Thrive

Thrive Guidelines

Grants awarded in the following categories:

Eligibility

Eligible Applicants

• 501(c)(3) Arts Nonprofit (see definition in Appendix A: Definitions) by time of application submission (verified by letter of determination, IRS Form 990, and IRS.org)
• At least five years operating in the City of Austin / MSA (see definition)
• Over half of creative production is within the Austin City Council districts or Extra Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ – see definition). This is due to even though we allow those in the MSA to apply, the majority of the activities must take place in Austin.
• Annual expenses of $60,000 or higher as shown on most recently completed Form 990. 

Ineligible Applicants

• Applicants whose primary mission or vision is NOT rooted in producing arts and culture activities
• Individual Artists, Arts Groups, including State of Texas Designated Arts Nonprofits
• Applicants headquartered outside of Austin MSA
• Applicants with less than one year production history in Austin (prior to application deadline)
• City of Austin Employees

Expenses

Eligible Expenses - include but not limited to the following categories related to the grant-funded activities

• Artist and administrator compensation
• Marketing & outreach
• Insurance
• Supplies
• Permits
• Venue or equipment rentals
• Production, performance and service fees
• Capital expenditures over $2,000 must seek prior written approval from AACME Staff

Ineligible Expenses

• Awardees are prohibited from “double dipping” (see definition in Appendix A of Guidelines) with their grant funds to cover the same expenses or activities. Each Grant Agreement will dictate what expenses are allowed during the grant agreement term. For example, “rent” can only be paid by one grant award
• Awardee travel costs, including gas, flights, hotels, tolls, parking, and ferries, however limited travel costs for participating artists brought to Austin by the awardee may be eligible with ACME staff approval
• Curriculum development or programming, scholarly or academic research, and any related activities
• Food & hospitality
• Fundraisers, capital campaigns, and benefits, including entertainment and receptions
• Start-up costs of a new organization, for example, expenses associated with filing for an LLC, or nonprofit status
• Consultants who are also employees of the applicant
• Payments to students or interns whose employment is tied to class credit
• Purchase of gifts, awards, cash prizes, scholarships, contributions, donations, or re-granting of funds
• Existing debts, fines, contingencies, penalties, interest, litigation costs or taxes, excluding sales tax and payroll taxes
• Any programming that is advertised as a program of an educational institution such as Austin Independent School District or a university
• Religious and/or sectarian programming or any programming and/or services that are solely for the promotion of or consumption by a specific religious order and/or a particular sect 

Evaluation Review and Scoring

Evaluation Review

Thrive includes at least two separate evaluation panels: One for applicants with Creative Spaces and another for Nonprofits Arts Organizations without a Creative Space.

Narrative questions are evaluated by independent reviewers that represent a broad range of artistic and cultural viewpoints, professions, and backgrounds. Reviewers review applications within their area of professional and artistic expertise. All reviewers are trained in the application review process and evaluate applications based on defined grant criteria. Panels are facilitated by staff, and all final scoring decisions are carefully reviewed ahead of final award decisions by ACME staff. See Appendix C to learn about reviewer nomination, selection, and process. 

Scoring

Review the Thrive Detailed Scoring Rubric: English, Spanish

Category	Criteria	Available Points
Creative Work	Mission or artistic vision is culturally significant and community-rooted Activities reflect the people, places, histories and cultures of Austin Creative work reflects clear intent, authentic perspective, and meaningful cultural expression	Up to 30
Capacity	Organization has clear plans and goals for long-term sustainability Leadership or team demonstrates understanding of and connection to the communities served Budget, staffing, and support systems are suited to the project’s scope and goals	Up to 40
Public Connection	Programs are welcoming and accessible to a wide public Organization contributes to Austin’s identity as a creative city	Up to 30
Tie Breakers	Applicants who have the highest score for  the question “Describe your organizations goals to sustain and grow”  Applicants who have been producing work in Austin the longest  Applicants whose artistic discipline is least represented in the pool of applicants	NA

Awardee Commitments

Grantees will be required to submit a report annually. To ease reporting requirements, grantees will have the option to participate in conversation-based assessments and reporting with their dedicated City staff person.  

Year 1: Initial Report

An initial report will be used by ACME staff to establish a baseline of data and information about the organization’s self-identified goals. This assessment is developed through a conversation about the organization’s existing areas of expertise and interest in sharing those skills through collaborative learning opportunities, as well as any possible networking connections the organization hopes to leverage during the cohort time period. This assessment will be used in the planning of Thrive cohort opportunities and to track progress during the interim and final reporting stages of the grant.

Year 1: Progress Report

The progress report will be used by ACME staff to update and revise your goals as necessary for any Year Two changes. Disbursement of the remaining 10% of that year’s goals will not be issued without approval of the submitted interim report.  

Year 2: Final Report

A final report is due within thirty days of the final program date in Year Two of the contract. Workshops on how to complete your report will be made available and supporting materials can be found in the Contractor Library.  

Thrive Application Preview

Application Questions

Each answer allows for a maximum of 3,000 characters:

Creative Work (30 pts)

1. What is the applicant’s mission or artistic vision and what do you do to support that mission? Answer must include responses to the three statements below:

• State your mission and describe the creative activities that support it.
• Identify who your work impacts and how they engage with it.
• Explain the artistic values, traditions, or focus that guide your mission.
   

2. What is your proposed activity and how does it reflect the people, places, or cultures of Austin?  Answer must include responses to the two statements below:

• Describe your proposed event (When, Where, What, How).   
• Describe how it reflects Austin’s people, places, and/or cultures.   
• Explain how your event shows an authentic perspective and meaningful cultural expression. 

