristin Sakoda said. “That breadth is the point. When the arts are alive across the county, our communities are stronger for it. Behind every organization are artists and cultural workers creating new ways to reach and empower the people they serve, and we’re proud to help make that possible.”

For more information, visit lacountyarts.org.