The City of San Diego and its regional partners have released a new grant opportunity for artists and cultural practitioners to inspire change within their communities.
Through the Far South/Border North program, grant award recipients will develop artistic content and carry out public campaigns that increase regional awareness of issues impacting San Diego and Imperial counties, including public health, energy and water conservation, climate mitigation, civic engagement, and social justice matters.
“The Far South/Border North program offers artists and cultural practitioners in our region an extraordinary opportunity,” said Jonathon Glus, executive director of the City’s Commission for Arts and Culture. “We know artists and cultural practitioners bring an important engagement perspective to intersectional work in environmental, civic and community health, and we appreciate the California Arts Council’s investment in San Diego and Imperial counties’ most disproportionately impacted communities.”
Spearheaded by the City of San Diego, Far South/Border North is a California Creative Corps arts program implemented through a bi-county regional collaborative and partnership with the Catalyst of San Diego and Imperial Counties, San Diego Regional Arts and Culture Coalition, and San Diego Foundation.
The program provides funding to artists and cultural practitioners to help support the health and well-being of communities in the lowest quartile of the California Healthy Places Index in San Diego and Imperial counties while continuing to enrich their creative, artistic and cultural practices.
“We are pleased to partner in this work that will shine a light on and grow public and private funding for artists and cultural practitioners,” said Megan Thomas, president and CEO of Catalyst of San Diego and Imperial Counties. “We are excited about this opportunity to artistically and creatively elevate the dialogue about equitable resources for health, environmental, and other social justice issues across San Diego and Imperial counties.”
“Implementing the Far South/Border North program is vital to building a stronger regional creative sector,” said San Diego Regional Arts and Culture Coalition executive director Felicia Shaw. “Collectively, we will help support San Diego and Imperial artists and cultural practitioners while bringing awareness to the importance of the arts and health equity within our communities.”
Far South/Border North is funded through a $4.75 million California Creative Corps grant from the California Arts Council.
Grant guidelines and information sessions to assist potential applicants are available at farsouthbordernorth.com. Applications will be accepted through 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 22. A second round of grant applications for organizations to regrant to artists and cultural practitioners will be released in the spring.
The City of San Diego advances and drives an equitable and inclusive creative economy and cultural ecosystem by investing in the work of artists and creatives and the institutions and systems that amplify creative work and experiences. To learn more, visit sandiego.gov/arts-culture.
