Open 4Culture
Open 4Culture is the perfect introduction to 4Culture and grants in general. Whether this is your first grant with us or your first grant ever, our friendly staff will walk you through the entire process. Together, we are making cultural funding more accessible and inclusive!
Open 4Culture is on a break from February 1st to March 31st. We are not accepting applications or approving eligibility during this break. Please contact 4Culture staff with any questions.
Steps to Apply
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What Open 4Culture Funds
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What Open 4Culture Funds
The grant awards up to $2,500 for Arts, Heritage, and Historic Preservation projects taking place during 2026. Arts projects must be based in Seattle’s Communities of Opportunity or King County outside of Seattle. Heritage or Historic Preservation projects can be based anywhere in the county.
Criteria
We fund our grants through a thorough selection process. Reviewers with expertise in your discipline will evaluate your project based on the following criteria:
- Public benefit: does your project include one or more compelling, feasible public event in King county? Will King County residents or visitors be able to enjoy, experience, or benefit from the project?
- Qualifications or catalyst: through your work samples and experience, do you have the ability to successfully complete this project? If this is your first project of this kind, do you show the potential to learn, grow, and expand your practice, or do you have mentors or collaborators who can support you?
- Feasibility: is your project budget realistic and have you requested an appropriate amount of funding?
- Advancing equity (optional): 4Culture’s mission focuses on racial equity and envisions a county where culture is essential and accessible to all. Your project specifically benefits communities of color and/or historically marginalized communities. The project serves or collaborates with members of these communities This is not an eligibility requirement, but it is one of factors the reviewers will consider.
Public Benefit: Why It Matters
Visitors who stay in hotels and motels in King County pay sales tax. A small part of that tax generates the funds for our grants—our mission is to reinvest those funds into King County communities. Most importantly, in your application you will be asked to state specifically how fellow residents will benefit from the work you do. Read about public benefit more in depth here.
Equity Investments
To combat inequities in our 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 our peer review panel process. These indicators include but are not limited to: geographic location of applicants, operating budget, communities engaged with and audiences served, and project focus. By prioritizing these factors in our grantmaking decisions and panel review process, we anticipate funds will be distributed to communities that have historically been excluded from cultural funding.
Each of our grant programs utilizes an Equity Investment system tailored to the specific needs of its applicants; please read the After You Submit section of this page for details on how Equity Investments will function for this grant. This organization-wide change—and what we learn about its impact—is an important step towards more equitable funding at 4Culture and throughout the King County cultural sector.
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Are You and Your Project Eligible?
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Are You and Your Project Eligible?
You
You can apply for Open 4Culture if you meet the following requirements:
- You are new to 4Culture and have not yet received our grants or funding.
- You are an individual or group that creates Arts, Heritage, or Preservation projects. See below for specific requirements for individuals and groups.
- You or your group are based in King County.
- Arts: you must be based outside of Seattle or in Seattle’s Communities of Opportunity (COOs, see below). Geographic eligibility may be based on the planned venue location if the project includes direct outreach and engagement with the qualifying communities.
- Heritage or Preservation: you must reside in King County.
Apply as an individual if you are the sole creator, a producer, or are leading others in the creation of your Arts, Heritage, or Historic Preservation project. The reviewers will assess your individual contribution to the project and your work samples.
- Individuals must be at least 18 years old, and a resident of King County from when you apply through completion of your project.
- If selected for an award, you must provide a Social Security Number to receive payment. No fiscal sponsors may be used.
- 4Culture staff, Board, and Arts Advisory Committee members are not eligible to apply.
Apply as a group if you represent a collaborative group, a grassroots or non-profit organization, municipality, or business that creates Arts, Heritage, and/or Historic Preservation projects.
- Groups must be based in King County with a core mission dedicated to Arts, Heritage, or Historic Preservation. If your group is not, you must have a formal partnership with an artist, or heritage or preservation practitioner.
- If selected for an award, you must provide an Employer Identification Number to receive payment (sole proprietorship, LLC, S-Corp, General Partnership, nonprofit, etc.). Social Security Numbers will not be accepted.
- Fiscally sponsored groups are eligible.
- Your group does not need to be a nonprofit.
Seattle’s Communities of Opportunity
The Communities of Opportunity (COO) index was first developed in 2012 and includes a set of health and socioeconomic indicators to gauge community health and well-being. 4Culture aligns our equity investments with the COO index to identify the areas of King County in greatest need of support.
For Seattle-based artists and Art projects, view this Communities of Opportunity map to determine whether you or your group are located in a COO. COO areas eligible for Open4Culture are outlined and in purple.
