Nexus

Program Details

• Submittable Login - Cultural Funding Grants Manager
• 2025 Nexus Program Guidelines (English, Spanish)

Key Dates

2025 Program Dates	Detail
January 28, 10 a.m. CST	Application Opens
March 6, 7 p.m. CST	Application Closes
May 1, 2025 - April 30, 2026	Eligible Activities Occur

Eligible Applicants

Eligible Applicants

• 501(c) nonprofit arts organization  
• An individual artist aged 18 or older*  
• A creative business*  
• Applicant’s most recently completed fiscal year’s budget is $150,000 or less 
• One year of operating history in the Austin metropolitan statistical area (MSA) 
• 51% or more of the applicant’s creative production is within the Austin 10-1 districts or extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) 
• Applicant has not already received or is not currently receiving City funding for the same activities in the fiscal year in which they are applying  
• *May apply directly or with a fiscal sponsor
• See:  Guide to Applying with a Fiscal Sponsor (English, Spanish)

Ineligible Applicants

• 501(c) non-profit organizations or that are not primarily an arts organization.
• Any applicant with annual operating budgets above $150,000.  
• Applicant organizations outside of the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).
• City of Austin Employees

Eligible Activities and Expenses

Eligible Activities

• Exhibitions
• Performances
• Workshops and classes 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 by the public

Eligible Expenses

• Administrative expenses and artist fees (including staff hours and contractor costs)
• Space rentals
• Equipment rentals (not purchases)
• Supplies and materials
• Marketing and promotion expenses
• Insurance costs
• Fiscal sponsor fee, if applicable (cannot exceed 10% of award)

Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ

What does a successful Nexus application look like?

A successful application must:

• Meet all of the eligibility requirements as listed in the Guidelines (English, Spanish)
• Be complete; meaning all questions are answered and submitted before 7:00 p.m. CST on March 6, 2025
• Contain a detailed description of the proposed event. The event should be in the Austin ETJ and occur between May 1, 2025 and April 30, 2026.

Why was my application not selected?

The Nexus Grant is a highly competitive process. For FY25, over 450 eligible applications were received for 105 available grants. After careful consideration, the highest scoring applications were selected for funding.  

How was the Nexus Grant scored? 

Applications were scored based on the applicant's selected multiple-choice answers, short answer responses, and optional uploaded work samples. For the 2025 Nexus program, an application needed to score a minimum of 63 out of a total of 105 points. In the instance of a tie, the following criteria was used:

• Applicants that have applied in previous Nexus cycles and has not yet been awarded.

• Applicants that are new to Cultural Funding with the longest history of producing work in the Austin ETJ.

• Applicants whose artistic disciplines are least represented in the awardee pool. 

Common Reasons Applications Did Not Meet the Minimum Score: 

• Previous Funding – The applicant has received previous City funding. 

• Qualified Census Tract – The application does not demonstrate work or produced work in an Austin Qualified Census Tract (QCT). 

• Lack of Expanded Accessibility Services – The application did not provide expanded accessibility services for individuals living with disabilities or communities with Limited English Proficiency.  

• Work Samples Were Unclear – The provided work samples were inconclusive and/or did not provide sufficient evidence to demonstrate accessibility services or a clear QCT. 

When is the next funding opportunity? 

We encourage all applicants to stay updated with future funding opportunities with the Office of Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment by following the Cultural Arts Division’s Facebook Page. 

Helpful Tools

Watch: Nexus Webinar

Webinar

Watch a pre-recorded Information Session and view the slides (English, Spanish).

Application Support

Workshops

Register for upcoming In-Person or Virtual options or access our on-demand Info Session.

Office Hours  

Join Cultural Arts staff for Virtual Open Office Hours on each Tuesday through March 4, 10 a.m. to Noon. No appointment needed. 

Register

Glossary of Terms

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 $150,000 can apply as an individual or arts group in Nexus.

Sponsored Project

The individual or group that is under the umbrella of the 501(c) organization or fiscal sponsor. Note: Sponsored projects are eligible to apply for Nexus. See the Guide to Applying with a Fiscal Sponsor for more information (English, Spanish).

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. See the Guide to Applying with a Fiscal Sponsor for more information (English, Spanish).

Creative Public Activity

An arts or culturally focused public event that is marketed and open to Austin residents, visitors, and tourists.

Extra Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ)

The unincorporated area that is contiguous to the corporate boundaries of Austin and is located within five miles of those boundaries. Use this map to determine if a location is located in Austin Full Purpose and/or Austin ETJ.

Qualified Census Tract

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) defines a Qualified Census Tract (QCT) as a census tract where: At least 50% of households have incomes below 60% of the Area Median Gross Income (AMGI) or the poverty rate is at least 25%. Find a map of QCTs.

Create Austin Resource Hub

All Cultural Funding Programs are administered by Create Austin, a service of our third-party administrators at The Long Center for the Performing Arts. Access the Create Austin Resource Hub for additional support.

Past Recipients

2024 Awardees

See the full list of Summer and Fall awardees and view a dashboard for the 2024 Nexus Grant applicants and awardees.

2023 Awardees

See the list of awardees and view a dashboard for the 2023 Nexus Grant applicants and awardees.

The Thrive, Elevate, and Nexus cultural funding programs were developed in consultation with Austin’s creative community over multiple years. Funding is prioritized with a combination of seed funding, broad sector support, and targeted investment. Read the Cultural Funding Report (English, Spanish).

Measure Report

The Cultural Funding Program includes Thrive, Elevate, Nexus, and the Austin Live Music Fund. Supported by the Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT), the program provides arts and music activities for Austin by contracting with individuals and organizations of the creative community. Funding aims to prioritize equity through a combination of seed funding, broad sector support, and targeted investment. Read the Measure Maximizing Impact Report.