Currently Available Grants

The City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) supports the City's vibrant creative community through five annual grant programs for artists, nonprofit arts organizations, and cultural producers. Each year, DCA Grants Division funds projects that deliver community-based arts programming, free or low-cost cultural experiences, youth engagement, and more. Funding opportunities include: Cultural Grant Program – Supports public cultural activities and presentations taking place in the City of Los Angeles; application cycle runs each summer. Neighborhood Engagement Artist Residencies (NEAR) – Artists-in-residence partnerships within Los Angeles communities; application cycle runs each autumn. Creative Optimism-Uplifting Promises Grants (CO-UP) – Supports collaborations between social-justice nonprofits and artists for community-driven arts projects and public events; application cycle runs each autumn. City of Los Angeles Individual Master Artist Project (COLA-IMAP) – Provides recognition and funding for accomplished Los Angeles–based literary, performing, and visual artists; application cycle runs each autumn. Public-Space Activation Fund (PAF) – Grants for creative events and installations in public spaces; application cycle runs each autumn.. DCA shares announcements of calls for artists, curators and cultural produces, public art commissions, and other requests for proposals (RFPs) or requests for qualifications (RFQs) in the Department's calls page. Visit Calls to discover additional opportunities. Sign Up to Receive Announcements For details on DCA's support for nonprofit arts and cultural organizations and individual artists, visit the Grant Administration Division. Currently Available Grants Grant Name Application Period Amount Neighborhood Engagement Artist Residency (NEAR) + Creative Optimism-Uplifting Promises (CO-UP) Grants Oct 30, 2026 - 11:59 pm NEAR grants: $12,000 CO-UP grants: $15,000 DCA Grant Programs DCA currently offers five grant opportunities annually to artists and arts organizations. Cultural Grants Program Aug 28, 2026 - 11:59 pm City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural AffairsAmountVaries and subject to 1:1 matching requirements. See guidelines for more information. Overview DCA’s Cultural Grants Program invests in free and low-cost, public cultural activities and presentations taking place in the City of... Neighborhood Engagement Artist Residency (NEAR) + Creative Optimism-Uplifting Promises (CO-UP) Grants Oct 30, 2026 - 11:59 pm Department of Cultural AffairsAmountNEAR grants: $12,000 CO-UP grants: $15,000 2027-28 ARTIST RESIDENCY FRAMEWORK Many independent artists wish to design and accomplish “socially-engaged” projects wherein experience and products are co-created and/or... Public-Space Activation Fund (PAF) Jul 31, 2024 - 12:00 am City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural AffairsAmount$600 to $45,000 Public-Space Activation Fund (PAF) is a monthly DCA grant opportunity (available September 2023 to July 2024). Funding levels and eligible requests range from $600... Independent Master Artist Projects Grant Program Oct 31, 2025 - 11:59 pm City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural AffairsAmount$10,000 2025 City of Los Angeles (COLA) Independent Master Artist Projects (COLA-IMAP) Grant Program The COLA-IMAP Grant Program allows accomplished artists to... Manage Your Grant Resources and forms for current DCA grantees to manage contracts, view invoicing and reporting instructions, submit reports and access payment information. View more about Manage Your Grant EXPLORE THE DCA GRANTEES Browse a searchable list of current and past DCA grantees to learn more about the artists the Department has funded citywide. View more about EXPLORE THE DCA GRANTEES GRANTEE EVENTS CALENDAR Join our list of exhibitions, performances, and programs. Submit your DCA grant-funded event to the citywide DCA Events Calendar. Submit an event Selected Grantees Learn more about some of DCA's current grantees. Find spotlight profiles of selected grantees and their funded projects, showcasing the impact of DCA support across Los Angeles. See more about the Selected Grantees Email List Sign up to receive updates on grant and other City-sponsored artist opportunities from the Department of Cultural Affairs Sign up to the Email List