City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs Grants

About the role

The City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) offers NEAR/CO‑UP residency‑based grant programs that support artists in delivering community‑based, participatory projects. NEAR (Neighborhood Engagement Artist Residency) grants are for freelance, independent artists; CO‑UP (Creative Optimism – Uplifting Promises) grants are for social‑justice nonprofit organizations. The programs place residencies in self‑selected non‑arts venues throughout Los Angeles — such as social service centers, senior centers, community centers, libraries, youth centers, rehabilitation centers, health care facilities, hotels, malls, science/research facilities, transit centers, and faith‑based organizations (provided the project is not primarily religious). Goals include supplying creative arts resources to host organizations, sponsoring multi‑session residencies by qualified teaching‑artists, enabling hosts with little or no arts programming to test or develop new services, and positioning arts activities in organizations seeking to integrate an artist‑employee or new program branch into core services.

Responsibilities

• Develop a detailed business plan for a Los Angeles City residency project.
• Allocate a minimum of 200 hours to planning and direct service within a single council district.
• Deliver at least eleven (11) workshops, each consistently attended by approximately 20 participants.
• Produce at least one public culminating event with a minimum attendance of forty (40) people.
• Ensure workshops and the culminating event are free or low‑cost to the public.
• Identify a primary venue and up to two secondary venue choices (same or different districts), providing for each: venue name, address, City Council District, contact person name, and contact person title.
• Obtain letters of support from the proposed venue(s) — at least two letters (one primary and one backup) — to demonstrate partnership with an actively involved host organization.
• Create a timeline/work plan that evolves toward project goals, including approximately 40 hours allocated for grant administration, project marketing, and networking activities.
• Prepare a budget that shows how the proposed activities will be carried out with the grant funds (and any optional/match funding the applicant wishes to secure).

Requirements

• NEAR applicants must be freelance, independent artists.
• CO‑UP applicants must be social‑justice nonprofit organizations that spend 20 % or more of their resources (staff time or funding) on advocacy for a specific humanitarian change (e.g., environmental justice, human rights, civil rights). The organization's mission statement must explicitly name the inequities it aims to overcome.
• The teaching‑artist proposed for a CO‑UP residency must not already be employed by or affiliated with the same social‑justice organization performing the proposed or other services.
• For all proposals, submit a prioritized list of residency site(s): one primary choice and up to two secondary choices, each listed with venue name, address, City Council District, contact person name, and contact person title.
• Include at least two letters of support from the proposed venue(s) (one primary and one backup).
• Demonstrate ability to carry out the project within the stipulated budget (NEAR: up to $12,000; CO‑UP: $15,000 — $12,000 to the artist, $3,000 to the nonprofit for administrative costs), with optional/match funding welcome if the applicant or host organization has a fundraising history.
• Projects must be thematically appropriate for non‑arts venues; DCA does not fund proposals that are primarily religious in nature unless a special case shows the artistic services are multi‑denominational.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to manage community‑based programs and participatory workshops.
• Experience developing realistic business plans and budgets for arts projects.
• Skill in designing educational, interactive workshops that engage diverse audiences.
• Capacity to coordinate with host organizations, secure letters of support, and manage site logistics.
• Experience with grant administration, marketing, and networking (approximately 40 hours recommended).

Benefits

• NEAR grants provide up to $12,000 to cover project costs.
• CO‑UP grants provide $15,000 total — $12,000 allocated to the teaching artist and $3,000 to the social‑justice nonprofit for administrative expenses.
• Funding enables free or low‑cost workshops and a public culminating event, expanding access to underserved communities.
• Host organizations gain opportunities to test or develop new arts services and envision integration of an artist‑employee or new program branch into core operations.
• Artists and organizations can forge new collaborations with local arts organizations or community partners.

Pay

NEAR: $12,000 grant award. CO‑UP: $15,000 grant award ($12,000 to the teaching artist, $3,000 to the social‑justice nonprofit for administrative costs).

Schedule

Applicants should develop a timeline/work plan that outlines the 200 hours of planning and direct service, the eleven workshops, the culminating event, and an additional approximately 40 hours for grant administration, project marketing, and networking activities.