Recent Recipients: Spring 2022
Recent Recipients: Spring 2022
Our grant programs help ensure a dynamic and sustainable cultural community in central Oklahoma.
Educational Outreach
Opens in November 2024
Our Educational Outreach program supports a variety of nonprofit arts organizations dedicated to Oklahoma youth. Through programming and outreach, we provide arts experiences for underserved K-12 students. With community-wide support, we are working to broaden our reach to veterans, hospitalized adults, developmentally disabled adults and beyond - from bringing teaching artists into underserved schools to creating programming for organizations who strictly work with communities of color.
Cash grants and Hobby Lobby store gift cards are available. Organizations of all budget sizes can apply for up to $5,000 in cash grants. Hobby Lobby card distributions will be in addition to the cash award maximum amount.
Allied Arts member agencies as well as other nonprofit arts organizations are eligible for the Educational Outreach Program.
Corporate Partners
The Allied Arts Educational Outreach program is made possible with the generous support of the following organizations:
- The Barnett Family
- Bowen Foundation
- Catalyst
- ChappelWood Financial Services
- Dobson Family Foundation
- Flogistix
- Hobby Lobby
- JPMorgan Chase
- Kimray
- Oklahoma Natural Gas
- UMB Bank
- ChappelWood Financial Services
- Compellier
- Dobson Family Foundation
- Flogistix
- Gannett Foundation
- Hobby Lobby
- JP Morgan Chase
- Kimray
- Oklahoma Natural Gas
- UMB Bank
Norman Firehouse Art Center
“The art program benefits student behavior dramatically. It produces the kind of thinkers that we want in our schools and our communities.”
Capacity-Building Grants
Opens November 2024
The Allied Arts Capacity-Building program helps nonprofit arts and cultural organizations grow stronger, so they can fulfill their missions and better serve their constituents.
Organizations can apply for up to $5,000 with no matching component, and Allied Arts will consider fully funding project requests. An organization with an annual operating budget of $500,000 or more is limited to one request per Allied Arts fiscal year.
Projects that will produce more concrete results and impact will be given priority. For professional development requests, priority will be given to opportunities within the state of Oklahoma and the surrounding region. Each year, a variety of projects are funded – from organizational training and board development to volunteer management, strategic planning and other professional development opportunities.
Submission of a proposal does not guarantee funding. Funds are limited.
Allied Arts member agencies and other nonprofit arts organizations are eligible.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Allied Arts will also consider capacity-building requests such as:
Supporting collaborations between established cultural nonprofits and emerging groups
Funding projects that address racial, social, gender injustice through the arts
Operating expenses for organizations led by people of color and serving communities of color
COVID Support
Many organizations have been faced with unique post-COVID challenges. Allied Arts will consider requests to help navigate concerns such as:
Filling full-time, part-time, contract and seasonal staff openings
Employing artists to conduct programming
Equipment and tools to provide virtual/remote programming, events and activities
Capital requests to conduct programming outdoors
Modifications to facilities to conduct indoor programming safely
Oklahoma Contemporary
"Without the funding from the Allied Arts Capacity-Building grant, we would not have been able to set aside funds to support permanent live-stream studio classes."
Allocations
Annually, Allied Arts distributes campaign funds to its member agencies through the allocations process. Agencies utilize these funds for a host of needs – from offsetting administrative costs to bringing world-renowned exhibits and performances to central Oklahoma. This program is only open to the 25 Allied Arts member agencies.
Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma
“Before Lyric came, the Plaza District was empty. The soul of the city happens when you leave your home and you engage with your neighbors, and that’s what live theater always does.”
Applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Provide quality arts and cultural programming to the community
- Be a nonprofit arts organization, tax-exempt corporation as defined under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service (have current 501(c)(3) status)
- Be established and functional for at least three years
- Have current financials and an active, volunteer board of directors
- Have headquarters in central Oklahoma (defined by the 10-county area including the counties of Oklahoma, Kingfisher, Logan, Lincoln, Seminole, Pottawatomie, Cleveland, McClain, Grady and Canadian)
- Have current registration as a charitable organization with the State of Oklahoma
- Be self-identified as “Arts, Culture, and Humanities” using the National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities system