The Commission on the Arts and Humanities (“CAH” or “the Agency”) seeks applications for the FY27 Small Capital Projects Program Grant (“CAP”). CAP furthers CAH’s mission by encouraging progress in the arts and humanities in the District of Columbia by supporting non-profit arts and humanities organizations that significantly contribute to the District of Columbia as a world-class cultural capital. CAP supports District-based arts- or humanities-identifying 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that (1) own or lease facilities; (2) intend to own facilities; or (3) seek capital project support for permanent property, technology, equipment, or digital assets designed for the training, management, production, or presentation of performances or exhibitions of the arts or humanities.
CAP program goals are to:
-
Promote stability, sustainable growth, and longevity of the District’s arts and humanities organizations.
-
Preserve and strengthen structures, systems, and infrastructure for District arts and humanities organizations, their constituents, and their collections.
-
Enable and ensure access to high-quality physical spaces and equipment for the District’s arts and humanities organizations.
-
Reduce the risk of organizational displacement.
-
Foster arts and humanities access for all District residents.
CAP project proposals must align with one of the following three (3) sub-categories:
-
Digital or Planning project: digital infrastructure projects (intangible) or research, modeling, design, or other projects to increase or sustain the organization’s infrastructure.
-
Short-Term Capital project: eligible equipment.
-
Long-Term Capital project: purchase of a facility or permanent improvement or stabilization of the organization’s physical space.
Eligible Small Capital Projects may include but are not limited to: facility plans, historic preservation plans, acquisition of production equipment, transition costs associated with database systems, website overhauls, archival projects, non-consumable personal protective equipment, building purchases, HVAC renovations, historic preservation, ADA elevator improvements, and new construction. Applicants who are unsure if their project may qualify for CAP are encouraged to contact the CAP grant managers listed as CAH Contacts in this document.
Access and Equal Opportunity
CAH will accept reasonable accommodation requests from applicants with disabilities in advance of the application due date to assist them in submitting grant applications via mail, email or hand-delivery. To request reasonable accommodations or more information about accessibility at CAH, please contact the Accessibility Coordinator at [email protected]. We recommend making requests at least five (5) business days in advance.
Limited English Proficiency
CAH programs and services are accessible to all people. Interpretation in the six (6) languages largely served by District government is available upon request. (See list of languages here). This document and grant applications can be translated with a minimum of two (2) weeks’ notice.
Grant Activities and Allowable vs. Unallowable Costs
CAP grantees will expend funds for allowable costs in support of the approved project as it is articulated in the grant application upon award acceptance. Below are examples of project-supportive “Allowable Costs” related to the grant:
Allowable Costs for Digital and Planning Projects
-
Consultants’ fees and expenses to execute digital projects including website overhauls, digital archives, and database creation.
-
Consultants’ fees and expenses to develop plans for capital projects including preservation plans, master facility plans, facility acquisition plans and real estate studies, etc.
-
Direct costs associated with developing a plan or study (e.g. focus groups or community engagement sessions).
-
Regulatory expenses (e.g., permitting, licenses, related fees).
-
Staff project administration not exceeding twenty-five percent (25%) of the grant award.
Allowable Costs for Short-Term Capital Projects
-
All allowable costs under Digital and Planning Projects.
-
Portable, non-consumable, depreciable equipment over which the grantee maintains exclusive control (e.g., computers, servers, lighting consoles, sound mixers, large appliances, risers).
-
Improvements to bring a facility into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (up to $20,000).
Allowable Costs for Long-Term Capital Projects
-
All allowable costs under Short-Term Capital Projects.
-
Direct costs associated with the purchase of eligible real estate occurring in CAH FY 2026 or FY 2027 (e.g., down payment, taxes, and broker’s fees).
-
Purchase, installation, and/or repair of non-consumable fixed equipment (e.g., storage systems, HVAC, fire suppression, and security systems).
-
Parts and labor for renovations and capital improvements to existing facilities (e.g., walls, flooring, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and roofing).
-
Conservation, preservation, and restoration work (e.g., brick repointing, foundation repair, and lead paint abatement).
-
Costs related to the construction of a new facility.
Unallowable Costs Related to all Grant Subcategories
-
Food and beverages.
-
Tuition and scholarships.
-
Expenses associated with an organization assuming the role of a fiscal agent for another organization.
-
Costs related to special events.
-
Costs related to fundraising/development activity and personnel.
-
Debt reduction.
-
Expenses unrelated to the execution of the scope of work.
-
Operational reserve.
-
Re-granting (also known as “sub-granting”).
-
Funding given to universities, foreign governments, or DC government agencies, including DC public schools.
-
Recurring costs (e.g., rent, utilities, and software subscriptions).
-
Non-depreciable/consumable equipment (e.g., medical gloves, paper, writing utensils, lightbulbs, and clothing).
Subcategory-Specific Unallowable Costs
In addition to the unallowable costs listed above, the following expenditures are restricted:
-
For Digital and Planning Projects: depreciable equipment and equipment expenses exceeding twenty-five percent (25%) of the grant.
-
For Short-Term Capital Projects: permanent facility alterations (except ADA improvements up to $20,000).
-
For Long-Term Capital Projects: purchase support for facilities purchased prior to October 1, 2025.
Legal Authority
The Commission on the Arts and Humanities is an independent agency within the District of Columbia government organized to evaluate and initiate action on matters relating to the arts and humanities and encourage programs and the development of programs that promote progress in the arts and humanities. Under DC Code § 39–205 (c-1), CAH issues competitive grants to fund capital projects in support of eligible arts and humanities organizations in the District of Columbia. DC Code § 39–202 defines "arts" to include
instrumental music, vocal music, dance, drama, folk art, creative writing, architecture and allied fields, painting, sculpture, photography, graphic and craft arts, industrial design, costume and fashion design, media and film, and sound recording; disciplines related to the presentation, performance, execution, exhibition of those major art forms; and the study and application of the arts to the human environment;
and "humanities" is defined as
the study of ancient or modern languages, literature, philosophy, history, human geography, archeology, jurisprudence, religion, law, ethics, the history, criticism, theory, and practice of the arts; those aspects of the social sciences that have humanistic content and employ humanistic methods; and the study and application of the humanities to the human environment with particular attention to the relevance of the humanities to the current conditions of national life.
CAH is supported by District government funds and, in part, by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Americans with Disabilities Act
CAH complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (42 U.S.C. §§ 12101 et seq.) in all grants and processes. For reference, applicants may use the following link to access the text of the ADA: https://www.ada.gov/law-and-regs/ada/. Notwithstanding the fact that it has shared hyperlinks attached immediately above and later below, the District government does not represent that the shared text of the ADA (or any other text) is the latest version of the subject law.