Explore below to find the right grant opportunity for your creative work. To learn more about these grant opportunities, take a look at our upcoming and/or recorded workshops available below.
To support applicants throughout the process, the Grants team will host several workshops and informational sessions:
Tuesday, March 17, 6:30–8:00 PM (limited capacity, RSVP required)
Applicants to either the Support for Organizations or Festival grant must have a current SMU DataArts profile.
Click here to submit the SMU DataArts Funder Report. To generate a funder report, complete your Cultural Data Profile for the 2024 fiscal year.
Generate the City of Houston Funder Report by following these steps, or watch the orientation video for more help.
This grant is available to: Individual Artists and Creatives | Organizations | Fiscally Sponsored Projects
The City’s Initiative grant program provides funding to individual artists, creatives, and nonprofits for strategic and creative opportunities to engage visitors and residents while building upon Houston’s cultural identity and tourism. Grant awards are up to $10,000.
This grant is available to: Individual Artists and Creatives | Organizations | Fiscally Sponsored Projects
The Let Creativity Happen grant category provides funds of up to $2,500 for specific programs that amplify artistic creativity and innovation taking place in the City of Houston. Let Creativity Happen grants are designed to encourage artists, creative individuals, and organizations to take creative risks that may not qualify for more traditional funding opportunities. Awards will support innovative ideas that redefine artistic boundaries, reshape the conversation about art and art experiences, and/or establish unique opportunities to experience art.
The Houston Mayor’s Office of the Arts (MOA) has introduced a funding formula boost in the annual grants competitions, Support for Organizations (SO), Support for Artists and Creative Individuals (SACI), and Festival Grants (FG). This formula change provides support to organizations, artists, and creatives who have been awarded through the same peer panel process, but have historically been marginalized from opportunities, such as grants.
The boost is specifically designed for applicants who meet specific qualifications dedicated to supporting historically marginalized groups within their respective grant programs and have been awarded funding through HAA’s peer community-based panels. Awardees under this initiative will receive a 45% increase in their awards. For the year 2024, MOA allocated an additional $800,000 to the grants programs to accommodate this formula change. This year, the boost funding will derive from the Hotel Occupancy Tax budget for the 2025 grant cycle. Learn more about how our funding works and the allocated percentages to all our grant programs.
This grant is available to: Individual Artists and Creatives | Organizations | Fiscally Sponsored Projects
The Festival grant program (FG) provides support of up to $10,000 to fund arts festivals or arts components of cultural festivals to celebrate Houston’s diversity, and promote the city’s creative identity as a unique arts and culture destination.
Festivals allow communities to share artistic and cultural traditions, creating vibrant opportunities and experiences for residents and visitors. Festival is defined as an annual or biannual celebration or immersion around a unifying theme or programmatic focus, featuring varied and curated events.
Festival grants are funded by City of Houston via the Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT), funded by cash-in-hand and available in one annual cycle.
Check back soon for updated information.
This grant is available to: Individual Artists and Creatives
The Support for Artists and Creative Individuals (SACI) grant provides funds of up to $15,000 for specific projects that create and present new works of art or complete work already in progress throughout Houston. Applications are accepted from all artistic disciplines.
SACI grants are funded by City of Houston via the Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT), funded by cash-in-hand and available in one annual cycle.
Check back soon for updated information.
This grant is available to: Organizations | Fiscally Sponsored Organizations
The Support for Organizations (SO) grant program accepts 501(c)(3) nonprofit and fiscally sponsored applications annually to support arts and cultural activities that are open to the public. There are three different categories within the Support for Organizations grant program:
SO grants are funded by City of Houston via the Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT), funded based on projected HOT revenue and available in one annual cycle.
Check back soon for updated information.
If you have any questions, check out these informational resources or contact HAA through our Support Desk.
