FY 2025-2026 Cultural Arts Grants

The City of Newport Beach distributes funds to arts organizations, enabling them to expand arts programs offered to the Newport Beach community in accordance with City Council Policy I-10, Culture and Arts Grants.

To apply, arts organizations are required to meet the following criteria:

1. Only arts organizations are eligible; we do not award grants to individual artists.
2. Arts organizations must propose projects/programs for funding that directly benefit children and adults living in Newport Beach, and schools only within the City’s geographic boundaries. Collaborative events, such as public performances or programs implemented in conjunction with the City of Newport Beach are also eligible for grants.
3. The City Arts Commission funds only arts projects/programs which will be presented before January 11, 2027, not general operating expenses.
4. Arts organizations that received cultural grants during Fiscal Year 2024-25 will not be considered unless they have completed and returned their Cultural Arts Grant Completion Report, even if they have not completed some of the components of the project/program by the grant application due date.
5. All applications must be typed or word-processed and complete with requested attachments or submitted through the online application form at: Cultural Arts Grants Online Application Form. For physical copies, you may reformat on the computer as long as the font and pagination appear the same.

To be considered for a Cultural Arts Grant, the application must be completed according to the instructions and received at the Library’s Administrative Office by 4:00 p.m. on Monday, January 12, 2026.  This is not a postmark date. You may submit the application through mail, email, or through the online application form. The address to email and mail or deliver is:

Cultural Arts Division
Newport Beach Public Library
1000 Avocado Avenue
Newport Beach, CA 92660
arts@newportbeachca.gov

The Newport Beach Arts Commission encourages your submittal and strives to satisfy as many grant requests as possible. 

If you have any questions, please call the Cultural Arts Division at (949) 717-3802 or email arts@newportbeachca.gov.

How to Apply for a Cultural Arts Grant:

1. FY 2025-26 Instructions for Applying for Cultural Arts Grants
2. FY 2025-26 Cultural Arts Grants Application (online submission form)*
3. FY 2025-26 Cultural Arts Grants Application (fillable PDF form)*
4. FY 2025-26 Cultural Arts Grants Completion Report

 *If you received grant funding in FY 2024-25, you must also submit a grant completion report by January 19, 2026:

5. FY 2024-25 Cultural Arts Grants Completion Report (PDF form)
6. FY 2024-25 Cultural Arts Grants Completion Report (online submission form)

Members of the City Arts Commission will review each application, assign funding, and present their recommendations to the City Council. It is the City Arts Commission’s intention to distribute funds to qualified organizations with strong projects and programs that will serve the Newport Beach community.  Grants are awarded on the merit of the project or program as outlined in the grant application.

The Cultural Grant Application will not be considered if:

• It is not received in the Library Administrative Office at the Newport Beach Central Library, 1000 Avocado Avenue, Newport Beach, 92660 by 4:00 p.m. on Monday, January 12, 2026. This is not a postmark date. Any online application submitted after 4:00 p.m. on January 12 will also be disqualified.
• It is not submitted in the format requested or if it is incomplete.
• The organization does not meet the eligibility requirements as per the cover letter.
• The proposed project does not fall within the scope of the guidelines.
• You received a cultural grant last year and have not filed your completion report by January 19, 2026, even if you have not completed some of the components of the project/program.
  
  

  The best proposals will:

• Respond directly to the questions listed. Clear, concise responses will bring out the best features of the proposal and highlight the goals and objectives of the project or program. Be sure to include all requested material. Do not assume that the Arts Commission will have knowledge of facts that are not described in the proposal. The proposals will be judged entirely and exclusively on their contents, not on prior knowledge of the organization.
• Use each narrative section and the budget form to tell the City Arts Commission why it should select your organization's proposal. Tell why your project/program stands out in the benefits that it offers to the citizens of Newport Beach and why this need is best met by your organization and proposal.
• Do not include material in excess of what is requested- it will not be seen by the City Arts Commission.

FY 2025-26 CULTURAL ARTS GRANT TIMELINE: