Community Arts Grant Program

The Community Arts Grant Program is administered by Scottsdale Arts with funding provided by the City of Scottsdale. The program is designed to support Scottsdale-based arts and cultural organizations as well as organizations across the broader Valley that deliver programming within Scottsdale. Its overarching goal is to foster long-term growth, sustainability, and community engagement within Scottsdale’s arts and cultural ecosystem. By investing in diverse artistic initiatives, the program aims to strengthen cultural infrastructure while ensuring access to arts programming for a wide range of community members. The program offers two primary funding tracks: Project Grants and General Operating Support Grants. Both are intended to enhance the quality, reach, and sustainability of arts programming. Project Grants support specific initiatives, events, or programming efforts that serve the Scottsdale community, while General Operating Support Grants provide broader funding to sustain an organization’s overall mission and operations. Each grant type supports organizations that demonstrate strong alignment with artistic excellence, community impact, and organizational capability. Funding may be used for a wide variety of programmatic expenses tied to arts and cultural activities occurring within the defined grant period, which runs from September 1, 2026, through July 31, 2027. However, the program imposes clear restrictions on ineligible uses of funds. These include grants to individuals, construction or renovation projects, travel to conferences or workshops, fundraising-related expenses such as tickets or advertising, and after-school programs run by school personnel. The program also does not support multi-year funding commitments, reinforcing its focus on discrete funding cycles. Eligibility is limited to organizations that are recognized as 501(c)(3) nonprofit entities with arts or cultural programming embedded in their mission. Eligible disciplines include visual arts, literary arts, performing arts, and cultural enhancement activities. Applicants must demonstrate at least three years of consistent programming history prior to the application deadline. Additional geographic requirements apply depending on the grant type: project-based applicants must either be based in Scottsdale or provide programming within Scottsdale, while general operating applicants must maintain a primary business location within Scottsdale city boundaries. The application process opens on June 15, 2026, and closes on July 27, 2026. Applicants are required to submit a completed application along with supporting documentation, including budget forms, IRS determination letters confirming nonprofit status, board rosters, and supplemental materials such as letters of commitment. Project applicants must submit a detailed project budget, while general operating applicants must provide an organizational fiscal budget. Additionally, all applicants must submit financial data through DataArts, which serves as a standardized reporting system for nonprofit financial and programmatic data. Applications are evaluated based on criteria that include quality, impact, organizational capability, and budget integrity. For project grants, emphasis is placed on artistic quality, community impact, feasibility, and collaborative partnerships. For general operating grants, reviewers assess organizational impact, strategic clarity, financial health, and operational capacity. Notifications of funding decisions are expected in September following the application deadline. Awardees are required to complete a final report detailing expenditures, outcomes, and challenges associated with the funded activities. This report must be submitted within 90 days of project completion or by July 31, 2027, whichever comes first. Continued eligibility for future funding is contingent upon submission of this report. Organizations receiving funding are also expected to acknowledge support from Scottsdale Arts and the City of Scottsdale in promotional materials and public communications.

Align proposal with evaluation criteria including quality impact capability and budget; demonstrate community impact and strong planning; provide clear financial documentation and evidence of support