Sacramento’s creative economy is powered by individuals who build businesses from lived experience, cultural memory, and community need. These founders often navigate uneven access to capital, limited exposure to investors, and systems that privilege scale over sustainability. For many, creativity is not a side pursuit. It is a livelihood that supports families, anchors neighborhoods, and reflects the city’s identity.
The EveryDay Creative program emerges from a recognition that talent alone does not guarantee stability. Creative founders require infrastructure that respects values, honors culture, and equips them to grow on their own terms. By aligning a global accelerator, a local cultural organization, and municipal investment, the program creates a pathway where creativity and commerce reinforce rather than undermine one another.
Apply to EveryDay Creative
Creative entrepreneurs ready to deepen their growth, clarify their values, and access capital support are invited to apply to the EveryDay Creative program. Applications close March 1 at 11:00 p.m.Apply here: https://vitwvjbc.paperform.co/
EveryDay Creative is a 12-week intensive learning journey embedded within a broader eight-month entrepreneurial support ecosystem. The program serves creative entrepreneurs who have already demonstrated traction, defined as earning at least $20,000 in annual revenue or completing foundational entrepreneurship coursework. This threshold signals readiness for growth while acknowledging that many creative founders have built businesses without traditional startup support.
The cohort-based accelerator meets twice weekly, fostering consistency, accountability, and peer learning. Sessions are structured to balance strategic instruction with reflective practice, recognizing that creative founders often hold deeply personal relationships to their work.
Participants in EveryDay Creative are guided to:
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Create a growth plan that aligns operational strategy with personal and organizational values.
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Examine whether outside capital supports or compromises long-term vision.
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Develop a capital-raise strategy that reflects ethical considerations and realistic return expectations.
These objectives respond to a common tension in the creative economy: growth often requires funding, yet traditional investment models may conflict with cultural integrity or community accountability.
EveryDay Creative is intentionally designed for:
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Creative entrepreneurs building growth-oriented companies.
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Diverse founders contributing to an inclusive and resilient regional economy.
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Entrepreneurial teams preparing to raise values-aligned capital.
The emphasis on diversity reflects both demographic reality and economic necessity. Research consistently shows that women and founders of color face disproportionate barriers to capital access, despite comparable or higher performance outcomes (Brush et al., 2018). By centering these founders, the program addresses inequities while strengthening the broader ecosystem.
For many creative entrepreneurs, the absence of support does not simply slow growth. It threatens survival. Without mentorship, founders often make high-risk financial decisions in isolation. Without capital, they self-fund through personal debt or underpay themselves. Without networks, opportunities remain invisible.
EveryDay Creative reframes entrepreneurship as a collective endeavor rather than an individual struggle. The program acknowledges that founders bring more than business ideas. They bring histories, communities, and responsibilities that shape how growth must occur.
As the program’s lead accelerator, Creative Startups contributes a proven curriculum grounded in creative-industry realities. With more than 800 alumni companies worldwide, Creative Startups brings a track record of measurable outcomes, including over 4,500 jobs created and approximately $300 million raised in financing.
Notably, 82 percent of Creative Startups graduates are women and people of color. This statistic reflects intentional design rather than coincidence. The accelerator’s pedagogy integrates mentorship, peer accountability, and market validation without forcing founders into extractive growth models.
Participants gain access to a global mentor network, connecting Sacramento-based entrepreneurs to international expertise while maintaining local relevance.
CLTRE serves as both convener and cultural anchor. Rooted in Sacramento, the organization bridges global frameworks with local context. CLTRE’s approach prioritizes relational trust, long-term engagement, and community accountability.
Through this partnership, CLTRE ensures that the accelerator does not operate as a temporary intervention. Instead, it becomes part of a continuum of support that extends beyond graduation. Alumni remain connected to mentorship, collaboration opportunities, and future programming that reinforces sustainable growth.
The City of Sacramento Office of Arts and Culture plays a critical role in the program’s accessibility and impact. By underwriting the majority of program costs, the City transforms an otherwise prohibitive $2,995 course fee into a $95 participation cost.
This investment reflects a policy choice that recognizes creative entrepreneurs as economic contributors rather than cultural accessories. Public funding signals legitimacy, reduces financial risk for participants, and embeds the program within Sacramento’s broader economic development strategy.
In addition to subsidized tuition, CLTRE offers non-dilutive capital ranging from $3,000 to $5,000 to participants who successfully complete the accelerator. These funds function as impact investments rather than equity stakes, allowing founders to retain ownership while accelerating growth.
Non-dilutive capital addresses a critical gap for creative businesses, which often lack assets favored by traditional lenders. By removing ownership trade-offs, the program aligns financial support with long-term sustainability.
The EveryDay Creative curriculum balances technical rigor with values-based inquiry. Participants engage in financial modeling, market positioning, and investor readiness while also examining personal definitions of success.
Weekly sessions create space for peer feedback and shared problem-solving. Deep-dive intensives offer concentrated exploration of capital strategy and growth planning. The program culminates in a public pitch night and graduation, marking both achievement and transition into the alumni network.
Although the participation fee is intentionally low, the program acknowledges that even $95 can pose a barrier. Applicants unable to afford the fee may submit a recommendation letter from a trusted community leader. This option reframes access as a matter of collective affirmation rather than individual deficit.
Such design choices reinforce the program’s commitment to dignity, agency, and inclusion.
The cohort meets Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time, accommodating founders who balance entrepreneurship with other responsibilities.
Key dates include:
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Applications close on March 1 at 11:00 p.m.
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Challenge kickoff on April 2 and 3.
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Ongoing cohort meetings from April 7 through June 11.
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Deep dive sessions on June 25 and 26.
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Pitch night and graduation on June 26.
This structure emphasizes continuity while respecting the realities of creative labor.
EveryDay Creative contributes to a growing recognition that creative economies require intentional investment. By supporting founders at a critical growth stage, the program enhances job creation, cultural production, and local resilience.
The partnership model demonstrates how municipalities, nonprofits, and global accelerators can collaborate to produce measurable outcomes without compromising values.
The EveryDay Creative program positions creativity as a public good supported by collective investment. Through aligned partnerships, accessible design, and values-driven growth strategies, the program offers more than business training. It offers belonging, agency, and a sustainable future for Sacramento’s creative entrepreneurs.
In doing so, it invites the city to imagine an economy where creativity is not peripheral but foundational.
This program is also supported by SMUD and Golden 1 Credit Union
