Sustained Support + Recovery Funds
4Culture and the City of Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture have partnered to create a single application process for several grantmaking programs in King County and the City of Seattle.
Steps to Apply
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What Sustained Support + Recovery Funds Do
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What Sustained Support + Recovery Funds Do
Eligible organizations will only need to fill out one application to be considered for funding from the following programs:
- 4Culture 2022 Sustained Support
- 4Culture Recovery Fund (American Rescue Plan Act—or, ARPA—funding)
- City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (Seattle ARTS) Recovery Fund (ARPA funding)
These programs are intended to support organizations with the following:
- Operating expenses related to cultural programs and services which are accessible to King County residents and visitors, and provide public benefit.
- Staff salaries, rent, utilities, supplies, fees, or services.
4Culture’s modified 2022 Sustained Support round will provide operating funds to groups all over King County for one calendar year with allocations made in 2022. This program provides unrestricted support to organizations of all sizes, that have a track record of delivering cultural programs and services for the benefit of the public. Some organizations may receive reduced Sustained Support awards in 2022, to equitably distribute limited funds.
4Culture Recovery Fund awards will be made to King County organizations with a pre-pandemic budget size of $1 million or below, demonstrate reductions in revenue from 2019 to 2020 due to COVID-19. The Recovery Fund is made possible by an allocation of federal ARPA funds to 4Culture by King County. If you are an organization with a budget size of over $1 million, please refer to King County’s Revive and Thrive Together program for other ARPA funding opportunities. These funds are one-time relief grants.
The Seattle ARTS Recovery Fund awards will be made to Seattle-based arts and cultural organizations with a pre-pandemic budget size of $1 million or below, that demonstrate reductions in revenue due to COVID-19. The Recovery Fund is made possible by an allocation of federal ARPA funds to Seattle ARTS from the City of Seattle. If you are an organization with a budget size of over $1 million, please refer to King County’s Revive and Thrive Together program for other ARPA funding opportunities. These funds are one-time relief grants.
NOTE: Individuals are not eligible to apply. Individual Cultural Producers may be eligible to apply to the Individual Recovery Fund. The guidelines and application for this ARPA resource will be available beginning January 5, 2022. Sign Up for our newsletter to be alerted to this.
Criteria for All Funds
- Public Benefit: your organization offers substantial public benefit through your programs and activities in a typical year. Public benefit may include—but is not limited to—any reduced cost or free admission, events, programs, or services offered to members of the public to increase access to culture in King County.
- Resilience: your organization has clearly stated plans to remain in operation through 2022 and rebuild capacity lost since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. You have demonstrated organizational adaptability in response to the challenges of COVID-19 and programmatic flexibility in response to your community’s needs.
Additional Criteria for 4Culture and Seattle ARTS Recovery Funds
- You demonstrate a reduction in revenue between 2019 and 2020. Recovery funds will be allocated in proportion to reductions in revenue during this timeframe and will take into account other COVID relief funding received by your organization. You must show a revenue loss of at least $1,250 to receive Recovery Funds.
Priority Factors for 4Culture Sustained Support and Recovery Funds
- Priority will be given to organizations centered on and with a history of serving communities that have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
- Priority for 4Culture funds will be given to organizations located in a census tract designated as “40% highest need” by the 2018 Communities of Opportunity Composite Index. Managed through the Prevention Division of King County Public Health, Communities of Opportunity is a partnership and initiative of the Seattle Foundation and King County. It is used to identify areas in King County experiencing the highest levels of need. Organizations with an annual budget over $3.5 million do not qualify for this priority category.
- Priority for 4Culture funds will be given to organizations located within King County but outside the City of Seattle.
Priority Factors for City of Seattle ARTS Recovery Funds
- Priority will be given to organizations lcentered on and with a history of serving communities that have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
- Priority for Seattle ARTS Recovery Funds will be given to organizations who have not yet received federal funding including forgivable loans.
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Are You Eligible?
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Are You Eligible?
