Which funding category is right for my organization?

Both Comprehensive Organizational Support and Impact Funding categories support non-profit organizations in presenting public cultural programs in Tacoma. There are three primary ways in which the funding categories differ: the Eligibility requirements, the expectations for the Scope of Work, and the Amount of Funding that organizations may request in their application. The information below is a summary of similarities and differences between the two programs. For more complete information, refer to the Impact Funding and Comprehensive Organizational Support pages, where you will find Eligibility details and the complete program Guidelines.

We encourage organizations with further questions about eligibility and/or funding categories to reach out to staff at tacomacreates@cityoftacoma.org for support.

Eligibility

For both categories, organizations’ primary purpose must be to advance and/or preserve arts, culture, heritage, and/or science.
For both categories, organization must provide programming for the public within Tacoma city limits.

Comprehensive Organizational Support

Impact Funding

In the Comprehensive Organizational Support category, organizations must:

Be a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation
Have a two-year history of providing public programming in Tacoma
Be located in the City of Tacoma.

For the Impact Funding category, there are a few exceptions to the eligibility requirements listed for Comprehensive Organizational Support:

It is possible to apply with a Fiscal Sponsor if your organization does not have 501(c)(3) status
The two-year history is not required
Organizations based outside of Tacoma but within Pierce County may be eligible if they provide at least 65% of their programming within the City of Tacoma and meet all other eligibility requirements.

If your organization is a Business District Association or a Neighborhood Council, or an Affiliate Cultural Program within a larger non-profit, there are special eligibility categories explained in the Impact Funding section.

Scope of Work For both funding categories, organizations must demonstrate a commitment to equitable and inclusive cultural programs, and must strive to expand public access.
Comprehensive Organizational Support	Impact Funding
In the Comprehensive Organizational Support category, organizations are required to offer: Multiple programs and events throughout the year, and General Public Programs, and Youth Education Programs, and Programming in different neighborhoods in Tacoma.	In the Impact Funding category, organizations may offer: Multiple programs throughout the year, OR one single program/event General Public Programs and/or Youth Education Programs Programming in different neighborhoods OR programming in just one location.

Amount of Funding

There are different funding levels for each category:

Comprehensive Organizational Support

Impact Funding

In the Comprehensive Organizational Support category:

Applicants in this category may request up to 15% of the organization’s total annual budget, based on the average of actual income over the last three completed fiscal years, up to a maximum of $400,000 per 12-month funding cycle.

In the Impact Funding category:

Applicants may request a minimum of $3,000 and up to $60,000 per funding cycle
The funding request may be a maximum of 50% of the total cost of the proposed programming
Applications must demonstrate at least a 1:1 match of their resources to support the work, which may include volunteer time and donated materials and space as well as other cash resources.
There are two applications within this category
- Level A: for organizations requesting between $3,000 and $19,999, or for organizations only proposing Beyond the Bell / Club B classes/Summer Late Nights
- Level B: for organizations requesting between $20,000 and $60,000

Please visit the detailed eligibility sections and Application Guidelines below for each funding category to learn more, and contact tacomacreates@cityoftacoma.org with any questions.