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 guest artist fees/expenses, production fees, and marketing expenses.

Applications open every year in February 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.

Feb. 4: ​Guidelines published | Application opens​

Jan. 30 - Mar. 13: One-on-one application consultations with staff

Mar. 23 at 11:59 pm: ​Application deadline. Staff will not be available for questions on Saturday or Sunday (March 22 – 23, 2025).

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 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 (umbrella organization or school must be primary applicant)
  • Arts collective (an individual must be identified as primary applicant. Fiscal sponsorship required for grant distribution. See Fiscal Sponsor paragraph below.)​​
  • Arts and Culture LLC (with a prior year income below $250,000) *
    
• An applicant applying to the General Support Program is not eligible to apply for a project support grant
• Project Support applicants working with vulnerable populations will be reviewed for safety and ethical protocols for eligibility.  (New eligibility guideline)​

   * Subject to grant being taxed as income if not applying with a fiscal sponsor who has 501(c)3 tax-exempt status

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 TAPAZ and 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 Office ​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 in-person of projects as long as they take place within City of Phoenix boundaries AND primarily serve Phoenix residents​:

• Arts and Cultural Festivals
  
• Exhibitions/Presentations (visual arts, media arts, design)
• Performances/readings
• 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:

• Community Arts Grants Program General Support grantees
  
• Individuals or single-member LLCs
  
• Projects that receive direct project funding from other POAC grants or sponsorships within the same fiscal year. 
  
• Projects that are only virtual or streamed via the web.​
• Any division of local, state or federal government
• Organizations outside of the City of Phoenix not producing a cultural festival
• Applications submitted by single-member for-profit entities. 
  
• Schools, including public, private, and charter not applying for a grant that benefits youth.
  
• Colleges and universities, other City of Phoenix departments, auxiliary/affiliate organizations, and organizations without a 501(c)3 and not utilizing a fiscal sponsor
• Religious institutions or religious group-sponsored organizations not open to participation by non-congregants
  
• Religious institutions or religious group-sponsored organizations whose primary purpose is the religious socialization of individuals or whose arts programming exists as parts of religious sermons or services
• 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 public art not included in the Phoenix Office ​of Arts and Culture's annual public art plan

Applications are first reviewed for eligibility by staff. 

This year there will be an additional review step for proposals that indicate they will work with vulnerable populations. Applicants who indicate in their application that they will work with vulnerable populations will be asked additional questions that will be reviewed by a group of subject matter experts like school teachers, social workers, and trauma informed practitioners. This step is part of the eligibility review portion.  

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)

COMMUNITY SIGNIFICANCE: The applicant identifies the primary beneficiary of the project; demonstrates an understanding of the project's meaning and importance to participants; has a plan to ensure the project is accessible to diverse group of participants. (30 points)

​​ARTISTIC/CULTURAL VALUE:  The applicant proposes a project with arts and culture as a primary experience; artists have an important role in the design and delivery of the project​; support materials are evidence that the project can be completed. (30 points)

LOGISTICS AND FEASIBILITY: The applicant has outlined a clear and plausible planning timeline; defines evaluation criteria of the success of the project; the budget is a reflection of the activities and is clear and organized. (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 our grants staff
• Sign a grants conditions form that agrees to the following:
  • Complete project between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026
  • Use POAC logos 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 45 days after project completion 
• ​​Payments are made upon completion of any pending final reports, verification of vendor registration and address, and signed grant conditions. ​​​​​​

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.