Up to $80 million in capital funding for facilities improvements is now available to nonprofit arts and culture organizations through the New York State Council on the Arts’ Capital Projects Fund!
Donor Name: New York State Council on the Arts
State: New York
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 01/13/2026
Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000
Grant Duration: 2 Years
Details:
The Arts and cultural organizations offer programming that provides benefits to their communities and makes a substantial contribution to the New York State economy.
The capacity of these organizations to maintain their facilities and make strategic capital improvements is central to their ability to deliver on their missions, contribute economic benefit to their local areas, and provide their communities with vital arts programming in a safe and accessible environment. Through its Capital Design Grants for Arts and Culture, NYSCA makes strategic investments in those facilities to advance the following goals:
- Ensure that all people in New York have access to vibrant arts experiences
- Sustain and grow the arts’ role as a critical sector of New York’s economy
- Provide the necessary capital investments to maintain New York’s globally recognized role as a creative engine
This grant opportunity is for mid-stage and advanced design documents including the development of schematics, design development, and construction documents for facilities only.
Priorities
Applicants must demonstrate how the project being designed will support NYSCA Capital program priorities, including any of the following:
- Accessibility
- Make improvements that meet or exceed accessibility standards to create an inclusive environment for artists and participants of all abilities.
- Artistry
- Enable arts and cultural programming that is more creatively compelling for artists and audiences alike.
- Environmental Sustainability
- Demonstrate environmental stewardship and/or sustainable building practices, improve energy efficiency, and mitigate the negative effects of climate change on the organization’s ability to operate.
- Health And Safety
- Inclusivity And Cultural Development
- Improve facilities at organizations that employ inclusive practices and programming; expand access to cultural offerings in rural areas or communities that have historically been underserved.
- Organizational Health
- Make capital investments that reduce operating costs and/or provide new opportunities for revenue generation that will improve the health of the organization.
- Structural And Historical Improvements
- Address issues of building stabilization and historic preservation.
Funding Information
The program offers no-match and matching grants with the following funding ranges and eligibility requirements:
- $10,000–$99,000 NO MATCH grants:
- Applicants may request funding between $10,000 and $99,000
- Can fund up to 100% of project costs
- Available ONLY to organizations with annual operating expenses of $2 million OR LESS on their IRS Form 990 in any fiscal year ending on or after January 1, 2022
- Total project cost can be greater than the amount requested
- $50,000–$500,000 MATCHING grants:
- Applicant requests a specific amount between $50,000 and $500,000, supported by relevant application documentation
- Award amount may not exceed 50% of total project cost, and no more than 50% of total project may be funded by NYS sources including NYSCA
- Available ONLY to organizations with annual operating expenses of $10 million OR LESS on their IRS Form 990 in any fiscal year ending on or after January 1, 2022
- Applicant may not request an amount lower than $50,000
Grant Term
July 1, 2026–June 30, 2028.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible to apply for the NYSCA Capital Design Grants for Arts and Culture, an applicant organization must meet the following minimum criteria:
- Be a Nonprofit 501(C)(3) Arts Organization. The applicant must be a nonprofit organization with a primary mission to support arts and culture, either incorporated in or registered to do business in New York State, with a project location in New York State, and recognized as tax-exempt under the Internal Revenue Code as a 501(c)(3).
- Arts organizations that operate autonomously but are embedded in universities or other non-arts 501(c)(3) organizations located in New York State may contact NYSCA to determine whether they are eligible.
- For projects which involve restoration or renovation of historic buildings, the project must articulate how the structure will be open to the public, house the applicant’s arts and culture programming.
- Nonprofit applicants that lease space from a local government (including towns, municipalities, and counties) where the local government would manage the capital project and hold all the agreements with the project’s contractors may apply in partnership with the local government but MUST contact program staff for instructions and permission to apply. To be eligible, the nonprofit must hold a long-term lease or other site control agreement that meets all of the requirements outlined in these guidelines. Supplemental documentation about the local government will be required, but all other organizational questions and requirements in the application will pertain to the nonprofit applicant, rather than local government.
- Organizations that have an LLC designation are not eligible to apply to NYSCA either directly or through a fiscal sponsor. This includes Limited Liability Company (LLC), Limited Liability Partnership (LLP), and business corporation designations.
- Be prequalified with NY state. The applicant must be prequalified to do business with New York State in the Statewide Financial System (SFS) online portal by the application deadline.
- Have Conceptual Plans For A Project That Qualifies As A “Capital Improvement” And Be Ready To Enter Advanced Stages Of Design.
- Support design of improvements to an arts and culture facility that will be open to the public
- Adhere to deed/lease requirements based on their project
- Have a project that aligns with the overall program goals and priorities.
- Have viable financing for the design and construction phases of the project.
For more information, visit NYSCA .
