The Heritage Professional Development Stipend program provides stipends ranging from $100 to $2,000 for heritage practitioners in King County to participate in a professional development or career maintenance opportunity. This stipend can be used by individuals seeking to build skills needed to thrive in the heritage field. These professional development opportunities must address a field-wide need.

Criteria

We fund all of our grants through a competitive process, carefully evaluating each application.

Public Benefit: Why It Matters

Every time a visitor to Washington State stays in a hotel, they pay a Lodging Tax—this is where our funding comes from, and our mission is to put it back into the community. In this program, the growth of heritage practitioners is a public benefit, since the King County heritage field will benefit from the work done by informed heritage professionals. In your application, tell us exactly how the opportunity addresses a fieldwide need and you will use the information and skills learned so that your fellow King County residents will be able to enjoy and learn from your professional growth. Read about public benefit more in depth here.

Equity Investments

In order to combat inequities in our grantmaking, 4Culture is introducing Equity Investments. This practice will incorporate indicators of structural inequity into our panel process, including geographic location, income, operating budget, audiences served, and project focus. By prioritizing these factors, we intend to more equitably distribute funds to communities that have historically been excluded from cultural funding.

Each of our grant programs will implement an Equity Investment system tailored to the specific needs of its applicants; please read the After You Submit section of this page for details on how Equity Investments will function for this grant. This organization-wide change—and what we learn about its impact—is an important step towards more equitable funding at 4Culture and throughout the King County cultural sector.

Please read this section carefully for eligibility information. Please contact 4Culture Heritage staff if you have questions regarding your eligibility. Before you start an application, 4Culture Heritage staff will confirm your eligibility in the initial conversation with you.

You

• Applicants must be a full-time King County resident over 18 years old.
• Applicants must be able to demonstrate that they contribute to public experiences with heritage in King County. This includes, but not limited to, work as a current staff member, board member, or volunteer of a heritage organization in King County, actively working on a heritage-focused project meant for public enjoyment, or working toward such projects.
• Heritage is the exchange of knowledge and experiences shaped by our past. Heritage can manifest as: local history, ethnic history, Native traditional cultures, folklore, and historical and archaeological resources in King County. “Heritage organization” is defined as nonprofit organizations, museums, archives, public agencies, and community associations that are located and operating within King County and whose mission is to manage collections, and/or present exhibits and programs with a focus on heritage in King County to the residents of King County.
• While this program aims to support individual practitioners, heritage organizations may apply to pay for their staff’s professional development. We ask that you identify the staff member(s) and answer the questions in the application from the perspective of the staff member.
• You have not yet received funding from this program in 2025.
• Multiple staff, board members, or volunteers from the same organization may apply for the same opportunity, but each must submit a unique application.
• We do not fund K-12 schools, school districts, or religious institutions.

If you receive funding, you’ll need to provide us with your Social Security number to receive payment. Organizations, community groups, and public agencies will need to provide us with a Tax ID or EIN to receive grant funds.

Your Project

• Your proposed project is your participation in the identified professional development or learning opportunity. We do not ask you to produce a cultural project in order to receive this award. If awarded funding, you must complete participation in the proposed opportunity to receive funding.
• Your project must start at least two months from the application date and be completed within 12 months of the award date.
• The opportunity should be clearly relevant to a need in the heritage field. This can be one or more of the 8 key findings articulated in the King County Heritage Report: Understanding the Field, a need created or elevated by COVID-19 pandemic, or a need established as a common interest among heritage practitioners. Let us know your sources (reports, articles, conversations with heritage practitioners, survey results, etc) in your application.
• Religious worship, instructions, and tuition for college, graduate school, or PhD programs are not eligible. Professional certificate programs are allowed as long as it is not tied to earning a degree and meet all other eligibility requirements.

We provide hands-on guidance to each Heritage Professional Development Stipend applicant as you work through your application. Please contact Megumi Nagata to begin the process.

Workshops

Workshops can make a real difference in the success of your application. They’re an opportunity for you to get your questions answered by a 4Culture grant manager and learn from other applicants. All workshops will be held remotely. Please register via the links provided to receive Zoom meeting information. You will need a personal Zoom account in order to attend a workshop. If you are unable to attend, a workshop recording will be available.

Resources

You can read a sample application that successfully received funding for inspiration.

Looking for professional development opportunities or networks? Check out our Heritage Field Resources page.

Contact

Megumi Nagata, Heritage Program Manager

(206) 263-3474

Translation and Assistance

The guidelines, a detailed explanation of how to apply, and the application are in English. If this is a barrier that stops you from understanding the grant or applying due to limited English writing ability, visual impairment, or you would like to request assistance to create an application, please contact or call (206) 296-7580 or TTY 711, and we will make sure you get the support you need.
 
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Timeline

The deadline for the Heritage Professional Development Stipend is ongoing until 5:00 pm on October 31, 2025, or until funds run out. Please allow at least two months between submitting your application and the start date of the professional development or learning opportunity. Requests with less than two months lead time will not be accepted. Once you have submitted your application, you will receive an email notification within one month.

Equity Investment

4Culture recognizes that where an organization or cultural worker is based or provides its services can affect access to funding and other resources. Many cultural organizations and cultural workers in greater King County have less access to public and private support than those located in Seattle. To take a step towards balancing these disparities,30% of the available funds are reserved for applicants in an Equity Investment area.

Contracts and Payment

If we select your project for funding, 4Culture Heritage staff will work with you to create a contract outlining the scope and a payment schedule, which is done by reimbursement. The final payment will be after you have participated in the proposed opportunity. If the proposed opportunity is cancelled or you are unable to participate in the proposed opportunity, the award cannot be used for another opportunity.

Requirements and Appeals

Learn about what will be required if you are awarded a grant, and about the process for appeal of a 4Culture decision.

Contact 4Culture Heritage staff today! Applying for a Heritage Professional Development Stipend starts with a conversation between you and a 4Culture Heritage staff member, who will ask you some additional questions to ensure this program is right for you and give you tips on how to complete your application. Once we confirm your eligibility, we will send you a link to the application. Application deadline is 5:00 pm on October 31, 2025. All applicants will be notified if they were awarded funding or not.