Two hundred local artists from across Sacramento have been selected to receive monthly support through the City of Sacramento’s 2025-26 Creative Growth Fellowship, a program providing $2.04 million in funding.

Managed by the City’s Office of Arts and Culture, the fellowship will provide $850 per month for one year to each recipient to support their artistic practice and career development.

“We were overwhelmed by the response to this program, with more than 800 applications submitted,” said Melissa Cirone, the City’s grants program manager. “The richness and variety of artists in our community is inspiring, and it shows the incredible depth of creativity that Sacramento has to offer.”

The Creative Growth Fellowship is part of the City’s broader strategy to invest in the creative sector using federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) reinvestment funds. In October 2024, the Sacramento City Council established the Creative Growth Support Fund to support artists impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The grant application opened in June, awards confirmed in August, and the first payments will be distributed in September 2025.

The 200 recipients, representing every City Council district, reflect the diversity of Sacramento’s creative community. Their work spans a wide range of disciplines, including visual arts, music, theater, literary arts, craft, film, dance, design, interdisciplinary arts, oral traditions, traditional arts, performance and social practice.

All applications were reviewed by an independent panel representing diverse expertise and perspectives. Panelists scored each eligible submission based on an artist’s commitment to practice, artistic merit and public benefit. The highest-scoring applicants were then entered into a lottery, from which 200 recipients were selected.

A complete list of grant recipients can be found on the Office of Art and Culture website.

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