Cultural Investment Funding Programs

“Culture embodies the shared complex and diverse heritage of a community, including its tangible and intangible virtues…It is the quiet and restless imagination that becomes an expression from which emanates writing, song, performance, painting, sculpture, cuisine, dance, design, and story. When recognized, coalesced, and leveraged, culture is transformative. It ignites creativity, consciousness, and capacity.”

- Culture Connects Roadmap.

Cultural Investment Funding Program

Through service contracts with local nonprofit arts organizations, the Arts and Culture Department supplies a variety of cultural activities that generate significant impact for the community. The supported services range from hands-on educational programs for under-resourced communities to high-profile arts events by established cultural institutions and exciting new cultural activities.

All investments support our long-term policy planks: Youth Arts, Creative Spaces, Economic Growth and Engagement.

Potential applicants are encouraged to review our General Eligibility guidelines but should note that some categories have additional requirements.

Lodgers’ Tax for the Arts Funding 

NMSA Lodgers’ Tax Act (3-38-21) authorizes a municipality to use tax proceeds to defray costs of advertising, publicizing, and promoting tourism attractions within the area. Funding for this program is authorized by the City of Santa Fe Ordinance No. 1987-45, which earmarks Lodgers’ Tax for the Arts, the “promotion and advertising of nonprofit attractions and nonprofit performing arts in Santa Fe.” Therefore, eligible organizations must play a role in promoting tourism and apply the funding received primarily toward the project’s promotional, advertising, and marketing costs.  

Click here for general eligibility information. 

Applications for Fiscal Year 2024-2025 will open on December 1. 2023

Submit your Intent to Apply by Friday, January 5 at 6:00 pm

For further questions, please contact: 
artsandculture@santafenm.gov or 505-955-6707

Application Previews

Categories

Traditional Marketing Impact Category A (TMI-A) honors the tradition of our grant-making history by funding traditional National, international, and regional marketing and advertising of programming. This program is designed for nonprofit arts groups who do not wish to collaborate with organizations outside their sphere and have an organizational budget of over $2 million. 

Traditional Marketing Impact Category B (TMI-B) honors the tradition of our grant-making history by funding traditional National, international, and regional marketing and advertising of programming. This program is designed for nonprofit arts groups who do not wish to collaborate with organizations outside their sphere and have an organizational budget of $500,000 - $1,999,999. 

Traditional Marketing Impact Category C (TMI-C) honors the tradition of our grant-making history by funding traditional National, international, and regional marketing and advertising of programming. This program is designed for nonprofit arts groups who do not wish to collaborate with organizations outside their sphere and have an organizational budget of $499,999 and below.

Collaborative Impact (CI) focuses the programmatic efforts of Santa Fe’s arts nonprofit organizations on the development/creation of new media and/or programs intended to promote both Santa Fe’s rich and diverse arts and culture arena. The goal is to encourage collaborative projects independent of the partnering organizations’ traditional programming and foster the sharing of ideas, staff, materials, and resources. Collaborations must originate from at least one LEAD arts nonprofit organization in partnership with other nonprofits or art collectives. Organizations are encouraged to create multi-disciplinary programmatic content that promotes storytelling and advances the artistic vibrancy and cultural assets of Santa Fe in unique ways through in-person and/or digital experiences. CI grants are intended to expand the promotion of Santa Fe to include Cultural Tourism, thus attracting a specific audience of visitors who more directly foster our creative economy.

Cycle Schedule FY 2024-2025

Click here to sign up here to get emails notifying you of new funding opportunities.

Lifecycle of a Cultural Investment Funding Program Application

• Guidelines Available: Application guidelines are posted to the City of Santa Fe Arts & Culture Department website in November. Previews of new cycle applications are available for review and download in December of each year.
• Application Submitted: The application cycle period opens in January of every year. Applications for Traditional Marketing Impact (TMI) are open for a forty-five (45) day period, and Collaborative Impact (CI) is open for a sixty (60) day period from the date of release. For assistance with applications, applicants are encouraged to attend or review the Technical Assistance Workshop or email the Arts & Culture Department at artscommission@santafenm.gov
• Staff Review & Audit: Staff reviews completed applications for eligibility and may contact applicants for clarifications or questions.
• Panel Review Panels: are comprised of representatives of the Arts Commission and experts with knowledge and experience in the area under review. Panelists are given up to four (4) weeks for review and evaluation of eligible applications. Arts & Culture Staff facilitates panels but does not contribute to the evaluation or scoring of applications. Panels may convene in-person or virtually (i.e., via Zoom).
• Arts Commission Approval: Panel recommendations are reviewed and approved by the Arts Commission in late Spring of every year. Recommendations and approvals are conducted at the monthly Arts Commission Meetings. These meetings are publicly held for transparency. Please review https://santafe.primegov.com/public/portal for notice of the scheduled meeting.
• Notifications: Applicants are notified of funding decisions shortly after approvals have been made. However, funding is contingent on approval of the Annual Operating Budget by the City of Santa Fe, Governing Body.
• Awards: The City of Santa Fe Fiscal Year opens on July 1st. Programming must occur between July 1st through June 28th of every year.

Transparency: In an effort to make the Cultural Investment Funding Program review process as transparent as possible while still protecting the confidentiality of applicants and panelists, the following applies: Panelist names and biographies are listed once awards have been announced and approved for funding. The public may not attend panel review deliberations as confidential application information is discussed. Names of applicants are kept confidential except for those who are selected to receive awards. Awardees' announcement information is updated on the Arts & Culture website near the beginning of every fiscal year (July 1st).