All applications must be submitted online by 10 PM ET on Tuesday, April 22, 2025
SUCCESSFUL APPLICATIONS
Successful GOS applicants shall, in their respective grant applications:
- Provide work samples and other support materials that best represent the work of the applicant organization and realization of its mission.
- Demonstrate the applicant’s clear commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, and access among audiences, participants, staff, and board leadership.
- Articulate the depth and breadth of programming and programmatic impact provided to the DC community.
- Provide detailed, accurate and feasible budget information and clear information on any large variances therein.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Prior to submitting applications, applicants must meet all of the following eligibility requirements:
- Be incorporated as a nonprofit with a federally-designated tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) code, as evidenced by an IRS determination letter that is dated at least one year prior to the application deadline date.
- Be registered with, and authorized to do business in, the District as either a “Domestic” entity (that is, an entity that was incorporated in the District) or a “Foreign” entity (that is, an entity that was incorporated in another state).
- Have the primary mission focus in one or more of the arts or humanities disciplines referenced in the Guide to Grants, such that the majority of its activities and/or services are concentrated on and devoted to the arts and humanities and/or arts education.
- Have received funding through a CAH competitive grant that was awarded in the District’s Fiscal Year 2024 (FY 2024) and/or Fiscal Year 2025 (FY 2025). This requirement does not apply to GOS: Capacity Building Cohort.
- ave received GOS funding for at least two of the previous five fiscal years. This requirement only applies to applicants seeking multi-year, Continuation Awards.
- Ensure that at least fifty-one percent (51%) of the organization’s activities occur within the District of Columbia.
- Ensure that one hundred percent (100%) of the grant award dollars are used to support District of Columbia personnel and programming.
- Have an active Board of Directors.
- Register and comply with the regulatory requirements of pertinent government agencies, including (but not limited to): Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP), DC Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO), DC Department of Employment Services (DOES), and the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
- Obtain certification of “Citywide Clean Hands” (CCH) from the District of Columbia Office of Taxand Revenue (see page 11).
- Be in “good standing” with CAH.
- Note: a CAH grantee that has failed to comply with any CAH mandates (e.g. grant reporting), may not be in “good standing” with CAH and may be ineligible to receive additional funds.
- Have a principal business office address that is in the District of Columbia, subject to on-site visit. (Note: CAH will not allow post office boxes or the addresses of board members or volunteers as evidence of the principal business address).
Applicants restricted from applying include:
- Individuals.
- Arts and humanities organizations with a majority of their constituents who reside outside of the District of Columbia.
- Arts and humanities service organizations that provide specialized services which can include professional development, technical assistance, networking opportunities, shared operational services, printed materials and/or research.
- Organizations established primarily to provide social services, even if those organizations use the arts, humanities, and arts education programs as a vehicle for service delivery.
- Private clubs and organizations that prohibit membership based upon race, gender, color, religion, or any other classes identified in the District of Columbia Human Rights Act.
- Organizations that require “fiscal agents”; for-profit organizations; political organizations; foreign governments; federal government entities; and other District of Columbia government agencies, including DC Public Schools and charter schools.
MULTI YEAR FUNDING
To provide GOS organizations with greater stability and longer-term planning, a multi-year, Continuation Award option is available. Eligible applicants (See Eligibility Requirements) may receive up to the same amount of funding as their initial grant award for an additional fiscal year, subject to availability of continued funding and satisfactory completion of grant obligations. Funds that are not expended during the initial grant award year ("Grant Year One") shall not carry over to the subsequent fiscal year ("Grant Year Two").
The awarded entity must complete a Continuation Award Application following Grant Year One if the awarded entity intends to receive continued funding in Grant Year Two.
A Continuation Award in Grant Year Two is contingent upon:
- Availability of funds;
- Demonstration that the awarded entity has completed the objectives set forth in the approved initial application, based on ongoing monitoring and review of the awarded entity's reports;
- Compliance with District and federal laws, regulations and guidance; and
- Appropriate expenditure of funds throughout each grant award period.
For more information, please refer to the Guide to Grants.
ALLOWABLE COSTS
CAH must ensure that all award funds are expended in a fiscally responsible manner. Allowable costs are those that District government and CAH have determined as valid expenditures, all awarded funds are subject to Risk Management and Performance Monitoring (see page 12).
Examples of “Allowable Costs” Related to the Grant:
- Staff salaries of applicant organization.
- Teaching artists/humanists, or consultants.
- Travel and transportation directly related to the scope of the arts or humanities programming of the organization.
- Materials, supplies, and equipment purchases that are directly related to the work of the organization.
- Overhead, maintenance and administration of the organization’s programs.
- Indirect Costs.
- Operating Reserve: A percentage of the award may be used to create or expand a board- approved operating reserve fund. This percentage may change from one fiscal year to the next and will be determined by CAH at the beginning of each fiscal year. Grantees are not required to have an operating reserve in place prior to receiving the FY 2026 GOS award but must submit a request to CAH before accepting the award. If a grantee has an operating reserve policy in place, the organization must be in good standing with its own policy. Grantees must present evidence of clearly articulated policies about the management of the reserve that have been formulated and ratified by its Board of Directors by the end of the GOS grant period.
Examples of “Unallowable Costs” Related to the Grant:
- Food and beverages.
- Tuition and scholarships.
- Expenses associated with an organization assuming the role of a fiscal agent for another organization.
- Costs related to fundraisers and special events.
- Expenses unrelated to the execution of the organization’s scope of work.
- Funding to universities, foreign governments, or DC government agencies, including DCPS.
Organizations that apply to FY 2026 General Operating Support (GOS) may be restricted from applying to select FY 2026 project-based grants. The scope of work articulated in an FY 2026 GOS application may not be duplicated in an FY 2026 project-based application. All GOS recipients are restricted from applying to Projects, Events, or Festivals (PEF) Grants.
*Only GOS organizations that identify as Arts Education entities may apply to the Arts or Humanities Education Project (AHEP) grant program.
**Organizations headquartered in the District’s NE and SE quadrants applying to FY 2026 GOS grants may also apply to the East Arts (EA) grant program.
Field Trip Experiences (FTE)
Public Art Building Communities (PABC)
Capital Projects (CAP)
All FY 2026 GOS recipients may apply to only one “Project Grant” and one “Capacity Grant” as detailed above.
The grantee will be responsible for demonstrating expenses, as applicable, in Interim and Final Reports.
Grantees with questions regarding allowable costs may contact one of CAH’s grant program managers.
This GOS grant period is from October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026. CAH mandates that all of a grantee’s grant-funded activity expenses must be made during the District’s Fiscal Year 2026 (that is, from October 1, 2025 until the end of the day on September 30, 2026).
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