What’s Important?

We’ll be in Memphis from October 18-21, 2026! The full conference schedule will be announced in August.

Because the conference is geographically distributed across Memphis—with activity in Downtown and additional programming in multiple neighborhoods—there isn’t one official “conference hotel.” We’ve reserved room blocks at three hotels, so you can choose what works best for your budget and preferences.

How to book: Visit the conference website home page and scroll to Lodging for the reservation links.

Our conference home base will be Downtown Memphis, with registration, keynote sessions, and shared meals at the Historic Orpheum Theatre and the Halloran Centre for Performing Arts & Education.

You can also view the full conference map.

While the full schedule is still in development, programming will include sessions, workshops, assemblies, and artist and cultural tours across neighborhoods including Orange Mound, Soulsville, Midtown, Overton Square, Crosstown Concourse, and Binghampton, along with additional local and regional sites.

We highly recommend arriving on Saturday, October 17 – to take advantage of special events and preconference day – and departing the conference no earlier than 1:00pm CT on Wednesday, October 21 to ensure full participation in programming and the closing keynote.

Early Bird registration will be available August 4-24, 2026.

Early Bird Rates

• GIA Member Tier I (w/ an arts grantmaking budget of up to $1,999,999 and National Partners): $600.00

• GIA Member Tier II (w/ an arts grantmaking budget between $2,000,000-$4,999,999): $700.00

• GIA Member Tier III (w/ an arts grantmaking budget of $5,000,000 and above): $800.00

• Non-Member Tier I (w/ an arts grantmaking budget of up to $1,999,999 and National Partners): $700.00

• Non-Member Tier II (w/ an arts grantmaking budget between $2,000,000-$4,999,999): $800.00

• Non-Member Tier III (w/ an arts grantmaking budget of $5,000,000 and above): $900.00

General registration is available August 25-September 30, 2026.

General Rates

• GIA Member Tier I: $725.00

• GIA Member Tier II: $825.00

• GIA Member Tier III: $925.00

• Non-Member Tier I: $825.00

• Non-Member Tier II: $925.00

• Non-Member Tier III: $1,025.00

Preconference tickets are available to purchase alongside conference registration on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets are only available as an add-on to purchasing a full conference ticket.

Tier I

This ticket is for GIA Members with an arts grantmaking budget of up to $1,999,999 (and National Partners). Preconference tickets are NOT included, they can be purchased separately during your registration as an "Add-on."

Tier II

This ticket is for GIA Members with an arts grantmaking budget between $2,000,000-$4,999,999. Preconference tickets are NOT included, they can be purchased separately during your registration as an "Add-on."

Tier III

This ticket is for GIA Members with an arts grantmaking budget of $5,000,000 and above. Preconference tickets are NOT included, they can be purchased separately during your registration as an "Add-on."

Registration for the 2026 GIA Conference will begin August 4, 2026.

Registrants will be able to build their conference schedules during the registration process! Preconferences and cultural tours will also be available for separate purchase.

Please note that sessions have limited capacities and waitlists will be enabled for regular sessions.

If you are registering multiple people for the conference please keep these important things in mind:

• Please confirm you are registering ALL attendees with the correct first name, last name, and email address. Changes will NOT be permitted 24-hours after registration is submitted. Tickets with incorrect information will be cancelled and need to be re-purchased with accurate information.

• Ensure all parties’ registration fields (pronouns, dietary restrictions, etc.) are documented in Whova within 10-business days of registering. If this information is missing outside of the 10-day window, registrations may be cancelled or forfeited.

• Duplicate registrations will be cancelled or forfeited.

If capacity allows, registered conference attendees are welcome to bring a guest, provided the individual is not ineligible to participate based on conflict-of-interest policies. Guests can attend the Newcomers’ Reception, Opening Reception, and Closing Reception. Conference plenary sessions, meals, and breakout sessions are not open to guests.

Download Whova from the App Store >> Explore Events >> Search 2026 GIA Conference >> Start Exploring! 

The Whova app will go live Tuesday, August 4. You will be able to purchase tickets, build your entire schedule, connect with attendees, and more! 

Download the Whova app!

Prefer to access it on your web browser? Click here to access the Whova web app. 

Direct any questions about the Whova app to conference@giarts.org.

This year, session selection will be available for all attendees via the WHOVA mobile app. Stay tuned for updates!

All GIA members receive access to discounted rates for individual registrations. So, the easiest way is to become a GIA member! If you are interested in signing up for membership and the 2026 Annual Conference, contact Zoë Williams at zoe@giarts.org.

