Community Accelerator Grant

ArtsFund is pleased to partner with the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation on the second round of funding for the Community Accelerator Grant, a $10 million investment in Washington State’s arts and culture sector. The program, now in its second year, provides unrestricted grants to cultural nonprofit organizations across Washington state. In the program’s second year, it awarded 811 grants to organizations reaching 37 of Washington’s 39 counties. Funding will provide essential capital to Washington’s cultural organizations, including fiscally sponsored organizations and tribal entities, whose primary mission is to produce or support arts and cultural activities. The funds are intended to boost arts organizations’ ability to invest in their missions and essential roles serving communities across the state. 

Read the 2024 press release and fast facts about the program 

See the list of 2024 Community Accelerator Grantees 

Read the 2023 press release and fast facts about the program.

The Community Accelerator Grant program is now closed.

The Community Accelerator Grant informational webinar walks interested applicants through the application process, offers insight into eligibility changes for Year 2, highlights updates to this year’s application, and provides an opportunity for a question-and-answer session with ArtsFund staff.

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The Community Accelerator Grant application, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), and Demographic Data Use Statement have been translated into 8 languages. The virtual info session is recorded and captioned in these same languages.

Funded by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, the Year 2 of the Community Accelerator Grant program will provide unrestricted grants for cultural nonprofit organizations across Washington state in amounts of $2,500 to $25,000. 

Funding provides essential capital to Washington’s cultural organizations, including fiscally sponsored and tribal organizations, whose primary mission is to produce or support arts and cultural activities. 

Awards are unrestricted, allowing recipient organizations to utilize funding in ways that they determine and prioritize for highest impact. 

The Community Accelerator Grant is intended to fund Washington State’s arts and culture sector. 501(c)(3) public charities, organizations fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)3 public charity, and state or federally recognized tribal entities are eligible to apply. In addition, organizations must:

• Have a primary mission to produce or support arts and cultural activities.

• Have existed for three or more years.

• Have an average annual operating budget of $25,000 or greater over FY2022, FY2023, and FY2024 (budgeted).

Applicants considered ineligible include:

• Individuals

• Private foundations

• For-profit organizations

• Political advocacy organizations

• Organizations located outside of Washington State

• Churches and religious organizations

• Government entities, except tribal governments

All organizations, including new applicants and 2023 applicants, will be reviewed for eligibility in 2024. Organizations that were not eligible in 2023 may be eligible in 2024, depending on circumstance. Eligibility for the 2023 grant does not guarantee eligibility in 2024.

To learn more about eligibility, please review our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

Please click here to review our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

The Community Accelerator Grant application is now closed. Grants will be issued by June 30, 2024. 

The virtual info session in January 2024 incorporated the following accessibility features: ASL interpretation, visual descriptions, and live ASR captions. A professionally captioned recording of the info session is available on our website. 

The application portal will be tested for screen reader compatibility.

If you have any additional access needs or questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to the grantmaking team at accelerator@artsfund.org.

Grants will be issued by June 30, 2024.

The program will be informed by a Community Advisory Panel that represents geographic and demographic diversity. The panel will work to ensure decision-making is as close to the impacted communities as possible.

The Community Accelerator Grant will invest in a stronger, more inclusive and thriving arts and cultural sector for Washington State by allowing organizations to self-determine how best to utilize their funding. The funds are intended to boost arts organizations’ ability to invest in their missions and essential roles serving communities across the state. 

You can reach ArtsFund’s grantmaking team via email at accelerator@artsfund.org. Please allow up to 5 business days for a response.

To sign up to learn more about the program as information is released, please continue below:

See the press release announcing the 2023 grantees here.

View the list of 2023 grantees here.