About the Grant
Community Project Grants provide competitive funding for projects, events, productions, festivals, and exhibitions that:
- Increase access to and participation in arts, culture, history, or science programming within our communities!
- Act as a catalyst for positive change through arts and culture-based community development (creative community development)
- Amplify diverse cultures and voices.
Maximum Request Amount: $5,000
Funding is competitive; not all projects of merit are able to be funded. Any applicant whose project will not be possible with partial funding must indicate so in the application.
United Arts funds may be used to support eligible project-related activities within the one-year grant period. Applicants will be notified if they include ineligible expenses in their project budget/ application.
Organizational Eligibility:
- Applicant organizations must have current 501(c)(3)status and current good standing with the state of Florida Division of Corporations as a nonprofit organization. United Arts will verify with at www.irs.gov and sunbiz.org.
- The nonprofit 501(c)(3) must be in Lake, Orange, Osceola or Seminole counties (United Arts uses the principal address listed on an organization’s W-9 and Sunbiz registration).
- The nonprofit organization must have a Unique Entity ID through the federal government to receive United Arts Funding (learn more about getting a Unique Entity ID here)
- Faith-based organizations who have 501(c)(3) status as long as the event is a non-faith-based program open to any segment of the population.
- Applicant organizations must be in good standing with any prior United Arts grant or contract reporting.
- Operating Support grantees are eligible to apply, but the project must be focused on increasing access in the community. The work must be either an expansion to new sites or a new program/service etc., being offered to a new community.
- For the purposes of this funding opportunity – United Arts is defining community as both place-based as well as population / social identity-based.
Organization Eligibility Restrictions:
Organizations are NOT eligible if they are:
- Organizations that are adjuncts to for-profit organizations. (“Friends of” organizations are eligible to apply only in lieu of the parent nonprofit organization.)
- A public or private entity governed by an agency of the state government.
- Fraternal or sports organizations.
- Political causes, candidates, organizations, or campaigns
In all cases, final eligibility decisions are made by United Arts staff. Approval of a previous project grant funding carries no assurance of continued funding in subsequent years.
Project Eligibility:
Projects based in the arts and culture, science or history that take place in Lake, Orange, Osceola, or Seminole counties and are open to the public. Exhibits, performances, festivals, arts education, outreach programs, and art-based community development activities are examples of typical projects. Professional artists must be involved in the planning and execution of each project. For arts education programming, teachers must have an arts background. Social and Human Service Organizations must partner with professional artists and/or arts organizations.
To see what the grant cannot fund, please download the Guidelines document.
Process and required information:
For requirements during the grant period, evaluation criteria, and required National Endowment for the Arts information, please download the Guidelines document.
Application Tips:
- Start early! Read these guidelines thoroughly and take note of any questions.
- Proofread! You can ask for a brief courtesy review by United Arts up to 2 weeks before the deadline.
- Gather the documents: organization financials (most recent IRS Form 990 or financial statements – balance sheet and income/expense statement), support materials (press, flyer/program, patron surveys, link to max 5 minutes of video, etc.) and Letter of Support
- Submit early! Leave extra time at the end in case you have questions or computer trouble. Missing documents or fields will prevent the submission of the application. Contact and project information for all grantees will be made available to the press, and United Arts may use quotes or pictures from applications or reports in publicity.
- Don’t stop here! Post your events for free on the Arts & Culture Calendar, powered by United Arts. Once you create an organizational listing, make sure to ask how to become a featured event, or get discounts listed in the weekly email.
For more information, please download the Guidelines document and additional resources below.
