Building for Equity: Cultural Facilities grants help organizations acquire, build, or renovate the bricks and mortar buildings that make cultural experiences possible.
Donor Name: 4Culture
State: Washington
County: King County (WA)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 07/29/2022
Size of the Grant: $100,000
Details:
This grant is a part of 4Culture and King County’s Building for Equity initiative, to support cultural building projects and create a pathway to racial equity in cultural facilities funding. To help the achieve this goal, applicants must show an ongoing commitment to a racial equity practice, fill out the Equity in Development and Construction survey, and projects receiving $100,000 or more will be required to meet a Cultural Space Contribution Requirement.
A total of $1,100,000 is available in the funding pool.
Criteria
They fund all of our grants through a competitive process, carefully evaluating each application.
For this particular grant, they’ll look to see how well your project shows the following:
- Quality and qualifications
- The thought and reasoning you have put into your project’s planning and how this facility project will help your organization fulfill its mission.
- Feasibility
- Your organization’s ability to develop, administer, and complete the project within the budgetary, logistical, and time constraints described in your application. 4Culture does not provide 100% of a facility project’s cost, so other support must be shown and a reasonable plan and timeline for raising all the funds needed is an essential part of your request. You must be able to start your project within 24 months of the award date. Your organization’s financial stability, demonstrated by the financial information you provide, and the qualifications of those who will be involved in the project.
- Project impact and public benefit
- The demonstrated community support for your organization and project, which may include community involvement, endorsements, and in-kind services, in addition, to support from individuals, foundations, corporations, and other government sources. The impact of this specific project on your organization and how your community will benefit.
- Equity in development and construction practices
- The internal and external approaches and practices your project is undertaking to ensure project leadership, financial investments, decision-making, and community input reflect the voices in the communities around the project site and historically underrepresented populations in King County. This is a new evaluation criterion and the weight of this category will increase in future application periods.
Projects located in a 4Culture Equity Investment area shall receive additional consideration during the grant evaluation and awards process. Projects qualify as being in an Equity Investment area by meeting one or more of the following requirements. Your project does not need to meet one of these to qualify; these only give certain projects priority:
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- The project is outside of the City of Seattle.
- The project is located Seattle but is also in a 2010 US Census tract area with a Communities of Opportunity index percentile of 60% or greater.
Are You Eligible?
Cultural Facilities grants are available to King County-based nonprofit arts and cultural organizations, and public agencies with at least a two-year operating history, nonprofit status, and demonstrated long-term control of your physical site.
- Your organization is a federally recognized arts, heritage, or historic preservation-focused public corporation, tribal government, nonprofit organization, or an organization that is fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) partner organization.
- Your organization must show an ongoing commitment to advancing racial equity, with anti-racism efforts planned for 2021. Examples may include training, programming, internal systems and processes, or an alternative appropriate for the cultural context of your organization. Your organization is eligible even if you are just beginning these efforts, as long as you make a commitment for 2021.
- You must have a legally constituted and working board of directors, a proven two year record of providing arts or cultural services, and the ability to sustain operations after the completion of this facility project.
- Your organization’s current liabilities can’t be more than 30% of your operating expenses over time. For purposes of evaluating this eligibility requirement, 4Culture will evaluate your financial performance prior to March 2020. Organizations will not be deemed ineligible solely due to the financial impacts of COVID-19. Public agencies are exempt from this requirement.
- If funded, you’ll be required to provide a W-9 form, sign a contract that limits 4Culture’s liability, and provide proof of liability insurance that names 4Culture as additional insured.
- Your organization must have site control. This can mean property ownership or a long-term lease (10 years minimum or 5 years with an option to renew). This can include projects planning to purchase property with these funds.
- This grant is not available to K-12 schools or school districts.
- If you are using a fiscal sponsor to apply for this grant, you must have prior approval by 4Culture staff.
For more information, visit Building for Equity: Cultural Facilities Grants.
