Culture & Community
Previous Grantees
The Culture & Community Grant Program supports and expands access to initiatives that celebrate, share and preserve the diverse array of local cultures, traditions, arts, social practices and historical achievements that make up Oklahoma’s unique cultural fabric.
Grant Information
Priorities
Requests must support one or more of the following priorities in Canadian, Cleveland, Oklahoma, and/or Logan Counties:
- Preserve & Promote Oklahoma’s Cultural Heritage.
- Expand Access to Cultural Programming & Education.
- Feature Strategic Partnerships.
- Foster Connection & Cultural Awareness.
- Enhance Community Development.
- Support Emerging Cultural Trends & Artistic Expression.
Awards are made up to $30,000.
Grant Guidelines
The 2025 Grant Guidelines have changed significantly. Please review and download for full details.
All projects proposed must align with the published Grant Guidelines. Eligibility requirements and application process instructions are also included in the Grant Guidelines.
Important Dates
- May 21, 2025 – Grant Application Opens
- May 29, 2025 – Grant Information Meeting (Optional)
▹ Register to attend - June 26, 2025 – Letter of Intent(LOI) Deadline
- July 3, 2025 – Grant Application Deadline
- End of August 2025 – Decision Notification
All deadlines are firm. No exceptions.
Grant Portal
Applications are submitted online via the Grant Portal.
- Submit a Letter of Intent(LOI) through the online Grant Portal.
▹Application instructions are available in the Grant Guidelines. - If the LOI is approved, submit a full application through the Grant Portal.
To see our list of recent grantees, please click here.
FAQs
Close
If my organization received a Culture & Community Grant last year, am I eligible to apply again this year?
Organizations that have previously received a grant may apply again if:
- All awarded grant funds have been fully expended.
- All required follow-up reports have been submitted. For current Culture & Community Grant recipients, final reports must be submitted no later than July 17, 2025.
Is funding strictly project specific?
OCCF acknowledges the need for unrestricted support in our communities. Due to the current funding landscape, we have decided to provide unrestricted support to eligible nonprofits for this grant cycle. Our definition of unrestricted support is allowing organizations to ask for what they need.
Please see the Grant Guidelines for more information regarding eligibility for general operating support.
When will I be notified of a funding decision?
All applicants will be notified of a decision by the end of August 2025 following the quarterly Oklahoma City Community Foundation Trustee Meeting.
What is the timeline to implement my project/expend the awarded grant funds?
If awarded, you may start your grant-associated activities once you have submitted your signed grant agreement. If you choose to align your timeline with our grant cycle, you will have approximately 10 months to utilize the funds and submit a final report. Aligning your timeline with our grant cycle is optional.
Culture & Community Grant Cycle:
- May – July: Application submissions.
- July – August: Application evaluation process.
- Mid-August: OCCF Trustee Meeting and grant approvals.
- End of August: Funding decision notifications.
- September – July: Grant Implementation.
RACE Dance Collective – Culture & Community FY24 Recipient.
Recent Grants
Educational Programming
NewView Oklahoma – $10,000 – For arts programming, workshops and museum tours to engage individuals with low-vision or who are blind.
OKC Black Alumni Coalition – $20,000 – For the River Bowl Classic, which celebrates OKC’s Black community with through rowing and a premier regatta.
Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum – $10,000 – For a program that educates fifth through 12th grade students on the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and its cultural impact.
Oklahoma Cowboys Charitable Foundation – $10,000 – For a summer camp that offers a week-long youth enrichment program focusing on health, equestrianism, teamwork and Black cowboy history.
Red Earth – $20,000 – For a partnership program with pow-wow dancers to educate students and the public on Native American regalia, cultural appreciation and pow-wow etiquette.
University of Oklahoma Foundation – $15,000 – For “Frankoma: Coming Home” featuring workshops, demonstrations, outreach projects and an online resource on creating clay vessels with Cherokee alphabet engravings.
Untitled Artspace – $20,000 – For a mentorship program providing students with bilingual art lessons, printmaking instruction and participation in art events.
