Department of
Cultural Affairs
201 North Figueroa Street, Suite 1400
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Phone: 213.202.5500
FAX: 213.202.5517

www.culturela.org

History

Originally formed in 1925 as the Municipal Arts Department to provide cultural services in neighborhoods, the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs was reorganized by an act of the City Council in July 1980. Since then, the Department has grown and changed in response to evolving opportunities, and it now manages extensive programs in four areas: the Grants Administrative Division, the Public Art Division, the Community Arts Division, and the Marketing and Development Division.

In November 1988, the City Council adopted the Los Angeles Endowment for the Arts, a trust fund that provides funding for cultural projects from the proceeds of the Transient Occupancy Tax that supports DCA's arts activities along with public-private partnerships and donations from individuals, corporations, foundations, and federal and state government agencies.

In March 1991, the City Council approved the Arts Development Fee Ordinance, which mandates that arts fees be gathered as mitigation for new construction in the City. The amount of the fee is based on the size and use of the building, expected occupancy, and the value of the arts opportunity added to the City by each new building occupant. Developers work with the Department of Cultural Affairs to add to the fund, create cultural facilities, develop arts programming, and commission works of art.