Nexus Program (Austin)

Nexus Program (Austin) is sponsored by Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment (ACME). Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment's Nexus program supports emerging and established individual artists and arts groups in Austin, Texas.

Nexus | Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment | AustinTexas.

gov Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment African American Cultural and Heritage Facility Asian American Resource Center Carver Museum, Genealogy and Cultural Center ESB Mexican American Cultural Center Creative Industry Funding Film Production in Austin Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment Spring 2026 Awards Announced by End of June Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment's Nexus program provides support to emerging and established artists and arts groups.

This program invests in vibrant artistic expressions that reflect and engage Austin’s diverse communities. Nexus offers award amounts of $5,000 and $10,000 for 12-month grant agreement periods. The program accepts applications twice a year.

Photo by Zebediah Badgett - Courtesy of Oro Dance Company To learn more about requirements for all ACME Funding Programs, go to FY26 ACME Funding Guidelines . Grants are awarded in the following categories: Individual Artist / Arts Group (one year experience) $5,000 OR $10,000 based on score See more guidelines in the dropdowns below.

Eligible Applicants – Applicants may apply directly or with a Fiscal Sponsor Arts Groups, including State of Texas Designated Arts Nonprofits Eligibility Requirements – In addition to requirements for all AACME Funding applicants $150,000 max annual operating budget Artistic goals or creative mission is the production of arts and culture activities, which includes arts service providers that offer professional support to creatives Have evidence of at least one-year creative production history in Austin Produce events and/or activities that are open and advertised to Austin residents, visitors, and tourists Ineligible Applicants – In addition to requirements for all AACME Funding applicants 501 (c) Nonprofit organizations Any applicant with annual operating budgets above $150,000.

Applicants whose primary mission or vision is NOT rooted in producing arts and culture activities Applicants with less than one year production history in Austin (prior to application deadline) Applicants headquartered outside of Austin MSA Applicants producing work outside of the Austin Council Districts or Extra Territorial Jurisdiction Eligible Expenses – Includes, but not limited to, the following categories for grant-funded activities: Artist and administrator compensation Venue or equipment rentals Production, performance and service fees Fiscal sponsor fee, if applicable (cannot exceed 10% of award) Awardees are prohibited from “double dipping” (see definition in Appendix A of Guidelines) with their grant funds to cover the same expenses or activities.

Each Grant Agreement will dictate what expenses are allowed during the grant agreement term.

For example, “rent” can only be paid by one grant award Awardee travel costs, including gas, flights, hotels, tolls, parking, and ferries Curriculum development or programming, scholarly or academic research, and any related activities Fundraisers, capital campaigns, and benefits, including entertainment and receptions Start-up costs of a new organization, for example, expenses associated with filing for an LLC, or nonprofit status Consultants who are also employees Payments to students or interns whose employment is tied to class credit Purchase of gifts, awards, cash prizes, scholarships, contributions, donations, or re-granting of funds Existing debts, fines, contingencies, penalties, interest, or litigation costs Equipment purchases and repairs Evaluation Review and Scoring Applications are evaluated by outside reviewers.

All reviewers are trained in the application review process and evaluate applications based on defined grant criteria. Reviewers will provide written comments that will be made available to the applicant. A panel discussion will not be offered.

All final scoring decisions are carefully reviewed ahead of final award decisions by ACME leadership.

Idea reflects the people, places, histories and cultures of Austin Work demonstrates clear intent, authenticity, and meaningful perspective Artist or group brings relevant experience, relationships, or cultural knowledge to support the work Up to 35 Public Connection Project is made for a specific audience or community in mind The project is accessible and invites people to experience it If selected for a Nexus Award, awardees will be expected to complete the following per terms of their agreement: Initial Report – Must be completed to process Grant Agreement and first payment Completion of Agreement Kick-Off Meeting and Quiz Provide proposed activity and budget Completion of a public activity Post public activity to VisitAustin Marketing compliance (use of required logo and publicity statement) Final Report – Due within 30 days of the final funded activity: Proof of funds spent (e.g., receipts, financial statements) Audience and participant data Documentation that funded activities occurred Proof of marketing compliance (use of required logo and publicity statement) Completion of two (2) Miles Partnership Tourism Marketing Trainings Nexus Application Preview See a preview of the application questions.

1. Describe your proposed activity. Answer should include: Description of proposed activity (who, what, when, where) Describe your artistic vision and the creative focus or traditions that shape the work.

Describe what makes your project unique, bold, or culturally important. 2. Describe your or your team’s relevant experience that will help you successfully produce this event.

Answer should include: Introduce your key team members, their expertise and role in the proposed activity. This could include relevant cultural knowledge or experience. Highlight one or two examples of similar work you’ve completed successfully in Austin.

3. Who are the people served by your activities, and how do you reach them? Answer should include: Describe the community, audience, or participants you hope to reach.

Share how you plan to invite people to experience or engage with your work." The Nexus grant was originally developed with community support during the Cultural Funding Review from 2019-2022. Read the Cultural Funding Report ( English PDF , Spanish PDF ).

The program was originally launched in 2023 under the purview of the Economic Development Department. 255 recipients were awarded across multiple disciplines in 4 funding cycles. A total of $1,275,000 was awarded into the Austin Arts ecosystem through the Nexus program.

Across four funding cycles, 255 awards were made spanning multiple disciplines. Through the Nexus program, $1. 3 million in funding commitments supported emerging individual artists, creative businesses and arts groups, and small nonprofit organizations.

2025 - See the full list of the FY25 Nexus grant recipients . 2024 - See the full list of the Summer 2024 Nexus grant recipients and Fall 2024 Nexus grant recipients . Or view a summary dashboard of the FY24 Nexus grant applicants and recipients.

2023 - See the full list of the 2023 Nexus grant recipients .