Creative Communities San Diego
FY25 Awards and Project Descriptions
Creative Communities San Diego provides project support for nonprofit organizations to deliver dynamic projects in San Diego
neighborhoods that: engage diverse communities in arts, culture, and creativity; and contribute to a more accessible and
sustainable creative ecosystem. Projects can take a variety of artistic and cultural forms, from film and video screenings, art
exhibitions and performances to festivals, parades, and other activities in a similar vein.
Funded Projects: 63
Funding Awarded: $2,040,912
Organization
Award Amount
Project Description
Adams Avenue Business Association $ 26,945
The 42nd Annual Adams Avenue Street Fair is San Diego's largest free music
festival & street fair, scheduled for Sept 21 & 22, 2024. The celebration is
held on ten blocks of Adams Avenue and in Adams Ave Park in the
community of Normal Heights. The event features 90 bands performing on 7
stages, 300 exhibitors, beer gardens, beer tasting, festival food and giant
carnival rides. Hours are from 10 am-10 pm on Saturday, 9-21-24 and 10 am-
6 pm on Sunday, 9-22-24.
Armed Services YMCA - San Diego $ 178,205
The Port of San Diego Big Bay Boom July 4th Fireworks show will take place
at 9pm on Thursday, July 4, 2024. This is a Tidelands Signature Event that
requires extraordinary pyrotechnics choreographed withadapted musical
selections on TV and radio on up to four barges across North San Diego Bay.
This event is free to the public with an expected 300,000 viewers around the
bay in the various parks as well as tens of thousands of homes and
condominiums, boats, hotels and restaurants.
Asian Culture and Media Alliance $ 8,801
Asian Culture and Media Alliance or ACMA will host the 12th Annual Asian &
Pacific Cultural Festival on May 17, 2025, at Mira Mesa community park to
celebrate the diversity of AANHPI cultures and ethnicity while building inter-
generational and intercultural bridges across all communities. Attendees will
enjoy various ethnic foods, traditional and contemporary performances,
cultural experiences, and much more. This event is free to the public
Asian Story Theater $ 5,000
To develop and present a new play about the US Census, and our collective
attitude toward this increasingly antiquated every-ten-years undertaking.A
ticket value will be established, though the collaborating organizations will
have great flexibility in actual price (if any).
Best Practice $ 12,475
Over the course of a one-year exhibition and event series at its location in
Logan Heights, Best Practice will present six 5-week long exhibitions of visual
art from regional, national, and international artists. Some of these
exhibitions and events will be the work of one artist while others will be
group exhibitions presented by guest curators. During this series, events will
be organized to engage with the local community and to collaborate with
other culture creators in the immediate region.
Bocon Inc. $ 46,894
Our arts education initiative aims to transform Balboa Elementary and Knox
Middle into hubs of creative learning and community engagement. This
program continues our 20-week arts residency, enriched with after-school
youth development activities. With the involvement of the community, two
original plays will be developed: a Filipina superhero story and "Memory's
Mixtape," a hip-hop journey exploring parenting through our inner child.
This program will be free or significantly reduced costs.
Bodhi Tree Concerts $ 5,000
Bodhi Tree Concerts will present our annual free international music festival
– Music en la Calle. We hire 25+ local artists to perform music and dance
from Mexico, West Africa, Native, Karen, Latin America, Japan, and more.
Music en la Calle is held in the heart of City Heights and serves
approximately 1000 attendees each year. Audiences come from across SD
County, bringing a wide array of people to the neighborhood to celebrate the
vibrant & diverse artists who call San Diego home.
California Lawyers for the Arts $ 76,548
The proposed project will expand CLA's free and low-cost art/law educational
programming and bi-national symposium, Intersections: Art & Law at the
Border, for the benefit of artists and arts organizations and will expand
Designing Creative Futures, our creative workforce development program
for previously incarcerated individuals, which provides paid arts internships,
career/education counseling, personal and professional development
workshops and social services support for people on re-entry.
