Panelists will consider the following criteria and questions when scoring your application:

• Quality: does the proposed project align with the organization or Tribe’s mission and the interests of the community that the heritage content originates from? Does the project adhere to professional standards, best practices, and culturally specific needs of the communities served?
• Project impact and public benefit: does the project safeguard culturally and/or historically significant heritage materials for the good of the broader King County public and/or for the cultural community to which the collection holds significance? Does the collection have the potential to cultivate understanding of the heritage of diverse communities in King County? Does the collection represent histories or living heritage practices that are not widely represented in King County? Is the collection at risk? Upon project completion, who will have access to the collection and what measures will be taken to ensure its long-term accessibility?
• Feasibility: is the organization or Tribe capable of developing and completing the project within 24 months of the award date? This is demonstrated through a balanced project budget as well as demonstration that applicants have completed the necessary planning and assessment to care for collections in the long-term. Do the qualifications of the project team align with the proposed project and its intended impact? Qualifications can be skill, experience, training, or knowledge-based.
• Advancing equity: 4Culture’s mission focuses on racial equity and envisions a county where culture is essential and accessible to all. Your application will be evaluated for its benefits to communities of color and/or historically marginalized communities, as well as on how clearly those communities are involved in decision-making of the proposed project. This is not an eligibility requirement, but it is one of the factors the panel will consider in their scoring.

• You must be a registered King County-based 501c3 non-profit, Washington state non-profit with fiscal sponsorship, or Tribe that is stewarding or servicing collections located in King County. Those collections must preserve heritage materials, be held in the public trust, and be accessible to the public and/or the cultural community to which the collection holds significance.

• Individual applicants with privately held collections are not permitted to apply. 

• If you are a college or university, your project must be accessible beyond your student body.

• K-12 schools and school districts are not eligible to apply. 

• Your request amount must be at least $2,000, but no more than $15,000.

• Your proposed project must focus primarily on cataloguing, inventorying, digitizing, maintaining, and/or preserving heritage collections in King County, i.e. historic and cultural materials, artifacts, magnetic media, and archival records.

• Your proposed project should demonstrate a public benefit to King County residents and/or visitors—learn more about that requirement in the “What Collections Care Funds” section of this page.

• This grant may not be used for religious worship, exercise, or instruction. If your work is intertwined with religious activity and you would like to apply, please reach out to the program manager for a required pre-screening conversation. 

• Project budget may include a contingency for maintenance, repair, and unexpected costs, but the contingency amount may not exceed more than 10% of the overall project budget.

• You may apply to fund the portion of a project that begins on or after December 2, 2026 (the award date). The public benefit of your project must be completed by December 2, 2028.

• Only one application per applicant is permitted.

• You or your project site are located outside of the City of Seattle.
• You or your project site are located in Seattle but is also in a 2010 US Census tract area with a Communities of Opportunity index percentile of 60% or greater.

Drop-Down Questions

In the application, you will be asked to select the track that best describes the nature of your Collections Care project. If your project encompasses more than one category, please pick the one with which it is most aligned:

• Preservation of archival and/or historically significant materials.
• Care of items associated with living cultural traditions.
• Digital preservation of heritage materials.

In the application, you will be asked to select a category of heritage your project focuses on. Each category is defined below.

Heritage is defined as “the exchange of knowledge and experiences shaped by the past” and your project should focus on the intentional transfer of knowledge and experiences. In the application, you will be asked to select a category of heritage your project focuses on. You only need to pick one category even if your project might encompass more than one category. If none of the categories fits with your project but your project still centers heritage as defined in the guidelines, you may use “Other” category. Each category is defined below:

