Grant Application Process
Applying for Grants
In our first year, we’re rolling out grant opportunities in phases. Innovation, Impact, and Comprehensive grant applications open Wednesday, Aug. 5, for funding in 2026-27.
Capital grant timing will be announced this fall for funding in 2027.
Application Process
After Innovation, Impact, and Comprehensive grant applications open:
- Staff will host Grant Workshops throughout August to support you through the grant proposal writing process
- From Aug. 31 to Sept. 10, staff will meet with you to provide grant proposal feedback before applications close
- Grant applications close on Thursday, Sept. 10
- Award decisions will be announced in October
- Funds will be awarded in November
Grant Application Questions
Get a head start on your application by reviewing the grant questions below. Use this time to gather the information you’ll need and begin planning your proposal.
As you review the questions, note any that need clarification or that you may need support answering. Then attend a grant workshop where Inspire Vancouver staff will be available to answer your questions.
*Bold questions are required. Word count limits are listed for written questions.
Registration Questions
General Information
- Organization Name
- Legal name
- Acronym or DBA
- Address (Must be your organization’s registered physical address.)
- Website or Social Media
- Tax ID (enter 00-000000 if you will link your application to a fiscal sponsor)
- 501(c)(3) Status (Options are yes or no)
- Your Full Name
- Your Job Title
- E-mail Address
- Work Phone
- Does your organization have a different mailing address? (If yes, another address box will open)
Organization Primary Purpose
Select your organization’s primary purpose. (Options are Arts, Culture, Heritage, Science, Multi-disciplinary, or Other.)
Primary Purpose Documentation
Once your registration is complete and you have logged into the grant portal, you will be asked to provide examples to show your organization’s primary purpose. This could include a published mission and/or values statement, or the “nature of business” description from your organization’s nonprofit business filing with the Washington Secretary of State (“WA SOS”).
Eligibility Questions
Inspire Vancouver staff will assess your organization’s eligibility based on the registration information provided above. However, if your eligibility is impacted by one of the following scenarios, you will need to provide some additional information with your application.
- If your organization is located outside of Vancouver city limits, you may still be eligible for Inspire Vancouver grant funding if 55% or more of your programming takes place within city limits. As part of the application process, you will be asked to submit a table that lists your organization’s public programming with its location over the last year. A template will be provided. Inspire Vancouver staff will assess your organization’s eligibility based on this additional information.
- If you are applying with a fiscal sponsor organization, you will need to submit a Letter of Support signed by your fiscal sponsor with your application materials. A letter of support describes which responsibilities will be assigned to the fiscal sponsor and which responsibilities will be assigned to the grantee. A template will be provided.
- If your organization’s mission statement includes additional purposes outside of advancing and/or preserving arts, culture, heritage and/or science, you may still be eligible if you can demonstrate that arts, culture, heritage, or science is your organization’s primary purpose. As part of the application process, you will be asked to submit a table that lists your organization’s public programming over the last year. A template will be provided. Inspire Vancouver staff will assess your organization’s eligibility based on this additional information.
Application Questions for Innovation Grants
General Information
- Organization Name (Auto-fills)
- Primary Contact (Drop down of names associated with your organization)
- Signatory Contact (Drop down of names associated with your organization)
- Does this grant include a Fiscal Sponsor? (Yes or No)
- If yes, provide details of the Fiscal Organization (Text box to enter organization name and contact info for fiscal sponsor.)
Grant Information
- Grant Title
- Grant Summary (A one-sentence summary of your grant’s scope of work- 250 characters/35 words)
- Start Date
- End Date
- Amount Requested
- Total Budget
Organization Details
Tell us about your organization (1500 characters/250 words)
Work Sample
Upload a Work Sample that represents your organization. This could include a recent annual report, video or audio clips, photos, event program, newsletter, or press release.
Community/Audience
- What communities or audiences does your organization serve? (1000 characters/150 words)
- What community need does your programming fulfill? (1000 characters/150 words)
- Where does the majority of your public programming occur? (Opens a description box plus boxes to enter an address)
- What percent of your programming occurs at this address?
Funding Use
- How will you use Inspire Vancouver Funding? What public programs will you produce? Give a broad overview here. You will be asked to specify deliverables like workshops, classes, events, etc. in the next section. (1500 characters/250 words)
- What deliverables will you complete between October 1 and December 31? You must list at least one deliverable in at least one timeframe for an innovation grant. If you only have one deliverable, or if all your deliverables occur within a 3-month period, that is okay!
