Our Mission

Abbot Kinney Festival Association is a 501(c)(3), grant making organization, that supports community-based organizations in Venice with an emphasis on youth, community, and the arts. Our biggest fundraiser of the year, Abbot Kinney Festival, draws crowds of over 100,000 to the most iconic street in Venice. 

We believe that we can have fun, bring our community together and give back at the same time. In fact that's exactly the spirit of the community we love so much and are committed to supporting.

Since 1984, over $300,000 has been invested into the Venice community through the Grants Program.

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Grant Program

Funded by festival proceeds, the AKFA Community Grants Program awards funding to selected Venice-based nonprofit organizations that offer services and programs aimed at youth and families. Applications are accepted each year preceding the festival and presented at the festival in September. Since 1984, well over $300,000 in festival proceeds have been invested into the community of Venice.

We thank everyone who supports, volunteers, shops and visits the Abbot Kinney Festival, for it is the sole revenue source for our community grant program.

AKFA Community
Grants Application

If your non-profit or community organization has an annual operating budget of less than $1,000,000 and serves the community of Venice, you may be eligible for a Community Grant.

• Education Committee of the Venice Chamber of Commerce

• Friends of Broadway

• Friends of Coeur d'Alene

• Friends of Walgrove

• Girls PACT

• Girls PACT

• Grassroots Neighbor

• Kolossol

• Neighborhood Youth Association

• PACT

• Seeds to Plate

• Venice Arts

• Venice High STEMM Magnet

• Venice Historical Society

• Venice Oceanarium

• WE Garden

• Children's Lifesaving Foundation

• Community Healing Gardens

• Creating Better Communities

• Education Committee of the
  Venice Chamber of Commerce

• Friends of Coeur d'Alene

• Friends of Mark Twain Middle School

• Girls PACT

• Neighborhood Youth Association

• Other Venice Film Festival

• Rediscover Center

• Seeds to Plate

• The Electric Lodge

• The Friends of Broadway
  Elementary School

• The Open Temple

• Venice Arts

• Venice Art Crawl

• Venice Oceanarium

• WE Garden

• and many more!

The Spirit of Venice Award

Since 1989, the Abbot Kinney Festival Association has recognized exemplary stakeholders nominated by the community for their contributions to the spirit, creativity and uniqueness of Venice. 

The first Spirit of Venice Award was presented at the 6th Annual Abbot Kinney Festival in 1989 to descendants of Abbot Kinney, the Founder of Venice, California. Also that year, West Washington Boulevard was renamed to Abbot Kinney Boulevard in his honor.

The award was created by John Kertisz, Poet Laureate and a 1989 Festival Board member, to recognize persons who are actively involved in the community and/or serve as inspirational role models.

Many Venetians have been honored with Spirit of Venice Awards including Vera Davis, Joe Gold, Gregory Hines, Emily Winters, Linda Lucks, Jay Griffith, Sgt. Theresa Skinner, Yo Venice, and Jesse Martinez.

2019 Spirit of Venice Awardees

• Tim Bonefield

• Jataun Valentine

• Past AKFA Board of Directors Members:
  Donna Humphrey, Brian Lee, Bart Miali, Don Novack, David Reiss, Jonathan Zeichner

Spirit of Venice Award Nominations

Do you know someone who deserves to be acknowledged and honored for their contributions to the spirit, creativity and uniqueness of Venice?

2018
Nick Ansom
Joelle Dumas
William Hawkins
Alison Hurst
Nicole Landers

2017
Marianne Brown
Elisa James
Regina Weller
Steve Weller

2015
Cecilia Castillo, Former Field Deputy to Councilman Bonin
Edizen Stowell, Community Contributor
Sue Kaplan, Community Activist
Challis MacPherson (Post­humous), Community Activist

2014
Ed Moses, Artist
Tom Everhart, Artist
Laddie John Dill, Artist
Mariana Aguilar, Community Activist
Eduardo Manilla, Chairman of the Arts Committee of the Venice Neighborhood Council
Jay Adams (posthumous), Skateboarding pioneer and one of the original members of the legendary Dogtown Z-Boys