Community Cultural Arts Grants
This grant aims to foster cultural equity in the arts through the support of culturally and/or ethnically specific arts.
FY25 Community Cultural Arts Grant Applications are Open
The grant portal is open.
If you have questions, please email artsinfo@vbgov.com.
Grant Information
This grant is designed to aid in building cultural equity in the arts in Virginia Beach by providing support for arts-based projects that reflect our changing communities through innovative, culturally rooted and/or participatory projects with the goal of bringing the community together to celebrate cultural and ethnic diversity. The grant also recognizes a need to support both emerging and existing organizations that are not typically represented in traditional local funding infrastructures.
Groups representing underserved communities including culturally/ethnically diverse communities are encouraged to apply.
A high strategic priority in the Virginia Beach Arts Plan 2030 is to develop, support and promote a greater diversity of arts offerings (particularly in the area of culturally/ethnically specific arts). The active expansion of culturally diverse activities directly fulfills City Council’s goals to be an "Inclusive Community that is Welcoming and Empowers All.”
The goal of this grant is to foster cultural equity in the arts through:
- Enhancing understanding.
- Nurturing and celebrating authentic cultures.
- Increasing access.
- Strengthening community.
- Investing in underserved/underrepresented communities.
- Activating innovation, non-traditional presentation and/or participatory experiences that are reflective of our changing communities.
Applications for this grant must align with one or more of the following cultural equity outcomes:
- Enhance understanding of and respect for diverse cultural traditions, heritages and forms of expression.
- Nurture, celebrate and support authentic traditional cultural presentations and creative modern expression of culture from/by/of populations not typically included in the majority of arts presentations and/or funding opportunities.
- Increase access to and inclusivity in experiences of culturally-rooted arts and creative opportunities for communities that have previously experienced less-than-adequate representation.
- Connect individuals from diverse cultures, ages and economic means in an effort to strengthen communities and/or neighborhoods through the arts.
- Invest in communities with artists or organizations centered on building individual capacity and potential for economic growth and stability within communities historically experiencing lower levels of public investment.
- Activate innovation, non-traditional presentation and/or participatory experiences to provide alternative perspectives that reflect our changing communities.
Eligibility:
The grant program is open to 501(c)3 non-profit organizations and groups with the following traits:
- Carrying out a mission to represent, promote and develop arts programming derived from culturally and ethnically authentic sources, traditions and inspiration
- Carrying a vision to increase access, equitability and opportunity for artists of culturally/ethnically diverse backgrounds and the surrounding community while increasing understanding and/or collaboration between diverse communities
- Accommodating, welcoming and open to people of all ages, abilities, sexual orientations, gender identities, ethnicities, cultural backgrounds, religions, languages and socio-economic conditions in their policies, practices and programs.
- Proposing projects that would take place within the City of Virginia Beach and would be open to the public
Groups representing underserved communities (including culturally/ethnically diverse communities) are encouraged to apply.
Criteria
Proposals submitted to the program will be evaluated on the following criteria:
- Quality of Project: The project plan has a clear, well-conceived and authentic relationship to a neighborhood or other community of interest. Promotes arts participation and community relations.
- Community Impact: The project plan describes meaningful efforts to create community participation and reach a diverse audience.
- Feasibility: The organization has experience presenting this project and/or other event(s). There is evidence of community involvement and support and a clear, realistic budget for the event.