Outside The Lens Awarded California Arts Council Arts and Youth Grant: State funds support Teen Media Arts Studio
November 19, 2025
SAN DIEGO, California. November 19, 2025 – The California Arts Council has announced a grant award of $20,500 to Outside The Lens as part of its Arts and Youth program during its 2025-26 fiscal year grant cycle.
The grant will support Outside The Lens’ Teen Media Arts Studio, a creative after-school hub where San Diego teens explore photography, video production, graphic design, animation, and other media arts disciplines. The program provides a supportive environment for students of all abilities and experience levels to develop new skills, tell their stories through various forms of digital media, and effect positive change within their community.
Through hands-on experience with industry-standard equipment and mentorship from professional artists, participants cultivate their creative voice, build professional portfolios, and connect with peers who share their passion for creative expression. The program emphasizes media arts skill development, ai literacy, social-emotional development, intergenerational community connections, and civic engagement—all while providing free supplies, transportation, and food to ensure accessibility for all participants.
Outside The Lens was featured as part of a larger announcement from the California Arts Council as one of over 600 awardees. These grants comprise an investment of more than $19.5 million in support for the state’s arts and cultural landscape and creative workforce.
“Arts and culture are a powerful tool for community connection, well-being and a critical pillar of our state’s creative economy,” said California Arts Council Executive Director Danielle Brazell. “This year’s investment of $19.5 million in grant funding is provided in every corner of the state. Funding to nonprofit arts and cultural organizations ensures the public has access to high-quality artistic and cultural programming reflective of the people of California. This funding is a vital investment in the state’s creative workforce, furthering that the power of art and creative expression can continue telling the stories of our communities. Congratulations to all grantees!”
“On behalf of the Council, I would like to thank Governor Newsom and the Legislature for this critical funding, ensuring the arts remain an important force in sustaining our democracy,” Council Chair Roxanne Messina Captor said. “The Council is often faced with the difficult task of balancing the overwhelming need for arts funding with the total amount allocated to fund, but we are incredibly proud of our collective work to assert and support priorities that expand our resources as far as we can. As we look ahead to the CAC’s 50th anniversary in 2026, this robust investment sets the foundation for another five decades of cultural growth, civic engagement, and artistic excellence across California.”
Grant awards and outreach for the season emphasized the Council’s three previously identified priorities for 2025-26 local assistance funding: organizations serving historically and systemically underserved communities located in the lower two quartiles of the Healthy Places Index (HPI); first-time CAC grantees; and small organizations with total revenues of $250,000 or less.
“We are honored to receive this grant from the California Arts Council in support of our Teen Media Arts Studio,” said Sarah Beckman, Executive Director of Outside The Lens. “This funding enables us to continue providing accessible, high-quality media arts programming to marginalized youth throughout San Diego County. By equipping young people with the tools, confidence and platforms to amplify their voices,we’re empowering the next generation of storytellers to drive positive social impact in their communities.”Read the full announcement by the California Arts Council for more details and complete listings of all 2025-26 CAC grantees.