The grant awards up to $2,500 for Arts, Heritage, and Historic Preservation projects in King County! Arts projects must be based in Seattle’s Communities of Opportunity or King County outside of Seattle. Heritage or Historic Preservation projects can be based anywhere in the county.

Criteria

We fund our grants through a thorough selection process. Reviewers with expertise in your discipline will evaluate your project based on the following criteria:

Public Benefit: Why It Matters

Visitors who stay in hotels and motels in King County pay sales tax. A small part of that tax generates the funds for our grants—our mission is to reinvest those funds into King County communities. Most importantly, in your application you will be asked to state specifically how fellow residents will benefit from the work you do. Read about public benefit more in depth here.

Equity Investments

To combat inequities in our grantmaking, 4Culture engages in the practice of making Equity Investments. This practice involves looking at several indicators of structural inequity and applying that knowledge to our peer review panel process. These indicators include but are not limited to: geographic location of applicants, operating budget, communities engaged with and audiences served, and project focus. By prioritizing these factors in our grantmaking decisions and panel review process, we anticipate funds will be distributed to communities that have historically been excluded from cultural funding.

Each of our grant programs utilizes 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.

You

You can apply for Open 4Culture if you meet the following requirements:

• You are new to 4Culture and have not yet received our grants or funding.
• You are an individual or group that creates Arts, Heritage, or Preservation projects. See below for specific requirements for individuals and groups.
• You or your group are based in King County.
  • Arts: you must be based outside of Seattle or in Seattle’s Communities of Opportunity (COOs, see below). Geographic eligibility may be based on the planned venue location if the project includes direct outreach and engagement with the qualifying communities.
  • Heritage or Preservation: you must reside in King County.

Apply as an individual if you are the sole creator, a producer, or are leading others in the creation of your Arts, Heritage, or Historic Preservation project. The reviewers will assess your individual contribution to the project and your work samples.

• Individuals must be at least 18 years old, and a resident of King County from when you apply through completion of your project.
• If selected for an award, you must provide a Social Security Number to receive payment. No fiscal sponsors may be used.
• 4Culture staff, Board, and Arts Advisory Committee members are not eligible to apply.

Apply as a group if you represent a collaborative group, a grassroots or non-profit organization, municipality, or business that creates Arts, Heritage, and/or Historic Preservation projects.

• Groups must be based in King County with a core mission dedicated to Arts, Heritage, or Historic Preservation. If your group is not, you must have a formal partnership with an artist, or heritage or preservation practitioner.
• If selected for an award, you must provide an Employer Identification Number to receive payment (sole proprietorship, LLC, S-Corp, General Partnership, nonprofit, etc.). Social Security Numbers will not be accepted.
• Fiscally sponsored groups are eligible.
• Your group does not need to be a nonprofit.

Your Project

This grant offers support for projects in our three core disciplines: Arts, Heritage, and Preservation. Projects can take place in-person, online, or hybrid.

Your project takes place between April 1–December 31, 2025. Applications will be closed December 1, 2025–February 2, 2026. Please keep this in mind if applying for projects taking place January 1–April 1, 2026.

• Arts: your project creates art of any discipline that offers some community access to the art or the artmaking process, such as readings, screenings, exhibitions, performances, workshops, discussions, festivals, activities, and more.
• Heritage: Heritage is defined as “the exchange of knowledge and experiences shaped by the past.” Your project focuses on heritage and historical themes in King County through identification, documentation, exhibition, or interpretation. Heritage can include people, memories, places, communities, and events.
• Preservation: your project must contribute to the preservation of King County’s historic buildings, sites, neighborhoods, or landscapes through documentation, identification, research, analysis, educational programming, or advocacy.

This grant does not fund:

• Food and beverage.
• Murals and permanent public art.
• Religious worship, exercise, or instruction.
• K-12 schools or school districts.
• Tuition and cost-of-living expenses for students in any degree program.
• Fundraising expenses.
• General operating support.
• Capital construction.

Please contact us if you are interested in applying. Our staff will help you determine if your project is a good fit for Open 4Culture and then begin the application. We will answer any of your questions and support you through the entire process, from beginning to end!

Contact

Scott Oshima

(206) 477-8064

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

Once you have contacted our staff and submitted your application, you will receive an email notification on your award status within 1-2 weeks. If your application is not accepted this time, we are happy to share the reviewers’ feedback through a brief phone call.

Contracts and Payment

We make all funding decisions through a review by 4Culture’s Arts, Heritage, and/or Historic Preservation staff, who evaluate all eligible applications based on the above criteria and Equity Investment. The Open 4Culture Program Manager facilitates the review but does not score applications or influence the outcome. This process takes approximately 10 business days.

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.

Please contact us if you are interested in applying. Our staff will help you determine if your project is a good fit for Open 4Culture and then begin the application. We will answer any of your questions and support you through the entire process, from beginning to end!

If approved to apply, you must submit your application through our online grant portal system at apply.4culture.org. Please create an account as soon as possible. Groups must create an organization account, which may take 1-2 days to be approved.

Applications are due at least 2 months before the date of the project or event. For example, if your event is on June 1, you must submit by April 1.

Applications will be closed December 1, 2025–February 2, 2026. Please keep this in mind if applying for projects taking place January 1–April 1, 2026.

All eligible applicants will be notified if they were awarded funding or not.

Check out more of 4Culture’s grant opportunities and other local grants.