The city of Santa Clarita Arts Commission plans to talk Thursday about how the city can support local arts and community programs with its annual investment of $100,000 in grants.
The city sets aside 1% of the budget for any capital project in order to support an artistic element for the program, and local programs are supported by the grants, which represent about 0.0007% of the city’s $149.2 million general fund, based on its 2024-25 budget.
The funds are dispensed in mostly $5,000 grants to 20 organizations, with a couple of groups receiving slightly less, based on the request, and its two largest grants being $7,500.
The two nonprofit organizations expected to receive the largest grants are the ESCAPE Theatre and the Santa Clarita Ballet Co., which are putting on performances of “Lil’ Abner: The Musical,” and “The Sleeping Beauty,” respectively.
On Thursday, the commission is expected to review and approve the recommendations from the city’s Peer Review Panel chosen in September.
The panel included: Patti Rasmussen, chair of the Arts Commission; Susan Wakefield, a College of the Canyons arts professor; Tom Lund, who manages the Newhall Family Theater for the Performing Arts; and Katherine Nested, an arts advocate who works for the city.
The grant process, which was explained during a free community workshop in September, prioritized “community-based arts projects and events,” strengthening the operational capacity for local groups and supporting “high-quality performances,” according to city officials.
Phil Lantis, arts and events manager for the city of Santa Clarita, was not immediately available for comment Friday.
The groups ranged from the Santa Clarita Symphony Orchestra, which is performing a show called “Broadway Classics” in March at the Canyon High School Performing Arts Center; to the Hart Choir Booster Club, which is using $1,395 to improve the equipment for its performances, and the Saugus High School Instrumental Music Program, which is getting $5,000 for new instruments.
The theater groups are planning to use $5,000 grants for a few different areas, including to hold a 5k fundraiser, wireless microphone setup and a storage shed for show props.
Thursday’s meeting also is expected to discuss the upcoming 2025 Sidewalk Poetry Project, an update on the research of arts-funding models for the city as part of its master plan research and the city’s contracts with the Performing Arts Center at College of the Canyons and the Newhall theater.
