Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the organization’s “official” name?
A: Arts Council Silicon Valley (ACSV)

Q: What does Arts Council Silicon Valley do?
A: Arts Council Silicon Valley enhances the community by providing funding, support services, arts education opportunities, and marketing services to more than 600 local arts and cultural organizations and individual artists with a special focus on small and mid-sized organizations throughout Santa Clara County.

Q: What geographic area does the Arts Council serve?
A: The Arts Council serves all Santa Clara County from Palo Alto to Gilroy to Milpitas and everything in between.

Q: Who directly benefits from the services provided by ACSV?
A: ACSV serves the entire arts community with a special focus on small and mid-sized arts organizations and individual artists.

Q: Does ACSV have a Board of Trustees?
A: Yes, the Arts Council is governed by a Board of Trustees.

Q: Who does the Arts Council support?
A: Through grants and support programs, ACSV supports small, mid-size and large budget arts and cultural organizations, schools, community groups and individual artists.

Q: When was the Arts Council founded?
A: The Arts Council was founded in 1982 and incorporated in 1983.

Q: Which are ACSV’s CORE grants programs?

• Regional Arts Fund – provides grants for general operating support for arts organizations with annual budgets of $100,000 - $2,000,000.
• Community Arts Fund – grants for support of arts activities to multicultural, community-based groups and arts organizations with annual budgets up to $100,000.
• Artist Laureate Program – Grants awarded annually in rotating categories to recognize professional working artists and emerging artists to enable them to continue to pursue their creative work.

Q: Which are the sponsored grants programs?

• Applied Materials Excellence in the Arts Program – An annual granting program that provides technical assistance and project support grants to regional arts organizations regardlesss of budget size with a focus on small to mid-size groups.

Q: What are ACSV’s other programs and services?

Fundraising Support Programs:

• ArtsChoice™ (workplace giving program) – Offers employees a cost-effective and convenient method of contributing to the arts in their communities through payroll deductions. This innovative program is one of only two campaigns in California raising funds for the arts in this way.

Youth Programs:

• ArtsConnect™ – The ArtsConnect program provides arts education opportunities for at-risk youth and special needs populations by engaging them in the creative process with on-site professional artists.

Marketing Program:

• Artsopolis Marketing Partnership (AMP) – A regional initiative to assist local arts organizations with marketing and audience development efforts.

Q: How does ACSV receive funding?
A: The Arts Council receives funding from individuals, endowments, corporations, government contracts and grants, and foundation grants.

Q: What is ACSV’s annual budget?
A: Arts Council Silicon Valley’s annual budget is roughly $2.8 million.

Q: Is the Arts Council affiliated with any other organizations?
A: Yes, ACSV is the official state/local partner with the California Arts Council and the County of Santa Clara. We also collaborate with a number of other service and support organizations.

Q: What is Artsopolis?
A: Artsopolis.com is the leading online resource for Arts and Cultural information in Silicon Valley and beyond which offers the largest database of Silicon Valley Arts and Cultural events, as well as additional listings of classes and workshops, jobs, auditions, organizations, schools, venues and individual artists.

Q: How is Artsopolis affiliated with the Arts Council?
A: Artsopolis.com is a program of Arts Council Silicon Valley.

Q: Who are ACSV major funders?
A: To view a list of our funders, click here.