Arts Access Grant

The Queens Arts Fund: Arts Access Grant supports community-based organizations and unincorporated artist collectives in delivering public arts and cultural programming throughout the borough of Queens, New York. The program is administered by the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) and funded by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs through the Greater New York Arts Development Fund in partnership with the City Council. It is one of two grant opportunities under the Queens Arts Fund (QAF), with the other being the New Work Grant for individual artists. Eligible applicants may request between $2,500 and $5,000 to fund projects occurring in any artistic discipline, provided the projects are based in Queens and have a public component. This public component must be accessible, culturally relevant to local audiences, and can take place in-person, virtually, or in hybrid form. Virtual events must include a live component targeted to a local Queens audience to meet the eligibility criteria. The grant prioritizes organizations with an annual operating budget under $100,000, and applicants must show proof of a Queens address. Organizations must be 501(c)(3) nonprofits or unincorporated collectives with at least one year of operating history. Applicants may only submit one proposal per calendar year and must designate a lead applicant aged 18 or older. Those who received the grant for three consecutive years, failed to submit past final reports, or applied for 2026 funds from other NYC Department of Cultural Affairs sources are ineligible. The application opens on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, at 10:00 AM ET and closes on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, at 5:00 PM ET. All applications must be submitted online via Submittable, and applicants are encouraged to apply early due to potential technical issues. Notifications of award decisions will be issued in Spring 2026, with contracting and payments to follow between April and May. Projects must be completed between January 1 and December 31, 2026. Eligible expenses include artist fees, technical assistance, supplies (under $1,000 per item), venue rentals, marketing, and in-state travel. Ineligible expenses include equipment over $1,000, capital acquisitions, catering, general operating costs, religious programming, and direct payments to children. NYFA requires applicants to cover at least 10% of their project costs from other sources. Applications are evaluated by peer review panels on artistic merit, community engagement, project clarity, and feasibility. Information sessions and one-on-one draft reviews are offered to support applicants, with sessions available live and on NYFA’s YouTube channel.

Attend live info sessions or review recordings. Draft reviews are available from October 20 to November 7, 2025. NYFA encourages early submission to avoid technical issues.