The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (CAH) is soliciting applications from qualified individual artists or organizations for its Fiscal Year 2024 Public Art Building Communities Grant Program (PABC).
Donor Name: DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (CAH)
State: District of Columbia
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 07/17/2023
Size of the Grant: up to $150,000
Grant Duration: 1 year
Details:
The Public Art Building Communities (PABC) grant program supports individual artists and organizations in their effort to design, fabricate and install new permanent or temporary works of public art that connect artists (and their artwork) with communities.
For the purposes of this grant, public art is defined as artwork in a variety of media sited and installed onto locations that are accessible to the public (without cost) and in exterior (outdoor) locations free of encumbrances. Artwork must be sited and installed onto locations that are accessible and viewable from public space. Materials should be sustainable, low maintenance and protected by graffiti resistance coatings. Permanent public art projects are defined as existing for a duration of more than two (2) years without a deinstallation plan. Works must require minimal routine maintenance. Temporary public art projects are defined as existing for less than two (2) years with a deinstallation plan.
Examples of Public Art include, but are not limited to sculptures, mosaics, artistic streetscapes, murals, painting in outdoor plazas, mixed media, paving pattern, media/digital installations, landscape designed projects, custom benches, stained glass installations, and artistic arches, gates, or railings.
Goals
By making its PABC grant awards, CAH endeavors to:
- Encourage the creation and installation of original high-quality public art works within the District of Columbia.
- Develop meaningful opportunities to connect artists to communities.
- Provide exposure and participation to the community in the public art making process.
- Further learning or discovery opportunities that may be present through public art installations.
- Support the creation of public art by DC resident artists.
- Promote robust and diverse artistic expressions that resonate with residents of the District of Columbia.
- Contribute to the District of Columbia’s public art collection in the built environment.
Funding Information
- Individuals: up to $75,000
- Organizations: up to $125,000
- Business Improvement Districts (BIDs): up to $150,000
Project Period
CAH grant funds must be spent within CAH’s Fiscal Year 2024 (October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2024).
Successful Applications
Successful PABC applicants shall:
- Present a visionary idea that represents a strategic approach to create a transformative impact on the current public art and cultural landscape of the District of Columbia.
- Comprehensively address each aspect of the project’s design specifications, material selection, fabrication, installation, and maintenance processes (and, when appropriate, de-installation).
- Detail and clearly identify the proposed project’s budget (indicating all revenue and expense categories) and demonstrate effective fiscal management through narrative or support materials.
- Describe the project’s implementation schedule and detail the specific execution logistics necessary to support a successfully complete project, including fabrication and installation methods plans.
- Applications with separate unique project sites and artists must have budgets and implementation schedules associated with each unique site as noted above.
- Articulate the project’s community engagement methods and efforts.
- Be complete with detailed responses to application questions, mandatory documents submitted, and materials included (uploaded) by the applications deadline.
Eligibility Criteria
Individuals must (at the time of application):
- Be experienced artists or arts-related professionals (e.g., presenters, producers, educators), over the age of 18.
- Maintain residency in the District of Columbia throughout the grant period.
- Be in good standing with CAH. Applicants with incomplete or delinquent reports from any prior funding program, as of October 15, 2022 (or otherwise as determined by CAH), are ineligible to receive additional funds from CAH in FY 2024.
Organizations must (at the time of application):
- 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; or be a recognized District of Columbia Business Improvement District (BID).
- 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).
- Ensure that at least fifty-one percent (51%) of the organization’s activities occur within the District of Columbia.
- Have an active Board of Directors.
- Demonstrate a partnership with a visual artist to design, fabricate and install the proposed application work-of-art in a public space.
- Obtain certification of “Citywide Clean Hands” (CCH) from the District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue (see page 15).
- Be in “good standing” with CAH. Note: a CAH grant applicant that has failed, as of October 15, 2022, to comply with all applicable CAH-related mandates (e.g., failed to submit to CAH required reports related to prior CAH funding), is not in “good standing” with CAH and, accordingly, is ineligible to receive additional funds from CAH in FY2024).
- Have a principal business office address that is located in the District of Columbia, subject to on-site visit. (Note: CAH does not accept post office boxes or the addresses of board members or volunteers as evidence of the principal business address).
For more information, visit PABC.
