Guidelines

At A Glance

The Grassroots Artists Advocacy Program (GAAP) is a cohort-based fellowship program that supports diverse artists, culture bearers, and creative workers with an artistic or cultural practice who live or work in Oakland or San Francisco who will directly engage in advocacy and policy development to advance the holistic wellbeing of the field so all artists thrive.

• The 2024-25 GAAP Fellowship Program awards a cohort of five artist advocates who live and/or work in Oakland or San Francisco $12,000 each to participate in a nine-month curriculum.
• GAAP emphasizes the equitable resourcing of historically underrepresented and systemically marginalized populations, including BIPOC, LGBTQA+, Disabled, Deaf & Neurodiverse artists.
• Each artist advocate will identify a change they want to help make happen, and they will be supported in developing an advocacy plan to enact that change.
• Members of the GAAP cohort will learn the foundations of effective advocacy and will be coached in developing strategies and actions. 
• Members of the GAAP cohort will develop direct relationships with policymakers, and will have the opportunity to advocate on local, state, and federal levels.
• The GAAP cohort will meet regularly as a community of practice, learning from and supporting each other through a season of skill building.
• Cohort members will participate in the CA Arts & Culture Summit and Arts Advocacy Day held in Sacramento on April 22 & 23, 2025. A stipend will be included that covers travel costs and waived Summit attendance.
• The artist advocates will develop individual advocacy plans by the end of their fellowship that will be shared with CA for the Arts, members of the cohort, and other advocacy leaders.
• They’ll participate in an ongoing network connecting with future GAAP cohorts and other advocacy and policy networks.
• Application portal will be active on Tuesday October 1st at 8:00 am.
• Informational Webinar Friday October 4, 12:00 pm.

Informational Webinar

Join us for an informational webinar on Friday, October 4 at 12:00 - 1:00PM with Program Lead Ted Russell and Director of Programs NeFesha Yisra’el. They will review the program and application process and answer questions.

Accountabilities & Requirements

• Commit to attending Learning Community meetings and events (refer to timeline below).
• Commit to creating an Advocacy Plan.
• Commit to receiving Mentorship.
• Commit to participating in pre-Cohort and post-Cohort GAAP surveys to inform assessment of and refinements to the program for future GAAP Cohorts. 
• No more than two excused absences from in-person and Zoom sessions are allowed.
• The compensation is based on the expectation that Cohort members will dedicate 25 hours per month, 5 hours in meetings and 20 additional hours outside of meetings working on your plan development.
• Full Fellowship payment is dependent on completion of the full program and fulfillment of all requirements.

Application, Review, and Selection Process

• GAAP has a self-nominated, open application process that does not require an invitation.

Artists and culture bearers complete the Application with the option for written or video responses as suits their preference. 

• CA for the Arts will review applications and select a short list of finalists. 
• A CA for the Arts review panel, including representatives from the Bay Area, will review the finalists’ applications and select a cohort of five prioritizing how they fit together, represent San Francisco and Oakland and the impact potential of the proposed changes. 

Selection factors are based on a rubric that includes the following:

• Commitment to an artistic or creative practice.
• Proposed changes and approaches that work together.
• Proposed advocacy plans will advance the practices and/or wellbeing of artists and culture bearers.
• Networks the applicant has, or plans to work with.
• Experience and willingness to collaborate with others.
• Analysis of a complementary cohort and community of practice across issue areas and diverse representation.

We're curating a cohort of participants that can commit to the full cohort-based program, including attending all sessions, have a strong work ethic, curiosity, willingness to learn, and who demonstrate organization, attention to detail, and problem-solving skills. A group of five people interested in the GAAP experience with varied public policy interests who are curious to learn from and with each other while engaging a curriculum exploring the fundamentals of advocacy: advocacy tools, cultural policy issues, governmental systems, and a wide-range of approaches to advocacy inclusive of their individual artistic and cultural practices. 

The cohort selection process is not judging applicants and making a determination of who has the best artistic or cultural practice, or is taking on the hottest issues. Rather it's a matter of finding the right individuals to form a cohort. More putting together a puzzle than ranking the potential artist advocates. Reviewers will look for applicants who:

• Make a strong case for how their issues impact artists and culture bearers;
• Express their willingness to commit to the full program experience, including all in-person sessions and virtual meetings;
• Have some experience with advocacy or related activities, such as activism, organizing and working with a network, and 
• Demonstrate leadership with a collaborative spirit. (Cohort members don't have to coordinate, collaborate on or combine their individual advocacy projects. However, casemaking, winning the support of others and activating networks are often important in advocacy work.) 