- What deliverables will you complete between January 1 and March 31?
- What deliverables will you complete between April 1 and June 30?
Grant Budget Tracker
The grant portal has a built-in budget builder. You can name your own line items, assign them to one of our budget categories, and pick a timeframe for the expense. We will provide more instructions when the portal is live.
Community Partners and Collaborators
- What community partners or collaborators will support this work? (500 characters/75 words)
- Upload any letters of support from your partners or collaborators. (Optional)
Programming Promotion
Describe how you promote your programming. (1000 characters/150 words)
Creating Access
- How does your organization create access to arts, culture, heritage, or science experiences for Vancouver residents? What areas of access does your organization focus on? (1500 characters/250 words)
- What new communities or audiences do you want to reach with this grant? What community-specific strategies will you use to reach them? (1500 characters/250 words)
Supporting Documents
- Grant Documents
(This is a general upload box where you can include your letter of support from your fiscal sponsor or other documents related to your grant request.) - Organization Documents
(This is a general upload box where you can include documents you would like to add to your organization’s profile. If you need to update your primary purpose documentation, you can add it here.)
Application Questions for Impact and Comprehensive Grants
General Information
- Organization Name (Auto-fills)
- Primary Contact (Drop down of names associated with your organization)
- Signatory Contact (Drop down of names associated with your organization)
- Does this grant include a Fiscal Sponsor? (Yes or No)
- If yes, provide details of the Fiscal Organization (Text box to enter organization name and contact info for fiscal sponsor.)
Grant Information
- Grant Title
- Grant Summary (A one-sentence summary of your grant’s scope of work- 250 characters/35 words)
- Start Date
- End Date
- Amount Requested
- Total Budget
- Which Grant are you applying for? (Impact or Comprehensive)
Organization Details
Tell us about your organization (1500 characters/250 words)
Work Sample
Upload a Work Sample that represents your organization. This could include a recent annual report, video or audio clips, photos, event program, newsletter, or press release. Upload between one and three samples. There will be a text box where you can add comments, if needed.
Attendance History
Upload 1-year Attendance History. Upload a table that shows attendance numbers at your organization’s public events over the last year (July 1-June 30). There will be a text box where you can add comments, if needed.
Organization Budget
Upload Organization Budget. Upload a board-approved organization budget for the last year (or this year, if you are mid-budget year). One year is required for Impact grants, two years are required for Comprehensive grants.
Community/Audience
- Upload bios of key staff or volunteers, if desired.
- What communities or audiences does your organization serve? (1000 characters/150 words)
- What community need does your programming fulfill? (1000 characters/150 words)
- Where does the majority of your public programming occur? (Opens a description box plus boxes to enter an address)
- What percent of your programming occurs at this address?
Funding Use
- How will you use Inspire Vancouver Funding? What public programs will you produce? Give a broad overview here. You will be asked to specify deliverables like workshops, classes, events, etc. in the next section. (1500 characters/250 words)
- What deliverables will you complete between October 1 and December 31?
- What deliverables will you complete between January 1 and March 31?
- What deliverables will you complete between April 1 and June 30?
Grant Budget Tracker
The grant portal has a built-in budget builder. You can name your own line items, assign them to one of our budget categories, and pick a timeframe for the expense. We will provide more instructions when the portal is live.
Organizational Capacity
What are your plans for creating organizational capacity with Inspire Vancouver funding? How will it sustain, expand or pivot work you are already doing? (1500 characters/250 words)
Community Partners and Collaborators
- What community partners or collaborators will support this work? (500 characters/75 words)
- Upload any letters of support from your partners or collaborators. (Optional)
Programming Promotion and Evaluation
- Describe how you promote your programming. (1000 characters/150 words)
- How do you evaluate your programming? How do you use feedback to plan future programming? (1500 characters/250 words)
Creating Access
- How does your organization create access to arts, culture, heritage, or science experiences for Vancouver residents? What areas of access does your organization focus on? (1500 characters/250 words)
- What new communities or audiences do you want to reach with this grant? What community-specific strategies will you use to reach them? (1500 characters/250 words)
- What are your plans for creating access with Inspire Vancouver funding? How will it sustain, expand or pivot work you are already doing? (1500 characters/250 words)
Supporting Documents
- Grant Documents
(This is a general upload box where you can include your letter of support from your fiscal sponsor or other documents related to your grant request.) - Organization Documents
(This is a general upload box where you can include documents you would like to add to your organization’s profile. If you need to update your primary purpose documentation, you can add it here.)