The San Mateo County Arts Commission and the Office of Arts and Culture is pleased to announce our 2027 Grants Program. Over the past year, we have streamlined the grant process to make it more accessible for organizations of all sizes. The grant opportunity will provide general operating support for eligible nonprofit or fiscally sponsored organizations that provide arts and culture programming in San Mateo County. This funding provides grantees with the flexibility to use the funds in the most applicable way for their organization, and for greatest impact on overall organizational health and sustainability. We look to you as our partners in the important work of growing our arts and culture eco-system to create a vital, creative, and healthy community.
The Office of Arts and Culture and the Arts Commission’s goals are:
- Strengthen and sustain an accessible and equitable arts ecosystem in San Mateo County.
- Support arts and cultural nonprofits and the artistic community through advocacy, visibility, and sustained support.
- Use the arts as a vehicle for civic engagement and economic development through strategic partnerships and collaborations.
GENERAL SUPPORT GRANTS
All funds may be used by the organization as needed to support the organization’s overhead, salaries, or other needs. Grants will be based on organization’s total revenue as follows:
Budgets with revenue of $700,000 - $999,999: eligible for grants of $12,000
Budgets with revenue of $200,000- $699,000: eligible for grants of $8,000
Budgets with revenue of $10,000- $199,999: eligible for grants of $5,000
Grant period is from January 1, 2027 - December 31, 2027
Final report due by December 31, 2027
Application Open: October 1 – October 29, 2026
The application will be available online On October 1, 2026. We are unable to accept or consider incomplete applications. You can view the grant application at the bottom of this page, but you must apply online via the link which will be live on October 1st. The deadline to apply is October 29, 2026, by 5pm PDT. Thank you for your time and creativity.
We will be hosting a virtual grants overview workshop on October 6, 2026, 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM.
Register here for the grants workshop
The recording will be made available on our website.
Eligibility: Must be able to answer yes to ALL statements below:
· 50% of organization’s arts or culture services/programs serve San Mateo County.
· A 501(c)(3) or fiscally sponsored nonprofit organization in good standing with the Internal Revenue Service, or a local public agency/entity.
· Have been in operation for 1+ years.
· Annual budget of organization is under $1,000,000.
Please note, there will be changes to our 2028 Arts and Culture Grant Program!
The San Mateo County Arts Commission will be updating its guidelines for future grant cycles.
- To ensure the widest reach, there will be limits on the number of consecutive years an organization can receive a grant (ex. organizations will not be eligible to apply for one year after two consecutive years of receiving a grant from the Office of Arts and Culture and the Arts Commission. Organizations may apply again after a one-year break). Awards are based on the current year’s County budget and can fluctuate year to year.
Organizations not eligible in 2028.
- Government and public agencies.
- Local school districts, public and private schools, PTA/PTO’s, or school foundations.
- Event sponsorship or fundraising event.
San Mateo County's Arts and Culture Grants are supported in part by the California Arts Council.