About this grant
Diverse arts and culture organizations make a stronger and more resilient arts economy. In partnership with Shunpike, ArtsWA is offering ReNew Washington grants. These grants fund groups wishing to start new organizations, or to strengthen organizations created in the last three years.
Grants support small projects that increase capacity-building for the organization. Of special interest are new organizations that focus on the work of communities not fully or authentically represented in their region. We encourage new organizations that focus on communities impacted by historic and structural inequity to apply.
These grants will:
- Help grow and diversify arts and culture organizations regionally
- Inspire economic independence in underserved communities through arts & culture, and
- Stimulate job growth and create new career paths
Additional information:
- FY23 ReNew Washington grants support project dates between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023.
- Groups must have produced a minimum of one project in the past three years.
- Funded projects must be accessible to the public and take place in Washington State.
Partnership with Shunpike:
ArtsWA is pleased to partner with Shunpike for the ReNew WA grant. Groups that are not yet fiscally sponsored can apply for fiscal sponsorship with Shunpike within the ReNew WA application.
Groups that apply for fiscal sponsorship within the ReNew WA grant application must watch the recording of this info session on fiscal sponsorship with Shunpike before applying: Click here to watch the recording
Groups that are awarded a ReNew grant and gain fiscal sponsorship under Shunpike must attend a 90-minute on-boarding session on June 22 at 5:00 p.m.
Please read Shunpike’s Applying for Fiscal Sponsorship document if you are seeking fiscal sponsorship. This document includes important information about fiscal sponsorship, including how you will get paid. As a reminder, you must have either 501c3 status or fiscal sponsorship to be eligible for the ReNew grant; we are not able to grant funds to unincorporated groups.
Webinars:
- ReNew Washington grant webinar: click here to watch the recording
Funding Amounts
- Grants up to $5,000
- No funding match required
Important Dates
- Application Opens: March 22, 2022
- Required Info Session for Shunpike Applicants: April 20 at 5:00 p.m. Click here to watch the recording
- Application Deadline: Submissions will be accepted until May 3, 2022 at 5:00 p.m.
- Notification of Grant Award: June 9, 2022
- Required on-boarding for grantees who gain fiscal sponsorship with Shunpike: June 22 at 5:00 p.m.
- Funds will be Distributed: Starting July 1, 2022
- Final Report Due: July 31, 2023
Application Information
Groups of three or more individuals:
- Wishing to become arts & culture nonprofit organizations
- That have produced at least one project in the past three years
- That have worked together for one or more years to produce community arts events
- That have an annual operating budget of up to or less than $50,000.
- That are producing projects or events that:
- Have arts and culture as a primary component
- Are open to the public
- Provide public benefit as defined by the ReNew Washington guidelines.
- That have a minimum one-year history of arts and/or relevant programming that demonstrates the capacity to produce the proposed project or event.
To receive funds, groups must have 501(c)3 nonprofit status or Fiscal Sponsorship by a 501c3 nonprofit with arts, heritage, or culture in their mission statement. If you are not a 501c3 arts nonprofit, and you do not have fiscal sponsorship, you can apply for fiscal sponsorship through Shunpike within the ReNew application.
Who Is Not Eligible to Apply?
- Individuals
- For-profit organizations
- Political or advocacy organizations
- Organizations based outside of Washington
Screening for Eligibility
- ArtsWA Staff screen applications to ensure eligibility requirements are met.
Evaluation and Application Scoring Panel
· A panel of arts professionals, ArtsWA commissioners, and staff review applications alongside other applications in the same category.
Panel Recommendations and Board Approval
- The panel scores applications online and in person (if possible, during the pandemic) and makes funding recommendations.
- Recommendations go to the ArtsWA Board of Commissioners for approval.
Notification of Award
- Once approved by the board, notifications will be sent to applicants.
Review Criteria are standards used to score applications. Strong applications will demonstrate strengths in:
Objectives (10 points)
- Project has arts, culture, and creativity as a primary or significant element.
- Provides arts experiences and opportunities for artists and non-artists alike within the group’s community.
Public Benefit (10 points)
- · Project offers public access through strategic and meaningful inclusion, and project delivery for and with historically excluded communities, accessibility for people with disabilities, and/or to populations representative of cultures experiencing significant social inequities especially during the pandemic.
- This includes communities whose access to arts is affected by geography, structural inequity, and marginalization due to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, economics, disability, or other social or institutionally imposed barriers.
- See some examples of public benefit here
Management (10 points)
Project proposal:
- Describes ability to deliver project effectively
- Indicates project will be complete by June 30, 2023
- Includes a budget appropriate to project
- Includes minimum of one past similar and/or relevant event produced by applicant organization
- Will deliver one or more accessible public event(s) in Washington State.
- To apply, you will need your or your fiscal sponsor’s Federal Tax ID (EIN)
- You may enter 00-000000 if you do not yet have a fiscal sponsor.
- Your organization’s last completed-year, board-approved, operating budget
- If you already have a fiscal sponsor, you will also need your fiscal sponsor’s last completed-year, board approved, operating budget showing annual cash income.
- If you already have a fiscal sponsor, a completed Fiscal Sponsor Information Form
- Your project’s budget
- Work Sample – a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 10 samples to support your project proposal.
- You may upload images, video, audio, or other documents in any combination – but no more than 10 work samples will be reviewed by panelists. Your video and audio samples should be no longer than 3 minutes.
- Please note that these work samples do not need to be professionally produced or polished. A simple snapshot of a past event works great!
- Click here to see our Work Sample Guidelines
- Optional: Video introducing your project
- You can add an introductory video to your application if you want to. We suggest making a short video (no longer than two minutes) specifically for this application that features the leadership of your group speaking directly to the review panel about your project.
- Optional: Support Letters – if you have any community members, collaborators, or others that support your work and would like to provide a short letter of support (no more than one page).
- Optional: Support documentation— newspaper articles, promotional materials (such as brochures, posters, or programs), etc.
- ReNew Washington Guidelines
- Shunpike – Applying for Fiscal Sponsorship
- Full Application PDF: ReNew Washington – for drafting purposes only
- Public Benefit – Examples
- Operating Budget Template
- Fiscal Sponsorship Information Form
- What We Do and Don’t Fund
- Work Sample Guidelines
- Navigating ZoomGrants, ArtsWA’s grant platform
- ReNew Washington grant webinar: click here to watch the recording
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted through our online grant platform, Zoom Grants. Applications are accepted until 5:00 p.m. on the final deadline date.
Additional Information
Contact Us
If you have any questions about this grant, please contact:
Miguel Guillen, Program Manager, Grants to Organizations, 360-252-9970 or miguel.guillen@arts.wa.gov
Linnea Ingalls, Program Coordinator, Grants to Organizations, 360-252-9969 or linnea.ingalls@arts.wa.gov
If you have any questions about applying for fiscal sponsorship through Shunpike, contact Casey Moser at casey@shunpike.org