Each year the City of Ventura California solicits applications from non-profit arts organizations located in, or providing special programs for, the City of Ventura. In addition applications are also accepted for Artist Fellowships for which eligibility rotates annually between performing and literary artists and visual and media artists. A panel of arts professionals and community representatives evaluate the applications in a public meeting on the basis of artistic excellence, organizational capacity, community impact, collaboration, and program accessibility. After ranking the applications the panels’ funding recommendations are forwarded to the Cultural Affairs Commission for final review and approval.

Created in 1993, following the recommendations of the 1992 Cultural Plan, the Cultural Funding Program has grown over the past decade. Its goals are to: increase access to arts education programs for youth; increase the number of programs that celebrate Ventura’s diverse community and rich history; and make the arts a major component of the community’s fabric.

On September 14, 2006, a peer review panel comprised of six artists and arts professionals was convened to evaluate and rank the 15 applications received in the two funding categories available to artists this year (panel comments for each application is available upon request). The panel forwarded its funding recommendations to the Cultural Affairs Commission and the awards were subsequently approved in the September 28th meeting.