Applications for the 2026 Community Programming Fund are now closed. Thank you to all who submitted proposals! The team is reviewing applications in March and anticipates making notifications by mid-April. Please continue planning your programs and events as you await notification.
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Through the Community Programming Fund, the City of Bellevue offers grants to support community-driven programs and events in outdoor public spaces across the city. By investing in community-led efforts, the CPF strengthens the experience of visitors, workers and residents in Bellevue’s mixed-use neighborhoods, encouraging people to gather, stay longer and return more often.
Program Highlights
- Individual grants of up to $10,000, or $20,000 for markets
- For programs taking place primarily in outdoor public spaces
- Open to individuals, nonprofit organizations, community groups, and small businesses
- Up to $200,000 available in 2026 for programs in public spaces throughout Bellevue
- Review our Program Guidelines for specific guidance
Funding Priorities
Proposals aligned with our priority areas receive additional consideration during the evaluation process. These priorities reflect the city’s goals to support community gathering, increase foot traffic and retail sales and support tourism during the FIFA World Cup™:
- Small-scale activity series: Fitness classes, family activities, small performances and pop-up programs that give people a reason to come back week after week.
- Markets: Farmers' markets, craft fairs, artisan markets, night markets and food truck rallies that help create a sense of place and support local entrepreneurs and vendors.
- Activities related to the global soccer tournament: Programs which intentionally engage visitors, employees and residents during the FIFA World Cup™ between June 1 and July 19.
Applications for programs and activities which do not directly align with one of these priorities are still welcome, as long as they meet our minimum requirements.
Key Dates and Application Details
This year, the program had one application deadline in early March. The program team reviews applications in March, with a goal to notify funded programs in April.
| Application opened | January 13, 2026 |
| Application closed | March 2, 2026 |
| Award notifications | April 2026 |
| Eligible program/activity dates | June 1 - December 31, 2026, with priority for programs taking place through September 30 |
2026 Documents and Resources
- Program Guidelines: Full program guidelines, rules, and conditions, including what we're looking for and how applications are reviewed.
- Application Questions: A summary of the questions asked on the application.
- Budget Worksheet: A form to help prospective organizers develop their budget in a consistent format for City review. This document works best when you download and open it on a computer in Microsoft Word.
- Sample Contract: An example of the contract which grantees will be required to enter with the city in order to accept CPF funds. The actual contract will be drafted based on the specifics of your program.
- Insurance Requirements: Insurance requirements for entering a contract with the city, including options for temporary event insurance.
Application Tips and Tricks
We anticipate a record number of applications to the Community Programming Fund this year, so we want to offer a few tips and tricks to help you put your best foot forward.
- Start planning your program now. Project feasibility is a major component of our review process. Getting started with planning demonstrates commitment to your project, regardless of the outcome of your grant application.
- Take time to plan your application. Don’t wait to start your application. Download our question list and start preparing your application well in advance of the deadline.
- Use generative AI sparingly. While we won’t reject an application simply because AI was used, please understand that applications produced extensively using these tools are extremely easy to spot and are usually of lower quality. If you choose to use AI to craft your application, don't use it to write your application whole-cloth. This page offers some excellent principles to follow.
- Be specific. Describe what you'll do, why, when, and where in your application. The strongest applications are highly specific about what they are proposing and how it relates to our program guidelines. If your application feels generic, if it repeats basic information from our guidelines without describing what you will do, or if we just can’t wrap our arms around what exactly you are proposing, it will be more difficult for us to review it.
- Talk to us early. We're happy to talk through your application and strategize on how you can put forward your best possible proposal. Reach out to us well in advance of the deadline.
2025 Grant Cycle
Thank you to the 2025 Community Programming Fund grantees for helping make the program’s first year a success. The team was pleased to support a wide variety of activities across Bellevue, with a particular focus on the Grand Connection. Among the funded programs, we supported:
- 36 programs at 16 locations
- 26 programs which were completely new to Bellevue, plus 5 in new locations
- Almost $50,000 for live performance activities and $40,000 for festivals
- More than $50,000 in support for programs and activities taking place outside of downtown
- 10,000 community member attendees
Explore the full recipient list to see the variety of programs supported through the 2025 CPF. You can also view the 2025 year-end retrospective to learn more about the grant cycle, funded activities, and how we think about program outcomes.