Grants for Organizations & Government Entities

Nonprofit arts and culture organizations can apply for either the General Operating grant or the Arts Programming grant.

Other nonprofits, government entities, and tribal organizations can apply for the Arts Programming grant.

General Operating Grant

Eligible applications must meet all of the following requirements:

• Applicants must be a nonprofit 501c3 organization in good standing.
• Must have arts or culture as their primary mission or purpose.*
• Must be legally incorporated and operating in Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, or Niagara counties.
• Must have an operating budget of at least $100,000 and no more than $1 million in their most recently completed fiscal year. NOTE: We look at the operating expenses when determining the operating budget size of an organization.

*ASI understands that in some rural communities, arts and culture programming is primarily provided by nonprofit organizations whose primary mission is not arts and culture. Non-arts or culture organizations that are the sole or primary provider of arts and culture activity for their community are eligible to apply to this fund. To clarify if your organization is eligible for this fund, contact Holly Grant at holly@asiwny.org to confirm.

Arts Programming Grant

Eligible applications must meet the following requirements:

• Applicants must be one of the following:
  • a nonprofit 501c3 organization
  • a local government municipality
  • a tribal organization
• Must be legally incorporated and operating in Erie, Niagara, or Chautauqua counties.
• The program or project must take place in the same county in which you are physically located.
• Programs have arts or culture activities as the primary purpose of the program.
• Programs must be completed within one year of receiving the grant payment.
• If working with a school, applicants must include a letter of commitment or tentative agreement from the school they wish to partner with on the program.
  • The applicant and the partner school must both be based in the same county the event is taking place – either Erie, Niagara, or Chautauqua county.
• Projects must be open and accessible to the public.