Application Guide:
Strengthening Emerging & Growing Organizations

Application Question

Tell us about your organization’s arts and cultural work. What do you create, present, preserve, support, or make possible and what is most important for panelists to understand about that work?

You may discuss the artistic or cultural practices at the center of the organization; programs or services that illustrate the work; ideas, traditions, values, or creative approaches that shape it; how the work has developed; what feels distinctive about your contribution; or where you hope the work goes next.

350 words maximum

Why We Ask

The purpose of OSP is to sustain arts and cultural organizations. Before considering organizational growth, we want to understand the cultural work the organization exists to make possible.

Panelists Consider

• a clear arts, cultural, creative, heritage, or creative-sector purpose;
• a meaningful body or pattern of work appropriate to the organization’s context;
• coherence between the description and the work samples;
• intention and thoughtfulness in the cultural practice;
• a contribution that can be understood without relying on institutional reputation or scale.

Application Question

Who is connected to your organization’s work, and how do those relationships shape what you do? Tell us how your work creates public benefit and how you think about access, participation, or belonging.

“Community” may include a neighborhood, cultural community, artistic discipline, audience, identity-based community, group of artists, participants, families, students, or another group connected by shared experience or interest.

You may discuss how relationships are built and maintained; how people influence programming or decisions; relevant barriers; culturally specific, affordability, or accessibility approaches; listening and adaptation; or public benefit created through support for artists, cultural workers, or cultural practices.

300 words maximum

Why We Ask

City funding is a public investment. We want to understand who benefits from that investment and how the organization understands the people connected to its work.

Panelists Consider

• specificity about the people or communities connected to the work;
• meaningful relationships rather than generic claims about “serving the community”;
• responsiveness and/or reciprocity;
• an understanding of barriers relevant to the organization’s work;
• credible public benefit appropriate to the organization.

Before the narrative, select up to three areas most important to strengthen during the next one to three years. Selections are not individually scored:

• staffing / people capacity;
• governance;
• financial systems;
• fundraising / revenue development;
• organizational planning;
• program / production systems;
• audience / participant development;
• community relationships;
• partnerships;
• communications / marketing;
• data / evaluation;
• technology / administrative systems;
• space / facilities;
• leadership transition / succession;
• accessibility;
• other.

Application Question

Tell us about the organizational foundation you have today and what you are working to strengthen next. What is working, what needs attention, and how are you approaching those priorities?

You may discuss systems or relationships already in place; a challenge or opportunity you understand more clearly now; changes underway; what you are prioritizing and why; what can wait; lessons from a setback or success; or resources and relationships that would help you move forward.

450 words maximum

Why We Ask

This pathway exists specifically to support organizations strengthening their foundations. We are interested in self-awareness, intentional development, and a realistic path forward, not whether every organizational system is already complete.

Panelists Consider

• an honest and specific understanding of the organization’s current stage;
• identifiable strengths to build from;
• clearly understood needs or opportunities;
• priorities that make sense for the organization’s context;
• evidence of learning and adaptation;
• practical next steps;
• thoughtfulness about sequencing and available resources.

Identifying a real challenge is not evidence of weakness. An application may demonstrate substantial strength when the organization clearly understands a challenge, has learned from experience, and can describe a thoughtful path forward.

Application Question

Who makes your organization’s work possible, and how are you building a people structure that can sustain the work?

You may discuss paid staff, artists, cultural workers, contractors, founders, volunteers, community leaders, collaborators, or partners; how responsibilities are shared; paid and unpaid labor; compensation; partnerships that expand capacity; concentration of knowledge or responsibility; or changing leadership needs.

250 words maximum

Why We Ask

Organizations are sustained by people. We want to understand whether the organization is thoughtful about the human capacity behind its work, even when resources are limited.

Panelists Consider

• a clear understanding of who carries the work;
• realistic distribution of responsibilities;
• thoughtful support of staff, artists, collaborators, volunteers, and/or partners;
• awareness of people-related strengths or pressure points;
• practices or intentions that support continuity and sustainability.

Application Question

What would FY28 OSP funding help your organization sustain, strengthen, or make possible?

OSP is general operating support. You do not need to create a separate City-funded project. You may discuss artists or cultural workers, staffing, administration, programs, space, equipment or technology, accessibility, community engagement, communications, professional services, planning, financial stability, or another operating need.

200 words maximum

Why We Ask

We want to understand the role City operating support plays within the organization rather than require applicants to isolate City dollars into an artificial project.

Panelists Consider

• a clear relationship between City investment and the organization’s current circumstances;
• reasonable uses of general operating funding;
• alignment with priorities identified elsewhere;
• potential to strengthen continuity, capacity, stability, or responsible growth.