08/06/2026
As the Executive Director and sole employee of Grace's Mahali, Grace credits the 2025 Community Accelerator Grant for offering unrestricted funding and paying out awards up front, which she says feels far friendlier and more sustainable for a younger, smaller organization navigating startup-era cash flow challenges.
After receiving the $25,000 Community Accelerator Grant award, Grace said, “I thought I was dreaming, to be honest. I’ve worked so freaking hard. I won’t get emotional about it, but it proved that what I’m doing is not in vain. It’s helped tremendously, and I don’t know what I would have done without it.”
Apply at www.artsfund.org/accelerator/. Applications are due on Friday, August 21 at 5pm.
Photo courtesy of Grace's Mahali
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ABOUT
In partnership with Allen Family Philanthropies, the Community Accelerator Grant, now in its fourth year, provides unrestricted grants to cultural nonprofit organizations across Washington state. A total of $10 million will be distributed. New this year, the program’s eligibility will shift to focus on organizations with annual operating budgets of $1 million or less, recognizing the impact that small- and medium-sized nonprofits have in the sector and that these grants will have an outsized impact on organizations with budgets under $1 million.
