FIELD INITIATIVES: LAPP advocates for local initiatives that innovate national outcomes. We are fiercely committed to reallocating arts and culture capital to artists in Los Angeles, a city ranked number one in independent artists, where the majority don’t even earn a living wage from their practice.
BRIDGE THE GAPS
Following the devastating wildfires of January 2025, Los Angeles Performance Practice is administering a fund of $50,000+ to artists who lost homes, studio space, income from canceled work, and so much more. Click the link above for more details and to apply.
NEW MUSIC INC
New Music Inc Los Angeles is a cohort-based incubator supporting small-budget, artist-led new music groups at pivotal moments of their growth. Los Angeles Performance Practice (LAPP) serves as the 2025-2026 Los Angeles Program Coordinator, building on our commitment to artist-centered infrastructure and sustainable practice.
LA LGBTQ+ ARTS & CULTURE ALLIANCE
Los Angeles Performance Practice is proud to be a founding member of the LA LGBTQ+ Arts & Culture Coalition, alongside One Institute, Arts for LA, and more than 30 other organizations. The Coalition is a cross-sector network of artists, cultural workers, and institutions advancing queer and trans creativity across Los Angeles. Formed to strengthen our collective voice and build sustainable support systems, the Coalition convenes regularly to share resources, strategize, and advocate for equity in the cultural sector.
With an eye on retaining L.A.’s creative class, we began to look at the current ecosystem of contemporary performance-making, including geographic disparities in national awards. We interviewed program officers and gatekeepers. A roster of artists in L.A., New York, and San Francisco served as our focus group. We utilized this vital information to inform our programming and better understand fieldwide funding trends for L.A. artists. Funding provided by the California Arts Council.
L.A. GATHERS
Spearheaded by cultural strategist, Leslie Tamaribuchi, this gathering builds power for L.A. artists and culture bearers. Selected participants place their gifts in service of equity and social transformation, actively investing in communities who are most vulnerable to control their own assets and build a much needed restorative cultural economy.
MENTORSHIP
We host two paid interns annually through the Los Angeles County Arts & Culture Arts Internship Program (AIP). Interns work closely with staff to produce our annual festival and learn about development initiatives. They deepen their understanding of the possibilities within performance as an art form and viable career field. We often carve out positions for interns once they have completed academic requirements. Past interns have found gainful employment in the arts, and beyond–one is a data scientist, another is in mergers and acquisitions.
ARTIST RELIEF
As a trusted colleague, we served as a critical review partner for Artist Relief during its national rollout, awarding $5,000 unrestricted grants to artists in need. During the pilot period, shortly after the pandemic’s onset, we reviewed thousands of proposals from artists across all disciplines. Reading artists’ stories and helping to steer the direction of the application process was one of the most meaningful activities we participated in during 2020. In 15 months and 13 cycles, the program allocated $23.4 million in disaster relief to 4,682 artists, 80% of which were BIPOC.
CREATIVE + INDEPENDENT PRODUCER ALLIANCE (CIPA)
As CIPA founding members, we played a guiding role in the creation of the Rising Producer Fellowship. We selected three emerging creative producers of color from a national pool of candidates. We supplied fellows with unrestricted cash awards of $3,000, value-aligned mentors, and monthly cohort meetings focused on business modeling, and network development.