The Arts Grant Program provides funding for organizations, individuals, and youth to deliver exemplary projects in arts education, dance, design, folk and traditional arts, literary arts, media arts, musical theater, multidisciplinary works, theater, visual arts, and all other forms of art or artwork for the citizens of Sammamish. Organizations and individuals funded by the Arts Grant must demonstrate high quality arts programming and deliver a positive impact to the community while supporting projects that celebrate Sammamish’s creative and cultural heritage, invite mutual respect for differing beliefs and values, and enrich humanity
This grant program provides available funding through four categories:
Timeline for Key Dates
Note: this grant review process occurs only once a year. Grant proposals received after the deadline may be considered depending on available funding after initial cycle.
Application MaterialsIn order to be considered for funding, applicants must submit fully completed grant applications and all required application materials. The arts grant application consists of the following components:
General Application Deadline for applications is Wednesday, March 1, 2023
Itemize Budget
Work Samples (optional, but preferred)
Scale Model (if it applies)
Arts Commission Vison and Guiding PrinciplesMission StatementIntegrating art and culture to create a sense of place, civic identity and unique character.
Artistic excellenceWe strive for artistic excellence by showcasing high caliber local, regional and national artistic programming that reflects the city’s vision.
AccessibilityWe engage deeply and widely with all segments of city, striving to reach all members of the community and create an avenue for artists to bring their creativity to the public.
CollaborationWe are committed to creating alliances and partnerships within and outside Sammamish to promote artistic excellence and accessibility. We work collaboratively with various state, regional and local agencies to enhance the effectiveness of the arts commission.
Community DesignWe focus our efforts to nurture and build creative capital’ locally, including taking necessary risks, to realize the impacts of the arts in fostering a vibrant social economy.
DiversityWe value diversity in artistic expressions and strive to promote arts as a universal language that binds people from different backgrounds and breathes life into our communities.
EligibilityIn order to be eligible for an Arts grant, the applicant must:
Review ProcessEligibility ScreeningThe City will review for completeness, responsiveness and eligibility of all applications that meet the deadline. Applications that pass this initial review will then be evaluated by the Grant Review Panel, which will rely on the application and related materials submitted by applicants.
Grant Review PanelThe panel is comprised primarily of Sammamish Arts Commission members with knowledge of the arts community, educational system, and the community-at-large, meet in February to review Arts Grants applications. Decisions for funding are based on comprehensive discussions on the merits of each application. The Grant Review Panel may be comprised of rotating Arts Commissioners membership reviewed annually.
Evaluation CriteriaApplications will be evaluated according to the following criteria which are described below:
Artistic & Professional Quality of individual or organization - 25 percentThe applicant’s art and cultural work demonstrates high quality or promise through its artistic history, accomplishments, and examples of previous work.
Quality of Proposed Project, Programming or Special Event - 40 percentProject, programming or special event goals and processes are clearly defined, demonstrate originality, clarity and depth of concepts.
Cultural Equity Impact - 15 percentDemonstrated ability of the applicant to support Sammamish’s diverse culture and values, including capacity to support the City’s underserved communities.
Community Impact - 20 percentThe experience the public will receive from this program, artwork or event.
Rating SystemWhen evaluating each criterion, panelist will use the following 10-point scale, which is then translated to the appropriate weight for each criterion:
An application must receive an overall score of at least 70 percent of total possible points in order for the panel to consider it for funding. However, achieving a score of at least 70 percent of total possible points does not guarantee that the panel will recommend an application for funding, as funds may not be sufficient to recommend a grant for all applicants that score above the minimum threshold.
Grant AmountSammamish Arts Commission has a total allocation of $10,000 for grant funding to be dispersed to qualified applicants in all categories.
Selected Grantee Contractual AgreementIf a grant request is approved and granted by the Sammamish Arts Commission, in return for our endorsement and award, we expect/require a mid- progress report and final completion report.
The mid progress report needs to be a minimum 1-page report summarizing the progress of your project, program and/ or service. Also, provide how this award for funding is helping to achieve your goals. Please include photos, videos or any social media links.
Final completion report needs to be a minimum 1-page report summarizing the success of your project, program and/ or service. How the funds were appropriated, and the benefits achieved by the City of Sammamish with this award. Please include photos, videos or any social media links.
Payments would be dispersed in two payments which are after initial signature of the contract (50%) and review of final assessment report (50%) by the Commission
Individual/Organization will enter into a contractual agreement with the City.
It is important that the Sammamish community know that their local tax dollars make it possible for them to enjoy the caliber of arts produced in Sammamish. All grantees should recognize Sammamish Arts Commission General Support Grant in the same manner in which it recognizes other contributors in terms of benefits, type size on publications, and frequency of acknowledgement. Failure to comply with this request may affect future grant opportunities. Grant recipients must acknowledge the City’s financial support in all appropriate materials and media. Sammamish Arts Commission logo needs to be on all publications for the event and/or programming.
All grantees must complete an invoice form and submit a W-9 form.
The Public Entity reserves the right to require liability insurance coverage types and amounts based upon review of the grant application and assessment of the risks posed by the activity and/or work proposed.
city permits and permissionsThe awarding of funds does not imply that the Sammamish Arts Commission or any other City department will produce, exhibit, promote or present the art created. It is the responsibility of the applicant to secure a venue, appropriate insurance and any required permits for their event, programming or artwork. If the proposal includes components that require City permits or approval such as publicly installed art, street closures, sound amplification in public space, or city park usage, the applicant will be solely responsible for securing the necessary permits, permissions, and approvals. This planning should be reflected in the project timeline. Please note that any art installed with these grant funds on property owned by the City of Sammamish must be reviewed and approved by the Sammamish Arts Commission and City Council prior to application. It will be the responsibility of the grantee to build this process into their grant plan and timeline.
These grants are not generally intended for public installed art and murals. These permanent artworks typically go through procedure of approval and funding through City Council and then facilitated by the Arts Commission directly through a Call of Artist/Proposal procedure.
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