Access Microfund is a reimbursement program offered by the Arts Council, providing up to $500 to support arts and culture organizations, collaboratives, and artists in Pennsylvania. The fund aims to assist in providing accommodations for patrons and artists with disabilities, including American Sign Language interpretation, audio description, captioning, and materials in alternative formats.

Looking for one-time assistance in making your arts event more accessible?

The Arts Council’s Access Microfund is a reimbursement program that provides up to $500 to help arts and culture organizations, collaboratives and artists provide accommodations to patrons and artists with disabilities, such as American Sign Language interpretation, audio description, captioning, or materials in alternative formats.

No deadline. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.

APPLY

If you have questions about eligibility, please email Mia Hooper, director of development and grantmaking, or call 412-391-2060 ext. 222.

Funding for Access Microfund comes from the National Endowments for the Arts.

Claire leading an accessibility workshop
Claire leading an accessibility workshop
Eligibility
Nonprofit arts organizations, artist collaboratives, and independent artists serving or working in the nine counties of southwestern Pennsylvania (Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Lawrence, Indiana, Washington, and Westmoreland) are eligible to apply. The Access Microfund is meant for those that are providing arts programming to the public.

Funding through the Access Microfund is not intended to support accessibility accommodations for an organization's full series of scheduled programs. Instead, the fund is for an accommodation outside your scheduled accommodated programs or if you are planning a one-time public program and need additional accessibility assistance.

Examples of eligible accommodations
American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation of one performance
Audio description of a single museum tour
Development of a Braille program
Interpretation, captioning, or other accommodations for an artist or patron with a disability
Ineligible accommodations
Series of regularly scheduled ASL interpreted performances
Audio description of tours and performances that have already happened
Adding a wheelchair ramp
Ongoing accommodations for employees or volunteers with disabilities
A group of individuals gather for a picture at the LEAD Conference in Pittsburgh. There are seventeen smiling people, and one service dog.
LEAD Conference Pittsburgh
Application Process
Applications can be submitted at any time and support will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. The Arts Council will make every effort to review your needs as quickly as we can, making decisions and seeking input from representatives of the disability community when appropriate.

You must submit following information in your application:

Organization or collaborative name and contact information
The type of accommodation you would like to provide or are seeking reimbursement for, the approximate cost of that service, and how you determined the cost of the accommodation
The date you wish to offer the accommodation
Why you want to provide the accommodation
In exchange for a reimbursement through the Access Microfund, you must:

Provide your accommodation policy or agree to create an accommodation policy no later than two months after receiving funding; and
Either provide some matching funds or agree to create a line item in your next budget to cover future programmatic accommodations.
National Endowment for the Arts
Statement of Equitable Funding

The Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council continues to support diverse and vulnerable populations, understanding that we should always inform our work through a lens of diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion. The Arts Council does not discriminate against applicants based on gender identity, race, religion, color, age, national origin, disability or sexual orientation.