Mayor Adams, DCLA Commissioner Cumbo Award Nearly $60 Million to Over 1,000 Nonprofits Through Cultural Development Fund, Largest Fund Investment in City History

February 18, 2025

Funding Will Bolster Cultural Economy Across Five Boroughs, Including Theater, Film, Dance, Music, Visual Arts, and More 

Additional Investments Will Support Individual Artists and Smaller Nonprofits, People With Disabilities, English Language Learners, and More

Full List of Grantees Available Online

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) Commissioner Laurie Cumbo today announced a record $59.3 million in Cultural Development Fund (CDF) grants to 1,078 cultural organizations across the five boroughs. The funding — which is awarded annually by DCLA using a competitive, peer-evaluated grant process — includes $51.9 million from the New York City Mayor’s Office and $7.4 million from members of the New York City Council. The Adams administration previously broke the record for the largest-ever city investment through the CDF in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023. Funding from the CDF supports a broad range of artistic, cultural, and historic organizations across New York City, helping support good-paying jobs and strengthening the city’s flourishing cultural sector. Additionally, this year’s CDF includes investments to create a more inclusive cultural sector, as funding will support people who speak a language other than English, people with disabilities, vulnerable populations, and more.  

“To make New York City the best place to raise a family, we need good-paying jobs and vibrant cultural organizations; these grants will help us support both by bolstering our museums, music venues, and much more,” said Mayor Adams. “Our administration has already shattered the record for the most jobs in city history and made the largest ever investment in the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. With the record grant money announced today for our cultural organizations, we are adding another exciting milestone to that list and strengthening our city’s position as the cultural capital of the globe.” 

“Simply put, there is no New York City without the cultural sector that strengthens our communities, drives our economy, and makes us the creative capital of the world. And the work that goes into making our cultural sector thrive starts with the 1,000+ nonprofits that we’re proud to support through the Cultural Development Fund,” said DCLA Commissioner Cumbo. “This year, we’re rolling out new reforms that will expand investments in low-income communities, we’re bringing back city support for cultural programming that break down barriers to access, we’re increasing support for individual artists, we’re offering greater stability to the groups who rely on our funding to deliver cultural programs for New Yorkers — and we’re doing it all with a record investment from the city, thanks to Mayor Adams and our partners on the City Council. Congratulations to all of this year’s CDF recipients!”

The CDF is DCLA’s competitive, peer-evaluated grant process that supports a broad, multidisciplinary group of diverse nonprofit organizations for their cultural services to city residents. Funding from the CDF helps cultural organizations open up new exhibitions, support more artists, expand educational programming, and more. A total of 1,078 cultural organizations were awarded funding in this year’s cycle, including 602 groups that received baseline funding as part of a multi-year award. Additionally, 73 percent of eligible applicants received an award through this year’s CDF. Historically, multi-year awards were only available to larger organizations. In order to create a more equitable, accountable, and sustainable CDF process, the Adams administration implemented new reforms in FY22 to allow groups of all budget sizes to receive multi-year awards.  

Additionally, this year’s CDF both restored and expanded investments in several initiatives to help create a more inclusive cultural sector, including:

• The Language Access Fund: Through this fund, 64 organizations will receive an additional $10,000 each in grant funding to bring more cultural programming to non-English speakers, multilingual language learners (MLLs), and English language learners (ELLs). That funding will support bilingual and multilingual programming, work created and presented in languages other than English, K-12 arts education opportunities for MLLs and ELLs, and translation of cultural programming into multiple languages.
• The Disability Forward Fund: Through this fund, 42 organizations will receive an additional $10,000 each in grant funding to deepen engagement of people with disabilities, including artists, cultural workers, and audience members; to support new work created by people with disabilities; to help connect people with disabilities to jobs in the cultural sector; and to promote successful models for engaging the disability community through cultural programming.
• Increase for Borough Arts Councils: Through the Greater New York Arts Development Fund (GNYADF), DCLA provides funding to local arts councils in each borough to distribute to individual artists and small nonprofits in their respective boroughs. This year, the GNYADF includes $3.4 million for distribution among the arts councils — a 15 percent increase over their FY24 allotment. This funding is aimed at expanding opportunities for local artists so they can afford to continue to live and work in New York City, helping to fuel creativity and cultural enrichment in every corner of the city.
• CDF Equity Fund: Through this fund, 264 organizations operating in areas of New York City with the lowest median incomes and highest poverty rates will receive a total of $2 million in additional funding on top of their CDF awards, helping ensure that public resources are directed to areas of the city where they are needed most and making a major investment in the overall wellbeing and vibrancy of some of New York’s most vulnerable communities.
• Additional Support for Completing Capital Projects: New facilities often require cultural organizations to ramp up operations, threatening their financial health and stability. As part of the CDF Equity Fund, several organizations received additional funding tied to the completion of major capital projects to avoid financial disruption and support groups as they bring new facilities online. Recipients of this support include the Bushwick Starr, the Frick Collection, La MaMa Experimental Theater Club, and the Louis Armstrong House Museum, all of which have completed major capital expansion projects.
• CDF Safety Net Funding: Last year, the Adams administration adopted a new rule to create a CDF Safety Net and help cultural organizations avoid significant disruptions in their funding following a loss of CDF funding. The CDF Safety Net will provide a total of $720,000 to applicants that have received CDF baseline awards in six consecutive prior fiscal years but were denied funding in the FY25 application cycle. Following the loss of previously stable funding, the CDF Safety Net provides these longtime grantees a buffer to avoid significant disruption of their programming and find new sources to support their operations. 

