Elevate

Assistance

The Economic Development Department is offering various ways for the community to learn about the Elevate Grant application process and eligibility. 

• Register to attend a Cultural Funding Awareness Workshop in-person..  
• Register to attend a Cultural Funding Awareness Workshop virtually.  
• Attend Cultural Arts Virtual Open Office Hours on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to noon until June 27.
• Watch an awareness workshop:
  • Elevate Grant Awareness Workshop in English 
  • Taller de concienciación sobre la subvención de Elevate en español 
• For application assistance, contact The Long Center at cityofaustingrants@thelongcenter.org.

How to Create a City Account

Watch a video on How to Create a City Account.  | Cómo crear una cuenta con la Ciudad.

Create An Account – For First-Time Users

• Step 1: Visit the Economic Development Department Application Portal. 
• Step 2: Click the “Create Account” icon.  
• Step 3: Enter the required information and click the “Submit” button.  
• Step 4: After completing account creation, you will be prompted to fill out your profile information.  
• Step 5: After updating your profile information, you will be redirected to the home screen to begin the application process. 

 

How to Redeem Your Access Code

If you have previously applied for a City of Austin Economic Development Department grant or program, you may need to redeem an access code to confirm and access your account.  

If you received a ‘Your email is connected to our system’ message, follow the steps below to confirm and access your account.  

• Step 1: Visit the Economic Development Department Application Portal. 
• Step 2: Click the “Create Account” icon.  
• Step 3: Enter the required information and click the “Submit” button.    
• Step 4: If your information is in our database, your access code will be displayed. 
• Step 5: Copy the one-time access code and enter into the Access Code tab.  
• Step 6: After you confirm your account, you will be directed to complete your account creation using the “Create Account” tab. 

Grant Guidelines

Download the Elevate Grant Guidelines (PDF, 550 KB)

Eligible Applicants

 

Eligible Applicants:

• 501(c) non-profit arts organization.
• An individual aged 18 or older with an annual operating budget below $500,000. * +  
• A creative business with an annual operating budget below $500,000. * +  
• Applicant’s primary mission and over 51% of their body of work is the production, presentation, or promotion of arts and culture. This includes organizations that provide professional support to creatives.  
• One year of operating history in the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) which includes Travis, Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, and Williamson Counties. 
• 51% or more of the applicant’s creative production is within the Austin 10-1 City Council districts or extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) and a minimum of 1 year of creative production within Austin.  
• Proposed activity meets all program requirements as outlined by the Hotel Occupancy Tax. All events are open to the public and marketed to tourists, or applicant is an arts service organization.  
• Applicants who are not receiving City funding for the same activities in the fiscal year in which they are applying. 

* May apply directly or with a fiscal sponsor.

+ Individual Artists and Creative Businesses, which include unincorporated arts groups, may apply for up to $25,000.

 

Ineligible Applicants: 

• 501(c) non-profit organizations or that are not primarily an arts organization.
• Individuals or creative businesses with annual operating budgets above $500,000.  
• Applicant organizations outside of the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). 

Eligible Activities and Expenses

See Additional Program Details (PDF, 372 KB) for a more detailed list of eligible and ineligible activities and expenses. 

Eligible Activities

• Operations related to the applicant’s ability to produce public events
• Exhibitions  
• Performances  
• Workshops, classes, and camps that include a performance or exhibition that is open to and marketed to tourists  
• Public art projects that are installed on public or private property and accessible to the public 

 

Eligible Expenses

• Administrative and creative costs incurred in the preparation and implementation of cultural activities that are open to and marketed to tourists (including artists’ salaries)
• Costs related to improving the applicant’s ability to produce cultural events
• Insurance costs
• Subscription costs or license fees for software needed to complete contracted activities
• Fiscal sponsor fee, if applicable

Application Details

Application Preview

Preview the application questions to help prepare. Applications will not be accepted via email or mail. The application must be submitted through the application home page only. 

 

Eligibility Questions

• What is your organization type? 
• In what year did your operations providing goods and services to the public begin? 
• Is 51% or more of your work produced or presented within the Austin 10-1 districts or extra-territorial jurisdiction (ETJ) for one (1) or more years? 
• Do the activities in your proposal culminate in an event or events that are open to and marketed to tourists? 
• Are you currently receiving any funding through any of the following programs? Live Music Fund, Heritage Tourism, other City of Austin programs 
• If yes, is your Cultural Funding application for the same activities that are funded by one of the programs above? 

