The Cultural Producer Recovery Fund is an opportunity for Cultural Producers to recover from some of the significant financial impacts they have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cultural and creative sectors are economic and employment drivers. The Washington State creative economy contributed $53.2 billion to the economy in 2019, representing 185,741 cultural workers in Washington, contributing 5% to the Gross State Product each year. Maintaining the viability of the arts and heritage will not only ignite the local economy, but it will support mental health and a sense of community identity.

At the core of this sector are Cultural Producers who have been profoundly affected by the COVID-19 crisis, experiencing unemployment, the loss of freelance income, and unanticipated expenses. 4Culture believes that funding through this Cultural Producer support program will greatly benefit the economy and social strength of King County’s residents for years to come.

This is our second and final round of American Resource Plan Act (ARPA) grants for Cultural Producers. We’ve streamlined the criteria to make the application process easier. For this round, you do not need to provide personal tax return documents to demonstrate financial loss due to the pandemic.

Individual awards will vary depending on the amount of COVID-19 related cash assistance previously received and whether the applicant resides in a qualified Equity Investment area. The maximum award is $12,000.

Selection Criteria

All eligible applications will be reviewed by the Cultural Producer Recovery Fund peer-panel, who will evaluate applications based on the following criteria:

• Applicant self-certifies they meet the eligibility requirement of Cultural Producer, as defined by 4Culture.
• Applicant successfully demonstrates a cultural practice, as defined by 4Culture, as evidenced in work samples.

Important Information About Federal Funds

The funds for this grant program were secured by 4Culture through a partnership with King County, a recipient of federal funds through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). This funding source was created to provide fast and direct economic assistance for American workers and families and small businesses that continue to be negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Please read this section carefully for eligibility information. Those who do not meet all criteria listed will not qualify.

All applicants must qualify as a member of the Cultural Producer class by meeting all of the following criteria:

How We Define “Cultural Producer”

For this application, “Cultural Producer” is defined as an individual whose current or primary occupation, paid or unpaid, is within 4Culture’s program areas: arts, heritage, historic preservation, and public art. This may include:

View a sample list of eligible cultural producers in PDF format.

Recipients of previous 4Culture funding—including Cultural Relief—are eligible to apply to this program if all above eligibility requirements are met.

Am I eligible if I applied for the first round of Recovery Funding for Individuals?

Recipients of previous 4Culture funding are eligible to apply to this program if all eligibility requirements are met.

Eligible applicants who previously received funding in the first round of Recovery Fund will have the amount received from the first round subtracted from this round.

Individuals who received a grant of $9,000 or more during the previous round of Recovery Funding are not eligible.

Equity Investments

To combat inequities in its grantmaking, 4Culture engages in the practice of making Equity Investments. This practice involves looking at several indicators of structural inequity and applying that knowledge to the peer review process. In alignment with the federal guidance for this program, 4Culture will provide additional funding to applicants residing in disproportionately impacted areas of King County.

Individual Cultural Producers may qualify for additional funding if they reside in a US Census tract area with a Communities of Opportunity index percentile of 60% or greater. These designated areas are shown in purple on this map:

Firefox users: you may find it easier to view the map using this link.

Workshops

Workshops allow you to meet program managers, walk through the application, have your questions answered, and hear from other cultural producers in an informal meeting space.

In-person workshops will be work sessions where staff will be available to assist with your questions and help you with your application. Virtual workshops will be information sessions; these require registration through Zoom. Click on the workshop dates below for full details.

Video Tutorial

Walk through the application with helpful tips from staff.

Watch this step-by-step application tutorial video to assist you through the process of creating an account, starting your application, and saving it for later.

Frequently Asked Questions

Application Worksheet

As you draft your application, you may choose to work offline in a document. This application worksheet can be used as tool as you work. It includes helpful tips and space to draft your responses. Click to download the worksheet: PDF or Word.

Contact

We are available to provide hands-on guidance as you work through your application and will make every effort to ensure equal access to services for all applicants. If you have questions or feel unclear about something, please do not hesitate to contact staff.

Melissa Newbill
melissa.newbill@4culture.org
(206) 263-1603

Megumi Nagata
megumi.nagata@4culture.org
(206) 263-3474

Elly Fetter
elly.fetter@4culture.org
(206) 848-0068

Translation and Assistance

The guidelines, a detailed explanation of how to apply, and the application are in English. If this is a barrier that stops you from understanding the grant or applying due to limited English writing ability, visual impairment, or you would like to request assistance to create an application, please contact hello@4culture.org or call (206) 296-7580 or TTY 711, and we will make sure you get the support you need.
 
