Programs & Services

ACTA connects artists, communities, and funders to each other, information, and resources through grants and contracts, convenings, research, and technical assistance.  ACTA also provides advocacy through local and national field-building.  Rooted in California’s cultural communities, ACTA is in direct communication with tradition bearers who are often un- or under-recognized by mainstream funders.  ACTA’s programs and services are created, evaluated, and evolved as a response to the specific needs of these artists and their communities.

ACTA administers three core programs that offer direct resources to the folk & traditional field: the Apprenticeship Program, the Living Cultures Grants Program, and the Traditional Arts Development Program.

ACTA also curates the Traditional Arts Roundtable Series, providing opportunities for traditional artists and arts advocates in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond to learn from one another through intimate discussion, technical assistance, networking, and sharing community-based arts and culture.

ACTA creates special initiatives addressing opportunities and/or needs impacting the field.

ACTA serves as an information clearinghouse for and about the field of folk & traditional arts by maintaining its website, publishing a monthly e-newsletter, and maintaining a statewide database.