Visual Arts
Council on American-Islamic Relations, Oklahoma – $20,000 – For a video series highlighting the diverse Oklahoma Muslim community, their integration challenges and successes with a focus on recent Afghan resettlement in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center – $25,000 – For a major retrospective of Edgar Heap of Birds artwork spanning four decades, highlighting the artist’s impact on Indigenous rights and environmental stewardship.
Oklahoma Hall of Fame – $10,000 – To create exhibitions featuring living Oklahoma artists who represent the state’s diverse population with a special focus on historically underrepresented communities.
Oklahoma Mural Syndicate – $20,000 – For Plaza Walls, an exposition featuring more than 40 murals, music and dancing.
Sunny Dayz – $20,000 – For a festival featuring more than 50 global artists creating murals in OKC’s Calle Dos Cinco to celebrate Latino culture and empower artists in their community.
Urban Bridge – $15,000 – For a project empowering northeast Oklahoma City youth through film and media classes, social media engagement and a showcase event.
Community Development
Greater Oklahoma City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation – $30,000 – For a women’s entrepreneurship program that provides access to bilingual business counselors, workshops and mentoring.
NE OKC Renaissance – $20,000 – For a conference exploring PlaceKeeping, featuring thought leaders on ethical design, cooperative economics and community stewardship.
Theater & Performing Arts
Metropolitan School of Dance – $15,000 – To support the OKC Tap Festival and engage youth with dance workshops, hands-on learning and artist lectures.
Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre Group – $10,000 – To stage “Rep Rallies” two-minute showcases featuring local artists held before performances and outside the theater to engage the community.
Oklahoma Philharmonic Society – $20,000 – To create an original symphony featuring vocal components from six Native languages and in collaboration with tribal experts and local artists.
Opry Heritage Foundation of Oklahoma – $20,000 – For creation of a Youth Mariachi Ensemble in partnership with Mariachi Orguello de América.
Historic Preservation
First Americans Museum and the Endangered Language Fund – $12,000 – For the Algonquian Conference, which convenes academic experts, tribal members and language practitioners to support local Algonquian language revitalization efforts.
Historical Society of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma – $15,000 – To create a publicly accessible docuseries on naturalization stories, celebrating citizenship and community growth.
Oklahoma City University – $15,000 – For the Sovereignty Symposium where 600 experts will discuss tribal sovereignty and governance to promote meaningful discourse and collaboration.
Festivals & Public Events
Children’s Health Foundation – $10,000 – For three inclusive heritage celebrations featuring art shows, live performances by artists with disabilities and resource fairs supporting local businesses and organizations serving those with disabilities.
City of Spencer, Oklahoma – $5,000 – For their annual Unity Day celebrating cultural diversity and community unity.
Healthy Living Center Norman – $10,000 – For celebrations at the Norman Adult Wellness and Education Center featuring Hispanic, Native American and African American cultures.
Oklahoma Pride Alliance – $10,000 – To support Oklahoma PrideFest 2025 celebrating the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
Theatre Crude – $5,000 – For a theatre festival featuring 13 performing arts productions with nearly 100 artists and 45 live performances.
Educational Programming
Greater Oklahoma City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation – $20,000 – To support “Emprendedoras Rising,” an initiative empowering women entrepreneurs in the Greater OKC area.
Harding Fine Arts Academy Foundation – $5,000 – To support their Ignite Master Artist Series, which showcases Asian-American and Pacific-Islander art and culture.
Oklahoma Humanities Council – $25,000 – To support “Let’s Talk About It,” a free reading and book discussion program that explores diverse cultural themes.
Opry Heritage Foundation of Oklahoma – $20,000 – To support their Transforming Lives Through Music program that provides free and affordable music lessons for veterans and low-income children.
Thick Descriptions – $10,000 – To help launch steAm Learning Journey, a program preserving the history and stories from historic Black towns in Oklahoma.
WestTen District – $5,000 – To fund two historical marker signs as part of the Oklahoma Historical Marker program.
Visual Arts
deadCenter Film – $15,000 – To support Continuum, their year-round community outreach program offering free film screenings showcasing filmmakers from underrepresented communities.
