ArtsWA’s Grants to Organization grants focus on cultural equity, expanding the creative economy, and supporting arts participation.
ArtsWA grants help organizations create arts experiences with—and for—their communities. They ensure that all people have access to the arts. Our grants fund projects, programs, and services that span artistic disciplines, cultures, cultural relevance, and traditions. ArtsWA-funded programs represent a public investment and commitment to ensure cultural vitality for communities and opportunities for arts professionals across the state.
In a typical year, we offer two types of support: Art Project Support and General Operating Support. Each grant category is designed to meet an important purpose and need as outlined in our Strategic Plan. See examples of previously funded organizations at the bottom of the page.
Access the current grant application guidelines and review criteria in the orange boxes below. Grants that ArtsWA administers in partnership with other agencies and organizations are in blue boxes below.
General Grants to Organizations Program Information
Below is general information for ArtsWA GTO grants. For any grant shown in a blue box above, please refer to that grant’s specific guidelines.
Below is an outline of a typical grant cycle timeline. Pandemic funding often creates exceptions, so check back often to see specific dates for grants.
- January: Grant programs that fund activities for the next fiscal year (July-June) are announced.
- February – April: Grant programs and applications are typically open within this timeframe.
- Check our website regularly for open dates and for the specific dates (open date, deadline to apply, etc.) of the grant you are interested in.
- Grant applications are typically open for six weeks.
- May – June: We send notifications of the results of your grant application within this timeframe.
- July – June of the next year: Contract dates for your grant.
- If you are awarded a grant, you can request reimbursement of your grant amount for expenses incurred within the July-June period.
- If you are awarded an Art Project Support grant, your project should take place within this timeframe.
- Note: Because each grant is a contract with the state, our grants are reimbursement grants. You will need to have spent the funds or carried out the activities in your scope of work before we can disburse the funds to you.
- July 31 after your contract ends: Final report is due.
- Learn more about final reports here.
Example timeline for the FY24 Grant Cycle:
- January 2023: Grant programs announced
- February 2023 – April 2023: Grant applications open
- May 2023 – June 2023: Notifications of award
- July 2023 – June 2024: Dates of the contract for the grant award
- July 31, 2024: Final report is due
- All recipients of ArtsWA Grants to Organizations grants must have 501c3 status or be fiscally sponsored by an organization with 501c3 status.
- General Operating Support: Open to arts organizations and fiscally sponsored arts groups.
- What does “arts organization” mean? ArtsWA defines an arts organization as an organization whose primary mission includes arts, creative, and cultural programming.
- Art Project Support: Open to any organization with 501c3 status or fiscally sponsored group that is producing an art, creative, and/or cultural project.
- Individuals
- Nonprofits without 501c3 status
- For-profits organizations
- Political or advocacy organizations
- Organizations based outside of Washington State.
- Art Project Support only: organizations that are based outside of WA may apply if their project takes place in WA.
Generally, our grant applications require the following. Each grant program may vary, so always check the guidelines of the grant you are applying to.
- Read What We Can and Cannot Fund to make sure that your activities can be funded by the grant. Because of federal restrictions, some activities, such as religious events or food purchases, aren’t able be funded with our grants.
- A Submittable account. This is the online platform where you will submit your application. Log in or create an account here. If you need assistance with Submittable, take a look at our Submittable FAQs.
- Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) from SAM.gov. Learn more about getting your UEI (SAM) number here.
- Statewide Vendor (SWV) Number. Learn more about getting your SWV number here. While you don’t have to have received your SWV number at the time of application, you do need to have applied for your number. We cannot issue funds without a SWV. If you don’t know whether your organization has a SWV, use this lookup tool to find out.
- Your organization’s Federal Tax ID (EIN). For fiscally sponsored groups, we will need your fiscal sponsor’s EIN.
- IRS Letter of Determination. For fiscally sponsored groups, we will need your fiscal sponsor’s IRS Letter of Determination.
