The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) is opening a new funding program, Hope Corps, that connects under- and unemployed workers in the creative industries with career opportunities. The application is open now through June 6, 2022.  

“Hope Corps offers a new opportunity for creative workers and artists to re-enter the workforce. We know the value and innovation artists and creative workers bring to our city. Our arts sectors have historically been a driver of local economies, and Hope Corps is a multi-faceted funding program that aims to support our artists and creatives as we move towards recovery.”  Royal Alley-Barnes, Acting Director of the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture.

The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) is opening a new funding program, Hope Corps, that connects under- and unemployed workers in the creative industries with career opportunities. The application is open now through June 6, 2022.  

Apply for Hope Corps

“Hope Corps offers a new opportunity for creative workers and artists to re-enter the workforce. We know the value and innovation artists and creative workers bring to our city. Our arts sectors have historically been a driver of local economies, and Hope Corps is a multi-faceted funding program that aims to support our artists and creatives as we move towards recovery.” 

royal alley-barnes, Acting Director of the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture

Individual artists, creative workers, community groups, and arts and cultural organizations are eligible to apply for Hope Corps funding, ranging from $15,000 – $300,000, for the following project focus areas:

• Public Health

• Mental Health and Healing

• Food Security

• Media, Journalism and Storytelling

• Social Connection and Belonging

• Arts Education

Applications for project concepts should:

1. Generate career opportunities for the local creative workforce, and

2. Contribute to the well-being and resiliency of our communities, over the course of either 6 or 12 months.

Please read the guidelines for full details on Hope Corps. They include eligibility, funding requirements, and evaluation criteria. You can also preview the application here without having to set up a Submittable account.

Unemployment and underemployment have devastated the creative sector. Hope Corps is a work program created to provide economic and social opportunities for Seattle’s extensive creative workforce. The program, somewhat inspired by the New Deal’s Works Progress Administration, centers Seattle’s Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian, and diaspora community and meets civic needs such as public health and food security by employing artists, cultural and creative workers whose ability to work has been disrupted due to COVID-19. 

Workshops about Hope Corps will be held to help you turn in your strongest application: 

Hope Corps is made possible by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture. For more information contact Alex Rose, Hope Corps Project Manager, at (206) 459-6517 or alex.rose@seattle.gov.