Our Impact: Cultural Arts

We are pleased to phase multi-year grants into this program, offering up to $7,500 per year for a total of up to $22,500 over three consecutive years.

Applicants who were funded in the last round may reapply for a two-year grant. Applicants who were not funded in the last round may apply for a three-year grant.

Funding will support general operations of organizations that are doing work related to two key program goals:

• Increase culturally representative arts programming
• Increase the arts in public and community spaces

We anticipate making a total of +/- 20 awards to returning and new applicants. It is our intention to then pause public calls for proposals for two years while we work with this cohort of approximately 20 grantees.

• Nonprofit, 501(c)(3) arts organizations serving one or more Triangle Counties (Wake, Durham, Orange, Chatham); Projects with a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor are eligible to apply. If you need assistance identifying a fiscal sponsor, please feel free to reach out to Sarah Guidi: sarahg@trianglecf.org.
• Organizations that:
  • have a history of promoting arts programming that is created by and/or centers communities of color or other communities that are underrepresented in cultural arts spaces in the Triangle; and/or
  • have a history of creating public arts projects, particularly in neighborhoods, rural places, or other places where there is otherwise limited arts available to the community
• Organizations must meet the Foundation’s non-discrimination policy.
• Only one application per organization will be considered.

Foundation staff work with volunteer advisory committee members to review proposals and reach grantmaking decisions. In reviewing grant proposals, the Foundation will use the following evaluation criteria:

• Alignment of organization’s current / planned arts programming with program goals:
  • Increase culturally representative arts programming
  • Increase the arts in public and community spaces
• Organization’s track record of delivering programming that aligns with program goals (see above)
• Commitment to equity and community engagement
• Organization’s financial health

We will seek to have a grantee cohort that reflects a diversity of art expressions and mediums, represents the four counties Triangle Community Foundation serves (Chatham, Durham, Orange, and Wake), and includes organizations with small, medium, and large budgets.

A virtual information session will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, June 23, 2021 from 1:30 – 2:30pm. Registration is required! Register here.

This information session will be recorded and posted here following the live session.

We have compiled a listing of frequently asked questions that we have received about grant strategy and the overall process. We will continuously update this as we have more conversations with nonprofit organizations. If you have a question not outlined here, please reach out directly to program staff at the contact information below.

We want to be as transparent and accessible as possible. If you have general questions about the grant, the Cultural Arts program strategy or would like to know if your organization or proposal is a fit for this process, do not hesitate to reach out to Sarah Guidi.