KDA is a nonprofit arts agency supporting and promoting dance + the arts in California’s Central Valleys, specifically Kern County.
Kern Dance Alliance’s recent grants are built around large, repeated operating awards of $255,000, including support for Garden Pathways Inc., Dolores Huerta Foundation, and Fresno Arts Council Inc. That scale stands out against a public charity with $2,664,449 in annual grants and total assets of $478,653 on the latest 990 year on file. The foundation’s grantmaking reaches beyond performance alone: it supports dance, arts education, literacy, disability and adaptive arts, dance and movement therapy, community economic development, and arts advocacy. Its nonprofit arts agency profile ties those priorities to California’s Central Valleys, with Kern County as a central service area. The recent grants list also shows a broad arts network across California, not just dance-specific groups. Awards went to organizations in Bakersfield, Fresno, Modesto, Los Angeles, and other Central California communities. Several recipients are community-facing arts or culture organizations, while others connect arts to education, disability access, and local development. In that pattern, Kern Dance Alliance appears to function as both a dance-focused funder and a wider arts supporter for Kern County and surrounding Central Valley communities.
Kern Dance Alliance supports dance and related arts work through a mix of local organizational grants, scholarships, and special program awards. In community arts, they gave $255,000 to Community Media Access Collaborative in Fresno, showing support for arts infrastructure beyond a single performance discipline. Their education-related work includes a $255,000 grant to Childrens Musical Theaterwor in Fresno, which aligns with arts education and youth arts programming. For community arts ecology in Kern County, they awarded $168,300 to Arts Council of Kern in Bakersfield. The grant list also reflects a health-and-access angle. Kern Dance Alliance gave $95,519 to Boys & Girls Clubs of Kern Co in Bakersfield, fitting their emphasis on youth and community engagement through the arts. A $36,763 award to Bakersfield Symphony Orchestr in Bakersfield shows support for broader arts and performance organizations as part of the same local arts ecosystem.
Kern Dance Alliance’s typical grant size is concentrated at the top end of its distribution: p25 is $113,714, the median is $255,000, and p75 is also $255,000. That indicates many awards land at a single recurring level rather than being spread across a wide range. The 2024 grant list shows multiple $255,000 awards, along with smaller grants such as $196,350, $168,300, $95,519, $95,081, $36,763, and $32,436. The foundation is a public charity and funds organizations, not individuals directly. Its own programs include both unsolicited opportunities and a bi-annual application period for KDA Grants. The recent grant list is entirely from 2024, so the data here shows a one-year snapshot rather than a multi-year recipient pattern.
$2.7M
$62K
$502K
$534K
Most grants fall between $114K and $255K, with a median of $255K.
25th Percentile
$114K
Median
$255K
75th Percentile
$255K
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Kern Dance Alliance gives locally: 100% of grants in the data went to recipients in California, and the top state by grant count is CA. Bakersfield appears repeatedly, including Garden Pathways Inc., Dolores Huerta Foundation, Arts Council of Kern, Boys & Girls Clubs of Kern Co, and Bakersfield Symphony Orchestr. Fresno is another frequent recipient city, with Childrens Musical Theaterwor, Community Media Access Collab, and Fresno Arts Council Inc. Other California recipients include Modesto, Los Angeles, Kernville, Bishop, and Keene.
The grant list includes arts councils, cultural organizations, community groups, and performance-related nonprofits. Recent recipients include Garden Pathways Inc., Dolores Huerta Foundation, Arts Council of Kern, and Bakersfield Symphony Orchestr, showing support for both dance-adjacent and broader arts work in California.
The distribution is heavily centered at $255,000: p25 is $113,714, median is $255,000, and p75 is $255,000. The recent grants also include awards below that level, such as $196,350, $168,300, $95,519, and $36,763.
No. The geographic data shows 100% of grants went to recipients in California, and the top state by grant count is CA.
Yes. KDA Grants accepts unsolicited applications and uses a bi-annual application period, and KDA Scholarships also accepts unsolicited applications. KDA Organizational Grants are limited to current Kern Dance Alliance organization members.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Kern Dance Alliance that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Applicant must be a current member of Kern Dance Alliance. Grants are for select organizations; scholarships are for select students.
Deadline: Fall deadline: September 1 for projects October-May; Spring deadline: May 1 for projects June-September.
Who can apply: Applicant must be a current member of Kern Dance Alliance. Grants are awarded to select organizations. Bi-annual application deadlines apply.
Deadline: Bi-annual deadlines: Fall deadline September 1 for projects October-May; Spring deadline May 1 for projects June-September.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garden Pathways Inc | Bakersfield, CA | $255,000 | 2024 | CAC |
| Childrens Musical Theaterwor | Fresno, CA | $255,000 | 2024 | CAC |
| Dolores Huerta Foundation | Bakersfield, CA | $255,000 | 2024 | CAC |
| Community Media Access Collab | Fresno, CA | $255,000 | 2024 | CAC |
| Modesto Sound | Modesto, CA | $255,000 | 2024 | CAC |
| Outsiders Entrepreneurs Inc | Keene, CA | $255,000 | 2024 | CAC |
| Dance Camera West | Los Angeles, CA | $255,000 | 2024 | CAC |
| Fresno Arts Council Inc | Fresno, CA | $255,000 | 2024 | CAC |
| Kern River Valley Art Associa | Kernville, CA | $196,350 | 2024 | CAC |
| Arts Council of Kern | Bakersfield, CA | $168,300 | 2024 | CAC |
| Boys & Girls Clubs of Kern Co | Bakersfield, CA | $95,519 | 2024 | CAC |
| Camp Taylor Inc | Modesto, CA | $95,081 | 2024 | CAC |
| Bakersfield Symphony Orchestr | Bakersfield, CA | $36,763 | 2024 | CAC |
| Eastern Sierra Artists | Bishop, CA | $32,436 | 2024 | CAC |
Garden Pathways Inc
$255,000CAC
Childrens Musical Theaterwor
$255,000CAC
Community Media Access Collab
$255,000CAC
Modesto Sound
$255,000CAC
Outsiders Entrepreneurs Inc
$255,000CAC
Dance Camera West
$255,000CAC
Fresno Arts Council Inc
$255,000CAC
Kern River Valley Art Associa
$196,350CAC
Arts Council of Kern
$168,300CAC
Camp Taylor Inc
$95,081CAC
Eastern Sierra Artists
$32,436CAC