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Apply for a COCA Grant
and resources for grant writers
Looking for funding? COCA administers several different grant programs aimed to help local arts organizations.
FY27 Grant Programs
DEADLINE: Tuesday, May 26 at 11:59 p.m.
Important Links
Basic Eligibility
To apply to any COCA grant program, an organization must meet all the following conditions:
- Applicants must be either a not-for-profit Florida corporation, classified by the IRS as a 501(c)3 “public charity”, or a department, museum or other organization working under the FEID number of the State of Florida, Florida State University, Florida A&M University or Tallahassee State College. (COCA does not currently offer grants to individuals.)
- Applicant’s mission must be to produce or promote arts and/or history programming.
- Applicant must have completed at least one fiscal year of programming in their discipline.
- Applicant must present or produce programs/activities/events in Tallahassee/Leon County.
- Applicant must have a professional staff. (Staff can be paid or volunteer, but should be regularly available during normal business hours.)
- Applicant must have a governing Board of Directors that meets regularly and operates under a set of by-laws.
- Applicant must be able to demonstrate the receipt of community support through subscriptions, memberships, earned income, foundation grants, and/or other private fundraising (including in-kind support).
- Applicant must produce arts or cultural programs that are regularly available to the public throughout the year.
- Applicant must have documented statistics on attendance and participation for your programs and/or facility (paid or free) that represent a broad community impact.
- Applicant must be committed to and have a plan in place to provide for accessibility for people with disabilities, including compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
COCA has three grant programs available for the period of October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027. An eligible organization can submit an application to all three programs. Each program has additional eligibility requirements.
Cultural Grant
The Cultural Grant funds programming expenses for arts, culture, history or heritage organizations. Applicant programming must meet at least one of the following goals:
- Offer arts, history, or cultural programs with exemplary standards and objectives.
- Provide educational opportunities in arts, culture, and/or history for young people or adults.
- Serve a special population or need, fill a unique niche or engage the community in the creative or artistic process.
Funds for the Cultural Grant come from Leon County’s Tourist Development Tax (TDT) revenue. Therefore, applicants must also meet all of the following expectations:
- In addition to arts and culture, the applicant must have as one of its main purposes the attraction of tourists, as evidenced by the promotion of the activity, service, venue, or event to tourists.
Applicant must clearly identify public relations/promotional/marketing tactics used to reach visitors outside of Leon County. - Applicant must have a marketing plan that clearly indicates out-of-market advertising or promotion.
- Applicant must track and report the number of out-of-county visitors served by the grant-funded programs.
In this grant program, an organization’s maximum allowable request will depend on their type (non-profit versus state entity) and their allowable operating income (AOI) from the previous fiscal year. See the FY27 Guidelines for more information.
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Group 4 50% of AOI, up to $28,000
Allowable operating income <$75,000
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Group 3 20% of AOI, up to $80,000
Allowable operating income $75,000 - $499,999
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Group 2 10% of AOI, up to $160,000
Allowable operating income $500,000 - $1,499,999
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Group 1 10% of AOI, up to $350,000
Allowable operating income $1,500,000+
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State partners See Guidelines
Cultural Tourism Marketing Grant
The Cultural Tourism Marketing Grant funds out-of-county marketing expenses, such as media placement/production, printed materials, promotional items, website development, marketing personnel and more.
Funds for this grant also come from Leon County’s Tourist Development Tax revenue. Therefore, all applicants/programming must qualify for the Cultural Grant.
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All applicants Up to $4,000
Local Community Grant
The Local Community Grant funds programming expenses arts, culture, history or heritage organizations. Applicant programming must meet at least one of the following goals:
- Offer arts, history, or cultural programs with exemplary standards and objectives.
- Provide educational opportunities in arts, culture, and/or history for young people or adults.
- Serve a special population or need, fill a unique niche or engage the community in the creative or artistic process.
Unlike the Cultural Grant and the Cultural Tourism Marketing Grant, this program has no dedicated funding source.