- Your organization’s annual operating budget. Art Project Support applicants will also submit a project budget.
- History of your past projects or programs.
- Work samples of your past projects or programs. Take a look at our Work Sample Guidelines here.
While the criteria may vary for each grant program, here are a few of GTO’s overarching funding goals:
- Expand arts participation by ensuring that communities across the entire state of Washington have access to culturally relevant arts experiences.
- Support projects, programs, and services spanning a diversity of artistic disciplines and traditions.
- Foster equity and expand the creative economy by funding groups that have historically been excluded from government arts funding.
As a state agency, there are some activities we cannot fund. Take a look at a list of what we can and cannot fund here.
GRANT INFORMATION WEBINARS
When grant programs open, we offer grant information webinars for applicants to guide them through the application process. Check the webpage for the grant you are applying for to see the relevant webinar.
The Webinars cover:
- Key components of the application guidelines
- The application process
- Review criteria
- How to access and use the Submittable application platform
Grants to Organizations Spotlight
Arbutus Folk School: Harvest Moon – Cedar Bark Weaving
Thurston County
Recipient of the FY22 Pandemic Relief Grant for Mid-Sized Organizations (General Operating Support)
About Arbutus Folk School: The Arbutus Folk School mission is to enrich lives and build community through joyful hands-on learning with master artisans. They offer free classes in ceramics, fiber arts, & woodworking for underserved audiences in the Olympia area. Their events create accessible hands-on arts experiences while prioritizing leadership by local LGBTQ and BIPOC artists.
Pictured above: Artist Harvest Moon teaches cedar bark basket weaving techniques and shared a Quinault legend about “The Quiet People.” December 2021
The Residency
King County
Recipient of FY22 Pandemic Relief for Mid-Sized Organizations (General Operating Support)
About The Residency: The Residency’s mission is to build a powerful community of young hip-hop artists equipped with the artistic and leadership skills, business acumen, and mentorship necessary to become professional artists and cultural change makers.
Through their participation in The Residency, young artists from low-income families in the Seattle area acquire tangible artistic and professional skills while also gaining confidence, teamwork, and a deepened understanding of their own identity and power.
Picture above: The Residency youth perform and film in the studio.
Asia Pacific Cultural Center
Pierce County
Recipient of the FY22 Pandemic Relief Grant for Large Organizations (General Operating Support)
About Asia Pacific Cultural Center: To bridge communities and generations through arts, culture, education, and business. They represent, showcase, and teach about the Asia Pacific people of the 47 countries of all of Asia and all the Pacific.
Pictured above: Indian dance during the 24th Annual Asia Pacific New Year Celebration, featuring China. Photo courtesy of APCC Staff.
BASE: 12 Minutes Max
King County
Recipient of FY23 ReVive Washington (Art Project Support)
About BASE’s 12 Minute Max project: Base’s 2022/2023 12 Minutes Max (12MM) series is a community-curated, informal showcase that provides local artists with three opportunities to audition and perform contemporary and experimental performance works across all genres.
Pictured above: Champi-yễn performs Same same but different at 12 Minutes Max in March 2022 at Base. In photo: Sarah Nguyễn. Photography by Jim Coleman.
Instituto de Cultua y Arte In Xochitl In Cuicatl: Gathering of Cultures Ceremony
Clark County
Recipient of FY23 ReVive Washington (Art Project Support)
About Instituto de Cultura y Arte In Xochitl In Cuicatl: They conserve, teach, and promote Indigenous Mexica ceremonies, dance, and art. By exploring shared indigenous heritage, they provide an indigenous cultural foundation to the community, and thereby empower people toward self-improvement. They host the Gathering of Cultures Ceremony at the Wa He Lut Indian School on the Nisqually Indian Reservation in WA. This weekend-long event brings native peoples together from all over the Pacific Northwest.
Pictured above: Altar during Velacion and the morning after.
