Current Calls and Funding

2026 Centering Art & Racial Equity Grant

Vox Oraculus by The Cabiri, photo by Warren Woo

Centering Art & Racial Equity is the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture’s organizational support program designed to inspire Seattle’s arts and culture organizations to work collectively towards a more equitable arts ecosystem. Arts, culture, heritage, and arts service organizations with a minimum of three years of providing accessible programming in Seattle are encouraged to apply. We prioritize supporting Seattle organizations who actively work to center inclusive, anti-racist, and human-centered values.

For more details on this grant, please read the full guidelines.

The guidelines are also availabile in these languages:

Supplemental Documents

Eligibility

Arts, culture, heritage, and arts service organizations are eligible if:

Your primary location is within Seattle city limits
You have an arts and culture mission, programs, or you are a culturally specific organization with significant arts and cultural programming
You have a minimum three-year history of providing public benefit through arts and culture to Seattle residents
You have a Federal Tax ID number, though you are not required to have 501(c)(3) status
You have a commitment to and actions consistent with being an anti-racist organization through an intersectional lens
You have no concurrent funding through our smART ventures grant

Funding

Awards are based on an overall score and ranked by a diverse community panel. Your organization’s budget size is not a factor in determining your award amount. To be as inclusive as possible, the priority of this program is to fund broadly rather than deeply. The funding range is anticipated to be between $500 to $18,000 for each year of funding received.

Award levels may vary from year to year and are not guaranteed pending City tax revenues and budget process. At this time, based on City budget forecasts, we cannot guarantee how many years of funding will be provided with this application cycle.

Due Date

Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025, 5 p.m. Pacific.

Please allow enough time to complete your application. Applications submitted after the 5 p.m. Pacific deadline will not be accepted.

Information Sessions

Join a virtual workshop to learn more about this grant and how to submit your best application. The first hour will focus on applying for the Centering Art & Racial Equity grant. If you are also interested in learning about our Cultural Facilities Fund grant, you should plan to stay for the full 90 minutes.

Workshop 1

Thursday, May 29, 2025, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Pacific
RSVP to 5/29

Workshop 2 ASL-interpreted

Monday, June 2, 2025, 2:30 - 4:00 p.m. Pacific
RSVP to 6/2

Workshop 3

Tuesday, June 24, 2025, 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. Pacific
RSVP to 6/24

Workshop 4

Wednesday, July 9, 2025, 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. Pacific
RSVP to 7/9

Application

Apply online through the City of Seattle's grant portal.

If this is your first time using FLUXX, you will have to create a user profile before you start your application.

Info

If you don’t have computer or internet access, contact Kathy Hsieh, Cultural Investments Strategist, as soon as possible at (206) 733-9926 or email Kathy.Hsieh@seattle.gov.

If you have any further questions or need help with the online application, please reach out.

We have interpreters who can speak to you in your language, including American Sign Language (via video). Just call us and tell us what language you speak. Expect a short pause while we find an interpreter to join the call.

Kathy Hsieh

she/her

Bio + -

Cultural Investments Strategist
kathy.hsieh@seattle.gov
(206) 733-9926

Kathy oversees the community-building, funding, and racial equity programs of the Office. A change agent in transforming the City's arts funding program through a racial equity lens, she helped the agency earn the Seattle Management Association's first Race & Social Justice Management Award. A leader with the City's nationally recognized Race & Social Justice Initiative, she has presented on numerous national panels, and is an adjunct professor on Asian American Theatre for the University of Washington.

Kathy is also a theatre artist and award-winning actor, playwright, director, and producer with a special focus on work that creates visibility and opportunities for and highlights the talent and contributions of, artists of color. She has been honored by the National Association of Asian American Professionals in Seattle as their Artist of the Year and as an actor by ArtsFund in 2003, featured in The Dramatist Magazine as "50 to Watch" in 2007, received A Special Award of Recognition by The Seattle Theater Writers Gypsy Awards for Excellence in Playwriting and Verizon's Asian Pacific American Bash's Innovator Award in 2012, and is the 2015 International Examiner Community Voice Awardee in the Arts.