Casa Familiar $ 40,374
A full season of arts + culture programming for San Ysidro + South San
Diego, including: 3 major exhibitions, 2 festivals, 2 “Sidro Saturday"" artist
market events, a 12 mo. podcast season, + staff salaries. All activities are free
and aim to engage a wider array of transborder and BIPOC artists with the
goal of providing better access to arts, culture + creativity in our community.
Centro Cultural de la Raza $ 7,641
Day of the Dead Altar Viewing and Procession. Each year community
members and artists build about 20 altars in our gallery space. We have a
formal viewing/explanation event. Prep for event includes craft-making
educational workshops to teach about the meaning and process of building
an altar. On November 2nd we have a procession. All events related to this
project are free to the public.
Contact Arts DBA San Diego Fringe
Festival
$ 118,628
The San Diego International Fringe Festival is a dynamic and exciting event
that celebrates theater and various art forms. Our mission is to support and
promote artists while engaging the community and making arts and culture
accessible to all in the city. The festival serves as a platform for local talent to
showcase their work and also attracts artists and tourists from the U.S. and
around the world. Our diverse lineup includes theater, cabaret, circus, dance,
& countless other forms of art.
CoTA (Collaborations: Teachers and
Artists)
$ 11,096
CoTA's free multi-day teacher Institutes offer educators the opportunity to
collaborate with artists and educators while exploring the power of project-
based learning through the arts. Institutes provide a rich mix of learning
experiences designed to enhance instruction with hands-on art activities,
inquiry, group work, and authentic performance tasks. Teachers discover
how the arts can be incorporated to engage and motivate students in
studying social studies, science, language arts, and math.
Design Forward Alliance $ 55,874
San Diego Design Week is a community-driven event that represent the
diverse design disciplines in the region. Since 2020, SDDW is a celebration
showcasing the region’s binational, multicultural, and interdisciplinary design
community with programs as: installations, workshops, and presentations. In
past editions, San Diego Design Week has had over 100+ program events.
Learn more about the 2022 program here: https://sddesignweek.org/ - It will
be the World Design Capital Design Experience.
Director of Public Realm $ 7,747
The project will transform 10 vacant storefronts in Downtown San Diego into
vibrant hubs of artistic expression that reflects the city's cultural diversity
and artistic dynamism. As pedestrians explore Downtown, they will
encounter a curated art walk that not only beautifies the area but also
stimulates conversation and fosters a deeper connection between the public
and the artistic community.
Gente Unida $ 5,000
"Our Walls Speak", inspires all community stakeholders to join voices to
articulate a path for mural education, preservation and advocacy in the face
of the challenges of gentrification, encroaching developers and the
bureaucratic hurdles that immigrant, minority, and the poor face protecting
their own, “Painted history books on walls”. Veteran Chicano Muralists,
Conservation Experts and Mural Artivists share best practices, case studies
and innovations from across the USA and abroad.
Get Empowered Today, Inc. $ 7,068
Arts Amplifying Youth (AAY!) is a program for young artists to explore and
develop their creativity and leadership skills. Each year we work together to
design and host a summit that offers a platform for youth to identify the
changes they want to see in their communities and through the arts lead the
way in making a difference. AAY! offers a paid opportunity for young artists
to develop the tools they need to activate and amplify their voices by
providing coaching, mentorship, and resources.
Gray Area Foundation for the Arts $ 204,091
The Artists in Residence Program is catalyzing positive social and
environmental change in Logan Heights by commissioning talented artists
and promoting tactical urbanism. Creatives will partake in various forms of
artistic expression that engage Logan Heights residents. Several events will
be free to the public and will take place between 7/2024 and 6/2025. Projects
to include interactive experiences like urban gardening, robotic gardening,
visual art displays, performing art exhibits, and more.
Hillcrest Business Improvement
Association
$ 19,172
The funding will be for Hillcrest CityFest~ a celebration of everything that's
wonderful about living in the city. This event is celebrating its 40th year in
Hillcrest. This one-day event features two stages with over 20 hours of live
performances, hundreds of artist and crafter vendors, children's art and
activities, diverse food vendors, and interactive arts activities. The event
draws over 100,000 people to Hillcrest from across the region on the second
Sunday in August.
