Current Calls and Funding

The Creative Advantage Community Arts Partner Roster (Rolling Deadline)

Teaching artist Antonio Davidson-Gomez, courtesy of The Creative Advantage

The Creative Advantage is a city-wide initiative to establish equitable access to arts learning for every student in Seattle Public Schools. The Creative Advantage is made possible through a public-private partnership with Seattle Public Schools, the City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, the Seattle Foundation, and over 100 community arts partners.  
 
The Community Arts Partner Roster consists of individual teaching artists and community arts and culture organizations approved to work in Seattle Public Schools through The Creative Advantage. Community Arts Partners collaborate with schools to provide:  

  • Student Art Residencies
  • Teacher Professional Development 

Please Note: An applicant can apply to lead student arts residencies and/or teacher professional development. 

Helpful Resources

Read the full guidelines.

Creative Youth Programs Glossary

Sample Lesson Plan

Visit the Creative Advantage website for more information

Eligibility

Open to teaching artists, community arts organizations, and cultural institutions serving students, teachers, and schools in Seattle with three (3) or more years of teaching experience. Applicants must be over the age of 18.

The Roster application is open, and will stay open year-round for new artists, teaching artists, community arts organizations, and cultural institutions to apply. Applications will be vetted and approved by Creative Advantage Advisors, through a panel process three times annually (March, June, October). Roster Advisors are Seattle Public School teacher leaders and current Roster partners. 

Review Deadlines:

  • Applications submitted between 11/1/24 and by 5 PM (PST) 2/28/25 will be reviewed during the March review cycle
  • Applications submitted between 3/1/25 and by 5 PM (PST) 5/31/25 will be reviewed during the June review cycle
  • Applications submitted between 6/1/25 and by 5 PM (PST) 9/30/25 will be reviewed during the October review cycle

An applicant can apply to provide both student art residencies and/or professional development opportunities for teachers and will have the option to indicate that on the application.

Application

Apply on Submittable.

If you have trouble with Submittable, check their FAQ which offers step-by-step guides. For further assistance with the Submittable online application, please contact Submittable tech support at support@submittable.com.

Info

For questions about the program or for help with the online application, please contact Project Manager, Tina LaPadula.

We can speak to you in your language, including American Sign Language. Just call us and tell us what language you speak. Expect a short pause while we find an interpreter to join the call.

Tina LaPadula

Tina LaPadula

she/her

Bio + -

Arts Education Project Manager
tina.lapadula@seattle.gov

(206) 518-4205

Tina LaPadula is an East coast transplant and warrior for equitable art-making and learning opportunities. For more than 15 years she poured most of her creative energy into Arts Corps, the award-winning arts and social justice nonprofit she helped found. She has collaborated with The Frye Museum, The Museum of History and Industry, and Bumbershoot Arts and Music Festival to curate exhibitions and events that elevate the art and perspectives of young people. As a teaching artist, Tina has taught for Centrum Arts, Seattle Children's Theatre, The University of Washington, and in a multitude of schools and afterschool programs. She has served as a consultant to many cultural organizations facilitating workshops on racial justice and the arts. Tina supports the growth and development of teaching artists locally and nationally, most notably as the founder of the Seattle Teaching Artist Network, as a faculty member for the WA State Teaching Artist Training Lab, as the former chair of the Association of Teaching Artists, and on the national advisory team for the Teaching Artist Guild. Her writing and opinions have been featured by Americans for the Arts and The National Guild for Community Arts Education.

smART Ventures Grant (Rolling Due Date)

A woman smiling as she creates a diamond symbol with her hands.
Black Arts Love by Jenny Crooks

smART Ventures is flexible, inclusive, simple, and encourages innovation by individuals, organizations, and communities that may not qualify for other funding programs. smART Ventures provides support ranging from $500 to $1,000, proving that small investments can have big impacts.  

Read the full guidelines.

Eligibility

  • Individuals or groups of people – including youth and older adults – seeking support for a unique project, opportunity, or event involving arts and culture and not currently funded by our office
  • Organizations – arts and culture and others – organizations do NOT have to have 501(c)(3) non-profit status
    • emerging (less than 3 years old), OR
    • not currently funded by our office, OR
    • grassroots or business organizations
  • Practicing artists not currently funded by our office and who have never received a CityArtist grant before

Due Date

The application is open and will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Application

Apply here.

Info

For questions about the program or for help with the online application, please contact Project Manager, Kristi Woo.

We can speak to you in your language, including American Sign Language. Just call us and tell us what language you speak. Expect a short pause while we find an interpreter to join the call.

Kristi Woo

Kristi Woo

she/her

Bio + -

Creative Youth Development Project Manager
kristi.woo@seattle.gov

(206) 727-8671

Kristi serves as ARTS' Creative Youth Development Project Manager and has a passion for cultural preservation, youth empowerment, and community advocacy. Kristi is a former Arts Education Manager of the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute and Education Manager for the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience. Her innovation in bridge-building amongst schools, families, and artists along with advocacy in underserved communities around arts education is well respected. She has worked and volunteered with pluralistic communities in Seattle's Rainier Valley, Chinatown International District, and Central Area neighborhoods for more than 20 years.


Sign up for updates to hear about future calls and grants, or visit our Other Opportunities page to view artist calls and job openings from other organizations.

Arts & Culture

Gülgün Kayim, Director
Address: 303 S. Jackson Street, Top Floor, Seattle, WA , 98104
Mailing Address: PO Box 94748, Seattle, WA , 98124-4748
Phone: (206) 684-7171
Fax: (206) 684-7172
arts.culture@seattle.gov

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The Office of Arts & Culture promotes the value of arts and culture in, and of, communities throughout Seattle. It strives to ensure that a wide range of high-quality artistic experiences are available to everyone, encourage artist-friendly arts and cultural policy.