TACOMA, Wash. — The City of Tacoma is now accepting Community Arts Projects funding applications from eligible organizations and groups producing publicly accessible arts programming across all artistic disciplines within Tacoma city limits in 2025. Applicants can apply for either $3,000, $6,000, or $9,000 for their project. Applications must be submitted online by 11:59 PM on October 28, 2024.
Community Arts Projects funding can be used for a variety of arts-focused projects, including, but not limited to, artistic presentations, activities, events, workshops, experiences, festivals, performances, or other projects that are accessible to the general public – either in person and/or virtually. Funded projects must take place in Tacoma and be completed between January 1 and December 31, 2025.
Eligibility extends to private non-profit corporations with a 501(c) designation, organized groups of people working together for a specific mission or purpose, for-profit businesses or educational institutions producing projects that are non-profit in nature, and tribes or Native non-profit organizations. Applicants are required to have offices or their place of business within Tacoma, or if they have no offices, a majority of their activities must take place within Tacoma city limits. See guidelines for complete eligibility terms and requirements.
In alignment with Tacoma City Council Resolution 40622, the Tacoma Arts Commission is committed to investing in communities most impacted by racial, social, and economic inequity. This includes emerging and grassroots groups directly serving their communities and collaborations between organizations. All applications will be reviewed and funding decisions made using the evaluation criteria listed in the funding guidelines. An applicant’s proposed project does not need to meet any of the funding priorities listed below to be considered for funding. But, as part of the funding allocation process, the panel will prioritize funding for applicants or projects that meet one or more of the following:
- Organizations who will use Community Arts Projects funding to fairly compensate artists and collaborators, especially BIPOC artists and collaborators, to create work that is central to the project.
- Organizations, projects, or strategies that primarily give voice to:
- Racial justice and/or social justice
- Economically or socio-economically marginalized communities
- LGBTQIA+ communities
- People with disabilities
- Organizations whose primary intentions, practices, and mission are by, for, and about BIPOC communities
- Projects that will address emergent community needs
Funding for Community Arts Projects is determined through a competitive application process. The number of projects funded will be based on the availability of funds and review of each application as measured against the evaluation criteria detailed in the guidelines.
More details, including access to the online application form, are available at cityoftacoma.org/artsopps.
Community members with questions about the application guidelines can also email nstrom-avila@cityoftacoma.org or call (253) 591-5191.
Applicants are encouraged to attend a free workshop, which explains and addresses questions about the application and funding process. The workshop will be held virtually on October 9, 2024, from 5:30 – 7 PM at https://bit.ly/25CAPworkshop. This workshop will be recorded and posted at cityoftacoma.org/artsopps.
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