The Abbot Kinney Festival Association (AKFA) is accepting applications for its Community Grants Program. Every year the AKFA donates proceeds from the Abbot Kinney Festival to local arts, beautification, youth, and family programs. Venice organizations are encouraged to apply for grants  up to $5,000.

The AKFA has donated more than a quarter million dollars to the Venice community since the grants program began; planting gardens, building robots, sparking creativity and supporting families in need.  Money from festival sponsorships, exhibitor booths, commemorative merchandise, and advertising fund the AKFA Community Grants Program.

Who’s benefiting?  Past recipients include: Inside Out Community Arts, Boys and Girls Club of Venice, Westminster Elementary Endowment, Venice Arts, 826LA, Coeur d’Alene Elementary School, Venice High School Robotics Club, Venice Arts Council, A Window Between Worlds, Electric Lodge, Beyond Baroque, Venice Historical Society, Venice Community Garden, Venice Oceanarium, Venice Surf & Skateboard Association, and others. Festival proceeds will be awarded to this year’s recipients during the Abbot Kinney Festival on September 30.

For more information and details about the AKFA Community Grants Program and the 2012 Abbot Kinney Festival, visit http://www.abbotkinney.org or call 310-396-3772.  To apply online, visit abbotkinney.org/grant-application.

Deadline for applications is July 15.