California Community Foundation Announces $350,000 for 14 Visual Artist Fellowships in Most Competitive Application Year to Date

LOS ANGELES – January 10, 2017 – The California Community Foundation (CCF) has named 14 Los Angeles County artists as recipients of the CCF Fellowship for Visual Artists (FVA), with a total of $350,000 in unrestricted grants.

The prestigious FVA annually awards grants to help artists build successful, sustainable careers and to support the thriving Los Angeles arts scene. This year’s competitive application process received 551 applications – the highest number in the fellowship’s nearly 30-year-history.

“The California Community Foundation has long valued the power of the arts to transform communities and support social change,” said CCF President & CEO Antonia Hernández. “This fellowship’s unique unrestricted grants allow L.A. artists to continue contributing to the cultural vitality of our region for the benefit of all residents.”

Launched in 1987 with a generous contribution from the J. Paul Getty Trust and other donor support, CCF has awarded more than $3 million to nearly 300 visual artists working in a multitude of media across Los Angeles County. As CCF remains committed to capacity-building, artists also receive access to business development support and networking opportunities. Through the generosity of donors, the fellowship has expanded into one of the largest investments in individual artists in California.

This year’s Fellowship for Visual Artists recipients are:

Amanda Ross-Ho

Umar Rashid (Frohawk Two Feathers)

Samira Yamin

“Since 1987 the Getty has worked with the California Community Foundation to support diverse artists of distinction in Los Angeles, and it is very gratifying that the seed the Getty planted with its initial gift has grown so productively under CCF’s leadership,” says Deborah Marrow, director of the Getty Foundation. “As the world takes increasing notice of Los Angeles artists and their work, the CCF Fellowships will remain an important resource for these artists throughout their careers.”

Fellows are selected by a committee of distinguished artists and arts professionals – including fellowship alumni – following a rigorous application process. The grants are often used for project development, exhibits, travel or general expenses. This year, the fellowship changed its applications process to eliminate categories for emerging and mid-career artists and included a simplified, two-round application process.

A digital gallery of the 2016-17 Fellows’ artwork will be live at calfund.org/artist-gallery in March 2017.

To find out how you can support CCF’s Fellowship for Visual Artists, please visit us online. One-hundred percent of contributions to the FVA go directly to artists.

The California Community Foundation has served as a public, charitable organization since 1915, empowering donors to pursue their own personal passions and to collaborate with us in addressing the root causes of challenges in Los Angeles County. CCF stewards $1.5 billion in assets and manages 1,600 charitable foundations, funds and legacies. For more information, please visit calfund.org.

CONTACT
Chris Compton
marcomm [@] calfund [.] org
(213) 413.4130