General Operating Support Grants

The General Operating Support (GOS) Grant Program assists Salt Lake City based arts nonprofits with general operating expenses and the continuation or expansion of arts programming. Organizations funded in General Support must demonstrate artistic vibrancy and cultivate a positive social impact on the community.

Grants applications open every other year for this grant program.

Program Overview

Grant Program Purpose

City Arts Grants exclusively fund programs and projects within Salt Lake City limits. General Support applicants must maintain a primary physical location within these boundaries. While organizations may conduct programming outside Salt Lake City, awarded funding must strictly apply to activities within the city limits.

Applicants may only submit one application annually for either a Project Support Grant or a General Operating Support Grant. You cannot receive both a Project Support Grant and a General Operating Support Grant during any given fiscal year. There are no exceptions to this guideline, however, additional grant opportunities may become available and eligibility criteria and limitations will be made clear within those grant guidelines.

Please read the Program Guidelines thoroughly as substantial changes to this program have been made.

Program Structure

We aim to distribute approximately $300,000 in General Operating Support (GOS) to an undetermined number of arts-based nonprofit organizations. Grants will be distributed based on adherence to the Evaluation Criteria. We anticipate a high number of competitive submissions to this program. Applicants are encouraged to adhere to the Evaluation Criteria whenever possible to maximize their score.

Grant Overview

• NEW IN 2026: This is a two-year grant. A two year grant can be re-evaluated and adjusted by the Arts Council Board if deemed necessary;
• Funding levels are contingent on many factors, including the City Arts Grant Program’s total grant budget, the written grant application, demonstrated organizational health and community engagement, and the number of grant applications;
• Grant awards may vary from year 1 to year 2;
• These grants are competitive and include a rigorous application review process by a committee made up of Salt Lake City Arts Council Board and community members;
• All applications must be submitted online through the grant application portal;
• Organizations will not receive a grant of more than 20% of their prior fiscal year budget; 
• The award of City Arts Grants is made at the sole discretion of the Salt Lake City Arts Council, and the decision of the board is final.

TWO-YEAR GRANT CYCLE

New this year: Applicants will apply for General Operating Support grants every other year based on the details below. Applicants who miss the GOS deadline can apply for project support during the interim years.

• Year 1 - FY27 (September 1, 2026 - August 31, 2027): Applications due April 17, 2026.

  • Year 1 final reports for FY27 grants are due by September 30, 2027 in order to be considered in compliance and eligible to receive Year 2 terms & conditions.

• Year 2 - FY28 (September 1, 2027 - August 31, 2028): No application required. Year 2 funds will only be granted if Year 1 reporting requirements are met (above).

  • Grant awards in year 2 are contingent upon City Arts Grants receiving funds through the Salt Lake City annual budget approval process. Awards amounts may be adjusted in the second year if the City Arts Grants budget changes.

  • Year 2 final reports for FY28 grants are due by September 30, 2028 in order to be considered in compliance and eligible to receive future grants.

• Year 3 - FY29 (September 1, 2028 - August 31, 2029): All organizations will apply again for funding. Year 2 final reports for FY28 grants will also be due on or before September 30, 2028. A grant award in a two-year grant cycle does not guarantee an award in future cycles.

Grant Amounts

General Operating Support: up to $12,500

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for a General Support grant, the applicant must:

1. Have been a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization for at least three years, whose primary purpose is arts programming, arts support, or arts services;
2. Be based in Salt Lake City at the time of grant application submission and throughout grant funding period;
3. Have administrative staff (paid or volunteer);
4. Have matching funds for the requested amount of at least 1:1. This match can be through cash, earned income, private or public support, or through a combination of these sources. In-kind support cannot be used as part of the match;
5. Apply any awarded funding to those services and activities that occur within the Salt Lake City boundaries;
6. Apply any awarded funding to those services and activities that occur within the grant cycle beginning no earlier than September 1, 2026, and ending no later than August 31, 2027;
7. Be in good standing as a 501(c)3 prior to submitting an application to the Salt Lake City Arts Council;
8. New applicants to this category are required to meet with the grants administrator to ensure eligibility to this category.  Please schedule a meeting via Calendly or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Funding Limitations

General Operating Support Grants cannot be awarded to:

1. Organizations with headquarters based outside Salt Lake City;
2. Organizations receiving a project support grant from the Salt Lake City Arts Council in the same funding year;
3. Projects or programming completed prior to the grant cycle;
4. Programs or travel outside of Salt Lake City;
5. For-profit business, such as a corporation or LLC;
6. Deficit reduction;
7. Fundraising and benefit events;
8. Capital expenditures;
9. Programs and services for restricted members only. Programs and services must be open to the general public;
10. Organizations and projects that receive direct financial support of 50% or more of the overall organizational budget from Salt Lake City Corporation.

