Framework

WHO CAN APPLY?
If an organization’s public mission statement states that its primary purpose is to support arts, cultural productions, or arts education then most likely this organization is eligible to be a direct/primary applicant.  To make certain, call the Grants staff to review with us how the proposed applicant’s mission identifies distinct key words (such as: architecture, art, culture, dance, design,  festivals, fine arts, folk arts, history, literature, media, music, poetry, theater, traditional arts, and/or visual arts) as its primary or exclusive purpose.

If a non-profit organization’s primary purpose is not arts, cultural production, or arts education; then most likely your agency is only eligible to be the secondary partner within an outdoor festival proposal, and you are encouraged to collaborate with an arts-focused organization to submit for funding as an event co-producer. Refer to the Eligibility page for more details.

PROJECT TYPES

Artistic Project proposals directly seek to support the production of one or more public projects, wherein local professional artists, arts instructors, or arts-business mentors are engaged to perform roles which are commensurate with the skills, talents, and status described in their resumes/biographies. Most proposals fall under this project type, and revolve around a specific, singularly focused artistic discipline: Dance, Music, Design/Visual Arts, Literary Arts, Media Arts, Theatre, Culture/History (projects promoting ideas and accomplishments of past, non-living artists), and Traditional/Folks Arts (projects promoting public activities and artists whose practice emphasize adherence to tradition rather than innovation). Artistic Projects may also be  Trans-disciplinary/multidisciplinary projects which innovatively combine aspects of two or more traditional disciplines, or present multiple traditional art forms as separate elements of a presentation/series. Trans/Multi-disciplinary projects will not logically conform to the expertise of a single-focused discipline-panel.

Field Advocacy & Sector Learning (FASL) proposals seek to support for projects involving administrator training, field advocacy, sector marketing, policy dialogues, and cultural equity leadership. NOTE: organizations that directly curate/fund artists to present artistic projects are not eligible in this category. Call us with questions before you self-define as FASL. Like other DCA Grant categories, FASL is not a general operating category nor a 12 month funding category. We are also available to discuss a $5,000 supplement for any free open-to-the-public aspects of a national or international conference that your organization is co-sponsoring/co-hosting.

Sequential Arts In-school Learning Culminating in Afterschool Public Events (SAIL-CAPE) proposals seek support for a series of age-appropriate sequential arts learning workshops for youth (as demonstrated through a curriculum aligning with CA Arts Standards (Pre-K to 12) that will be included in the proposal) that culminate with one or more public events that take place within afterschool hours, in the evening or weekend that are open to the general public. Please note that public schools are not open to the general public; therefore DCA is most interested in after-school activities, and is very agreeable to supporting the learning and rehearsing that precedes a community-marketed afterschool events that are fully open to the public.

SAIL-CAPE proposals aimed at youth during school hours should adhere to grade-appropriate California Arts Standards (Pre-K to 12) even if they are aimed at charter school students; and applicants to this category must include a curriculum as the primary supplemental attachment for peer review. (Note: Proposals for after-school youth arts enrichment, adult continuing-education, and senior skill-building should not be submitted under the SAIL-CAPE category, but rather as artistic projects and include a framework of lessons and 2 sample lessons.)       

Outdoor Festival/Parade proposals are framed around an outdoor event that will take place at a single freely accessible public site (e.g. public street, set of adjacent streets, set of sidewalks, public park, public plaza, ….) over one day or over one weekend. Generally festivals projects are annual, seasonal or quarterly.  Generally speaking, the purpose of a festival/parade applicant will be cultural expression and/or neighborhood cohesion.

This special category allows arts-friendly but not-arts-specific organizations to apply for a grant with a collaborating producer, or an arts nonprofits to apply for a second grant if the proposed festival will take place in an outdoor public site (not a private outdoor space). Any nonprofit organization such as a chamber of commerce, social service agency, or homeowners association may request support for a community art-walk, festival, or parade (that is non-religious in nature).  The ideal primary applicant is a nonprofit arts organization or business association with 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 fulfill government reporting/invoicing requirements and show a history of artistic accomplishments. If the primary applicant of a festival proposal is not an arts-specific nonprofit organization, which precludes the agency from opening a DataArts profile, then the proposal should include a Form-990 or official audit as an attachment.

