Municipal Support for the Arts
FY27 Grant Opportunities Opening Soon!
FY27 Grant Opportunities Opening Soon!
The Municipal Support for the Arts program is the City of Atlanta’s means of granting public funding to the arts. MSA awards contracts related to the production, creation, presentation, exhibition and management of artistic and cultural services in the city of Atlanta. The program recognizes that the presence of artists and non-profit organizations involved in the arts are critical to Atlanta’s cultural vitality. The arts enrich the creative development of the city’s diverse populations and contribute positively to the social and economic well being of Atlanta and the region. The goals of the MSA program are:
- To provide support for the existence and excellence of artists and arts organizations in Atlanta.
- To assist in the artistic development of the arts in Atlanta so that all citizens may participate in the diverse cultural life of the city.
- To develop the contributions of Atlanta’s culturally diverse communities.
- To ensure that the arts have broad geographic distribution and reach all segments of the population.
- To support a broad range of educational activities in the arts.
- To preserve the city’s artistic, cultural and historic heritage.
- To enhance neighborhood vitality and economic development through the arts.
Each year, MSA & CAS awards grants in the following categories:
Funding Categories
Grants to Major Arts Organizations are available for project support (for outreach activities only) and general operating support for the city‘s established large-budget arts organizations with expenses totaling at least $500K. The grant fosters the stability, development and vitality of the city‘s major cultural institutions by stimulating growth and professional development, and by increasing the organization‘s accessibility to the general public. These contracts enable major arts institutions to promote Atlanta as a cultural destination and to share the organization‘s programs and services with a broad cross-section of the city‘s population.
Grants to Arts Organizations are available to provide general operating or special project support for the city‘s established mid-size and small arts organizations with expenses between $500K and $100K or less than $100K respectively.
Grants to Community Cultural Development are available to provide project support for non-arts organizations to encourage arts programming initiatives that develop partnerships with local professional artists and meet specific needs in a targeted community.
Grants to Artist Projects are available to provide support for arts and cultural activities initiated by individual practicing professional artists who live and work in the city. It provides project support to artists working in the areas of dance, literary arts, media arts, visual arts, music, theater, and multidisciplinary genres.
Awards to Emerging Artist are available in recognition for artistic vision and achievement of new, upcoming, professional artists who live and create in Atlanta.
Grants to Neighborhood Arts are available to provide support for artistic development, engage neighborhood art-making and reimagine places. The OCA piloted this funding program in early 2015 to help neighborhood associations and neighborhood planning units (NPU) enrich the quality of life in the City of Atlanta.
Funding FAQ
The Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) believes that providing the local arts community with financial assistance is an investment in the continued cultural growth of the city of Atlanta. At the same time, the Office recognizes that government resources are limited while demands for services are high. For this reason, the Office views its financial assistance role as that of a catalyst, helping to augment and strengthen a grantee’s overall base of support. All funded activities must take place within the city of Atlanta and result in presentations available to the general public.
- Tax-exempt, non-profit arts organizations (1) incorporated in the State of Georgia, (2) headquartered in Atlanta, within the corporate limits, for at least one year prior to the application deadline, and (3) have 501(c)(3) IRS tax-exempt status.
- Tax-exempt, non-profit community organizations that are not involve in arts programming on a regular basis, but initiate arts programming as part of their service to the community (1) incorporated in the State of Georgia, (2) headquartered in Atlanta, within the corporate city limits, for at least a year prior to the application deadline, and (3) have 501(c)(3) IRS tax-exempt status.
- Practicing professional artists (1) who reside in Atlanta, within the corporate city limits, and (2) who have been residents for at least one year prior to the application deadline.
*Refer to the Application Guidelines for Eligibility Requirements for a specific funding category.
- Private, for-profit organizations.
- Artists who reside outside the city of Atlanta, including areas classified as metropolitan Atlanta.
- Artists whose projects were funded during the most recent grant cycle.
- Contractors who have not successfully completed other OCA contracts within the last five years.
- Employees of the City of Atlanta.
- Publicly accessible arts programs in all arts disciplines that take place in the city of Atlanta.
- Administrative and marketing support to arts organizations related to audience development and community outreach.
- Community arts programs that provide arts opportunities to the public.
- Artistic components of festivals.
- Percentage of staff salaries related to funded projects and activities.
