Heritage Sustained Support
Deadline: 2014 TBD  
Contact: Eric Taylor 206 296.8688
Museum of History and Industry, 2010

Georgetown Walking Tour, MOHAI © 2010 Sue Spang
2010 Heritage Sustained Support recipient

Heritage organizations are core to our region's cultural and tourism industries. They provide jobs, drive traffic to local businesses, and highlight and preserve the unique character of neighborhoods, towns, and cities. 4Culture's Heritage Sustained Support program provides predictable levels of critically-needed general operating funds to organizations in two-year cycles. Expenses for rent, salaries, marketing and utilities, incurred in the ongoing delivery of cultural programs, are often the most difficult to fund. However, everyday costs such as these qualify as eligible expenses under Heritage Sustained Support.

The program targets organizations with a two-year track record of interpreting King County heritage, and providing heritage programs and experiences to King County residents. In 2011-2012, 41 organizations, representing a broad range of heritage disciplines, geographic areas, sizes and levels of development, were awarded a total of $333,000 annually.

A portion of Lodging Tax revenues collected in King County provides all of the funding for this program.

Updated Guidelines and Application for the next biennium will be posted 6 weeks before the deadline

pdf application preview

Who Can Apply

King County-based nonprofit and governmental cultural organizations that provide certain heritage services to the public 

Eligible Applicants Include:

  • Federally-recognized 501(c)(3) historical museums and heritage organizations, and development authorities

Tier II (Threshold) Eligibility Criteria

Qualifying organizations must:
  • Have a two [2] year minimum operating history, managing collections, and/or presenting exhibits and programs with a focus on King County heritage to the citizens of King County
  • Be financially accountable, as reflected in actual and projected budgets or other financial management or accounting procedures, including compilations, reviews or audits.

Tier I Eligibility Criteria

Qualifying organizations must:
  • Meet Tier II (Threshold) eligibility criteria
  • Have a current strategic plan adopted by the organization's governing board
  • Meet a minimum budget size (to be set by the peer review panel).

Only one application is allowed per funding cycle to Heritage Sustained Support or Arts Sustained Support. Organizations cannot apply to both programs.

What Gets Funded

Operations 

Applicants apply based on the organization's overall annual accomplishments, not individual projects or programs

Heritage Sustained Support funding may be used for:

  • Annual operating expenses relating to heritage programs and services which are accessible to King County residents and visitors, and provide public benefit (see definition of public benefit under Obligations of Award Recipients)
  • Staff salaries, utilities, supplies, fees or services

Heritage Sustained Support funding may not be used for:

  • Capital construction projects, or for purchase of equipment
  • Fundraising expenses
Confused by language we use? Check out our glossary of terms

When

Program Deadline: 2014 TBD

How

Competitive selection process and review criteria 

The Review Process

Recommendations for funding awards will be made by a review panel composed of professionals from the field, community representatives and members of the 4Culture Heritage Advisory Committee. The panel's recommendations will be forwarded to the 4Culture Board for final approval.

The following review criteria will be used in the panel review process to determine support, if any, above baseline levels in each of the two tiers of funding:

Professional Qualifications & Standards
  • Professional staff with background and training in a field related to the organization's core mission
  • Professional standards adopted by the governing board of the organization, including adopted policies and procedures relating to collection and resource management, conservation, archives, or operations
  • Accreditations or certifications received from professional associations or other agencies, including the organization's participation in the AASLH Standards and Excellence Program for History Organizations (StEPs), Museum Assessment Program (MAP), and/or the Conservation Assessment Program (CAP)
Quality & Diversity of Programs
  • Quality of existing programming, and proposed programming, and the relationship of the programming to the mission and goals of the organization. The application review panel will consider Onsite Evaluations as part of the review process (see box below)
  • Diversity or range of programs available to the public
Public Benefit / Audiences Served / Accessibility
  • Accessibility of services, including open hours of facilities
  • Primary service areas
  • Community outreach, including efforts to expand and/or diversify visitors, membership, staff, and/or leadership
  • Numbers of citizens served by programs
Heritage Priorities
  • Organization's contribution to the preservation, conservation or interpretation of resources relating to King County history and heritage
  • Organization's focus on resources that represent neglected aspects of King County heritage, including those defined by theme, ethnicity or geography
Budget
  • The measure of community support for an organization and/or the organization's commitment or contribution to public service as reflected in its budget, including in-kind contributions from volunteers, the community, and partnering governments
  • The proportion or percentage of the applicant's budget actually devoted to King County history and heritage purposes

On-Site Review Program

In addition to information provided by organizations in their applications and support materials, 4Culture uses Onsite Evaluations to acquire detailed, qualitative assessments regarding the quality and community impact of programming offered by organizations applying for Sustained Support.

A group of evaluators composed of community representatives and outside professionals from the field attend events and presentations offered by applicant organizations, and provide written reports based on the Sustained Support program's review criteria.

Participation in the Onsite Evaluation program provides valuable additional information to panelists in reviewing Sustained Support applications. New applicants should contact Bret Fetzer right away to set up an onsite visit, if feasible.

Questions about eligibility? Contact Eric Taylor at 206 296.8688.

Funding from 4Culture programs is awarded on a competitive basis. The following opportunities are available to help applicants prepare applications:

  • Attend an application preparation workshop (see schedule)
  • Schedule an appointment with staff to discuss your organization and application.
  • Applications from previous years are available for review at the 4Culture offices.

If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat software required to view this document, you can download a free Adobe® Acrobat viewer.

Requirements and appeals

Learn about the legal requirements of award recipients, and about the process for appeal of a 4Culture award here.

Public Benefit Requirement

4Culture contracts with all recipients of Heritage Sustained Support funds to provide one or more types of "public benefit" for the funds received.

Heritage Sustained Support program funds provide general operating support for organizations providing public benefits. Funds can be used to offset the expenses and costs of operations, including those for staff, utilities, supplies, fees or services. Public benefits provided by organizations may include, but are not limited to:

  • Free admissions, open hours or public access to heritage resources, programs or facilities
  • Free or discounted rental or use of facilities by public agencies or nonprofit cultural organizations conducting public benefit activities
  • Educational services for public schools and students
  • Services to governmental agencies including city councils, parks or planning departments
  • Free distribution of resources including publications, audio and video recordings, electronic files and documents provided to libraries, museums, websites and tourist agencies
  • Creation of publicly accessible research information or files including documents, oral and video recordings and electronic files
  • Augmentation of existing public service grant projects including those funded by 4Culture or other public agencies
  • Development of professional practices and adoption of standards that improve public access to resources, provide technical assistance or training opportunities in best practices or that enhance management and protection of resources held in the public trust
  • Audience development, diversification of services and enhancement of public accessibility through ADA improvements, services to underserved populations, community outreach efforts or new exhibits, publications or programs
  • Management of collections or protection of resources relating to King County history and heritage including care of museum and archival collections or protection of landmarked properties and built environment resources

Questions about uses of funds or public benefit? Contact Eric Taylor at 206 296.8688.

Ready to Apply

How to submit your application 

STEP 1 - Read all of the above sections
STEP 2 - Prepare your information

You will be asked to submit your application using an online form. In this section, you will find information on how to prepare your application and submit support materials. At the end of this section, a link will be provided to the Online Application.

Support Materials

You are REQUIRED to submit the following during the "upload" step of the online application:
3-year Organizational Operating Budget (Required Upload)
Download the three-year operating budget form provided below. Enter your estimated operation costs in the Expenses section, and sources of income in the Income section. You may not submit your own organizational operating budget form. You must use the current 4Culture form below.

acrobat icon  3-year Organizational Operating Budget
  PLEASE NOTE: In order to fill out and SAVE this form, you MUST use Adobe Reader (Download Free Adobe Reader). ATTENTION MAC USERS: The default program for PDF documents on a Mac is Preview, which will not allow you to save information in our form. You MUST USE Adobe Reader instead. Learn how to open our form with Adobe Reader:

Step 1: If you don't already have Adobe Reader, download the latest version for FREE here.

Step 2: Save the PDF document you want to fill out to your computer. (If you are not given the option to save, the document might have automatically downloaded to the folder you have chosen to be your default download folder. Check that folder.)

Step 3: Right-click on the PDF document you saved, choose "Open with" in the drop-down menu and select Adobe Reader.

Board List (Required Upload)
Submit a list of your organization's board members, their terms and affiliations in the preferred file format of PDF or Word.
Event List (Required Upload)
Submit a list of your organization's events, programs, and/or primary activities from the last 12 months. Please limit the list to one page in the preferred file format of PDF or Word.

Note: The online application system will not allow uploads of individuals files larger than 2MB.

 

Handy tips for success

  • Paint the clearest picture possible of what your organization is, what it does and why this funding will help achieve your organization's mission.
  • Assume that the panel knows nothing about your organization's work.
  • Don't count on your support materials to explain your organization. Include all pertinent information in the application itself.
  • Double-check the numbers in your application and operating budget. Be sure the figures in your operating budget total correctly.
STEP 3 - Begin your online application

Note: Once you have started the process of applying online, you can save the information you have entered in each step, sign out, and return to your application any time before the deadline to continue working or to make changes. To access an application you have already started, go to http://apply.4Culture.org and enter your username and password, then select the application you would like to work on under "my applications." IMPORTANT: Once you click "submit" you will not be able to make any changes to your application, but you will still be able to read and print it.

For technical questions about the online application system, contact staff member Brandi Link at 206 296.8707.

This funding opportunity is currently closed. We will reopen the application for this opportunity at least 6 weeks before the next deadline.

Upcoming Workshops

All applicants are encouraged to attend a workshop prior to submitting your application. These free workshops provide you an opportunity to ask questions, understand specific guidelines, and be taken through a step-by-step review of the application process.

 

There are no scheduled workshops at this time. Check back 6 weeks before the deadline.

2013-2014

Organization King County
Council District		 Award
Bothell Historical Museum Society 1 $4,000
Center for Wooden Boats 4 $20,000
Densho-The Japanese American Legacy Project 2 $18,000
Des Moines Historical Society 5 $2,000
Dunn Gardens 1 $1,000
Duvall Historical Society 3 $2,000
Duwamish Tribal Services 8 $10,000
Eastside Heritage Center 6; 9 $12,000
Enumclaw Plateau Historical Society 9 $3,000
Fall City Historical Society 3 $3,000
Greater Kent Historical Society 5; 7 $3,000
Highline Botanical Garden Foundation 8 $1,000
Highline Historical Society 5; 8 $9,000
Historic Seattle 8 $10,000
Historical Society of Federal Way 7 $3,000
History Ink 4 $15,000
Issaquah Historical Society 3 $11,000
Japanese Community and Cultural Center of Washington 2 $1,000
Kirkland Heritage Society 6 $1,000
Maple Valley Historical Society 9 $3,000
Museum of Flight 8 $10,000
Museum of History and Industry 2 $20,000
Neely Mansion Association 7 $2,000
Nordic Heritage Museum 4 $16,000
Northwest African American Museum 2 $15,000
Northwest Heritage Resources 1 $2,000
Northwest Railway Museum 3 $18,000
Northwest Seaport 4 $6,000
Pacific Northwest Railroad Archive 8 $3,000
Queen Anne Historical Society 4 $1,000
Rainier Valley Historical Society 2 $5,000
Redmond Historical Society 3 $3,000
Renton Historical Society 5 $12,000
Seattle Genealogical Society 1 $3,000
Shoreline Historical Museum 1 $10,000
Skykomish Historical Society 3 $3,000
Snoqualmie Valley Historical Society 3 $6,000
Southwest Seattle Historical Society 8 $5,000
Tolt Historical Society 3 $2,000
Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Association 8 $7,000
Volunteers for Outdoor Washington 1 $1,000
Washington State Holocaust Education Resource Center 4 $12,000
Washington State Jewish Historical Society 4 $10,000
Washington Trust for Historic Preservation 8 $12,000
White River Valley Museum 7 $18,000
Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience 8 $20,000
Woodinville Heritage Society 1; 3; 6 $1,000

