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DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities adopts FY26 grant recommendations amid budget cuts
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Summary
The commission approved staff recommendations to allocate roughly $18.54 million for FY26 grants — including a reduced General Operating Support distribution and funding for individual fellowships and districtwide project grants — after hearing program presentations and a grants committee resolution.
The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities adopted its FY26 grant funding recommendations on Sept. 29, approving a staff proposal to distribute about $18,543,543 across a mix of general operating, project, capacity‑building and individual artist awards.
The decision followed hours of presentations from grant managers and committee chairs outlining how the agency would stretch a smaller budget. “The GOS line is, I would say, one of the most important grants — it does occupy a large portion of our budget, 50% to be exact,” Deputy Director David Markey told commissioners as he explained the agency’s funding bands and cohort structure. Staff recommended “Scenario 3,” which would fund 120 multi‑year applicants and 77 single‑year applicants at 85% of their FY25 awards and provide 15 lower‑scoring applicants reduced awards at 65% to bring total GOS and related grants within the FY26 allocation ($18,543,543), according to the presentation.
Why it matters: CAH managers said the FY26 proposals aim to preserve stability for organizations and artists while responding to a 10% agency budget decline between FY24 and FY26. Staff emphasized efforts to spread awards across disciplines, neighborhoods and cohorts, and to maintain the fellowship award amount for individual artists in a year of constrained funding.
What the commission approved: The resolution adopted by the full commission consolidated funding recommendations across multiple grant lines, including General Operating Support, capacity‑building grants (staff recommended funding 22 capacity‑building applicants at $15,000 each, totaling $330,000), Arts and Humanities Education Projects (AHIP), Projects, Events & Festivals (PEP) for organizations and individuals, field‑trip experiences grants, East Arts awards, and individual fellowships. Staff said the fellowship program represents the agency’s closest approximation to a stable income for practicing artists: “This is the closest thing that we have in Washington, DC to a universal basic income for artists,” Executive Director Karen Myers told the meeting.
Panel and scoring notes: Presenters described panel processes used to rank applicants and explained score‑based scaling (top scoring applicants receive a larger share of their request while awards step down by percentile bands). For example, AHIP applications had maximum awards of $30,000 and staff recommended funding 36 of 63 FY26 applicants at a funding rate of about 57%; PEFI individual project awards averaged approximately $6,197 under the FY26 proposal after budget adjustments.
Vote and next steps: The commission approved the grants package in a roll call/voice vote; the record shows one abstention. Commissioners and staff said they will post detailed award lists and next steps for grantees and noted that staff will transition to a new grant management system over the next six months with workshops for applicants and panelists.
What stays uncertain: Staff flagged continued pressure on agency resources and emphasized the importance of advocacy to the DC Council and mayoral offices to restore or grow CAH’s budget in future cycles. Director Karen Myers and grant managers told the commission they will follow up with groups seeking technical assistance on grant applications and that they intend to track award implementation and outreach next year.
The commission’s approvals set the FY26 grant architecture and gave staff authority to proceed with final award letters and disbursement plans. The grants committee recorded the resolution and a majority of commissioners voted in favor with one abstention.