Wing Luke Museum: Guma’ Gela’
King County
Recipient of FY23 ReVive Washington (Art Project Support)
Wing Luke Museum, with Guma’ Gela’ (House of Difference) Collective, will design and produce an exhibition, performances, and oral histories with 12 queer CHamoru artists and cultural practitioners, uplifting and displaying untold stories.
Pictured Above:
Title: Birds of Paradise at the Seattle Asian Art Museum
Medium: Fashion, textiles.
Birds of Paradise was a fashion collection prepared by Guma’ Gela’ artists inspired by the native birds of the Mariana Islands, many of whom are extinct or endangered due to foreign presence on the island. However, one bird, the Ko’ko (Guam Rail), was able to come back from extinction and is being reintroduced into the wild. The only other bird to do that is the California Condor. This fashion show program at the Seattle Asian Art Museum was to celebrate the welcoming back of native birds.
Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center: Native Basket Weaving
Chelan County
Recipient of FY22 Pandemic Relief Grant for Large Organizations (General Operating Support)
About Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center: The Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center’s mission is to gather, engage, and educate people to celebrate and preserve the history, arts, sciences, and rich diversity of our region.
Pictured above: Native Basket Weaving at Wenatchee Valley Museum. Basket weaving instructors and class participants in March 2022.
North Bend Film Fest
King County
Recipient of FY22 Pandemic Relief Grant for Small Organizations
About North Bend Film Fest: North Bend Film Fest engages local and national audiences to enrich, promote and support the creation in independent genre film. Using the town’s fantastical and mysterious energy that once inspired David Lynch, the festival sets out to fill the void of programming for the progressive audiences in the Pacific Northwest, and to provide a platform for emerging filmmakers. Working directly with the town of North Bend, NBFF is an event for the local community, Northwest creatives, and national film industry to enjoy together.
Pictured above: Filmmakers on the red carpet at NBFF21.
Mid-Columbia Ballet: INCLUDE Dance Class
Benton County
Recipient of FY23 ReVive Washington (Art Project Support)
About Mid-Columbia Ballet’s INCLUDE Class: Mid-Columbia Ballet provides dance-oriented activities for children with special needs. They provide specifically-designed dance instruction for the children and a sensory-friendly dance performances suitable for families with special needs children.
Pictured Above: Dancers participate in Mid Columbia Ballet’s INCLUDE Dance Class.
City of Burien: Arts-A-Glow Light Art
King County
Recipient of FY23 ReVive Washington (Art Project Support)
About City of Burien’s Arts-A-Glow festival: The Arts-A-Glow Light Festival provides an interactive opportunity for the Burien and regional community to experience unique works of art and performances, as well as meet the artists. The festival partners with local businesses and museums and utilizes architecture for projection mapping installations.
Pictured above: Black Light Mural by Sam “Sneke” Swanson.
Tieton Arts & Humanities: Día de los Muertos
Yakima County
Recipient of FY22 Pandemic Relief Grant for Mid-Sized Organizations (General Operating Support)
About Tieton Arts & Humanities: Tieton Arts & Humanities enriches & celebrates community through artistic & cultural programming. They host the 13th annual Día de los Muertos Community Celebration, a vibrant, educational community event that includes performance, art, family activities, and art exhibitions celebrating our diverse community.
Pictured above: musicians parade during the Día de los Muertos Community Celebration.
Deaf Spotlight
King County
Recipient of FY23 ReVive Washington Grant (Art Project Support)
About Deaf Spotlight: Deaf Spotlight inspires and showcases Deaf Culture and Sign Languages through the arts.
Pictured above: A group photo of Deaf actors taking a bow at the end of a production of God of Carnage, from left: Billy Seago, Anna Bracilano, Reggie Scott and Aimee Chou. Photo Courtesy of Deaf Spotlight and Some Like It Shot Photography.
Contact us
If you have any questions about the Grants to Organization program, please contact:
Miguel Guillén, Program Manager: miguel.guillen@arts.wa.gov, 360-252-9970