The Project Support Grants Program is designed to encourage the development and advancement of the arts in Fairfax County while serving the artistic and cultural needs of Fairfax County residents.
Donor Name: ArtsFairfax
State: Virginia
County: Fairfax County (VA)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 07/15/2025
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
As ArtsFairfax embraces the county’s One Fairfax racial and social equity policy, artists and arts organizations receiving ArtsFairfax grants must intentionally examine their operations, programs, and services to ensure that equity, diversity, access, and inclusion are taken into consideration with decision-making, development, and implementation.
Objectives
The ArtsFairfax Project Support Grant Program seeks to:
- Provide financial and other means of support to both established and emerging arts organizations.
- Promote opportunities for arts organizations of all disciplines to create, present, and celebrate their artistic endeavors.
- Be a catalyst for increased private sector support for arts organizations through leveraged public funding.
- Encourage wide participation in the arts through diverse cultural programming available to all residents of Fairfax County.
- Support activities that would not normally be part of your organization’s usual activities.
Categories
There are four subcategories within the Project Support Grant Program. An organization can submit one grant application in a single subcategory. The subcategories are:
- Arts in Education: Arts in Education projects provide high-impact art experiences. Projects may take place in schools, after-school programs, or nonprofit agencies such as art centers, social service agencies, and parks and recreation facilities that provide services to youth and/or adults. Projects can support artist’s fees and travel, space rental, transportation, advertising, publicity, scripts, costumes, sets, props, music, art supplies, and equipment rental or purchase.
- Opportunity: Opportunity projects provide the resources for an organization to take advantage of an atypical or out-of-the-ordinary opportunity that otherwise would be out of reach. Opportunity projects should further the growth and development of the applicant organization or engage audiences in new arts experiences. Projects can support performances by guest artists, activities, or infrastructure enhancements including programs, exhibitions, and performances for diverse populations (including, but not limited to age, race, cultural background, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, marital status, disability, socio-economic status, or neighborhood of residence) and/or in underserved areas of the County.
- Partnerships with Individual Artists, Artist Teams/Cooperatives, and/or non-501(c)(3) Arts Groups: Partnerships enable a nonprofit arts organization to collaborate with an artist, artist teams/cooperatives, and/or non-501(c)(3) arts groups. The nonprofit arts organization must serve as the applicant. Projects can support the production of public art, performances, exhibitions, workshops, commissions, arts in education projects, and culturally unique projects that directly benefit artistic development and recognition.
- Arts Access: Arts Access projects strengthen arts engagement by allocating resources to underserved and economically disadvantaged communities and districts. These projects provide arts programming and reduce the costs of or distance to high-quality arts experiences (theater productions, concerts, presentations, exhibitions, learning, workshops. etc.) in communities where limited arts access has been documented. Arts and cultural organizations located in these communities as well as organizations from throughout the County and Cities of Fairfax and Falls Church may apply.
Funding Information
Applicants may request $1,000-$25,000.
Grant Period
Occur within the dates of July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026.
Eligibility Criteria
- An organization is eligible to apply if:
- It has as a core mission the creation, exhibition, presentation, production, or performance of and/or education in an arts discipline and is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with current or pending status.
- It has regular activity in a minimum of four different months in the year or 120 days of the year.
- It presents at least 51% of public arts activities within the geographical boundaries of Fairfax County, the City of Fairfax, or the City of Falls Church.
- The organization must have an address of record within the geographical boundaries of Fairfax County, the City of Fairfax, or the City of Falls Church and satisfy ONE of the following three criteria for at least one year:
- Meet, rehearse, exhibit, and operate within the geographical boundary of Fairfax County, the City of Fairfax, or the City of Falls Church.
- 51% of board of directors’ members work or reside in Fairfax County, the City of Fairfax, or the City of Falls Church.
- 51% of attendees at performances, exhibits, events, and activities reside in Fairfax County, the City of Fairfax, or the City of Falls Church evidenced through acceptable statistical data including but not limited to ticket analysis, subscription data, box office surveys, and audience surveys.
- Additional eligibility requirements:
- An organization must be in compliance with all local, state, and federal laws.
- If an organization does not hold 501(c)(3) status in its own right they may have a fiscal sponsor that holds 501(c)(3) status. The fiscal sponsor must manage all grant funds and ensure compliance with the terms of the grant if an award is made.
- An organization must have independently prepared financial statements such as an audit or a treasurer’s report (audit required for organizations with expenses of $750,000 and above).
- The applicant must have submitted all required final reports for any grants received from ArtsFairfax during the previous fiscal year.
- The applicant must maintain an ArtsFairfax Directory profile and list activities on the Events Calendar on the ArtsFairfax website.
For more information, visit ArtsFairfax.
