Requirements to apply: 

• Organizations must have three members or more with assigned titles, roles, and duties. 

• A mission that centers arts, culture, and/or heritage. 

• Publicly accessible programming.  

• Emerging Organizations have at least one year of experience managing their organization and providing at least one public program. 

• Small Organizations have at least three years of experience managing their organization and providing regular public programming. 

• Be based in Washington State. 

• Organizations operating as affiliates of National Organizations must be part of a group exemption. Read more here.  

• Annual operating budget between $0-$50,000, or  

• Annual operating budget between $50,000 and $100,000.  

• 501(c)(3) nonprofit, or 

• Fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3). Click here for ArtsWA’s Fiscal Sponsorship Requirements 

• Unincorporated groups may apply but must gain fiscal sponsorship before July 1, 2025. 

Ineligible to apply: 

• Individuals  

• For-profit organizations 

• Religious organizations (eligible for Project Support grants only) 

• Government agencies and departments not officially designated as Local Arts Agencies 

• Universities, colleges, academic departments, and K-12 schools 

• Full list of what we can and cannot fund as a state agency. 

1. Read through all the guidelines to make sure your organization or group is eligible for this grant program. 

2. Gather your work samples and read through our work sample guidelines to make sure your samples fit our criteria.

3. Gather your required documentation:

• IRS Letter of Determination. More information on the Letter of Determination is here. 

• Fiscally sponsored groups will use the fiscal sponsor’s IRS Letter of Determination. 

• Unique Entity Identifier (UEI).  

• Fiscally sponsored groups will use the fiscal sponsor’s UEI. 

• Federal Tax ID (EIN).  

• Fiscally sponsored groups will use the fiscal sponsor’s EIN. 

• Statewide Vendor (SWV) number. * 

• Fiscally sponsored groups will use the fiscal sponsor’s SWV.  

*If you have previously received payment from Washington State, check on the status of your SWV number here: vendor number lookup or by contacting: PayeeRegistration@ofm.wa.gov. They are good for two years. 

• Washington State Unified Business Identifier (UBI) (all organizations must be registered as a WA Nonprofit/Charity with the Secretary of State). 

4. Draft your application in the word document that applies to your organization or group’s status: 

• Download the application for 501(c)(3) nonprofits

• Download the application for a fiscal sponsored group

• Download the application for a Local Arts Agency

• Download the application for a Tribal Government

• Download the application for an Unincorporated group
  

5. Register for one of our application webinars or office hours: 

• Application webinars, Tuesday, January 28, 2025 & Tuesday, February 28, 2025. 

• Grant application office hours, register here. 

• Optional but highly recommended! 

Grants to Organizations’ (GTO) grant programs support organizations of all sizes, ensuring the arts remain accessible to all Washingtonians. However, the demand for funding has surged, with some GTO programs seeing a staggering 385% increase in applications. Our available funds, however, have remained stagnant. Starting with the FY26 funding cycle, we will implement priorities-based criteria to ensure our limited funds are distributed equitably. This funding structure and process is strategically designed to maximize support for our growing community while aligning with the objectives in our strategic plan. We seek to keep diverse communities engaged in the creative economy, support the creative sector statewide, and emphasize cultural equity, community diversity, and sector growth. 

Notice to applicants: We recently updated the evaluation criteria. We will not assign priority to applicants outside of King County, the City of Tacoma, and the City of Olympia.

Priorities for Operating Support Grants 

• Annual operating budgets of $0 to $50,000 (first consideration). 

• Annual operating budgets of $50,000 to $100,000 (second consideration). 

• Businesses located in counties identified by the state as a distressed area: Clallam, Cowlitz, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lewis, Mason, Okanogan, Pacific, Pend Oreille, Skamania, Stevens, Wahkiakum, and Yakima.  

• Organizations serving constituencies consisting of 25% or more of an underserved group. “Underserved” means populations whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, historical exclusion and marginalization due to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, economics, disability, or other social or institutionally imposed barriers.  

How can I make my grant application stronger?

• Be specific! Paint a clear picture by giving solid details about what you do and how you do it, especially if you provide services to vulnerable communities (children, youth, elders, veterans, trauma survivors, etc.)
• Review the evaluation criteria to strengthen your responses to narrative questions.
• For work samples, photos or videos of your work-in-practice help tell your story better than posters or PDFs.
• Balance your budget! Make sure your income total and your expense total match when you are filling out the budget table in the application.

Can organizations apply for multiple ArtsWA grants?

Allowable: Applicants for Grants to Organizations programs can apply for and receive grants from other ArtsWA programs if they support different expenses and services. Other ArtsWA program grants include:

• Creative Start – ArtsWA encourages projects focused on arts integration for Pre-K to grade 2 to apply for the Creative Start Grant.
• Wellness, Arts, and the Military (WAM)  – Ongoing grants

Not allowable: Applying to different grants within the Grants to Organizations Program. Emerging Grant applicants will be ineligible for the Grants to Organizations FY26 application for the Project Grant (opening April 2025.) If you are eligible for both, we recommend applying to the Emerging Grant rather than the Project Grant.

What happens after you apply?

Priority scoring
Applications are reviewed and scored by staff who make recommendations for funding to ArtsWA’s Board of Commissioners. 

Executive Director approval  

Staff make recommendations for funding to ArtsWA’s Executive Director for Approval.   

Board of Directors ratification
Executive Director’s Approval of funding is presented to ArtsWA’s Board of Directors for oversight and Ratification. 

Additional Information

Accessibility

Federally funded projects must be accessible to people with disabilities. You can use this accessibility checklist when planning your programs. You do not need to check all boxes to be eligible for funding; this is simply a worksheet and resource for your organization.

ArtsWA accepts grant applications via an online form. If you require an alternate format or assistance to access the application, please reach out to us at the contact information below or Alexis Sarah, ArtsWA Accessibility Coordinator, alexis.sarah@arts.wa.gov or at 360-228-6359.

Civil Rights

All applicants for funding from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) are required to certify that they are following the civil rights statutes that govern nondiscrimination in Federally assisted programs. For a FAQ on Civil Rights for applicants and to ensure your organization complies, click here.

Appeals

Unsuccessful applicants can appeal in accordance with Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 30.12.036, found here.

About ArtsWA

ArtsWA is the Washington State Arts Commission. The Washington State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts fund our programs. Grants are contingent on available state and federal funding. ArtsWA complies with all local, state, and federal laws and regulations concerning civil and human rights. For more information regarding Washington State Arts Commission’s policies on Accessibility, Diversity, and Nondiscrimination, click here.