Criteria 

CA for the Arts embraces a broad definition of creativity and cultural contribution. To be considered for the Grassroots Artists Advocacy Program, it’s required that you are 18 years or older, live or work in Oakland or San Francisco, and identify as one or more of the following, but are not limited by the boundaries of these definitions:

• Artist with an artistic or creative practice.
• Culture bearer with experience in cultural transmission or preservation.
• Creative worker with an artistic or creative practice or experience in cultural transmission or preservation.
• An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art.
• Artistic practice is the ongoing intentional engagement in creative activities by an individual with the aim of producing or performing works of art.
• Creative practice is the ongoing intentional engagement in activities that involve generating original ideas, solving problems innovatively, or producing novel works across various fields.
• A culture bearer is an individual responsible for preserving, transmitting, and promoting the traditions, beliefs, practices, values, and customs of a particular culture or community and the terms artist and culture bearer are not mutually exclusive. 
• Creative worker refers to individuals working in creative industries, including those beyond traditional cultural sectors. Creative workers encompass a wide range of roles in industries that rely on creative output, including but not limited to nonprofits in the cultural sectors.
• CA for the Arts is a learning organization, and these are working definitions. Please contact us to ask and discuss any questions you may have. We are open to comments and suggestions regarding GAAP’s definitions.
• We recognize that many people who lived in San Francisco or Oakland have been forced to move due to economic conditions and systemic inequities. We will examine expanding future cohorts to include the diaspora based on their having a historical or meaningful connection to San Francisco and/or Oakland. However, for this cohort we will be sticking to those that live and or work specifically in San Francisco or Oakland.

Some examples of qualifying activities include:

• Community and Social Arts
• Crafts
• Culinary Arts
• Cultural and Heritage Arts
• Design Arts
• Emerging and Experimental Arts
• Folk and Traditional Arts
• Literary Arts
• Media Arts
• Performing Arts
• Spiritual and Healing Arts
• Visual Arts

Important framework for applicants:

• You do not need to be currently employed or earning revenue from your creative or cultural work to be eligible.
• Your creative or artistic practice is more than a hobby to you.
• You should be able to demonstrate a dedicated commitment to your practice.
• Your involvement should be a consistent part of your life.
• We recognize both professional and non-professional contributions.
• Your practice should engage the communities of San Francisco or Oakland.
•  Participation in the GAAP cohort requires proficiency in English, as the curriculum will be presented in English.
• We strongly encourage BIPOC, LGBTQA+, Disabled, Deaf & Neurodiverse artists to apply.

Our goal is to empower individuals to acknowledge their artistic, cultural, and creative value, encouraging them to advocate for the conditions, resources, and public policies for arts and culture to thrive in Oakland and San Francisco.

There will be required monthly In Person meetings on Saturdays from November 16, 2024 - July 19, 2024 from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Location TBA. (Most meetings will be on the third Saturday of the month.  The December meeting will be on the 2nd Saturday. In April the CA Arts & Culture Summit and Advocacy Day will be the In Person meetings.)

There will also be required monthly Zoom meetings on the 1st Wednesday of the month from 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm.

Dates and times are subject to change, based on communication with the full Cohort once selected. A complete list of meetings is included below. 

Structure

• Fellowship amount: $12,000 per fellowship, based on successful completion of the program.
• Payment timing: Three payments, at the end of month 3, month 6 and following the completion of the program.
• Duration: Nine months, starting in November 2024.

Priorities 

The Grassroots Artists Advocacy Program has two high-level, long-term goals and four short-term goals:

Long-term

• Diverse artists are thriving in the Bay Area;
• More artists are engaged in advocacy;
• Local, state, and federal policymakers are engaged with artists, their issues, and their unique perspectives. 

Short-term

• Artists are directly engaged in state cultural policy development and advocacy;
• Artists are empowered to advocate for the well-being of artists;
• Artists are empowered to look at the policy space, conduct informal policy analysis, and gain understanding first-hand;
• Artists have relationships with their elected officials;
• GAAP is replicated across California as part of the Regional Arts Infrastructure Network (RAIN) Program.

Cohort Takeaways

At the culmination of the 9-month fellowship, GAAP cohort members will have acquired:

• A passion for advocacy work;
• Integrated learnings about the workings of advocacy and policy development at the local, state, and federal levels;
• Skills including network building and community organizing;
• Experience advocating for an issue with a plan of their own design;
• The ongoing support of the GAAP network; 
• Contacts in the worlds of advocacy and policy, including a new relationship with the office of at least one elected official; and                        
• A certificate of Advocacy Achievement from CA for the Arts!

