ArtsWA Community Investments

ArtsWA grants provide resources for organizations to create arts experiences with and for their communities. Our grants focus on cultural equity and expanding the creative economy, and support arts participation by ensuring that all people have culturally relevant access to the arts. State and federal funds support our grants.

  • Grants to Organizations (GTO) fund projects, programs, and services spanning artistic disciplines, cultures, and traditions. Programs reach audiences and arts professionals across the state. For additional information, please visit our website.
  • Arts in Education (AIE) supports arts learning as a part of basic education for all students PreK-12. This program expands arts education access through grants, professional development, youth leadership opportunities, and ongoing research. Creative Start (CS) is an AIE Program focused on Early Learning (PreK - 3) and includes grants for schools and regional leaders, community-based professional learning opportunities, and a studio of resources to support students, teachers, and families.
  • Wellness, Arts, & the Military (WAM) supports the growth of artists and arts organizations who have arts and wellness programs for military connected communities. WAM began in 2017 as a Community Connections Project supported by the NEA Creative Forces Military Healing Arts Network. Through summits, convenings, and key partnerships, the WAM program has grown to include arts programming grants, training, funding, and outreach.
  • Tribal Cultural Affairs Program (TCAP) works to support Washington tribal communities expand, enhance, or create space for art and culture that is respectful and responsive to each communities’ needs. Washington’s culture is richly rooted in tribal practices that have been taking place since time immemorial. TCAP fosters this by working with Indigenous communities to develop authentic and effective programming.

About ArtsWA

ArtsWA is the Washington State Arts Commission. The Washington State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts fund our programs. ArtsWA's grant programs are contingent on available state and federal funding. ArtsWA complies with all local, state and federal laws and regulations concerning civil and human rights. For more information regarding Washington State Arts Commission’s policies on Accessibility, Diversity, and Nondiscrimination, click here.

Photo credits: 

Left: Pacific Northwest Center for Architecture and Design. CallisonRTKL & Bayley Construction - Kaleidospace. Photo by Letao Tao, August 21, 2021. 

Center: The world premiere of RIVERWOOD by Andrew Lee Creech at Langston Seattle, directed by Shermona Mitchell. Co-produced by Seattle Public Theater and Langston Seattle. Photo by Truman Buffett, pictured: Brandon Jones Mooney and Jordan-Michael Whidbey, May 2022

Right: Urban ArtWorks mural apprentices and teaching artist work on panels for the FIRS Center in Seattle, 2022. 

The Grants to Organizations team would like to begin the new year by highlighting some of our grantees through a social media campaign. We would love to share your impactful work serving some of Washington’s most vulnerable communities who might be feeling uncertain in these times of transition.  

If you would like to be part of this campaign, please provide a brief description of your work serving children, older adults, immigrant communities, etc. 

  • 3-5 sentences   
  • 1-2 high resolution images
  • social media links to share 

Please note that no funding is associated with this request. We would appreciate receiving your response by January 6, 2025, for publication by February 5, 2025

ArtsWA Community Investments