In these uncertain times, the importance of sustaining our cultural heritage has never been clearer. For over 25 years, ACTA has been a steadfast supporter of California’s diverse communities, standing with artists and culture bearers to sustain traditions that are not just expressions of identity, but acts of resilience and resistance. Today, we ask you to join us in this critical work.
We’ve been here before. In 2001, ACTA brought culture bearers to Sacramento to educate policymakers about the impact of traditional artists and cultural organizations. In 2009, during the economic recession, ACTA mobilized to collect data on how traditional artists were impacted, impacting policymaking at the federal level. And during the pandemic, ACTA adapted to our changing circumstances by supporting traditional artists and culture bearers statewide—launching an educational video series, ensuring benefits for our teaching artists, and expanding our grantmaking.
These victories happened because of people like you—those who value the power of cultural traditions to connect us, heal us, and move us toward justice. Today, your support is more important than ever. Traditional arts are not just surviving—they are thriving, thanks to your partnership.
As we reflect on ACTA’s legacy of over 25 years, we celebrate the countless stories of resilience and and renewal in the traditional arts. Over this time, ACTA has awarded more than $8 million in grants and contracts, supporting 1,788 artists and organizations across California’s 52 counties. ACTA-supported artists have revitalized endangered Kumeyaay song cycles, sustained Chicano altar-making traditions, and mentored over 450 emerging cultural practitioners in our Apprenticeship Program. Our newest initiative, the Taproot Fellowship, provides $50,000 unrestricted grants to traditional artists and culture bearers nationwide, assisting them in building stronger communities. In honor of our 25th anniversary, we’ll soon be launching a new oral history project—a living archive of stories that showcases the profound impact of traditional arts over the last quarter-century of ACTA.
But this is only the beginning. To continue this vital work, we need you. Your donation ensures ACTA can continue nurturing these traditions, elevating the artists who carry them forward, and advocating for a future where community voices are amplified. By giving today, you help us sustain this mission and write the next chapter in California’s cultural story.
Together, we can continue nurturing these traditions. We can build a future where justice and cultural democracy are not just ideals, but realities. Join us in this work—because now, more than ever, your support matters.
Help us build the next 25 years by giving today to support California's extraordinary traditional artists and cultural communities. With your donation in honor of over 25 years of ACTA, $25, $250, or even $2,500—or a gift in any amount—you will directly contribute to nurturing sustainable communities through the restoration, healing, and transformational power of traditional arts and culture.
Click the "Give Today" button on the right to make a tax-deductible contribution.
Or you can send a check to:
Alliance for California Traditional Arts
744 P Street, Suite 307
Fresno, CA 93721
Contact:
Amy Kitchener, Executive Director
akitch@actaonline.org
PHOTO CAPTIONS
Background: Danza de los Viejitos por Xochipilli Dance Ensemble, performing at the Reencuentro Purépecha in Porterville, CA on October 12, 2024. This event is part of ACTA’s 2024 Sounds of California: San Joaquín Valley project. Photo: L. Soto Flores/ACTA.
Top Right: 2024 Taproot Fellows PJ (L) and Roy Hirabayashi (R) are the co-founders of San Jose Taiko, and celebrated master taiko performers. Photo: Tom Pich.
Middle Left: ACTA hosted a group of culture bearers at the Sacramento Youth Hostel and held a day long convening as part of the Joint Congress on the Arts in 2001. Top Row L-R: Carmencristina Moreno, Ruben Guzman, Herminia Albaran Romero, Gladys McKinney (W. Mono-Dunlap) and Danongan "Danny" Kalunduyan. Middle Row L-R: Armando Torres, Stanley Rodriguez (Kumeyaay) and Juan Mesa Cuero (Kumeyaay). Front Row L-R: Luis Jovel, Ferenc Tobak, Ruby Vargas (Wukchumni) and Amy Kitchener.
Bottom: ACTA Apprenticeship + Living Cultures Grant recipients: Oaxacan Zapotec weaver, Benita Martinez (L) with a textile she made, and Chumash elder and canoe builder Alan Salazar of the Tataviam Land Conservancy (R), both of Ventury County. Photo: T. Ornelas/ACTA.