City of Cathedral City Awards $90,000 in Community and Arts Grants for FY 2026/2027

Eighteen nonprofits and six arts organizations share funding through two programs supporting health, human services, and creative expression

The City of Cathedral City is investing $90,000 in local organizations for Fiscal Year 2026/2027 through two long-running grant programs - the Community Assistance Grant Program and the Community Arts Grant Program - supporting everything from recovery services and disaster preparedness to bluegrass festivals and youth photography classes.

Together, the two programs drew requests totaling more than $222,000, a reflection of both the depth of need in the Coachella Valley and the strength of the region's nonprofit and creative communities.

Community Assistance Grant Program: $70,000 for Health and Human Services

The Community Assistance Grant Program awarded $70,000 to 18 organizations providing essential services to Cathedral City residents. The City received 24 applications requesting a combined $183,700.

A City Council-appointed Ad Hoc subcommittee consisting of Mayor Gregory and Council Member Ross met with City staff on May 20, 2026, to review the applications and develop funding recommendations for the full City Council.

FY 2026/2027 Community Assistance Grant Recipients:

• Read With Me Volunteer Program - $10,000
• Boys & Girls Club of Cathedral City - $9,300
• Cathedral Center - $8,000
• Coachella Valley Disaster Preparedness Network - $5,000
• Coachella Valley Repertory - $5,000
• Dinner with Patsi - $5,000
• Habitat for Humanity of the Coachella Valley - $5,000
• Senior Advocates of the Desert - $5,000
• Friends of the Desert Mountains - $3,000
• ABC Recovery Center, Inc. - $2,500
• Jewish Family Service of the Desert - $2,500
• Operation Safe House, Inc. - $2,500
• American Legion Auxiliary Unit 519 - $2,000
• Tools for Tomorrow - $1,200
• Angel View, Inc. - $1,000
• Martha's Village and Kitchen - $1,000
• Regional Access Project Foundation - $1,000
• Variety Children's Charities of the Desert - $1,000

The program was advertised on the City's website with a notice published in the local newspaper on March 11, 2026, with grant requests ranging from $1,000 to $10,000. The application deadline was April 17, 2026.

To qualify, applicants must be a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization or a tribal or governmental agency, must be based in Cathedral City or demonstrate they provide services to Cathedral City residents or businesses, and must show they receive funding from other sources rather than relying solely on City support. Preference is given to applicants meeting the health and human service needs of underserved populations. Organizations funded in the prior year were required to report back to the City on how those dollars were used.

Community Arts Grant Program: $20,000 for Creative Expression

The Community Arts Grant Program awarded $20,000 to six organizations and individual artists. The City received 10 applications requesting a combined $38,961.

The Public Arts Commission reviewed the applications at a special meeting on May 11, 2026, and forwarded its funding recommendations to the City Council.

FY 2026/2027 Community Arts Grant Recipients:

• Palm Springs Gay Men's Chorus - $4,519 for Boogie Shoes, a disco-themed performance
• Cathedral City Senior Center - $3,800 for a year of performances
• Boys and Girls Club of Cathedral City - $3,800 for youth photography and editing classes
• Coachella Accapella - $3,556 for the spring concert I Love a Piano with Cathedral City High School
• Denise Dede Ondishko - $3,325 for a one-day bluegrass festival
• Terry Hastings - $1,000 for seminars for local artists, The Business of Art and AI Is the Artist's Friend

Now in its third year, the Community Arts Grant Program was established by the City Council in FY 2024/2025 and has been funded at $20,000 annually. It supports a deliberately broad range of arts initiatives - theater, music, spoken word, visual art, and arts education among them - with an emphasis on programming, classes, festivals, exhibits, and performances rather than permanent installations. The FY 2026/2027 application window closed on April 24, 2026.

A Comprehensive Approach to Community Investment

Taken together, the two programs reflect Cathedral City's dual commitment to the services residents rely on and the culture that makes the city distinctive. The assistance grants direct resources toward recovery programs, senior services, youth literacy, housing, food security, and emergency preparedness. The arts grants keep live performance, arts education, and creative programming accessible to residents of every age.

Both programs align with the City's Five-Year Strategic Plan: the Community Arts Grant Program advances Goal F, Embracing, Inclusive Community, and specifically Action F-3, promoting additional community events and celebrations, while the Community Assistance Grant Program supports Goal C, Fiscal Stability and Sustainability, and Action C-4, allocating resources necessary to achieve Council's goals and vision.

Organizations interested in future funding should watch the City's website and social media channels for application announcements, which are typically released in early spring for the following fiscal year.