Date: September 5, 2025
Contact: City Communications, (316) 268-4351
2026 Cultural Funding Activation Grants Open
Today, the City of Wichita Division of Arts and Cultural Services opened applications for a new grant opportunity: the 2026 Activation Grants.
Updated as part of the 2024-2028 Cultural Arts Strategic Plan through review and recommendation by the Cultural Funding Committee and City staff, the Activation Grants replace the previous Artist Access and Developing Arts Grants. The new grants share the same intended goals of the earlier grant programs, offering one-time operational or programmatic funding to individual artists, groups of artists, or arts and culture nonprofit organizations who serve the residents of Wichita.
Each application will fall into one of four categories:
- Individuals applying to make art (Programmatic Funding).
- Nonprofit organizations applying to make art (Programmatic Funding).
- Individuals applying for professional development help (Capacity Building Funding).
- Nonprofit organizations applying for organizational development help (Capacity Building Funding).
Applicants can request funding for their projects from $500 to $10,000.
Activation Grant recipients will be selected by the City’s Cultural Funding Committee. The 11-member volunteer committee is charged with reviewing grant applications and making funding recommendations to the City Council on various City of Wichita cultural arts grant applications.
In 2025, the City of Wichita awarded 21 Artist Access grants and no Developing Arts grants. Prior grant recipients have used funding for artist workshops and continuing education courses, attending conferences and seminars, artist residencies, marketing and online platforms, and more.
All funding awarded must be used to serve the residents of the City of Wichita, and all capacity building funding must be used by individuals or organizations who, through their work, serve the residents of the City of Wichita. All proposed projects must align with a goal, objective, strategy, or other aspect of the City’s 2024-2028 Cultural Arts Strategic Plan. Full guidelines are at wichita.submittable.com.
The Activation Grant Opportunity supports the mission of the Division of Arts and Cultural Services, which is to ensure everyone has equitable access to cultural arts opportunities by activating and strengthening the creative potential of our community, and Goal 4 of the City’s 2024-2028 Cultural Arts Strategic Plan, which is to “Support efforts to stimulate the creation of artwork and cultural opportunities.”
Applications are now open for Activation Grant funding at wichita.submittable.com and will close on November 3, 2025. For more information, interested applicants can attend information sessions on September 16 or 23 or reach out to Jesse Koza, Cultural Arts Administrator, at 316.350.3241 or [email protected]. More information about the information sessions can be found at wichita.gov/arts.