Contact:
Eduardo Robles
eduardo@caforthearts.org
Director of Communications
916-800-7120
For Immediate Release
California for the Arts Launches Eighth Annual Arts, Culture, & Creativity Month This April.
Advocates around the state urge Governor Newsom and Legislature to take bold action in this year’s budget and invest $50 million in the California Arts Council as the state agency marks its 50th anniversary—and call on policymakers to protect California's creative economy.
SACRAMENTO, CA — March 2026 — California for the Arts today announced that the eighth annual Arts, Culture, & Creativity Month will kick off on April 1, 2026. Centered on the theme of Boundless Culture & Creativity and the sub-theme of Building Joy, Action + Power, the month-long initiative encompasses media campaigns, community programming, and statewide advocacy to celebrate the indispensable role of arts and culture in California life.
Public celebrations this year will highlight the vital role of the arts in promoting social well-being, freedom of expression, and belonging, as well as the power of creative expression in imagining a more just world at a moment when these values face unprecedented pressure. Advocacy efforts will unite under the “50 in 50” call to end underinvestment in our state’s creativity.
California leads the nation in arts employment, with a creative economy valued at approximately $289 billion—yet arts funding has remained stagnant since 2018. Arts advocates are calling the California Arts Council's (CAC) 50th anniversary a landmark moment to renew California's national leadership and make a meaningful commitment to the communities and workers who sustain it by increasing the agency’s budget to $50m.
Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas speaking during Arts Advocacy Day in 2025. Photo: Alan Sheckter
Legislative champions, including Assemblymember Chris Rogers, Assemblymember Chris Ward, and Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, continue to stand by the Arts to prioritize this meaningful increase to investment in our state’s creative culture.
Across the state, 160,258 workers are employed across 17,110 arts, culture, and humanities nonprofits—a workforce that does far more than create: it generates the ideas, stories, and conditions that drive innovation throughout the economy. At a time when artificial intelligence depends on human imagination for its very foundation, investing in the people who make creativity possible has never been more urgent.
A recent Forbes analysis on culture as economic infrastructure argues that arts and culture function exactly like roads or power grids—setting direction, creating enabling conditions, and underpinning resilience.
The case for investment is clear. Arts and cultural organizations are anchors of civic life and economic vitality in communities across California—from rural counties to urban centers. They create jobs, attract tourism, support small businesses, and build the social cohesion that healthy democracies require.
The urgency for investment is underscored by the scale of unmet need. In 2025 alone, the California Arts Council received $90 million in eligible grant requests, with only $21 million available to fund, leaving the vast majority without support. In the last 25 years, the state budget has tripled while the CAC's budget has declined by 63%. Since 2024, $70.5 million in statewide arts cuts have weakened community and economic recovery across California.
The creative economy is not just entertainment—it is a designated strategic growth sector in California's State Economic Blueprint, with 9 of 13 regional Jobs First plans identifying arts and culture as central to economic development strategy. The sector generates an economic impact of $289 billion, representing 7.5% of California's GDP and surpassing both agriculture and transportation. For every 100 performing arts jobs, an additional 156 downstream jobs are supported. And as federal policy increasingly restricts how arts organizations can address equity, identity, and inclusion—directly clashing with California values —state investment has become critical for community-based organizations serving immigrant, LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and rural communities.
This Arts, Culture, & Creativity Month, advocates statewide urge the Governor and Legislature to prioritize policies and investments that support California's creative workforce, cultural communities, and the broader creative economy. Increasing funding for the California Arts Council to $50 million would represent a historic commitment to the state's future — and allocating $40 million for the Performing Arts Equitable Payroll Fund (PAEPF) would recommit California to investing in creative jobs and addressing the sector’s deep unmet needs.
ACCM 2025 Oakland Launch Event at Oakland Museum of California. Photo: Ariel Nava
EVENTS STATEWIDE
ACCM launch events are currently scheduled in Nevada County, the City of Santa Monica, Oxnard, San Diego, and San Francisco, with additional ACCM celebrations happening throughout April.
For a full schedule of events and the latest updates, visit: https://www.caforthearts.org/events
SACRAMENTO
April 19th-20th - CA Arts & Culture Summit | Register
The CA Arts & Culture Summit will take place Sunday, April 19 to Monday, April 20, 2026, at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium and the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center. The Summit convenes leaders across sectors to exchange ideas, build power, and shape a shared vision for the future of arts and culture in California.
CA for the Arts will also oversee production of CAC’s 50th Anniversary Awards Ceremony on April 20, 2026. This awards ceremony will happen after the CA Arts & Culture Summit at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium at 6 pm.
April 21st - Arts Advocacy Day at the Capitol | Register
On Tuesday, April 21, advocates from across California will gather at the Capitol for Arts Advocacy Day, rallying and meeting with elected officials as part of the “50 in 50” campaign—a movement calling to increase funding for the California Arts Council to $50 million in honor of its 50th anniversary. Participants will share stories, build momentum for public investment in the arts, and connect directly with lawmakers. Register today to be part of this important event.
About Arts, Culture, & Creativity Month
California for the Arts is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary advocacy service organization focused on building resources and public awareness of the value and impact of arts, culture and creativity across California.
For resources and information about Arts, Culture, & Creativity Month 2026, visit: www.caforthearts.org/accm-2026
About CA for the Arts
California for the Arts is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary advocacy service organization dedicated to building resources, awareness, and public will around the value and impact of arts, culture, and creativity across California. Learn more at www.caforthearts.org.