Kathy also speaks Mandarin.

Cultural Facilties Fund

Glassblowing demo at Pratt

The Cultural Facilities Fund awards funding to Seattle arts, heritage, cultural, and arts-service organizations with facility projects that create greater access for those who have been (and are) inequitably excluded from owning, managing, and leasing property. Data shows that communities most impacted by structural racism and oppression have had the least access to controlling cultural space. This fund prioritizes projects that eliminate this disparity.

Our cultural spaces define the social character of our neighborhoods. They are the brick-and-mortar portals to the creative vibrancy our city has to offer. The Cultural Facilities Fund is intended to support capital projects that improve Seattle’s arts and cultural spaces in significant and lasting ways.

The Cultural Facilities Fund has been on pause since the pandemic. In 2025, to create greater equity and access, we are re-opening the program as part of a combined application with the Centering Art & Racial Equity Grant.

For more details on this grant, please read the full guidelines.

The guidelines are also availabile in these languages:

Eligibility

You must be an incorporated Seattle-based art, cultural, heritage, or arts-service organization.
- You may be incorporated as a not-for-profit organization or be fiscally sponsored by a nonprofit.
- You may be incorporated as a for-profit organization but your gross annual revenues for the most recently completed fiscal year may not exceed $5,000,000.
You must represent communities most impacted by structural racism and oppression, and/or demonstrate a commitment to being an anti-racist organization through an intersectional lens.
You must demonstrate at least a three-year history of providing public benefit to Seattle residents.
Site Control:
- For "pre-capital" expenses, such as feasibility studies, or architectural or engineering services, no site control is required.
- For facility improvement, building, renovations, and other explicitly capital projects, you must control the facility through ownership or a lease (at least five years of site control, which can be a combination of years remaining on a lease and a unilateral option to extend).
You must demonstrate a record of ongoing artistic or cultural accomplishments in Seattle.
You must have a Federal Tax ID number, City of Seattle Business License, and be based in the city of Seattle.

Your project must:

Occur within Seattle City limits.
Have at least 50% project funding in place (not including this request) before applying for requests over $25,000. This funding can take the form of approved grants, individual pledges, organizational cash on-hand (this must be cash that is literally "in the bank"), and/or in-kind contributions of both labor and materials.
Begin after January 2026 and be completed before December 31, 2027. If the proposed project is part of a larger capital campaign, the larger campaign can have dates the begin or end outside of January 2026 – December 31, 2027. The specific activity funded through this award, however, must occur within these dates.

Your project should address at least two or more of the following priorities:

Increasing investment in communities of most impacted by structural racism and oppression
Urgent-need remodeling or renovation of existing facilities, or creation of new facilities
Improvements to a historic building
Allow for significant organizational growth
Expand accessibility per the Americans with Disabilities Act
Address building, fire, or energy code requirements/updates
Have broad or deep community impact

Funding

You may request up to $50,000 to support direct project expenses. Selected awards may be less than your requested amount.

You may submit for one of two tiers of funding:

Tier One

Applicants requesting up to $25,000 will not have any matching requirement, nor need to demonstrate other committed funds for the project.

Tier Two

Applicants requesting greater than $25,000 and up to $50,000 will need to demonstrate that at least 50% of the total project budget is confirmed prior to applying to the Cultural Facilities Fund. In other words, if your total project campaign is $500,000, you must have at least $250,000 already committed from other sources, and you may ask us for up to $50,000. This commitment can take many forms: You may count other contributed income that has been pledged or approved, general volunteer hours at $35 per hour, discounts on professional labor (for example, pro bono or partially discounted architects’ fees) at that professional’s stated rates, and discounts on materials (not including build discounts from vendors).

Due Date

Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025, 5 p.m. Pacific

Please allow ample time to complete your application. Applications submitted after the 5 p.m. Pacific deadline will not be accepted.

Information Sessions

Join a virtual workshop to learn more about this grant and how to submit your best application. The first hour of each workshop will focus on applying for our Centering Art & Racial Equity Grant. If you are also interested in learning about this Cultural Facilities Fund grant, you should plan to stay for the full 90 minutes.

