NYC Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) announced Friday, Feb. 27, that it is distributing $74.3 million in grants for 1,171 cultural organizations across New York City through the agency’s fiscal year 2026 Cultural Development Fund (CDF). DCLA officials said the FY26 awards represent the largest-ever funding allocation from the CDF and the most-ever grantee organizations.

 

They said more than half of the recipient organizations are receiving funding as part of a multi-year award cycle following reforms that they said have expanded eligibility for multi-year grants to all organizations, offering greater stability in funding for grantees.

 

DCLA officials said this year’s CDF also maintains a 15% increase in funding for the city’s borough arts councils, which supports individual artists, collectives, and smaller organizations; support for the Language Access Fund, Disability Forward Fund, and Equity Fund to foster greater equity and access throughout the cultural sector, along with discretionary funding from the City Council.

 

They said with more than 84% of applicants receiving awards, DCLA continues to build on what they described as a commitment to leveraging public funding in support of the broadest, most equitable group of cultural organizations possible.

 

“New York City’s cultural community brings meaningful, affordable, and accessible cultural programs to every corner of the five boroughs,” said DCLA Assistant Commissioner for Program Services Audrey St. Clair.

 

“With this historic investment through our Cultural Development Fund, we’re proud to support and partner with more than 1,000 cultural nonprofits citywide, working across disciplines, communities, and geographies, to lift up the creative sector that is so vital to our city,” St. Clair said. “Art and culture can change lives, and that’s something every New Yorker deserves to experience.”

 

Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker Nantasha Williams, chair of the committee on cultural affairs, libraries and international relations, said the “historic” investment reflected the central role arts and culture play in New York City’s identity and economic vitality, and invested in the artists, administrators, and cultural workers who she said keep the City’s communities vibrant and connected.

 

“The fact that the overwhelming majority of grantees offer free or subsidized programming underscores the importance of public funding in keeping cultural access affordable and accessible for New Yorkers,” Williams said. “As chair, I remain committed to ensuring that our funding structures are transparent, stable, and responsive to the realities organizations face on the ground. Sustained investment in this sector is essential to preserving a cultural landscape that is diverse, community-rooted, and reflective of every neighborhood across our city.”

 

DCLA officials said the FY26 CDF integrates a number of initiatives aimed at fostering greater equity, access, and sustainability for the city’s cultural sector, including the following:

 

• Multi-year awards DCLA officials said the CDF has continued to offer expanded eligibility for multi-year awards from the agency, adding that previously, only organizations with larger budgets were eligible. They said more than half of this year’s CDF grantees, 602 in all, are in a multi-year award cycle, providing this long-term, stable source of support to more groups across the city.
• The Disability Forward Fund (DFF)  They said this fund supports substantive projects that engage people with disabilities as artists, cultural workers, and audience members, adding that 45 CDF grantees received an additional $10,000 added to their award as part of the DFF.
• The Language Access Fund (LAF) DCLA officials said this fund supports substantive engagement with audiences whose primary language is not English, as well as Multilingual Language Learners (MLLs)/English Language Learners (ELLs). They said 65 CDF grantees received an additional $10,000 added to their award as part of the LAF.
• CDF Equity Fund They said this fund provides additional support to cultural nonprofits located in communities with the city’s lowest median incomes and highest poverty rates. DCLA officials said research has shown that the presence of cultural assets correlates with better outcomes in public health, education, and safety, making these investments part of a broader strategy to make additional investments in culture in underserved communities. They added that 283 CDF grantees located in 24 neighborhoods across the city received $2.1 million in additional funding as part of this year’s Equity Fund.
• CDF Safety Net: They said that FY26 CDF also includes the second year of Safety Net Funding, which offers continued support to longtime grantees who aren’t awarded a CDF baseline grant. DCLA officials said this reduces major interruptions and impacts to their programming, and added that 60 groups in all received CDF Safety Net funding this year.
• Increase for local arts councils: They said that for the second year in a row, DCLA provided additional funding to local arts councils, which is in turn distributed funding to artists, collectives, and small arts groups in all five boroughs. DCLA officials said the $3.4 million awarded to the five re-grant partners maintains the FY25 levels and represents a 15% increase over their FY24 awards.

 

DCLA officials said formal award notifications were sent to FY26 CDF grantees in December 2025. They said the application for the FY27 cycle of the CDF opened on Feb. 23, and applications are due in early April. Groups interested in applying can learn more on DCLA’s website.

 

According to DCLA officials, the department is dedicated to supporting and strengthening New York City’s vibrant cultural life, City officials said. They said the department works to promote and advocate for quality arts programming and to articulate the contribution made by the cultural community to the City’s vitality. They said the department represents and serves nonprofit cultural organizations involved in the visual, literary, and performing arts; public-oriented science and humanities institutions.

 

They said this includes zoos, botanical gardens, and historic and preservation societies; and creative artists at all skill levels who live and work within the City’s five boroughs. They said DCLA also provides donated materials for arts programs offered by the public schools and cultural and social service groups, and commissions permanent works of public art at City-funded construction projects throughout the five boroughs. For more information visit www.nyc.gov/culture.

 

A full list of the Fiscal Year 2026 Cultural Development Fund is available here.