Overview
DCA’s Cultural Grants Program invests in free and low-cost activities and projects for the public proposed by the following types of vendors/applicants:
- A non-profit arts organization may propose an Artistic Project, in one primary art form or discipline (which is also the selection to the expertise of the review panel). In the special case of youth-education projects with in-school lesson plans, an applicant should not apply under their discipline, but instead select SAIL-CAPE, Sequential Arts in-school learning Culminating in Afterschool Public Events. This category specifically supports youth-learning projects that begin within enrollment-only classrooms yet culminate in one (or more) presentations which are after-school and marketed-to-the general public. Three variety-arts categories are available for projects which cross disciplines (culture/history, multidisciplinary (for avant-garde fusions) and traditional/folk arts). Please consult the staff if you are unclear which discipline is most accurate for your proposal.
- A partnership between a non-profit community-service organization (an organization whose mission and programs are not arts-exclusive but include cultural offerings) may ONLY propose to plan and present an outdoor festival or parade in partnership with a tribal elder, arts curator, or arts agency. For DCA’s Outdoor Festivals/Parades category, nonprofit organizations may request up to $40,000 for large outdoor festivals/parades (more than 2,000 attendees in the prior year), while producers of a small outdoor festival/parade (500 to 2,000 attendees from the prior year) may request $15,000. Outdoor festivals/parades that gather fewer than 500 in-person attendees may request up to $6,000. Outdoor festival/parade proposals are accepted each year, but it is best that outdoor performing-arts festivals be submitted in even-numbered years, while outdoor craft fairs be submitted in odd-numbered years.
DCA’s Grants Program Office provides panel scores that can be held for two consecutive years (two one-year contracts), so applicants are encouraged to propose a project which can be repeated (in general or with a related theme) for a second year/term.
Applicants in odd-numbered calendar years (such as 2023 or 2025) are encouraged to apply within one of these categories: culture/history presentations, literature or publishing projects, media activities or presentations, design/visual art exhibitions or museum projects, or traditional/folk arts activities/presentations.
Applicants in even-numbered calendar years (such as 2024 or 2026) are encouraged to apply within any of these categories: dance concerts or classes, music concerts or classes, theatrical workshops or productions, and/or multi-disciplinary arts activities.
For the current 2024 application cycle, new applicants with non-performing arts-focused projects will be considered “off-cycle” and are encouraged to call the staff for advice rather than selecting the wrong art discipline, which results in being disqualified or reviewed by a panel with the wrong expertise.
ELIGIBILITY
Qualified applicants:
- Are nonprofit 501(c)3 organizations with a primary purpose to provide arts/cultural services, or arts-friendly charitable organizations (e.g. 501(c)3, 501(c)6, etc.) that will partner with an arts expert/agency to present an outdoor festival or parade, and
- Are headquartered in Los Angeles County and proposing projects that will specifically serve residents, visitors, and/or tourists within the City of Los Angeles boundaries, and
- Have a minimum of one year of prior experience with the project they propose to make “bigger, stronger, or faster” with City of LA support, and
- Have an arts/culture mission statement as well as specific metrics about the project-audiences they recently served within the City of LA, and
- Fulfill all of the additional qualifications for the category in which they apply.
WEBINARS AND WORKSHOPS
DCA’s webinars are open to participants from any area of the Los Angeles region. First-time applicants and applicants whose proposal will be drafted by staff members new to or unfamiliar with the DCA Grants program are especially encouraged to register for our new applicant webinar. DCA’s guidelines, application forms, and instructions are adjusted each year and therefore, returning applicants are highly encouraged to attend a webinar in order to refresh knowledge and consider new adjustments. Each webinar/workshop will be 60 to 90 minutes long, covering the FY 2025-26 DCA Cultural Grant Program guidelines and application process.
Training webinars are limited to 30 participants per session. New Applicant webinars are limited to 10 participants per session. Anyone wishing to participate in a workshop is required to RSVP at least two business days beforehand. Those who RSVP will receive a confirmation email with login/access information for the workshop. If spaces are filled we ask you to enroll in a later session. Sessions are recorded and available for all who wish/need to learn independently.
It is highly recommended that returning and new applicants and new employees at returning organizations (called City vendors), attend our new applicant webinars in order to avoid common mistakes and to improve clarity and strategy within their proposals
The following series of free online webinars are available to provide assistance to 2025-26 applicants:
New Applicant Webinar
Tuesday, August 6, 2024
4:00pm to 5:30 pm
Register HERE
Returning Grantee Coaching Calls
Friday, August 2, 2024- Friday August 23, 2024
30-minute calls with DCA Grants Staff scheduled between the hours of 9:30 am and11:30 am
Click HERE to schedule your Returning Grantee Coaching Call
Online Webinar for all applicants
Saturday, August 10, 2024
12:30 pm to 2:00 pm
Register HERE
Online Webinar for all applicants
Wednesday, August 21, 2024
6:00pm to 7:30 pm
Register HERE
For registration assistance or additional support, please reach out to dca.grants@lacity.org To request a reasonable accommodation in advance, please also email dca.grants@lacity.org at least five business days before the event.
2024 TIMELINE
- Online access to the guidelines and instructions is offered in mid-July 2024
- Deadline to apply is Friday August 30, 2024
- Applicants will receive notification of results in May/June 2025
- Applicants receive legal contract and/or panel feedback in July 2025
GUIDELINES AND APPLICATION
For complete program details, including application instructions, please review the Cultural Grants Program Guidelines available here: dcaredesign.org/grants
