ArtsFund

Mission

ArtsFund supports the arts through leadership, advocacy, and grantmaking in order to build a healthy, equitable, and creative Washington.

Description

Since 1969 ArtsFund has strengthened Washington's arts and culture through our leadership, advocacy, and grantmaking. Throughout our 50+ year history, ArtsFund has distributed nearly $130 million in grants to over 1,000 arts and culture organizations in 38 out of 39 Washington counties. With one gift to ArtsFund, you support the entire arts ecosystem ensuring arts organizations you love continue to deliver programs and events that bring joy and meaning to our communities.

Leadership

ArtsFund invests in the next generation of nonprofit leaders, creative professionals, and arts advocates through skill-enhancing training and resources including our Board Leadership Training program, Cultural Partners Network, and ArtsFund Visionaries.

Advocacy

ArtsFund provides critical research on the social and economic impact of the arts in Washington through Arts Impact Reports as well as supporting the Building for the Arts program. Our newly released Livability Impact Study of the Arts discusses if arts and culture improves community livability enhancing the lives of Washingtonians.

Grantmaking

In 2024 ArtsFund had the largest grantmaking year in our history distributing $12.5 million in grants to over 800 arts and culture organizations. Our unrestricted grant programs include the Community Accelerator Grant in partnership with the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, Allocations Grants, and Youth Arts Opportunity Fund (YAOF). This year ArtsFund is celebrating 10 years of YAOF, a program impacting more than 800,000 students in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties with the goal of reducing barriers to arts participation and increasing access to meaningful, robust, and sustained arts experiences for historically underserved K-12 students.

Recognition

With one gift to ArtsFund you are making a major impact on the entire Washington arts and culture sector. Your gift helps ArtsFund support organizations of all sizes and across artistic disciplines from ballet to beadwork, from art museums to youth orchestras, and everything in between ensuring Washington continues to have a dynamic, world-class arts and culture community. Thank you for being an essential partner in this work!