Free Fall Grant - Individual Artists & Small Arts Organizations

BOPA provides grants to individual artists, arts organizations, and venues throughout Baltimore City to produce free arts & cultural events that are open to the public. Free Fall showcases the importance of accessible arts programming with free concerts, dance and theater performances, festivals, lectures, workshops, art exhibitions, special events, and more. 

Individual artists/creatives can apply for this grant if their event is free, open to the public, and located in a venue or public space in Baltimore City. Baltimore City-based arts & cultural organizations and event venues/spaces with annual operating budgets under $300,000 are also eligible to apply for grant funds to produce a Free Fall event.

Prospective Applicants

Individual artists/creatives — Individual artists/creatives can apply for this grant if their event is free, open to the public, and located in a venue or public space in Baltimore City.

Small arts & cultural organizations — Baltimore City-based arts & cultural organizations and event venues/spaces with operating budgets under $300,000 are eligible to apply for grant funds to produce a Free Fall event.

Baltimore City-based arts & cultural organizations and event venues/spaces with operating budgets over $300,000 are not eligible to apply for grant funds; however, BOPA provides an opportunity for these entities to participate in Free Fall by promoting their events and incorporating them into the Free Fall calendar.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible to apply for a Free Fall grant, your event/program must:

• Occur within Baltimore City limits between October 1–31, 2025
• Provide outreach and access to young adults, families, and/or underserved audiences
• Be free of charge and open to the public without contingencies
• Be accessible to those who may have physical limitations, such as those who use wheelchairs, walkers, and canes

Grant Award

Grants will be awarded in the amount of $1,000 to all grantees.

A clear, detailed budget for your event/program is required at the time of application. Applicants may not be awarded if their budget is not scored highly by the panelists.

BOPA understands that all applicants may not have access to sophisticated grant-writing or budget-planning resources, so BOPA is providing a budget template for all applicants to download and fill out.

Applicants who need additional guidance can attend the Free Fall info session, watch the info session recording, and/or make an appointment during office hours for assistance prior to the application deadline.

Ineligible Expenses

• Regranting
• Capital construction costs
• Fellowships and/or scholarships
• Events/programs that exceed $1,000 with no proof of additional funding sources

Application Timeline

All applications must be submitted via Eventeny. There is no fee to apply.

• Applications open — Monday, July 14
• Free Fall info session — Wednesday, July 23, 12:00 p.m. (this session will be recorded)
• Applications close — Friday, August 15, at 11:59 p.m. EST
• Grantees notified — Friday, August 29
• Contracts and final event details due — Friday, September 12
• Marketing materials pickup at BOPA, School 33, and Bromo (hours TBD)
  • Tuesday, September 16
  • Wednesday, September 17
  • Thursday, September 18

Grantees should receive funding the week of September 15, 2025. 100% of funding is dispersed to grantee pending receipt of the signed contract and additional required documents.

Free Fall Grant Program Info Session

Wednesday, July 23, at 12:00 p.m.
Join via Google Meet: https://calendar.app.google/vckaywTBbiVmdSGK9

This info session will be recorded.

Program Timeline

• Free Fall Baltimore Events: October 1–31, 2025
• Final Reports Due: Friday, December 12, 2025

Failure to submit a final report will deem you ineligible to apply for any BOPA grant within FY26-FY27, and BOPA may request that the grant be repaid.

Office Hours for Application Help

By appointment only. Sign up here: https://loujoseph.youcanbook.me/

Adjudication Process

Panel Review — All BOPA grant programs are adjudicated using independent panels of arts and cultural professionals from the region who evaluate and score applications. Panelists are appointed through open nominations and serve for specific grant programs and cycles.

Rubric — A panel review team will consider the following factors when scoring applications:

• Artistic and/or cultural and programmatic merit
• Accessibility to underserved communities and a wide range of diverse audiences
• Programmatic quality
• Clear, detailed, and complete budget

Staff — BOPA grant programs are administered by professional staff responsible for ensuring an objective, equitable, and transparent granting process that meets BOPA’s mission and core values. BOPA staff members provide pertinent and uniform information to the public regarding the grant application process and ensure that program guidelines and requirements are applied consistently.

Point of Contact

For questions about the Free Fall application process, contact the Director of the Arts Council, Lou Joseph, at ljoseph@promotionandarts.org.