Cultural Investment Funding Programs

Cultural Investment Funding Program

Through service contracts with local nonprofit arts organizations, the Arts and Culture Department supports a variety of cultural activities that generate significant cultural and economic impact for the community. The supported services range from hands-on educational programs for under-resourced communities to high-profile arts events by established arts institutions and exciting new cultural activities.

Potential applicants are encouraged to review our General Eligibility guidelines but should note that some categories have additional requirements.

Lodgers’ Tax for the Arts Funding 

Cultural investment funding comes from Lodgers’ Tax revenues. NMSA Lodgers’ Tax Act (3-38-21) authorizes a municipality to use tax proceeds to defray costs of advertising, publicizing, and promoting tourism attractions within the area. Funding for this program is authorized by the City of Santa Fe Ordinance No. 1987-45, which earmarks Lodgers’ Tax for the Arts, the “promotion and advertising of nonprofit attractions and nonprofit performing arts in Santa Fe.” Therefore, eligible organizations must play a role in promoting tourism and apply the funding received primarily toward the project’s promotional, advertising, and marketing costs.  

Organizational Eligibility

• Programs must be based exclusively in nonprofit arts organizations. LLCs and other for-profit entities are not eligible to apply, even with nonprofit fiscal sponsorship.
• Only Santa Fe-based organizations whose mission specifically includes the arts will be considered for funding.
• Applicants must be a federally recognized nonprofit with an IRS 501(c)3 status or a public agency (as defined in the NMSA Section 11-1-1 or any county, state, or education institution specified in Article 12, Section 11 of the NM Constitution).
• Organizations must have a State of New Mexico Incorporation Certificate as a domestic or foreign nonprofit corporation and be in good standing with the State.
• Organizations must submit a current copy of their City of Santa Fe Business Registration.
• If awarded, organizations must submit a current 1 million dollar General Liability Certificate of Insurance with the City of Santa Fe as an additional insurer.
• City of Santa Fe-operated programs are not eligible.

Project Eligibility

• Projects must take place within Santa Fe County.
• Proposed projects must support the presentation of artistic content to the public (i.e., performances, productions, exhibitions, art markets, fairs, and festivals). Funds cannot support ancillary, non-arts programs.
• Organizations may only apply to one of the Traditional Marketing Impact categories, based on organizational budget: A (Large), B (Medium), or C (Small). 
• Organizations may be awarded in both Traditional Marketing Impact (TMI) and Collaborative Impact (CI) categories only if the CI project is unique and separate from the funding request for the TMI project.
• All projects must take place between the effective dates of the contract during each fiscal year period.

Eligible Expenses

• Marketing/promotion staff and/or consultant fees.
• Website costs related to promotional/marketing content.
• Social media and/or radio costs.
• Printed material costs such as written and photographic content, editing, design, printing, and distribution.
• Advertising costs.

Ineligible Expenses

• Scholarships and fellowships.
• Closed subscription series, including demonstrations, master classes, programs, forums, virtual tours, etc.
• Projects which are part of a post-secondary academic degree program.
• Awards (ribbons, trophies, prizes, etc.).
• Deficits and debt reduction (including finance charges, loan fees, etc.).
• Meals, catering, lodging, or transportation.
• Capital expenses (including the purchase of equipment or real property, labor or materials costs for renovations, remodeling, or new construction, etc.).
• Tuition assistance for college, university, or other post-secondary formal coursework.
• Fundraising (events, personnel, merchandise, invitations, etc.).
• Insurance costs related to the ongoing employment of organization staff.

All awarded organizations receive $15,000 in Traditional Marketing Impact funding. Categories segmented by budget ensure that each panel reviews organizations of comparable scale. Please be sure to apply in the correct category for your organization.

Traditional Marketing Impact Category A (TMI-A) honors the tradition of our grant-making history by funding traditional national, international, and regional marketing and programming advertising. This program is designed for nonprofit arts groups who do not wish to collaborate with organizations outside their sphere and have an organizational budget of over $2 million. 

Traditional Marketing Impact Category B (TMI-B) honors the tradition of our grant-making history by funding traditional national, international, and regional marketing and programming advertising. This program is designed for nonprofit arts groups who do not wish to collaborate with organizations outside their sphere and have an organizational budget of $500,000 - $1,999,999. 

Traditional Marketing Impact Category C (TMI-C) honors the tradition of our grant-making history by funding traditional national, international, and regional marketing and programming advertising. This program is designed for nonprofit arts groups who do not wish to collaborate with organizations outside their sphere and have an organizational budget of $499,999 and below.

