Body of News Release
Marin County, CA – The Marin Cultural Association (MCA) is awarding a total of $100,000 to support artists and arts organizations across Marin County as part of its 2026 Arts Grants program. Funding for this year’s grant cycle was provided with support from the California Arts Council.
“Marin Cultural Association is proud to support the artists and arts organizations that help make Marin vibrant, connected, and inclusive,” said MCA Managing Director Tracy Bays Boothe. “The arts play an essential role in our community, and Marin Cultural Association is committed to celebrating creativity and expanding access to the arts across Marin.”
Now in its second year, the MCA Arts Grants program expands opportunities for emerging and established artists, cultural organizations, and studio collectives. Grants of up to $5,000 were available to individual artists ages 18 and older who live or work in Marin, and grants of up to $10,000 were available to 501(c)(3) nonprofits and fiscally sponsored organizations with arts-based missions serving Marin County.
2026 grant recipients include:
Arts Organizations
- Alliance for Felix Cove
- California Film Institute
- Enriching Lives Through Music
- Marin Ballet
- Marin Museum of Contemporary Art
- Marin Open Studios
- Marin Society of Artists
- Marin Symphony
- Marinterviews
- Maud Powell String Institute
- Mesa Refuge
- Mountain Play
- Multicultural Center of Marin
- Museum of the American Indian
- Stitchers of San Quentin / Friends of San Quentin Library
- Youth in Arts
Artists and Collectives
- Laura Jiménez Diecks
- Josh Flores*
- Sara Gallagher
- Lisa Hamilton
- Emmalyn Harris
- Erica Jordan
- Laura Palmer
- Cindy Pavlinac
- Lara Myers
Together, these grants support a diverse range of arts and cultural programs throughout Marin County, from initiatives serving youth and communities facing barriers to arts participation to programs focused on arts education, community engagement, and cultural preservation. By investing in this broad spectrum of artists, organizations, and cultural work, MCA helps strengthen community connection, build belonging, and ensure the arts remain a vital part of life in Marin. 2025 and 2026 grant recipients will be honored in the MCA Arts Studio at the Marin County Fair, and past recipient Julia Dvorin will showcase her Spoon House near the Marin Veterans' Memorial Auditorium.
One grant recipient, artist Laura Jiménez Diecks of ARTe+ViDA Studio, reflected on the personal significance of support from the MCA Arts Grants: “My new body of work emerges from my experience as a long-settled immigrant who, after decades of raising a family, contributing to my community, and building a life in Marin County, finds herself unexpectedly navigating a new sense of invisibility and uncertainty shaped by today’s social climate. With profound gratitude to MCA for its support and belief in my artistic vision, my hope is that this new body of work will draw people in and build connection, understanding, and visibility at a time when many of these feel increasingly fragile.”
Applications for the 2026 cycle opened January 5 and closed February 27. Grant opportunities for 2027 will be announced in the fall.
Full grants program details are available at marincultural.org.
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