Las pautas, la explicación detallada de cómo enviar la solicitud y la solicitud están en inglés. Si esto le impide comprender la información relacionada con la beca o enviar una solicitud debido a una limitación en la capacidad para escribir en inglés, si tiene una discapacidad visual o si desea recibir asistencia para crear una solicitud, escriba a hello@4culture.org o llame al (206) 296-7580 o TTY 711, y nos aseguraremos de que obtenga la ayuda que necesita.
 
详细说明如何申请的指南以及申请本身均使用英文。如果由于英语写作能力有限、视力障碍而妨碍您对本资助的了解或申请，或者您希望请求协助来完成申请，请发送电子邮件至 hello@4culture.org 或致电 (206) 296-7580 或 TTY (听障专线) 711 联系，我们会确保您获得所需的支持
 
Руководство, подробная инструкция и форма заявки на английском языке. Если вам сложно разобраться в процедуре получения грантов или подачи заявок из-за ограниченных навыков письменного английского языка либо нарушений зрения, а также если вы бы хотели обратиться за помощью при составлении заявки, отправьте письмо на адрес электронной почты hello@4culture.org или позвоните по номеру (206) 296-7580 или 711 (телетайп), и мы позаботимся о том, чтобы вы получили необходимую помощь.
 
Hướng dẫn, giải thích chi tiết về cách nộp đơn va tài liệu áp dụng tất cả đều bằng Tiếng Anh. Nếu đây là rào cản khiến quý vị không hiểu được khoản trợ cấp hoặc cách nộp đơn do khả năng viết tiếng Anh hạn chế, do quý vị bị suy giảm thị lực hoặc muốn yêu cầu hỗ trợ để tạo đơn đăng ký, làm ơn liên hệ hello@4culture.org hoặc gọi (206) 296-7580 hay TTY 711 và chúng tôi sẽ hỗ trợ những gì quý vị cần.
 
Tilmaamaha, sharaxaadda faahfaahsan ee ku saabsan sida loo codsado, iyo waraaqda codsiga waxa ay dhammaan ku qoran yihiin Af-Ingiriisi. Haddii ay arrintani tahay caqabad kaa hor istaageysa fahamka deeqda ama codsashada oo ay sabab u tahay awoodda qorista Af-Ingiriisiga oo xadidan, araggaaga oo liita, ama aad jeclaan lahayd inaad codsato in lagaa caawiyo in aad codsi sameyso, fadlan la xiriir hello@4culture.org ama wac (206) 296-7580 ama TTY 711, waxaana xaqiijin doonnaa inaad hesho taageerada aad u baahan tahay.

Timeline
All applications must be submitted by May 8, 2024 at 5:00 pm PDT. If you receive a grant, you will receive a contract that must be signed electronically by all parties before we can issue a payment. We know this can be a confusing process, so we welcome applicants to contact us for assistance at any time. However, we urge everyone to start the process prior to May 8 as the deadline will not be extended for any reason. All applicants will be notified by July 7, 2024.

Selection Process

4Culture will facilitate a review process of all eligible applications. Reviewers comprised of a peer-panel will evaluate and score applications based upon the criteria above.

Requirements, Contracts, and Payment

The funds for this grant program are from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). All ARPA and 4Culture requirements must be strictly enforced. If your application is awarded funding, the staff listed in these guidelines will ensure you receive a contract and will assist you in accessing your payment. Contracts will be issued electronically, and recipients will need to review and sign their contract digitally on a computer, tablet, or phone.

You will apply through our online grant portal system at apply.4culture.org. If you have applied to 4Culture in the past, please make sure your profile is up to date, including your mailing address. If you’ve never applied to 4Culture, you will need to create or request an account before you can access the application. Once you’ve logged in, make sure that you are applying to the correct program by selecting the Cultural Producers Recovery Fund application. 

Once you’ve started your application, you can save after each step and sign out—your application will be saved as a draft that you can continue to work on up to the deadline. Once you click “Submit,” your application is final. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions during the process. 

What’s in the Application?

You are required to answer all questions marked with an asterisk. In addition, we will not consider your application without the materials listed here. We strongly recommend assembling them before you login and begin your application and encourage you to call or email us with any questions as you work on these materials.

Demographic Information

Your profile in our portal must provide demographic information for the current year. You will access the demographic update form through the portal, under “Your Profile” section. You must submit this information by the application deadline—May 8, 2024. We use this information to help us understand how well we are doing in our efforts to reach all communities in King County.

This project is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number SLFRP0152 awarded to King County, Washington by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Points of view in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.