A. GRANT APPLICATION PROCESS

1. Read the Guide to Grants
2. Read the RFA guidelines (for the desired grant program) and determine eligibility. 
3. Go to Apply for Grants and select CAH Grant Application Portal to register as a user. 
4. Upon registration, applicants select the desired grant program(s). 
5. Complete the application questions
6. Upload required documents, supplementary material, and work samples. 
7. Review the application for thoroughness, clarity, and typographical errors. 
8. Submit the application by 4:59 PM EST on the grant program’s deadline date. 
9. Ensure receipt of grant submission confirmation email, auto generated by the online portal, by the application deadline. 

B. SUBMISSION DATES AND TIMES

All applications must be submitted online by 4:59 PM ET on Monday, November 30, 2026. A confirmation email generates automatically once an application is submitted. Technical issues or failure to receive a confirmation email should be brought to the immediate attention of CAH staff. Incomplete or late applications or applications that do not follow the instructions and guidelines are deemed ineligible for review and funding. CAH does not accept mailed, emailed or hand-delivered copies of grant applications and/or the required attachments. 

CAH accepts reasonable accommodation requests from applicants with disabilities. To request a reasonable accommodation for application submission, contact the Accessibility Coordinator at [email protected]. 

CAH’s grant application process is competitive and subject to the availability of funds. Applicants may not request or receive funding for the same activities through more than one CAH program or grant category. Multiple applicants may not apply for funding to exhibit the same project. Applicants can participate in only one application per year for this grant program.

C. WORKSHOPS

To improve the strength of applications, CAH strongly recommends participating in one of the following virtual workshops listed below. All workshops are virtual, free, and open to the public. Workshops and Live Chats may be accessed by visiting https://dcarts.dc.gov/page/live-chat-dccah-grants-specialist. Interested artists and humanities practitioners may register for workshops via Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/o/dc-commission-on-the-arts-and-humanities-cah-1252966799

D. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

CAH staff are available to assist grant applicants during group or individual technical assistance sessions. Applicants may also request review of draft applications during a thirty (30) minute appointment during business hours scheduled no later than seven (7) calendar days in advance of the grant application deadline. CAH staff will not write applications for applicants. Applicants must prepare their full draft application in the CAH Grants Application Portal along with any questions in advance of scheduling a meeting for technical assistance. 

To schedule an individual technical assistance meeting, please contact Michelle May-Curry, Curator, at 202-215-9486 or [email protected]. 

E. FUNDING RESTRICTIONS

As a District of Columbia agency, CAH must ensure that all award funds are expended in a fiscally responsible manner; all awarded funds are subject to audit and Performance Monitoring.  Allowable costs are those that the District government and CAH have determined as valid expenditures.

F. OTHER SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

The Agency shall not be liable for any costs incurred in the preparation of applications in response to the RFA. Applicant agrees that all costs incurred in developing the application are the applicant’s sole responsibility.

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