Prospective grant applicants should read through the grant program’s Request for Applications (RFA) in its entirety before submitting an application.
Deadlines vary by program. All grant awards are made subject to the availability of funds. CAH offers grant writing workshops and other forms of application assistance for all open grant programs.
CAH accepts applications for volunteer grant review panelists on an ongoing basis.
All Programs
Art Bank Program - RFA open and due 9 pm ET on Friday, June 30
The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (CAH) Art Bank Program supports visual artists and art acquiring galleries by fine art from metropolitan artists to grow the Art Bank Collection. Artwork in the collection is owned by CAH and loaned to District Government agencies for display in public areas and offices of government buildings.
Art Exhibition (Curatorial) Grant Program
The Art Exhibition (Curatorial) Grant Program (AEG) provides support for the development and public presentation of visual art exhibitions with accompanying programming by District resident curators through grant funding and use of CAH’s exhibition space within their building lobby at 200 I Street SE, and/or CAH’s online virtual gallery.
Arts and Humanities Education Project Grant Program
The Arts or Humanities Education Projects (AHEP) grant is designed to support In-School and Out-of-School-Time arts and humanities projects for children and youth in pre-school through high school settings. The grant also supports professional development opportunities in the arts and humanities for classroom educators.
Arts and Humanities Fellowship Program - RFA open and due 10 pm ET on Tuesday, June 13
The Arts and Humanities Fellowship Program (AHFP) offers up to $10,000 fellowships to individual artists whose artistic excellence significantly contributes to the District of Columbia as a world class cultural capital. AHFP recognizes the impact of individual artists within the District of Columbia and supports the vitality that those artists bring to the local community.
East Arts Grant Program (formerly East of the River)
The East Arts Project (EA) grant offers support to qualified non-profit organizations that identify as BIPOC-centered organizations (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) to deliver exemplary arts and humanities experiences to DC residents who reside within the northeast (NE) and southeast (SE) quadrants of the District of Columbia. Projects can include, but are not limited to the following disciplines: dance; design; folk and traditional arts; literature; media arts; music; theater; visual arts, and humanities.
Facilities and Buildings
Provides support to arts and humanities organizations pursuing capital projects and capital purchases including project planning, professional services, equipment purchases, renovations, repairs, and facility purchases.
Field Trip Experiences
The Field Trip Experiences (FTE) grant program supports the cost of field trip tickets, professional development opportunities for classroom educators, and/or pre/post-field trip workshops for students. Funding may also be allocated to necessary personnel support for the planning and implementation of the program.
General Operating Support
The General Operating Support (GOS) grant provides general operating support for arts, humanities and arts education organizations.
Juried Exhibition Grant Program
The Juried Exhibition Grant (JEG) provides support for District-based artists to exhibit their work in a juried, themed visual art exhibition through grant support and use of CAH’s exhibition space within their District owned building lobby and CAH's virtual platform. If the gallery is unavailable, the exhibition will be installed on the on-line platform only.
LiftOff Grant Program
The LiftOff grant offers support to qualified non-profit arts, humanities, arts education, and service organizations the opportunity to build the infrastructural capacities of arts and humanities through professional development. CAH will award select applicants (“grantees”) a grant of funds to support the delivery of their proposed project. Funding may only be used to cover costs associated with capacity building projects directly related to the work plan developed in collaboration with the program consultants.
Projects, Events or Festivals - RFA open and due 10 pm ET on Tuesday, June 13
The Projects, Events or Festivals (PEF) grant provides project support for individuals and organizations to execute projects that promote arts and humanities activities to a diverse range of communities within the District of Columbia. Also, CAH encourages community-based projects that share characteristics such as geographic location, common interests or a collective identity.
Public Art Building Communities - RFA open and deu 9pm ET on Monday, July 17
Supports the design, fabrication and installation of permanent or temporary public artwork that enhances District neighborhoods by connecting artists and their artwork with communities.