General Operating Support Grants
To help art come to life and touch lives, LexArts supports regional organizations through General Operating Support (GOS) grants awarded on a competitive basis. GOS grants help underwrite and sustain essential infrastructure like workspace, equipment, materials, salaries, and marketing.
For more information, contact Kay’mon Murrah or Nathan Zamarron.
Thank you for your interest in LexArts support!
LexArts is pleased to announce strategic updates to its grantmaking structure, including an adjusted granting cycle and refined funding priorities aligned with evolving community needs. These changes reflect our ongoing commitment to responsible stewardship, transparency, and meaningful investment in Central Kentucky’s arts ecosystem. The updates were developed following thoughtful review and recommendations from the arts community, LexArts staff and the Board of Directors to ensure our grant programs remain sustainable, equitable, and responsive.
LexArts offers Community Arts Development grants that provide funding for organizations and artists to produce or present activities that contribute to the arts and cultural landscape of Lexington/Fayette County. LexArts will transition to a calendar-year grant cycle for Community Arts Development (CAD) Grants, rather than a fiscal-year cycle. For the 2027 grant period, applications will open in July 2026. This change allows LexArts to responsibly and transparently allocate funds raised during the Fund for the Arts campaign.
LexArts also offers General Operating Support Grants that provide unrestricted general operating funds to arts organizations that demonstrate strong arts mission fulfillment, fiscal responsibility, sound management, and operate on a year-round basis. The General Operating Support (GOS) Grant timeline will continue to follow a fiscal year cycle, with invitations extended to eligible organizations and applications opening in March.
LexArts is dedicated to creating meaningful, measurable, and community-centered impact through the arts. We recognize that strategic investment allows organizations to develop programming that is not only artistically compelling but also deeply responsive to community needs. To support this commitment, LexArts has established focused areas designed to guide resources toward initiatives that demonstrate the greatest potential for lasting community benefit and impact.
Beginning with the FY 2027 granting cycle, LexArts will introduce the following areas of impact in grant allocation:
- Arts Equity
- Arts & Health
- Youth Arts Engagement
- Community Arts
- High-Quality Arts Programming or Beautification
General Operating Support (GOS) Grant Timeline
- Applications Open: March 2, 2026
- Application Deadline: April 3, 2026, 11:59 PM
- Award Notifications: June 19, 2026
- Grant Funding Period: July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027
Community Arts Development (CAD) Grant Timeline
- Applications Open: July 3, 2026
- CAD Grant Workshops and consultations: July
- Application Deadline: August 7, 2026, 11:59 PM
- Award Notifications: September 28, 2026
- Grant Funding Period: Calendar Year, January 1, 2027 – December 31, 2027
General Operating Support (GOS) Grants
General Operating Support Grants provide unrestricted general operating funds to arts organizations that demonstrate strong arts mission fulfillment, fiscal responsibility, and sound management and operate on a year-round basis.
Final grant guidelines and application instructions will be made available soon.
