FY27 PEF Application and Review Information

CAH selects individuals who are arts, humanities and/or business professionals, independent of CAH, to serve as advisory review panelists for each grant program. The role of a panelist is to review and score an eligible application’s content to the established grant program review criteria. CAH’s grant application evaluation process takes into consideration general standards of decency and respect for the diverse beliefs and values of the American public consistent with The National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act, as amended in 1990. For more information regarding the grant review process please visit the Guide to Grants. To volunteer or nominate a person to serve as an advisory review panelist for a grant program, see CAH’s Call for Panelists.

Category-Based Review Process

Application will be reviewed within category-specific review tracks to prevent inequitable comparisons across dissimilar activity types. While all applications are evaluated using shared core criteria, Projects, Events and Festivals will be assessed using tailored criteria appropriate to scale, complexity, and intended outcomes.

Category-based review tracks - Prevents apples-to-oranges scoring.
- Project applications scored against project outcomes
- Events judged on engagement and logistics
- Festivals evaluated on capacity, partnerships, and scale

Criteria, Review, and Selection Process

The Agency reserves the right to accept or deny any or all applications if the Agency determines it is in the best interest of the Agency to do so. The Agency shall notify the applicant if it rejects that applicant’s proposal. The Agency may suspend or terminate an outstanding RFA pursuant to its own grantmaking rule(s) or any applicable federal regulation or requirement. The Agency may conduct pre-award on-site visits to verify information submitted in the application and to determine if the applicant’s facilities are appropriate for the services intended. If there are any conflicts between the terms and conditions of the RFA and any applicable federal or local law or regulation, or any ambiguity related thereto, then the provisions of the applicable law or regulation shall control, and it shall be the responsibility of the applicant to ensure compliance.

Each application shall be reviewed as detailed below.

Artistic Merit (40%)

Criterion	Weight	Description	Reviewer Considerations
Content Quality & Applicant Experience	20%	The applicant demonstrates the knowledge and skills needed to successfully carry out the proposed project, event, or festival.	The quality, relevance and clarity of the proposed artistic or humanities content. Work samples and support materials that demonstrate experience in the applicant's discipline. Evidence that the applicant understands their field and is capable of delivering high quality project, event or festival.
Project Team & Subject Matter Expertise	20%	The proposed activity is planned and implemented by individuals with appropriate subject matter expertise relevant to the selected category.	The resumes, roles and qualifications of artist, performers, humanities professionals involved in the project. How each team members experience contributes to the success of the project, event or festival. Whether the scale and scope align with the experience of the team.

Category-Specific Application

Projects: Strength of concept, process, and deliverables
Events: Quality of public experience and presenters
Festivals: Breadth, cohesion, and curatorial vision

Capacity & Sustainability (30%)

Criterion	Weight	Description	Reviewer Considerations
Organizational Oversight & Financial Readiness	15%	The applicant demonstrates the ability to responsibly manage grant funds and oversee project operations.	Evidence of basic financial controls and budgeting practices. Clear project oversight and decision-making structures. Readiness to manage public funds in compliance with grant requirements.
Project Management Capacity & Staffing	15%	The applicant demonstrates appropriate planning, staffing, budget alignment, and experience to successfully deliver the proposed project, event or festival.	The applicant’s experience managing similar projects, events, or festivals. The roles and responsibilities of staff, contractors, or collaborators. Feasibility of timeline and staffing plan Whether the proposed budget is appropriate to the scope of work and clearly aligned with the selected grant category. Whether the scale of the project aligns with the applicant’s capacity and resources.

Category-Specific Budget Expectations

Projects: Deliverables, research, development, and creation-related costs
Events: Venue, talent, production, and audience engagement costs
Festivals: Staffing, coordination, partnerships, and logistics

Access & Engagement (15%)

CAH prioritizes applicants who intentionally and authentically integrate; Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access (I.D.E.A.) strategies into the design and implementation of their project, event or festival. Applicants are encouraged to use strengths-based language that recognizes the strengths, creativity, and lived experience of the communities they serve.

Criterion	Weight	Description	Reviewer Considerations
Inclusive & Diverse Project Design	5%	The project, event or festival reflects inclusive and diverse perspectives through its content, participants, collaborators, or personnel.	How inclusion and diversity are meaningfully reflected in the project, event or festival’s artistic or humanities content and/or project team. Whether these elements are intentional and relevant to the project, event or festival’s goals, rather than added as an afterthought.
Equity, Access & Participant Engagement	5%	The project, event or festival demonstrates a commitment to equitable access and meaningful participation for all participants.	How barriers to participation are identified and addressed (such as cost, location, language, scheduling, and format). Physically accessibility considerations for in-person events (i.e. wheelchair-accessible venues, accessible restrooms, clear wayfinding) Communication accessibility, including but not limited to: Use of clear, plain-language materials Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)-friendly digital materials for websites, registration forms, and promotional content (such as readable contrast, alt text for images, accessible PDFs, and captioned video where applicable).
Responsiveness & Growth	5%	The applicant demonstrates responsiveness to community needs and outlines plans for ongoing improvement.	Plans to gather feedback related to accessibility, inclusion and participant experience. How the project supports the applicant’s evolving artistic, organizational, or community goals. How lessons learned will inform future programming and accessibility practices

Community Impact (15%)

Criterion

Weight

Description

Reviewer Considerations

District Reach & Public Benefit

15%

The project demonstrates the ability to reach a well-articulated number of District residents and/or visitors proportionate to the activities' scope or work

The expected number of participants or attendees relative to the project’s scale and resources.
The nature and depth of District impact, including whether the proposed activity demonstrates:

Direct ward impact, defined as meaningful engagement with residents and/or visitors in one primary ward through sustained presence, targeted outreach, or culturally relevant programming; and/or
Multiple-ward impact, defined as intentional and meaningful outreach, participation, or audience access across two or more District wards, whether through programming delivered across multiple locations, repeated programming, cross-ward partnerships, or citywide access strategies.

How the project, event, or festival contributes to DC’s creative economy, including but not limited to:

Employment or compensation of DC-based artists, humanities practitioners, or creative workers
Support for local vendors, collaborators, or community partners
Strengthening cultural visibility, neighborhood vitality, or public cultural life

Ward Impact Definitions

Direct ward impact: Meaningful engagement in one primary ward
Multiple-ward impact: Intentional and meaningful engagement across two or more District wards through multi-location programming, repeated activities, partnerships, or citywide access strategies

Creative Economy Contributions May Include

Employment or compensation of DC-based artists and creative workers
Support for local vendors or collaborators
Strengthening cultural visibility and neighborhood vitality

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dcarts

DC Arts

FY27 PEF Application and Review Information

Category-Based Review Process

Criteria, Review, and Selection Process