Orange County, CA has a long and storied history of community organizations that have been instrumental in providing essential services to its citizens. OneOC, which was first established in 1958 as the Newport Volunteer Office, is the Orange County Youth League's inaugural community service project. This organization has since developed into the Orange County Volunteer Center, which oversees the 2-1-1 helpline for Orange County and is actively working to eradicate homelessness in the area. Orange County United Way has been at the forefront of health and human care services since 1924. Arts OC publishes the Cultural Benchmark Indicators Report, which outlines the state of the Orange County arts community.
Arts OC has also partnered with SA Exhibitions to manage gallery space in the Santa Ana Arts Collective's new affordable housing residence for artists. Additionally, Arts OC was hired by Jamboree Housing Corporation to manage the selection of two pieces of public art for its new Heroes Landing affordable housing residence for military veterans. The city of Newport Beach first contracted Arts OC to manage the sculpture exhibition in its new 14-acre Civic Center park, installing ten new large-scale works a year with two-year loans. The Orange County Historical Society (OCHS) has been presenting programs on historical topics since 1995 and has organized historic visits and participated in several community anniversary celebrations. In response to COVID-19, Arts OC surveyed local arts organizations about the impact of the pandemic on their operations and finances. This year, the city of Santa Ana hired Arts OC to manage the selection of a new piece of public art, “We Too Were Once Strangers” by Richard Turner, for its bike trail.
