In response to the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles County, the LA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund distributed $16.4M in direct relief funding to 1,689 artists and arts workers affected by evacuation orders, loss of homes and studios, and long-term income disruption. Administered by CCI and supported by a coalition of arts organizations and philanthropists led by the J. Paul Getty Trust, the Fund provided rapid, unrestricted grants of up to $10,000 between January and May 2025.

Since our founding in 2001, CCI has been committed to supporting individual artists and arts workers through entrepreneurial training. The roots of how we engage in this work today stem largely from our seminal publication: Business of Art: An Artist’s Guide to Profitable Self-Employment, which was first developed and tested in the field in 2006 and published in 2008. In Fall 2024, we hosted the last installment of the Business of Art Training Series. This culminating event brought together seasoned trainers alongside graduates of our facilitator workshop series and it was an opportunity to celebrate the community, shared success stories, and honored the journey that has unfolded over the years.

With support from the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, the SCI Artist-Innovator Fund spanned three years, from 2021 to 2023. The Fund offered ten grants of up to $8,500, for a total of $85,000, to individual artist-entrepreneurs with spinal cord injuries who are inspired to innovate by the possibilities and benefits that are offered through the experience of pursuing a creative practice and living with spinal cord injury.

In response to the economic crisis and the ensuing financial needs of individuals resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, CCI administered ten relief funds from 2020 to 2022. The combination of these efforts resulted in over $7.45M distributed to 4,170 recipients.

From 2017–2022, CCI managed the California Arts Leadership Now (CAL-Now) network—a cohort of seven entities that serve arts professionals in various regions of California. Network participants participated in in-person convenings, monthly video conference calls, member-led workshops, and closed group platforms. Additionally, members engaged in professional development via panel participation, meeting facilitation, and content curation opportunities.

From 2018 – 2019, CCI supported 13 artists with matching grant funds totaling $60,000. In addition, CCI interviewed 56 individual donors from across the U.S. Out of these interviews, CCI produced a summary review of trends and recommendations regarding individual donor behavior in relation to online giving and online crowdfunding platforms.

On January 23, 2017, CCI convened artists, arts workers, arts educators, creative entrepreneurs, independent designers, and creative thinkers to envision the future of the arts. Using a futurist-oriented convening format, we considered what we know about the past and the present to generate long-term scenarios for the future.