Workshop 1

Thursday, May 29, 2025 from 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pacific
RSVP to 5/29

Workshop 2 ASL-interpreted

Monday, June 2, 2025 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. Pacific
RSVP to 6/2

Workshop 3

Tuesday, June 24, 2025, 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. Pacific
RSVP to 6/24

Workshop 4

Wednesday, July 9, 2025, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. Pacific
RSVP to 7/9

Application

Apply online through the City of Seattle's grant portal.

For organizations interested in applying to both the Cultural Facilities Fund and our Centering Art & Racial Equity Grant, these two grants share the same online application.

If this is your first time using FLUXX, you will have to create a user profile before you start your application.

Info

If you don’t have computer or internet access, contact the project manager at CulturalFaciltiesFund@seattle.gov as soon as possible or call Ashraf Hasham, Partnerships, Education, and Grants Manager at (206) 514-1057.

If you have any further questions or need help with the online application, please reach out.

Artists at the Center 2025-26

Artists at the Center introduces emerging and established artists to Seattle Center, while broadening the arts and cultural experiences in the Uptown Arts & Cultural District. Selected artists reflect the city’s cultural diversity and have the unique opportunity to perform at Seattle Center, enjoy technical production support, connect with new audiences, and showcase their talents. Visitors to the campus and the surrounding neighborhood benefit from surprising and delightful pop-up performances throughout the year.

Artists at the Center is a multi-year collaboration between Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) and Seattle Center, with support from Uptown Arts & Culture Coalition and the communities surrounding the Seattle Center campus. This project is made possible by a 10-year community benefit grant from Climate Pledge Arena and Seattle Kraken.

For more details on this grant, please read the full guidelines.

The guidelines are also available in these languages:

Eligibility

You are eligible to apply for this grant if you meet the following criteria:

You are an individual artist, artist-led collective, organization, or community-based group presenting work regularly in Seattle.
You are located in King County or unincorporated King County within Washington State.
- Organizations and individual artists representing communities most impacted by systemic oppression including low-income, people with disabilities, immigrant and refugee communities, and communities of color are encouraged to apply.
You have a Federal Tax ID number (Social Security Number, ITIN, or Employee Identification Number) and are based in, or have current and active programming within, the City of Seattle.
- Groups applying are not required to be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nor are they required to use a fiscal sponsor or fiscal agent.
You may submit only one application per cycle to this program.
Multiple applicants cannot submit separate applications for the same pop-up.
Awardees from the current season (2024-2025) are not eligible to apply for the 2025-2026 season.

Your pop-up is eligible to be funded by this grant if it meets the following criteria:

Your pop-up will be free and open to the public at one of the eligible Seattle Center locations.
Your pop-up will be between 40-90 minutes.

Funding

You may use the award funds for pop-up-related expenses, such as: artist fees, marketing and promotional fees, project management, personnel costs, supplies, equipment rentals or other production-related costs, required insurance, and up to 10% for food-related costs. Additional expenses may be allowed upon advance approval by the grant project manager.

Funds from this grant cannot be combined with other City funding sources nor with funds supporting another Seattle Center event (e.g. Festál, Folklife, etc.). Applicants are not allowed to be funded for the same project/pop-up twice by the City of Seattle.

You can apply for the following levels of funding:

$2,000 award (typically 1-2 performers), plus $750 in-kind production support from Seattle Center
$4,000 award (typically 3-5 performers), plus $1,360 in-kind production support from Seattle Center
$6,000 award (typically 6+ performers), plus $1,800 in-kind production support from Seattle Center

Due Date

Tuesday, June 17, 2025, 5 p.m. Pacific

Please allow ample time to complete your application; applications submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.

Information Sessions

Learn more about this opportunity and how to turn in your strongest application. We highly encourage first-time applicants to attend one of the below workshops:

Session 1 (Hybrid)

Thursday, May 22, 4:00 - 5:20 p.m. (Pacific)
In-Person: Seattle Center Armory, Room 301
Virtual: Webex
RSVP to May 22

Session 2 (Hybrid)

Tuesday, June 3, 10:00 - 11:20 a.m. (Pacific)
In-Person: Seattle Center Armory, Room 301
Virtual: Webex
RSVP to June 3

Application

Apply online through the City of Seattle’s grant portal.

