44 recipients will receive funding to total $120,000 for cultural projects benefiting Boise residents.
The City of Boise is thrilled to announce Arts & History Grant fund recipients for fiscal year 2026. 44 recipients will receive funding to total $120,000 for cultural projects that occur between October 1, 2025, and September 30, 2026, and benefit Boise residents.
An additional $30,000 will be disbursed through an Arts & History Grant opening in January 2026 designed to fund projects and events supporting the City of Boise’s commemoration and celebration of America’s 250th anniversary between April and July 2026.
The City of Boise’s Department of Arts & History Grants program supports those in both established and emerging cultural fields with initiatives that nurture a strong and equitable cultural community in Boise. Grants are reviewed by a community panel and awarded based on quality, community benefit, alignment with City of Boise and Department of Arts & History’s mission, accessibility, and management. Together these funded projects and events contribute to creating opportunity and a city for everyone.
The recipients are: (*indicates first-time recipients)
$5,000 Awards
Boise Contemporary Theater: 5x5 and Locals Reading Series – Two reading series: the 5x5 Reading Series during the Mainstage season (five plays), and the Summer Reading Series (three plays) that feature the works of local writers.
Full Tilt Boogie L.L.C/Starbelly School of Dance: Boise Raks – A program that merges historical and contemporary artistic expressions through the vibrant medium of dance, offering free public performances and interactive sessions.
Idaho Film Foundation: i48 2026 – A forty-eight-hour film competition open to Boise filmmakers of all ages and abilities, challenging teams to create an original short film in just forty-eight hours.
Idaho Shakespeare Festival: Access Program – Expands access to individuals who, due to financial or social constraints, geographic isolation, or physical challenges, are unable to experience theater.
Lauren Edson Dance Inc. (LED): Arts Education Outreach for Boise Public Schools – LED’s arts education outreach program benefiting students in Boise School District junior high and high schools.
MING Studios: Residency Program for Local Artists – Multi-week residencies for local artists that include a stipend, studio space, materials support, and opportunities to provide public programs.
Off Center Dance: Off Center Dance at Boise Contemporary Theater – A genre-bending dance performance series featuring 22 local artists at Boise Contemporary Theater.
Story Story Night, Inc.: 2025/2026 Program Support – Artist contracts and production expenses for six flagship shows and three late-night events between November 2025 and September 2026.
The Luminary: 2026 Program Season – A Boise-based, female-founded theatre ensemble presenting a newly devised piece in two parts: a staged reading in spring followed by a fully produced production in fall/winter.
TRICA, Inc.: TRICA Summer Camp Scholarships 2026 – This program offsets summer camp enrollment costs for children from financially disadvantaged families to attend the Treasure Valley Institute for Children’s Arts (TRICA) Summer Arts Camps.
$4,500 Awards
Tree City Chamber Players: Musical Tales at the Library – A free program of storytelling and classical music at local libraries, where children hear high-level performances alongside engaging stories and musical plots.
$3,000 Awards
*St. Michael’s Episcopal Cathedral: 2025-2026 Cathedral Concert Series – The 3rd season of six unique concerts featuring a range of local performance groups, including classical, baroque, and choral music.
$2,500 Awards
African Community Development: African Community Development – Traditional African Weaving workshops that engage refugee women in Boise, offering new skills with economic potential, cultural tradition-sharing, and community-building.
Ballet Idaho: Learning Through Dance Arts Education Program – The 20th year of Ballet Idaho’s flagship program, bringing the history, vocabulary, and movement of ballet into Title I schools free of charge.
Boise Choruses: Boise Choruses Performances – Two concerts in spring 2026 featuring the Boise Gay Men’s Chorus and the Boise Women’s Chorus.
Boise Hive Inc.: Rap America Project – A free weeklong workshop and outreach program focused on songwriting, music business, and music production for youth from underserved and low-income communities in Boise.
Boise Baroque Orchestra: Educational Outreach Program – A six-day workshop for Boise high school students to study baroque music under the guidance of professional performers.
*Gemma Arts: Warehouse Concert Series – A free monthly concert series at the Warehouse produced by Boise State University sound engineering students and featuring over a dozen local musicians.
Idaho Concerts in Care: 2025-2026 Concert Series – Free, professional, in-house concerts for residents of care homes in Boise.
