Examples of issues addressed include but are not limited to civic advocacy and engagement, public health or safety, racial justice, restorative justice, education, and social or legal services.

Home » Community Arts » Community Arts Grant Program This program is funded and made possible by the City of Birmingham and administered by Create Birmingham. CITY OF BIRMINGHAM COMMUNITY ARTS GRANT PROGRAM 0VERVIEW The Community Arts Grant Program will support four community arts collaborations that benefit the City of Birmingham with grants of $10,000 each. Funded projects will take place between January 1 and December 1, 2027.Each community collaboration supported will be a partnership between an artist or arts organization and a community organization from a non-arts sector. The primary partner must have nonprofit status and be located within the municipality of the City of Birmingham.Funded projects will use the arts to address an issue impacting the City of Birmingham, will take place in one or more of the City of Birmingham communities and neighborhoods listed here, and will be accessible to the general public.Examples of issues addressed include but are not limited to civic advocacy and engagement, public health or safety, racial justice, restorative justice, education, and social or legal services.Collaborations eligible for funding include but are not limited to workshops, performances, concerts, festivals, demonstrations, screenings, and readings.Priority consideration will be given to projects involving small to mid-sized arts organizations and/or individual artists. Projects may be first-time collaborations or continuations of existing work.Each project must identify two lead partners. Organizations and individuals may not serve as lead partners on more than one application.Projects must provide 1:2 matching funds (50 cents for every dollar awarded). The total budget must be at least $15,000: $10,000 to be covered by this grant if awarded and $5,000 in matching funds drawn from other sources. Matching funds may be in-kind, cash, or a combination of both.Applications will be reviewed by a nine-person panel appointed by the Birmingham City Council. The funding criteria and scoring rubric will be available for reference throughout the application process.Questions may be emailed to [email protected]. Staff will also be available for 30-minute meetings in person and via Zoom that can be requested by email at this same address. Key Dates JUNE 29, 2026: ELIGIBILITY CHECK PORTAL OPENSAUGUST 12, 2026 BY 5 PM: LAST DAY TO SUBMIT QUESTIONS REGARDING ELIGIBILITY CHECKAUGUST 14, 2026 BY 11:59 PM: ELIGIBILITY CHECK MATERIALS DUEAUGUST 21, 2026: NOTIFICATION OF ELIGIBILITY TO APPLY AND APPLICATION LINK PROVIDEDSEPTEMBER 9, 2026 BY 5 PM: LAST DAYS TO SUBMIT QUESTIONS ABOUT THE APPLICATIONSEPTEMBER 11, 2026 BY 11:59 PM: APPLICATIONS DUEOCTOBER 2026: PANEL REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS NOVEMBER 6, 2026: NOTIFICATION OF FUNDING DECISIONSNOVEMBER 14, 2026: GRANT AGREEMENTS COMPLETEDDECEMBER 2026: GRANTS FUNDS DISPERSEDJANUARY 1 – DECEMBER 1, 2027: PROJECT PERIOD FOR FUNDED ACTIVITIESDECEMBER 6, 2027: PROJECT REPORTS DUE FIRST ROUND: ELIGIBILITY CHECK OPEN THROUGH AUGUST 14, 2026 AT 11:59 PMAll Eligibility Check submissions must provide the following documentation to advance to the second round of consideration.2026 City of Birmingham business license,IRS 501c3 letter of exemption,Documentation of City of Birmingham business address,IRS Form-990 for the most recently completed fiscal year,Audit or financial statement for the most recently completed fiscal year. Your financial statement must come from a third-party source, IE QuickBooks, or Quicken.List of current board of directors.Applicants will be notified of qualification for the second round of consideration and provided with the application link by August 22nd. PANEL REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS An initial application review will be conducted by Create Birmingham staff to confirm that all applications are complete.Applications will then be evaluated by a panel consisting of one representative from each of the City of Birmingham’s nine districts, selected by their respective City Council members.The 2027 scoring rubric used by the community panel to evaluate applications can be found here. NOTIFICATION Applicants will be notified of the status of their proposal by November 6, 2026, with grant agreements to be completed by November 14, 2026.Funds will be disbursed in December 2026 for project activities taking place between January 1 and December 1, 2027. REPORTING A brief narrative and financial update will be required 60 days before key project activities, on a date to be determined as part of the grant agreement.A brief final narrative and financial report will be due by December 6, 2027, or 60 days after the completion of the project, whichever comes first.Under the terms of the grant agreement, grantees must agree to an audit of project expenses if requested by Create Birmingham or the City of Birmingham. 2026 CITY OF BIRMINGHAM COMMUNITY ARTS GRANT RECIPIENTS In the fourth year of this grant program, the following four community arts collaborations were selected to receive 2026 City of Birmingham Community Arts Grants. Each project received a $10,000 grant in support of creative cross-sector programming serving residents of all ages across the city. BARE HANDS, INC.THE VIEW FROM HERE This grant will support The View from Here, a free, multidisciplinary community arts series co-sponsored, in 2026, by Bare Hands and the Birmingham Civils Rights Institute that explores the power of perspective. Rooted in the belief that creativity lives in the everyday, it invites community participants to reflect on how we experience the world through color, culture, identity, and place. The View from Here is a collaboration between Bare Hands and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. BIRMINGHAM FOLK FESTIVAL: REFRAMING DIFFERENCE AS AN ASSET WITH OUR CITY, ARTISTS AND BUSINESSESThis grant will support Reframing Difference as an Asset with our City, Artists, and Businesses. Held annually on the third Saturday in May, Birmingham Folk Festival (BFF),