The Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), in partnership with the Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York City Council are pleased to announce the second year of our Cultural After School Adventures Initiative. Last year’s initiative demonstrated a breadth of cultural experiences, including programs offering dance, circus arts, theatre, visual arts, music, quilting, and gardening. The programs were well-received by the youth participants as well as their parents, teachers, and staff administering them. For Fiscal Year 2007, an additional $760,000 is available for new cultural programs to be delivered in collaboration with Out-of-School Time (OST) programs between December 15, 2006 and June 30, 2007. Combined with the renewal of Fiscal Year 2006 grants, total funding to enhance cultural opportunities for OST programs exceeds $2.6 million during Fiscal Year 2007.

All projects receiving Cultural After School Adventures funding are required to promote intellectual and creative exploration and skill development among their participants. Applications are welcome from every cultural and geographic area of New York City. As evidenced by last year’s programs, we encourage cultural projects from a wide array of organizations. Funded projects must center on a demonstrable cultural activity with recognized value. Additional requirements can be found in the attached guidelines and application form, and further inquiries may be sent to casa@dycd.nyc.gov.

Once again, thank you for your interest in the Cultural After School Adventures Initiative. We eagerly anticipate your unique cultural and artistic contributions that will enrich the lives of our city’s youth.

The deadline for applications is 5:00pm, November 1, 2006.

DYCD will hold a preproposal conference at 10:00 am on Wednesday, October 11, 2006, at its offices at 2 Washington Street, Room 1980, 19th Floor, New York, New York 10004. Attendance is optional but recommended.

Note: Some of the documents below were created in Adobe® Acrobat® PDF format. Download the free Acrobat Reader.

• List of cultural organizations determined eligible for a new FY 2007 grant (in PDF)

For additional information:

• CASA Cover Letter (in PDF)
• CASA Application (in Word)
• CASA Guidelines (in PDF)
• FY 2006 Grantees, renewed in FY 2007 (in PDF)
• OST Programs eligible for CASA partnership in FY 2007 (in PDF)