March 28, 2024

The San Marcos Community Foundationimage004-1

Arts and cultural grant applications are currently being accepted by the San Marcos Community Foundation 

SAN MARCOS – The San Marcos Community Foundation (Foundation) has $5,500 to award under the City of San Marcos Arts and Cultural Grant Program for various projects or programs that meet the granting criteria of enhancing arts or cultural programming in San Marcos.

Interested applicants may apply now through April 15 for consideration. Grants from the Arts and Culture Grant Program are provided annually. Application details are online at www.sanmarcoscommunityfoundation.org under “grants.”

Beginning in 2009, the Foundation has granted monies—provided by interest generated on the City’s public art in-lieu fees collected from new development projects—to established non-profits for artistic and cultural events and/or activities that benefit the general San Marcos community. Arts and Culture grantee organizations are all led by local San Marcos residents, business owners, or workers.

The San Marcos Community Foundation oversees granting of monies from two  sources: earnings from a $1.1M endowment and a special wildlife fund. The City of San Marcos City Council also tasked the San Marcos Community Foundation with administering the City of San Marcos’s annual Arts and Cultural Grants program. Foundation board members are appointed by the San Marcos City Council. Grants are made throughout the year to benefit a wide range of services for all age groups, for low-income persons, for health and wellness, children and youth sports, and education and culture, and more.

Since awarding its first set of grants in 1988, the Foundation has provided nearly $1.1 million to non-profit organizations serving San Marcos. The original granting program was established in 1988 when a $1 million endowment was given to the City of San Marcos by North County Resource Recovery Associates as part of a development agreement for a trash-to-energy plant. While the plant never came to fruition, the City retained the endowment under the agreement.

For more information about the San Marcos Community Foundation, please contact Wendy Kaserman at (760) 744-1050, ext. 3125 or visit www.sanmarcoscommunityfoundation.org.