We’ve secured room blocks at three Downtown Memphis hotels — Hyatt Centric Beale Street Memphis (general rooms), The Westin Memphis Beale Street (general rooms), and The Westin Memphis Beale Street (government-rate rooms) — all within a short walk/commute distance (3-9 minutes) to the conference home base. As Memphis will be especially busy in October and room blocks are expected to fill quickly, we strongly recommend booking promptly to ensure availability.

Visit the official conference website for more information on hotel, travel, and more.

The GIA Annual Conference is a national convening for arts grantmakers. Conference attendance is open to:

• Staff and board members of foundations, public funding agencies, and corporate giving programs;

• Nonprofit organizations whose primary activity is grantmaking, meet GIA membership eligibility criteria, and are represented by individuals whose roles involve grantmaking, programming, and/or policy; and

• Non-grantmakers who are members of GIA committees, session speakers, invited artists and cultural producers, national partners, and arts advocates.

Usually about 30% of attendees are first-time attendees at the conference. Familiarize yourself with the Whova app and its many features for a sneak peak of what to expect, other conference attendees, session types, and more!

We also encourage first-time attendees to attend affinity groups, member-curated meetups, and more which will all be featured in the Whova app.

Members proposing and organizing sessions pay their own costs associated with attending the conference and are asked to pay the transportation and lodging expenses for their non-member presenters. GIA will pay all membership-ineligible session presenters a $300 honorarium and provide a complementary, one-day conference registration.

2026 Conference Registration Cancellation Policy:

• Through August 23, 2026: Refund of 90% of registration fees 

• August 24–September 14, 2026: Refund of 50% of registration fees 

• Beginning September 15, 2026: No refunds available

While Language Learning Models (LLM), commonly referred to as Generative AI, can aid in their assistive capabilities in a variety of ways, it is our responsibility to acknowledge and understand the harm they bring by "[the deliberate] targeting of predominantly BIPOC and low-income communities for polluting industries and the placement of toxic waste,” (Feminist Majority Foundation). As a result, GIA has outlined how our organization intends to engage with Generative AI, including, but not limited to, ChatGPT (OpenAI), Gemini (Google), DALL-E, and GitHub Copilot.

GIA believes it is acceptable for session organizers to use:

• LLMs to generate ideas, create outlines, and refine existing concepts

• Identifying trends or summarizing large datasets

• AI translation tools

• AI transcription tools

• AI tools embedded in platforms such as Slack, Google, and Zoom that are used for AI-generated captioning, note-taking, and summaries

GIA does not consider it acceptable for session organizers to use:

• AI-Generated content as final work without human review

• Initial drafts of reports or summaries generated by AI tools

• Copyrighted materials modified by AI

GIA encourages its conference presenters to evaluate and understand their responsibilities and relationships regarding Generative AI. By engaging with AI tools, one should recognize that auto-generated work may contain inaccuracies, reflect bias, and limit fairness and inclusion. Those who engage with AI tools are encouraged to review, fact-check, and ensure the accuracy of their work, using AI to assist, not replace.

We encourage GIA members to explore our programming around this topic:

• CTRL + ART + APPLY: Navigating AI Ethics, Access, and Integrity in Grantmaking

• AI in arts grantmaking: Some thoughts from a recent GIA session on AI in arts grantmaking

• Arts + Tech: Artists Respond ft. Amelia Winger-Bearskin

• Arts + Tech: Artists Respond ft. Stephanie Dinkins

• Arts + Tech: Artists Respond ft. Yamilée Toussaint Beach

Most keynote sessions will be recorded* and made available on the GIA YouTube channel following the conference. To preserve the intimacy, integrity, and safety of the breakout sessions, roundtables, and preconferences, we will not be recording any of these spaces.

Chosen sessions will be recorded by photographers, bloggers, and graphic recorders.

*Note that recording and distribution of keynotes is at the discretion of the presenters.

Yes, a quiet/low-stim space will be available for conference attendees. Additional information about location(s) and venue(s) will be shared as they are confirmed.

Once on-site, please connect with a member of the GIA team at the registration desk for the most current information.

Yes, a room will be available for nursing/pumping caregivers. To ensure privacy, only one individual will be allowed to access the room at any given time.

Once on-site, please connect with a member of the GIA team at the registration desk for the most current information.

No, childcare will not be provided during the conference; however, children are welcome within conference spaces, provided they are supervised by a guardian.

Please reach out the GIA at conference@giarts.org if you have specific questions or accommodation requests.

The short answer is "Nope."

In keeping with GIA’s commitment to sustainability and the environment, we do not offer a resource table for the distribution of materials at the GIA conference. GIA makes all conference information available online and encourages conference attendees to communicate news and share documents virtually. To further reduce waste, GIA does not provide conference tote bags or miscellaneous handouts.