Young Professionals Grant

The ArtsWave Young Professionals Grant Program supports arts and cultural projects intended to attract, engage, and retain young professionals in the Greater Cincinnati region. ArtsWave identifies the attraction and retention of young professionals as a regional priority and notes that Cincinnati has experienced slower growth in young professionals compared with peer regions. The program builds on ArtsWave research indicating that arts engagement can strengthen residents' connections to the community. For this program, a Young Professional is defined as a person in the workforce under age 40. Proposed projects should engage young professionals through the arts, deepen their roots in the region, and contribute to a better quality of life. Eligible projects may receive seed funding for development of a new project or support for an existing project that demonstrates an expansion of impact. A project must consist of a specific, connected set of activities with a start date, end date, and explicit goals and objectives. Projects containing multiple components or event dates must have a cohesive theme. Strong proposals should be well designed, participatory, and social; directly engage Young Professionals; and align with ArtsWave's Blueprint for Collective Action 2.0. Projects must take place between September 1, 2026 and August 31, 2027 and cannot be completed before notification of the grant award. Awards may fund requests partially or in full, up to $10,000. There is no matching requirement. Up to 10 percent of the grant request may be allocated to general administration and overhead, and the total project budget cannot exceed 50 percent of the organization's total annual operating budget. Eligible applicants must have a 501(c)3 designation, be non-profit in nature, or have a non-profit fiscal agent. For-profit businesses are ineligible. Applicants must dedicate a majority, at least 51 percent, of annual expenditures to arts and cultural activities and have a primary mission of providing public programs or activities directly concerned with arts or cultural heritage. Organizations must be based in the Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN MSA, specifically Brown, Butler, Clermont, Hamilton, or Warren County in Ohio; Boone, Bracken, Campbell, Gallatin, Grant, Kenton, or Pendleton County in Kentucky; or Dearborn, Franklin, or Ohio County in Indiana. Applicants must also have completed all requirements associated with previous ArtsWave grants and sponsorships. A project already funded through another ArtsWave project grant is ineligible, although recipients of other ArtsWave grant programs may propose a different eligible project. Sustaining Impact grantees may propose a new project outside regular programming supported by their general operating grant. Applications must be submitted through ArtsWave's Submittable online grantmaking system. Applicants new to ArtsWave must schedule an introductory call or meeting before the application deadline. The application requests organization and grant contact information, leadership and staffing information, EIN or tax ID, nonprofit or fiscal-agent information, an organization description, previous ArtsWave funding, and an organization logo. Project materials include a project title, project history information when applicable, a short project summary, Blueprint for Collective Action alignment, a detailed program description, an explanation of engagement with young professionals, organizational capacity, projected participation, project dates, a monthly or more detailed timeline, objectives and assessment methodology, collaborators, resource opportunities used, and an example of the organization's work. Financial materials include the requested grant amount, FY2027 annual operating budget, total project budget, a description of how grant funds will be spent, the most recent annual financial statement or Form 990, the ArtsWave Young Professional Grant Budget Form, and the organization's nonprofit determination letter. A fiscal agent agreement and fiscal agent EIN or tax ID are required when applicable, and an authorizing official must certify the application assurances. Applications are evaluated by a panel of community volunteers and awarded by the ArtsWave Board of Directors using criteria totaling 100 points. Clear project outcomes and assessment, alignment with the Blueprint for Collective Action, engagement of regional Young Professionals, organizational capacity, feasibility within the proposed timeline, and appropriateness of the grant request and project budget are evaluated, with each worth 15 points. The organization's history of arts programming is worth 10 points. Applicants can use optional support opportunities including an online Grant Overview Session on August 19, 2026, Grant Writing Workshops on August 20 and September 10, 2026, and early submission feedback. Draft applications submitted by September 9, 2026 may receive ArtsWave staff feedback and must subsequently be edited and resubmitted by the final deadline. One-on-one support may be requested no later than one week before the application deadline. The final application deadline is September 21, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and late applications will not be accepted. The funding decision is scheduled for October 28, 2026. Upon award notification, recipients must submit a grant acceptance form, and ArtsWave may request an updated budget when the recommended award is less than the original request. A single grant payment is issued after receipt of the grant acceptance form. Final reports are due upon project completion and no later than August 31, 2027, and all grant requirements must be submitted through Submittable. Organizations with an outstanding previous final report are ineligible for additional funding. Application questions and requests for support may be directed to Nick To, Grant Programs Manager, at nick.to@artswave.org or 513-632-0123. The guidelines do not explicitly state that this grant opportunity recurs annually or provide a future application cycle beyond FY2027.

Design a well-planned, participatory and social project that directly engages Young Professionals and clearly aligns with the Blueprint for Collective Action. Define clear outcomes and explain both the measures and methodology used to assess success. Demonstrate organizational capacity, a feasible project timeline, and a history of arts programming. Ensure the requested amount is appropriate and the project budget is sufficient. Use optional early submission feedback by submitting a draft by September 9, 2026 when useful, then make edits and resubmit by the September 21 deadline. Begin the Submittable application well before the deadline to address technical concerns.