Levitt Family Foundation — 2027 Festival Grants
The Levitt Family Foundation is accepting competitive applications from qualifying U.S. nonprofit festival organizers for up to $5,000 per 2027 festival. Eligible projects are free outdoor public festivals featuring significant live music and paid professional musicians. The official deadline is Friday, November 20, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time (12:00 p.m. Pacific). This is a genuine charitable grant, not a vendor contract and not the separate Levitt Music Series program.
Who may apply
U.S.-based organizations with IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) status may apply, including eligible organizations in U.S. territories. An organization without its own tax-exempt determination may apply using a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor, which receives the award. The applicant itself must organize and administer the proposed festival. Municipalities may partner but cannot serve as direct applicants. Current Levitt Music Series grantees and Levitt venues are ineligible for Festival Grants. Each organization may submit one application per annual cycle.
Project and festival requirements
The festival must take place in a broadly accessible outdoor public space in 2027, with truly free admission: no mandatory tickets, RSVPs, advance registration, fixed entry donations or pay-what-you-can entry charges. It must have a discernible theme or focus, curated programming with significant live music performances, and compensated professional musicians. Festivals must last at least four hours in a condensed window on one day, consecutive days or two consecutive weekends. A summer concert series, ongoing First Friday events and standalone concerts do not qualify. Festivals may address the arts, food, culture, neighborhood identity, or community development, but must meet the live-music conditions.
Award amount, community financing and allowed costs
Maximum individual award: $5,000, and the Levitt grant may not exceed 30% of total festival expenses. At least 70% of costs must be covered by other funding sources; in-kind donations cannot be counted in this 70% calculation. No separate flat-dollar match requirement is published. Eligible grant expenses include artist fees, technical production, operations, staffing, marketing and outreach. Permanent sound/lighting equipment purchases and other capital expenditures are ineligible. Awards are disbursed in one payment after the recipient supplies required pre-festival deliverables, including insurance and funder-recognition documentation. A final report with festival photographs is due within 30 days after the event.
Application requirements and dates
Applicants complete an initial online eligibility screening and then the narrative application, including festival planning details, budget, funding sources, organization/fiscal sponsor information, and the applicable IRS determination letter. Decisions are expected February 1, 2027. The funder’s 2027 Festival Grants FAQ details insurance, reporting, financing and festival eligibility.
Apply: Start at the foundation’s official 2027 Festival Grants application and consult the program and eligibility overview. Submit before November 20, 2026 at 3 p.m. Eastern.
Controlling foundation program, application instructions and 2027 FAQ independently reviewed October 27, 2026. Funding terms, eligibility and the exact closing time come directly from the funder’s published instructions.