Grants
Our 2022 grant cycle (March 15-April 22) is now closed.
If you’re interested in applying, please determine that you and your organization are eligible by reviewing the eligibility requirements below, reading our mission and funding philosophy on the “About” page, and getting to know our previous recipients (listed below). If you meet the eligibility requirements and are doing work that aligns with our mission, please check back in March 2023 for information about how to apply to our 2023 grant cycle.
ELIGIBILITY
To submit an application for funding, you must be an official representative or staff member of a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (as defined by the Internal Revenue Service), working in the arts, and towards a mission that aligns with the Wilhelm Family Foundation’s work.
- Nonprofit organizations working in the arts with current tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and which are not classified as a private foundation.
- The Foundation is not legally capable of making grants to individuals, individual artists, to any type of religious organization, nor to funding a 501(c)3 that directly or indirectly participates in, or intervenes in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office.
- Organizations without nonprofit status may apply for funding through a fiscal sponsor. An application for funding, and all accompanying documentation, must be directly submitted by the fiscal sponsor. The Foundation will consider applications utilizing fiscal sponsorship on a case-by-case basis, at the Board’s discretion, and may require further documentation regarding the partnership between the organization and its fiscal sponsor.
- Generally, the Foundation’s grants are given to small creative nonprofit organizations that use their staff, programming & resources to further dialog around creativity, cultural, environmental and social issues, towards the benefit of artists and the communities in which they operate. We do not typically fund exhibitions or capital campaigns.
- The majority of our grants are awarded for a one-year period. We do consider applications for multi-year funding, though projects or programs seeking funding beyond two years are not usually granted.
OVERVIEW
In March of 2020, we made a three-year commitment to increase our support of the creative community as it weathered the devastating effects of the pandemic and then organized around racial equity movements. In both 2020 and 2021, we chose to shorten the Foundation’s lifespan in order to maximize funding during these unprecedented times, nearly tripling our pre-Covid annual distribution for two years running. As we enter the third and final year of this funding commitment, a sense of immense privilege and gratitude pervades, as does an excitement to connect with new and returning applicants during our 2022 grant cycle.
To learn more about the Foundation’s grantmaking priorities and focus, please visit the “About” page of our website.
Applicants that meet the Foundation’s eligibility and application requirements, and whose mission and work aligns with the Foundation’s goals, will be reviewed by our Board for funding the same year.
Organizations that submit an application for funding on or before the April 22nd deadline will receive a decision by June 10, 2022. Once an application has been submitted, it’s likely that an organization will be asked to provide further documentation, information, or correspondence before receiving a decision on their application.