- Projects occurring outside the city of Atlanta.
- Private events that are closed to the general public; or exhibitions at commercial, privately owned galleries; or activities restricted to an organization’s membership.
- College/university or school projects that are a required part of the curriculum and/or which do not involve and serve a significant non-student population.
- Deficit or debt reduction, fund-raising, lobbying, building construction or renovation, purchase of equipment and real property.
- Hospitality and food costs.
- Projects of a religious nature that are designed to promote or inhibit religious belief and/or practice and which have no basis underlying secular theme or topic.
Application Workshops
Each year, the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs conducts application workshops for the Municipal Support for the Arts applicants. First-time applicants interested in submitting a proposal must attend a virtual workshop covering the submission process. Workshops will provide an overview of the program, application tips, and the review process.
Residency Eligibility
Click here!
The purpose of this web map is to provide geographic information central to helping the OCA determine if an applicant lives within the City of Atlanta corporate city limits. It can be used for simple tasks such as determining the zoning districts in which a neighborhood lies, or for more complex tasks such as analyzing recent development patterns. In short, it is intended to help you–whether as a planner, community leader, or citizen–to make more informed decisions.
Individual and organization applicants can enter their address in the tool/search bar at the top left corner of the page and determine their residency or headquarter eligibility.
Guidelines & Applications
Neighborhood Planning Units
Locating a NPU: NPUs are Citizen Advisory Councils that make recommendations to the Mayor and city council on zoning and land use. You can find your neighborhood by looking at an alphabetical list of neighborhoods that shows which NPU each neighborhood belongs to or by looking at an alphabetical list of NPUs and the neighborhoods they contain.
Neighborhood Association
Locating a Neighborhood Association: Neighborhood Associations consist of neighborhood residents who volunteer in the beautification, historical preservation, and celebration of the uniqueness of their neighborhood. Review the alphabetical list of neighborhood associations.
Panelists
Call for Panelists Applications Now Open – FY27 Grant Cycle
The Call for Grant Panelists for the FY27 grant cycle is now open! We invite artists, arts professionals, community leaders, educators, cultural advocates, and others with relevant experience to apply to serve as a grant panelist and contribute to Atlanta’s arts and cultural community.
Grant panelists play an important role in the review process by providing their knowledge, experience, and perspective to help support a fair and thoughtful evaluation of grant applications.
Application Deadline: Friday, September 18, 2026
Apply to Serve as an FY27 Grant Panelist:
Submit Your Application
For additional information, please contact Brittnee Buley, Art Program Manager, at bjbuley@atlantaga.gov.
Support
For more support with Municipal Support for the Arts, Contact Art Program Manager, Brittnee Buley.
Call: 404.546.6895 or bjbuley@atlantaga.gov
Resources for grant seekers
The Georgia Center for Nonprofits | www.gcn.org
The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta | www.cfgreateratlanta.org
The Foundation Center of Atlanta | foundationcenter.org/atlanta
Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System | www.afpls.org/books-materials/grant-resources
Tips for Individual Artists Writing a Compelling Grant Application | JG_TIPS AND TRICKS FOR WRITING A COMPELLING GRANT APPLICATION
2025-2026 Grant Recipients
- Atlanta Ballet, Inc.
- Atlanta BeltLine Partnership, Inc.
- Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Inc.
- Atlanta Jewish Film Society, Inc.
- Atlanta Shakespeare Company
- Center for Puppetry Arts, Inc.
- Dad’s Garage, Inc.
- Horizon Theatre Company, Inc.
- Independent Media Artists of Georgia Etc., Inc.
- Moving in the Spirit, Inc.
- Museum of Design/Atlanta, Inc.
- National Black Arts Festival, Inc.
- Robert W. Woodruff Arts Center, Inc. (Alliance Theater)
- Robert W. Woodruff Arts Center, Inc. (Atlanta Symphony Orchestra)
- Robert W. Woodruff Arts Center, Inc. (High Museum of Art)
- Seven Stages, Inc.
- Synchronicity Performance Group, Inc.
- The Actor’s Express, Inc.
- The Atlanta Music Project, Inc
- The Atlanta Opera, Inc.
- The Children’s Museum of Atlanta, Inc.
- The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia Inc.
- The Theatrical Outfit, Inc.
- True Colors Theatre Company, Inc.
