The Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts (BOPA) has announced its 2025 Free Fall Baltimore grant applications are now open.
Free Fall Baltimore is a citywide celebration held in conjunction with National Arts and Humanities Month every October.
BOPA gives grants to artists, arts organizations, and venues in Baltimore City for creating free arts and cultural events for the public. Free Fall is BOPA’s way of showing how important accessible arts programming is, through free concerts, dance and theater performances, festivals, lectures, workshops, art exhibitions, and special events. Funding comes from the Maryland State Arts Council.
“Free Fall is a perfect encapsulation of BOPA’s mission — it provides funding and promotional support to artists across a variety of disciplines and makes high-quality arts and cultural programming free and accessible to the public,” said Robyn Murphy, Interim CEO of BOPA. “Every October, Baltimore is bursting at the seams with events and activities for residents of all ages and backgrounds, from the west side to over east.”
Proposed events must take place in Baltimore City between Oct. 1-31. The events or programs should provide outreach and access to young adults, families, and/or underserved audiences. They should also be accessible to people with physical or mobility limitations.
BOPA offers a Free Fall info session on Wednesday, July 23 at 12 p.m. The session will be recorded for people unable to attend. The application deadline is 11:59 p.m. EST on Aug. 15. There is no application fee.
Free Fall grant applications are open to individual artists, and to small arts and cultural organizations and event venues whose operating budgets are under $300,000.
For Baltimore City-based arts and cultural organizations with larger operating budgets, participation in Free Fall is still possible. These organizations can apply to have their events promoted and listed in the Free Fall calendar.
BOPA’s signature Free Fall event, the Baltimore Open Studio Tour (OST) Weekend will take place the first weekend in October: Saturday, Oct. 4, and Sunday, Oct. 5. OST weekend brings professional artists together with the public, giving art lovers, students, collectors, and creatives a chance to interact, learn, connect, and purchase art from some of Baltimore City’s most dynamic artists.
Artists interested in participating in OST can apply beginning Aug. 1. To learn when this and other artist opportunities open, artists can sign up for the BOPA Artist Connection email newsletter.
