Festival Grants support organizations in their efforts to provide quality arts programming through festival activities and are awarded to assist with the costs of connecting artists (or their artistic work) with communities.
Festivals allow communities to share artistic and cultural traditions which can create vibrant opportunities and experiences for community members and visitors. A festival is often a person’s first experience and point of entry with the arts and can serve as a bridge to new kinds of arts attendance.
Festivals may be multidisciplinary in scope and often feature arts engagement opportunities. Festival activities can include various performing, visual and literary arts, food, and traditional demonstrations, but also may be specific to an artistic discipline.
Eligible applicant organizations producing such festivals:
- are based in the State of Arizona
- have a minimum of 1 year of arts related programming
- are incorporated with the IRS as a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization (or have a formal agreement with a nonprofit fiscal sponsor) OR are a unit of government (local or tribal)
For example, eligible organizations include local arts agencies, tribal cultural organizations, government departments or agencies, university/college departments, and other nonprofit arts, cultural and social service organizations.
For the purposes of this grant program, a Festival is defined as an event that is a periodic—often annual—gathering or celebration that happens in a condensed period of time, featuring a varied and curated program of events, having an easily identifiable and unifying theme or specified focus. Eligible festivals must demonstrate a thematic emphasis on arts and culture in their programming.
Festival activities must last a minimum of one four-hour day and may only span the duration of two consecutive weekends. For this grant program, festival activities can include juried processes, but scholarships, pageants or standalone award ceremonies are ineligible.
Eligible organizations may apply for funding to support an annual festival in one of three ways:
In-person Festivals
For organizations producing public, in-person festivals. These applicants will be required to describe their COVID compliance plans in the application.
Virtual Festivals
For organizations whose festival activities will happen virtually. “Virtual” here denotes that festival project activities are not available to the public to experience live and in-person and will be made available for public consumption through digital platforms.
Professional Development
For organizations who have an established annual festival but may not be resuming festival activities in the upcoming year. This track supports professional development for festival-producing arts organizations looking to strengthen audience engagement, social media presence, artistic portfolio, community presence, outreach, and/or accessibility. Applicants must identify the specific professional development opportunity that they wish to pursue.
In-person Festivals
Award Range: $1,000 – $5,000
Eligible Expenses:
Contracted Artistic Services and Artist Fees
Includes guest artist contractual fees including travel, lodging, and per diem expenses.
Production Expenses
Includes insurance, sound, lighting, and equipment rental and operation for the artistic project only.
Space Rental
Includes stage, space, or venue rental for the artistic project only.
Marketing/Promotion
Includes contracted graphic design services the purchase of advertising space and creation of digital and printed promotional materials for the entire event.
Accessibility Services
Includes closed captioning, interpretation, and translation services, visual enhancements, and listening guides.
Public Health and Safety Compliance
Includes personal protective equipment, cleaning and sanitation services, and equipment/structuring to support distancing.
Virtual Festivals
Award Range: $1,000 – $5,000
Eligible Expenses:
Contracted Artistic Services and Artist Fees
Includes guest artist contractual fees including travel, lodging, and per diem expenses.
Production Expenses
Includes insurance, sound, lighting, and equipment rental and operation for the artistic project only.
Space Rental
Includes stage, space, or venue rental for the artistic project only.
Marketing/Promotion
Includes contracted graphic design services the purchase of advertising space and creation of digital and printed promotional materials for the entire event.
Accessibility Services
Includes closed captioning, interpretation, and translation services, visual enhancements, and listening guides.
Digital Operations
Includes fees related to video live-streaming services, webinar and conferencing platforms, closed captioning, translation and interpretation services, and event management systems.
Professional Development
Award Range: $500 – $1,000
Eligible Expenses:
Audience Engagement
Includes consultation fees and services related to community impact assessment, analyses, and strategy-building.
Digital Services
Includes fees related to social media branding, web development, and organizational data collection and analysis.
Marketing
Includes consultation fees and services related to marketing and budget-making, increased financial data literacy, strategizing, and decision-making.
When you’re ready, click on “Apply Now” below. This will take you to the Submittable platform. You do not have to complete the application in one session; Submittable allows you to save a draft of your application and complete/submit it later.
Please review the FY2022 Festival Grant Guidelines thoroughly before beginning your application.
Primary Staff Contact
Brad DeBiase
Programs and Grants Coordinator
Phone: (602) 771-6534
Email: [email protected]
Technical Support
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (855) 467-8264, ext. 2
Web: help.submittable.com
Online Information Session
In this recording of an info session originally presented on August 19, Brad walks attendees through the grant guidelines, eligibility requirements, application questions, and review criteria.
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Grant Guidelines: Festival Grants
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Budget Form: Festival Grants
