About CDF / Registration

The Fiscal Year 2025 Cultural Development Fund application is closed. The next FY25 application will be available 2025.

CDF Panelists

DCLA is currently seeking panelists to serve for the FY25 CDF review period. To learn more about the panelist application process as well as how to serve, please click here.

About CDF

The NYC Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) is a mayoral agency charged with the administration of city funds in support of arts and culture throughout New York City’s five boroughs. The Cultural Development Fund (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. It is managed by the agency’s Program Services Unit. Annually, the CDF supports over 1,000 grantees for programmatic funding. On average, over 75% of applicants receive funding, which is provided by the Mayor and City Council. This process allows public funds to be widely distributed through every council district and in every cultural discipline.

The FY25 CDF application cycle closed on June 27, 2024. The FY26 application will be available in 2025 for activities taking place between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026. In the interim, interested organizations may register for a Cultural Affairs account and read the CDF Guidelines. Any arts or cultural organization interested in applying for a Fiscal Year 2026 grant from the Department of Cultural Affairs must:

• Be either a nonprofit arts or cultural organization, or a nonprofit organization that has an arts or culture component in its broader mission.
• Demonstrate successful delivery of arts and cultural services in New York City for the last two consecutive years.
• Be based in New York City and able to demonstrate administrative and programmatic operations within any of the five boroughs of New York City. Your administrative address is determined by your IRS 990, 501(c)(3) letter, and other publicly available information.
• Possess a unique Federal Employee Identification Number (EIN).
• Be certified as tax exempt under Internal Revenue Service Code Section 501(c)(3); or be an incorporated nonprofit that uses a DCLA pre-approved, New York State incorporated tax-exempt fiscal sponsor. Only nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply, regardless of whether they use a fiscal sponsor. Limited Liability Companies, Benefit corporations, Limited Partnerships, and individual artists are not eligible to apply. 
• Be incorporated in New York State as a nonprofit organization no later than the organization’s fiscal year 2023.

Registration

If you are an eligible arts or cultural organization and have not already registered for a Cultural Affairs Account, please complete the registration process. Please review the Registration Help Guide before beginning the registration process. Registering will also enable you to receive updates about our next CDF application.

REGISTER OR LOG IN TO AN ACCOUNT