Allen Family Philanthropies and ArtsFund award $10 million to 745 small arts groups across Washington
Grants of $2,500 to $25,000 went only to organizations with budgets under $1 million, in 37 of the state's 39 counties. The Community Accelerator Grant is renewed for 2027 with another $10 million.
Seattle. Allen Family Philanthropies and ArtsFund said on Nov. 10 that they had awarded $10 million in unrestricted grants to 745 arts and culture organizations across Washington state, all of them with annual budgets under $1 million. The two also renewed the program, the Community Accelerator Grant, for 2027 with another $10 million.
The grants range from $2,500 to $25,000 and reach organizations in 37 of the state's 39 counties. ArtsFund, a Seattle nonprofit that makes arts grants across the state, runs the program for a fourth year, and the foundation, formerly known as the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, pays for it. With the renewal, the program's funding comes to $50 million over five years, the partners said.
Smaller groups only this year
For 2026 the program funded only organizations with budgets under $1 million. The partners pointed to a report the foundation produced with SMU DataArts, a research center at Southern Methodist University, which found that organizations of that size lost an average of one staff position between 2023 and 2024, while those with budgets over $1 million added an average of five. Narrowing the pool raised the average grant by about 25 percent, from $10,753 in 2025 to $13,423 this year.
Of the 745 grantees, 496 are in Northwest Washington, 132 in Southwest, 67 in Eastern and 50 in Central Washington. They include 12 of the state's 29 federally recognized tribes, and more than 22 percent are in rural counties, according to the announcement. Almost half of this year's grantees have received a grant in all four years.
No reports required
The money carries no restrictions, and grantees do not have to report on how they spend it. As in every earlier round, they named programming as their first use, followed by salaries and labor, and then rent, mortgage and facility upgrades.
The Old Hotel Art Gallery in Othello, in Adams County, has received $25,000 in each year from 2024 through 2026. The announcement says the grants helped it pay staff a living wage, keep operating until its annual fundraiser and renovate its historic building, which now brings in rental income. Samantha Copas, its director, said the 2025 award "truly kept our doors open."
A Community Advisory Panel of 13 members from Washington and elsewhere in the country advises the program on its application, eligibility rules, awards and outreach. ArtsFund plans a virtual webinar in the spring for organizations that want to apply for the 2027 round, and says it will post details of that round on its website.
About this story
501c3.help wrote this story from the sources listed with it, not from material an organization sent. Our editors approved it on Nov. 11, 2026. Stories in The Nonprofit Herald are free, and nothing is asked in return. Editorial rules.
Found an error? Write to [email protected] and we will correct it.
For the organizations in this story: put the badge on your website
Put it on your About page or wherever you list press mentions, rather than in a footer that repeats on every page. It links to this story.
Linking is welcome and never required. Nothing about the story changes either way.