Nonprofit Arts Event Grants

The City of Reno Arts & Culture Event Grants program is administered by the City of Reno Arts & Culture office to support one-time arts and culture events within the Reno city limits. These grants are designed to strengthen cultural life by funding free events open to the public, intended to attract the maximum number of people appropriate to the event and venue. The City emphasizes community engagement and social impact beyond traditional audiences, ensuring that events serve diverse and historically underserved populations. The funder, the City of Reno, seeks to contribute to vibrant, creative neighborhoods and provide broad access to cultural programming. The program supports a wide range of activities including community festivals, special performances, exhibitions, concerts, workshops, and other cultural events. Events may last for a single day, weekend, or up to one week. Recurring events taking place over longer periods do not qualify. Allowable expenses include personnel, artistic and production fees, space rental, travel, marketing, advertising, and other event-related costs. However, the funds cannot be used for capital improvements, equipment acquisition, projects furthering religious missions, fundraising, prizes, tours outside Reno, indirect costs, general operating expenses, or scholarships and research stipends. Grants operate on a reimbursement basis, with funds released only after required final reporting is complete. Eligibility is limited to nonprofit organizations or public institutions under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or qualified educational institutions. Applicants must be based in Reno or a nearby community such as Sparks, Incline Village, or Truckee, and must demonstrate at least one year of active programming history. Only one event grant may be awarded per organization, and all projects must occur within Reno city limits, be free to the public, and represent unique one-time events. A 10 percent cash match of the requested amount is required. Individual applicants are not eligible for funding. Applications are evaluated based on four major areas: the event itself, the community, inclusion and access, and the project budget. Reviewers assess the artistic and cultural merit of the event, the applicant’s capacity to engage target audiences, and the degree to which the project addresses diversity, equity, and accessibility. Proposals must also demonstrate financial feasibility, clear evidence of artist compensation, and compliance with the 10 percent cash match requirement. Strong applications will show an understanding of community needs, effective outreach to underserved groups, and evidence of participant feedback processes. For the 2026 cycle, applications opened in 2025 and must be submitted by 11:00 p.m. PT on September 30, 2025. Eligible projects must take place between January 1, 2026, and December 31, 2026. The City hosted an informational webinar on September 3, 2025, to assist prospective applicants. Grants will be disbursed only upon completion of a final report that includes a project budget, outcomes relative to goals, staffing and volunteer information, event examples, photographs, and mandatory audience surveys provided by the City of Reno. This grant is recurring on an annual basis, with prior cycles documented back to 2022. Recipients from previous years include organizations such as Arts for All Nevada, the Reno Philharmonic, the Holland Project, Nevada Humanities, and the Sierra Nevada Ballet. Funded projects ranged from music and dance festivals to cultural celebrations and free educational programming. These examples reflect the broad scope of support and the City’s interest in ensuring access to high-quality cultural experiences across Reno’s diverse communities. Applicants seeking more information or assistance should contact Erica Hill at HillE@reno.gov or by phone at 775-689-8459. Spanish-language assistance is also available through the City at 775-326-6333. All guidelines, forms, and workshop recordings are accessible via RenoCulture.com. Applicants are encouraged to carefully review eligibility, budget, and reporting requirements before applying.