Arts & Culture Program Grants

Arts & Culture Program Grants is sponsored by The Kresge Foundation. The Kresge Foundation's Arts & Culture Program seeks to build strong, healthy cities by promoting the integration of arts and culture in community revitalization, with a focus on creative placemaking.

They support initiatives that make arts and culture central to discussions of rebuilding and reinvigorating metropolitan areas, and their approach requires that all community members benefit from revitalization activity. This could include programs that use hip hop as a tool for community engagement and youth development in urban settings.

Grants & Social Investments - Kresge Foundation Our Story at 100 Promoting human progress since 1924, expanding equity and opportunity today Our Staff Our work is made possible by a staff of mission-driven professionals Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Central to how we operate and fund, we center DEI in all we do Careers Check for new openings and learn about working at The Kresge Foundation Board of Trustees Leaders who provide governance, expertise and support to our work Press Room Resources and information for commnunications professional American Cities Effective, inclusive community development in U.S. cities Arts & Culture Positioning culture and creativity as drivers of more just communities Detroit Expanding long-term, equitable opportunity in our hometown Education Addressing postsecondary attainment and closing equity gaps Environment Helping cities with equitable climate resilience strategies Health Building equity-focused systems of health to achieve well-being Human Services Increasing social-economic mobility for people with low incomes Social Investment Practice Unlocking capital for community development Strategic Learning, Research & Evaluation Building a culture of learning across the organization and support community learning priorities Initiatives Our time-bound funding programs can bring multiple Kresge teams together to co-create strategies Grants & Social Investments Grants Awarded A database of grants dating back to 2009 Social Investments Made A database of PRIs, guarantees and other investments How to Apply Details on eligibility, FAQs, Fluxx guidance and more For Current Grantees FAQs for partners, communicating about your work and more Grants & Social Investments Advancing Our Mission Through Grantmaking and Social Investing Our programs work both independently and in collaboration to award single-year and multiyear grants that fund general operating, projects and planning activities advancing strategic objectives.

Most of our funding is to work in the U.S. but our Education Program also supports a portfolio of institutions in South Africa. 2025 Totals (New Grant Commitments) by Program Annually, Kresge makes more than 400 grants to nonprofits. Our annual give has averaged around $160 million in recent years, always in accordance with IRS guidance to give at least 5% of our endowment on a five-year rolling basis.

At times, we go above and beyond this mandate. Social Investment Practice We believe in using multiple forms of capital to create change. The Social Investment Practice partners with programs to complement their efforts by unlocking capital streams with loans, deposits, equity and guarantees.

Together, grants and social investments can create better and more sustainable impact. The Social Investment Practice does not accept unsolicited proposals. It frequently funds its work through intermediaries such as Community Development Financial Institutions but also makes direct investments in nonprofits.

We frequently partner with the public and private sectors and other funders or investors. Social Investments — Active Portfolio (Sept. 2024) Social investment practice Why We Fund Programs for Cities Cities Are Powerful Vehicles of Change They offer a concentration of activities and ideas that circulate, ricochet and recombine to create innovation.

Cities’ Density of Assets Can Contribute to Expanded Equity and Opportunity These assets are necessary to scale economic restructuring, social transition and quality-of-life enhancements. Cities Are Amenable to Philanthropic Engagement Municipal problem-solving is driven by distributed leadership of the philanthropic, private, civic and public sectors.