SparkOC.com has received major support from the Orange County Community Foundation, the James Irvine Foundation, Pacific Life, the Boeing Company and the National Endowment for the Arts. As a program of the countywide arts council, SparkOC utilizes strategic direction and administration from Arts Orange County staff and its Board of Directors.
We want to most especially thank our friends at the Orange County Community Foundation who believed in this project from the beginning and worked tirelessly, shoulder to shoulder, with us to make this dynamic program for our community a reality.
If you would like to be a sponsor, contact us.
Orange County Community Foundation
Founded in 1989, the mission of the Orange County Community Foundation is to encourage, support and facilitate philanthropy in Orange County. OCCF works with donors, strengthens the capacity of local nonprofit organizations, and incubates solutions that address our community’s unmet needs. Over the past 19 years, OCCF has granted more than $123 million to charitable organizations meeting community needs both here and abroad. Although still a relatively young organization, OCCF ranks within the top 15 percent of the more than 750 community foundations across the nation for total assets. and within the top 10 percent for grants made and contributions received. OCCF and many of its generous donors enthusiastically support local arts and culture organizations and SparkOC’s mission to make arts and cultural experiences more accessible to the entire community. We believe that cultivating a thriving culture in Orange County will help “spark” the imaginations and lives of new and experienced arts enthusiasts alike. To learn more about what we do, or how you can get involved supporting community needs, please visit our web site.
James Irvine Foundation
The mission of The James Irvine Foundation is to expand opportunity for the people of California to participate in a vibrant. successful and inclusive society. James Irvine, a California agricultural pioneer, established the Irvine Foundation in 1937 to benefit the people of California. Over the last 75 years, the Foundation has met the objectives of its founder by providing over $1 billion in grants to more than 3,000 nonprofit organizations. In partnership with OCCF, a portion of the funds from Communities Advancing the Arts Initiative fund have been earmarked to develop and support the website, as the project is seen as a centrally important tool to develop arts participation.
Pacific Life Foundation
Pacific Life has long recognized the importance of helping communities address and resolve their problems and has a record of community involvement that spans the 140 year history of the Company. That commitment continues to the present day and is reflected in an annual $5.3 million charitable giving program as well as in the generous volunteer activity of Pacific Life’s employees. Funding from Pacific Life was awarded in January of 2008 to develop the ticketing platform for the website.
Boeing Corporation
At Boeing, we aim to be a facilitator of community change. not simply a source of community funding. The energy and creativity we inspire in our community partners is more meaningful to us than the size of our check. Our strategy for community benefit is to apply our unique core competencies to contribute toward sustainable. measurable growth and self-sufficiency for the organizations we partner with–growth that will continue long after the last Boeing dollar is spent. We look for partnerships with organizations that are leaders in what they do (no matter their size), that promote diversity and demonstrate innovation. and align and collaborate with others toward common, workable solutions to long-term community issues. Boeing awarded a grant to Arts Orange County in June of 2008 in support of the development of the Arts Education Resource Directory.
National Endowment for the Arts
The NEA is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts. both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Endowment is the nation’s largest annual funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states. including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases. Arts Orange County has received its first two-year grant from the NEA in general support of the arts portal website.
California Arts Council
The California Arts Council. a state agency, has the mission to advance California through the arts and creativity with an emphasis on children and artistically underserved communities.
The agency encourages widespread public participation in the arts; helps build strong arts organizations at the local level; assists with the professional development of arts leaders; promotes awareness of the value of the arts; and directly support arts program for children and communities.
The 11-member Council and professional staff have expertise in the arts. creative industries, education, community development, state and local government, and the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. The arts spark the engine of Creative California, and our goal is to ensure that they are available for every Californian.