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Grants to Washington, DC Nonprofits and Individuals to Provide Arts and Humanities Programming

FY24 Projects, Events, or Festivals (PEF) Grant


Grant Writers
Agency
State
GrantWatch ID#
171430
Funding Source
District of Columbia Commission on the Arts and Humanities (CAH)
Array ( )
Geographic Focus
USA: Washington, DC
Important Dates
Deadline: 06/13/23 10:00 PM Save
Grant Description
Grants of up to $10,000 and grants of up to $20,000 to Washington, DC nonprofit organizations and individuals to provide arts and humanities programming. The goal of the program is to enhance the quality of life for local residents, strengthen the creative economy, and provide access to high-quality arts and humanities experiences for all District residents.

The Commission on the Arts and Humanities (“CAH” or “the Agency”) seeks applications for the FY24 Projects, Events, or Festivals (PEF). PEF furthers CAH’s mission by encouraging progress in the arts and humanities in the District of Columbia by supporting Individuals and non-profit arts, humanities, arts education, and service organizations who significantly contribute to the District of Columbia as a world-class cultural capital. This grant opportunity program goals:

  • Provide access to high-quality arts and humanities experiences for all District of Columbia residents.
  • Improve quality of life by supporting vibrant community projects within the arts and humanities.
  • Strengthen the creative economy through investments in local individuals and organizations.

PEF is open for projects of all sizes that demonstrate District impact and engage District residents and visitors.

CAH encourages community-based projects that share characteristics such as geographic location, common interests, or community impact. Arts and humanities projects may include but are not limited to: concerts; visual arts exhibitions; literary readings; or festivals that feature dance, folk art, film, music, theatre and other art forms. Applicants who are unsure if their project may qualify for this grant program are encouraged to contact a CAH grants manager.

Festivals

  1. Anticipated festival numbers must align with District-mandated guidelines for public gatherings; Artistic programming must comprise a minimum of six (6) hours of the festival.
  2. Festival events and programs must be publicly advertised and open to the general public.
  3. Funding may be used for project expenses only, which includes support for salaries and operations directly related to the festival events and programs.
  4. All festival activities must comply with District of Columbia permits, policies and safety.

For Examples of “Allowable Costs” Related to the Grant, see 
Full Grant Text RFP
Recipient
Additional Eligibility Criteria
The list below details the minimum eligibility requirements for PEF. All eligibility requirements must be met upon application submission. Applicants must:

Individuals
1. be an artist, arts professional and/or humanities practitioner at least 18 years of age.
2. be a District of Columbia resident for at least one (1) year prior to the submission deadline.
3. have a permanent District of Columbia address, as listed on government issued identification or tax returns. Post office boxes may not be used as a permanent address. If the applicant is experiencing homelessness, the applicant may contact the grant manager listed below to discuss eligibility.
4. maintain District of Columbia residency during the entire granting fiscal year period (October 2023-September 2024).
5. proposed planning and implementation fully carried out in the District of Columbia.
6. be in good standing with CAH.
7. current on all taxes and liabilities owed to the District or have an approved plan to resolve such taxes and liabilities as demonstrated by a certification of “Citywide Clean Hands” (CCH) from the District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue.
8. if an individual has any affiliation with an arts organization (CEO, founder, employee, etc.), funded projects must not be a part of the organization's season of work.

Organization
1. 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.
2. 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).
3. proposed planning and implementation fully carried out in the District of Columbia.
4. have an active Board of Directors.
5. register and comply with the regulatory requirements of pertinent government agencies including (but not limited to): DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs’ (DCRA), DC Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO), DC Department of Employment Services (DOES); and the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
6. current on all taxes and liabilities owed to the District or have an approved plan to resolve such taxes and liabilities as demonstrated by a certification of “Citywide Clean Hands” (CCH) from the District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue.
7. be in good standing with CAH.
8. Have a principal business office address located in the District of Columbia, subject to an onsite visit. (Note: CAH will not allow post office boxes or the addresses of board members or volunteers as evidence of the principal business address).

Projects, Events, or Festivals (PEF) applicants may apply to the Arts and Humanities Education Project (AHEP) grant program. PEFo applicants with annual budgets under $500,000, headquartered in the District’s NE and SE Quadrants may also apply to the East Arts (EA) grant program. There must be no project scope overlap between programs.
Ineligible
Organizations that have applied to FY24 General Operating Support (GOS) are restricted from applying to FY 2024 Projects, Events, or Festivals (PEF) grants. All FY 2024 GOS recipients may apply to only one “Project Grant” and one “Capacity Grant” as defined at https://communityaffairs.dc.gov/sites/moca/files/dc/sites/moca/publication/attachments/CAH%20FY24%20Projects%20Events%20or%20Festivals%20RFA.pdf#page=8.

