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OPEN — 2027 UMEZ Arts Engagement applicant-facing project grants accept qualifying Upper Manhattan applications through November 12, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. EST.
NY-LMCC-UMEZ-ARTS-ENGAGEMENT-2027New YorkLower Manhattan Cultural CouncilNonprofit OrganizationArts & Culture

New York — LMCC 2027 UMEZ Arts Engagement Upper Manhattan Grants ($1,000–$20,000; November 12)

LMCC and the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone offer $1,000–$20,000 2027 project grants for eligible Upper Manhattan artists, fiscally sponsored collectives and nonprofit arts groups presenting public arts work. Apply by November 12, 2026 at 6 p.m. EST.

Funding$1,000–$20,000 individual applicant UMEZ Arts Engagement project grant request, based on eligible project expenses less secured income; full request not guaranteed; not the overall UMEZ allocation.
DeadlineThursday, November 12, 2026, 6:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). Applications opened September 8, 2026; eligible funded activities January 1–December 31, 2027.
Last verified2026-11-02
Required next actionRead official UMEZ Arts Engagement 2027 nine-page guidelines and shared nineteen-page application preview. Verify Upper Manhattan Community District 9–12 residency or location and qualifying public arts programming, identify correct nonprofit grant recipient or fiscal sponsor, gather 501(c)(3) and financial documents, work sample and project budget, and apply via LMCC Submittable by November 12, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. EST.

Broad Eligibility

UMEZ-source grant applicants: eligible 501(c)(3) arts nonprofit based in Upper Manhattan Community Districts 9, 10, 11 or 12, annual operating budget under $750,000, and no direct UMEZ grant; eligible Upper Manhattan individual artists or collectives age 18+ not full-time students must have qualified fiscal sponsor, including LMCC fiscal sponsorship when permitted. Public Upper Manhattan arts presentation in 2027 with confirmed professional artist fee required. Shared application may route other recipients to distinct funding-source rules; government/educational institutions ineligible for direct UMEZ-source funding.

Atlas Analysis

Official LMCC UMEZ 2027 nine-page program guidelines and shared nineteen-page application questions inspected November 2, 2026. This is a distinct Upper Manhattan funding program, separate from LMCC Creative Engagement, Creative Learning and Creative Unrestricted, although UMEZ and Creative Engagement use a shared application platform with eligibility routing. Individual grant request range $1,000–$20,000; no aggregate funding pool substituted or award guaranteed; no universal matching percentage. Open September 8 through November 12, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. EST. Strict UMEZ geography Upper Manhattan Community Districts 9–12; public 2027 arts event with artist leadership and artist fees. Direct UMEZ nonprofit funding source annual budget under $750,000; individuals and collectives require fiscal sponsor, possible LMCC sponsor. Other DCLA/HGF/NYSCA source rules vary. Excludes unrelated general operations, capital, lobbying, fundraising and non-art-service projects. Mandatory applicant eligibility quiz, work sample, budget, address and recipient-specific documentation. Three-consecutive-year funding restriction; application results April 2027.

LMCC 2027 UMEZ Arts Engagement Grants

Deadline: Thursday, November 12, 2026, 6:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). Applications opened September 8, 2026. The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) administers UMEZ Arts Engagement with the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation. Applicants may request $1,000–$20,000 per eligible arts project, based on qualifying project expenses minus secured income; the full amount requested is not guaranteed. This is an applicant award request range, not a government procurement or an overall program funding pool.

Purpose and geographic restrictions

The program promotes public professional arts performances, exhibitions, readings, concerts, screenings, public installations, festivals and related cultural presentations delivered January 1–December 31, 2027 in Upper Manhattan. For the UMEZ-funded track, grant recipients must be based in Upper Manhattan, specifically Manhattan Community Districts 9, 10, 11 or 12, and projects must be publicly presented there. LMCC defines the area as north of 98th Street east of Fifth Avenue and north of 110th Street west of Fifth Avenue. Applicants must demonstrate an artist-centered public presentation and budget fees for participating professional artists.

Applicant eligibility and sponsorship

Eligible UMEZ-source nonprofit arts organizations must have a core artistic mission or substantial history of arts programming, possess qualifying 501(c)(3) status and documentation, have annual operating budgets under $750,000, and not receive funds directly from UMEZ. Upper Manhattan individual artists and collectives must be at least 18, not full-time degree students, and use an eligible nonprofit fiscal sponsor to receive UMEZ funds; LMCC may serve as fiscal sponsor where permitted. The common application may consider applicants for other partner sources where separate DCLA, NYSCA or Howard Gilman Foundation requirements apply; do not assume that the UMEZ budget limit or fiscal-sponsor rules apply to all sources. Government entities and educational institutions are not eligible as direct UMEZ-funded organizational recipients.

Eligible costs, excluded costs and match

Funding may support project-specific artistic and production expenses and professional artist fees for an eligible 2027 Upper Manhattan public event. It cannot pay unrelated general operations, unrelated administration, facilities payments, capital equipment, artwork acquisition, awards to nonprofessional students or minors, lobbying or fundraising entertainment. Projects principally providing religious, therapeutic, recreational or social services rather than public artistic presentations do not qualify. The funder does not specify a universal mandatory matching percentage. Applicants who have received UMEZ Arts Engagement support three consecutive years must sit out the next funding cycle, and past recipients must clear outstanding final reports by January 31, 2027.

Application and reporting

Apply through the official LMCC Submittable portal and eligibility quiz by November 12, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. EST. The shared Creative Engagement/UMEZ form requires a project description, artistic background, a required artistic work sample (second sample optional), an audience/community plan, a public-presentation schedule, a project budget table, proof of Upper Manhattan address, and recipient-specific 501(c)(3) letter, financial records and fiscal-sponsorship agreement where applicable. Do not submit competing LMCC program-based applications in the same cycle. Decisions are anticipated in April 2027. Early-2027 projects may require advance financing while funds are pending. The funded grant recipient cannot be changed after submission.

Controlling official sources

See LMCC’s UMEZ Arts Engagement 2027 program and FAQs, the nine-page 2027 governing guidelines, and the nineteen-page application preview.

Source verificationReferenced source · lmcc.netAtlas last verified this record 2026-11-02. Always use the funder's current application materials, amendments and portal instructions as the controlling source.View source and application materials ↗