- Whole World Theatre Company
- William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum, Inc.
- African Diasporic Art Museum of Atlanta, Inc.
- African Peach Arts Coalition Inc, (APAC)
- Arts Critic ATL, Inc.
- Atlanta Art Papers, Inc.
- Atlanta Celebrates Photography, Inc.
- Atlanta Chamber Players, Inc.
- Atlanta Freedom Marching Band, Inc.
- Atlanta Listening Collaborative, Inc.
- Atlanta Photography Group, Inc.
- Atlanta Young Singers of Callanwolde, Inc.
- B-Aware Foundation, Inc.
- Beacon Dance Company
- Bent Frequency, Inc.
- BronzeLens Atlanta Film Festival Inc
- Burnaway, Inc.
- Caribbean American Cultural Arts Foundation Inc
- CityDance, Inc.
- Connected Content, Inc.
- DanceATL Incorporated
- Dance Canvas, Inc.
- Dance Force, Inc.
- Dashboard Co-op Inc.
- Enrich Kids Now, Inc.
- Flux Projects, Inc.
- Fly on a Wall, Inc.
- FOX Theatre, Inc.
- Fresh Films, Co.
- Gateway Performance Productions, Inc.
- Georgia Lawyers for the Arts, Inc.
- Giwayen Mata, Inc.
- Gloatl Inc
- The Hambidge Center for Creative Arts and Sciences, Inc.
- Hammonds House Museum, Inc.
- Jazz Matters, Inc
- Joel Chandler Harris Association, Inc.
- Learning In Color Corporation
- Manga African Dance, Inc.
- Metropolitan Atlanta Community Band, Inc.
- Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestras of Atlanta, Inc.
- Music In Common, Inc.
- Onward Theatre, Inc.
- Out Front Theatre Company, Inc.
- Out of Hand Theater, Inc.
- Out on Film, Inc.
- Pianos For Peace, Inc.
- Praise House Project Inc
- R2ISE Inc
- Radio Free Georgia Broadcasting Organization, Inc.
- ReImagine ATL, Inc.
- Room to Move, Inc.
- Showability, Inc.
- Show and Prove Youth Outreach, Inc.
- Soul Food Cypher, Inc.
- South Fulton Institute, Inc.
- Staibdance, Inc.
- T. Lang Dance, Inc.
- TADA Foundation Inc
- The Bakery Atlanta Incorporated
- The Cam Kirk Foundation Inc
- The Creative Academy Inc
- The Creatives Project, Inc.
- The Essential Theatre, Inc.
- The Object Group, Inc.
- The Piccadilly Puppets Company
- Theatre du Reve, Inc.
- Twinhead Theatre, Inc.
- UAE Youth Artists Program, Inc.
- Urban Poets Inc
- Voices of Note, Inc.
- Wontanara Inc
- Working Title Playwrights, Inc.
- WOW Afro Foundation, Inc.
- African Americans On The Move Book Club, Inc.
- Georgia State University Research Foundation, Inc. (GSURF)
- Historic Oakland Foundation, Inc.
- The Cabbagetown Initiative Community Development Corporation
- The Noble Truth Project Incorporated
- VOX Teen Communications, Inc.
- WOW Afro Foundation Inc.
Kirkwood Neighbors Organization, Inc.
Contracts for Artists Services
2025-2026 Grant Recipients
- Aretta Boldon
- Camisha Butler
- Chanell Reyes
- Chet Andre M. Henderson
- Danielle L. Russell
- Deborah Hughes
- DR Lasseter
- Edward Holmes
- Evan R. Hodges
- Hopeton St. Clair Hibbert
- Jimmy Joyner
- Jennifer E. Farris
- Jordan Young
- Lanial Madden
- LaQuinda Grimes
- Logan Covil
- Matthew F. Terrell
- Matthieu Clave
- Meaghan Novoa
- Megan Dahl
- Michael Stradley
- Raquel Hill
- Sade Wilkins
- Samantha Richardson
- Sandra Escamilla
- Sharon Walker
- Stephanie Dowda
- Thomas Bess Jr
- Tobey Renee Sanders
- Victoria Renee Bell
- Walter Apps
- Willie Tucker
- Adana Tillman
- Auntieria Bennett
- Cassandra Hickey
- Jordan Young
- Madison Nunes
- Tobey Renee Sanders