Grant Opportunity - Asian American Arts Alliance (A4) Arts Fund
The Asian American Arts Alliance (A4) is proud to launch the A4 Arts Fund, a new national grant initiative supported by The Wallace Foundation and in partnership with the National Arts Regranting Partners. This program aims to explore and advance equitable grantmaking practices in the creative sector, with a focus on supporting Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) arts and culture.
The A4 Arts Fund offers general operating support and cohort-based engagement to under-resourced arts and culture organizations that support and uphold AAPI communities. Eligible organizations must have annual operating budgets of under $500,000. Through an open application process, A4 will award $500,000 in total funding, granting $25,000 each to 20 organizations across the country for a one-year period.
In addition to funding, grantee partners will also participate in a virtual cohort engagement model, creating a national community of peer organizations. This cohort will be designed to foster collaboration, knowledge exchange, and mutual support among those committed to sustaining and creating arts and cultural spaces for AAPI communities.
A4 staff will host three virtual networking sessions: one at the beginning, one at the midpoint, and one at the end of the grant period. This is to provide space for organizations to exchange ideas and share resources, and build connections.
In addition, A4 staff will offer one-on-one check-ins with each grantee partner to provide personalized support throughout the grant program.
Timeline
Applications open Tuesday, May 27, 2025
Online informational session on Thursday, June 5, 2025
Applications close on Thursday, July 10, 2025
Application Review from Monday, July 20–Monday, August 18, 2025
All applicants will be notified by Monday, August 25, 2025
Grant period is from September 2025–August 2026
Final report from grant awardees September 2026
REQUIREMENTS
Please review the eligibility requirements for the A4 Arts Fund before applying.
We welcome the following organizations to apply:
501( c )(3) nonprofit organizations
Fiscally sponsored organizations
Artist- or cultural practice-centered for-profit entities (LLCs, S Corps, etc.)
Artist collectives with a tax ID or with a fiscal sponsor that has a tax ID
The program is open to organizations in the following geographical areas:
Those based in the 50 U.S. States, the District of Columbia, and/or U.S. territories and other U.S. jurisdictions.
Applicants must also meet all of the requirements below:
Operating budgets of under $500,000, averaged over two years.
Organizations that have a minimum of a three-year operating history. A group may have different incorporations over the course of their history (e.g. first and second years as a fiscally sponsored group, third year as an incorporated 501©(3) organization.)
The following are not eligible to apply:
Individuals
Federal agencies
Municipal, county, or state government entities
K-12 schools and preschools
Colleges and universities
Frequently asked questions
Please read the FAQ here
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
Application questions
The application will request basic organizational information, your operating budget from the past two years, responses to narrative questions, and supporting materials.
Eligibility:
1. Is your annual budget less than $500,000 (expenses)? Yes/No
2. What is your operating budget?
3. What type of organization are you?
4. What year was your organization formed?
Basic Information:
1. Organization Name
2. Name of Executive Director
3. Contact for the Application (A4 staff may contact the organization for follow-up during the application review)
4. Email
5. Phone Number
6. Address
7. Website
8. Social Media Handles
Are you or someone in your organization able to attend all three virtual cohort networking sessions? Yes/No
Would you be open to filling out a separate survey to help us better understand the arts and culture landscape serving Asian American communities? Your response is completely optional and will not affect your eligibility or selection in the grant review process. Yes/No
Narrative questions:
Please describe your organization’s history and mission and how your arts and cultural work serves the Asian American Pacific Islander community. Are there any important challenges or context within your organization that we should be aware of?
Please describe your community, and how your organization and leadership reflects your community. Any important context, data, or demographics we should know? What are the challenges your community faces? How is your leadership connected to this work and the community that they serve?
How has your work sought to advance the well-being of your community, and how will this grant help support and strengthen that work? How is your organization accountable to your community? Please provide any learnings, outcomes, and examples of impact from your programs and initiatives.
What values drive your work, and how will these funds advance your work?
Optional: Supporting materials
Supporting materials are optional. If you’d like to include them, you may upload a PDF with work samples, community testimonials, partner quotes, photos, and/or excerpts from annual reports. This material gives reviewers additional context about the organization, its leadership, team, and programming.
For short videos, please provide a link and ensure the video is no longer than 5 minutes.
How to Apply + Application Support
All applications are submitted online via Jotform. The deadline to submit is Thursday, July 10, 2025 at 11:59 pm ET.
Jotform will send an automatic reply after your application has been submitted.
Applications submitted after the deadline will not be accepted. Unfortunately, no exceptions will be made.
A4 will hold an informational webinar on Thursday, June 5, 2025 from 12:00-1:00 pm ET. Applicants are encouraged to attend. You may register here.
Please note that a translated, closed-caption version of the webinar will be available on the A4 website by Friday, June 20, 2025.
If you have any questions after the webinar or need assistance applying online, please email Michelle Bae at mbae@aaartsalliance.org. Unfortunately, assistance is only available in English.
Selection Criteria
We strive for a balance of geography, populations served, and disciplines. These factors will also be taken into account when the applications are evaluated.
Applications will be reviewed and scored based on the following criteria:
The organization’s leadership and team are deeply connected to and reflect their community.
The organization has successfully demonstrated an understanding of their community’s needs, challenges, and strengths.
We are looking for applicants who can provide clear data, examples, and evidence.
The organization’s mission and its arts and cultural work has positively impacted their community.
We are looking for applicants that have consistently engaged their community over the past three years with culturally relevant and accessible programming.
The organization clearly demonstrated how this grant will support their work and the community they serve.
We are looking for applicants that can clearly articulate how this support will strengthen their arts and cultural work.
About A4
The Asian American Arts Alliance (A4) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring greater representation, equity, and opportunities for Asian American artists and cultural organizations through resource sharing, promotion, and community building. Since 1983, A4 has sought to unify, promote, and represent the artistic and cultural producers of one of New York City’s fastest-growing populations. We are a diverse alliance of artists, organizations, and arts supporters who believe that working together as a pan-ethnic, multidisciplinary community is essential to nurturing the development of artists and arts groups. A4 serves as a thoughtful convener of the Asian American cultural workforce around issues of race, identity, and artmaking and provides a critical voice for this community. We are the only service organization in the country dedicated to the professional development of Asian American and Pacific Islander artists in all disciplines
Source: https://www.aaartsalliance.org/opportunities/a4-arts-fund
