Q: My organization offers an arts/culture/heritage/science program and/or event, does this make my organization eligible for Tacoma Creates funding?
A: Not necessarily, your program or event alone does not make you eligible. Your organization's primary purpose must be to advance and/or preserve arts, culture, heritage and/or science, and your mission statement should reflect this. You can find the definitions of arts, culture, heritage, and science on page 2 of the Guidelines, or on our website.
Q: Can my organization apply in both the Comprehensive Organizational Support and Impact Funding categories?
A: No, your organization may only apply for Impact Funding or Comprehensive Organizational Support. Check eligibility criteria in the Application Guidelines to see which category is the best fit for your organization, and contact staff with any questions.
Q: Should my organization apply for Comprehensive Organizational Support or Impact Funding?
A: There are strict eligibility criteria that your organization is required to meet in order to apply for Comprehensive Organizational Support, which you can check on page 4 of the Guidelines. If your organization is eligible for both, but are unsure of which category to apply in, consider your organization's capacity in being able to fulfill the requirements of each funding category.
Comprehensive Organizational Support requires organizations to do work in all of the following areas: Public Programs, Neighborhood Programming, Access and Participation, Youth Education Programs, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) work. Impact Funding requires organizations to do work in one or both of the following areas: Public Programs and/or Youth Education Programs.
Another thing to consider is your organization's budget size. Generally, if your annual budget is $300,000 or less, we advise organizations to look into Impact Funding.
Q: For Impact Funding, it states that it requires at least a 1:1 match for the requested Tacoma Creates funding amount from other sources, and that we may include volunteer time and donated materials and space. Could we also include donations, grants, and ticket/registration fees as part of our match?
A: Yes! Please reference our Sample Budget Form to get a sense of how your organization may fill out this budget form.
Q: For Comprehensive Organizational Support, there is an Anticipated Expenses form we are required to fill out. Do the numbers have to add up to our total Tacoma Creates funding amount request?
A: No, these number do not need to add up to the amount of funding you request from Tacoma Creates. This form is primarily for administrative purposes, to help Tacoma Creates staff start to track planned expenses in certain required areas.
Q: Are the deadlines for the funding applications flexible?
A: No, these deadlines are firm, and the application form will close after the deadline has passed.
Q: My organization is fiscally sponsored and the guidelines say that our fiscal sponsor must hold the insurance that will be required for the work our organization will be doing. Does this mean that our fiscal sponsor covers the cost of our insurance?
A: Not necessarily. It is between you and your fiscal sponsor to decide. Your fiscal sponsor may charge you a fee to cover the cost of required insurance, or your organization can handle the payment of insurance. Be sure to include the cost of insurance in your project budget.
Q: If we are a recipient of Tacoma Creates funds, do we receive all of the money up front?
A: No. If your organization is funded, you will receive a Contract for Services from the City of Tacoma, which is different from a grant. The contract will outline specific service deliverables that your organization will need to provide to the City of Tacoma before receiving payment. Payment of the funding contract will be broken into multiple payment phases, spread out over the term of the contract. Organizations will receive final payment after services have been provided.
Q: Can our organization allocate Tacoma Creates funds towards paying staff, contractors, cultural providers, etc?
A: Yes, Tacoma Creates values the work of staff and cultural providers. We expect organizations to provide reasonable compensation for work going towards your organization’s Tacoma Creates proposal. For Impact Funding applicants, please look at the Sample Budget Form, which provides an idea on how this expense can be reflected in your organization’s budget form.