City of San Diego logo Funding for Cultural Affairs

Application Guide:
Creative Ecosystem Builder

The Creative Ecosystem Builder pathway supports projects that strengthen the people, organizations, resources, knowledge, connections, and infrastructure that allow San Diego’s creative sector to thrive.

Apply Here: https://sandiegoarts.fluxx.io/

Creative-Sector Need + Opportunity

25 points

Application Question

What need, challenge, gap, or opportunity in San Diego’s creative sector is this project designed to address? Who experiences it, and how do you know it matters?

You may discuss artists, cultural workers, creative organizations, cultural spaces, or other sector participants affected; what you have learned through experience, feedback, or data; why the issue matters now; and what remains missing or hard to access.

350 words maximum

Why We Ask

This pathway exists to strengthen the creative ecosystem. We need to understand the specific need or opportunity before evaluating the proposed service or solution.

Panelists Consider

  • a specific and credible need or opportunity;
  • evidence grounded in relationships, experience, feedback, data, or field knowledge;
  • clarity about who is affected;
  • a strong connection to San Diego’s creative sector.

Services, Resources + Program Design

25 points

Application Question

What will you provide, and how is the project designed to respond to the need or opportunity you described?

You may discuss training, coaching, technical assistance, shared resources, incubation, convening, space, tools, professional services, workforce support, market access, networks, or other field-building activity; how people will use it; and what makes it useful.

350 words maximum

Why We Ask

A strong ecosystem project does more than identify a problem; it creates a resource, service, connection, or infrastructure that can meaningfully respond.

Panelists Consider

  • clear connection between the identified need and project design;
  • specific and usable services or resources;
  • evidence that intended users inform the approach;
  • a coherent participation or service model;
  • appropriate arts/cultural/creative-sector focus.

Access + Who Benefits

20 points

Application Question

Who will have access to the project’s services, resources, or opportunities, and how will you reduce barriers to participation or benefit?

You may discuss artists, cultural workers, organizations, creative businesses, or communities of practice served; recruitment or selection; cost, language, disabilit, geography, technology, schedule, or application; and how the design reaches people with less access to existing resources.

300 words maximum

Why We Ask

Creative-sector resources create public benefit only when people can meaningfully access and use them.

Panelists Consider

  • clear intended beneficiaries;
  • a participation or selection model appropriate to the service;
  • thoughtful attention to barriers;
  • access strategies aligned with the identified need;
  • credible public or sector benefit even when participation is targeted.

Feasibility + Relevant Capacity

15 points

Application Question

How will you deliver the project? Describe the timeline, team, partnerships, budget, systems, and relevant experience that make the plan achievable.

You may discuss project-team roles and expertise; partnerships, referral networks, instructors, advisors, or service providers; technology or space; project budget; and participant-support needs.

300 words maximum

Why We Ask

We want to know whether the project can realistically deliver the promised services or resources during the funding period.

Panelists Consider

  • relevant project-specific capacity;
  • a realistic timeline and delivery model;
  • budget alignment;
  • appropriate partners or systems;
  • awareness of major implementation risks or dependencies.

Ecosystem Impact + Learning

15 points

Application Question

What do you hope will be different for artists, cultural workers, organizations, or the creative ecosystem because this project exists? How will you learn whether the resource or service is useful?

You may discuss changes in skills, access, capacity, connection, income or opportunity, organizational strength, resource availability, or sector coordination; feedback or use data; what you expect to learn; and what might continue, change, be shared, or stop after FY28.

250 words maximum

Why We Ask

Field-building requires learning as well as delivery. We want to understand the change the project is trying to create and how the applicant will know whether it is useful.

Panelists Consider

  • clear intended outcomes appropriate to the project;
  • a reasonable learning or feedback approach;
  • willingness to adapt based on use and experience;
  • potential benefit beyond isolated service transactions.

Total Points: 100