We Still Dream a Future: Call for Downtown Activations & Exhibitions in 2026

The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture invites individual artists, cultural producers, arts administrators, creative workers, community groups, and arts and cultural organizations of all sizes to propose projects activating public spaces in Downtown Seattle in 2026. 

With the unifying theme of We Still Dream a Future, this call invites arts proposals of two types: 

1. Exhibitions inside ARTS at King Street Station
2. Activations and installations at King Street Station Plaza, Union Station Plaza and other public spaces in the Chinatown-International District, Pioneer Square, and Stadium District 

Grant funds up to $50,000 are available for creative worker wages and project expenses. The application closes Tuesday, June 3, 2025, 5 p.m. Pacific.

For more details, please read the full guidelines. They are also available in these languages:

• Amharic
• Chinese (Traditional)
• Korean
• Somali
• Spanish
• Tagalog
• Vietnamese

Unifying Theme

We Still Dream a Future is the marshaling of our collective imagination within and beyond our current circumstances, and despite the obstacles before us. It is the celebratory declaration of our communities that they are still here and will be for many years to come. In conversation with each other, we build upon the idea that our flourishing must be and is possible.

The arts are essential to creating what comes next. When we see what could be, hear it, touch it, experience it, then what we imagine becomes something more: through art, all that is possible takes a step towards becoming real. We Still Dream a Future.

You are needed. Where does your work enter this conversation or diverge from it in important ways? A discussion of the future is also a discussion of our past and our present, of who we have been and who we might be. Is your work an exploration of identity? Do you reveal or reflect upon larger systems at work in our lives? Do you set forth visions of what lies just beyond the horizon of who we are? We can’t yet see all that you imagine in responding to this theme. Show us what is possible.

Eligibility  

You are eligible to apply for funding if you meet the following criteria:  

• You are an individual artist, organization, or community-based group located in, or presenting work regularly in, Seattle. 
  • Organizations and individual artists representing communities most impacted by systemic oppression including low-income, people with disabilities, immigrant and refugee communities, and communities of color are encouraged to apply. 
• You have not received funding from us for a previous iteration of this proposed project within the last 3 years.  
• You are not currently receiving Downtown Activation Plan-related funding from us for projects taking place in 2026.  
• You may apply for more than one project type, for example, you may submit separate proposals for an exhibition at KSS and an activation outdoors. But you may not submit more than one proposal for an exhibition or an activation. 

Your project must not:  

• Directly sell materials or post prices (this is ONLY applicable to proposals for King Street Station and Union Station) 
• Use ticket sales. All programs must be presented free of charge to the public.  

Please read the guidelines for full details.

Funding  

You may use the award funds for artist fees, marketing and promotional fees, project management and personnel costs, supplies, equipment rentals or other production-related costs, required insurance, and no more than 10% for food-related costs. Additional expenses may be allowed upon advance approval by the grant project manager.  

Please use the following framework as a guide for requesting funding amounts. These numbers are not requirements but should be used to help determine the scale of your project and your funding request. 

EXHIBITION FUNDING  

• $10,000 – 2-3 months of display, including 9-12 hours of public engagement in the ARTS at King Street Station gallery 

ACTIVATION & INSTALLATION FUNDING  

• $20,000-35,000 / Medium sized projects – approximately 12-24 hours of public programming, supporting 3-6 creative workers 

• $35,000-50,000 / Large sized projects – approximately 28-40 hours of public programming, supporting 7-10 creative workers 

Information Sessions 

Learn more about this grant and how to submit your best application. 

Session 1 (Virtual) 
Friday, April 25, 2025 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. 
RSVP to 4/25 

Session 2 (Virtual) 
Tuesday, May 13, 2025 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. 
RSVP to 5/13 

Session 3 (Virtual) 
Saturday, May 17, 2025 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. 
RSVP to 5/17 

Session 4 (Virtual)  
Thursday May 22, 2025  1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. 
RSVP to 5/22 

Contact

For information and assistance with the application, eligibility or online technical support, contact Kate Fernandez, Downtown Activations Supervisor, at 206-948-3059 or kate.fernandez@seattle.gov.   

We have interpreters who can speak to you in your language, including American Sign Language (via video). Just call us and tell us what language you speak. Expect a short pause while we find an interpreter to join the call.