For this grant, a panel will evaluate your application based on the following five criteria:

• Quality: your thought and reasoning behind your proposed equipment purchase and why this is a priority for your organization.
• Project Impact and Public Benefit: the impact this specific equipment will have on your organization’s operations and the discipline-focused programs and services you offer to the community (what public benefits this equipment will help provide visitors and residents of King County). 
• Advancing Equity: 4Culture’s mission focuses on racial equity and envisions a county where culture is essential and accessible to all. Your project’s focus is on marginalized communities, especially communities that are disproportionately impacted by structural racism (e.g. serving Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, engaging BIPOC leaders within a community, etc.). Meeting this criterion is not a requirement to be eligible for funding.
• Implementation and Maintenance: your ability to implement a work plan for the purchase, acquisition, and maintenance of the equipment, including a secure storage space. 
• Feasibility: your project budget and any additional fundraising plan that is needed are realistic and achievable, and the funding amount is appropriate for the project.

• Use of the equipment to create free or low-cost performances, exhibitions, workshops, screenings, or readings, or to take care of collections that reflect all of King County’s residents.
• Use of the equipment by groups serving marginalized communities including, but not limited to, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in King County, people with disabilities, people with low-incomes, youth and senior groups, residents in rural or suburban King County, and/or other historically marginalized groups.
• Use of the equipment to broaden your ability to reach individuals with disabilities or to make your programs or facility more accessible to them.
• Use of the equipment that prioritizes public health benefits (i.e., air filtration units).
• Sharing the equipment with other cultural or science groups at no cost or low cost.

• Equity Investment Score
  Organizations that the adjudicating panel of peer reviewers agrees are excelling in advancing equity in King County.
• Outside of the City of Seattle
  Non-profits with a primary location outside of Seattle City limits. Eligibility will be determined based on the mailing address in your account profile. This address should be consistent with what your organization uses for IRS reporting purposes.
• Communities of Opportunity
  Organizations whose primary location is in a King County-designated Community of Opportunity. The Communities of Opportunity (COO) index includes a set of health and socioeconomic indicators to gauge community health and well-being and identify the areas of King County in greatest need of support.

• Be a federally recognized nonprofit arts, heritage, historic preservation, or science & technology organization; a cultural organization that is fiscally sponsored by an eligible 501(c)(3) partner; or a Tribal government, public development authority, or public agency
• Have a primary location in King County and a majority of your activities occurring in King County 
• Have a mission that includes a focus on one of our four disciplines (please visit our Discipline Eligibility page for more information):
  • Arts: includes organizations focused on creative place-making, cultural festivals, dance, design, film, folk and traditional arts, literary arts, multidisciplinary arts, music, theater, and visual arts.
  • Heritage: includes organizations focused on the preservation and transmission of local history; ethnic history; Native cultures; folklore and intangible cultural heritage; and/or historic and archaeological resources.
  • Historic Preservation: includes organizations focused on advocacy or assistance to preserve, promote, and sustain historic places; education about our historic built environment, landscapes, or landmarks; or stewarding historic properties that serve as a venue for cultural activities.
  • Science and Technology: includes organizations focused on natural and social sciences, characterized by a formalized framework that entails the reproducible testing and revision of falsifiable ideas based on observable facts, as well as formal and applied sciences, such as mathematics and engineering. Applicants that are zoos or aquariums must also be accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Please note: Science & Technology organizations have additional eligibility requirements and equipment requests should be made within the scope of the science Discipline Eligibility – 4Culture.
• Have a board of directors, or an advisory council or equivalent decision-making body.
• Have a proven two-year record of providing heritage, historic preservation, or science & technology experiences or services to the residents and visitors of King County. Arts organizations must have a proven three-year record of providing arts experiences or services to the residents and visitors of King County.
• Note: if you are using a fiscal sponsor to apply for this grant, you must have prior approval by 4Culture staff. You will need to indicate if you are applying with a fiscal sponsor in your application, and 4Culture will review both you and your fiscal sponsor’s eligibility to receive funding. Please see our Fiscal Sponsorship page for more information.