If this is your first time using FLUXX, you will have to create a user profile before you start your application.

Info

If you don’t have computer or internet access, contact Zach Frimmel, Grants Project Manager, as soon as possible at (206) 963-9226 or email Zach.Frimmel@seattle.gov.

For questions about the grant, please refer to these Frequently Asked Questions. If you have any further questions or need help with the online application, please reach out..

Zach Frimmel

(They/Them)

Grants Project Manager

Bio + -

Zach.Frimmel@seattle.gov
(206) 963-9226

Zach Frimmel is a concept-based songwriter, music journalist, and intersectional world-builder. They grew up in Florida’s DIY art and punk scenes. Zach has lived on the unceded land of the Coast Salish peoples since 2012.

Over the last ten years, Zach has orchestrated professional development and progressive grantmaking programs at Artist Trust, Northwest Film Forum, and the Seattle Department of Neighborhood’s (DON) Food Equity Fund. They were also the music specialist for the 2023 CityArtist panel. Zach comes to ARTS after a year of working as the Civic Engagement Coordinator at DON, staffing the Seattle Renters Commission, plus co-designing the PACE program with community partners to create culturally relevant civic education for historically disenfranchised voices to leverage their advocacy power.

From 2017-2020, they were a contributing writer for KEXP and The Stranger, championing local and worldwide music communities. Zach builds sonic worlds under the solo project riife. They released their debut sound-body-of-work, topics of cancer, in June 2021 on the Seattle cassette label Den Tapes as well as self-produced it on vinyl.

Zach is currently writing and conceptualizing the next riife album, is amped to start a dream job at ARTS, and can often be found at a local show or dancing the night away with friends.

We Still Dream a Future: Call for Downtown Activations & Exhibitions in 2026

the sky is the same color everywhere or on the rapture of being alive by MALACARNE, photo by Alina Yang

The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture invites individual artists, cultural producers, arts administrators, creative workers, community groups, and arts and cultural organizations of all sizes to propose projects activating public spaces in Downtown Seattle in 2026.

With the unifying theme of We Still Dream a Future, this call invites arts proposals of two types:

Exhibitions inside ARTS at King Street Station (KSS)
Activations and installations at King Street Station Plaza, Union Station Plaza and other public spaces in the Chinatown-International District, Pioneer Square, and Stadium District

Developed in partnership with Mayor Bruce Harrell’s Downtown Activation Plan, this call for proposals addresses key civic priorities by empowering creative workers to build community and spark new arts experiences downtown. By offering free, engaging programming throughout the year, especially during peak visitation periods, this initiative enriches the city’s cultural landscape, providing inspiring experiences for residents and visitors alike.

This funding opportunity builds upon our ongoing artist- and community-led programming through ARTS at King Street Station and Hope Corps. It expands on the Hope Corps framework, which fosters economic opportunity for Seattle’s creative workforce, and aligns with ARTS at King Street Station’s mission to increase opportunities for communities of color to create and present their work.

Beyond funding, awardees will benefit from a Community of Practice, a dynamic network offering regular workshops, social opportunities, and platforms to share their work and deepen their connections to Downtown Seattle and the arts ecosystem.

For more details on this grant, please read the full guidelines.

The guidelines are also available in these languages:

Supplemental Documents

You can use these documents to draft your application responses:

Unifying Theme

We Still Dream a Future is the marshaling of our collective imagination within and beyond our current circumstances, and despite the obstacles before us. It is the celebratory declaration of our communities that they are still here and will be for many years to come. In conversation with each other, we build upon the idea that our flourishing must be and is possible.

The arts are essential to creating what comes next. When we see what could be, hear it, touch it, experience it, then what we imagine becomes something more: through art, all that is possible takes a step towards becoming real. We Still Dream a Future.

