James Irvine Foundation Announces $3.7 Million in Arts Grants to Central Coast

With budgets tightening virtually everywhere, the James Irvine Foundation’s Arts Regional Initiative has once again stepped in to offer significant support to more than a dozen worthy arts organizations on the Central Coast, including four in Santa Barbara — the Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum ($250,000, first time awarded), Opera Santa Barbara ($250,000), Santa Barbara Symphony Orchestra Association ($275,000), and State Street Ballet ($300,000). In addition, organizations in adjacent communities including Ojai (Ojai Music Festival), Ventura (Museum of Ventura County, Rubicon Theatre), and San Luis Obispo (SLO Arts Center) also received grants of between $225,000 and $350,000. Josephine Ramirez, Arts Program director at the Irvine Foundation said, “These grants represent our continued commitment to these vital anchor institutions as they explore new ways of achieving financial sustainability and attracting culturally diverse audiences.”