• “Local history” refers to the examination, documentation, and perpetuation of people, communities, places, and events related to the area now geographically defined as King County.
• “Ethnic history” refers to the examination, documentation, and perpetuation of communities that have immigrated and migrated to King County.
• “Native cultures” refers to the examination, documentation, and perpetuation of the unique customs, beliefs, and practices shared across generations that are rooted in the long-standing histories of communities residing in the United States and territories prior to colonization. Native cultures are often foundational to contemporary identities of individuals and groups. Cultural practices may include: performing arts, recreational activities, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe, social practices, ceremonies and practices related to life and death cycles, craftsmanship, oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of intangible cultural heritage. Work with Native cultures must maintain connection with the cultural source community as a way of minimizing 4Culture’s risk of funding cultural appropriation.
• “Folklore and intangible cultural heritage” refer to the examination, documentation, and perpetuation of traditions of a cultural community that are expressed by members of that group and recognized as reflecting the expectations of that community and its cultural and social identify. Intangible cultural heritage is usually transmitted orally or by imitation; examples include language, literature, music, dance, games, mythology, rituals, and customs. Intangible heritage work must maintain connection with the cultural source community as a way of minimizing 4Culture’s risk of funding cultural appropriation.
• “Historic and archaeological resources” refers to the examination, documentation, and perpetuation of physical objects, sites, and other ephemera that represent histories and cultures of King County and preserved within King County.

Narrative Questions

Responses to the following questions must be submitted through the grant portal but we strongly recommend writing out your responses in a separate document, then copying and pasting them into the application. Save often to avoid losing work. 

Short Description 
Share a 1-2 sentence summary of your collection’s contents. For example, “Digitized materials from a nonprofit video archive focused on rare and independent films. Or “3D objects related to the history of King County City from 1920-1950.” Or “Collections of drums used to teach and perform cultural practice of taiko.”

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 250-500 words for each section.

• Project description: describe the collection(s) proposed project activity. What is the need, challenge, or opportunity your collection or archive faces and how do you plan to address it? Why is the proposed project a priority to your Tribe or organization at this time? How does this project align with your current collections management plan and/or cultural preservation priorities?
• Project impact and public benefit: provide an overview of the collection’s involved and its heritage significance to your community and King County. Who will benefit from the proposed project and have they been involved in planning the project? What is your plan for letting people know that the collection exists and to making it accessible to your community or the broader public? How will your community and/or the public benefit from the results of your project? Please describe your plan for long-term preservation, including for digital files, after the contract for this project is over.
• Relevant expertise/experience/accomplishments: describe who will plan, implement, and manage your project. Does the identified project team (staff, project partners, consultants, and volunteers) possess the knowledge, experience, and skills necessary to complete the work successfully? Cite similar project-based work that has been successfully managed and/or administered by the project team. How do your choices of collections care methods, equipment, and supplies demonstrate an understanding of best practices and professional standards? If you are working with objects from another culture or community, how are members of that community involved in this project?
• Project implementation: provide a work plan that addresses phases for planning, fundraising, execution, publicity, and evaluation. Describe responsible personnel, major milestones, tasks, outputs, and deadlines. When and in what sequence will the activities take place? Remember, projects funded through this program must be completed within 24 months of the award date.
• Advancing equity: do the collections being preserved pertain to historically marginalized peoples or communities in King County, especially communities that have been disproportionately impacted by structural racism? If so, please explain and describe if/how  members of the source community will have a decision-making role in this project. (Note: If your project involves collaboration with an organization, community, or Tribe other than your own, you are strongly encouraged to upload a letter of support from said entity indicating that they endorse the project and, if applicable, detailing their participation.)  

Demographic Information in your Account Profile

Your organization profile in our portal must provide demographic information for your board and staff for the current year. We use this information to help us understand how well we are doing in our efforts to reach all communities in King County. It is not used in funding decisions. 

Project Budget in your Application

Use our Budget Form, which is embedded in the application. In the Budget Notes section, explain each line item and how you intend to use 4Culture funding.

Board List in your Application

This is required for organizations only, not for Tribes or public agencies. Organizations must submit a list of board members, if 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. If your organization is fiscally sponsored, please provide the board/advisor list for your own organization, not that of your fiscal sponsor.

Collection Location

Provide the location where your collection will primarily be held. Include the street address, if known. At minimum, include the city in King County. Indicate if the location is confirmed or unconfirmed. If this is your organization’s main physical location, include it here. If you have multiple venues, specify the one you will use the most or that best represents your project. Then in the Collection Location Notes list your additional venues.

Optional Materials in your Application

If your project involves collaboration with an organization, community, or Tribe other than your own, you are strongly encouraged to upload a letter of support from said entity indicating that they endorse the project and, if applicable, detailing their participation. Support materials must be under 2 MB. You can upload up to 3 files.