You are needed. Where does your work enter this conversation or diverge from it in important ways? A discussion of the future is also a discussion of our past and our present, of who we have been and who we might be. Is your work an exploration of identity? Do you reveal or reflect upon larger systems at work in our lives? Do you set forth visions of what lies just beyond the horizon of who we are? We can’t yet see all that you imagine in responding to this theme. Show us what is possible.

Eligibility

You are eligible to apply for funding if you meet the following criteria:

You are an individual artist, organization, or community-based group located in, or presenting work regularly in, Seattle.
- Organizations and individual artists representing communities most impacted by systemic oppression including low-income, people with disabilities, immigrant and refugee communities, and communities of color are encouraged to apply.
You have not received funding from us for a previous iteration of this proposed project within the last 3 years.
You are not currently receiving Downtown Activation Plan-related funding from us for projects taking place in 2026.
You may apply for more than one project type, for example, you may submit separate proposals for an exhibition at KSS and an activation outdoors. But you may not submit more than one proposal for an exhibition or an activation.

Your project must not:

Directly sell materials or post prices (this is ONLY applicable to proposals for King Street Station and Union Station)
Use ticket sales. All programs must be presented free of charge to the public.

Funding

Grant funds up to $50,000 are available for creative worker wages and project expenses.

Due Date

Tuesday, June 3, 2025, 5:00 p.m. Pacific

Please allow ample time to complete your application. Applications submitted after the 5 p.m. (Pacific) deadline will not be accepted.

Information Workshops

Please watch the videos at the top and bottom of this page to learn more about this grant and how to submit your best application. if you have additional questions, you can attend one of these information sessions:

Session 1 (Virtual)

Friday, April 25, 2025 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
RSVP for 4/25

Session 2 (Virtual)

Tuesday, May 13, 2025 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
RSVP for 5/13

Session 3 (Virtual)

Saturday, May 17, 2025 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
RSVP for 5/17

Session 4 (Virtual)

Thursday May 22, 2025 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
RSVP for 5/22

Application

Apply online through Submittable.

If you have trouble, check the Submittable FAQ for step-by-step guides. You can also contact Submittable tech support at support@submittable.com.

Info

If you don’t have computer or internet access, or would like to discuss alternative ways of applying, contact Kate Fernandez, Downtown Activations Supervisor at Kate.Fernandez@seattle.gov or call (206) 948-3059.

Please reach out with any questions about this opportunity or for help with the online application.

Kate Fernandez

(She/Her)

Downtown Activations Supervisor

Bio + -

Kate.Fernandez@seattle.gov
(206) 948-3059

Kate Fernandez is a California native who has lived in Seattle longer than she hasn’t. During this time, she has zig-zagged between design and administration in an attempt to transfer knowledge between those two worlds that shifts and shapes culture.

As Director of Interpretation & Visitor Experience at the Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture, Kate brought these realms together and led the design and build of the galleries and public spaces for the new museum. She is also the founder of several letterpress print shops, producer of grassroots music and arts festivals, and curator of experiences at the intersection of art and nature. Most recently, Kate has worked as a consultant to local and national nonprofits to help them find creative solutions to their strategic problems.

Kate holds a BA in Comparative History of Ideas from the University of Washington and studied typography and design at the School of Visual Concepts.

The Creative Advantage Community Arts Partner Roster (Rolling Deadline)

The Creative Advantage is a city-wide initiative to establish equitable access to arts learning for every student in Seattle Public Schools. The Creative Advantage is made possible through a public-private partnership with Seattle Public Schools, the City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, the Seattle Foundation, and over 100 community arts partners.

The Community Arts Partner Roster consists of individual teaching artists and community arts and culture organizations approved to work in Seattle Public Schools through The Creative Advantage. Community Arts Partners collaborate with schools to provide:

Student Art Residencies
Teacher Professional Development

Please Note: An applicant can apply to lead student arts residencies and/or teacher professional development.

Helpful Resources

Read the full guidelines.

Creative Youth Programs Glossary

Sample Lesson Plan

Visit the Creative Advantage website for more information.

Eligibility

Open to teaching artists, community arts organizations, and cultural institutions serving students, teachers, and schools in Seattle with three (3) or more years of teaching experience. Applicants must be over the age of 18.

