Cultural Grants Program

Overview

DCA's Cultural Grants Program invests in free and low-cost, public cultural activities and presentations taking place in the City of Los Angeles. Nonprofit arts organizations may propose an Artistic Project in one primary art form or discipline. For 2027-28, DCA invites new Artistic Project proposals within the disciplines of Dance, Music, Theatre, and Transdisciplinary Arts. Limited funding (no more than five awards of $3,000 to $5,000) is available for off-cycle projects in Culture/History, Design-Visual Arts, Literary Arts, Media Arts, and Traditional-Folk Arts. A SAIL-CAPE project (Sequential Arts in-school learning Culminating in Afterschool Public Events) is available for multi-week youth-education projects utilizing in-school lesson plans. Nonprofit community-service organizations may propose outdoor festivals or parades in partnership with a tribal elder, arts curator, or arts agency.

Award Amounts

• Large outdoor festivals/parades (2,000+ attendees): up to $40,000
• Small outdoor festivals/parades (500-2,000 attendees): $15,000
• Outdoor festivals/parades (fewer than 500 attendees): up to $6,000
• Off-cycle projects: $3,000-$5,000 (limited to five awards)
• All amounts subject to 1:1 matching requirements

Eligibility

Qualified applicants must be nonprofit 501(c)3 organizations with a primary purpose to provide arts/cultural services, or arts-friendly charitable organizations (e.g., 501(c)3, 501(c)6) that will partner with an arts expert/agency to present an outdoor festival or parade. They must be headquartered in Los Angeles County and proposing projects that will specifically serve residents, visitors, and/or tourists within City of Los Angeles boundaries. Applicants must have a minimum of one year of prior experience with the project they propose to expand with City of LA support, an arts/culture mission statement, and specific metrics about project audiences they recently served within the City of LA.

Key Dates

• Application Deadline: August 28, 2026, 11:59 p.m.
• Online Webinar #1: Tuesday, July 28, 2026, 12:00-1:30 p.m. (Registration closed)
• Online Webinar #2: Wednesday, August 12, 2026, 5:00-6:30 p.m. (Registration closed)
• Friday Office Hours: Starting July 31, 2026 (30-minute appointment sessions; requests due prior Wednesday at noon)

Application Support

DCA offers free coaching resources including online webinars (60-90 minutes each), Friday office hours (30-minute appointment sessions), and recorded sessions posted on DCA's YouTube channel (@culturela). First-time applicants and those with staff new to the program are encouraged to attend webinars. Returning applicants are highly recommended to attend to refresh knowledge and learn new adjustments. Training webinars are limited to 30 participants per session; RSVP required at least two business days in advance.

Contact

For registration assistance, support, or requests for reasonable accommodation, contact the Grants Division at [email protected].