4Culture: Heritage Projects' Grant Program

4Culture: Heritage Projects' Grant Program

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: 4Culture
Amount: US $2,000 - US $15,000
Last Updated: January 18, 2026

Summary

The 4Culture Heritage Projects Grant Program supports initiatives that make history relevant through exhibits, publications, and oral histories in King County, WA. Grants range from $2,000 to $15,000, funding projects that enhance public access to heritage resources and promote collaborations among diverse communities. The program seeks to broaden historical narratives, focusing on racial equity and inclusion, while ensuring projects benefit underrepresented populations and provide accessible educational opportunities.

Overview

Heritage Projects Through Heritage Projects we support the people and organizations making history relevant and provocative through exhibits, publications, oral histories, and more. What Heritage Projects Funds 4Culture’s Heritage Projects program funds the identification, documentation, exhibition, creation, and interpretation of heritage and histories in King County, Washington. Requests can range from $2,000 to $15,000. “Heritage” in this program is defined as “the exchange of knowledge and experiences shaped by our past” and includes local history, ethnic history, Native cultures, folklore and intangible cultural heritage, and historic and archaeological resources in King County. You can use this grant to: Create heritage resources including, but not limited to, books, guides, brochures, research projects, digital projects, oral histories, visual or audio recordings, museum exhibits and programs, and education curriculum.Preservation of material culture related to heritage in King County (please note that Collections Care program will not run in 2025). Produce special events and programs that highlight heritage in our region including, but not limited to: conferences, workshops, technical assistance programs, apprenticeship or training opportunities, historic tours, field schools, skill demonstrations, and programs that facilitate collaboration between heritage groups and practitioners. Create resources and programs that explore the themes of the 250th anniversary of America’s founding as it relates to people and communities in King County. Provide opportunities for populations underrepresented in mainstream heritage organizations including communities of color, LGBTQIA+ communities, youth, people with disabilities, and gender variant communities to work firsthand with heritage resources. Pay for materials and consumable supplies used for your project, publicity and outreach efforts for your project, transportation, and documentation. Compensation for the project team, professional consultants, heritage specialists, trainees, or staff time if work on the project is outside their regular work duties and payment is beyond their regular compensation structure. Criteria For this grant, panelists will use the below criteria to score each application: Project impact and public benefit: how your project meets the goals of your organization’s or personal mission and established needs in the community. How well your project helps expand or develop King County’s historical narrative and shows a potential to raise the visibility of heritage work in King County. Your project increases public access to heritage resources and programs, including clear efforts to make them accessible to many ages, disabilities, languages, and communities. Your project provides compelling and feasible public benefit for residents and visitors of King County. Quality and qualifications: how well your project activities and planning align with professional standards, best practices, or values of the community served. The qualifications of you and your project team align with the proposed project and its intended impact. Qualifications can be skill, experience, training, or knowledge-based. Feasibility: Your ability to complete your project within 24 months of the award date and with a realistic timeline, and thoughtful planning. This is demonstrated through the qualifications of the project team, realistic and balanced budget, and details provided in the Project Implementation section. Advancing Equity: 4Culture’s mission focuses on racial equity and envisions a county where culture is essential and accessible to all. Your project specifically benefits communities of color and/or historically marginalized communities, The project serves or collaborates with members of these communities. This is not an eligibility requirement, but it is one of the factors the panel will consider. Public Benefit: Why It Matters Every time a visitor to Washington State stays in a hotel, they pay a Lodging Tax—this is where our funding comes from, and our mission is to put it back into the community. In your application, tell us exactly how your fellow King County residents will be able to enjoy and learn from your work. Read about public benefit more in depth here. Here are some ways you can provide public benefit: Free performances, exhibitions, workshops, screenings, or readings.Events in the often under-served areas of suburban or rural King County, to low-income, youth and senior groups, individuals with limited physical abilities, recent immigrants, or residents from minority races or ethnicities.Free, electronically accessible materials, including literary publications, audio, or video recordings. Equity Investments In order to combat inequities in our grantmaking, 4Culture has implemented Equity Investments. This practice incorporates indicators of structural inequity into our panel process, including geographic location, income, operating budget, audiences served, and project focus. By prioritizing these factors, we intend to more equitably distribute funds to communities that have historically been excluded from cultural funding. Each of our grant programs implements an Equity Investment system tailored to the specific needs of its applicants; please read the After You Submit section of this page for details on how Equity Investments functions for this grant. This organization-wide practice —and what we learn about its impact—is an important step towards more equitable funding at 4Culture and throughout the King County cultural sector.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. YouIndividuals, organizations, community groups, unincorporated or fiscally sponsored groups may apply. Individual applicants must be at least 18 years old and a resident of King County when you apply and through the completion of your project. Organizations, community groups, unincorporated or fiscally sponsored groups must be located and operate within King County.Your ProjectYour project must focus primarily on heritage and/or historical themes in King County. Heritage is defined as “the exchange of knowledge and experiences shaped by the past,” And includes local history, ethnic history, Native cultures, folklore and intangible cultural heritage, historic and archaeological resources in King County. Historical themes can be about people, memories, places, communities, and events. For further definitions, please see Helping You Succeed section. Your project must be accessible and provide public benefit to King County residents and visitors.You may apply to fund the portion of a project that begin on or after May 28, 2025 (the award date). The public benefit of your project must be completed by June 1, 2027.

Ineligibility

You cannot use this grant for:Major equipment purchases or construction projects (we offer separate grants for these). General operating support, overhead costs and fees, utilities, employee benefits or any regular staff salaries (we offer separate grants for these).Projects for which fundraising or direct marketing is the primary purpose. Support for services and programs to be provided by the King County Landmarks Commission for land use regulation and archaeological resource management purposes, as described in K.C.C. chapter 20.62 (King County Code 4.42.125H). Religious worship or instruction, or programs that are only open to matriculating students.Organizations that receive 4Culture’s Sustained Support in 2025 are not eligible to apply.K-12 schools, school districts, religious worship or instructions are not eligible.Individual applicants cannot represent or apply on behalf of ineligible entities.Current 4Culture staff, 4Culture Board members, and Advisory Committee members may not apply as an individual.Your request amount is between $2,000–$15,000. Requests submitted that are outside of the range are not eligible and will not be considered for funding.