Community Accelerator Grant

ArtsFund is pleased to partner with the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation on the third 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 third 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, with primary missions of producing or supporting 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.

Jump to a section:

Funded by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, year 3 of the Community Accelerator Grant program will provide unrestricted grants for cultural organizations across Washington state in amounts of $2,500 to $25,000.

The 2025 application will open at 12:00 noon on Tuesday, April 29. The deadline to apply will be 5:00 p.m. on Friday, June 6. To preview the application, click here.

Please join us on Tuesday, April 22 for an overview of Year 3 of the Community Accelerator Grant Program! Funded by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, this $10 million investment in Washington State’s arts and culture sector will provide unrestricted grants for cultural nonprofit organizations across Washington, with awards ranging from $2,500 to $25,000. This one-hour webinar will walk prospective applicants through the application process, review eligibility parameters, and provide an opportunity for a question-and-answer session with ArtsFund staff. While all are welcome to attend, this informational session will be geared towards first-time applicants and returning applicants seeking a refresher course. Applicants with specific questions are encouraged to reach out to accelerator@artsfund.org.

This webinar will be recorded and shared via ArtsFund’s website. If you are unable to attend this event live, we encourage you to join the Statewide email list to be notified when the recording is posted.

Accessibility:
ASL interpretation
Visual descriptions
Auto-generated closed captioning* 

*The recording of this webinar will feature professional captions in English, French, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese, and will be made available in early May.

REGISTER HERE

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 FY2023, FY2024, and FY025 (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 

The virtual info session in April 2025 will incorporate the following accessibility features: ASL interpretation, visual descriptions, and live ASR captions. A professionally captioned recording of the info session will be available on our website in early May. 

The application portal will be tested for screen reader compatibility. A copy of the application is available for download here. 

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

The Community Accelerator Grant preview application, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), and Demographic Data Use Statement have been translated into 8 languages. Japanese and Somali are coming soon.

Grants will be issued by October 2025.

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 3 business days for a response. Starting on April 29, you can also reach the grantmaking team by calling the Community Accelerator Grant phone line at (206) 788-3051. This line will be staffed at the following hours:

Tuesdays            12 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Wednesdays        2 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Fridays                       10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

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

Review our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)