Grass Valley-Nevada City Cultural District – October 9, 2025. Nevada County Arts Council is excited to announce the awardees of the inaugural GVNC Cultural District Mini-Grant Program. This program provides funding for small-scale community-centered projects throughout the community that align with the Cultural District’s mission, and contribute to its vibrancy.

To further its mission of expanding access to funding, the Grass Valley–Nevada City Cultural District implemented a lottery-based selection process. A total of $30,000 in grant funding was awarded across two categories: Individual Artists & Culture Bearers, and Arts Organizations & Collaboratives. Fifteen individual artists each will receive $1,000, while three arts organizations will be awarded $5,000 for their proposed projects.

“Traditional grant-making often favors professionally written applications, unintentionally excluding emerging artists, grassroots leaders, and historically underrepresented communities,” said Diana Arbex, Grass Valley-Nevada City Cultural District Program Manager. As the lead developer of the GVNC Mini-Grant Program, she explained, “Beyond increased access, our goal is to reduce bias and administrative burden in the evaluation process. I couldn’t be more thrilled to support the vibrant cultural and artistic work happening in our Cultural District.”

GVNC Mini-Grants Awardees

Congratulations to the following fifteen artists and three arts organizations who were selected through the lottery.

Individual Artists: Anita Lincoln Pearson, Basel Khoury, Bia Navarro, Chanthou Lam, Daniela Fernandez, Hollie Dilley, Jan-Michelle Sawyer, Jerianne Van Dijk, Jori Jori, Julie Romano, Katelyn Burdette, Marina Caliari, Nory Fussell, Pamela Biery and Rana Beaunieux.

Arts Organizations/Collaboratives: Nevada County Playwrights, Sierra Theatre Company, and The South Yuba River Almanac.

Funding for the Mini-Grant program is provided by California Arts Council through the California Cultural District program. Nevada County Arts Council is an administering partner for the Grass Valley-Nevada City Cultural District, in partnership with the City of Grass Valley, the City of Nevada City, Nevada City Chamber, Greater Grass Valley Chamber of Commerce, and the Grass Valley Downtown Association.

Applications were reviewed in a simple three-step process. Proposals were first screened for eligibility based on criteria outlined in the eligibility questionnaire. GVNC Cultural District staff then evaluated applications to ensure that they met a minimum impact threshold as determined by our evaluation rubric. Applicants who demonstrated meaningful community engagement, and aligned with the GVNC Cultural District’s mission were then placed into the lottery. This ensured all qualified applicants had an equal chance to receive funds.

To learn more about GVNC Cultural District Mini-Grant program, go to NevadaCountyArts.org where we will keep you up to date on Grant Recipient projects and performances.