The Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona Announces its 2026 Operating Support Grant for Organizations Recipients.
$320,000 Invested in Supporting Operations Within the Arts Sector in Twelve Cities & Towns Throughout Southern Arizona.
TUCSON, AZ — The Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona is pleased to announce the 2026 Operating Support Grant for Organizations recipients, celebrating arts organizations that are strengthening the region’s cultural landscape. This year, the Arts Foundation is investing $320,000 in operating support for 23 organizations across Tucson and twelve cities and towns in Southern Arizona. This program is generously funded by the City of Tucson, the Pima County Department of Community & Workforce Development, the Mellon Foundation, and the Arizona Community Foundation.
Grant funding supports operating expenses focused on hiring artists and delivering arts programming, helping organizations advance their missions, expand their reach, and create new opportunities for Southern Arizona communities. This year’s competitive grant process saw 81 organizations request nearly $1.1 million in funding, underscoring the significant need for sustained investment in the arts sector.
Grantees were selected through a rigorous panel review process held on April 1 and 2, 2026, with final recommendations approved by the Arts Foundation Board on April 21. The 2026 grantee cohort reflects the region’s rich diversity: 34.8% of grantees represent rural communities, and 26.1% are first-time grant recipients. Supported organizations work across a broad spectrum of artistic disciplines, including theater and performance, dance, music, and community arts.
“Through the collective efforts and support from local and national funders, our grantees are able to impact and broaden access to the arts across different communities,” said Gibran Villalobos, Interim Grants and Programs Director. “Ranging from local groups to rural communities, we are proud of the ongoing effort to expand geographic reach and a variety of disciplines.”
2026 Operating Support Grant for Organizations Highlights:
- $320,000 invested in 23 organizations across Tucson and 12 Southern Arizona cities and towns
- 34.8% of grantees represent rural communities
- 26.1% are first-time Arts Foundation grantees
- Nearly $1.1 million in funding was requested by 81 organizations
- Supported disciplines include theater and performance, dance, music, and community arts
2026 Operating Support Grant for Organizations Recipients
Gila Valley Arts Council (GVAC)
Teatro Dignidad
Safos Dance Theatre
MOCA Tucson
The Invisible Theatre
The Border Chronicle
KXCI
Southwest Folklife Alliance Inc.
Corazón del Barrio
Southern Arizona Film Society
The Land with No Name Sanctuary
ArtMobile-AZ, Inc.
Wilson Barn Arts
The Rogue Theatre
The Drop Dance Studio
Funhouse Movement Theater
Lead Guitar
Tucson Pops Orchestra
Border Arts Corridor
Borderlands Theater
Canelo Project
Willcox Theater and Arts Inc.
Central School Project
This year’s grantees exemplify the creativity, innovation, and dedication that define Southern Arizona’s cultural sector. The Arts Foundation remains committed to supporting the operational strength and sustainability of the region’s arts organizations, ensuring continued impact throughout the 2027 fiscal year.
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The Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and funding agency with a mission to advance the artistic expression, civic participation, and equitable economic growth of our diverse communities. Through forward-thinking, accountable leadership, the Arts Foundation works to affect systemic change that fosters an accessible, diverse, inclusive, and equitable local arts community.
As the designated local arts agency, the Arts Foundation provides arts and cultural development across Southern Arizona for individual working artists, artist collectives, ensembles, and nonprofit organizations through grant programs, professional development opportunities and public art program management for the City of Tucson.
The work of the Arts Foundation is made possible through generous support from the City of Tucson, Pima County, Arizona Commission on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, the Mellon Foundation, the Arizona Community Foundation, and individual donors. Our service area includes all counties and native sovereign nations South of the Gila River, including 372 miles along the US-Mexico international border in the South and along the 590-mile stretch of the Gila River, which flows west from the New Mexico border to the Colorado River.
