The problem addressed in this study is the administrative process and criteria used by nonprofit visual arts organizations in the State of Texas in acquiring government and private funding. The purposes of the study were to examine the organization and administrative process of the nonprofit visual arts organization, to determine the criteria utilized by government and private funding sources for distribution of funds to nonprofit visual arts organizations, and to examine the process used by nonprofit visual arts organizations when acquiring funds from government and private sources. The data were obtained by means of a descriptive survey questionnaire which was mailed to 336 selected nonprofit visual arts organizations in the State of Texas. These organizations represent the following six areas of visual art: foundations, galleries, museums, associations, photography, and schools. From these areas the population was further refined to include only museums and associations, which represent the extreme diversity of administrative processes used. The resulting subpopulation was comprised of forty-six organizations which had filed for grants from the Texas Commission on the Arts within the past three years. Thirty research questions were answered from the results of the questionnaire. Research questions one, and three through thirty were analyzed and presented in narrative discussion with the results. Categorical data were listed to show range. The second research question was analyzed using the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient. On the basis of the literature review and the survey responses received, an authentic problem exists in the funding process of these organizations. The organizations surveyed appear to recognize the funding problems, but the results of the study reveal that many have yet to develop effective and efficient strategies to solve several of these problems.