General Overview for
Nonprofit Organizations and Outdoor Festivals/Parades Producers

DCA’s Cultural Grants Program subsidizes artists, art teams, festival collaborations between social service organizations and arts producers, non-profit art organization operations, and non-profit art organization projects that specifically support arts management, dance, culture/history, literature, media, music, outdoor festivals/parades, theater, visual/design arts, traditional/folk arts, or multi-disciplinary arts. All DCA grant-funded activities must support public-benefit activities.

Eligible art organizations may apply once for either operating or project support, may also be a festival/parade applicant or collaborator on one other proposal to DCA, and may apply for other special initiatives as they are announced.

Small or mid-sized organizations headquartered in the City of Los Angeles may choose to apply for either operating or project support. Non-profit arts/cultural organizations headquartered in Los Angeles County with a history of working in the City of LA may apply for project support. All grant supported activities must take place within the City of Los Angeles and support a quantifiable public service.

Operating support may be requested for administrative salaries, strategic planning, lease-to-own equipment, and/or development of earned income enterprises. 

Project support may be requested to subsidize artists, project management, audience outreach, marketing, documentation and/or program evaluation.

DCA grants for organizations are good for up to two years. Organizations should remember to apply during the second year of their work for the following 2-year cycle. Organization applications regarding dance, music, outdoor festivals/parades, theater, and multidisciplinary arts are submitted in even numbered years (2008, 2010, 2012,…) while applications for arts management, culture/history, literature, media, visual/design, and traditional/folk arts are submitted in odd numbered years (2009, 2011, 2013…).

Off-cycle organization proposals are accepted for one-year terms only, as groups are encouraged to apply and remain on the same cycle as the other applicants in the same artistic discipline.

Artist applications and special initiative proposals are accepted annually for one-year terms.

DCA Grant Category Descriptions:

* All submission deadlines are postmark deadlines 

Two-Year Cycles
Large Budget Organization (LBO) Project Support - A non-profit arts organization with an operating budget greater than $800,000 may request up to 10% of its most recently completed fiscal year budget to a maximum of $150,000. Opportunities in this category are cycled by artistic disciplines, so new LBO applicants must contact the Grant Director before applying.

Mid-Size Organization Operating or Project Support - A mid-size non-profit arts organization with an operating budget greater than $75,000 in its most recently completed fiscal year may request up to 10% of its last completed fiscal year budget to a maximum of $50,000.

Small Organization Operating or Project Support - A small non-profit arts organization with an operating budget between $10,000 and $100,000 in its most recently completed fiscal year may request up to 20% of its last completed fiscal year budget to a maximum of $10,000.

Outdoor Festival/Parades – This special category allows local non-art non-profits to apply for a grant and arts non-profits to apply for a second grant. Any non-profit organization such as a chamber of commerce, social service agency, or homeowners association may request support for community events that take place on one day or over one weekend. Non-arts organizations may also collaborate with an arts/cultural organization, a professional event producer, or tribal leader. The primary applicant must be a nonprofit organization and have a minimum operating budget of $20,000 per year. Festival collaborators should determine the primary applicant by deciding which agency or producer is best qualified to apply for, contract with and fulfill reporting/invoicing requirements to DCA. The maximum request amount is 30% of the applicant’s expenses from its most recently completed fiscal year, up to a maximum of $20,000.

Festival proposals are welcome in the Outdoor Festival/Parades category, the Traditional/Folk arts category, and the Multidisciplinary category. Generally speaking, cultural/arts organizations that independently produce festivals are encouraged to apply in DCA’s Small and Mid-size Arts Organization category within either Folk Arts or Multidisciplinary Arts. Non-arts organizations (chambers of commerce or social service organizations) that function as primary or partner event producers should apply in the Outdoor Festivals/Parades category.

One-Year Cycles
Community Advancement

Emerging (EMG) Arts Organization Operating or Project Support - EMG is specially designed for newly formed or very small non-profit arts organizations with annual operating budgets of less than $20,000 per year.  Eligible applicants must attend an instructional workshop and may receive grants ranging from $500 to $3000 each fiscal year. EMG is not open to organizations that have applied unsuccessfully in other categories.

Scholarships & Mentorships – This is intended to provide stabilization assistance to organizations experiencing administrative or development challenges.

Conferences & Association Meetings – Planning and/or production assistance is offered to organizations who are invited to apply.

Special Initiatives are coming soon. Check the website or call for updated information. Eligible for-profit businesses, non-profit organizations, producers, curators, arts managers, artists, and art teams are welcome to apply.

Matching Requirement
Organization grantees must show a 1:1 match for the grant requested.  The match can be all cash or a combination of cash and in-kind donations.  If a combination of cash and in-kind is used, no more than 50% of the match can be in-kind (e.g. donated space, supplies, volunteer services).

If your organization is considering a change in discipline (such as from multi-disciplinary to media), please contact the Grants staff at 213.202.5566 prior to applying.

If you missed the deadline, please email the explanation of why you missed it to dca.grants@lacity.org.
If possible, DCA will respond with advice or technical assistance.