The Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis (RAC) has established a board-designated fund providing interim financial assistance to established grantees to help fortify St. Louis’ arts and culture ecosystem, ensuring a vibrant, world-class arts scene for generations to come. RAC will accept applications for one-time assistance to help bridge the need caused by the May 2025 tornado to arts organizations and individual artists in St. Louis City and County.
APPLICANTS TO RAC’S CRISIS RESPONSE GRANTS MUST HAVE BEEN A RAC GRANTEE IN 2022, 2023, 2024, OR 2025
The purpose of the 2025 Crisis Response Grants is to support St. Louis City and County arts organizations and individual artists impacted by the May 2025 tornado.
MORE INFORMATION AND APPLICATION DETAILS COMING SOON. SEE BELOW FOR GRANT ELIGIBILITY AND REQUIREMENTS.
GRANT ELIGIBILITY & REQUIREMENTS
How much can I apply for?
Organizations: Up to $2500
Individual Artists: Up to $750
What is the deadline to submit my application?
Applicants will complete the application through Blackbaud, which is RAC’s grantmaking system.
Submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis until the funding for Crisis Response Grants has been depleted.
What are the eligibility requirements?
To be eligible, an organization or individual artist must have received a RAC grant in 2022, 2023, 2024, or 2025.
Individual Artist Applicants will have been directly impacted by the May 2025 tornado by either:
- Having resided within the impact area (as determined by St. Louis City’s 2025 impacted Area Map within the tornado response zone)
OR - Experienced other disruptions as a result of the May 2025 tornado, including but not limited to power outages, damage to home or personal property, etc.
Organizational Applicants will have been directly impacted by the May 2025 tornado by either:
- Having operated within the impact area (as determined by St. Louis City’s 2025 impacted Area Map within the tornado response zone)
OR - Experienced other disruptions as a result of the May 2025 tornado, including but not limited to power outages, damage to buildings, structures, or organizational infrastructure, disruption to scheduled programming, etc.
Please note there is a set amount and purpose for these grants this fiscal year; once the budgetary limit has been reached, RAC will not be able to review or award any additional requests.
What is the review process?
Review procedures for completed and submitted applications begin as soon as the application is received. Full review by RAC’s grantmaking team and RAC commissioners takes from two to four weeks from the time the completed application is submitted. Situations with imminent deadlines receive priority.
When evaluating applications, reviewers consider the urgency of the request and the impact a Crisis Response Grant will have on the applicant/grantee.
How will I be notified regarding the status of my application?
If awarded a RAC Crisis Response Grant, applicants will be notified via the Blackbaud online grantmaking portal and a direct email.
What are the terms, conditions and payment process?
Once awarded, the grantee will sign a terms and conditions agreement before receiving the grant award payment in full via direct deposit. Because applicants must have been a grantee (2022, 2023, 2024 or 2025), the grantee will already have access to RAC’s Bill.com electronic payments platform.
Who do I contact with questions?
For any questions or additional information, please email grants@racstl.org