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Arts in Neighborhoods Community Event Mini-Grants

Fund for the Arts Community Event Mini-Grants support the implementation of short-term or one-time innovative and creative events that engage communities within specific neighborhoods of Greater Louisville. This grant program is part of the Arts in Neighborhoods initiative.  Past Mini-Grant recipients: Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Spring 2024, Summer 2024, Fall 2024, Winter 2024, Spring 2025, Summer 2025.

If you are interested in applying for a Community Event Mini-Grant, please read through the Grant Guidelines before starting an application. 

Questions? Join us for virtual office hours every Tuesday at 4 pm to answer questions related to your grant application in advance of the deadline! Click here to join the meeting.

Click here to view the updated Mini-Grant Guidelines

The Community Event Mini-Grant Guidelines contain information including: 

    • Program and Applicant Guidelines 
    • Funding Limit and Match Requirements 
    • Application Format and Materials Required for the Application  
    • Grant Criteria and Review Process
    • Reporting and Recognition Guidelines for Grantees  

Frequently Asked Questions:

– Who may apply?

Individuals, Groups, and Organizations who are based in the Greater Louisville area, including the following counties: Bullitt, Jefferson, Oldham, and Shelby counties in Kentucky; Clark, Floyd, and Harrison counties in Indiana are eligible to apply.  

Applicants may submit proposals as an individual, a group, or organization without tax-exempt status, or as a nonprofit organization.  

Partnership Guidelines (Updated June 2024) 

    • Community-based applicants are strongly encouraged to apply with an artist or arts organization as a Partner. 
    • Artists and arts organizations are strongly encouraged to apply with a community-based individual or group as a Partner. 
    • Individuals, groups, or organizations that are both community-based and arts-based are welcome to apply with additional Partners, but this is not required if the applicant represents both the community connection and arts elements for this application.  

Ideally, a Partner will make a significant contribution to the event, deepening either the community connection or the arts component. A Partner will also provide a Statement of Commitment letter, included in the application. 

– Does a community need to be linked to a specific neighborhood?

A community can be tied to a specific geographic location in Louisville, and can also be a community linked by a common interest, such as gardening or dance, or a community linked by a common culture, such as an immigrant community or the LGBTQ+ community.

– Is there a funding limit?

    • Applicants may request between $500 and $5,000 in Mini-Grant funding. 
    • Requests up to $2,000 do not require matching funds.  
    • A 1:1 match is required for all funds requested above $2,000, so that a $2,500 request would require a $500 match and a $5,000 request would require a $3,000 match. 
    • The 1:1 match for funds requested above $2,000 may consist of cash or the value of in-kind donations of goods and services. 

Please see the Mini-Grant Guidelines for more information on the matching component, Partner component, and what makes a strong community-based application. 

Eligible Requests  Ineligible Requests 
  • Event must contain an element that is artistic in nature, including either performance, exhibit, culinary arts, or creation and engagement in artistic exercise. 
  • Event should include a physical, in-person event to happen in a specific neighborhood in Greater Louisville.   
  • Event budget should be reasonable and sufficient to execute the project within the project period.  
  • Event must be free and open to the public 
  • General operating support.   
  • Fundraisers. 
  • Re-granting. 
  • Religious or primarily faith-based programs or organizations receiving a significant portion of their funding from a religious organization.   
  • Advocacy of specific political causes or candidates.  
  • Fund for the Arts will not award grant support to organizations that, in their constitution, bylaws, or practices, discriminate against a person or group because of age, race, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or religious belief. In doing so, we seek to promote respect for all people. 

 

 

Format and Materials for the Application

The Mini-Grant Application consists of 5 main sections;

    1. Contact Information
    2. Community Event Information
    3. Attachments
    4. Budget
    5. Demographic Information 

Please see the Mini-Grant Guidelines for more detailed information on the content of each section, including specific questions asked and word count limits. 

Need extra help? A video tutorial guiding you through each step of the application is embedded at the bottom of this page.

 Award Criteria and Determination 

All applications will be reviewed and evaluated by a panel consisting of community volunteers who represent a broad range of artistic and cultural viewpoints, geographic, racial, and ethnic diversity, and a strong, proven desire to support our local arts ecosystem. 

If you are interested in volunteering to be a part of a community review panel, you can apply to serve as a panelist by filling out the short form on our website. 

The full Community Event Mini-Grant Scoring Rubric provided to reviewers is available here. 

Please see the Mini-Grant Guidelines for more detailed information on the review process and award criteria. 

Grant Periods and Deadlines

You can view the 2025-2026 Mini-Grant Deadlines in the timeline graphic above or in this linked document.

If you are looking for the 2024-2025 Mini-Grant Timeline, you can view the full 2024-2025 Mini-Grant Timeline here.

*If an application’s event date does not fall within the grant period, the application will be carried forward into the next round of reviews. Grants will not be awarded retroactively for events that took place or began before the grant period.   

Helpful tip: If your event spans different grant periods, consider applying for a specific opening event, closing event, or a free community night 

Questions or Additional Information

Learn more at the recorded info session below or join virtual office hours: Tuesdays at 4 pm. Click here to join 

LOGIN TO ACCESS A NEW APPLICATION

*new applicants will be asked to create an account 

*returning applicants, this link gives you access to the Community Events Mini-Grant application  

Coming back to this application later?  

LOGIN TO CONTINUE WORKING ON YOUR SAVED ONLINE APPLICATION

Still Have Questions? Contact the Fund for the Arts Community Investment & Support team at grants@fundforthearts.org

 

This video was created for our 2024-2025 application cycle. There have been some minor updates to the application since then, but no significant changes. 

0:00 – Intro

1:55 – Mini-Grants Webpage

5:27 – Discussion of Updated Grant Periods and Deadlines

7:52 – Mini-Grant Guidelines

16:16 – Discussion of Updated Match Requirements

29:17 – How to Log into the Grant Portal

43:03 – Instructions and Contact Information sections on the Application

45:45 – Event Logistics Section on the Application

49:29 – Event Information Section on the Application (3 out of 4 of the longer questions in the Application)

54:24 – The Budget Section on the Application, including template, helpful tips, and example budget

1:15:52 – The Attachments Section on the Application, including the Partner Statement of Commitment Letter

1:20:35 – The Demographic Information Section on the Application

1:24:14 – How to be sure an application is submitted

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