2011-2012

Organization King County
Council District		 Award
Black Heritage Society of Washington State 2 $1,000
Bothell Historical Museum Society 1 $4,000
Center for Wooden Boats 4 $18,000
Densho-The Japanese American Legacy Project 2 $18,000
Des Moines Historical Society 5 $2,000
Duwamish Tribal Services 8 $10,000
Eastside Heritage Center 6; 9 $9,000
Enumclaw Plateau Historical Society 9 $1,000
Fall City Historical Society 3 $3,000
Filipino American National Historical Society 2 $1,000
Greater Kent Historical Society 5; 7 $3,000
Highline Historical Society 5; 8 $9,000
Historic Seattle 4 $10,000
Historical Society of Federal Way 7 $3,000
History Ink 4 $15,000
Issaquah Historical Society 3 $11,000
Kirkland Heritage Society 6 $1,000
Maple Valley Historical Society 9 $1,000
Museum of Flight 8 $10,000
Museum of History and Industry 2 $18,000
Nordic Heritage Museum 4 $16,000
Northwest African American Museum 2 $13,000
Northwest Railway Museum 3 $13,000
Northwest Seaport 4 $3,000
Puget Sound Maritime Historical Society 2; 4 $8,000
Rainier Valley Historical Society 2 $9,000
Redmond Historical Society 3 $1,000
Renton Historical Society 5 $10,000
Seattle Genealogical Society 2 $3,000
Shoreline Historical Museum 1 $8,000
Snoqualmie Valley Historical Society 3 $4,000
Southwest Seattle Historical Society 8 $5,000
Steamer Virginia V Foundation 4 $8,000
Tolt Historical Society 3 $1,000
Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Association 8 $7,000
Volunteers for Outdoor Washington 1 $1,000
WA State Holocaust Education Resource Center 4 $12,000
Washington State Jewish Historical Society 4 $10,000
Washington Trust for Historic Preservation 4 $12,000
White River Valley Museum 7 $18,000
Wing Luke Asian Museum 2; 7 $20,000

2010

Organization City Award
Black Diamond Historical Society Black Diamond $1,000
Bothell Historical Society Bothell $4,000
Center for Wooden Boats Seattle $20,000
Densho: The Japanese American Legacy Project Seattle $18,000
Des Moines Historical Society Des Moines $2,500
Duvall Historical Society Duvall $3,500
Duwamish Tribal Services Seattle $11,000
Eastside Heritage Center Bellevue $8,500
Enumclaw Plateau Historical Society Enumclaw $1,000
Greater Kent Historical Society Kent $3,500
Highline Historical Society Seahurst $7,500
Historic Seattle Seattle $11,000
Historical Society of Federal Way Federal Way $3,500
History Ink Seattle $15,000
Issaquah Historical Society Issaquah $11,000
Kirkland Heritage Society Kirkland $3,500
Maple Valley Historical Society Maple Valley $1,000
Museum of Flight Seattle $15,000
Museum of History and Industry Seattle $15,000
Nordic Heritage Museum Seattle $20,000
Northwest African American Museum Seattle $12,500
Northwest Railway Museum Snoqualmie $11,000
Northwest Seaport Seattle $2,500
Puget Sound Maritime Historical Society Seattle $7,000
Rainier Valley Historical Society Seattle $8,500
Redmond Historical Society Redmond $1,000
Renton Historical Society Renton $8,000
Seattle Genealogical Society Seattle $3,500
Shoreline Historical Museum Shoreline $7,500
Snoqualmie Valley Historical Society North Bend $2,500
Southwest Seattle Historical Society Seattle $5,000
Steamer Virginia V Foundation Seattle, $8,000
Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Association Vashon $7,000
Volunteers for Outdoor Washington Seattle $3,500
Washington State Holocaust Education Resource Center Seattle $11,000
Washington State Jewish Historical Society Seattle $8,500
Washington Trust for Historic Preservation Seattle $12,500
White River Valley Museum Auburn $18,000
Wing Luke Asian Museum Seattle $20,000

