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Tribal Cultural Grant  


Funding for Fiscal Year 2025 (July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025)

This non-competitive grant offers funding for Washington State Federally-recognized Tribes to support Tribal communities as they expand, enhance, or create space for art and culture that is respectful and responsive to each community’s needs.  
 

Funding amounts

The current allocation amount per application this cycle is $18,000 per Tribe if all 29 Tribes apply. The application includes space for each Tribe to identify an additional funding request that will be considered if additional funding becomes available, or if all Tribes do not apply. Funding not requested by the closing date will be reallocated as additional funding to those that applied.
 

Background

In 2023 the Washington State Legislature provided funding to the Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA) to support Washington Tribal Communities’ arts and culture. Funding will be distributed through a series of grants that may be used for a broad array of arts and / or cultural-related activities and programs.  

The first round of grant funding was awarded to 20 of the 29 Federally recognized Tribes (all Tribes who applied) in March in the amount of $552,700.  

Projects that this initial funding supported included: Supplies and instruction for regalia making, a Tribal language dictionary and children’s books, support for culture teacher’s salaries, murals and art for a Tribal youth center and a Tribal health center, a Lushootseed language camp and much more.
 

Eligibility 

  • Applicants must be a Washington State Federally-recognized Tribe. 
  • Each Tribe may submit one application, but the application may support several different projects.  
  • For recipients of the Fiscal Year 2024 (July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024) Tribal Arts Grant: You can apply at any time while the application is open, but you will be ineligible to receive Fiscal Year 2025 (July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025) Cultural Grant funding until your final report for Fiscal Year 2024 is complete. 
  • Funds may support Tribal cultural activities: this will be determined by your Tribe including but not limited to language, foodways, gathering spaces, classes or mentorships, regalia making, carving, weaving, Tribal museums, support for culture teachers, and more.  
  • If you have a question about whether your project is appropriate for the funding, please reach out to us.  


Important Dates 

  • Application open June 17, 2024 – September 30, 2024, at 5pm 
  • Early applications, submitted by July 15, will receive notification August 15, 2024 
  • Applications submitted by September 30, will receive notification by November 15, 2024 
  • Agreements distributed no later than November 15, 2024 
  • Deadline to utilize funding June 30, 2025 
  • Final reports due August 31, 2025 

 
What are ArtsWA’s Tribal Cultural Grant Priorities? 

  • Support Washington Tribal communities as they expand, enhance, and create space for art and culture, in a way that is respectful and responsive to each community’s needs. 
  • Support projects, programs, and services spanning a diversity of cultural/art disciplines and traditions. 
  • Foster equity and expand the creative economy by funding Tribes and Indigenous artists that have historically been excluded from government arts funding. 

 
What We Can and Cannot Fund

As a state agency, there are restrictions on what ArtsWA can support.  

Examples of what we can fund: 

  • Artist, teaching artist, and contractor fees 
  • Tribal museum support including, exhibitions, collections, enhancements, planning and consultations 
  • Rent (equipment or space)  
  • Travel expenses for in-state artists or consultants  
  • Materials, supplies, software, and technology 
  • Administrative expenses, including printing costs, postage, and other administrative fees  
  • Fees for increasing access to programming such as closed captioning, translation services, interpreters, or consultant support on these efforts  
  • Support of Native/Indigenous artists for start-up funds (business license, website development, technology) 
  • Expenses for Tribal cultural classes 

What we cannot fund: 

  • Expenses outside the current grant period 
  • Activities that have occurred prior to the period designated by the agreement 
  • Requests to cover previous losses incurred by the Tribe  

If you have questions about whether your project is appropriate for this funding, please reach out to us. 


What happens after you apply? 

  1. Submission confirmation: You will immediately receive an automated message from Submittable confirming your application was submitted successfully. Make sure you have notifications@email.submittable.com listed as a safe sender for your inbox. 
  2. Staff will contact you: Tribal Cultural Affairs staff will contact you directly over email or phone about your proposed project(s). All applications are reviewed for completeness and eligibility, we will let you know if there is anything missing in your application. Double check to make sure your contact information is correct so that we can reach you! 
  3. Agreement issued: Eligible applicants will be officially notified of award and issued their agreement by either August 15, 2024, or November 15, 2024. Your authorizing official can sign the agreement digitally or with ink.
  4. Payment: Tribes must select to receive their funds in advance of project expenses or as reimbursement. If you choose Advance Payment, you can receive your funds as soon as you sign your invoice (included in your agreement). If you choose Reimbursement, you will simply sign your invoice (included in your agreement) and let us know when you are ready to receive your funds or submit the signed invoice when you are ready to be reimbursed. It usually takes a few weeks for funds to arrive after they are requested. 
  5. Final Report: Final reports are short and usually take about 15 minutes to complete. They will be available in Submittable after your payment is sent. This report is vital for the continued success of the Tribal Cultural Affairs program and our ability to continue providing support for Washington's Tribal communities. This information will be used for upcoming appeals to the state legislature for additional funding for future grants and programming. Photo documentation is also extremely valuable when explaining the importance of this funding and the projects that it supports - we ask that you share photos of your projects! (There is an easy photo upload link in the report.)  

 
Submittable Tips 

  • Saving: Save your application as you work on it by clicking the "Save Draft" button located at the end of this webpage. You can log out and log back in, take a break, or work on your application over several days without losing your data. 
  • Collaboration: If multiple people from your organization will be contributing to your application, invite them to collaborate by clicking on the "Invite Collaborators" button located at the top right of this webpage. 
  • Required Questions: Questions marked with a red asterisk '*' must be completed before you submit your application. You will not be able to submit your application if any required questions have been left unanswered. 
  • Submitting: Once you have completed your application, click the "Submit" button at the end of this webpage. You will receive an automated email confirming that your application has been successfully submitted. 
  • Print or download a copy of your application by navigating to your "Personal Submissions" account list. Click on your Application submission. This will open up the submission's details page, where you can click the Download button in the upper right of the viewing box. 


Questions? 

Cheryl Wilcox, Tribal Cultural Affairs Manager, at 360-485-1278 or cheryl.wilcox@arts.wa.gov
Todd Clark, Tribal Cultural Affairs Program Lead at 360-485-1223 or todd.clark@arts.wa.gov

Questions about Submittable:

Linnea Ingalls, Tribal Cultural Affairs Program Coordinator, at 360-252-9969 or linnea.ingalls@arts.wa.gov 

 

We use Submittable to accept and review our submissions.