Two Olympia arts organizations that spent years without a fixed address now have dedicated spaces, thanks to the voter-funded Inspire Olympia grant program.

The City of Olympia awarded $3.3 million in Inspire Olympia grants for 2026-27, including $2.1 million to 49 arts nonprofits, OLY ARTS reported Sept. 1.

The program, now in its third year, is funded by a voter-approved one-tenth of one percent sales-tax increase. It also supports nonprofits focused on culture, heritage and science.

The Olympia City Council approved the funding June 16 after a lengthy debate over transparency and oversight. Of 94 applicants, 85 were recommended for grants, including 14 first-time recipients. The comprehensive grant category awards about $1.2 million annually over two years to 16 organizations. The impact grant category provides just over $2 million in one-year awards to 69 organizations.

The biggest changes are visible at street level.

The Thurston County Museum of Fine Arts, known as TCMoFA, started with pop-up exhibitions in vacant buildings. It now has a gallery at 120 Olympia Ave. NE. Executive director David Hoekje said the grant was essential to getting the museum off the ground.

"Without the Inspire Olympia funding, I am not sure if the organization would have gotten off the ground the way it has," Hoekje told OLY ARTS.

The new grant cycle secures TCMoFA's rent for another year, and Hoekje said the museum plans six shows in 2027. Its current exhibition, "Mother," an exploration of the often-overlooked work of mothers in a wide range of media, runs through Sept. 18.

Next up: "Temporal," the annual Coast Salish Museum of Fine Arts show curated and created by indigenous artists, opening Oct. 2.

Theater Artists Olympia, or TAO, had been without a venue since August 2024. In April, the company moved into the 75-seat Oly Theater at 412 Jefferson St. SE. Artistic director Pug Bujeaud called the grant "a godsend" and said the funding keeps the venue open as a community stage, hosting children's programs, burlesque and other performances.

TAO plans four shows per season. Its next production, "A Spirited Manor," opens Oct. 23.

Samba Olywa, the volunteer-run drum-and-dance group known as the grand finale of the Procession of the Species, used grant money to buy instruments, fund workshops and cover rent for weekly practices. Board member Carol Riley said the funding let the group drop its door charge.

Practices that once drew 25 to 30 participants now attract 40 to 50, and more than 100 people performed in the 2026 Procession of the Species.

The Cultural Access Program Advisory Board recommended the full spending package unanimously May 20, including $390,000 for the Cultural Access in Olympia Public Schools program. Other grant recipients include the Olympia Symphony Orchestra, Harlequin Productions, Ballet Northwest and Earthbound Productions, which produces the Procession of the Species.

Samba Olywa practices most Sundays from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Olympia Eagles Club, 805 4th Ave. E.