The City of San Marcos is seeking applications for its 2026 Arts, Cultural, and Event Grants.
Donor Name: City of San Marcos
State: Texas
County: Caldwell County (TX), Comal County (TX), Guadalupe County (TX), Hays County (TX), Travis County (TX)
City: San Marcos
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 08/18/2025
Size of the Grant: Not Available
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The City of San Marcos supports the community’s art and cultural scene with a series of grant programs for individual artist/artist teams, creative businesses, or nonprofit arts organizations.
Types of Grant
The Arts, Cultural, and Event Grants Program are separated into four distinct grants, each supported by different City funds. Each project application can only receive funding from one of the four grants.
- Tourism Grant: This grant is funded by Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT). State law sets the rules on how this money may be spent; HOT funds must be used to directly enhance and promote tourism and the hotel and convention industry in San Marcos. Fifteen percent of the grant award must be used for paid advertising outside a 50-mile radius of the San Marcos city limits. Grant recipients must provide paid advertising samples and receipts in their final reports.
- Community Grant: This grant, supported by City’s General Fund, is available for projects that have artistic and cultural value but may not attract overnight visitors. Projects must enhance the arts and benefit San Marcos residents. Diversity projects that serve historically under-represented groups or cultures in the community, or that celebrate a diverse ethnic and cultural heritage of the community, are eligible for this grant.
- Spark Tourism Grant: This grant is funded by Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) for newer applicants with smaller funding needs. Projects that have received City arts and cultural grants for less than three years may apply. All requirements of the Tourism grant apply with the exception of permanent public artworks that are exempt from 15% paid advertising component.
- Signature Event Grant: This grant is funded by Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) for newer applicants with smaller funding needs. A signature event is a well-branded, well-marketed event that brings people together to celebrate and enjoy different forms of artistic expression, music, food, sports and/or traditions in San Marcos. The annual in person event, must have an attendance of over 5,000 people, been successfully held for more than three consecutive years and more than fifty percent of its participants and attendees are from outside the area.
Eligibility Criteria
- Tourism Grant:
- Organization must be in good standing with the Texas Comptroller’s Office as verified by the Texas Comptroller Search.
- OR an individual artist or artist team, age 18 years or older, which will be verified by applicant’s submission of official valid Texas state-issued identification card, US passport, or other official document with photo with current address. At least 51% of project must be made up of artist/artist team’s work.
- Applicants’ scopes of work must have a clear public presentation component.
- Organization or individual artist/artist team must be Central Texas based in counties of Hays, Travis, Caldwell, Guadalupe, or Comal.
- Project manager must provide official valid Texas state-issued identification card, US passport, or other official document with photo with current address.
- Applicants must have fulfilled contractual requirements of previously funded projects, including final reports.
- Community Grant:
- Organizations must be tax-exempt under the Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3), as verified by the IRS Tax Exemption Organization Search. Applicants’ names must appear on an IRS letter of determination.
- Must be in good standing with the Texas Comptroller’s Office as verified by the Texas Comptroller Search.
- OR an individual artist or artist team, age 18 years or older, which will be verified by applicant’s submission of official valid Texas state-issued identification card, US passport, or other official document with photo with current address. At least 51% of project must be made up of artist/artist team’s work.
- Organization or individual artist/artist team must be Central Texas based in counties of Hays, Travis, Caldwell, Guadalupe, or Comal.
- Project manager must provide official valid Texas state-issued identification card, US passport, or other official document with photo with current address.
- Applicants must have fulfilled contractual requirements of previously funded projects, including final reports.
- Spark Tourism Grant:
- Organization must be in good standing with the Texas Comptroller’s Office as verified by the Texas Comptroller Search.
- OR an individual artist or artist team, age 18 years or older, which will be verified by applicant’s submission of official valid Texas state-issued identification card, US passport, or other official document with photo with current address. At least 51% of project must be made up of artist/artist team’s work.
- Applicants’ scopes of work must have a clear public presentation component.
- Organization or individual artist/artist team must be Central Texas based in counties of Hays, Travis, Caldwell, Guadalupe, or Comal.
- Project manager must provide official valid Texas state-issued identification card, US passport, or other official document with photo with current address.
- Applicants must have fulfilled contractual requirements of previously funded projects, including final reports.
- Signature Event Grant:
- Organization must be in good standing with the Texas Comptroller’s Office as verified by the Texas Comptroller Search.
- If a nonprofit, organizations must be tax-exempt under the Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3), as verified by the IRS Tax Exemption Organization Search. Applicants’ names must appear on an IRS letter of determination.
- Applicants’ scopes of work must have a clear public presentation component.
- Event manager must provide official valid state-issued identification card, US passport, or other official document with photo with current address.
- Applicants must have fulfilled contractual requirements of previously funded events, including final reports.
For more information, visit City of San Marcos.
