NYS to award up to $80M to nonprofit arts and cultural organizations

Listen to this article

New York State will award up to $80 million to nonprofit arts and cultural organizations across the state. The funding is available through New York’s Council on the Arts (NYSCA) Capital Projects Fund.

Arts and cultural organizations boost “local economies” and drive “our vibrant tourism industry,” New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a news release about the available funding. That funding, she said, is designed to help “organizations across the state have the opportunity to grow, thrive and inspire the next generation of New Yorkers.”

The capital fund aims to support arts and cultural nonprofits seeking state funding for investments in capital improvements that allow organizations to sustain and expand cultural programming for diverse audiences, promote accessibility and environmental sustainability, preserve and create jobs and ultimately contribute to the growth of New York’s arts and tourism sectors.

Organizations can apply for three kinds of grants.

The Small and Midsized Capital Improvement Grants for Arts and Culture funds projects by nonprofit arts and cultural organizations of any size. Grants of up to $2 million are available for initiatives that prioritize accessibility, artistry, cultural development, sustainability, health and safety, and structural and historical improvements. No-match grants of $10,000-$25,000 and $50,000-$99,000 are available for organizations with operating budgets of under $2 million. Eligible candidates are those with strong projects that combine excellence in design with informed decisions about organizational capacity and community needs that will positively affect the future of arts and cultural organizations across New York.

The Large Capital Improvement Grants for Arts and Culture is designed to support arts and cultural nonprofits across the state that are undertaking impactful, large-scale capital improvements. Grants will range from $2 million to $10 million for projects that have a total cost of $4 million or more. This funding is slated to support investments that allow organizations to thrive by expanding cultural programming, reaching new and diverse audiences, and promoting accessibility. These grants are also to help advance the state’s goals around economic development, diversity, equity and inclusion, and will require all applicants to commit to social equity initiatives and access plans that serve all New Yorkers.

The Capital Design Grants for Arts and Culture provides a new opportunity and aims to support the development of mid-stage and advanced design documents for arts and cultural nonprofits with operating budgets of $10 million or less across the state that are planning eligible capital improvements and are currently in the early stages of design. Grants will range from $50,000-$500,000, for a maximum of 50 percent of the design phase’s total cost. No-match grants of $50,000 to $99,000 will also be available for organizations with budgets under $2 million.

The application portal and guidelines can be accessed on NYSCA’s website, arts.ny.gov. The deadline to submit completed applications is Jan. 14, 2025.