Materials

Artists at the Center Grant

Artists at the Center funds individual artists, arts collectives, community groups, and organizations to develop and present pop-ups at Seattle Center. Artistic genres may include music, dance, theater, demonstrations, and multi-disciplinary work. Pop-ups will be scheduled between October 2026 and September 2027.

Artists at the Center is a multi-year collaboration between Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (OAC) 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.

Read the full guidelines.

They are also available in these languages:

Due Date

Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 5 PM Pacific

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

Eligibility

You are an individual, organization, or community group that regularly presents arts and cultural-based activations in Seattle.
You reside 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).
- 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 (2025-2026) are not eligible to apply for the 2026-2027 season.

Funding

You can apply for the following levels of funding:

$2,000 award (typically 1-2 performers), plus $780 in-kind production support from Seattle Center
$4,000 award (typically 3-5 performers), plus $1,420 in-kind production support from Seattle Center
$6,000 award (typically 6+ performers), plus $1,865 in-kind production support from Seattle Center

Timeline

This timeline is subject to change:

March 10, 2026 (10 AM Pacific): Application opens
April 21, 2026 (5 PM Pacific): Application closes
May-July 2026: Peer panel review process
August 2026: Applicants notified of funding decisions
August 2026: Awardee orientation and contracting
October 2026 - September 2027: Artists at the Center performances take place, invoicing occurs, and final reporting is submitted.

Information Sessions

Learn more about this grant and how to turn in your best application.

Information Session 1 (Virtual)

Thursday, March 19, 5-6:30 PM Pacific
Microsoft Teams
RSVP to March 19

Information Session 2 (Virtual)

Saturday, April 11, 10-11:30 AM Pacific
Microsoft Teams
RSVP to April 11

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. If you don’t have computer or internet access, contact staff as soon as possible.

Contact

For information and assistance with the application, eligibility or online technical support, please contact Zach Frimmel, Project Manager for Artists at the Center, at (206) 963-9226 or Zach.Frimmel@seattle.gov.

If you don’t have computer or internet access, contact Zach as soon as possible. They need at least two (2) weeks before the application due date to provide accommodations.

If you have questions about the grant please refer to these Frequently Asked Questions, or contact Zach.

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.

Manage your award

Manage your award through the City's grant platform, Fluxx.

Contact the project manager for this grant if you are managing an award for an organization or group and think they may already be in the system.

Documents

You are the best person to reach your networks and all the people who are most interested in your work. We've seen the best results when artists promote themselves and their events on their own channels, e.g. your own social accounts, email lists, networking, and word of mouth.

Social Media

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram. Also, be sure you’re signed up for our email newsletter.
Post about your event and tag us. We'll get notified and can boost as our capacity allows.
The sooner you tell your project manager about your event, the more likely we’ll be able to fit it into our editorial calendar.
If you have promo materials, please remember to send anything you've produced (flyers, posters, promo graphics, etc.) to your project manager. These items should all include the Office of Arts & Culture name and/or logo.

We recommend posting on social and circulating these items at least two weeks prior to your event to increase awareness and attendance.

Press Releases and Press Kits

Press releases inform the media about you and your event and can inspire them to publish a calendar listing or even cover the event. Many smaller publications will print releases verbatim if they are written well enough.

Press kits provide useful background information for the media when they write previews or reviews of your event. They can take awhile to assemble, so maybe only create them for larger events that media are confirmed to attend.

Search the internet for a description and walkthough of how to write a press release and create a press kit.