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Commission approves Fresh Paint DC mural grants, allocates $120,000
Summary
The commission voted April 20 to fund four $30,000 Fresh Paint DC mural grants (total $120,000), selecting finalists from a competitive pool and directing staff to match artists with sites and community partners.
The District of Columbia Commission on the Arts and Humanities unanimously approved $120,000 in funding April 20 for Fresh Paint DC, a new individual-artist mural program that will award four grants of $30,000 each.
Public art coordinator Dearra Darden described Fresh Paint DC as a new FY26 initiative to “fund local artists to install original murals in accessible public spaces within the district.” Program partners included Uptown Community Initiative, B Street Main Street and the Downtown BID; site areas under consideration include Georgia Avenue, Minnesota Avenue NE, Chinatown and other corridors. The first cycle drew 44 submissions with 34 eligible for review and a competitive panel scored the top finalists between 91 and 91.5 points.
“Each finalist will be matched with their site and the community partner and from there they’ll begin to work on the design and installation of the selected mural,” Darden said. The commission read and adopted a resolution approving the funding recommendation and recorded an affirmative roll-call vote by commissioners, after which Chair Reggie Van Lee declared the resolution passed.
The commission’s public-art staff said site confirmation is ongoing and that awardees will proceed to design work with community partners. Darden said the program aims to strengthen community identity, expand public access to art and provide educational opportunities tied to the murals.
CAH staff also noted that Submittable, the agency’s new grant-management platform, was used for the Fresh Paint DC application process and that a set of virtual workshops and panel feedback were recorded for applicants.
The resolution and funding recommendation will be reflected in CAH’s grant paperwork and program timelines; staff will continue outreach and site confirmation before installation schedules are announced.
