Artists and arts groups all over King County use Projects grants to create and share their work.

A panel comprised of artists and arts workers from throughout King County, with expertise in one or more creative disciplines, reviews all eligible applications. These panels will select projects for funding based on two kinds of criteria: core and choice.

Criteria

We fund these grants through a competitive process. For this grant, the panel will carefully evaluate your application using the following:

Art Projects also gives you the opportunity to let the panel know how you’d like to have your project evaluated. You must select one of the following three Choice Criteria for the panel to use when they review your application: 

Public Benefit: Why It Matters

Visitors who stay in hotels and motels in King County pay sales tax. A small part of that tax generates the funds for our grants—our mission is to reinvest those funds into King County communities. Most importantly, in your application you will be asked to state specifically how fellow residents will benefit from the work you do. Read about public benefit more in depth here.

Equity Investments

To combat inequities in our grantmaking, 4Culture engages in the practice of making Equity Investments. This practice involves looking at several indicators of structural inequity and applying that knowledge to our peer review panel process. These indicators include but are not limited to: geographic location of applicants, operating budget, communities engaged with and audiences served, and project focus. By prioritizing these factors in our grantmaking decisions and panel review process, we anticipate funds will be distributed to communities that have historically been excluded from cultural funding.

Each of our grant programs utilizes an Equity Investment system tailored to the specific needs of its applicants; please read the After You Submit section of this page for details on how Equity Investments will function for this grant. This organization-wide change—and what we learn about its impact—is an important step towards more equitable funding at 4Culture and throughout the King County cultural sector.

You

You can apply for Art Projects as an individual or a group. Please note that you cannot apply in both categories—you must select one.

• Apply as an individual if you are the sole creator of a project, acting as a curator, or are leading other artists in the creation of your project. In this category, the panel will assess your contribution to the project and your work samples. If selected for an award, you must provide us with your Social Security Number—no fiscal sponsors may be used—to receive payment.
• Apply as a group if you represent a cooperative, non-profit organization, municipality, or business that creates art projects, or if you are a group of artists who have a history of working together, organized under a group name. In this category, the panel will assess your group’s contribution to your project and project-relevant work samples. You do not need to be a nonprofit, but you must provide an EIN (LLC, S-Corp, General Partnership, Nonprofit, etc.) when you apply—a Social Security Number will not be accepted. If you are awarded a grant, you may then request to reassign your contract to a fiscal sponsor (for example: Allied Arts Foundation, Shunpike, or Fractured Atlas). The King County mailing address of the EIN must match the mailing address used on the W9 Form you submit for payment.

You must meet these requirements in order to be considered for Art Projects grant funding:

• Individuals must be at least 18 years old and a resident of King County when you apply through completion of your project.
• Groups must be a King County organization with a core mission dedicated to the arts. If your group is not an arts organization, you must have a written agreement with an artist or arts group with whom you will collaborate.
• You may submit only one (1) individual OR one (1) group application per year.

In order to be eligible for Art Projects funding you must not:

• Represent or apply on behalf of a current recipient of 4Culture’s Arts Sustained Support program.
• Be an individual or group who received a grant through 4Culture’s Art Projects in 2022. These recipients may apply again in 2024.
• Be a member of an applicant group and also apply as an individual for a group-related project.
• Have an incomplete project with an open Projects grant contract awarded in or prior to 2020.
• Have a current, open contract for 4Culture’s Sustained Support, Community 4Culture, or Creative Consultancy programs.
• Be a school, school district, or religious institution.
• Serve as a current staff, board, or Arts Advisory Committee member of 4Culture.
• Be a 2023 Art Projects selection panelist.

Your Project

4Culture values the right to express and experience culture individually and as a community. These grants offer financial support for the creation of art projects that offer some community access to art or the artmaking process. Access can be formal or informal and can include events such as readings, screenings, exhibitions, performances, workshops, discussions, festivals, activities, and more.

You may apply to fund the portions of a project that begin after July 1, 2023. The public benefit/project impact portion of your project must be completed by July 1, 2025.

• Your project may include: the development of new work, the interpretation of existing work, the presentation of new work or a collection of works, support for professional development such as workshops, conferences, and residencies, support for renting or purchasing consumable materials that further your project.
• Your project may not: be fully produced or funded by a 4Culture Sustained Support organization, with a current, open contract. Please contact us if you plan to develop or present your proposed project in partnership with a Sustained Support organization. This may be allowed, but only if 4Culture staff have reviewed the proposed project in advance and given permission for the collaboration to apply. We do not fund tuition and cost-of-living expenses for matriculated students in any degree program, food, beverages or fundraising expenses, permanent public art projects, including murals, general operating support, or capital construction projects.