The Roster application is open, and will stay open year-round for new artists, teaching artists, community arts organizations, and cultural institutions to apply. Applications will be vetted and approved by Creative Advantage Advisors, through a panel process three times annually (March, June, October). Roster Advisors are Seattle Public School teacher leaders and current Roster partners.

Review Deadlines:

Applications submitted between 11/1/24 and by 5 PM (PST) 2/28/25 will be reviewed during the March review cycle
Applications submitted between 3/1/25 and by 5 PM (PST) 5/31/25 will be reviewed during the June review cycle
Applications submitted between 6/1/25 and by 5 PM (PST) 9/30/25 will be reviewed during the October review cycle

An applicant can apply to provide both student art residencies and/or professional development opportunities for teachers and will have the option to indicate that on the application.

Application

Apply on Submittable.

If you have trouble with Submittable, check their FAQ which offers step-by-step guides. For further assistance with the Submittable online application, please contact Submittable tech support at support@submittable.com.

Info

For questions about the program or for help with the online application, please contact Project Manager, Tina LaPadula.

We can speak to you in your language, including American Sign Language. Just call us and tell us what language you speak. Expect a short pause while we find an interpreter to join the call.

Tina LaPadula

she/her

Bio + -

Arts Education Project Manager
tina.lapadula@seattle.gov
(206) 518-4205

Tina LaPadula is an East coast transplant and warrior for equitable art-making and learning opportunities. For more than 15 years she poured most of her creative energy into Arts Corps, the award-winning arts and social justice nonprofit she helped found. She has collaborated with The Frye Museum, The Museum of History and Industry, and Bumbershoot Arts and Music Festival to curate exhibitions and events that elevate the art and perspectives of young people. As a teaching artist, Tina has taught for Centrum Arts, Seattle Children's Theatre, The University of Washington, and in a multitude of schools and afterschool programs. She has served as a consultant to many cultural organizations facilitating workshops on racial justice and the arts. Tina supports the growth and development of teaching artists locally and nationally, most notably as the founder of the Seattle Teaching Artist Network, as a faculty member for the WA State Teaching Artist Training Lab, as the former chair of the Association of Teaching Artists, and on the national advisory team for the Teaching Artist Guild. Her writing and opinions have been featured by Americans for the Arts and The National Guild for Community Arts Education.

smART Ventures Grant (Rolling Due Date)

Black Arts Love, photo by Jenny Crooks

smART Ventures is flexible, inclusive, simple, and encourages innovation by individuals, organizations, and communities that may not qualify for other funding programs. smART Ventures provides support ranging from $500 to $1,000, proving that small investments can have big impacts.

Read the full guidelines.

Eligibility

Individuals or groups of people – including youth and older adults – seeking support for a unique project, opportunity, or event involving arts and culture and not currently funded by our office
Organizations – arts and culture and others – organizations do NOT have to have 501(c)(3) non-profit status
- emerging (less than 3 years old), OR
- not currently funded by our office, OR
- grassroots or business organizations
Practicing artists not currently funded by our office and who have never received a CityArtist grant before

Due Date

The application is open and will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Application

Apply here.

Information Sessions and Draft Application Review

Come learn more about this grant and how to submit your best application.

Virtual Information Sessions

After reviewing the smART Ventures guidelines, attend a group session to learn how to submit your best application.

Sessions are available the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Fridays of each month (excluding City Holidays), 11:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m.

Virtual Draft Application Review Sessions

Must attend a smART Ventures info session first.

Attend this group session and bring 2-3 questions you may have regarding your application to share.

Sessions are available the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Fridays of each month (excluding City Holidays), 12:30-1:30 p.m.

RSVP for a session on our calendar.

Info

For questions about the program or for help with the online application, please email the Project Manager at SmARTVentures@seattle.gov.

We can speak to you in your language, including American Sign Language. Just call us at (206) 684-7171 and tell us what language you speak. Expect a short pause while we find an interpreter to join the call.

Sign up for updates to hear about future calls and grants, or visit our Other Opportunities page to view artist calls and job openings from other organizations.