This grant has been funded by the City of Tallahassee’s General Revenue in the past. Therefore, applicants must also meet the following expectations.
- Applicants must track and report the number of Leon County and/or Tallahassee residents served by programs.
- Applicant programming should align with one or more of the following City of Tallahassee priorities: economic development; impact on poverty; public safety, and; quality of life. See the FY27 Guidelines for more information.
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All applicants Up to $8,000
Note: Award depends on availability of funds.
How to Apply
- Go to https://tallahasseearts.submittable.com
- Next to “FY27 COCA Grant Programs,” click Submit
- Create a Submittable account or log in
- Confirm your address
- Complete the form titled “FY27 COCA Grant Programs – Grant Selection” (takes about 5–10 minutes)
- Based on your answers, Submittable will automatically assign the following forms:
- Basic Eligibility (all applicants)
- CG + CTMG (for Cultural Grant and/or Cultural Tourism Marketing Grant applicants)
- LCG (for Local Community Grant applicants)
- After you hit Submit, you’ll be automatically redirected to My Submissions
- Click the link for your FY27 submission
- Open the Forms tab
- Scroll to the Request Forms section; all relevant forms are assigned to you
- Submit all assigned forms (Basic Eligibility, CG + CTMG, LCG) by Friday, May 22, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.
Timeline
Because COCA grants are funded through multiple sources, there are different timelines by grant program.
CG and/or CTMG
Last Day for Grantee Consultations – May 15, 2026
COCA staff is happy to meet with you and give subjective feedback on your application. Please provide a draft and/or specific questions. COCA staff cannot offer in-depth consultations in the week before the application deadline. To book a consultation, email summer@tallahasseearts.org.
Application Deadline – Friday, May 22, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.
The application is due in Submittable. All forms (Basic Eligibility, CG + CTMG, LCG, where applicable) must be submitted by this time.
COCA staff review – May 25 – June 5, 2026
Your application will be reviewed by COCA staff. COCA staff will confirm that your application meets the basic eligibility criteria for the relevant grant programs, that your request amount(s) are appropriate and that your expenses are allowable. COCA staff may contact you for revision or clarification; please be available by email or phone.
Leon County TDT Eligibility Verification – June 8 – June 22, 2026
Applications to the Cultural Grant and the Cultural Tourism Marketing Grant will be provided to the Director of Tourism. The Director of Tourism will review these applications for compliance with the Tourism Statute 125.0104 F.S. (“If tax revenues are expended for an activity, service, venue, or event, the activity, service, venue, or event shall have as one of its main purposes the attraction of tourists as evidenced by the promotion of the activity, service, venue, or event to tourists.”)
Applicant Revision Deadline – July 7, 2026
If your Cultural Grant or Cultural Tourism Marketing Grant is determined to be ineligible by Leon County, you will have the chance to revise your application. You may also choose to withdraw your application or apply only to the Local Community Grant. COCA staff will assist you in revising and resubmitting.
If your Cultural Grant or Cultural Tourism Marketing Grant is not found ineligible, you are not required to submit anything at this stage.
Secondary Leon County Eligibility Verification Results – July 14, 2026
Leon County will review revisions to ineligible Cultural and Cultural Tourism Marketing Grant applications. If your revision is still found ineligible based on the Tourism Statute 125.0104 F.S., your application cannot proceed to panel review.
If your Cultural Grant or Cultural Tourism Marketing Grant applications were not found ineligible, this date does not impact you. If your Cultural Grant or Cultural Tourism Marketing Grant was found ineligible, but you chose not to revise your application, this date does not impact you.
Panel Review Meeting – September 1, 2026
The panel meeting is a public meeting held over Zoom. Panelists are allowed to ask questions of applicants, so applicants are strongly encouraged to attend. Your scores at the panel determine your funding amount.
At the panel meeting, COCA staff will present a ranked list. All awards are subject to funds availability.
