The California Arts Council has awarded a grant of $5,000 to the Italian American Arts and Cultural Association of San Diego (IAACASD), SDIFF’s parent organization, as part of its Organizational Development program.

This grant will allow us to develop presentation materials of our work to cover different types of organizational needs ranging from a short pitch to a full-blown branding show. These will be an all-team effort and will be developed by our talented leaders along with selected members of the board. The second phase of the project will be dedicated to training our board and staff in the use of the material created which will include learning its usage as well as speaking techniques and standardized question responses. The final phase will be dedicated to outreach and partnership development. 

“This project addresses the key need for our organization to support our Board and Staff, our ‘Ambassadors,’ in receiving not only adequate material, but also the necessary training to represent our organization and to share our mission and impact with other stakeholders. This will have a tremendous impact on our organization’s capacity for sustainability and success, together with empowering our own team to represent IAACASD in a variety of situations with the appropriate support and techniques,” says Executive Director Diana Agostini.

The Italian American Arts and Cultural Association of San Diego was featured as part of a larger announcement from the California Arts Council of more than 1,500 grants awarded to nonprofit organizations and units of government throughout the state for their work in support of the agency’s mission to strengthen arts, culture, and creative expression as the tools to cultivate a better California for all. The investment of nearly $30 million marks a more than $5 million increase over the previous fiscal year, and the largest in California Arts Council history. 

Organizations were awarded grants across 15 different program areas addressing access, equity, and inclusion; community vibrancy; arts learning and engagement; and directly benefiting our state’s communities, with youth, veterans, returned citizens, and California's historically marginalized communities key among them. Successful projects aligned closely with the agency’s vision of a California where all people flourish with universal access to and participation in the arts.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the California Arts Council recognizes that some grantees may need to postpone, modify, or cancel their planned activities supported by CAC funds, due to state and local public health guidelines. The state arts agency is prioritizing flexibility in addressing these changes and supporting appropriate solutions for grantees.

“Creativity sits at the very heart of our identity as Californians and as a people. In this unprecedented moment, the need to understand, endure, and transcend our lived experiences through arts and culture is all the more relevant for each of us,” said Nashormeh Lindo, Chair of the California Arts Council. “The California Arts Council is proud to be able to offer more support through our grant programs than ever before, at a time when our communities’ need is perhaps greater than ever before. These grants will support immediate and lasting community impact by investing in arts businesses and cultural workers across the state.”