The California Arts Council consists of eleven members, nine appointed by the Governor and one appointed by the President pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the Assembly. The Council establishes general policy and approves program allocations.

The Council recognizes that the Arts are essential for the cultural, educational, social and economic development of California. The Council seeks to further its mandates and services to the public through the development of partnerships with the public and private sectors and by providing support to the state's non-profit arts and cultural community, which are broad-based and extended across the state from its largest metropolitan areas to its most rural areas.

The Council is statutorily required to:

• Encourage artistic awareness, participation, and expression among the citizens of California.
• Help independent local groups develop their own arts programs.
• Promote the employment of artists and those skilled in crafts in both the public and private sectors.
• Provide for the exhibition of art works in public buildings throughout California.
• Enlist the aid of all state agencies in the task of ensuring the fullest expression of our artistic potential.