Have you considered applying for other 4Culture grants? If your project involves multiple disciplines—preservation, heritage, and/or the arts—you may be eligible to submit it for consideration under more than one 4Culture funding program. In your Art Projects application, you must disclose that you have applied or intend to apply to another 4Culture program for the same or related project. Please contact 4Culture to discuss your application if you think it may be eligible for other possible support from 4Culture.

Workshops

Workshops provide an opportunity for you to meet staff, learn about the process, ask questions, and meet other artists and arts groups. All workshops will be held remotely. Please register via the links provided to receive Zoom meeting information. Take advantage of this opportunity to strengthen your application!

This grant is currently closed. Workshops will be posted 6-8 weeks before the next deadline date.

Application Guide and Worksheet

Watch this step-by-step application guide video to assist you in the application process:

As you draft your application, you may choose to work offline in a document. This application worksheet can be used as tool as you work. It includes helpful tips and space to draft your responses.

Click to download the worksheet: Individuals | Groups

Sample Application and Personal Feedback

The application must be filled out through the online application portal. You may find it helpful to read Individual and Groups sample applications that successfully received funding, and view last year’s Individual and Group grant recipients on our Awardees page.

Before you begin or after starting your application, you may have questions or need some personalized feedback on an idea. We are available by email and phone to assist you. Please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Contact

Groups:
Scott Oshima
scott.oshima@4culture.org
(206) 477-8064

Individuals:
Melissa Newbill
melissa.newbill@4culture.org
206-263-1603

Translation and Assistance

The guidelines, a detailed explanation of how to apply, and the application are in English. If this is a barrier that stops you from understanding the grant or applying due to limited English writing ability, visual impairment, or you would like to request assistance to create an application, please contact hello@4culture.org or call (206) 296-7580 or TTY 711, and we will make sure you get the support you need. More ›
 
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Timeline

The deadline for this grant is March 23, 2023 at 5:00 pm PST. Most 4Culture grants take approximately three months from application deadline to when we announce our funding decisions. We will notify you about the status of your application on or before July 1, 2023.

Panel Process

4Culture staff reviews applications to ensure they are eligible and complete. A panel of artists and arts professionals, working in various disciplines, then evaluates all eligible applications. The composition of the panels changes annually and will include artists and arts specialists who work in artistic disciplines other than your own—keep this in mind as you craft your application.

The panel will use the Core and Choice Criteria to evaluate your application. Before the panelists meet as a group, they will each review your application and work samples. During this time, they may take notes and give your application an initial score.

4Culture staff have made some changes towards advancing equity within this program. We have added a criterion to support panelists in the evaluation of projects intended to serve historically marginalized people or communities in King County. We intend this criterion to elevate these projects through the panelists’ discussion and consideration.

Additionally, staff will apply an Equity Investment. 4Culture recognizes that where one is based or provides services can affect access to resources and opportunities. To take a step towards balancing these disparities, artists and arts groups will be considered for an equity investment during the grant evaluation and selection process. Projects by those who reside outside of Seattle but within King County, or in a Community of Opportunity will receive the highest priority.

The panel, at its discretion, may award less than the requested amount. 4Culture staff facilitates the panel process but does not vote or try to influence the outcome.

Please contact Scott Oshima for Groups or Melissa Newbill for Individuals if you have any questions.

Contracts and Payment

If you are selected to receive an Art Projects grant, your grant manager will work with you to create a contract outlining the scope of your project and a payment schedule. You will be able to receive 50% of your awarded funds after you have completed your contract documents. You can request your final 50% once you have completed the public benefit activity that you describe in your application, which will also become part of your contract.

Requirements and Appeals

Learn about the legal requirements of grant recipients, and about the process for appeal of a 4Culture award.

Once you’ve started your application, you can save by completing the required fields or by using placeholder text. Your application will be saved as a draft that you can continue to work on up until the deadline. Once you click “Submit,” your application is considered complete and ready for review. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions during the process.

What’s in the Application?

You will need to write about your project idea, past experience, and planning. Additionally, you must submit samples of past or in-process artwork. We strongly recommend assembling these materials before you login and begin your application.