Touring Arts Roster Presenter Incentive Program
Hire from our Touring Arts Roster and receive up to $2,500. A grant for nonprofit organizations to support local arts and bring some of the best King County performing artists to your community!
Applications will reopen January 2027.
These guidelines reflect information for the previous 2026
grant cycle. Please contact 4Culture staff with any questions.
Steps to Apply
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What the Presenter Incentive Program Funds
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What the Presenter Incentive Program Funds
The Presenter Incentive provides up to $2,500 per calendar year to organizations who hire performing artists from our Touring Arts Roster—a juried list of some of the best performers in King County. Funding is available to nonprofit organizations and fiscally-sponsored groups producing free or low-cost performing arts events for their communities. Organizations and events must be in King County.
- Reimburses artist fees for Touring Arts Roster performers only.
- $2,500 maximum per calendar year; can include multiple events.
Criteria
We fund our grants through a thorough selection process. Reviewers will evaluate your application based on the following criteria:
- Public benefit: the performance is a compelling and feasible public event for King County residents and visitors to enjoy, experience, or benefit from the art or artmaking. The project makes clear efforts to be accessible to many ages, disabilities, languages, and communities.
- Qualifications: your work samples and experience show an ability to successfully complete the event. Current Sustained Support or Launch organizations, and past TAR Presenter Incentive recipients are pre-qualified.
- Feasibility: your budget for artist fees is realistic and the requested funding amount is appropriate.
- Advancing equity (optional): 4Culture’s mission focuses on racial equity and envisions a county where culture is essential and accessible to all. Your event specifically benefits communities of color and/or historically marginalized communities. This is not a requirement.
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. 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 represent a non-profit organization, fiscally-sponsored group, municipality, or Tribal government that creates arts and cultural events.
- Organizations must be based in King County.
- Organizations must be a 501(c)(3) non-profit or be a group with the fiscal sponsorship of another 501(c)(3) “umbrella” organization. Contact 4Culture staff for advice or recommendations.
- Current Sustained Support and Launch organizations, and past TAR Presenter Incentive recipients are pre-qualified.
Your Event
This grant supports the hiring of Touring Artist Roster performing artists for community events. Your event must:
- Be open to the public, accessible, and free or low cost.
- Take place in King County.
- Include performing artists currently listed on the 4Culture Touring Arts Roster.
Funds can be used for reimbursement of Touring Artist Roster performer fees only, for a maximum of $2,500 per calendar year.
This grant does not fund: religious instruction, exercise, or worship, or performances for fundraising events.
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Helping You Succeed
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Helping You Succeed
Feel free to contact us if you need support! Our friendly staff will answer any of your questions and assist you with the application and Touring Arts Roster.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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After You Submit
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After You Submit
Timeline and Process
After submitting your application, you will receive an email notification on your award status in approximately 1-2 weeks. Funding decisions are made by 4Culture staff, who evaluate all eligible applications based on the above criteria. If your application is not accepted this time, we are happy to share feedback.
Contracts and Payment
If selected for funding, your grant manager will work with you to create a contract. Contracting may take 2-4 months. Please keep this in mind as you plan your finances.
Payments are made as reimbursements after the event is completed and the submission of required documentation:
- Evaluation statement confirming you completed your event and used the funds as outlined in your contract.
- List of hired, current TAR performing artists.
- Images of the event.
- Proof of acknowledgement for 4Culture as a funder.
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
Applications open January 2027. Applications must be submitted at least 1 month before the date of the earliest event. For example, if your event is February 1, you must submit by January 1.
All applicants will be notified if they were awarded funding or not and receive feedback if requested.
What’s in the Application?
The TAR Presenter Incentive application is intended to place minimal burdens on applicants.
Application Sections
- Event title
- Event date
- Estimated attendees
- Event description: Please provide a brief overview of your event. How will county residents and visitors be able to enjoy, experience, or benefit from the art or artmaking? How will the project be made accessible to many ages, disabilities, languages, and communities?
- Qualifications: Please describe your organization’s experience, expertise, or accomplishments that show an ability to successfully complete this event. This can include past events of a similar scale. This is not required for current Sustained Support or Launch organizations, or past TAR Presenter Incentive recipients.
- Advancing equity (optional): Does your project specifically benefit communities of color and/or historically marginalized communities in King County? If so, how and why? This is not a requirement to be eligible for funding.
- Venue address
- TAR performers (can be tentative)
- Budget: total performer fees and requested funding amount.
Work Samples
You must submit samples of past work—images, video, or documents—that best demonstrate your qualifications for producing the event. This is not required for current Sustained Support or Launch organizations, or past TAR Presenter Incentive recipients.
Demographic Information
Your profile in our portal must provide demographic information for the current year, for yourself, and if you are applying as an organization, for your board and staff. We use this information to help us understand how well we are doing in our efforts to reach all communities in King County.
Check out more of 4Culture’s grant opportunities and other local grants.