Levitt Festival Grants FAQ

The submission period will close on Friday, November 20, 2026, at 3:00 PM ET/12:00 PM PT.

Notifications will be sent to all applicants on Monday, February 1, 2027.

The online application has two sections. The first section determines eligibility of the festival for this grant opportunity. If your responses match the eligibility criteria, then the second section of the application, which includes the narrative questions, will appear.

Yes. Your application can be saved and resumed at a later time. Upon saving your application, an email with a link to access your saved application will be sent.

Upon saving or submitting your application, an email will be sent to you with a link to your application which can then be viewed online, downloaded, or printed for review or to be shared with others.

Organizations may receive a grant of up to $5,000, without exceeding 30% of total festival expenses.

Applications are evaluated by a Levitt Family Foundation review panel comprised of staff, grantees, and field professionals based on the grant program criteria and the potential community impact of the festival, including how proposals reflect the Levitt mission and core values of the Foundation.

Grant funds are disbursed in one payment upon receipt of pre-festival grant deliverables, including meeting insurance requirements and providing recognition of the Levitt Family Foundation’s support.

Yes. Festival grantees must meet insurance requirements; recognize the Levitt Family Foundation’s support online, including social media posts, as well as at the festival and on event-related materials; and submit a final report within 30 days of the festival’s completion, including a curated set of festival photos.

No. There is no minimum or maximum festival budget to be eligible for funding, though the Festival Grants opportunity is up to $5,000 and grant funds must not exceed 30% of total festival expenses.

Any nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, as recognized by the IRS, located within the United States and its territories can apply. Applicants are required to upload their IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter as part of the application.

Nonprofit organizations without 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status may apply with a fiscal sponsor that has 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, which would then serve as the grant funds recipient. Applicants are required to upload their fiscal sponsor’s IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter as part of the application.

The Festival Grants opportunity is only open to 501(c)(3) nonprofits. Municipalities are ineligible to apply, though may partner with a 501(c)(3) organization which would then be the applicant and grant funds recipient. Applicants are required to upload their IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter as part of the application.

Yes. Nonprofit organizations without 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status may apply with a fiscal sponsor that has 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, which would then serve as the grant funds recipient. Applicants are required to upload their fiscal sponsor’s IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter as part of the application.

Yes. There is no limit to the number of organizations that include the same fiscal sponsor on their Festival Grants application. On the application, an organization will list itself as the applicant and then enter the fiscal sponsor’s information in the section pertaining to fiscal sponsors.

Yes. The applicant organization must be the producer of the festival and will serve as the primary administrator of the grant, if awarded. The fiscal sponsor, if applicable, should not be the applicant organization.

Yes. An organization may apply again if it has received Festival Grants funding in a previous year(s). Due to the significant number of grant applications received annually, starting with the 2028 grant cycle, organizations that have previously received three or more years of funding will not be prioritized when determining Festival Grants recipients.

Yes. An organization may receive consecutive years of Festival Grants funding. Due to the significant number of grant applications received annually, starting with the 2028 grant cycle, organizations that have previously received three or more years of funding will not be prioritized when determining Festival Grants recipients.

No. Current Levitt Music Series grantees and Levitt venues are ineligible to apply for the Festival Grants opportunity.

Yes. If an organization receives Festival Grants funding, it will still be eligible for a Levitt Music Series grant in the future. Applications for the next Levitt Music Series grant cycle will open in 2028.

No. Previously receiving Festival Grants funding does not guarantee or confirm preference by the Levitt Family Foundation for future funding.

No. Organizations may only submit one application for Festival Grants funding per annual grant cycle.

For the purpose of this application, a festival is defined as an event or celebration around a theme or programmatic focus, featuring varied and curated performances and activities and taking place within a condensed timeframe of a minimum of four hours on a single day, over multiple consecutive days, or two consecutive weekends. Seasonal and long-running events presented over a designated period of time, as well as single performances, are ineligible for this grant opportunity—for example: summer concert series, First Friday events, standalone concert presentations, etc.

