Cultural Festival Funding Awards Grant

About GCAC
The Greater Columbus Arts Council supports artists and arts organizations through a spectrum of grant programs, workshops, networking events and services. GCAC also shares a host of resources such as calls for artists, job opportunities, nonprofit board openings and listings of spaces for rent. Subscribe to our newsletters to stay up-to-date on GCAC grant deadlines, workshops and events.
GCAC provides marketing services that support artists and organizations through the ColumbusMakesArt.com event calendar, Artist Directory, and Public Art Database. We also produce the annual Big Arts Night recognizing business and individual contributions to the community and the Columbus Arts Festival, the city’s welcome to summer event that takes place each June.
The Greater Columbus Film Commission (Film Columbus) is a division of GCAC that aims to grow the film industry in Columbus and central Ohio by creating jobs and providing significant economic impact for the area. Film Columbus strives to build Columbus as a top city for film education, exhibition, and production by supporting filmmakers and the film industry by offering a range of services—including the only local incentive in Ohio, grants, and resources—to encourage film and media projects in our city. For more information, visit filmcolumbus.com.
GCAC programming provides access to the arts for people of all cultural backgrounds, economic status, sexual orientation, age and physical ability and ensures broad public access to the arts. Supporting Columbus artists, and arts and culture organizations enhances the cultural image of the Greater Columbus area.
Purpose:
To provide funding for pre-existing cultural festivals that primarily reach or represent immigrant, refugee, and New American communities through presentation of the arts and cultural heritage traditions.
Description:
Cultural festivals with a primary focus on presenting the arts (including dance, fashion, film, literary, music, theater and visual arts) that present cultural heritage traditions and primarily reach immigrant, refugee, and new American audiences, may make an annual request for Cultural Festival Funding of $3,500 from GCAC. Applicants who would like to be considered for more than $3,500 should apply for Project Support, which follows a scored, competitive funding process. Applicants may receive EITHER Project Support OR Cultural Festival Funding; organizations cannot receive both awards in the same calendar year.
Festival programming may:

• Reflect customs and art forms that are passed down through generations.
• Include traditional music, dance, food and crafts.
• Honor symbolic and/or ritualistic ceremonies.Observe natural events with cultural significance.

Eligibility

Eligible cultural festivals should aim to preserve, celebrate and share the unique practices, traditions and values that embrace one’s cultural heritage. Festivals should engage the public in traditional ways of life and/or celebration, and create space for authentic cultural expression, education and dialogue.Festivals must:
Take place within Franklin CountyBe pre-existing (i.e., event must have taken place at least once before—newly created festivals are not eligible)Be led by and serve immigrant, refugee and new American communitiesNOTE: This program is not for general community initiatives. Festivals must be tailored specifically to the cultural experiences of immigrants, refugees, and new Americans.

Ineligibility

Ineligible events include exhibitions or performances unrelated to a festival and events with a focus on competitions, award shows, fundraising or promoting a specific cause. While many events include some cultural aspects, to be eligible, the main focus must be centered on preserving or immersing people in arts and cultural heritage related to immigrants, refugees and new Americans.