Heritage Sustained Support provides general operating funds to organizations across King County. These awards provide unrestricted operating funds to organizations delivering heritage programs and services, for the benefit of the public.

You can use this grant for:

If you are interested in funding for:

Criteria

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

For this grant, we’ll look to see how well your application shows the following:

Geographic and Equity Investments

4Culture recognizes that where an organization is based or provides its services, as well as the communities it serves, can affect access to funding and other resources. To take a step towards balancing these disparities, 4Culture will award additional funding to organizations that are based in parts of King County that are less served by other funding sources, and to organizations that specifically serve marginalized communities, especially communities that are disproportionately impacted by structural racism. Organizations with an annual budget over $5 million do not qualify for this additional funding.

Equity Investment Score
Organizations that the adjudicating panel of peer reviewers agree are excelling in advancing equity in King County will receive an additional Equity Investment.

Outside of the City of Seattle
Non-profits with a primary location outside of Seattle City limits will receive additional geographic equity funds. Eligibility will be determined based on the mailing address in your account profile. This address should be consistent with what your organization uses for IRS reporting purposes.

Communities of Opportunity
Organizations that are located in a Community of Opportunity are eligible for additional Equity Investment funds. The Communities of Opportunity (COO) index includes a set of health and socioeconomic indicators to gauge community health and well-being. 4Culture aligns our Equity investments with the COO index to identify the areas of King County in greatest need of support.

View this Communities of Opportunity map to determine whether your organization or primary venue is located in a COO. COO areas eligible for an Equity investment are outlined in purple:

Please reach out to Chieko Phillips at if you have any questions.

On-Site Reviews

Organizations that are funded by a Sustained Support grant may be evaluated by on-site reviewers, who attend a scheduled event or open hours and provide written comments for use by future grant review panels. After receiving their award letter, organizations that receive Heritage Sustained Support awards for 2025 will receive instructions on how to set up their on-site reviews.

Public Benefit: Why It Matters

4Culture is a public agency supporting the cultural sector through revenue from Lodging Tax, 1% for Art, and Doors Open funding sources. Core to our work and defined in our Charter is a requirement that everything we fund serves the public interest, enriching communities throughout King County.

The term Public Benefit means using public funds primarily to provide members of the public residing in and visiting King County access to opportunities to experience cultural resources. Public Benefit encompasses access and positive impacts for King County residents and visitors engaging with arts, culture, historic spaces, and public art across our program areas.

As you work through your application, tell us exactly how your fellow King County residents will be able to enjoy and learn from your work. Here are some ways you can provide public benefit:

To be eligible for Heritage Sustained Support, your organization must be a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) heritage organization, public corporation, tribal government and/or heritage field services organization with a two-year minimum operating history of managing collections, and/or presenting exhibits and programs with a focus on heritage in King County to the residents of King County. We define heritage as the preservation and transmission of local history; ethnic history; indigenous and traditional culture; folklore and culturally specific traditions; and historic and archaeological resources in King County.

Fiscally sponsored heritage groups can be eligible for the program if they have their own board of directors and the fiscal sponsor is a 501(c)3. Both the fiscally sponsored group and the fiscal sponsor meet the Doors Open eligibility requirements.

• Are incorporated in the state of Washington.
• Have a mission that includes an explicit focus on arts, heritage, historic preservation, or science or technology as defined by 4Culture.
• Have a primary location in King County and conduct a majority of activities in King County.
• Provide minimum Public Benefit and Equity Inclusion Public Benefit requirements

Workshops

Workshops can make a major difference in how competitive your application is—each year, we find that the strongest applications come from people who have attended a workshop. Workshops provide an opportunity for you to meet staff, learn about the process, meet other applicants, and ask questions.

Note: August 26 will be an Office Hours session. There will be no formal presentation, but grant managers will be on hand to answer any last minute questions ahead of the September 4 application deadline.

If you are unable to attend a workshop, you may view this recorded version instead:

Substitulos en Español | 中文字幕（繁體)

Application Guide and Worksheet

Watch this step-by-step application guide video to assist you in the application process: As you draft your application, you may choose to work offline in a document. This application worksheet can be used as tool as you work. It includes helpful tips and space to draft your responses. This worksheet is NOT a substitute for submitting your application via the online portal and will not be accepted as your application.

Click to download the worksheet: PDF | Word

Use this eligibility documentation guide to help you gather your required documents as you prepare to begin your application.

Contact

Before you begin or after starting your application, you may have questions or need some personalized feedback on an idea. We are available by email and phone to assist you. Please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Chieko Phillips

206-477-6811

Translation and Assistance

As an extension of 4Culture’s flagship grant program, Sustained Support will provide one-year unrestricted funding to meet the day-to-day needs of arts, preservation, heritage, and science and technology nonprofit organizations. You can use this grant for a variety of operating costs related to programs accessible to King County residents and visitors including staff salaries, utilities, supplies, fees, and services. King County-based nonprofit organizations whose primary purpose is the advancement and preservation of art, historic preservation, heritage, or science and technology are eligible to apply for Sustained Support.

4Culture is King County’s designated agency to distribute new, increased funding made possible by Doors Open legislation, passed in December 2023. This funding has increased the Sustained Support program to $24 million for this cycle. A minimum of 25% of all Doors Open funding will go to organizations outside of the city of Seattle.

While Sustained Support traditionally awards funds over two years, this program cycle will award funding for only one year. The next two-year cycle, 2026-2027, will return in fall 2025. The deadline to apply is September 4, 2024, at 5:00 pm PDT. Award decisions will be announced in December 2024, and contracting will begin in January 2025.

We’re here to help! Please contact Fundisha Tibebe, Doors Open Operating Support Program Manager at with questions about this program.

The grant guidelines, a detailed explanation of how to apply, and the grant application are in English. If this is a barrier that stops you from 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 ensure you get the support you need.

Timeline

Applications for Heritage Sustained Support are due September 4, 2024, by 5:00 pm PDT. Most 4Culture funding decisions take approximately four months from application deadline to when we announce awards. We will notify you about the status of your application on or before December 31, 2024. Contracting will begin in January 2025.

Selection Process

After the application deadline, 4Culture Program Managers first review all applications to ensure eligibility. We then facilitate panels of peer reviewers to evaluate all eligible applications. The peer reviewers change from cycle to cycle. 4Culture staff do not score applications or try to influence the outcome.

Award amounts will have three components:

The panel’s award recommendations are then sent to the Heritage Advisory Committee for review, and then onto 4Culture’s Board for final approval. The entire process, from application deadline to final award notification, takes approximately four months.

Contracts and Payment

If we select your organization for funding, your 4Culture grant manager will work with you to create a contract outlining a Scope of Service and Public Benefit. Organizations that receive Sustained Support funding are paid upon completion of one or more of the Public Benefit activities described in their grant contract.

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.

Once you’ve started your application, you can save after each step and sign out—your application will be saved as a draft that you can continue to work on up to the deadline. Once you hit “Submit,” your application is final. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions during the process.

What’s in the Application

The following materials are required for this application cycle. We strongly recommend assembling them before you login and begin your application.