The following types of organizations may apply:
- Non-profit cultural organizations with a primary mission related to the arts, heritage, or preservation. Organizations that do not have 501(c)(3) non-profit status may apply, but if you are selected for funding you will need the fiscal sponsorship of another 501(c)(3) organization in order to claim your awards. If your organization is not a non-profit, please contact 4Culture staff for advice or recommendations for fiscal sponsorship.
- Public agencies or departments with either a Local Arts Agency or Historic Preservation function. Please note: municipalities may submit an application to both Arts and Preservation Sustained Support, if that municipality meets both Arts and Preservation funding criteria. All other organizations must choose the one funding program that best fits their mission and goals—either Arts, Heritage, or Preservation—and submit only one application.
- Your organization must have a minimum 3-year track record of cultural programming or activity, with demonstrated public benefit in a typical year
- Your organization must be located in and serve King County, Washington.
Additional eligibility for 4Culture and Seattle ARTS Recovery Funds:
- Cultural organizations with 2019 total revenue of $1 million or below.
- You must have filed IRS returns in 2019 and 2020, showing a drop in revenue in 2020.
- For Seattle ARTS Recovery Funds: organizations must have their primary location in Seattle.
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Helping You Succeed
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Helping You Succeed
Translation and Assistance
If you anticipate a barrier to your participation due to limited English writing ability, visual impairment, or would like to request assistance to access this application, please contact us at or 206-296-7580 or TTY 711.
Si anticipa una barrera para su participación debido a la capacidad limitada de escritura en inglés, discapacidad visual, o desea solicitar asistencia para acceder a esta aplicación, contáctenos en o 206-296-7580 o TTY 711.
如果您由于英语写作能力有限，视力障碍而希望参加比赛，或者希望获得协助来访问此应用程序，请通过或206-296-7580或TTY 711与我们联系。
Workshops
Can’t make it to a workshop? Watch these recordings:
ASL interpreted:
Contact
We will make every effort to ensure equal access to services for all applicants. If you need assistance or require different forms of access, please contact us.
For general and technical support:
Jackie Mixon
206-263-0971
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After You Submit
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After You Submit
Awards through this combined funding application may come from one of three sources, and there may be different contract and documentation requirements depending on the source of funds. These sources include:
- King County Lodging Tax
- Federal ARPA funds – King County allocation
- Federal ARPA funds – City of Seattle allocation
Timeline
Applications are due by November 5, 2021 at 5:00 pm. 4Culture notification of Sustained Support awards and preliminary notification of 4Culture Recovery Fund awards will take place by February 2022.
Selection Process
Applications will be scored through a panel process, in which a group of peers assesses your application. Panel review, budget size of your organization, and priority factors listed above will be factors in your Sustained Support award amount. Recovery Fund awards will take these factors into account, along with unmet need related to lost revenue due to the pandemic.
Contracts and Payment
If we select your organization for funding, your grant manager will work with you to gather any additional documentation needed and to create a contract outlining a payment schedule.
If you are awarded 4Culture Recovery Funds, you will be required to complete additional steps before we can issue a grant contract:
- SAMS/DUNS registration.
- Providing any copies of 990 or other IRS returns referenced in your application that were not included at the time of application.
- Verification of other funding received for unmet need due to revenue loss in 2020, along with self-certification that your organization is not accepting funds from other sources covering the same losses.
Requirements and Appeals
Learn about what will be required if you are awarded a Sustained Support grant.
4Culture has an appeal process for grants funded through the lodging tax. To learn more about that, click here.
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Apply
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Apply
You will apply through 4Culture’s online grant portal system. We suggest you make certain you have an active account and that your organization profile is up to date now. 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 click the Submit button, your application is final. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions during the process.
Demographic Information
Your organization profile in 4Culture’s portal must provide demographic information for your board and staff for the current year. You will access the demographic update form through the application portal under the Your Profile section. You must submit this information by the application deadline to be considered for funding. We do not use this information to determine funding priorities or allocations. However, 4Culture does use this information to help us understand how well we are doing in our efforts to reach all communities across King County, Washington. If you have already applied for a 4Culture grant this year and submitted a 2021 demographic update, you don’t need to submit another one for this grant.
This project is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number SLFRP0152 awarded to King County, Washington by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Points of view in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.