Artists Invited to Apply for Grant

Arts officials are looking for aspiring or established artists or art groups to apply for $25,000 in grant money donated by biotech giant Amgen.

Now entering its third year, the grant program supports local groups that perform in the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.

Most grants were between $500 and $1,500 last year, said Julian Macdonald, president of the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza Foundation. Funded groups included local schools, the Young Artists Ensemble and the New West Symphony.

The grants currently fund arts projects from a variety of groups, Macdonald said.

“We hit a broad spectrum right now,” he said, “from youth organizations to adult organizations.”

Amgen has donated $25,000 to the program in each of the last two years, and the foundation and the Alliance for the Arts also provide funding.

The application deadline is Aug. 21.

More information is available by calling 449-2700.