House of Panama $ 5,000
The House of Panama requests support for free educational activities that
exposes those visiting Balboa Park to the culture and history of Panama. This
includes the Lawn Program in August with a parade of Polleras and a
presentation about Panama's Indigenous groups, sharing our holiday
traditions at December Nights, highlighting Afro-Panamanian art and
literature during Black History Month in February, and sharing our vibrant
and unique cuisine at the May Ethnic Food Fair.
Ilan-Lael Inc. $ 5,000
Lado a Lado showcases artist James Hubbell and his work of fostering cross-
border understanding. Hubbellchallenged preconceived notions about the
San Diego-Tijuana border enlisting artists and non-artists alike.from both
countries to work lado a lado (side by side) on works of art and architecture
that benefited many facets of Mexican society. The exhibit will be spread
across four San Diego City Library satellite branches and will be free to the
public.
Indian Fine Arts Academy of San Diego $ 27,628
The festival theme is, "oneness of the universe." We are incorporating
specially curated several novel events including world music, Gypsy music,
Hindustani-Carnatic violin jugalbandhi, percussion fusion, and Bollywood
dance as a continuation from 2024 festival. This festival involves 71 artists
from India, 26 from USA and 125 students from San Diego. During this
festival IFAASD pays musical homage to musicians like Maestro Ravi Shankar.
Most of the events are ticketed.
Italian American Art and Culture
Association of San Diego
$ 14,034
The 18th Annual San Diego Italian Film Festival (SDIFF) will be held from
October 3 through October 13, 2024, at the MOPA at the San Diego Museum
of Art in Balboa Park and at UC San Diego's Park and Market. The festival will
feature the best in Italian recently released films with themes of social
justice, women's voices, immigration, a retrospective film series, a short-film
series competition, guest artists Q/As, and a feSta event with food, live music
and the Ristretto awards ceremony.
Karama $ 5,000
KARAMA seeks funding for the San Diego Arab Film Festival, which presents
films from and about the ArabWorld that provide realistic perspectives on
Arab people, culture, art, history and politics. The Festival presentsa mix of
feature length and short films, both narrative and documentary.
Karen Organization of San Diego $ 5,000
Karen New Year celebration is the biggest cultural celebration for refugees
from Burma resettled in San Diego. Sharing various cultural dance and music
performances with audiences, this event allows the general public in San
Diego to learn about their new neighbors from Burma and the rich and
beautiful culture that they bring with them to San Diego. In FY 2025, we are
planning to host the 2764 Karen New Year celebration on Saturday, January
11, 2025. The event is free to the public.
Kyoto Symposium Organization $ 84,347
With the Inamori Foundation, the KPS hosts three Laureates each year in
mid-March, many of whom never visit San Diego. Each Laureate, awarded in
the fields of ""Advanced Technology,"" ""Basic Sciences"" and ""Arts &
Philosophy,"" will provide a lecture and/or workshop at UC San Diego and at
other arts organizations/venues. All lectures/workshops are free and open to
the public. We invite and bus 1,000 high school students throughout San
Diego and the Tijuana region each year to these presentations.
La Maestra Family Clinic Inc. $ 72,679
The La Maestra Arts and Culture project is part of the La Maestra Circle of
Care® services that strives to improve the overall well-being of families.
Through the Generations Center, La Maestra offers free year-round art
classes, music lessons, photography exhibitions, flower arranging, sewing
classes, and performances for all ages in the community. The project
provides opportunities for healing and personal growth through arts with a
focus on health and wellness.
Linda Vista Multi-Cultural Fair Inc. $ 8,941
The Linda Vista Multi-Cultural Fair and Parade, now in its fortieth year, will
produce a one-day festival on April 26, 2025. This festival is free to the public
and strives to promote cultural awareness and understanding within the City
of San Diego.