Oklahoma Hall of Fame – $5,000 – To support their Art in Community exhibitions that emphasize cultural identity, history and unique art practices.
Oklahoma Mural Syndicate – $25,000 – To transform blank walls into vibrant art in the Plaza District.
Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition – $15,000 – To support Momentum, a two-day showcase dedicated to Oklahoma artists under the age of 30.
Untitled Artspace – $10,000 – To support “Indigenous Alchemy: Perspectives from Oklahoma Printmakers,” an art exhibition focusing on Native American printmakers in Oklahoma.
Urban Bridge – $20,000 – To support Bridging the Past, Present, and Future for Eastside Youth, a collaboration with an African American muralist to create two murals in northeast Oklahoma City.
Performing Arts
Carpenter Square Theatre – $10,000 – To support Best in Ten, a readers’ theatre program featuring four short, 10-minute plays.
Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma – $5,000 – To support OKLAHOMA! Interactive, a dynamic learning experience with pre-show curriculum and live performances.
Oklahoma Children’s Theatre – $15,000 – To support their tour of Oklahoma’s Own, a play highlighting some of Oklahoma’s diverse historical figures.
Oklahoma City Ballet – $20,000 – To help fund Spider Brings Fire, a new ballet based on an ancient Chickasaw legend.
Oklahoma City Repertory Theater – $15,000 – To help bring VIETGONE, a comedy about Vietnamese immigrants in an Arkansas refugee camp, to their Spring 2024 season.
Prairie Dance Theatre – $8,000 – To support a collaboration with Eterna Primavera to enhance and broaden their educational programming.
RACE Dance Collective – $15,000 – To support their Hip-Hop Nutcracker, which reimagines the traditional story of The Nutcracker with an urban Oklahoma perspective.
Festivals & Public Events
Association of Physicians of Pakistani-Descent of North America – $5,000 – To support the 2024 Pakistan Day Celebration.
Black Liberated Arts Center – $10,000 – To support the 2024 Charlie Christian International Music Festival celebrating the city’s musical heritage.
Oklahoma City Community College Foundation – $15,000 – To support OCCC’s Fiestas Patrias, a one-day celebration of Hispanic national pride, independence and culture.
Oklahoma City Public Schools – $10,000 – To extend Native American culture knowledge to Oklahoma City residents through four community events.
Olde Capitol Hill Council – $20,000 – To support Fiestas De las Americas, a day-long celebration of Latino culture.
Plaza District Association – $15,000 – To support two arts and culture initiatives: Calderon Dance Festival and LIVE! on The Plaza.
Rose State College Foundation – $5,000 – To support a community event highlighting the history of Midwest City, Tinker Air Force Base and their ongoing partnership.
University of Oklahoma Foundation – $20,000 – To provide students from across Oklahoma the opportunity to showcase their use of Native languages.
deadCenter Film Festival – $20,000 – To support Continuum, a year-round program exploring underrepresented cultures and populations through film.
Oklahoma Children’s Theatre – $26,000 – To support the production of two family-friendly, culturally relevant shows celebrating Oklahoma’s cultural diversity.
Oklahoma City Ballet – $30,000 – To support a performance collaboration with Oklahoma Contemporary that pairs internationally acclaimed and Oklahoma artists to create innovative works inspired by Oklahoma culture.
Oklahoma Community College Foundation – $25,000 – To support Fiestas Patrias, a free public festival celebrating independence for Mexico, Chile, Panama, Peru and Guatemala.
Oklahoma City Public School District Native American Student Services – $15,000 – To support the celebration of Native cultures through an OKCPS Pow-wow, Stompdance and Native American Student Art Show.
Oklahoma Humanities Council – $25,000 – To support “Let’s Talk About It,” a scholar-led book discussion program exploring diverse Oklahoma cultural identities.
RACE Dance Collective – $15,000 – To support a free Spanish-language version of their annual Hip Hop Nutcracker.
University of Oklahoma Foundation – $12,000 – To support their Five Moons Dance Festival celebrating the five Native American ballerinas from Oklahoma.
