SUPPORTERS

The California Heartland Creative Corps is a collaboration between arts agencies from Merced, Stanislaus and Tuolumne Counties, a regional component of the California Creative Corps program, funded by a one-time $60 million allocation by the California Arts Council, which prioritizes funding to the areas of California with the least equity to create arts and culture projects that foster awareness of public health, resource conservation and climate mitigation, and increase community participation around civic engagement and social justice. 

The United States-Japan Foundation works to strengthen bilateral ties and address shared challenges between our two nations. In an era characterized by uncertainty and division, they believe that a robust US-Japan relationship is vital to global peace, prosperity, stability, and sustainability. They are committed not just to maintaining that friendship, but empowering it for the greater good. A core part of their strategy is to bolster civil society in each country, bringing together talent and resources to create a thriving community.

The Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation is dedicated to the mission of supporting the Japanese American community and fostering friendly relations between the United States and Japan through cultural and educational projects. It was founded by Henri and Tomoye Takahashi and Tomoye’s sister Martha Masako Suzuki, American citizens incarcerated in the Topaz, Utah, concentration camp who returned to San Francisco after the war, determined to build good will toward their people through their work in the community. 

The State of California’s California Civil Liberties Program, administered by the California State Library, funds projects that educate about the Japanese American internment, often in conjunction with parallel civil rights violations or civil liberties injustices. It was founded by the state legislature in 1998 to ensure that the events surrounding the exclusion, forced removal, and internment of civilians of Japanese ancestry will be remembered, and so that the causes and circumstances of this and similar events may be illuminated and understood.

The California Arts Council Individual Artists Fellowship program uplifts and celebrates California artists across all disciplines and traditions, highlights their excellence, and acknowledges their leadership in shaping traditional and contemporary cultures. 

The Film Collaborative serves as a conduit for financial resources and provides support and oversight for independently produced filmmaking projects. It is the first nonprofit focused on educating and assisting filmmakers with distribution without taking their rights. 

The mission of the Merced County Arts Council and the Merced Multicultural Arts Center (The MAC) is to nurture and inspire the arts and artists in Merced County by cultivating places for creative discovery, community, and dialogue.

United Way of Merced County provides fiscal sponsorship support for the California Heartland Creative Corps. They envision a future where all individuals have equitable access to the information and services they need to build a sustainable, healthy, and prosperous future.