Those ineligible for PEF include:
• Those employed by CAH within the last three (3) years.
• Organizations awarded funds in the FY 2024 General Operating Support grant are prohibited from applying to PEF for FY 2024.
• Applicants are prohibited from submitting PEF applications for projects that feature temporary or permanent public art projects. For more information on public art projects, review the Public Art Building Communities (PABC) grant program.
• Applicants are prohibited from submitting PEF applications for projects that provide activities solely for children or youth.
o For more information on funding projects and activities for children or youth, review the Arts or Humanities Education Project (AHEP) or East Arts (EA) grant program guidelines.
• Eligible projects by individuals are projects that work independently of the applicant’s affiliated organization:
o Individuals who are staff of a non-profit organization may not apply for funding for projects that are part of that organization's programming.
o Individuals who are staff or proprietors of a for-profit company cannot apply for funding for projects that are a product or service of that company.
• Arts and humanities organizations with a majority of their constituents who reside outside of the District of Columbia.
• Tax-Exempt organizations other than 501(c)(3) designated entities.
• 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; private foundations, political organizations; colleges; universities; foreign governments; federal government entities; and other District of Columbia government agencies, including DC Public Schools.
• Organizations submitting an application whose content is combined with the application of another organization. Proposed projects must be “stand-alone” projects.
• Individuals applying with an EIN number.
• Individuals who reside outside of the District of Columbia.
• Individuals who use or require fiscal agents.
• Prospective applicants debarred from procurements by the federal government, the Government of the District of Columbia or any governmental entity.

The festival may not be a block party, fundraiser or charity benefit.

Funding may not be used for food, beverages, capital costs, building renovations/improvements, cash prizes, gifts, security, items for sale (for example, t-shirts and posters) or an organization’s operational costs associated with the administrative office (such as staff salaries, office rent and utilities, office equipment, office supplies, etc.).

For Funding Restrictions, see https://communityaffairs.dc.gov/sites/moca/files/dc/sites/moca/publication/attachments/CAH%20FY24%20Projects%20Events%20or%20Festivals%20RFA.pdf#page=7.
Pre-Proposal Conference
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. More information about workshops may be found at http://www.dcarts.dc.gov/ under Grant Writing Assistance, or by calling the CAH Point of Contact listed in Contact Information below.
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-andhumanities-cah-1252966799

Workshops:
- Thursday, May 18 2 -3:30 PM EST
- Tuesday, May 30 5:30 – 7 PM EST
- Thursday, June 8 10:30 AM-Noon EST

Live Chats:
- Friday, May 12 2 - 3:30 PM EST
- Friday, May 19 2 - 3:30 PM EST
- Friday, May 26 2 - 3:30 PM EST
- Friday, June 2 2 - 3:30 PM EST
- Friday, June 9 2 - 3:30 PM EST
Pre-Application Information
Complete PEF applications must be submitted online via the CAH Grants Application Portal by 10:00 PM EST on Tuesday, June 13, 2023.

CAH will notify applicants of the results of their application and the applicable award disbursement process on or shortly after October 1, 2023.

There is no matching requirement or cost sharing for PEF grants.

Applicants may submit one (1) Projects, Events, Festivals Grant application per fiscal year cycle.

CAH accepts reasonable accommodation requests from applicants with disabilities. To request a reasonable accommodation for application submission, contact Travis Marcus, Grant Management Specialist, and await request approval. Reasonable accommodation requests must be made no later than seven calendar days before the PEF application deadline.

CAH staff is 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 calendar days in advance of the grant application deadline. CAH staff will not write applications for applicants. To schedule a meeting, applicants may contact the CAH staff listed in Contact Information below. 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.
Number of Grants
Anticipated Number of Awards: Contingent upon number of applicants
Estimated Size of Grant
- Maximum Amount for Individual Awards: Up to $10,000
- Maximum Amount for Organization Awards: Up to $20,000
Term of Contract
Periods of Performance: October 1, 2023 - September 30, 2024
Contact Information
CAH utilizes an online grant portal to receive grant applications. The PEF application may be found online in the CAH Grant Application Portal, available at https://jlweb.co/prod1/portal/portal.jsp?c=4193775&p=6947885&g=6947905 .

General questions regarding PEF may be directed to:
Robert Nuñez, Grant Manager (Organizations)
Robert.Nunez@dc.gov
(202) 701-3733

Travis Marcus, Grant Manager (Individuals)
Travis.marcus@dc.gov
(202) 704-6136

Commission on the Arts and Humanities 200 I Street, SE, Suite 1400, Washington, DC 20003
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