FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 02, 2023
CONTACT
JR Russ, Public Affairs Specialist, CAH: (202) 615-4059; [email protected]
DC ARTS COMMISSION AWARDS OVER $26.6 MILLION IN GRANTS
(WASHINGTON, DC) – The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (CAH) announces the awarding of 1025 grants totaling over $26.6 million to individuals and nonprofit organizations in the District of Columbia. The funding, through seven grant programs, will support a variety of arts and humanities activities and projects across all eight wards of the District in Fiscal Year 2024.
Funding recommendations were presented by staff at last week’s Full Commission Regular Meeting on Wednesday, September 27, 2023. Those recommendations were discussed and approved by CAH Commissioners. A recording of the meeting is viewable on the Commission’s YouTube channel.
Of note is the change and growth to the Arts and Humanities Fellowship Program (AHFP). The grant received 659 applications, 167 of whom were first-time applicants. Ultimately 624 individuals were recommended for funding. And instead of tiered funding award levels, as in previous years, flat funding was recommended to all awardees in the amount of $5,500, totaling just over $3.4 million. Flat funding allowed for more grantees to be recommended for funding, and is CAH’s response to both identifying the greater need and acknowledging that our communities are taking more time to recover from the effects of the pandemic.
“The arts and cultural sectors are the heart and soul of any great city, and Washington, DC is no different,” said CAH Executive Director Aaron Myers. And the growth of AHFP is indicative of the agency’s commitment to and investment in the individuals whom the sector is built around and supports.
CAH grants are awarded on a competitive basis. Grant applications are reviewed and scored by independent advisory panels with final award determinations made by the CAH Commissioners. Additional grant awards and grant opportunities may be announced later in FY 2024. Listings of current FY 2024 grantees and funding amounts will be available online at dcarts.dc.gov next week.
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About the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities
The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (CAH) provides grants, professional opportunities, education enrichment, and other programs and services to individuals and nonprofit organizations in all communities within the District of Columbia. The Commission is supported primarily by District government funds and in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.