ArtsFund’s 2026 Youth Arts Opportunity Fund (YAOF) Grantees
ArtsFund’s Youth Arts Opportunity Fund (YAOF) aims to increase access to and participation in meaningful, sustained, robust arts experiences for historically underserved youth. All awards are granted as unrestricted general operating support. In 2026, a distribution of $442,000 in unrestricted grants went to 67 organizations across Washington. This year, the program has doubled its annual grant dollars awarded and increased access to the program to communities across Washington State. All applications were reviewed by a panel of community leaders, including:
Avery Berschauer Cecelia DeLeon (Mousy DeVilla) Gail Frasier Miranda Leigh Hein
Moe’Neyah Holland Levi Mogg Dr. Rebekah Percival Anne Shukla
IDEA Consultant & Founder
A•B Inclusion
Teaching Artist
Visual and Performing Arts Program Manager
Seattle Public Schools
Executive Director
ArtsEd Washington
Graduate Student
New York University
Executive Director
Teach for America
Executive Director
ArtsWA
Sr. Measurement & Evaluation Officer
Allen Family Philanthropies
New this year, ArtsFund’s YAOF doubles the amount of annual grant dollars awarded and reaches 16 counties across the state of Washington. The expansion of this program is made possible by incredible donors who believe in the power of arts and culture for Washington youth. At ArtsFund, we know how beneficial sustained access to the arts is for underrepresented youth and recognize the important role that unrestricted funds have in sustaining that access.
YAOF Expansion Fast Facts
- YAOF grants range from $5,000 – $15,000.
- 37 awardees are first-time YAOF grantees.
- 15 awardees are located in rural areas.
2026 Youth Arts Opportunity Fund Grantees
Academy of Children’s Theatre | $5,000 | Benton Adaptive & Inclusive Movement Initiative | $5,000 | King Art for Orcas Kids | $5,000 | San Juan Arts Corps | $7,500 | King Arts Impact | $5,500 | King Ase Theatre | $5,000 | King Bellevue Youth Symphony Orchestra | $5,000 | King Camas Foundation | $8,000 | Pend Oreille Centro Cultural Mexicano | $5,000 | King Centrum | $5,000 | Jefferson Children’s Museum of Skagit County | $6,000 | Skagit Coyote Central | $5,000 | King Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association | $7,500 | King FREE2LUV | $5,500 | King Hilltop Artists in Residence | $15,000 | Pierce Hip Hop is Green | $5,000 | King Indigenous Creatives Collective | $7,500 | King Joyas Mestizas | $5,500 | King Key City Public Theatre | $5,500 | Jefferson Key to Change | $9,000 | King Living Voices | $6,000 | King Mari’s Place For the Arts | $5,000 | Snohomish Mending Wings | $8,000 | Yakima Museum of Glass | $5,000 | Pierce Music Center of the Northwest | $5,500 | King Nooksack Indian Tribe | $15,000 | Whatcom Northwest Film Forum | $5,000 | King Northwest Youth Symphony Association | $15,000 | Skagit Olympic Strings | $5,000 | Clallam Orquesta Northwest | $5,500 | King Otherworld Children’s Media | $10,000 | Island Pacific Northwest Ballet | $5,000 | King Pend Oreille Players Association | $6,500 | Pend Oreille Penguin Productions | $5,000 | King
Pratt Fine Arts Center | $5,000 | King
Quinault Indian Nation Language Department | $8,000 | Grays Harbor
Rain City Rock Camp | $7,500 | King
Seattle Arts & Lectures (SAL) | $5,000 | King
Seattle Children’s Chorus | $5,000 | King
Seattle Children’s Theatre Association | $5,000 | King
Seattle Girls Choir Guild | $5,000 | King
Seattle JazzED | $8,500 | King
Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra | $7,500 | King
SIFF | $5,000 | King
Spectrum | $5,500 | King
Stage Kids | $6,500 | Chelan
Tacoma Little Theatre and Drama League, inc. | $7,500 | Pierce
Tacoma Opera Association | $5,000 | Pierce
Tacoma Youth Symphony Association | $5,000 | Pierce
Ted Brown Music Outreach | $5,000 | Pierce
Teen Storytellers Project | $5,000 | Snohomish
TeenTix | $5,000 | King
The 5th Avenue Theatre Company | $5,000 | King
The Backstage Foundation | $5,000 | King
The Bridge Music Project | $10,000 | Thurston
The Good Foot Arts Collective | $6,000 | King
The Residency | $10,000 | King
The Rhapsody Project | $5,500 | King
The Vera Project | $10,000 | King
Totem Star | $7,500 | King
Union Arts Center | $5,000 | King
Urban ArtWorks | $5,500 | King
Vancouver Ballet Folklorico | $8,000 | Clark
Wenatchee Jazz Workshop | $6,000 | Chelan
Yakima Music en Accion (YAMA) | $10,000 | Yakima
Yakima Symphony Orchestra | $6,000 | Yakima
Youth in Focus | $7,500 | King
Total = $442,000
ArtsFund’s 2026 Youth Arts Opportunity Fund grants were generously sponsored by the Columbia Bank Community Impact Fund and other anonymous supporters.