The Adams administration has prioritized supporting cultural institutions across the five boroughs. In addition to a record $254 million investment in the city's cultural sector through DCLA as part of the FY25 budget, the Adams administration broke ground on renovations, expansions, and other city-supported capital projects at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Weeksville Heritage Center, The Bronx Museum, Nuyorican Poets Café, and more in 2024. Additionally, last year, the Adams administration announced more than $52 million in grants for 1,031 cultural organizations through its annual Cultural Development Fund grant making program and diverted over 5.9 million pounds of materials from landfill, making them available to educators, nonprofits, and artists through its Materials for the Arts program free of charge. 

Finally, to bolster the city’s cultural economy and support more cultural organizations, Mayor Adams announced in his 2025 State of the City address that New York City will invest more resources into the Cultural Institutions Group (CIG), adding up to five additional organizations in order to ensure that the CIG network reflects the rich diversity of the city’s creative sector.  

“New York’s diverse cultural institutions define the very character of our city. People bring their unique backgrounds, experiences, and heritage to produce world class art and culture in every form. I am proud of my work to support these institutions, passing a budget in Albany with $162 million in grants for the arts,” said New York State Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar. “Supporting these organizations allows our arts and culture to flourish and is also a wise investment: each dollar in funding generates $8 in economic activity. Today, we celebrate an unprecedented $59.3 million investment in 1,078 organizations across all five boroughs, taking our arts scene to new heights. This year’s grants also provide unprecedented inclusivity, targeting investments in organizations whose leadership comes from underrepresented communities. Together, we will always uplift our arts and culture, a cornerstone of what makes us the greatest city in the world.” 

“Being able to enjoy the visual and performing arts offered by a widely diverse array of cultural institutions is one of the things that makes living and visiting Queens so special,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. “But many of these offerings would not be available to us without the financial support that many cultural institutions receive from the Cultural Development Fund. That's why I'm thrilled cultural institutions received a record amount of $59.3 million in CDF grants this fiscal year. We must always make sure these institutions have the resources they need to guarantee that Queens and all of New York City remain leaders in the cultural world.”

“Our diverse cultural sector is an enormous part of what sets our city apart from all others. I’m thrilled to see the city invest in these organizations at such a record-breaking level,” said Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine. “Cultural development that centers inclusivity and equity is a win for every New Yorker.”

“This investment empowers our organization and the Bronx community at large, leading to economic growth, cultural enrichment, and a stronger sense of belonging,” said Viviana Bianchi, executive director, Bronx Council on the Arts. “By prioritizing the arts, we are building a vibrant future where creativity thrives, nurturing the very soul of our community.” 

“We’re thrilled that Mayor Adams, through the Cultural Development Fund, is deepening New York City's investment in arts and culture. New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is excited to once again administer the Queens Arts Fund, which not only encourages and supports the work of artists, collectives, and organizations but brings a range of exciting programming to neighborhoods throughout Queens,” said Michael Royce, CEO, NYFA. “We look forward to awarding more grants in FY25, expanding on the impact of this vital program.” 

“In our longstanding partnership with DCLA, the Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC) has been proud to serve Brooklyn’s dynamic arts community. This year, we are particularly thrilled by the increased support from the city, which directly reflects the city’s unwavering commitment to the revitalization of New York City’s creative ecosystem. This increased funding ensures that Brooklyn’s arts organizations and individual artists will continue to receive the resources they need to thrive,” said Rasu Jilani, executive director, Brooklyn Arts Council. “At a time when arts funding is facing cuts across the nation, the city’s decision to bolster its investment in Brooklyn signals a steadfast dedication to supporting the welfare of our creative community. It is a powerful symbol that New York City values its artists and cultural institutions, and we are proud to partner with the commissioner via DCLA in ensuring that the arts continue to flourish in Brooklyn and beyond, securing NYC’s place as the unrivaled hub of creativity.”

“As an artist myself and as the Interim president & CEO of Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, I know firsthand how vital this support is for the artists we serve in Manhattan and across New York City. At a time when private foundations and institutions are pulling back from funding artist service organizations, DCLA’s decision to increase allocations to local arts councils is not just important — it’s essential,” said Moe Yousuf, interim president & CEO, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. “For many artists, these grants are their first source of support, providing direct funding, professional development, and the resources needed to sustain and grow their practice. DCLA recognizes that arts councils have deep, tangible ties to local artists and communities and play an essential role in ensuring resources reach those who need them most. This investment strengthens the ecosystem that allows artists to thrive, creates more opportunities for sustainable careers, and deepens the cultural vibrancy of the communities we serve.”

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