The City of Tacoma is accepting applications for its 2026 IMPACT Grant Program.
Donor Name: Tacoma Creates
State: Washington
City: Tacoma
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/23/2026
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
Tacoma Creates funding supports organizations, as defined below, whose primary purpose is to advance and/or preserve arts, culture, heritage, or science:
- Arts organization” has a primary focus on programming across one or more of the following artistic fields: creative place-making, dance, design, folk and traditional arts, literary arts, multi-disciplinary arts, music, media arts, theater, and visual arts.
- Culture organization” has a primary focus on public programming that seeks to advance or preserve the traditions, language, knowledge, skills, cuisine, or achievements of a particular nation or people with a shared and immutable personal identity trait.
- Heritage organization” has a primary focus on public programming centered on the identification, documentation, exhibition, interpretation, celebration, and/or preservation of a community’s history.
- Science organization” has a primary focus on public programming across one or more of the following scientific fields: physical sciences, life sciences, natural sciences, earth and space sciences, engineering, and/or technology.
Goals
- Support public programs in arts, culture, heritage, and science that engage community members in Tacoma
- Increase access to these programs, and reduce barriers to participation, especially for historically underserved populations, and within neighborhoods across Tacoma
- Support programming by and for culturally or ethnically specific communities, and other underrepresented groups
- Expand access to youth education programs in arts, culture, heritage, and science
- Support the sustainability of cultural sector organizations in Tacoma.
Categories
There are two additional types of organizations that are eligible to apply for Impact Funding:
- Business District Associations and Neighborhood Councils
- Affiliate Cultural Programs within a larger non-profit.
Level of Funding
There are two application options within the Impact Funding category:
- Level A: For organizations requesting between $3,000 and $19,999, or for organizations proposing only Beyond the Bell, Club B, and/or Summer Late Nights classes
- Level B: For organizations requesting between $20,000 and $60,000.
Grant Period
July 1, 2026 and June 30, 2027.
Eligibility Criteria
Before an application for funding can be considered, staff must confirm that the applying organization meets all eligibility requirements that are established in the Washington State and City of Tacoma legislation. Eligibility is based on the organizational criteria outlined below, and not on the merits of the proposed programming.
- Primary Purpose: Your organization’s primary purpose – meaning your organization’s overall mission and the majority of its activities – must be to advance and/or preserve arts, culture, heritage and/or science.
- Exception: Business District Associations and Neighborhood Councils recognized by the City of Tacoma.
- Non-Profit Status: Your organization is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, incorporated under the laws of Washington State and recognized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
- Exception: If your organization does not have this non-profit status, but operates like a non-profit in terms of organizational mission, staffing/volunteer structure, and approach to the work, and your organization meets the requirements for Primary Purpose, Location, and Program Delivery, you may apply for Impact Funding using a Fiscal Sponsor that is a Washington state-based nonprofit organization. Information about Fiscal Sponsorship is available. You will need to submit a Fiscal Sponsorship Agreement from your Fiscal Sponsor as part of your application.
- Organization Location: Your organization’s official business address is within Tacoma city limits. This is confirmed by the address registered with the IRS, and your City of Tacoma business license.
- Exception: If your organization’s official business address is outside Tacoma, but within Pierce County, and your organization provides the majority (at least 75%) of programming within the City of Tacoma, your organization will meet the Location requirement. A Programming History Chart must be completed to demonstrate your organization’s program location history.
- If you are applying with a Fiscal Sponsor and do not yet have your City business license, you may complete the Programming History Chart or submit other documentation to demonstrate that the majority of your organization’s work is provided in Tacoma.
- Program Delivery: Your organization must directly provide cultural programming or experiences to the general public within Tacoma city limits.
- There are no exceptions to this requirement. Please use the City of Tacoma’s Parcel Analysis tool to verify programming locations, as there are some locations that use “Tacoma” in their address that are technically outside of Tacoma city limits.
For more information, visit Tacoma Creates.
