Public Free Access

Overview

Public Free Access is a 4Culture grant program designed to reduce barriers posed by admission fees to quality cultural experiences for King County residents, particularly underserved communities. Grants support free and reduced-cost participation in arts, heritage, historic preservation, or science and technology experiences.

Key Dates

• Intent to Apply: February 12, 2026, 5:00 pm PST (save draft deadline)
• Final Application: February 26, 2026, 5:00 pm PST

Eligibility

• King County-based organizations
• Programs must be mission-based and meaningfully engage attendees
• In-person at venues in King County with head counts recorded
• Identical experience to paying attendees, not inferior
• Organization must be actively engaged in producing/generating/creating the program (beyond marketing and facility usage)
• Open and advertised to general public without restriction or limitation by invitation

Eligible Attendance

Attendance is counted per visit, event, or program (not per individual). For courses, one student per course is counted. Reduced-cost attendance must be both less than or equal to 50% of standard fee and less than or equal to $10 per person.

Non-Eligible Attendance

• Remote or virtual participants
• Attendance at more than 50% of standard fee or more than $10 per person
• Open-air, ungated, or unmonitored venues without head counts
• K-12 in-school activities or those funded by 4Culture's Curiosity Pass
• Unused tickets or memberships
• Participants reported by another applicant

Documentation Required

Applicants must document free and reduced-cost attendance with verified head counts and preserve documentation in records. Failure to produce acceptable documentation may result in the application not moving forward, withholding of payment, or grant termination.

Acceptable Documentation Examples

• Reports of redeemed tickets from point-of-sale systems
• Signed and dated logs of attendee counts taken by volunteers with clickers at entrances

Contact

• Bart J. Cannon, Ph.D.: (206) 263-1584
• Andres Guerrero-Guzman: (206) 263-3251