$10 Million Awarded to 811 Washington Arts and Culture Orgs

SEATTLE – May 21, 2024 – Today, ArtsFund and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation announce $10M in funding to 811 grantees through the second year of the Community Accelerator Grant program. This builds on the program's 2023 pilot investment in Washington’s arts and culture sector that provided $10M in funding to 671 organizations.  

Administered by ArtsFund and funded by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, the new round of grants range from $2,500 to $25,000 in response to ongoing needs of arts and culture organizations. The unrestricted $10M in funding will boost organizations’ abilities to invest in their missions and essential roles serving communities across the state. 

“ArtsFund is grateful for the second year of partnership with the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation on the Community Accelerator Grant,” said Michael Greer, president and CEO of ArtsFund. “Our ability to distribute $10M of unrestricted funding to such a wide and representative group of nonprofit arts and cultural organizations throughout 37 counties in Washington will add resources to groups whose work creates a better quality of life for communities across the state.” 

Grants were awarded to every eligible nonprofit organization that applied. Approximately 70 percent of grantees reported annual budgets of less than $500,000 and average awards were $12,330. This year’s distribution includes organizations in 37 counties throughout Washington, representing 99.8% of the state’s population. The top five disciplines represented in the grantee pool include music, cultural heritage, multidisciplinary, theatre, and visual arts. 

“From the Olympics to the Palouse, every corner of our state is brimming with diverse and rich cultural activity, and we are incredibly heartened by the extensive reach and continued impact of this program,” said Lara Littlefield, executive director of partnerships and programs for the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. “We are proud to partner again with ArtsFund and the Community Advisory Panel, who have continued to administer this novel, community-driven model that distributes capital quickly, equitably, and efficiently to these organizations that are so essential for building our vibrant and healthy communities.” 

The Community Accelerator Grant prioritizes resources to communities who are underrepresented in other funding programs – specifically, those in rural communities, and for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and people with disabilities. The application was designed to be low-barrier, with the goal that no organization would find it too complicated, or the information requested too cumbersome. We believe that the ease and efficiency during application and distribution of this community-driven model is one of the major reasons that 93% of grantees from the pilot reapplied for this second year of funding.  

Applicants were asked to what degree they felt this grant might positively impact their ability to build capacity and increase their sustainability: Organizations anticipate raising an additional $3.60 for every $1 of their grant, resulting in a potential program impact of $36 million. This year, the program saw an increase in priority communities on staff and boards as representation continues to be an important consideration. Half of the total grantee pool has more than 25% of staff identifying as BIPOC. The program also distributed funds to 10 out of 29 (34%) of Washington’s federally recognized tribes.