ESCONDIDO (KGTV) — The City of Escondido is offering $85,000 in arts grants to local creatives to help cultivate its identity as an arts and culture hub in North County.
Grants are available in increments of $1,000 to $10,000. Applications are due Oct. 23. Click here for the application.
This marks the third time the city has offered grants for local creatives, with an eye on April 2027, when Escondido will celebrate Arts, Culture and Creativity Month.
Carol Rogers, a public arts commissioner for the City of Escondido, said she wants to shift perceptions of the city.
"Escondido means hidden, and we're trying to change that," Carol Rogers said.
Rogers said she also wants to invite artists from outside the city to get involved.
"People outside of Escondido to discover all of the creativity here, people outside Escondido that are artists. To connect with us and work with us going forward, we encourage collaborative efforts," Rogers said.
The grants can support a broad range of creative endeavors.
"It can be anything from teaching art, performance art, uh, music. We've had people do murals, glass blowing demonstrations, educational walks where they're picking up things from nature and creating artistic pieces from it," Rogers said.
From the murals at Escondido's Creek Trail to the sculptures of Queen Califia's Magical Circle, the city has a growing arts presence. Rogers said visitors are often surprised by what they find.
"...and they said, I had no idea. I just had no idea, and we hear that over and over again with different activities that go on. We're, we are an arts community. We are an arts hub. We have a lot going on here," Rogers said.
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