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Applying


The Fiscal Year 2025 Cultural Development Fund (CDF) application is closed.

The submission deadline was Thursday, June 27, 2024 at 5:00pm (ET). The next FY26 CDF application will be available in 2025.

 

CDF Panelists

DCLA is currently seeking panelists to serve for the FY25 CDF review period. To learn more about the panelist application process as well as how to serve, please click here.


Eligibility Requirements

If you have questions about your organization’s eligibility, please take this quick and easy online Eligibility Quiz.

The FY25 CDF application cycle closed on June 27, 2024. The FY26 application will be available in 2024 for activities taking place between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026. In the interim, interested organizations may register for a Cultural Affairs account and read the CDF Guidelines. Any arts or cultural organization interested in applying for a Fiscal Year 2026 grant from the Department of Cultural Affairs

  • Be either a nonprofit arts or cultural organization, or a nonprofit organization that has an arts or culture component in its broader mission.
  • Demonstrate successful delivery of arts and cultural services in New York City for the last two consecutive years.
  • Be based in New York City and able to demonstrate administrative and programmatic operations within any of the five boroughs of New York City. Your administrative address is determined by your IRS 990, 501(c)(3) letter, and other publicly available information.
  • Possess a unique Federal Employee Identification Number (EIN).
  • Be certified as tax exempt under Internal Revenue Service Code Section 501(c)(3); or be an incorporated nonprofit that uses a DCLA pre-approved, New York State incorporated tax-exempt fiscal sponsor. Only nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply, regardless of whether they use a fiscal sponsor.  Limited Liability Companies, Benefit corporations, Limited Partnerships, S corportations, and individual artists are not eligible to apply.  
  • Be incorporated in New York State as a not-for-profit organization no later than the organization’s fiscal year 2023.

The following entities are not eligible to receive CDF funds:

  • Unincorporated individual artists or artist collectives
  • Limited Liability Companies, Benefit Corporations, Limited Partnerships
  • Parent Teacher associations or organizations
  • Nonprofit organizations without IRS 501(c)3 tax exempt status do not utilize an eligible fiscal sponsor.  
  • Nonprofit organizations with chapters, offices, branches, or general activity in New York City but that are administratively based outside of New York City
  • Members of DCLA’s Cultural Institutions Group
  • Programs of City, State or Federal agencies
  • Libraries or degree-granting institutions, including schools, colleges, and universities; organizations that are affiliated with such institutions should contact DCLA prior to applying to determine eligibility.
  • Organizations without a history of providing services in arts and culture as well as related income and expenses in the last two years.
  • Organizations that are not in compliance with DCLA’s previous grant reporting requirements

To receive funds, grantees must be compliant with annual State and Federal filing requirements for nonprofit organizations, including New York State Charities Bureau filings as a non-profit organization. 


Application Resources

Review the FY25 CDF materials below for reference:



Support and Questions

For questions about the CDF guidelines, instructions or application content, contact your organization’s program officer directly via email.  New applicants, and those who do not have a program officer, may contact the Department of Cultural Affairs’ Program Services Help Desk at cdfhelpdesk@culture.nyc.gov. New applicants will be assigned a program officer after the application period closes

If you are experiencing technical issues with the application portal, submit the IT support form.  

 

Application Webinars

DCLA hosted four CDF application webinars in advance of the FY25 application deadline. These tutorials give applicants the opportunity to ask questions of DCLA staff and prepare a competitive CDF application.  

 

Accessibility

For questions regarding accessibility or requests for an accommodation, please contact Sara Cobb, DCLA’s Disability Service Facilitator, at disabilityfacilitator@culture.nyc.gov.

 

Register or Log in to an Account


FY24 CDF Grantees

Notification of the outcome of the FY24 CDF application process was sent to all applicants. To access your FY24 CDF notification documents, please log in to your organizations’ account in the DCLA grant portal, click the FY24 CDF tile -then click “View/Download” section, which is, accessible via the Dashboard in the DCLA portal.

The Fiscal 2024 funding requirements for all CDF grantees is available; please download this PDF for instructions on returning your grant agreement, and other compliance requirements.