Little Saigon San Diego $ 23,096
2025 San Diego Lunar New Year Festival will be a 3-day celebration features
dazzling lanterns, folk and traditional performances, arts and cultural
exhibitions, lion dances and firecrackers, and plenty of family fun activities
for the kids. More importantly, the festival is inclusive and free.
Mandate Project Impact, Inc. $ 25,027
CONCERTS (ticketed) & MULTI-MEDIA TRAINING (free): expose youth interns
to industry professionals and real life experiences working on MPI’s live
concert productions; reach people of various cultures and ethnicities,
promote cultural heritage appreciation through American art forms of
African American Gospel and Jazz music, encourage entrepreneurship,
engage start up and small businesses, recycle dollars within the community,
and draw international artists and arts enthusiasts to San Diego.
Mariachi Scholarship Foundation $ 34,094
The 2024 San Diego International Mariachi Summit features performances
by some of the world's greatest mariachis, San Diego's own Mariachi
Champana Nevin and the San Diego Binational Symphony Orchestra at the
Balboa Theatre, Civic and other venues. The Summit features 3 days of
mariachi and ballet folklorico student workshops led by these visiting artists,
plus seminars for teachers, mariachi history museum, free student
performances, and a holiday "Las posadas" Mexican Christmas concert.
Media Heritage Inc. $ 9,560
The annual FilmOut LGBTQ film festival will showcase over 30 documentary,
short, and feature films from local and global filmmakers who affirm and
validate the stories of LGBTQ individuals that have largely been repressed by
the motion picture industry. The festival increases visibility of LGBTQ
individuals and highlights LGBTQ artists, all while engaging audiences with
LGBTQ-inclusive cinema in multiple venues throughout Balboa Park. The
public may purchase screening or festival tickets.
Medium Photography Inc. $ 14,074
The Medium Festival of Photography is a signature arts and cultural program
presenting educational workshops, artist talks, studio tours and exhibitions
across San Diego County and Tijuana. We offer free and ticketed resources
to students, educators, photographers and arts professionals, including
professional development programs that connect artists with curators,
publishers and gallery owners across the spectrum of fine art photography.
Monarch School Project $ 34,625
The Monarch School Project is a 501 (c)(3) organization. We established our
very own epicenter for our arts programming, The Chrysalis: Monarch
School’s Center for the Arts in the Barrio Logan community. The arts
programming follows a Creative Youth Development model, and we seek
funding for our free community arts programming. This includes (1) Art and
Music Classes for children (0-5) and their families/caregivers; (2) Two-
Culminating Community Exhibits; and (3) Two- Community Productions.
Mother Sponge Inc. dba Set + Drift $ 5,000
Through a two-week stay hosted by a designer in San Diego, a Tijuana based
designer is invited to further their practice and engage with the local
community, sharing their work through a workshop/exhibition at a
community venue (free, open to the public). This project is part of an
ongoing dialogue that will later include a Tijuana residency hosting a
designer from San Diego. Directors: Stacy Kelley (San Diego, Set + Drift),
Katalina Silva (Enigma Creative, Tijuana Design Week, CreativeMornings).
Musicians for Education Inc. $ 19,976
Street of Dreams Live! spoken word community concert. Logan Library
Community Room/Cultural Center for Programs, Exhibits, & Displays. May 4,
2025, 2 p.m., 567 S. 28th St., San Diego, 92113. Event is free, donations
accepted. Screening of student video, performance of spoken word and
poetry demonstrating the power of art education to achieve social change
and solve the problems of drug addiction, alcoholism, and generational
poverty, exhibit of student photography and poetry, Q & A social hour.
North Park Organization of Businesses,
Inc.
$ 25,296
North Park Music Festival - This event has existed in various iterations over
the past 20 years. The festival will strongly emphasize the diversity of the
community around us. Our goal is to have performances by people that
represent a wide range of cultures and heritages. The festival will feature live
and curated art, dance, music, spoken word, street vendors, and food. The
ultimate goal is to showcase North Park as a community that celebrates
inclusivity.
