El Centro, California - Today, the Imperial County Board of Supervisors approved to donate $12,000 to the North County Coalition for the Arts (NoCCA) to provide a required match for a grant NoCCA received from the California Arts Council.  The combined funds from the grant and county donation will be used to provide staff support and supplies to ensure Imperial County Arts Council’s stability.

“It is an impressive achievement that NoCCA was successful in their grant application,” stated District 4 Supervisor Ryan Kelley.  “The Board created the Imperial County Arts Council so that the Valley would have an opportunity to tap into resources that would assist the promotion of additional arts programs in Imperial Valley.  It is important to enhance the artistic culture of Imperial Valley and support it through efforts such as this donation.” 

NoCCA recently received a grant award of just over $21,000 from the California Arts Council to support the recently created Imperial County Arts Council; however the grant requires a mandatory $12,000 match from a public or private source in order to receive the full award.  NoCCA is a corporation based in the City of Brawley who provides opportunities for members of the community to produce and participate in performing and visual arts programs in order to encourage and stimulate awareness, educate, enlighten, and inspire our youth throughout Imperial County.

The Imperial County Arts Council was created on June 1, 2015 through a resolution of the Imperial County Board of Supervisors who appointed three individuals to serve as commissioners of the Council under the administration of NoCCA.  The Imperial County Arts Council was developed to promote awareness of the arts as a vital part of Imperial County’s culture by expanding the opportunity and accessibility of experiencing art in public places, to create a more visually pleasant environment and to apply for grants to support the arts.