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, the Cultural Affairs Department fulfills the City's responsibilities in the arts, and manages 22 community arts centers as a method of providing cultural services in neighborhoods.

The Department of Cultural Affairs was created by an act of the City Council on July 1, 1980. In November 1988, the City Council adopted the Los Angeles Endowment for the Arts, a trust fund that provides funding for cultural projects from proceeds of the Transient Occupancy Tax. This fund, along with an annual allocation from the City's General Fund, supports grant programs, festivals, neighborhood based programs, and both in-school and after-school arts education activities.

IIn 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 burden 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, and commission works of art for their sites.