Through Pop-Up Grants we are looking to fund nonprofit 501(c)3 arts organizations or fiscally-sponsored arts organizations based in Dallas County that are producing or presenting educational, community or artistic programming – live, virtually or using other mediums – that demonstrate exceptional quality, creativity & innovation, and accessibility & inclusion. Programming may include:

Educational Programming
Programming that seeks to inform, educate or develop skills in a set of participants or viewers (examples include classes, workshops, etc.)

Community Programming
Programming that seeks to meet the needs of or provide a service to the broader community or a particular subset (examples include panel discussions, interviews/podcasts, etc.)

Artistic Programming
Programming that seeks to advance and fulfill an organization’s artistic mission and purpose (examples include virtual/indoor/outdoor performances or art installations/exhibits)

Programs funded through TACA Pop-Up Grants can be one-time events or limited-time offerings that demonstrate exceptional quality, creativity & innovation, and accessibility and inclusion. Individual offerings that are part of an organization’s standard season of programming may also be considered as long as they exemplify the funding criteria.

Pop-Up Grants will be determined through a closed nomination process, rather than an open-call application process. TACA has selected a group of 35 anonymous local volunteers to nominate arts organizations with programming that meets our funding criteria. Nominators include TACA board members, artists, arts managers and experts, and community leaders, and represent a broad range of artistic/cultural viewpoints and racial/ethnic diversity. Nominations can only be made after a program/event takes place. Nominations are reviewed by the TACA Resiliency Committee that will ultimately recommend grant awards by the end of each month.

There is no formal application for a TACA Pop-Up Grant. Instead, arts organizations that meet the funding criteria may provide details about upcoming eligible programming for potential consideration via a short form. Submitted programs/events are reviewed for eligibility by TACA Staff and forwarded to Pop-up Grant nominators on a regular basis. Click the button below to submit a program/event for consideration. Please note: Submission of a program/event does not guarantee a nomination or a grant award.

Submit a Program/Event

Do you want your program/event on TACA’s Arts & Culture Calendar (powered by KERA Art&Seek)? Submit your event to Art&Seek by clicking the button below!

Submit an Event to Art&Seek

All Pop-Up Grants include unrestricted funding up to $2,000 to be used as the grantee chooses. Grantees with annual operating budgets of $5 million or less are also eligible to receive Artist Bonus funds up to $4,000. Artist Bonus funds are to be disbursed by the grantee to Key Artists and Supporting Artists involved in the awarded Pop-Up Grant program on a 2:1 ratio respectively. For purposes of this grant, TACA defines “Key Artists” and “Supporting Artists” as follows:

“Key Artists” include persons whose work is a visible and key component of the core artistic program being awarded a Pop-Up Grant. This could include but is not limited to actors, musicians, dancers, visual artists, or other performance artists involved in the presentation of the program.

“Supporting Artists” include persons whose work enables and supports the creation of the program. This could include but is not limited to designers, technical operators, pre-production personnel, or other “behind-the-scenes” artists involved in the presentation of the program. This does not include administrative staff or other employees that work for the organization who did not have a role on this specific program.

The above definitions are meant to guide the grantee in the disbursement of the Artist Bonus funds. If an artist’s role is not included in the definitions above, the grantee organization should use its best discretion. TACA will not request specific names or roles of the artists receiving Artist Bonus funds, however, TACA will require the grantee to provide the number of Key Artists and Supporting Artists involved in the awarded program for reporting purposes.

For detailed instruction on how to calculate the disbursement of Artist Bonus funds, please click here.

The TACA Resiliency Committee recommends grant awards monthly based on nominations submitted by the Pop-Up Grant nominators and their adherence to the funding criteria. Organizations who receive grant awards will be notified by the end of each month. Grant awards will be made via ACH Direct Deposit unless a check is specifically requested.

To support TACA’s ability to publicly announce each month’s grantees, TACA requires each grantee to submit the following information in a timely manner following their grant notification:

• A short description of the organization and mission (2-3 sentences)
• A short description of the awarded program (1-2 sentences)
• Still photos or video from the awarded program with any credits
• If applicable, a web link for more information on future iterations of this program, if applicable

Additionally, we highly encourage grantees to share news of their grant on social media channels, newsletters, and other means to communicate with donors and audience members.

If a grantee receives Artist Bonus funds, they must also provide the number of Key Artists and Supporting Artists involved in the awarded program for reporting purposes.

Can my organization submit more than one program via the Program/Event Submission Form? 
Yes. Eligible organizations can submit as many programs as they would like if they believe that the programs meet TACA’s Funding Criteria.

Can my organization receive more than one Pop-Up Grant? 
Yes. An organization can receive a Pop-Up Grant for any unique program that is nominated and selected by the Resiliency Committee. We will not fund the same program with multiple Pop-Up Grants.

How many grants does TACA plan to give each month?
There is no grant quota for each month. Generally, TACA is looking to fund about 2-4 organizations each month.

Can my organization receive a Pop-Up Grant for a program/event before it actually takes place? 
No. Since Pop-Up Grants are intended to celebrate and reward organizations for programming that demonstrates exceptional quality, creativity & innovation, and accessibility & inclusion, we will only fund a program/event after it has taken place and has been evaluated along these criteria. To ensure that our anonymous nominators know about your event, please make sure to submit via the Program/Event Submission Form.

Additional Questions?

If you have any questions regarding Pop-Up Grants, please email Greg Oertel, Senior Programs Manager, at greg.oertel@taca-arts.org.