Austin creatives can apply for more than $23 million in city grants by Aug. 18
Austin artists, arts organizations, musicians, promoters, live music venues and heritage groups have until Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at 6:59 p.m. to apply for one of four Fiscal Year 2027 grant programs from Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment, or ACME.
The programs together offer more than $23 million in potential funding: $11 million through Elevate, $3 million through Thrive, $6 million through the Austin Live Music Fund and $3 million through the Heritage Preservation Grant. The city says the programs are funded through Municipal Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue, which Texas law restricts to approved tourism-related purposes, including certain public arts and historic-preservation activities.
Applications are still open, but funding is not guaranteed. ACME says applications must be complete and submitted by the deadline; late applications will not be accepted.
Which grant fits your work?
Elevate is the broadest option for cultural organizations, arts groups, individual artists and eligible creative businesses producing publicly accessible artistic experiences in Austin. Award levels vary by applicant type and annual expenses. Potential activities include public programming, performances, exhibitions and other creative work that serves residents, visitors and tourists.
Thrive is aimed at established 501(c)(3) arts nonprofits. Applicants must generally have at least five years of operating history in Austin or the Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area, annual expenses of at least $60,000 and more than half of their creative production within Austin City Council districts or Austin’s extraterritorial jurisdiction. The program has $3 million available.
The Austin Live Music Fund has $6 million available for professional musicians, independent promoters and qualifying live music venues. Listed awards include $5,000 or $20,000 for professional musicians and independent promoters, depending on the agreement term, and $70,000 for qualifying venues with at least a $60,000 operating budget. Each applicant category has separate eligibility and scoring requirements.
The Heritage Preservation Grant supports heritage events and capital improvement projects connected to historic sites. Heritage events at a designated historic location may receive up to $150,000, while events at eligible properties pursuing designation or at qualifying historic locations without designation may receive up to $50,000. Capital improvement projects may receive up to $250,000. The program has $3 million available.
Heritage event proposals must identify a specific site, explain its historical importance, present research and storytelling about local history, and describe how the activity will promote tourism and the hotel industry. Capital-project applicants must meet additional property, authorization, preservation-standard and bid-package requirements.
Basic eligibility and application rules
Across the programs, applicants generally must be at least 18, live or be based in the Austin-Round Rock MSA for the duration of the grant agreement, maintain required insurance and comply with city grant rules. Grant-funded public activities generally must occur in Austin or its extraterritorial jurisdiction unless a program’s guidelines specify otherwise.
Funded activities must be open and advertised to Austin residents, visitors and tourists. Applicants may submit only one application per applicant entity for each ACME program, and the same expenses cannot be covered by multiple ACME grants during the same contract period.
Potentially eligible costs include compensation, marketing and outreach, insurance, supplies, permits, rentals and production, performance or service fees tied to funded activities. The guidelines exclude costs such as existing debts, fines, litigation costs, fundraisers and most travel expenses.
What to do before Aug. 18
Applicants should read the specific guidelines for the program they select, confirm that the proposed activity fits its eligibility rules and gather the required financial, organizational, historic-property or project documentation. Heritage capital-project applicants should pay particular attention to owner authorization, preservation documentation and the complete bid package requirement.
ACME is offering grant workshops, virtual Tuesday office hours through August 18 and one-on-one application assistance. Applicants who need accessibility, translation or interpretation support can contact ACME staff or call 3-1-1.
The city announcement says funded projects from this cycle are expected to begin contracting in January 2027, with one- or two-year agreements depending on the program. That timing and any award remain subject to eligibility review, scoring, available funding and contract approval.
Sources
Look for updates to this story
Discover more from Interactive News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.