 

Application Questions

• What is your mission, vision, and primary production history?  Identify your key constituencies and provide information about your service to them. 
• In what ways have you maintained a responsive approach to the needs of your key constituencies?  
• Who holds power in your organization and how do they represent your community? 
• In what ways are the voices from the community amplified and involved in the creative direction of your project?    
• What are your proposed activities and how is your proposal relevant to the current social and cultural needs of the community?   
• In what ways is intersectionality a key component of your activities?   
• Describe the non-financial ways that your community supports your creative work, and how that support has short and long-term impact on your success. 
• Describe the ways that your community financially supports your creative work and how that support has had a short and long-term impact on your success. If your community does not financially support your creative work, please explain why.    
• Describe the ways your creative work invests in your community. Include information on the systemic and long-term benefits your programming has for the community.   
• Does your proposal include specialized programming or accommodations for individuals with disabilities?  
• Does your proposal include specialized language access accommodations or programming for non-English speaking communities? 
• How will the requested funding help you expand your programmatic reach and amplify Austin’s diverse arts and cultural sector? 
• How will you use these funds to produce your events? 

Application Materials

Upload the following required documents to the Elevate Application. Acceptable file formats include: .csv, .doc, .docx, .odt, .pdf, .rtf, .txt, .wpd, .wpf, .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .svg, .tif, .tiff. Max file upload: 10MB 

• Organization and Project Budget Form - Project Budget Template (XLS, 25 KB) or Project Budget Template (PDF, 123 KB)
  • Formulario del presupuesto propuesto (PDF, 125 KB) o Formulario del presupuesto propuesto (XLS, 26 KB) 
• 3 Work Samples (PowerPoint, 55 KB) or 3 Work Samples (PDF, 148 KB)
  • Plantilla de Muestra de Trabajo (PowerPoint, 96 KB) o Plantilla de Muestra de Trrabajo (PDF, 76 KB)
• 2 Letters of Support 
• IRS Determination Letter if applicable
• Most recent 990 if applicable. If you do not have a 990 or 990EZ you can submit your most recent financial statement.

Glossary of Important Terms

Here are just a few important definitions for helpful reference in understanding goals and priorities. For a full list of definitions please see the glossary of terms and definitions beginning on page 20 of the Additional Program Details (PDF, 372 KB). 

 

Creative Business 

A creative business is an individual or a group whose primary activities are arts and culture based, and does not have a 501c non-profit status. Creative businesses with annual operating budgets below $500,000 can apply as an individual or arts group in Nexus and Elevate. 

 

Cultural Displacement 

Cultural displacement occurs through changes in the aspects of a neighborhood that have provided long-time residents with a sense of belonging and allowed residents to live their lives in familiar ways.    

As the scale of residential change advances, and shops and services shift to focus on new residents, remaining residents may feel a sense of dislocation despite physically remaining in the neighborhood. This may also reflect the changing racial or ethnic character of the neighborhood—not just its class composition.  

  

Cultural Erasure 

Cultural erasure is when, because of cultural displacement, key aspects of neighborhoods that allow both current and future residents to feel at home go missing. Current and future residents lose access to opportunities in the neighborhood and the scale of change erases key aspects of the neighborhood that allows residents to feel at home. Content was developed in collaboration with the City of Austin's Equity Office and industry resources. 

 

Fiscal Sponsor 

A nonprofit corporation with 501(c) status that applies for financial support on behalf of another organization or individual in order to enable the latter to receive the benefits of tax-exempt status. There are several forms that fiscal sponsorship can take, but in every case, the fiscal sponsor takes responsibility for external parties that the funding will be utilized for tax-exempt, charitable purposes as defined in the internal revenue code. 

 

Intersectionality 

The term intersectionality was coined by Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw to highlight the overlapping vulnerabilities that are at play in shaping the life chances of some of society's most vulnerable populations, for example: women who are poor, of color, or who are undocumented.   
 
Intersectionality describes the many ways in which various forms of discriminations can intersect, creating special vulnerabilities for some. Vulnerabilities related to systemic and institutional racism are an integral part of intersectionality.  

