Definitions

This list of Inspire Vancouver terms will help you understand program funding and how it works.

• Arts: Creative works in visual arts, performing arts, music, theater, dance, literature, and other forms that enrich public life and learning.
• Arts Organization: Groups offering programs in dance, design, folk arts, literary arts, multi-disciplinary arts, music, media arts, theater, or visual arts.
• Administrative Costs: Expenses for running cultural programs, including staff, outreach, evaluation, technology, and maintenance.
• Capacity Building: Investments that strengthen an organization’s effectiveness and sustainability, such as training, space upgrades, or tech improvements.
• Culture: Shared traditions, values, languages, and creative expressions that shape a community’s identity and well-being.
• Cultural Center: Areas in Vancouver where cultural organizations and activities are concentrated.
• Cultural Facility: Buildings or spaces used to host cultural programs or community events.
• Cultural Organization: A 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Washington focused on arts, culture, heritage, or science, serving the Vancouver public.
• Cultural Access Program: Program providing financial support to cultural organizations and increasing access to cultural activities.
• Equity: Reducing disparities and creating opportunities for everyone to participate in arts, culture, heritage, and science.
• Fiscal Sponsor: A fiscal sponsor is an eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofit that accepts funds on your behalf and handles the financial and administrative tasks for your project.
• Heritage: History, traditions, landmarks, folklore, and cultural resources passed down through generations.
• Heritage Organization: Groups preserving, documenting, interpreting, or sharing the past, including people, places, and events.
• Historic Preservation: Protecting and restoring historically significant buildings, structures, or sites.
• Placemaking: Creative work that strengthens connections between people and shared places through community engagement.
• Primary Purpose: The overall mission, programming and activities of your organization. To be eligible for Inspire Vancouver grants, your organization’s primary purpose, not just the project you’re proposing, must be to advance arts, culture, heritage or science in Vancouver.
  
• Public Benefits: Measurable benefits from cultural programs, including access, equity, and inclusion.
• Sponsored Cultural Entity: A non-tax-exempt group that partners with a fiscal sponsor to provide public cultural programs.
• Start-Up Funding: Money for initial program costs, like legal or overhead expenses, with expected reimbursement later.
• Vancouver: For this program, Vancouver is defined as within the city limits of Vancouver, Washington. Unincorporated areas of Clark County are not included in this definition of Vancouver, even if they have a Vancouver mailing address. To see if a location is within Vancouver city limits, enter the address in the Vancouver City Limits Map. A flag icon will show your location and confirm whether it is inside or outside city limits.