ArtSEA: Paul Allen Foundation awards $9M to downtown arts orgs

Since the effort is focused Downtown, it’s perhaps no surprise that the lucky recipients include Seattle Art Museum ($500,000), Seattle Symphony ($700,000) and Friends of Waterfront Park ($5,000,000) (!).

All of the orgs are planning to use the funding to increase access to programming — such as Seattle Art Museum’s immediate plan to expand its beloved Free First Thursdays program from 10 a.m. –  5 p.m. to 10 a.m. – 8 p.m., with special programming from 5 – 8 p.m. These longer hours begin Thursday, October 3.

ArtSEA: Notes on Northwest Culture is a weekly arts newsletter from Cascade PBS.

The grant money is also going to several smaller and/or emerging organizations, including: Base Camp Studios ($200,000), which operates two galleries (one Downtown, in the old Bergman Luggage building, where it is creating a hub of affordable artist studios); Common Area Maintenance ($200,000), a Belltown gallery/woodshop/community space with artist studios; and Theater Off Jackson ($350,000), occupying a historic building in the Chinatown-International District.

The overall goal of the funding is to enliven the neighborhood not just for tourists but as a “vibrant hub for those who live and work in the area.”

Also in art money news this week: Mayor Harrell released his 2025-2026 proposed budget for the Office of Arts and Culture, with $23.5 million allocated for 2025 and $21.5 million for 2026. No huge changes here; the 2024 adopted budget was $22.9 million. But the proposed cut to The Seattle Channel — which would axe Nancy Guppy’s longrunning show Art Zone — would be terrible news for local arts coverage.

Included in the Mayor’s budget is a one-time $2.5 million grant to support Downtown activation, with an eye toward the FIFA World Cup in 2026, via festivals, visual arts installations and alleyway activations. Additionally, $2 million in financial support is slated for organizations “still struggling with post-pandemic recovery.”

Public hearings on the budget will happen Oct. 16 and Nov. 12, with final adoption expected Nov. 21.