Ocean Beach Merchant's Association
Inc.
$ 24,851
The 45th Annual Ocean Beach Street Fair & Chili Cook-Off will be held on
June 28, 2025 in the heart of the eclectic community of Ocean Beach. This
free event which has been a San Diego tradition since 1980 showcases our
community to attendees of all ages. The event includes 3 stages of live music
featuring local artists, a community mural project, a community chili cook-
off, family fun zone, Artist Alley highlighting local artisans, merchandise and
food vendors, a beer garden and more.
Pacific Beach Community
Development Corp
$ 17,906
Pacific BeachFest is a vibrant coastal celebration. Featuring an eclectic lineup
of bands on 3 stages and 60+ artisan vendors. Other activities at BeachFest
include a beach volleyball tournament, 5k and half marathon, interactive art
installations, a family-friendly Kids' Zone, and a diverse range of food and
beverage, in the food court. The festival unites the community in a
celebration of music, art, and the sun-kissed spirit of Pacific Beach. 30-50k
attendees enjoy BeachFest annually.
Pacific Beach Town Council $ 7,157
We are seeking funding for Concerts on the Green(COTG), a free family
friendly concert series located at Kate Sessions Park which easily attracts
crowds in the thousands, providing an incredible opportunity to local artists
from all across San Diego. Additionally the PBTC has included underserved
communities by increasing outreach in these areas and prominently
featuring bands from the Promise Zone in the concerts. Historically we have
held 4 concerts per year, but this year we are planning 6.
Poway Center for the Performing Arts
Foundation
$ 11,724
We will offer 7, FREE, Virtual Performance Curriculum (VPCs) to City of San
Diego students. VPCs are multi-disciplinary performances that include
learning modules, show videos, 3-D theater tour and in-person
workshops/assemblies. VFT includes assemblies at NORTH CITY high schools
(Del Norte, Westview, Mt. Carmel) for 1,900 4th grade students. VFTs will
reach 49,000+ City of San Diego students to increase access to performing
arts and will include IN-PERSON workshops in 20+ classrooms.
Rolando Community Council Inc. $ 7,447
The annual Rolando Street Fair is a free community event. This well-loved
street fair includes: an all-day free concert featuring popular San Diego
bands representing many different genres of music performed by a diverse
(gender/ethnicity/race/sexual orientation) group of artists. There is a $5 play-
all-day Kid's Zone (featuring inflatables, climbing walls, games, crafts and
entertainment for young people), 130+ local artists/makers booths, 20 local
food vendors, and a local craft beer garden.
Saikat $ 23,071
We plan to conduct workshops (3 months, free to public) on Indian Classical
& Folk Dance (final performance in July and in October). We will also invite
artists (renowned Indian/Bangladeshi classical/folk/modern musicians) to
perform at ""Krishti"" (July) & ""Sharod Utsav""(October). The expected
number of attendees would be >1000. ""Natyomela"" (a drama festival) will
be held in summer to cater different drama groups both from local & from
different cities in USA (in English & in Bengali).
San Diego Alpha Foundation $ 5,000
The project we're seeking funding for is the 43rd annual Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. parade and festival. These events commemorate the life and legacy
of Dr. King and his dream while striving to bring the community together for
peace and harmony in a fun filled package. What makes the MLK Parade
and festival a desirable attraction is that it’s a celebration of a dream of
unity, togetherness and equality. It’s about being all inclusive and
celebrating our differences. The events are free.
San Diego Audubon Society $ 25,836
The San Diego Bird Festival is a celebration of the wild birds, habitats and
people of San Diego County. Over 1000 people from local communities and
across the country gather to celebrate what birds mean to us and what we
mean to birds. This is an inclusive event, open to all people regardless of
their race, age, or ability. Some of the activities have an activity fee, many are
free to the public.
San Diego Film Foundation $ 152,620
The San Diego International Film Festival, celebrates its 23rd year in 2024
with a 5-day event attracting 12,000+ attendees. The Festival boasts more
than 100 films, including studio premiers and the best of independent films,
international filmmakers; red carpet events; industry panel discussions and
education programs. The festival is free to high school students who
participate in our FOCUS on Impact series, which brings to light issues of
social justice. Discounted tickets are available.