Application Scoring

Applications will be reviewed and scored by a panel. Applicants will only receive points that apply to their project. Up to 100 points available: Operations – Up to 45 Points, Cultural and Social Impact – Up to 55 Points 

Operations

Criteria	Available Points
Mission and Key Constituencies  What is your mission, vision, and primary production history? Identify your key constituencies and provide information about applicant’s service to them.  For the purposes of this program, key constituencies that will be prioritized are community groups that are at immediate risk of cultural erasure and displacement within Austin and/or have been institutionally marginalized and under-funded by the City of Austin Cultural Arts Division.  Mission, vision, and production history will be used to verify this answer. Individual applicants and creative businesses, please provide creative mission, artistic vision, and production history for this response.	Up to 15 Points
History of Service   In what ways have you maintained a responsive approach to the needs of your key constituencies? Your answer should include:  Your work or practice has a specific history in direct service to key constituencies  Your founding history and community service goals  Description of how the applicant has directly improved access to opportunities for key constituencies	Up to 10 Points
Cultural Leadership Who holds power in your organization and how do they represent your community? Your answer could include:   Executive and creative leadership   Board of Directors and/or Advisory Board  Creative Advisors	Up to 15 Points
Community Voice  In what ways are the voices from the community amplified and involved in the creative direction of your project? Your answer may include:   How stages of the project will include opportunity for input by the community.  How community is involved in the development of the project.  Operationalized equity work within an organization.  Any successes as a representative of community voices.	Up to 5 Points
Total	45 Points

Cultural and Social Impact

Criteria	Available Points
Cultural Activities Relevance and Responsiveness  What are your proposed activities and how is your proposal relevant to the current social and cultural needs of the community? Your answer could address:  Tourist accessible activities that you produce  Description of proposed activities, participant(s), etc.  Working with diverse communities  How equity work is centered in your proposal	Up to 15 Points
Intersectionality and Inclusion  In what ways is intersectionality a key component of your activities?   The City values intersectionality.  The term intersectionality was coined by Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw. Intersectionality is where race, class, gender, and other vulnerabilities overlap. It describes the many ways in which various forms of discriminations can intersect, creating special vulnerabilities for some. See Additional Program Details (PDF, 372 KB) for the full definition of Intersectionality.	Up to 5 Points
Community Relationships  Describe the non-financial ways that your community supports your creative work, and how that support has short and long-term impact on your success.  Examples of non-financial community support include but are not limited to:   Volunteers   Mentorships or Partnerships   Collaborations with Community Members/Leaders   Audience Participation   Describe the ways that your community financially supports your creative work and how that support has had a short and long-term impact on your success. If your community does not financially support your creative work, please explain why.    Examples of financial support include but are not limited to:   Cash Donations   Paid Services   Ticket Sales   Donations of Goods	Up to 5 Points
Opportunity Creation / Community Benefits  Describe the ways your creative work invests in your community. Include information on the systemic and long-term benefits your programming has for the community.    Examples of investment into the communities can include but are not limited to:  Leadership Roles  Jobs  Social Services  Career Development  Networking  Education  Mentoring or Partnerships  Providing free or low-cost spaces  Other (describe)	Up to 10 Points
Accessibility  Does your proposal include specialized programming or accommodations for individuals with disabilities?   Does your proposal include specialized language access accommodations or programming for non-English speaking communities?   The panel will consider how these options are represented in your budget. Accessibility accommodations that are “upon-request only” are admirable but will not be considered a specialized service	Up to 10 Points
Programmatic Reach  How will the requested funding help you expand your programmatic reach and amplify Austin’s diverse arts and cultural sector? Your answer could address:  Marketing / Audience Development  Information on how funding will directly support the diversity of the City's cultural/arts community	Up to 5 Points
Budget  How will you use these funds to produce your events? Your answer could address:  Explanation of expenses in production of activities  Uploaded Budget Form should be reflective of this narrative  Panelists will review this response in addition to the uploaded Budget Form to review the applicant's financial history and financial practices.	Up to 5 Points
Total	Up to 55 Points

Grant Awardee Commitments

In addition to application proposals, the following information will also be required.  

Reporting Requirements

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

The report will require but is not limited to:  

• Proof of award monies expended  
• Audience data  
• Proof the funded activities were executed   
• Proof that marketing requirements were met 

Funding Timeline

Elevate operates on an annual cycle: 

The program application opens to the public on May 23, 2023. Applications are reviewed for eligibility. Eligible and complete applications are scored during a panel review process. Award amounts of approved applications are then determined using a funding matrix.   

• May 23, 2023 - Application opens   
• June 27, 2023 - Application deadline   
• August 2023 - Panel reviews begin   
• September 2023 - Notification of award decision