COCA Board of Directors Reviews & Approves the TDT-funded Grant Recommendations – September 3, 2026
The COCA Board will review and approve the TDT-funded applications (i.e., Cultural Grant and Cultural Tourism Marketing Grant applications) recommended by the panel. Board meetings are public and applicants are welcome to attend; please see the Public Notices page for more information.
Tourist Development Council Reviews & Approves the TDT-funded Grant Recommendations – September 10, 2026
The Tourist Development Council will review and approve the TDT-funded applications (i.e., Cultural Grant and Cultural Tourism Marketing Grant applications) recommended by the panel. See the Tourist Development Council webpage for more information.
Grant year begins – October 1, 2026
If you did not receive grant funding for FY26, your FY27 contract can be executed for the period October 1.
First payments can be made upon contract execution. Grant awards $10,000 will be made in full at this time. Grant awards larger than $10,000 will be split into two payments
FY26 Final Reports are due – October 31, 2026
If you received grant funding in FY26, your FY26 final report must be submitted and approved by COCA staff before your contract for FY27 can be executed.
FY27 Mid-year Reports are due – May 1, 2027
Grantees must submit a mid-year report, addressing activities held to date, grant expenses incurred to date and marketing efforts. If your grant award was larger than $10,000, you will receive the second payment upon approval of the mid-year report.
FY27 Grant Year Ends – September 30, 2027
All grant activities and grant-related expenses must be complete by this time.
FY27 Final Report Due – November 1, 2027
Grantees must submit a final report, addressing all grant activities held, all grant expenses and marketing efforts.
Local Community Grant
Last Day for Grantee Consultations – May 15, 2026
COCA staff is happy to meet with you and give subjective feedback on your application. Please provide a draft and/or specific questions. COCA staff cannot offer in-depth consultations in the week before the application deadline. To book a consultation, email summer@tallahasseearts.org.
Application Deadline – Friday, May 22, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.
The application is due in Submittable. All forms (Basic Eligibility, CG + CTMG, LCG, where applicable) must be submitted by this time.
COCA staff review – May 25 – June 5, 2026
Your application will be reviewed by COCA staff. COCA staff will confirm that your application meets the basic eligibility criteria for the relevant grant programs, that your request amount(s) are appropriate and that your expenses are allowable. COCA staff may contact you for revision or clarification; please be available by email or phone.
Panel Review Meeting – September 1, 2026
The panel meeting is a public meeting held over Zoom. Panelists are allowed to ask questions of applicants, so applicants are strongly encouraged to attend. Your scores at the panel determine your funding amount.
At the panel meeting, COCA staff will present a ranked list. All awards are subject to funds availability.
Grant year begins – October 1, 2026
Grantees with FY25 LCG awards must submit their final reports before starting their FY27 LCG award. FY25 LCG awardees should review their contract for specific due dates.
No FY26 LCG awards were made.
Funding Recognition Policy & Logos
If you need further assistance or have questions about COCA’s funding recognition policy, contact Samantha Sumler, COCA’s Communications & Marketing Manager at samantha@tallahasseearts.org
Grant Writing Tips
There are many resources for grantwriters available online. COCA also provides workshops and personal consultations regarding the grantwriting process throughout the year. First-time grantwriters are encouraged to:
• Attend COCA grantwriting workshops
• Schedule a Courtesy Review appointment
• Review COCA’s guidelines carefully for tips and advice about the grant application requirements
• Candid’s eBook collection on Grant and Proposal Writing
• Candid Learning – Introduction to Proposal Writing
• Schedule a 30 minute consultation with COCA’s Grants Manager, Summer Callahan
• Grant Writing Tips (Fundraiser Help)
• Florida Division of Arts and Culture’s Cultural Tourism Toolkit
• Resources on Program Evaluation and Performance Measurement (National Endowment for the Arts)
• Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 / Calculate your Impact
• Questions? Interested in a funding consultation? Contact Summer Callahan at summer@tallahasseearts.org.
In addition to COCA’s grant funding opportunities, COCA also manages listings for other local, regional and national grant opportunities for arts and cultural organizations on our website, www.Tallahasseearts.org.