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Applying


The Fiscal Year 2026 Cultural Development Fund application is now closed.

The Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) Fiscal year 2026 (FY26) deadline to submit a CDF application for New York City not-for-profit arts and cultural organizations was Thursday, May 8, 2025, at 5pm (ET). Thank you to all who submitted. Applications for Fiscal Year 2027 will be available in 2026. Please refer to this page for updates.

Please also make certain your organizational account in the grant portal is current. Instructions on how to access your account information as well as how to add new users to your account are available in the CDF registration help guide: CDF registration help guide. 

 

CDF Panelists

DCLA is currently seeking panelists to serve for the FY26 CDF review period. Find out more information. 

 

Eligibility Requirements

For Fiscal year 2026, an eligible organization must: 

  • Be either (a) a nonprofit arts or cultural organization, or (b) 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 primarily determined by the address listed on your IRS 990 for the fiscal year ending in 2023, with the organization’s 501(c)(3) letter, and other publicly available information also taken into consideration.
  • 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 corporations, individual artists, and unincorporated artist collectives 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:

  • Individual artists or unincorporated artist collectives.
  • Limited Liability Companies, Benefit Corporations, Limited Partnerships, S Corporations, or Unincorporated Organizations.
  • Parent Teacher associations or organizations.
  • Nonprofit organizations without IRS 501(c)3 tax exempt status that 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, including Component Units of the City of New York.
  • Programs of, or branches of, the New York Public Library system, the Brooklyn Public Library system, and the Queens Public Library system.
  • 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 in New York City.
  • Organizations that have previously received CDF funds but have failed to comply with DCLA’s grant reporting requirements at any time in the past five fiscal years.

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


Application Templates

Download and complete the templates below if our Guidelines indicate that you’re required to upload them to your online application.


Support and Questions

For questions contact your organization’s program officer directly via email.  Prospective 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.

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

 

Application Webinars

Each year DCLA hosts a number of CDF application webinars. These tutorials give applicants the opportunity to ask questions of DCLA staff and prepare a competitive CDF application. 

The first FY26 webinar that took place on April 9, 2025 was recorded, captioned, and can be accessed on our YouTube page at the following location: FY26 Cultural Development Fund Application Webinar

 

Accessibility

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

 

Register or Log in to an Account


 FY 25 CDF Grantees

Notification of the outcome of last year’s FY25 CDF application process has been sent to all applicants. Please log in to the CDF web portal and click “View/Download” section of your FY25 CDF Grant Tile, accessible via the Dashboard in the DCLA portal, to access your FY25 CDF notification documents.

Please review the Fiscal 2025 funding requirements for all CDF grantees; download this PDF for instructions on returning your grant agreement, and other compliance requirements. Please log in to your account via the CDF web portal and upload all documents via the “Payment Checklist” section of your FY25 CDF Grant Tile.  All required FY25 CDF Grant Materials must be submitted as soon as possible.

To assist grantees with navigating the CDF funding requirements, we have prepared this video (https://youtu.be/fjBtWNm_mic). We encourage FY25 CDF grantees to view the recording for helpful details on submitting the required CDF grant paperwork and other compliance items necessary to receive an initial payment.