APPLICATION OPENS MAY 14, 2024
Grant Information Session May 20, 2024 at 4:30pm - Register here
Grant Portal
FY25 Project Support Grant Guidelines
Project Support grants are awarded to individuals, groups, and nonprofit organizations for specific arts projects and programs which are determined to be of value to the community. Concerts, murals, performances, festivals, workshops, and readings are examples of projects eligible for funding through Project Support grants.
Program Overview
Grant Program Purpose
All projects, except murals, must include a community engagement activity. This includes projects and activities undertaken by an organization or group as part of a mission strategy to build deep relationships between the organization/group and the communities in which it operates for the purpose of achieving mutual benefit. Murals that are highly visible to the broader community are not required to provide an additional community engagement activity. Please see the section below on murals for more information.
Community Councils are welcome to apply for a project support grant for $2,500. All projects must be arts based and be accessible to the greater Salt Lake City community, neighborhood events should be open to the general public.
Program Structure
We aim to distribute approximately $70,000 in this grant category to an undetermined number of applicants in August 2024. Grants awards will be $2,500 or $5,000 and will be distributed based on adherence to the Evaluation Criteria. We anticipate a high number of competitive submissions to this program. Applicants are encouraged to adhere to the Evaluation Criteria whenever possible to maximize their score.
Projects must occur during the funding period for this grant. Round 1 Grant Cycle dates are September 1 of the current year through August 31 of the following year. Round 2 Grant Cycle dates are February 1 through August 31 of the current year.
Applicants may only submit one application annually to the City Arts Grants Program. You cannot apply or receive both a Project Support Grant and a General Operating Support Grant. There are no exceptions to this guideline, however, additional grant opportunities may become available and eligibility criteria and limitations will be made clear within those grant guidelines.
Grant Amounts
Project Support: $2,500 or $5,000
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for a Project Support grant, the applicant must:
- Be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization OR individual artist OR group of artists;
- All projects, whether facilitated by an organization, individual artist, or group of artists, must include community engagement activities, outreach efforts, or demonstrate social, educational, cultural, and/or economic relevance for the community. The Arts Council does not offer artists’ fellowships or awards.
- All projects and programs must occur within Salt Lake City (review Salt Lake City boundaries here);
- Show community support through one or more of the following:
- Have matching funds through cash, earned income, private or public support, or through a combination of these sources;
- Have in-kind support of goods or services;
- Provide one or more letters of support for the project;
- List confirmed partners of the project;
- Provide other evidence of community support such as a community survey requesting project, evidence of previous successful event, etc;
- Provide details of community engagement through past projects or initiatives.
- Perform services within the grant cycle beginning no earlier than September 1, 2024 and ending no later than August 31, 2025;
- If awards have been received in previous years, applicants must be in good standing prior to submitting future requests to the Salt Lake City Arts Council.
Funding Limitations
City Arts Grants cannot be awarded to:
- Projects already completed prior to the grant year;
- Programs or travel outside of Salt Lake City;
- For-profit business, such as a corporation or LLC;
- Debt reduction;
- Fundraising and benefit events;
- Capital expenditures;
- Programs and services must be open to the public and not restricted to members only;
- Projects which have already been funded by the Salt Lake City Arts Council;
- Research projects that do not contain an immediate and direct benefit to the community;
- Education/Tuition fees;
- Organizations and projects that receive direct financial support of 50% or more of the overall project or organizational budget from Salt Lake City Corporation.
Mural Requirements
Mural projects must abide by the eligibility requirements and funding limitations listed above, with the exception that mural projects are not required to include a community engagement activity. Up to $15,000 will be allocated towards murals in the community per project support grant cycle.
The approval of funding by the Salt Lake Arts Council does not verify that the mural meets all city ordinance requirements and it is the responsibility of the applicant to verify compliance.
