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Ojai Arts Commission recommends $100,000 in grants, awards six top-tier $6,000 grants
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Summary
The Ojai Arts Commission voted to recommend distribution of a $100,000 grant pool to 24 applicants, approving six top-tier awards of $6,000 and multiple tiered allocations after debate and a handful of amendments and recusals.
The Ojai Arts Commission on Tuesday voted to recommend that City Council award $100,000 in arts grants across 24 recipients, approving six top-tier awards of $6,000 each and a series of additional allocations ranging from $1,000 to $5,500.
Chair West opened the meeting by noting the increased pool: “We got a raise this year. We got a $100,000 to give out here,” and put the ad hoc committee’s ranked recommendations before commissioners.
Commissioner Karina Wright, who chaired the ad hoc committee, summarized the scoring process: “The ad hoc committee met on November 1, in person,” she said, adding that members scored 28 applications individually and presented averaged results for the commission’s consideration. The committee recommended full funding for top-scoring projects and a second modality to support promising proposals at a lower level.
Following that report, commissioners moved item by item. The commission approved $6,000 awards to the Ojai Playwrights Conference, Ojai Music Festival, No More Waiting in the Wings, Ojai Film Society, Dance Ojai and Performances to Grow On, citing youth outreach, community access and consistent programming as reasons for the top-tier awards. Several commissioners praised the capacity of those organizations to deliver public benefit and internship or youth programs.
Commissioners also debated and amended certain recommendations. Taft Gardens’ art-in-residence program drew detailed discussion about proven impact; commissioners voted to increase its allocation from the recommendation to $5,500 after members argued the program had demonstrated strong community outcomes. A proposed community radio initiative drew concern about team capacity and timeline; the commission treated it as seed funding and approved $2,500 to help the organizers develop a more concrete plan.
Smaller organization awards and individual artist grants were distributed across tiers. The commission approved support for the community chorus ($3,200), the Mesa residency film project ($3,000), the museum exhibition promotion ($3,000) and a series of individual awards, including $2,500 for Natalie Gilman and a $1,150 award to Kevin McDevitt’s Film Lab project. River’s request to cover a mandala shortfall tied to Ojai Day prompted debate about whether Ojai Day funding should come from the city budget; the commission voted not to use grant funds for that request and urged the chair to advocate for city funding.
Chair West closed the meeting with a summary of the commission’s recommendations to council and a call to finalize the list for council consideration. The commission also noted plans for a December meeting and a forthcoming strategic planning session to revisit grant-process refinements and better distinguish individual from organizational grants.