FAQs

What do you mean by advocacy and policy?

Advocacy is speaking in favor of and working toward enacting specific government or industry policies.

Policy is a codified rule, law, regulation or practice to guide decisions and achieve desired outcomes.

How will the cohort be selected?

GAAP uses an open application process. CA for the Arts will review applications and a panel will choose five fellows. The selection prioritizes cohort fit, representation of San Francisco and Oakland’s diversity, and impact potential. Key factors include artistic commitment, applicant’s proposed changes, existing and proposed networks, collaboration experience, and how the five cohort members complement each other. The goal is to form a diverse cohort committed to the entire program, with varied policy interests and a willingness to learn and engage in advocacy fundamentals together.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Who are we inviting to apply?

GAAP is an open application process and does not require an invitation. Please apply if you’re an artist and/or culture bearer who lives or works in Oakland or San Francisco with a consistent artistic or cultural practice, a desire for equitable systems change and are ready to commit to a nine-month cohort-based fellowship program and directly engage in advocacy and policy development. 

If this calls to you and you identify as an artist with an artistic or creative practice, a culture bearer with experience in cultural transmission or preservation, and/or a creative Worker with an artistic or creative practice or experience in cultural transmission or preservation please read more about GAAP’s Accountabilities & Requirements, Timeline, Structure, Meetings, and Cohort Takeaways the GAAP cohort members will acquire by the culmination of the program. GAAP emphasizes the equitable resourcing of historically underrepresented and systemically marginalized populations, including BIPOC, LGBTQA+, Disabled, Deaf & Neurodiverse artists. 

Why did you create GAAP?

Grassroots advocacy has been at the center of extraordinary change in our society in areas like civil rights, environment, labor, and immigration. Of course, those struggles endure, but grassroots movements have been crucial in achieving measurable progress for people who were historically denied a seat at the table when important decisions were being made. With this legacy in mind, GAAP equitably supports artists, culture bearers, and creative workers inspired to advocate for causes they care about. The fellowship offers paid training and skills building to help participants create an advocacy plan toward changing policy and systems, particularly in support of individual artists.

Specifically, we designed GAAP for artists, culture bearers, and creative workers with committed artistic or cultural practices and a desire for equitable systems change. The skills and knowledge acquired make them stronger and more confident advocates and organizers, allowing them to be proactive, engage others effectively, and create lasting impact in their advocacy efforts. The core objective is to help them directly participate in advocacy efforts with the understanding that artists and culture bearers know best about what they need in order to live in the Bay Area, sustain their practices and thrive. GAAP's local arts and cultural advocacy approach prioritizes racial and cultural equity. It emphasizes the empowerment and self-determination of artists, culture bearers and creative workers.

Why is it limited to artists and culture bearers?

CA for the Arts and the funder of GAAP, the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, both have experience working with artists and culture bearers and a sense of current advocacy and policy issues impacting them. Other creatives, makers, cultural workers and creative workers who don’t have an artistic or cultural practice have varied, significant advocacy and policy issues with which the two organizations are less familiar. The first cohort will be a learning process for CA for the Arts, and success requires a deeper understanding and a degree of focus. 

Why is it limited to Oakland and San Francisco?

The Kenneth Rainin Foundation’s Arts Program generally limits its geographic scope to two cities, San Francisco and Oakland, and the scope of the program they’ve funded is defined accordingly.

Is the cohort reserved for seasoned artist advocates in the field?

The program seeks to support emerging and seasoned advocates. Inexperienced advocates are better suited for CA for the Arts’ other advocacy Programs and Field Engagement initiatives. If you are interested but new to advocacy, please consider participating in CA Arts & Culture Summit and Arts Advocacy Day in April 2025.

Empowering artist advocates locally through GAAP and other parts of the Regional Advocacy Infrastructure Network is key to: 

• Achieving systems-level change in how the arts and culture sector are valued.
• Sustaining the political engagement of arts advocates.
• Increasing public investment in systems that support artist well-being and cultural organizations.
• Building a distributed power base grounded in localized self-determination.

For more information on GAAP, please contact Program Consultant Lead Ted Russell ted@caforthearts.org or 415-531-4893.

GAAP is a new program funded by the Kenneth Rainin Foundation