Capacity (40 pts)

3. Describe your organization’s goals to sustain and grow: Answer must include responses to the three statements below:

• Outline your 2-year goals and how this funding will help you reach them.  
• Describe your staff and board’s experience and how they align with your goals and community.  
• Share how you plan to remain financially stable and adaptable beyond the grant period. 

4. Budget Table and Narrative: Complete the budget table with the proposed budget needed to produce your proposed activities. Use the budget template to make a draft to copy/paste into the table in the application. Answer must address:

• Payment to artists and/or administrators
• Clear explanation of all expenses to produce your activities
• Budget should be reflective of the proposed activities outlined in the application narrative 

Expense Categories	Total Proposed Budget	Description of Proposed Budget Expenses (number of people/items paid for and payment rate)
Payments to Artists
Payments to Admin Support
Marketing
Venue/ Office rental
Production Fees
Supplies/materials
Accessibility Services
Equipment Rental
Fiscal sponsor Fees
Capital Expenses
TOTAL

What is your proposed project budget? Answer must include:

• Explain how your budget supports your project.
• Describe other resources that will help you complete your event, such as in‑kind support or other funding sources. 

Public Connection (30 pts)
 

5. How will you market your proposed activities? Answer must include: 

• How you connect with residents, visitors and tourists.  
• How you are promoting Austin as a cultural and creative destination.  
• How people will feel connected and encouraged to join your event. 

 6.  Describe how your work contributes to the local creative ecosystem. Answer must include:  

• Describe how your organization supports creative workers through jobs, internships, or partnerships.   
• Examples of how you share space, tools, knowledge, or services to help other creatives thrive. If you manage creative space, share how it’s used to support others through shared access, programming, or creative exchange. 

Thrive - History

The Thrive grant was originally developed with community support during the Cultural Funding Review from 2019-2022. Read the Cultural Funding Report (English, Spanish). The program was originally launched in 2023 under the purview of the Economic Development Department. Across two funding cycles, 71 awards were made spanning multiple disciplines. Through the Thrive program, $15.5 million in funding commitments supported arts and culture nonprofit organizations across Austin.
 

Meet the Current Cohort

See the list or view a summary dashboard of the FY25-26 Awardees awarded in 2024.

 

2024 Awardees (FY25-26) 

Organization Name	Award
Austin African American Book Festival	$150,000
Austin Gay Men's Chorus	$150,000
Austin Iranian Professionals Association (AIPA)	$150,000
Cine Las Americas	$150,000
Early Era Collective	$150,000
Glass Half Full Theatre	$150,000
Outreach Productions	$150,000
SuperWoman Records	$150,000
Texas Folklife Resources, Inc.	$150,000
Unlisted Projects	$150,000
_OFCOLOR	$100,000
Austin Asian American Film Festival	$100,000
Austin Soundwaves	$100,000
Capitol View Arts	$100,000
ConnectHER Annual Film Festival	$100,000
Eastside Kings Festival	$100,000
Fisterra Projects	$100,000
Ground Floor Theatre	$100,000
Indian Classical Music Circle of Austin (ICMCA)	$100,000
Jump On It	$100,000
La Peña Latino Arts	$100,000
Latinitas	$100,000
Motion Media Arts Center	$100,000
Roy Lozano's Ballet Folklórico de Texas	$100,000
Texas Music Museum	$100,000
CBA - Cultural Brasil Austin	$85,000
Dance Africa Fest	$85,000
Indie Meme	$85,000
Laboratorio Arts	$85,000
Mexic-Arte Museum	$85,000
Puerto Rican Folkloric Dance/ Puerto Rican Cultural Center (DBA)	$85,000
SAGE Studio & Gallery	$85,000
The Museum of Human Achievement (MoHA)	$85,000
The VORTEX	$85,000
Torch Literary Arts	$85,000

 

2022 Awardees (FY23-24)

Organization Name	Award
allgo	$150,000
Austin Asian American Film Festival	$100,000
Austin Chinese-American Network or ACAN	$85,000
Austin International Drag Foundation, Inc.	$100,000
AZTLAN DANCE COMPANY	$100,000
Ballet East Dance Company	$85,000
Capitol View Arts	$150,000
Cine Las Americas	$150,000
Color Arc Productions	$85,000
Dance Africa Fest	$85,000
DAWA (Diversity Awareness and Wellness in Action)	$100,000
E4 Youth, Inc	$85,000
Esquina Tango	$100,000
Glass Half Full Theatre	$85,000
Great Promise for American Indians	$150,000
ICMCA	$85,000
Imagine Art	$85,000
India Fine Arts, Inc	$100,000
Indie Meme	$85,000
Jump On It	$100,000
LA PENA	$150,000
Lannaya West African Drum and Dance Ensemble	$100,000
Latinas Unidas Por El Arte (LUPE Arte)	$100,000
LATINITAS, LATINITAS, INC.	$100,000
Mexic‐Arte Museum	$100,000
MoHA	$150,000
Oliver Rajamani DBA Taranada	$85,000
Outreach Productions	$100,000
OUTsider Film & Arts Festival	$100,000
PUERTO RICAN FOLKLORIC DANCE INC aka Puerto Rican Cultural Center	$150,000
Red Salmon Arts	$100,000
Roy Lozano's Ballet Folklorico de Texas	$100,000
The VORTEX	$150,000
Torch Literary Arts	$150,000
WhatsintheMirror	$85,000
Women in Jazz Association	$150,000