Project Support Program

The PSP funds arts and/or culture projects that engage Phoenix residents, including but not limited to, arts workshops, pop-up performances, and collaborations with artists. The program supports production, marketing, and guest artist fees/expenses.

Applications open every year and remain open for approximately six weeks. Proposed projects must occur between July 1 and June 30 of the upcoming fiscal year.

• Support arts and cultural projects across the City of Phoenix, especially artistic collaborations with full representation from all persons at the intersection of any age, race, culture, class, religion, sex, national origin, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression
• Fund projects which support the artistic and cultural work of young people or projects which introduce youth to arts and culture in the City of Phoenix
• Invest in projects that support and celebrate individual artists making an impact in the community

All info sessions are held virtually via WebEx and are in Arizona Time. A recording will be available on the grants page 24 hours after each session is held.  
Video one-on-one appointments and application consultations can be made with grants staff between January 22 and March 3, 2026. 

January 21: ​Guidelines published | Application opens​

January 27: Virtual info session recording (Password: ArtsFY27)  | Grabació de Sesión Informativa 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. (Contraseña: Arte27)

February 7:

Best Practices for Submitting your Grant presented by Sarah León 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Mejores prácticas para completar su solicitud presentado por Anel Arriola 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Januay 22 – March 3: One-on-one application consultations with staff

March 4 at 11:59 pm: ​Application deadline (staff is not available after 5 p.m.)

March 5 – 13: Eligibility review

March 5  – 15: Panel review meetings

To be eligible for the Project Support program, organizations must meet all the following criteria:

• Be based in the City of Phoenix and have a City of Phoenix physical address OR be based in Maricopa County, producing an in-person ethnically cultural festival in Phoenix, and serve mainly Phoenix residents
• Exist as one of the following applicant types:
• 501(c)3 organization (arts/culture or community-based
• Public K-12 school
• Youth collective:
  • Must have at least three members
  • Must have an umbrella non-profit organization or school as the primary applicant
• Arts collective:
  • Must have at least three members
  • Must have an individual identified as primary applicant
  • Must have a non-profit organization as a fiscal sponsor. See Fiscal Sponsor paragraph below
• Arts and Culture LLC (a prior three-year average income below $250,000) *

Note

• LLCs are subject to grant being taxed as income if not applying with a fiscal sponsor who has 501(c)3 tax-exempt status
• Arts and Culture LLCs cannot be a sole proprietorship
• All LLCs are checked against the Arizona Corporation Commission records
• All non-profit organizations are checked against the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search Tool for Phoenix address and status verification

Who cannot apply

• Any organization applying to the General Support Program is not eligible to apply for a project support grant​.
• Individuals or single-member LLCs
• Any division of local, state or federal government
• Organizations outside of the City of Phoenix not producing a cultural festival
• Schools, including public and charter not applying for a grant that benefits youth
• Colleges and universities, other City of Phoenix departments, auxiliary/affiliate organizations
• Religious institutions or religious group-sponsored organizations not open to participation by non-congregants
• Religious institutions or religious group-sponsored organizations whose arts programming exists as part of proselytization

Fiscal Sponsor

Fiscal Sponsor

Applicants who do not have 501(c)3 status are eligible to apply for a tax-exempt project grant using a fiscal sponsor. For applicants who are having trouble finding a fiscal sponsor, two options are Fractured Atlas. Any applicant with a fiscal sponsor must submit an MOU (memorandum of understanding) at the time of application, and the MOU must be signed by both parties. Fiscal sponsors do typically charge an administrative fee between 7% and 12% of the total grant award. Estimated fee should be included as a line item in the project budget. The Phoenix Department of Arts and Culture does not accept applications submitted by fiscal agents. Please contact us with any questions you have about fiscal sponsorship.

Applicants cannot change their fiscal sponsor after the application deadline.

Applicants can request up to $5,000.

The Project Support Program funds the following types of in-person projects as long as they take place within City of Phoenix boundaries AND primarily serve Phoenix residents​:

• Arts and Cultural Festivals
  
• Art Exhibitions (visual arts, media arts, design)
• Performances/readings (music, dance, literary, theatre)
• Art instruction (classes, demonstrations, lectures, and other instruction used to teach knowledge of and/or skills in the arts)

The Program supports the following expenses:

• ​Guest artist fees and associated costs
• Contracted positions related to the project (e.g. sound engineer, photographer, event coordinator)
• Staff salary related to the project (up to 15% of the awarded grant amount) 
  
• Production costs
• Marketing expenses
• Rental of venue, technological tools, chairs, table, etc. 
• Arts materials and supplies 
• Event insurance
• Permit fees
• Fiscal Sponsor fee
• Participant fees for community-based projects
• Food available to the community for free (up to 15% of the awarded grant amount)

The Project Support Program does not fund:

• Digital/print publishing projects
• Community Arts Grants Program General Support grantees/applicants
• Projects that receive direct project funding from other Arts and Culture Department grants or sponsorships within the same fiscal year
• Projects that are only virtual or streamed via the web
• Applications submitted by single-member for-profit entities
• Debt reduction
• Re-granting, unless permission is received
• Grant administration, overhead or processing fees taken by an umbrella/parent organization as a percentage of the total award, except for fiscal sponsors
• Lobbying expenses
• Expenses related to the construction of facilities
• Food and beverage for receptions and hospitality functions
• Fundraising projects
• Scholarships and awards
• Staff salaries independent from the time allocated to project delivery
• Capital investments (equipment and supplies that outlast the duration of the project)
• The production or commission of murals not included in the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture's annual public art plan

Applications are first reviewed for eligibility by staff. 

Eligible applications are then reviewed by panels comprised of conflict-free arts and cultural workers specialized in the respective project area. Panelists will review and score all completed applications based on the evaluation criteria. 

An application is considered complete if it has responded to all the narrative questions and has included the required attachments (work samples and budget).

Evaluation Criteria

OVERVIEW: The applicant provides a project overview and a succinct description of the project. (10 points)

ARTISTIC/CULTURAL VALUE: The applicant proposes an arts and culture project; incorporates artists in the design and delivery of the project​; provides support materials that are evidence that the project can be completed. (30 points)

COMMUNITY SIGNIFICANCE: The applicant identifies the primary participants of the project; demonstrates an understanding of the project's meaning and importance to participants; demonstrates knowledge of how to reach intended participants; ensures the project is accessible and safe for participants. (30 points)

LOGISTICS AND FEASIBILITY: The applicant outlines a clear and reasonable planning timeline; defines evaluation criteria of the success of the project; provides a comprehensive budget that is organized and reflective of the project activities. (30 points)​

After applications have been approved for funding by City of Phoenix Council, applicants will need to complete the following:

• ​Register as a City of Phoenix vendor or confirm previous registration
• Attend the “You’ve Been Funded! What’s Next” webinar facilitated by Arts and Culture Department grants staff
• Sign a grants conditions form that agrees to the following:
  • Complete project between July 1, 2026, and June 30, 2027
  • Use Arts and Culture Department logo when promoting public presentation of grant-funded work
    • Contact the Grants staff if there are any changes to the approved project 
  • Complete a final report 90 days after project completion  
• ​​Payments are made upon completion of any pending final reports, verification of vendor registration and address, and signed grant conditions. ​​​​​

My application wasn't recommended for funding. What can I do? Learn About the Appeal Process

A final report is due 45 days after the funded project is completed. Grant funds will not be released until all final reports from previous years have been received. As part of the final report, grantees will be asked to upload an expense report of the project's final expenses and copies of receipts.