To be eligible for a Project Support grant to support a mural, the applicant must:
- Secure a location with high public visibility on private property;
- Provide a letter from the property owner agreeing to the mural site and confirming they will adhere to the mural requirements listed in these guidelines;
- Adhere to the all public safety and maintenance standards and comply with the Americans for Disabilities Act (ADA), Salt Lake City requirements, and all other applicable laws, codes, and regulations, including the Salt Lake City Sign Ordinance and Historic Building Ordinance or any other State or Federal regulations for historic buildings/districts;
- Facilitate all required permitting, contracts/agreements, or regulatory requirements which are the responsibility of the property owner and or applicant;
- Maintenance and repair of the mural is the responsibility of the property owner and/or artist per their agreement. Murals are intended to last a minimum of three years. Anti-graffiti coating is strongly recommended;
- Provide an image of the wall where the mural will be installed.
Mural Funding Limitations
Murals cannot:
- Depict obscene, explicit material, or hate speech;
- Paint unpainted brick. Case by case considerations will be made for unpainted cinder block;
- Fund signs (see Salt Lake City Sign Ordinance).
Additional Requirements
Additional eligibility and/or limitations may be added at any time with written notice to funded projects.
Grant Application and Review Process
Project Support Round 1
For projects that occur September 1, 2024 through August 31, 2025:
- Application Opens: Tuesday, May 14, 2024
- Application Closes: Sunday, June 16, 2024 at 11:59pm
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No application submitted after this date will be accepted. Absolutely no exceptions will be made.
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- Salt Lake City Arts Council Committee Review Process: Summer 2024
- Salt Lake City Arts Council Board Meeting: August 2024
- Written Grant Notification: September 2024
- Grant Agreement Form Acceptance: September 2024
- First Grant Distribution of 50% of award: October 2024
- Final Grant Distribution: Upon completion and review of the final report
Project Support Round 2
For projects that occur February 1, 2025 through August 31, 2025:
- Application Opens: October 2024
- Application Closes: November 2024
- Salt Lake City Arts Council Committee Review Process: Winter 2024
- Salt Lake City Arts Council Board Meeting: January 2025
- Written Grant Notification: January 2025
- Grant Agreement Form Acceptance: January 2025
- First Grant Distribution of 50% of award: February 2025
- Final Grant Distribution: Upon completion and review of the final report
All Correspondence will be conducted through email. Please be sure that your account lists current contact information and that your email address is not filtering out any emails sent from
Evaluation Criteria
All applications will be scored in accordance with our scoring rubric, found here.
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Project Support
The breakdown of available points is as follows:
- Programming: 40%
- Community Impact: 40%
- Budget: 20%
Finance & Budget Information
All applicants must submit a detailed budget using the provided budget template, found here.
The budget should include clear detail on the income and expenses associated with this project. This does not include personal or organizational income that does not directly relate to this project.
The final budget form must be uploaded to the application as an Excel document.
- INCLUDE AMOUNT REQUESTED IN THE GRANT AMOUNT REQUESTED BOX.
- The budget must balance: Total income must equal total expenses.
- A balanced budget demonstrates your ability to administer and implement the proposed program.
- Include comments and explanations in the spreadsheet. Think of this portion of the application as a complement to the narrative describing how the expenses are calculated and shows fiscal responsibility in how granted funds will be used.
- Please provide a detailed budget narrative before submission, ensuring that all expenses related to this request are expended within, and in direct benefit of, Salt Lake City proper.
- The Salt Lake City Arts Council values paying artists professional wages. Organizations that pay artists for their services will be given priority.
Additional Support
Frequently Asked Questions
All questions or concerns regarding this grant program should be submitted in writing to
All questions and answers will be updated here as necessary.
QUESTION: I am a new applicant and creating a new account. What do I enter in the field asking for a business EIN?
- If you are applying as an individual artist or as a collective, please enter zeroes in this field. The business EIN is used to verify non-profit status for organizations applying.
Office Hours
Office hours are available during the application period for individuals to schedule a one-on-one meeting with the grants manager. The purpose of this meeting is to ask questions which are not answered in the Program Guidelines or Frequently Asked Questions. We are happy to help you with any additional technical or adaptive questions or concerns you may have, as well as answer specific questions you might have regarding your materials or application.
To schedule your 25 minute appointment with the grant administrator, please click here.
Contact Us
If you have any questions, please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions first. If your question is not answered please contact the Salt Lake City Arts Council Grants Program at