San Diego Guild of Puppetry Inc. $ 16,933
Our "Community Puppetry Project" will bring free, exciting, often bilingual,
puppetry arts experiences to students, families, rec centers, parks, etc., as
requested, and at times co-designed, by those living in the Promise Zone,
City Heights, SE San Diego and adjoining neighborhoods, to meet their
needs. As always, they center on creating interactive, empowering arts
experiences, growing the work we have long brought to these deserving, but
low income, multicultural communities.
San Diego LGBT Pride $ 204,091
The week long San Diego Pride celebration will be held in July 2024. These
events will highlight the broad range of artistic and cultural diversity within
San Diego's LGBTQ+ community and include She Fest, Stonewall Rally, a
Pride Parade, and Festival highlighting music and dance by hundreds of
LGBTQ+ artists. San Diego Pride also seeks support for year-round
programming that includes Arts and Culture components. Tickets for this
program are low-cost, free, and open to the public.
San Diego Made $ 7,366
San Diego Made: LIVE, a free bi-annual event at the San Diego Made Factory
in District 8, showcases local craftsmanship with interactive art demos,
performances, and exhibitions. Focused on celebrating San Diego's creative
talent, it features makers in their studios, offering a participatory experience
to spread creative knowledge and inspire innovation. Targeting 1,500
attendees from the public and city visitors, this event is distinct and
independent from the IMPACT grant event series.
San Diego Parks Foundation $ 25,102
SDPF is requesting support for “I Love My Park Day,” May 17, 2025, 2 p.m.–6
p.m. at NTC Park. The event will feature multicultural, multigenerational,
engaging activities including arts, culture, music, dance, food, and
opportunities for community members to access health and social services
resources and support. Arts and Culture activities: multicultural performers-
professional international dancers to world singers, an art exhibition, film,
and video screenings. See Project Summary attached.
San Diego Performing Arts League $ 5,000
San Diego Theatre Month is a month-long celebration of the live arts, where
tickets are offered at $15, $30 and $45 price points for theatre, dance and
music performances. This project is not free to the public but increases
access to the arts by enabling patrons to experience live shows at a
substantially discounted price. We promote this event through multiple
media formats with special emphasis on underserved communities in San
Diego County.
San Diego State University Research
Foundation for KPBS
$ 26,446
One Book, One San Diego is the region's premier community-wide reading
program. Through One Book, KPBS seeks to draw the community together
by encouraging everyone to read and discuss the same book.
San Diego Synergy Arts Network $ 5,000
To fund a free art exhibition opportunity that features three artists from the
San Diego/Tijuana border region. This opportunity allows three, local artists
to gain exposure, career progression, and helps highlight San Diego as a
creative center locally and internationally. The exhibition costs will include an
advertisement in ArtForum, Videography services, catalogue text, design and
print, volunteer payment, curation, transportation and delivery of artwork,
free public lecture series and tour.
San Diego Underground Arts $ 5,000
We are seeking funding for our annual arts festival which celebrates the
experimentation in film, video, audio, and performance-based mediums.
This involves curating screenings, musical acts, and expanded cinema
performances that showcase the work of artists from diverse backgrounds,
including those who have been historically marginalized or
underrepresented. We prioritize accessibility as much as we can afford,
which is why this event is free and open to the public.
Sherman Heights Community Center $ 5,000
Our 30th Día de los Muertos festivity is a joyous occasion when the memory
of our ancestors & the continuity of life is celebrated. This is a long-standing,
grassroots tradition in Sherman Heights attracting thousands of visitors from
across San Diego County, Los Angeles, Arizona, and the neighboring Baja
Region during this weeks-long celebration. Festivities include community
altars, workshops, tours, a youth celebration & procession. Participation is
free except for fundraising activities.
