The ArtsWave Young Professionals Grant provides up to $10,000 in project support for arts organizations to develop or expand programming that engages young professionals (YPs) in the Cincinnati-Middletown OH-KY-IN metropolitan region. The program recognizes the importance of attracting and retaining a workforce that includes younger residents and uses the arts as a strategy to build community engagement and regional vitality.
Eligible projects may include new program development or short-term operating support for existing programs with demonstrated success in connecting young professionals. Funded activities must be participatory, social, and aligned with ArtsWave’s Blueprint for Collective Action, which emphasizes deepening roots in the region, bridging divides, enlivening neighborhoods, and fueling creativity and learning.
Applicants must be nonprofit organizations or have a nonprofit fiscal sponsor, with at least 51% of annual expenditures dedicated to arts and cultural programming. They must be based in the Cincinnati MSA, which covers 17 counties across Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. Organizations with outstanding grant requirements or overlapping ArtsWave project grant funding for the same initiative are not eligible.
The FY2026 application cycle opens August 11, 2025, and closes September 22, 2025, at 5 p.m. EST. Funding decisions will be announced October 22, 2025. Projects must take place between September 1, 2025, and August 31, 2026, but may not be completed before award notification. Final reports are due no later than August 31, 2026.
Funds may cover 100% of eligible project costs, with up to 10% allocated to administration and overhead. There is no matching requirement. Applications are reviewed by a panel of community volunteers and scored on project design, alignment with ArtsWave’s blueprint, community engagement, feasibility, and budget appropriateness.
Schedule an intro call if new to ArtsWave. Submit draft by September 3 for feedback. Highlight direct YP engagement and alignment with ArtsWave Blueprint. Be clear on feasibility if partially funded.