2008-2009

Organization City Award
Black Diamond Historical Society Black Diamond $4,000
Bothell Historical Society Bothell $2,500
Center for Wooden Boats Seattle $11,500
Densho: Japanese American Legacy Project Seattle $14,000
Des Moines Historical Society Des Moines $2,500
Duvall Historical Society Duvall $2,500
Eastside Heritage Center Bellevue $9,000
Georgetown PowerPlant Museum Seattle $2,500
Greater Kent Historical Society Kent $3,500
Highline Historical Society Seahurst $9,000
Historic Seattle Seattle $14,000
Historical Society of Federal Way Federal Way $2,500
History Ink Seattle $14,000
Issaquah Historical Society Issaquah $10,000
Kirkland Heritage Society Kirkland $5,000
Maple Valley Historical Society Maple Valley $5,500
Museum of History & Industry Seattle $23,000
Neely Mansion Association Auburn $2,500
Nordic Heritage Museum Foundation Seattle $20,000
Northwest Railway Museum Snoqualmie $14,000
Northwest Seaport Seattle $3,500
Rainier Valley Historical Society Seattle $9,000
Redmond Historical Society Redmond $1,000
Renton Historical Society Renton $10,000
Seattle Veterans Museum Seattle $1,000
Shoreline Historical Museum Shoreline $10,000
Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum North Bend $8,000
Southwest Seattle Historical Society Seattle $7,500
Steamer Virginia V Foundation Seattle $2,500
Tolt Historical Society of Carnation Carnation $1,000
Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Association Vashon Island $5,500
Volunteers for Outdoor Washington Seattle $5,500
Washington State Jewish Historical Society Seattle $5,500
Washington Trust for Historic Preservation Seattle $9,000
White River Valley Museum Auburn $20,000
Wing Luke Asian Museum Seattle $20,000

So you've been approved to receive Heritage Sustained Support funding.  What now?  Here's what to expect

Notification

4Culture will send a letter to notify you of your award when it has been approved by our Board of Directors.

Contract Packet

In order to receive your funds, your organization must contract with 4Culture. The contract spells out the services you will provide and the public benefits described in your application.

4Culture will prepare the necessary forms and mail you a Contract Packet as soon as possible. The Contract Packet will contain:
  • Check List - Outlining what is included and required
  • Two (2) copies of your Contract (awards over $5,000) or Letter of Agreement (awards under $5,000)
  • One (1) Blank 4Culture Invoice - includes your organization and contract information
  • One (1) Organization Evaluation Form
Depending on the status of any forms we already have from you on file, the Contract Packet may also contain:
  • One (1) W-9 Form
  • One (1) ADA Form
After you receive and review the contract packet, please:
  • Sign and return both copies of your Contract or Letter of Agreement
  • Fill out and return any additional required forms. If you need a notary public for your ADA form we can provide that service.
  • Please note: You will fill out and send in your invoice only at the end of the awarded year.
Once the required forms are received by 4Culture, we will:
  • Return one signed copy of your Contract or Letter of Agreement for your records
  • Review all other forms and make sure they are filled out correctly

Requirements for your 4Culture Heritage Sustained Support award

  • Onsite Evaluation: Your organization will be required to participate in an onsite evaluation. Contact Bret Fetzer about scheduling this requirement.
  • Obtain images: 5-8 publishable images documenting project activities for use by 4Culture to publicize its funding programs; including photo credits, permission to publish (please get permission of the photographer if not a member of your organization, and written permission from the parents of the children photographed), and caption information. Images should be submitted on a DVD or CD_ROM in a digital format (.jpg or .tiff formats are preferred). For more information about our image criteria, please review our Photo Documentation Guidelines.
  • Please acknowledge 4Culture funding. This helps to ensure there will continue to be funds available in the future! You must include this logo on project acknowledgements, brochures, press releases, programs, posters, flyers, advertisements, signage, etc.
  • Send Information about public presentations, exhibits or openings to Brandi Link. We may be able to post information about your project on our blog and assist with outreach.
  • Complete the services outlines in your Contract: every contract will include a Scope of Services detailing the public benefits your organization will provide during the awarded year
  • Provide us with Final current year organizational budget figures
  • Complete an Organization Evaluation Form

Getting Paid

Upon completion of your Scope of Service, please submit the following:
  • A completed 4Culture Invoice, which is included in your Contract Packet. Final organizational budget figures, in whatever form is best for you.
  • Completed Organization Evaluation form.
  • A Final Project Budget (in whatever form is best for you)
  • 5-8 images documenting your project, including permission and image credits.
  • Sample Marketing Materials featuring the 4Culture King County Lodging Tax logo

NOTE: Your Invoice must be signed.

Stay in touch throughout this process

Let us know what your plans are and if you have any questions or concerns along the way. We are proud to support your organization and we hope we can assist you in making it a success! Please contact Eric Taylor for help.