Government

Austin artists, musicians and cultural organizations now have access to a new round of city funding designed to support the people and projects that help define the city’s creative identity.

Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment, known as ACME, has opened applications for $23 million in grants supported by City of Austin Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue. The funding is intended to help local creatives produce public programming, preserve cultural traditions, strengthen organizations and continue building careers in a city where rising costs and limited resources can make creative work difficult to sustain.

The application period opened July 7 and will close at 6:59 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18. Applications are available through the City of Austin’s ACME website.

Austin Continues Major Investment in the Creative Community

The $23 million launch is part of what the city describes as a historic year of investment in Austin arts, music, culture and entertainment.

The city previously awarded $24 million in grants in March, along with $3.8 million for second-year fiscal year 2025 Thrive recipients and another $500,000 in June. A final $500,000 funding opportunity is expected to launch in September, bringing the city’s total creative investment for the calendar year to $51 million.

For Austin residents, the grants represent more than financial support for individual projects. The programs are also intended to protect the cultural activity, live music, public art, heritage programming and creative businesses that contribute to Austin’s economy and sense of place.

“Today’s launch reflects how deeply the City values both the creative community and the voices that continue to help shape these programs,” ACME Director Angela Means said. “These HOT-funded grants are not just awards, they are a reinvestment of visitor dollars back into the artists, musicians, cultural organizations and heritage stewards who make Austin a sought-out destination.”

Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue is generated by visitors staying in Austin hotels and other eligible lodging. Through these grants, a portion of those tourism dollars is reinvested in the local artists, musicians, organizations and cultural attractions that help draw people to the city.

Four Austin Grant Programs Offer Awards Up to $250,000

The current funding cycle includes four grant programs: the Austin Live Music Fund, Elevate, the Heritage Preservation Grant and Thrive.

Awards range from $5,000 to $250,000 and are available to a broad group of applicants, including individual artists, musicians, nonprofit arts organizations, creative businesses, cultural producers and heritage practitioners.

Funding may support creative production, public programs, cultural events, media and digital arts, dance and movement-based projects, literary arts, administrative expenses and operational needs. The range of eligible work is designed to include both emerging creatives and established organizations across multiple disciplines.

Projects selected through this funding cycle are expected to begin contracting in January 2027. Awards will be structured as one- or two-year agreements, depending on the program.

The multi-year options are intended to give artists and organizations more time to plan, produce and sustain public-facing cultural work instead of relying only on short-term funding.

City Expands Application Help and Language Access

The grant cycle follows the Creative Reset, a multi-phase public engagement initiative launched in 2025. Through that process, city staff gathered feedback from artists, musicians, cultural organizations and other community members about what worked, what created barriers and how future funding programs could be improved.

“Our team listened closely to community members’ feedback and the enhancements we have rolled out this year are a direct response to what we heard,” Means said. “By simplifying access, strengthening support and expanding language and community-based assistance, we are ensuring that these funds reach more people, in more places, and with greater impact than ever before.”

During the city’s previous $24 million funding cycle, ACME staff provided nearly 500 hours of direct assistance through workshops, office hours, individual meetings and community events. Those efforts reached more than 2,500 people, while more than 17,000 direct messages were used to help applicants understand eligibility requirements and resolve technical questions.

The city also reported increased participation and grant success among historically underrepresented groups. Black artists accounted for 12.5% of the applicant pool, while Asian artists represented 6.2%. Both groups received grants at rates higher than their share of the applicant pool. LGBTQIA creatives also experienced consistently strong acceptance rates, according to the city.

ACME has since added a Spanish-language Community Navigator, expanded technical assistance and partnered with more than 10 culturally knowledgeable community ambassadors to help share information about the grants.

Artists and other community members may also apply to serve as paid reviewers during the grant evaluation process.

How Austin Creatives Can Get Application Assistance

Applicants can attend online or in-person workshops that include application training and opportunities to ask city staff questions.

Virtual office hours will be available from 10 a.m. to noon each Tuesday through Aug. 18. Applicants may also schedule individual meetings with ACME staff and watch online informational sessions in English or Spanish.

The city’s expanded assistance is intended to make the application process easier to navigate, especially for first-time applicants, independent artists and smaller organizations that may not have dedicated grant-writing staff.

What the Funding Could Mean for Austin

Austin’s music venues, visual artists, performers, filmmakers, writers, cultural organizations and heritage programs are closely tied to the city’s reputation and local economy. The latest grant cycle gives those groups an opportunity to secure funding for projects that may otherwise be delayed, reduced or unable to move forward.

For residents, the results could be seen in future concerts, exhibitions, festivals, cultural events, performances, public art projects and educational programming across the city.

The funding also reflects an effort to ensure Austin’s creative community remains accessible to artists from different backgrounds, neighborhoods and stages of their careers. As the city continues to grow, the grants may help preserve the people, stories and traditions that have shaped Austin while also creating space for new voices.

Applications for the Austin Live Music Fund, Elevate, Heritage Preservation Grant and Thrive programs close at 6:59 p.m. Aug. 18. Additional eligibility details, workshop schedules and application materials are available at austintexas.gov/acme.

Residents can stay tuned to My Neighborhood News for updates on Austin arts funding, local grant opportunities and the creative projects taking shape across the community.

By Tiffany Krenek, My Neighborhood News 

Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.,