Idaho Humanities Council: Student Event with Dr. Jill Lepore – A program bringing historian and author Dr. Jill Lepore to Boise for assemblies with area high school students.
Pendulum Early Music: 2025-2026 Concert Series – The 2nd concert season of Pendulum Early Music, with five baroque and early classical music concerts in Boise.
*Project Flux Dance: Perspectives Works-in-Progress Presentation Series – A series allowing local artists across disciplines to share works-in-progress with audiences to refine and shape their projects.
The Backyard Artists Inc.: Paper Plane Press Volumes 3 & 4 – Quarterly publications featuring 15 new works of poetry, nonfiction, and/or fiction by emerging local writers in each volume.
The Boise Bard Players: Theatre Production of Shakespeare’s Othello – Support for December 2025 performances of Othello in in unconventional venues in Boise. Boise.
$2,000 Awards
*Boise Artist Meetup: Boise Artist Meetup – A free event series fostering connection and education across Boise’s creative community, encouraging collaboration and mentorship.
Boise Traditional Chinese Dance Group: 2026 Spring Show – A showcase performance of ethnic and cultural dance forms with educational components to preserve and share Chinese culture in Boise.
Boise Community Band: Community Concerts – Three free summer concerts in Julia Davis Park in 2026.
Colossal Cinematic Showcase: Colossal Cinematic Showcase – In-person movie theater screenings of locally produced films featuring Boise-based casts and crews.
*Global Gardens: West Bench Farmers Market Performances – Performances by local musicians, dancers, storytellers, and cultural groups at the seasonal market, highlighting Boise’s cultural diversity.
Idaho Film Society: Filmmakers Workshop – A five-week series of educational, hands-on workshops focused on filmmaking basics.
Idaho Japanese Association: Japan Day 2026 – A cultural festival with performances, vendors, food, and games at Julia Davis Park.
Opera Idaho: Critical Mass Vocal Artists – An interdisciplinary performance of A Christmas Carol in collaboration with multiple community partners presented in November 2025.
*Yes & Some: The Queer and Femme Comedy Collective of Boise – A series of workshops and performances uplifting new and underrepresented voices in improv, comedy, and storytelling.
Idaho Blues Society: Blues in the Schools Educational Program – Free educational performances bringing professional blues musicians into Boise School District classrooms.
$1,500 Awards
Boise Rock School: Free Camp – The annual free camp for low-income youth, providing creative music instruction and collaborative opportunities.
Capital City Flute Club: Flute Fest 2026 – The 4th annual Spring Flute Fest featuring soloist competitions, workshops, and performances by local and guest artists.
Open Arms Dance Project: Upstanders with Open Arms – An educational program focusing on human rights, anti-bullying, and dance at Boise School District elementary schools.
*Surel’s Place: Artist-in-Residence Marshall Toomey with Idaho Black History Museum – Public programs highlighting stories of Black Boiseans, created through this collaborative residency.
Treasure Valley Children’s Theater: Where's Ida? An Idaho History Mystery – An interactive theater experience designed to teach Idaho history to young audiences in Boise classrooms.
$1,000 Awards
Stephen Aifegha: THIRD WORLD AFRICA Exhibition – An exhibition of original artworks at World Village Festival 2026 exploring the African diaspora experience in the United States.
*HMK Impact: Do Good Event Series – A quarterly event series reframing what it means to “do good” in Boise through discussions and practical solutions for community connection.
*Indian Student Association: Holi 2026 – The 2nd annual free, family-friendly Holi Festival of Colors in Boise, celebrating cultural appreciation and joy.
*Maria Muñoz: Mujeres Unidas de Idaho – A monthly series of free events that build community through dance and educational resources.
*The Boise Synth Society: Synths in the Park Concert – A free, family-friendly event at the Gene Harris Bandshell showcasing Boise-based electronic music artists.
For more information: boiseartsandhistory.org/Grants
About the Boise City Department of Arts & History
The Department of Arts & History is Boise’s local cultural agency dedicated to fostering a sense of belonging through accessible and place-based arts and history. Our mission is to cultivate a distinct sense of place which reflects Boise’s rich past, diverse communities, and unique natural setting. Our operations empower and serve Boise residents as we create opportunities that nurture and sustain Boise’s past and its creative economy. More information: boiseartsandhistory.org