Additional Requirements

Additional eligibility and/or limitations may be added at any time with written notice to funded projects.

Grant Application and Review Process

Application Key Dates

• Application Opens: Monday, March 2, 2026 at 9:00 a.m.
• Application Closes*: Friday, April 17, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.
  *No application submitted after this date will be accepted. Absolutely no exceptions will be made.
• Salt Lake City Arts Council Committee Review Process: Summer 2026
• Salt Lake City Arts Council Board Meeting: Summer 2026
• Written Grant Award Status Notification: September 2026
• Grant Distribution: Fall 2026
  Organizations with fewer than three years funding from the Arts Council will receive two payments of 50%, the first Fall 2026 and the second upon completion and review of the final report.

All Correspondence will be conducted through email. Please be sure that your account lists current contact information and that your email address is not filtering out any emails sent from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. email accounts.

Evaluation Criteria

All applications will be scored in accordance with our scoring rubric, found here.

General Operating Support

The breakdown of available points is as follows:

• Artistic Vibrancy & Programming: 40%
• Community Description: 40%
• Sound Management: 20%

Finance and Budget Information

All applicants must submit a detailed budget using the provided budget template, found here.

The budget should include clear detail on the income and expenses associated with this project.

The final budget form must:

• Be uploaded to the application as an Excel document.
• INCLUDE AMOUNT REQUESTED IN THE GRANT AMOUNT REQUESTED BOX (cell 9B).
• Must balance: Total income must equal total expenses
  A balanced budget demonstrates your ability to administer and implement the proposed program.
• Present matching funds for the requested amount of at least 1:1.
  • This match can come from cash, earned income, private or public support, or a combination of these sources.
  • Match cannot be met with funds from Salt Lake City Corporation (ACE grant support, etc.).
  • Match cannot be met with in-kind funds.
• Include comments and explanations in the spreadsheet. Think of this portion of the application as a complement to the narrative.
• Provide a detailed budget narrative before submission, ensuring that all expenses related to this request are expended within, and in direct benefit of, Salt Lake City proper.

The Salt Lake City Arts Council values paying artists professional wages. Organizations that pay artists for their services will be given priority.

Additional Support

Frequently Asked Questions

All questions or concerns regarding this grant program should be submitted in writing to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Once submitted, please allow 2 business days for a response. Additionally, all questions and answers will be released for any applicant to see, unless such release includes sensitive personal information.

All questions and answers will be updated here as necessary.

Q: Should I include my annual budget in the budget form?
A: Yes, since this is a General Support Grant we would like to see the annual budget for your organization. Please use the budget commentary space to provide additional information for the grant review committee.

Q: Does my organization need to have paid staff in order to apply for the General Operating Support Grant?
A: In order to apply for the General Operating Support Grant your organization needs to have administrative staff; they can be paid or volunteer.

Q: Is my organization able to apply for a Project Support grant in addition to the General Operating Support Grant?
A: Applicants are eligible to receive only one grant per year from the City Arts Grants Program. Additionally, applicants cannot simultaneously have active applications for both a Project Support Grant and a General Operating Support Grant; they must choose the program they wish to apply for. If an applicant is not awarded funding in the initial grant round of a given year, they may submit a revised application or propose a different project for consideration in Project Support Round 2. There are no exceptions to this guideline. However, additional grant opportunities may become available and eligibility criteria and limitations will be made clear within those grant guidelines.

Office Hours

From March 3, 2026 to April 13, 2026, three (3) days before the deadline, applicants are encouraged to schedule one (1) twenty-five (25) minute appointment. The purpose of this meeting is to ask questions that are not answered in the Program Guidelines or Frequently Asked Questions. We are happy to help you with any additional technical or adaptive questions or concerns you may have, as well as answer specific questions you might have regarding your materials or application. We are administrators of the program and, as such, we strive to maintain a level of fairness to all applicants. 

To schedule your 25-minute appointment with a grant administrator, please click here. 

Contact Us

If you have any questions, please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions first. If your question is not answered please contact the Salt Lake City Arts Council Grants Program at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Supportive Links

• FY27 General Operating Support Guidelines
• General Support Scoring Rubric
• 2026-2027 General Support Budget Template
• Online Application Portal
• Salt Lake City District Map