The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (CAH) is soliciting applications from qualified arts, humanities, or arts education for its 2026 General Operating Support Grant Program (GOS).
Donor Name: DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (CAH)
State: District of Columbia
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 04/22/2025
Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
The General Operating Support Grant Program (GOS) offers general operating support to non-profit arts, humanities, and arts education organizations whose primary mission focus is in one or more arts or humanities disciplines. The mission, as submitted on the organization’s most-recent IRS Form 990, should include the word(s) arts, humanities, and/or arts or humanities discipline. More than 51% of both the organization’s previous year’s cash expenses and programming/services must be devoted to the arts and humanities and/or arts education.
GOS applicants must demonstrate the ways in which their ongoing programming aligns with the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (CAH) goal to encourage diverse artistic expressions and learning opportunities, so that all District of Columbia residents and visitors may experience the rich culture of the city. Successful GOS applications must clearly detail their organization’s outstanding leadership and vision, history of arts/humanities programming and strong track record of broad and inclusive community engagement.
Goals
By making its GOS grant awards, CAH endeavors to:
- Ensure District residents are engaged in a diverse array of accessible arts, humanities, and arts education programming and services
- Encourage District arts and humanities organizations to utilize an equitable lens in the creation of their programming and services for their staff/board and audiences
- Enhance the capacity and stability of arts, humanities, and arts education organizations.
- Strengthen resilience, cohesion, and community within the District’s arts and humanities Ecosystems.
Categories
GOS applications are reviewed in three (3) categories. Applicants have the opportunity to choose a category when they initiate an online application.
- GOS: Generalists
- This category consists of organizations whose primary purpose is to present and/or produce arts and humanities experiences for the residents of, and visitors to, the District of Columbia. It is also designed for organizations whose purpose is to provide arts and humanities programming to the children and youth of the District of Columbia.
- GOS: Service Organizations
- This category consists of organizations whose primary mission is to provide specialized services which can include professional development, technical assistance, networking opportunities, shared operational services, printed materials, and/or research to Washington, DC-based arts and humanities organizations.
- GOS: Capacity Building
- This category consists of organizations whose primary purpose is to present and/or produce arts and humanities experiences for the residents of, and visitors to, the District of Columbia. This cohort will support small arts and humanities organizations that have not previously been awarded a grant by CAH. Capacity Building needs can include but are not limited to staff training, longer organizational initiatives, and sector-strengthening that increase access and awareness of programs for the DC community. The cohort will not require a previous CAH award.
Funding Information
Grantees awarded between $12,500 and $200,000.
Grant Period
October 1, 2025 – September 30, 2026.
Allowable Cost
- Staff salaries of applicant organization
- Teaching artists/humanists, or consultants
- Travel and transportation directly related to the scope of the arts or humanities programming of the organization
- Materials, supplies, and equipment purchases that are directly related to the work of the organization
- Overhead, maintenance and administration of the organization’s programs
- Indirect Costs
- Operating Reserve: A percentage of the award may be used to create or expand a board approved operating reserve fund. This percentage may change from one fiscal year to the next and will be determined by CAH at the beginning of each fiscal year. Grantees are not required to have an operating reserve in place prior to receiving the FY 2026 GOS award but must submit a request to CAH before accepting the award. If a grantee has an operating reserve policy in place, the organization must be in good standing with its own policy. Grantees must present evidence of clearly articulated policies about the management of the reserve that have been formulated and ratified by its Board of Directors by the end of the GOS grant period.
Eligibility Requirements
Prior to submitting applications, applicants must meet all of the following eligibility requirements:
- Be incorporated as a nonprofit with a federally-designated tax exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) code, as evidenced by an IRS determination letter that is dated at least one year prior to the application deadline date
- Be registered with, and authorized to do business in, the District as either a “Domestic” entity (that is an entity that was incorporated in the District) or a “Foreign” entity (that is, an entity that was incorporated in another state)
- Have the primary mission focus in one or more of the arts or humanities disciplines referenced in the Guide to Grants, such that the majority of its activities and/or services are concentrated on and devoted to the arts and humanities and/or arts education
- Have received funding through a CAH competitive grant that was awarded in the District’s Fiscal Year 2024 (FY 2024) and/or Fiscal Year 2025 (FY 2025)
- Have received GOS funding for at least two of the previous five fiscal years. This requirement only applies to applicants seeking multi-year, Continuation Awards
- Ensure that at least fifty-one percent (51%) of the organization’s activities occur within the District of Columbia
- Ensure that one hundred percent (100%) of the grant award dollars are used to support District of Columbia personnel and programming
- Have an active Board of Directors
- Register and comply with the regulatory requirements of pertinent government agencies, including (but not limited to): Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP), DC Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO), DC Department of Employment Services (DOES), and the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
- Obtain certification of “Citywide Clean Hands” (CCH) from the District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue
- Be in “good standing” with CAH
- Note: a CAH grantee that has failed to comply with any CAH mandates (e.g. grant reporting), may not be in “good standing” with CAH and may be ineligible to receive additional funds.
- Have a principal business office address that is in the District of Columbia, subject to on-site visit. (Note: CAH will not allow post office boxes or the addresses of board members or volunteers as evidence of the principal business address)
For more information, visit CAH.
