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CAH presses council to allow use of fund balance as FY27 budget shrinks
Summary
The District of Columbia Commission on the Arts and Humanities warned April 20 that a proposed FY27 budget tied to falling sales-tax projections would reduce the agency’s resources and urged council to permit use of the agency’s fund balance to stabilize grants and operations.
The District of Columbia Commission on the Arts and Humanities told the public April 20 it will advocate that the Council allow the agency to use its fund balance to blunt a proposed FY27 revenue-driven budget cut.
Executive Director Aaron Meyers said the mayor’s proposed FY27 figure—discussed in the meeting as $3,986,443—reflects a reduction in projected sales-tax revenue that would shrink the agency’s budget compared with FY26. Meyers said CAH’s budget is formulated from a portion of the city’s sales tax and that recent federal and local revenue changes have produced “downward revenue projections.” He said the commission will ask council to allow use of the agency’s fund balance and to remove a previously enacted 102% growth cap on CAH’s budget so the agency can maintain grant awards and necessary administrative support.
“With whatever we are given in our budget, we will utilize it to support, uplift, and stabilize the creative ecosystem in both a fair and equitable way,” Meyers said, adding that CAH will place a data sheet on its website showing ward-level grant impact and that commissioners and staff will meet to review those figures.
Commissioners and staff described the fund balance as CAH’s primary stabilizing mechanism. Brandon Saers, resource operations manager, presented midyear numbers showing the agency had expended about 48% of a roughly $45.7 million FY26 budget and identified remaining contractual and grant balances the agency expects to manage through reprogramming. Commissioners urged the public to testify at CAH’s FY27 budget oversight hearing, scheduled for May 6, 2026, at 9:00 a.m.
CAH officials framed the appeal to council as a choice about preserving the continuity of grants and programs during a period of fiscal contraction. Meyers said that, if council approves use of the fund balance, “it will ensure the decreased budget will not have as great a negative impact on the agency’s ability to both award grants and both the size and quantity as the year before.”
The agency also announced it will publish data showing how grant dollars have been distributed by ward and encouraged constituents to contact staff if they wish to discuss budget impacts. The commission emphasized that any removal of the fund-balance safeguard would require a council vote.
The commission did not report a final council decision at the April 20 meeting; CAH staff urged residents and grantees to provide testimony and contact council members in advance of the May hearing.
