Onion Foundation — 2027 Spring Arts Education and Public Engagement applicant grants (2027)
The Onion Foundation officially announced this 2027 applicant-facing grant cycle on its current 2027 grant calendar. It funds Maine nonprofit arts education and meaningful public arts engagement, including eligible nonprofit arts programs that partner with schools or pay artists to deliver programming. This is genuine foundation charitable financial assistance, not a vendor purchase, government allocation, or commercial request for bids. Status: UPCOMING, applications are not yet open as of November 7, 2026.
Individual grant amounts and award term
The foundation’s presently published program guidelines give these per-applicant request limits: Organizations/projects with budgets over $50,000: up to $20,000 per year (up to $60,000 over 3 years); with budgets up to $50,000: up to $7,500 per year (up to $22,500 total over 3 years). These are standing program guidelines currently displayed alongside the older 2026 cycle; the foundation has not yet published the complete cycle-specific 2027 application packet. Applicants must recheck the 2027 portal on opening for any changed award cap, allowable costs, eligibility or administrative conditions. No overall foundation funding pool is represented as an individual award, and an award is not guaranteed.
Official 2027 cycle dates
The controlling 2027 calendar states applications open February 3, 2027 and close March 11, 2027, with no specific closing time or time zone announced. The foundation’s general review process involves a grantee portal submission, program officer review, notification, and a grant letter if approved. Do not submit against an expired 2026 application form. When the 2027 cycle opens, use the current funder-provided applicant portal and application questions; an optional advance conversation with a program officer is encouraged, especially for first-time or fiscally sponsored applicants.
Eligible applicant types and geographic limits
Work must be based in Maine and benefit Maine residents. Applicants must be an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) public charity, an eligible project fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) public charity, or a Maine governmental unit. Public or private schools and school districts are not eligible direct applicants, but partnerships with eligible nonprofits are possible. Direct individuals and ordinary commercial companies are not listed as eligible applicants. Fiscal sponsors must be responsible grant recipients, sign the grant agreement and submit required reporting; a signed fiscal sponsorship agreement is required with the application.
Program selection, matching and restrictions
The Arts Program offers general operating support for organizations wholly aligned with its arts education or public-engagement strategies, and project support for more narrowly aligned arts programs or fiscally sponsored work. It generally excludes capital construction or improvements, scholarships, individual artists applying directly, school districts applying directly, permanent public art, film or media production, book or publication production, exhibitions without significant public engagement, and religious programming. No general matching percentage is published; any 2027-specific cost and reporting requirements should be confirmed when the portal opens. Across programs the foundation normally excludes land purchases, capital campaigns or improvements, endowment funding, scholarship funds, and religious programs. Public project needs, program budgets, responsible management, program fit, and other funding sources should be described honestly. A specific grant agreement will govern payment schedule, deliverables and reporting if awarded.
Application requirements and authoritative sources
Review the official 2027 calendar and eligibility/fiscal-sponsorship rules, plus the 2027 Spring Arts Education and Public Engagement program terms. Prepare an organizational profile, evidence of nonprofit/government eligibility, a program or operations narrative aligned with the relevant strategy, detailed project or operating budget and sources of income, authorized contacts, and, if fiscally sponsored, a signed sponsor agreement. The 2027 application question preview and final portal may add or alter submission prerequisites; treat these as outstanding until the portal opens, not as invented current requirements. Official-source review date: November 7, 2026.