KNKX Public Radio. Whidbey Island Dance Theatre. Columbia City Beatwalk. Spokane Pride. These are just a few of the nearly 1,000 nonprofit arts and culture groups that received grants through ArtsFund this year. Chances are good that a performing arts company, a dance troupe or cultural center near you received some funding.
That kind of reach is the hallmark of ArtsFund, which has provided arts advocacy and leadership and channeled dollars to arts and culture providers in Washington since 1969. ArtsFund fulfills its advocacy and leadership mission through its board leadership training, which has helped more than 1,300 people in 250 organizations step up and better serve their organizations and audiences. This is vital work as board members retire or move, and it’s not the kind of training that is usually affordable or easy for small nonprofits to access.
Its grantmaking arm stretched further than ever this year. In partnership with Allen Family Philanthropies, ArtsFund awarded $10 million in grants — $2,500 to $25,000 each — to organizations in all 39 Washington counties. The grants are unrestricted and awarded through a simple, accessible application; again, the focus is on ensuring even the smallest of nonprofits that can’t employ a grant writer can participate with the big urban groups. As proof, a third of this year’s recipients had a budget between $25,000 and $100,000. Each recipient was “deeply embedded” in the fabric of their community, ArtsFund leaders told the editorial board.
If this feels a little too, well, touchy-feely, ArtsFund’s advocacy arm delivered the state’s first Livability Impact of the Arts report this year, showing that the arts and culture sector provides 191,245 jobs and contributes $70.2 billion to the gross state product. That jobs number pushes Washington to sixth in the nation in that category. Communities with a vibrant arts scene also take in higher tourism tax revenue than those without.
ArtsFund’s reach is mighty, but it and other funders can’t do it alone. State funding for the arts in culture-rich Washington lags 57% behind the national average of $2.29 per person. Washington spends just 98 cents per person. ArtsFund’s fundraising goal for 2025 is $3.6 million to continue advocacy to raise that ceiling; explore new strategies to bolster nonprofits’ funding; and support a healthy arts and culture sector, ensuring vibrant communities for residents and businesses. These are good ways to enrich Washington. Information: artsfund.org/donate/
