Project Development Grants

The Building for Equity: Project Development Grant is administered by 4Culture, a local cultural funding agency in King County, Washington. 4Culture derives its revenue primarily from lodging taxes, public art allocations, and other public funding sources to support arts, culture, heritage, historic preservation, and science and technology initiatives throughout the county. Through its Building for Equity initiative, 4Culture aims to address systemic inequities by funding the early phases of cultural facilities projects, offering both financial resources and strategic support to historically underserved communities. This grant program supports planning and development activities for cultural, historic, scientific, or artistic facilities. The funding is explicitly intended for pre-construction stages such as organizational or tribal readiness, project initiation and planning, capital fundraising preparation, and early design work. It offers up to $50,000 in funding per award and includes an additional benefit of up to 10 hours of free technical consultation through 4Culture’s Network of Support. The current funding pool totals $1.7 million. Eligible applicants include King County-based nonprofit organizations focused on arts, culture, science, technology, and historic preservation, as well as tribal governments, public agencies, and organizations fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The applicant must have an operating budget under $3.5 million and must either be located outside Seattle city limits or within a designated Community of Opportunity (COO). Science and technology-based applicants face additional eligibility criteria, including exclusion of universities, government agencies, and media outlets. Applications are evaluated on six criteria: quality and qualifications, feasibility, impact, advancing equity, economic impact, and strategic priorities such as serving marginalized communities or being located outside Seattle. The application includes ten questions about organizational capacity, community engagement, and facility development plans. Demographic information for staff and board members is required. The application deadline for the 2025 cycle is August 7 at 5:00 PM PDT. Workshops are available virtually on several dates in June and July, including a final office hours session on July 28. Applicants may be asked to participate in a brief follow-up interview or provide additional materials. Award notifications are expected approximately three months after the deadline. If funded, grantees must begin their work within one year and complete it within three years. Funds are distributed via reimbursement, although partial upfront payments are available. Support is available through dedicated program staff, including Jayden Robles, Maya Santos, and Lauren Miles, who provide guidance on eligibility, the application process, and technical assistance. Additional translation services and accessibility support are available upon request. Applications must be submitted through the 4Culture grant portal. A sample application and further resources are provided on the website to help applicants prepare strong submissions.

Attend a virtual workshop; review the sample application; contact staff with questions; use consultants for project framing.