• K-12 schools and school districts
• Individual practitioners
• 2025 Equipment for Organizations grant recipients
• Applicants with open and unclaimed contracts for past 4Culture Equipment grants

• Purchase of equipment that can be considered as fixed assets intended to be held for 10 years or more, such as machinery, equipment, or computer hardware.
• Installation fees if they are under 10% of your total request.
• Smaller items that are less than $200 per unit, if you demonstrate that the item is essential to the functionality of the larger equipment requested.

• Facility design, construction, engineering, purchase, or remodeling of a facility.
• General equipment maintenance or repairs.
• Installation fees that are over 10% of your total request.
• Purchase of materials and supplies that are less than $200 per unit and have expected useful life of less than 12 months, including consumable materials.
• Purchase of materials and supplies that are bundled and lacking detail about cost of individual items. 
• Purchase of warranties, subscriptions, or computer software.
• Items purchased before September 1, 2026.
• Fees directed to staff. 
• Equipment purchased with this grant may not be used for religious worship, religious exercise, prayer, or religious instruction.

• ADA accessible equipment: closed caption devices, furniture, wheelchair lift
• Archival storage and processing equipment
• Camera (not film)
• Chain motors
• Commercial sink
• Computer or iPads (not subscriptions)
• Computer equipment: hard drive, printer (not paper)
• Culturally specific clothing and performance attire
• Festival and pop-up event equipment 
• Field equipment: environmental quality meters, refractometers
• Floor: outdoor stage, training mats, vinyl Marley floors
• Furniture
• Gallery/exhibit equipment: box truss, displays, frames, pedestals, shelves, vitrines
• Heating/Air equipment: air purifiers, dehumidifiers, infrared panels
• Instruments/concert production equipment
• Lab equipment: microscopes, centrifuge
• Laminating machine
• Lighting: lightboard, control console, lighting grid system
• Microphones: headset, wireless, tap shoe microphones (not batteries)
• Pottery: pottery wheels, ceramic or front-loading kilns, slab roller (not clay)
• Printing press
• Projectors
• Recording equipment: archiving, filming, podcasting, streaming
• Refrigerator, if integral to programming
• Equipment for digital preservation
• Science materials: anatomy and physiology models, fossils, robotics kits, Van de Graaff generator
• Security camera
• Sound: portable sound system, amplifying speaker, audio workstations
• Vehicles, if integral to programming (not tires or insurance)
• Welding equipment

Project Narrative

You will be asked to answer the following questions in the application narrative section. While there is no text limit for the Narrative sections, we suggest you use around 250 words for each section.

Project Description (Equipment Purchase Description): clearly describe your organization’s intentions to acquire equipment and explain why this is a priority for your organization in the next two years. For example:

• What is the equipment you are requesting and what will it be used for?
• Why is this equipment needed at this time?
• Who is selecting the equipment and their relevant experience? Note: we do not need resumes.
• How did they identify the appropriate vendor/cost of the equipment for this project (reached out to comparable institutions, consulted an expert, internal expertise)?

Project Impact and Public Benefit: clearly describe your organization’s intentions for the impact and public benefit of this equipment acquisition as defined in the program guidelines. For example:and the how of your project. For example:

• What impact do you hope this equipment purchase will have on your organization’s operations or the discipline-focused programs and services you offer to your audience or community? 
• How does this equipment purchase allow you to fulfill your mission and serve King County residents and visitors? Remember that you must provide some kind of public benefit in exchange for this funding. In other words, in what ways will the equipment purchase increase or support your organization’s public offerings, your audience, or your community?
• Will the acquisition of this equipment help you launch a new project or better support your programming? Will the acquisition of this equipment help you connect with new audience(s) or better support your current audience(s)? Will the acquisition of this equipment help you to better support ADA accessibility?
• Please note: because this is a grant program focused on providing funding for arts, heritage, historic preservation, and science & technology organizations, additional details on your organization’s discipline in this section will help panelists draw the connection between your discipline and eligible programming and services offered. Please see the guidelines for our definition of public benefit, and our Public Benefit page for examples.

In addition, using the General Public Benefits, Equity Inclusion, and Geographic Inclusion picklist: you must select at least one but no more than three General Public Benefits and at least one but no more than three Equity Inclusion and Geographic Inclusion Public Benefits your organization can provide with this equipment acquisition over the next two years. Please note: these Public Benefit examples may be utilized in the language of your contract, if awarded, so only select the public benefits on which you would like to report.