Yes. The festival must be located within the United States and its territories to be eligible for funding.

A festival can take place at any time during 2027 and be eligible for funding, though when applying for the Festival Grants opportunity it should be taken into consideration that Festival Grants recipients will be announced on February 1, 2027.

Yes. New festivals are eligible for funding. Since there are no images of the actual festival to submit with the application, images of the festival location, potential performers, and other community events produced by the applicant organization may be uploaded, as applicable.

No. The Festival Grants opportunity is open to festivals that occur within a condensed timeframe of a minimum of four hours on a single day, over multiple consecutive days, or two consecutive weekends. A festival with multiple, non-consecutive dates is ineligible for this grant opportunity.

No. Concert series are ineligible for this grant opportunity. A concert series is defined as a curated series of live performances presented over a span of time on designated dates (weekly, monthly, etc.). Applications for the next Levitt Music Series grant cycle will open in 2028.

No. To be eligible for funding, live music and performance should be a significant component of the festival, though there may be other focuses, activities, and events that are also part of the festival.

Yes. The majority of the festival must take place in an outdoor public space to be eligible for funding. Examples of outdoor public spaces are parks, plazas, streets temporarily closed for the event, college campuses, parking lots, etc.

Yes. Festivals that have both indoor and outdoor components are eligible for funding, however, the majority of the festival must take place in an outdoor public space for broad community participation. Both the indoor and outdoor activities of the festival should be described in the application.

To be eligible for this grant opportunity, the festival must take place outdoors. However, if inclement weather on the day of the festival requires performances to be moved indoors, grant funding would still be provided.

The festival should take place in one general location—for example: throughout a downtown district, along a Main Street corridor, multiple sites within an expansive public park, etc. While not all activities need to occur at a single address, the festival layout should create one cohesive experience.

No. There is no preference regarding the population size of a town or city for the selection of Festival Grants recipients. Previous grantees represent a range of population sizes, from rural communities to major metro areas.

Yes. To be eligible for the Festival Grants opportunity, admission to the festival must be free and easily accessible to the public. Potential barriers to participation such as required “free” tickets, required “pay what you can” entry, suggested donation of a specific amount upon entry, etc., are not acceptable. Revenue streams such as food/beverage sales, merchandise sales, and vendor fees, as well as opportunities to make a donation of any amount to support the festival, are acceptable.

No. While it is fine to ask for donations from attendees, the festival must be free to attend without any specific donation amount or “pay what you can” requirement at the entry point, which could imply that a donation is necessary for entry to the festival.

Yes. As long as the festival is free admission and does not require a donation of any kind to attend, the festival may be a fundraiser for an organization or cause with funds raised through food/beverage sales, merchandise sales, vendor fees, sponsorships, grants from other foundations, opportunities to make a donation of any amount, etc.

Yes. Festivals that offer a paid VIP experience for fundraising purposes are eligible for this grant opportunity, as long as anyone can attend the festival for free and still experience a significant portion of festival activities and performances.

Yes. As long as it is not required to RSVP to attend the festival and anyone can come to the festival the day of without having had to pre-register or RSVP, then the festival is eligible for this grant opportunity. It is important to message on the festival website, social media, and other festival materials, that the purpose of RSVPing is to receive festival updates, that it is optional, and not required for day of entry.

Yes. While the festival must be free admission for anyone to attend, it is acceptable to charge a fee to local businesses, other nonprofits, food vendors, etc., to have a presence at the festival.

All musicians and performers at the festival must be paid for their performance. The Levitt Family Foundation is a musician-friendly organization and believes that artists should be compensated for their performances.

We understand there are times when non-professional groups and ensembles perform as part of festival activities. In the application, there is space to explain the payment structure for these festival performers. In such cases, explain in your application whether these groups receive an honorarium, hospitality, etc., for their participation.

Grant funding may be used for any costs associated with producing and presenting the festival, including talent fees, tech production, operations, staffing, marketing, outreach efforts, etc. Musicians must be compensated for their performances.

No. Grant funds may not be used to purchase permanent equipment for an organization or for capital expenditures of any kind.