The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) invests in the arts and cultural sectors, including cultural organizations, arts groups, and individual artists. ARTS grant programs include funding opportunities for organizations, individual artists, youth arts programs, and neighborhood and community groups.
Open opportunities for 2023 (current as of January 2023):
Artists Up Mentorly Scholarships

Open twice a year: Jan. 9 – 30, 2023 and June 5 – 26, 2023
Artists Up, a funder collaborative between ARTS, ArtsWA, and 4Culture, offers Mentorly Scholarships to individual artists living in Washington State. The scholarship covers four one-hour-long online sessions with an Artist Up mentor (or another mentor of the artists’ choosing).
CityArtist 2024

Open: March 28 – May 9, 2023
CityArtist provides grants for Seattle-based individual artists/curators to research, develop, and present ideas or ventures. The disciplines rotate every program cycle. The 2024 CityArtist cycle will fund artists operating in the following disciplines: Literary, Media/Digital/Film (including Screenwriting), and Visual Arts.
Youth Arts

Open: April 18 – May 30, 2023
The Youth Arts grant supports two years of equitable access to arts and cultural learning opportunities for Seattle’s middle and high school-aged youth. Individual artists, artists, arts and cultural organizations, youth-service agencies, and degree-granting institutions are eligible to apply.
Artists at the Center

Open: May 16 – June 27, 2023
Artists at the Center offers emerging local and regional artists and groups in music, dance, theatre, and multi-disciplinary performance the opportunity to enliven Seattle Center and celebrate Climate Pledge Arena’s commitment to the arts. Artists at the Center features free, year-round pop-up performances on Seattle Center grounds, sponsored by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, Seattle Center, Climate Pledge Arena, and Seattle Kraken.
Arts in Parks

Open: Sept. 26 – Nov. 7, 2023
Arts in Parks, a partnership between the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture and Seattle Parks and Recreation, supports new and established festivals or events that promote arts and cultural participation, celebrate diversity, build community connections, and activate parks through arts and culture. Individual artists, neighborhood arts councils, or local community-based groups are eligible to apply.
The Creative Advantage Community Arts Partner Roster
Ongoing
The Creative Advantage Community Arts Partner Roster consists of artists, teaching artists, and community arts and cultural organizations approved to partner with Seattle Public Schools through The Creative Advantage.
smART Ventures

Ongoing
smART Ventures provides support ranging from $500 to $1,000, proving that small investments can have big impacts. smART Ventures is flexible, inclusive, simple, and encourages innovation by individuals, organizations, and communities that may not qualify for other funding programs.
Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute Facility Grant

Ongoing
The Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute (LHPAI) Facility Grant provides in-kind support for public projects, opportunities, or events presented by individuals, groups, organizations, or communities. The grant takes the form of up to 40 hours of staffed building use for a public arts or cultural event at LHPAI. The LHPAI Facility Grant consists solely of facility use and staff time, there is no funding included.
Hope Corps 2023
Upcoming
This recovery program at ARTS invites individual artists, and creative workers, as well as community groups and arts and cultural organizations with modest budgets to apply to participate in Hope Corps, which connects under and un-employed artists to work opportunities. An additional focus this year will be to promote climate change goals and support artists’ transition to sustainable art practices.
For additional information about open grants and funding opportunities, please visit our Opportunities page.