Working WA 5 Grant Updates

Working WA Grants: Round 5 Update

$70 million was appropriated by the legislature for the next round of Working Washington Grants: Round 5. In this round of grants, portions of the available funds are set aside for specific targeted groups or sectors: 60% is identified for the arts, heritage, and science sectors, including those that operate live entertainment venues; 40% is identified for most other sectors, including hospitality, fitness, and personal services. Learn more at commercegrants.com and click here to sign up for email updates.

Timeline: Detailed information about the program guidelines, eligibility, FAQs for both programs (Working Washington Round 5 and the Convention Center Grant), and contact information for the Technical Support Center will be available mid-July. The anticipated launch of the application portal is currently mid-August. Exact dates for the application portal will come in mid-July. As always, please refer to Commerce’s site for the most up-to-date information.

Language support: The Working Washington Round 5 team is working hard to get necessary materials translated in multiple languages, and will be working with partners on other language needs if they arise. The program guidance and application questions are planned to be available in a PDF format. This will let applicants print and review the program eligibility, required documentation, and application questions before they access the online portal and start their application. In addition to English, the Technical Support Center will also provide multilingual customer support in Spanish, Russian, and Chinese.

Need more help? Attend our final Virtual Cultural Futures presentation! We will walk you through all the most up-to-date eligibility requirements and application necessities. Click here to register.

Outreach to BIPOC, Rural and Other Communities

While a significant amount of federal funding has been directed to our state throughout the pandemic, not all cultural organizations, businesses, and artists reaped the benefits. Inspire WA is a steadfast advocate for the equitable investment of the Working Washington 5 grant program funding to ensure all communities receive support. 

Inspire Washington is partnering with La Sala, Washington State Historical Society, Festál, CD Forum, and All Aboard to host Zoom info sessions on the Working Washington 5 grant program for each community.

• Inspire WA's Info Session on Working Washington 5 Grant Program in Partnership with La Sala on July 15th from 12:00pm-1:30pm: click here to register. Si necesita traducción al español para este programa, comuníquese con info@lasalanw.org.
• Inspire WA's Info Session on Working Washington 5 Grant Program in Partnership with Washington State Historical Society  on July 21st from 10:00am-11:00am: click here to register. 

Webinars that will be announced next week:

• In partnership with Festál, Inspire WA's Info Session on Working Washington 5 Grant Program
• In partnership with CD Forum, Inspire WA's Info Session on Working Washington 5 Grant Program
• In partnership with All Aboard, Inspire WA's Info Session on Working Washington 5 Grant Program
• There are many more communities we want to reach out to, so we anticipate announcing more webinars soon. Stay tuned!

Unique Entity Identifier

The federal government recently changed its requirements for businesses and organizations receiving federal funds in the form of grants. It no longer uses the DUNS (Data Universal Number System) and has shifted to a new system known as the UEI (Unique Entity Identifier).

As of April 2022, recipients of grants using federal funds (including WW5!) are required to have a UEI, which replaces the DUNS Number. You can apply for the grant without the UEI, but you will not be able to accept your grant money until you have a UEI. It may take several weeks to get a UEI after registration, so start applying now!

Click here for more info, to look up your UEI, or to apply for a new UEI. 

Inspire WA in Residency - SAVE THE DATE!

Sponsored by the Department of Commerce, Inspire Washington will visit 6 regions across the state in August and September. These four-day residencies will be focused on building back the cultural economy and finding creative ways to spur recovery. We will be conducting community town halls to follow up on the feedback we received from communities during the Cultural Futures tour and share the first draft of our legislative agenda. We will also be meeting with lawmakers, cultural leaders, and allies in the cultural tourism industry.

Mark your Calendars and Save the Date! 

SW Washington: August 9-12

SE Washington: August 16-19

NW Washington: August 23-26

North Central Washington: September 6-9

Yakima Valley: September 13-16

Olympic Peninsula: September 20-23

Off-Session Advocacy

We need your voice! The off-session time is the perfect opportunity to make meaningful connections with your lawmakers. By establishing these relationships during the quieter summer months, your lawmaker will have a greater understanding of the importance of your work and be far more likely to support you when drafting the budget in January. 

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