Collaborative Impact (CI) funding is for $30,000 and is highly selective. Collaborative Impact funding supports collaborative projects independent of the partnering organizations’ traditional programming and fosters the sharing of ideas, staff, materials, and resources. Collaborations must originate from at least one LEAD arts nonprofit organization in partnership with other nonprofits or art collectives. Organizations are encouraged to create multi-disciplinary programmatic content that promotes storytelling and advances the artistic vibrancy and cultural assets of Santa Fe in unique ways through in-person and/or digital experiences. CI grants are intended to expand the promotion of Santa Fe to include Cultural Tourism, thus attracting a specific audience of visitors who more directly foster our creative economy.

Click here to sign up for emails notifying you of new funding opportunities.

Applying for the Cultural Investment Funding Program

• The Cultural Investment Funding Program utilizes the GO Smart™ system for applications and contract management of all cultural investments.
• All proposals, enclosures and attachments, artistic and promotional samples, and reporting must be submitted through GO Smart™.
• Please note: If you have not logged into the GO Smart™ portal in the past three years, you must create a new user account before starting the application.

Application Previews

Preview Traditional Marketing Impact A Application

Preview Traditional Marketing Impact B Application

Preview Traditional Marketing Impact C Application

Preview Collaborative Impact Application

Click here to apply. 

Click here for the Cultural Investment Funding Program Informational Packet.

• Guidelines Available: Application guidelines will be posted on the City of Santa Fe Arts & Culture Department website in November. Previews of new cycle applications are available for review and download in December of each year.
• Intent to Apply: Applicants fill out the Intent to Apply in December of each year, to establish organizational eligibility and clear the way for the full application.
• Application Submitted: The application cycle period opens in January of every year and closes in mid-March. For assistance with applications, applicants are encouraged to attend or review the Technical Assistance Workshop or email the Arts & Culture Department at artscommission@santafenm.gov
• Staff Review & Audit: Staff reviews completed applications for eligibility and may contact applicants for clarifications or questions.
• Panel Review Panels: Panels are comprised of representatives of the Arts Commission and experts with knowledge and experience in the area under review. Panelists are given up to four (4) weeks for review and evaluation of eligible applications. Arts & Culture staff facilitate panels but do not contribute to the evaluation or scoring of applications. Panels may convene in-person or virtually (i.e., via Zoom).
• Arts Commission Approval: Panel recommendations are reviewed and approved by the Arts Commission in late spring of every year. Recommendations and approvals are conducted at the monthly Arts Commission Meetings. These meetings are publicly held for transparency. Please review https://santafe.primegov.com/public/portal for notice of the scheduled meeting.
• Notifications: Applicants are notified of funding decisions shortly after approvals have been made. However, funding is contingent on approval of the Annual Operating Budget by the City of Santa Fe, Governing Body.
• Awards: The City of Santa Fe Fiscal Year opens on July 1st. Programming must occur between July 1st through June 28th of every year.

Transparency: In an effort to make the Cultural Investment Funding Program review process as transparent as possible while still protecting the confidentiality of applicants and panelists, the following applies: Panelist names and biographies are listed once awards have been announced and approved for funding. The public may not attend panel review deliberations as confidential application information is discussed. The names of applicants are kept confidential except for those selected to receive awards. Awardees' announcement information is updated on the Arts & Culture website near the beginning of every fiscal year (July 1st).

Manage Your Application

For technical assistance, please call 505-955-6707.

Click here to visit our GO Smart™ website to locate the online reporting forms.

After you create an account, you will be submitting all requests for payment and reports electronically.

The reporting requirements include data about your audience, participants, staff and board, geography, and other important information. We recommend your organization put a system in place for collecting this information at the start of the contract period.

Reporting Requirements

Receipt of Arts and Culture Department funding obligates organizations to fulfill certain reporting requirements. No exceptions can be made to the requirements.

Failure to submit the required reports will render an organization ineligible to apply for Arts and Culture Department funding for a period of five years from the due date of the information.

Credit Line and Logo

All organizations funded by the Arts and Culture Department must display the Arts and Culture Department credit line and logo on all printed or digital publicity, promotional, and program materials related to the project. Failure to include the credit line and logo can result in the termination of the contract and the revocation of funding. Please call 505-955-6707 to obtain a copy of the logo.

The Credit Line is partially funded by the City of Santa Fe Arts and Culture Department and the 1% Lodgers' Tax.

For further questions, please contact: 
artsandculture@santafenm.gov or 505-955-6707