Community Arts Grants

The Community Arts Grant, administered by Culture Works, is a regionally focused funding initiative aimed at supporting arts organizations in the Dayton Region of Ohio. This grant program is designed to offer general operating support to nonprofits that enrich community life through innovative performances, exhibitions, and educational programs accessible to all age groups. Culture Works, the coordinating organization, is a central figure in Dayton’s arts landscape and sustains this grant through its annual Campaign for the Arts, which rallies contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations across the community. Applicants to the Community Arts Grant are evaluated within two funding tiers based on their operating budgets. The General Operating Support (GOS) category serves organizations with annual budgets between $500,000 and $10 million, while the Community Arts Development (CAD) tier is open to organizations with budgets ranging from $100,000 to $499,999. The CAD tier, in particular, is designed to strengthen smaller arts nonprofits and ensure that a broad range of community-focused programming continues to thrive. Culture Works emphasizes a collaborative funding and feedback loop by involving community representatives—artists, patrons, administrators, and grant writers—in the review panel. Eligible applicants must meet stringent operational and organizational requirements. These include being an independent 501(c)(3) arts or cultural nonprofit with at least three years of operational history, maintaining a budget within the specified range over the past three fiscal years, and demonstrating fiscal responsibility via CPA-reviewed or audited financials. Additionally, applicants must have their administrative office and majority of programming located within 30 miles of Culture Works’ headquarters in Dayton. Faith-based organizations may apply only if all of their programming is open to the general public. Organizations receiving support from United Way or other united arts funds within the past two years are excluded. Grant funds may be used to support programming but cannot be allocated toward capital improvements, fundraising events, receptions, endowments, re-granting, or activities not open to the public. All grantee organizations are expected to participate in the Culture Works campaign ecosystem. Requirements include participation in Passport to the Arts, hosting board presentations by Culture Works staff, conducting internal board member giving campaigns, and supporting public campaign activities such as voucher distribution. First-time applicants must meet board campaign and leadership contribution requirements in the same year they apply. For the 2025–2026 grant cycle, ten organizations were awarded Community Arts Grants, including The Contemporary Dayton, Dayton Art Institute, Muse Machine, and others. This signals the program’s wide embrace of multidisciplinary arts and its commitment to fostering access for all residents. The 2026–2027 application cycle officially opens on February 23, 2026, with a submission deadline of April 3, 2026 at 4:00 PM ET. No late applications will be accepted. Contact for the grant is Rachel Evans Nead, Director of Grantmaking & Impact at Culture Works. This grant operates on an annual basis, with each cycle concluding before the next begins. Public panel reviews are held to ensure transparency, and recordings of past panels are made available via the funder's YouTube channel. While applications are submitted through the Culture Works platform, prospective applicants are encouraged to engage with staff early, especially if applying for the first time, to ensure alignment with eligibility and program expectations.