Community workshops which build festival elements (sequential learning) may be described as unbudgeted pretext, knowing that DCA reserves this category to primarily pay for professional artist-presentations which beget wide public enjoyment (open mic events and competitions wherein some performers/presenters do not “win” a payment are NOT eligible).

Annual Outdoor Festivals/Parades that include the same artists/acts year after year, may not be funded. Please note that festival events with artistic rosters that change less than 29% in participants are not eligible for DCA support. Outdoor Festival/Parade applicants must designate one of the following choices in our application forms:

    • 30-40% new artists (as compared to the past two years)
    • 41-50% new artists (as compared to the past two years), or
    • 51% or more new artists (as compared to the past two years).

Multi-site events are not eligible in DCA’s festival category but may compete under the discipline of their focus. For example, an outdoor film screening series which takes place in three separate public plazas should compete in media arts in order to be reviewed by film experts; and a concert series which takes in two separate public plazas should be reviewed by music, dance, or multidisciplinary arts experts. In addition, DCA’s Outdoor Festival/Parade category does not support: concert series over multiple weeks, or community events that include simultaneous events at non-contiguous locations. These proposals belong in DCA ‘s Multidisciplinary category.

Special note regarding young artist (unpaid) performers. We ask that youth performers be mentioned as a sidebar in any set of application attachments, since DCA funding is proportioned to support adult jobs, whereas learning-experiences are are separate metric.

HOW MANY PROPOSALS MAY BE SUBMITTED?
Emerging and small-size arts organizations may submit a maximum of two proposals-one Artistic Project proposal and one Outdoor Parade/Festival partnership. Emerging applicants (requesting $3,000 or less) can be allowed to PRESENT their act at larger event they do not SELF PRODUCE (as long as the event isn’t already funded by the City). Such applicants would be asked to describe how they would be able to show DCA credit if they do not oversee the event’s marketing/promotional efforts.

A mid-size arts organization may submit a maximum of two proposals — one Artistic Project proposal, one Outdoor Parade/Festival Project proposal.

Large and extra-large arts organizations may submit a maximum of two proposals — one Artistic Project proposal and one Outdoor Parade/Festival partnership. Organizations that are arts-friendly but not arts-exclusive (based on mission statement and programs) may only submit one proposal for an outdoor festival/parade partnership and may be given consideration in the AEP category depending upon whether they have a designated arts-unit or staff.

Large and Extra Large budget organizations headquartered in the City of Los Angeles and all applicants headquartered elsewhere in Los Angeles County with a history of working in the City of LA may apply for one artistic project to take place within the City of LA and/or one outdoor festival/parade collaboration with a non-arts organization (for no more than two proposals in total).

TWO-YEAR APPLICATION CYCLES (based upon discipline-categories)
DCA accepts proposals in many discipline-categories, however DCA only convenes peer panel review teams in specific disciplines in alternating years. Discipline specific panels are convened for: Field Advocacy & Sector Learning for the arts, culture/history, design/visual arts, literature, media, outdoor festivals/parades, and traditional/folk arts applications submitted in odd-numbered years (e.g. 2019, 2021, 2023…). Meanwhile, discipline-specific panels are convened for: dance, music, theater, and multidisciplinary proposals in even-numbered years (e.g. 2020, 2022, 2024…).

Proposals submitted off-cycle of the pattern stated above are aggregated into a mixed category, reviewed by panel team with general arts expertise, given a one-year score/allocation, and directed to reapply the following year in order to get on-cycle with like-missioned competitors.

Successful on-cycle applicants will receive a panel score which is renewable for a second year. DCA processes one-year proposals (for projects that are repeatable in a second year). Please note, that it is a peer panel review score which is held, and not the dollar amount of the grant calculated from that score, because the City budgets itself (based on local and other economic factors) in individual years. Hence, the second-year grant amount may not be the same as the first year grant amount, as it is contingent upon the City’s future budget.

Because DCA does not offer two-year grants, all proposals and budgets should depict one project of generally no longer than 6 months, which may be repeated in concept. If an organization applies to support a project that will not or cannot be repeated in a second term, then please call the staff to discuss how to describe an A-then-B alternation for the panel to review and score accordingly.