Your Project
Discipline
This grant offers support for projects in our three core disciplines: Arts, Heritage, and Preservation. Projects can take place in-person, online, or hybrid.
- Arts: your project creates art of any discipline that offers some community access to the art or the artmaking process, such as readings, screenings, exhibitions, performances, workshops, discussions, festivals, activities, and more.
- Heritage: Heritage is defined as “the exchange of knowledge and experiences shaped by the past.” Your project focuses on heritage and historical themes in King County through identification, documentation, exhibition, or interpretation. Heritage can include people, memories, places, communities, and events.
- Preservation: your project must contribute to the preservation of King County’s historic buildings, sites, neighborhoods, or landscapes through documentation, identification, research, analysis, educational programming, or advocacy.
Dates
Your project takes place between January 1-December 31, 2026.*
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Applications will be closed February 1–March 31, 2026.
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Applications for projects taking place between April 1-June 31 must be submitted before this break.
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During this break, we encourage you to look into our Projects grants.
Project Examples
See a list of past Awardees here. This is one of our more open-ended grants! Some recent examples of awarded projects include:
- Street festival: a free festival celebrating the history of farming in Carnation Street. Funds were used for a street closure permit, insurance, and sound equipment rentals.
- Dance performance: a low-cost evening-length Latinx dance performance at the American Legion in Kent. Funds paid for dancer fees.
- Textile exhibition: a free exhibition of traditional African garments, textiles, and prints with free programs with youth. Funds paid for textiles, fabrication, and the venue rental.
- Agricultural history: a research and mapping project about a farm that once stood on Vashon Island. Funds paid for a historian to work with students.
- Historical site planning: the planning phase of a garden project in a Japanese American historical location in the Chinatown International District
This grant does not fund:
- Food and beverage.
- Murals and permanent public art.
- Religious worship, exercise, or instruction.
- K-12 schools or school districts.
- Tuition and cost-of-living expenses for students in any degree program.
- Fundraising expenses.
- General operating support.
- Capital construction.
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Helping You Succeed
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Helping You Succeed
Please contact us if you are interested in applying. Our staff will help you determine if your project is a good fit for Open 4Culture and then begin the application. We will answer any of your questions and support you through the entire process, from beginning to end!
Contact
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 or call (206) 296-7580 or TTY 711, and we will make sure you get the support you need.
中文 (Chinese)
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 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. 了解更多相关信息 ›
Русский (Russian)
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 или позвоните по номеру (206) 296-7580 или 711 (телетайп), и мы позаботимся о том, чтобы вы получили необходимую помощь. Дополнительная информация ›
Soomaali (Somali)
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 ama wac (206) 296-7580 ama TTY 711, waxaana xaqiijin doonnaa inaad hesho taageerada aad u baahan tahay. Xog badan ka ogow ›
Español (Spanish)
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 o llame al (206) 296-7580 o TTY 711, y nos aseguraremos de que obtenga la ayuda que necesita. Más información ›
Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
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 hoặc gọi (206) 296-7580 hay TTY 711 và chúng tôi sẽ hỗ trợ những gì quý vị cần. Để biết thêm chi tiết ›
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After You Submit
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After You Submit
Timeline
Once you have contacted our staff and submitted your application, you will receive an email notification on your award status within 2-4 weeks. If your application is not accepted this time, we are happy to share the reviewers’ feedback through a brief phone call.
Contracts and Payment
We make all funding decisions through a review by 4Culture’s Arts, Heritage, and/or Historic Preservation staff, who evaluate all eligible applications based on the above criteria and Equity Investment. The Open 4Culture Program Manager facilitates the review but does not score applications or influence the outcome. This process takes approximately 10 business days.
Requirements and Appeals
Learn about what will be required if you are awarded a grant, and about the process for appeal of a 4Culture decision.
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Apply
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Apply
Please contact us if you are interested in applying. Our staff will help you determine if your project is a good fit for Open 4Culture and then begin the application. We will answer any of your questions and support you through the entire process, from beginning to end!
If approved to apply, you must submit your application through our online grant portal system at apply.4culture.org. Please create an account as soon as possible. Groups must create an organization account, which may take 1-2 days to be approved.
Applications are due at least 3 months before the date of the project or event. For example, if your event is on June 1, you must submit by March 1.
- We are currently only accepting applications for projects taking place between January 1-December 31, 2026.
- Applications will be closed February 1–March 31, 2026.
- Applications for projects taking place between April 1-June 31 must be submitted before this break.
- During this break, we encourage you to look into our Projects grants.
All eligible applicants will be notified if they were awarded funding or not.
Check out more of 4Culture’s grant opportunities and other local grants.