Spirit of the Fourth, Inc. $ 9,944
This day-long event begins with a Community Fair. Its activities include: a Car
Show, a Patriotic Pet Contest, a food court, a Military Ceremony for veterans,
kids' games, a quilt show and vendor booths. In the afternoon the Spirit of
the Fourth parade is held over a 1.25 mile route with over 80 entries
including veterans, high school bands, community groups and elected
officials. In the evening we have a fireworks show. The Car Show has an
entry fee but all other events are free to the public.
T3 Triple Threat Youth Mentors $ 5,000
T3’s summer program is a 10-week musical theatre training camp for youth
ages 6-18 in a conservatory setting. Sixty students (allowing more
participation if demand increases) gain enriching opportunities to learn or
improve their dance, voice, and acting abilities. The program culminates with
a multi-performance production at the City’s North Park Recreation Center in
a safe environment where students learn to express themselves clearly and
creatively through theatre-based education.
Teatro San Diego $ 5,000
TMM's 2024-25 Discovery Series will include two shows:
ECHOES OF VALOR: MEMO'S JOURNEY, a play set against the backdrop of the
Vietnam War, that pays tribute to Manuel “Memo” Cavada, a distinguished
Air Force veteran and two-time Purple Heart recipient from San Diego.
MANILA SKY by Paul James Kruse, a love story with music based in the
Filipino community, will be presented as a staged reading featuring a
multicultural cast.
The Bon Temps Social Club of San
Diego
$ 115,781
Gator By The Bay Zydeco, Blues & Crawfish Festival is an annual 4-day
Louisiana themed music & food festival held at Spanish Landing Park on San
Diego Bay. It is a zesty gumbo of music, food and fun with 100+
performances by some of the best Cajun, Zydeco, Blues and Latin musicians.
The event is all ages. Tickets range from $35-$225. Children under 18 are
free. Complimentary & discounted tickets are made available in the
community. Free admission is provided in exchange for volunteer hours.
The Cooper Family Foundation $ 14,632
Our Juneteenth Festival (6/21/25) will be a celebration of the end of slavery
and the historical Emancipation Proclamation. This community festival, free
to the public, is a cultural and educational experience featuring African
drummers and spiritual dance, poetry and spoken word performances, R&B
music, blues band, hip-hop, and jazz saxophonist performances. Free food is
provided to all who attend. The festival includes community members who
often are excluded from such events because of cost.
The High Steppers Drill Team $ 24,259
The High Steppers seeks funding for its Drill Team to strengthen San Diego’s
arts/culture sector by exposing youth to the art of military drill technique,
dance & step routine. Our free public performances help create vital &
uplifting community connections. Through the Drill Team’s performances in
local festivals & parades, such as the MLK, Jr. Parade, Veterans Day Parade,
and Mother Goose Parade, we support & uplift our community through our
deep shared cultural connection to percussive Step.
Two Rooms $ 5,000
Two Rooms seeks funding to support a year's worth of two-person
exhibitions and solo performances. Two Rooms will curate five to six
independent exhibitions that showcase and uplift emerging artists from San
Diego and Tijuana. Pairing artists who work across media, Two Rooms puts
artists in direct conversation with one another and fosters a local dialogue
around contemporary art. All exhibitions, artist-talks, and events are free
and engage the artistic community and the general public.
VAPA Foundation $ 25,810
The VAPA Foundation is the only nonprofit arts education organization in
San Diego with a partnership with SDUSD to provide targeted arts education
for schools otherwise under resourced. We do so through honor concerts
and recognition events, public facing events for the community, and
collaboration with arts organization partners.
Viet Voices $ 5,000
Viet Voices is partnering w/ a Vietnamese artist, Trang Nguyen, the lead on
this project to collaborate w/ other AAPI artists to curate an exhibition of
artwork & performances to raise awareness on mental health in the AAPI
culture. The issue of mental health isn't discussed in our households
enough, contributing to communication breakdown between our elders &
the younger generation growing up in America that we're hoping to heal. The
exhibit is potentially named, "Conversations w/ Our Parents".