• Advancing Equity: what audiences do you hope your equipment project can support? Is your organization, or its programs, focused on marginalized communities, especially communities that are disproportionately impacted by structural racism (e.g. serving Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, engaging BIPOC leaders within a community, etc.)? How will this equipment allow you to better reach or serve historically marginalized communities? Complete this question to the best of your ability and in alignment with your organization’s readiness to engage in and share your equity work. If this question does not apply to your organization, you may simply state so. The answer to this question is not a requirement to be eligible for funding. However, panelists will review your response to evaluate the Advancing Equity criterion, and your response will be considered in determining Equity Investments.
• Implementation and Maintenance: provide a work plan/timeline for the purchase and use of this equipment, including regular maintenance and storage. Equipment purchased using these funds must be stored in a secure location; be sure to share details about your plan for this in your response. Remember, equipment funded through this program must be purchased between September 1, 2026 – September 1, 2028. For example:
  • Describe when you hope to purchase this equipment and when you hope it will first be used. What is the general plan for using this equipment?
  • Who will care for and maintain this equipment? 
  • Who will have access to use this equipment and how often will it be used? 
  • Where will this equipment be stored and is it secure? 
  • Will you insure this equipment?
• Feasibility: provide details on the budget for your project; an itemized budget for the purchase of this equipment will be asked for below in the Project Budget section, so please share the following details in this section if they apply to your project request:
  • If this equipment purchase will need additional funding beyond your request for this grant, what additional funds have you raised and/or what are your plans?
  • If you have purchased a similar piece of equipment with 4Culture funding, please share when it was purchased. 
  • Oftentimes, Equipment awards are funded at partial amounts. If you are requesting multiple items, please let panelists know your priorities and/or how you would scale down the equipment purchase if you receive less than the requested amount.

Supplemental Materials

• Budget: use the Budget Form to share the total project budget (overall planned expenses and income for this project). For each piece of equipment that makes up your total 4Culture project request ($1,000-$15,000), you will need to fill out a line-item list including a short description, itemized amount (including tax/shipping), and a link to the vendor/item you are hoping to purchase.
  • Note: while you will not be expected to purchase the exact model of the equipment in your list, it does serve as the basis for the panel’s evaluation and will ultimately be what the equipment award is intended to fund. Please refer to “What Equipment for Organizations Funds” in section 2 of the guidelines for eligibility of 4Culture funding.
• Programs/Events/Primary Activities list: the panel will review your organization’s list of programs/events/primary activities from the last 24 months to better understand your organization and how it serves the public. Please include date or date range, location, and attendance. For this grant, you do not need to include all of your programs/events/activities, though the panel will review what you submit. Please feel free to choose a range of programs/events/activities that best represent the narrative sections in your application.
• Organization board list: you must submit a list of your organization’s board members, their terms, and their employment or community affiliation in this section of the application.
• Venue address: you must include the primary address where the equipment will be utilized. If equipment will be utilized in multiple locations, please choose the address where the majority of the planned usage will occur.

4Culture Organization Account Updates

• Basic Information: your organization’s account profile in our application portal must be complete with updated information including: your organization’s mailing address; King County Council District; federal EIN, WA State UBI #, and incorporation date; percentage of King County programming offerings; leadership information; and information about communities served by the application deadline. We use this information to ensure eligibility and we may contact you before the application deadline to provide more information, so please ensure your contact information is current and correct. Your application is not complete if your account information is not complete and updated for the current year.
• Financial Information: your account profile includes a section for financial information. You must provide your organization’s most recent (2023 and 2024, if 2025 not complete) Total Revenue and Total Expenses as filed in your IRS 990 form. Make certain it is up to date and confirm the accuracy of your address. If you do not file IRS 990, please use the financial information you have to complete the form in the portal. Your application is not complete if your financial information is not updated. Not sure how to find your organization’s 990? Watch this tutorial video.
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• Demographic Information: your account profile includes a section for demographic information. You must provide demographic information for your board and staff for the current year (2026). We use this information to help us understand how well we are doing in our efforts to reach all communities in King County. Read our privacy policy for information about how we protect your information. Your application is not complete if your demographic information is not updated for the current year. Not sure how to complete your demographics information? Watch a tutorial video on how to complete your organization’s demographic survey.
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