Artist Tiffany Hammonds celebrating completion of a work at Spaceworks Tacoma's Star Bazaar

Artist Tiffany Hammonds celebrating completion of a work at Spaceworks Tacoma's Star Bazaar

FUNDing opportunities

The Comprehensive Organizational Support and Impact Funding application deadlines for the 2024-25 funding year have passed. Please check in January 2025 for information on the next funding cycle.

We encourage interested organizations to read through the eligibility information, and the 2024-25 Application Guidelines for more information.

Tacoma Creates funds eligible arts, culture, heritage, and science non-profit organizations to support their public programming work, with a focus on equity, access, and public benefit. 

Funding is distributed with the following five primary funding goals in mind:

  1. Support public programs in arts, culture, heritage, and/or science that engage community members in Tacoma

  2. Increase access to these programs, and reduce barriers to participation, especially for historically underserved populations, and within neighborhoods across Tacoma

  3. Support programming by and for culturally or ethnically specific communities, and/or other underrepresented groups

  4. Expand access to youth education programs in arts, culture, heritage, and science

  5. Support the sustainability of cultural sector organizations in Tacoma

Tacoma Creates offers two funding opportunities: Impact Funding and Comprehensive Organizational Support. These funding opportunities support a wide variety of public programs that advance arts, culture, heritage, and science. This includes but is not limited to presentations, workshops, exhibitions, events, festivals, youth education programs, and educational programs for all ages. All programming supported by Tacoma Creates must take place within the city of Tacoma, and organizations must be based in Tacoma in order to apply for funding.

Organizations may submit only one application. Funding is determined through a competitive application process. The number of contracts awarded, and the funding amount for each contract, is based on: a) availability of funds, b) review of each application by a review panel, based on the evaluation criteria detailed in these guidelines, and c) approval of the review panel’s funding recommendations by the Tacoma Creates Advisory Board. Organizations that have received previous Tacoma Creates funding may apply every year, however, funding from year to year is not guaranteed.

If you are an individual artist looking for funding, or a non-arts organization that produces occasional arts programming, please visit the Arts & Cultural Vitality Division website, where you will be able to find more information about other funding opportunities.

If you are looking for information on public art opportunities, please visit the Public Art page on the City of Tacoma’s website.

If you are looking for funding for heritage projects and/or historic preservation, please visit the City of Tacoma’s Historic Preservation website.

If you are looking for funding for environmental and/or sustainability projects, please visit the City of Tacoma’s Environmental Services website.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES Tacoma Creates funds eligible arts, culture, heritage, and science non-profit organizations to support their public programming work, with a focus on equity, access, and public benefit. Funding is distributed with the following five primary funding goals in mind: Support public programs in arts, culture, heritage, and/or 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/or other underrepresented groups Expand access to youth education programs in arts, culture, heritage, and science Support the sustainability of cultural sector organizations in Tacoma Tacoma Creates offers two funding opportunities: Impact Funding and Comprehensive Organizational Support. These funding opportunities support a wide variety of public programs that advance arts, culture, heritage, and science. This includes but is not limited to presentations, workshops, exhibitions, events, festivals, youth education programs, and educational programs for all ages. All programming supported by Tacoma Creates must take place within the city of Tacoma, and organizations must be based in Tacoma in order to apply for funding. Funding is determined through a competitive application process. The number of funding contracts awarded, and the funding amount for each contract, is based on availability of funds, as well as review of each application by a review panel, based on the published evaluation criteria. Organizations may submit only one application per year, and funding from year to year is not guaranteed. Applications for both funding opportunities are currently closed. The next opportunity to apply will be in early 2021, for the funding cycle that will go from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022. In the meantime, we encourage future applicants to read through the Eligibility information and the 2020 Guidelines documents for more information. Updated materials for the next funding cycle will be posted by the end of January, 2021. Sign up for the newsletter to receive updates. You can learn more about Impact Funding and Comprehensive Organizational Support by clicking the buttons below. If you are an individual artist looking for funding, or a non-arts organization that produces occasional arts programming, please visit the Office of Arts & Cultural Vitality website, where you will be able to find more information about other funding opportunities. If you are looking for funding for heritage projects and/or historic preservation, please visit the City of Tacoma’s Historic Preservation website. If you are looking for funding for environmental and/or sustainability projects, please visit the City of Tacoma’s Environmental Services website.