🎨📚🎵👩‍🎨✨ Welcome to the March edition of our newsletter, with a bunch of happenings and opportunities, including several CAH grant programs whose RFAs were released today!!

As we embark on this month filled with meaningful observances, we want to highlight the intersections of art, education, history, and culture. March brings a tapestry of celebrations including Arts in Education Month, Music in Our Schools Month, Women's History Month, as well as World Poetry Day and World Theatre Day.

So please join us as we continue to reflect on the rich tapestry of artistic expression and honor the diverse experiences & perspectives that shape our city and the world, this month and every month of the year.

• Open Grants Requests for Application
• Commission Meetings
• Legacy Exhibition Closing Reception
• Artomatic
• Words on Fire
• Wikipedia Edit-a-thon
• Serve DC Funding Alerts
• Congratulations to Sochietah Ung
• Grantee Happenings
• Mid Atlantic Art Programs
• Community Opportunities
• Resources
• Visit our eMuseum
• Update Your Profile

The General Operating Support (GOS) grant program offers general operating support to non-profit arts, humanities, and arts education organizations whose primary mission focus is in one or more arts or humanities disciplines. Eligible organizations are those whose primary mission focus is in one or more arts or humanities disciplines. The mission should include the word(s) arts, humanities, and/or arts or humanities discipline.

New this year!!

• A third application category for capacity building: This cohort will support small arts and humanities organizations that have not previously been awarded a grant by CAH
• Multi-year funding: To provide GOS organizations with greater stability and longer-term planning, a multiyear funding resource is being offered for fiscal years 2025 and 2026.  

Submission Deadline: 10 pm ET, Thursday, April 11, 2024

The East Arts (EA) grant program supports organizations that provide access to high-quality arts and humanities experiences for residents who reside in the NE and SE quadrants of the District of Columbia.

Submission Deadline: 10 pm ET, Thursday, April 11, 2024

The Projects, Events, or Festivals (PEF) program supports individuals and non-profit arts, humanities, arts education, and service organizations. Strong applicants showcase their contributions to DC as a world-class cultural capital.

Submission Deadline: 10 pm ET, Thursday, April 11, 2024

Our next Full Commission regular meeting will begin at 5:30 ET on Monday, March 18. Members of the public are invited to observe the meeting live online on CAH’s YouTube channel.

Members of the public may request three minutes to speak during the public comment period held at this meeting. Requests must be submitted by no later than Noon ET on Thursday, March 14. Written comments may also be submitted by no later than Noon ET on Thursday, March 14, as an alternative or in addition to spoken comments. Public comments, both spoken and written, will be included in the public record of the meeting.

This meeting is governed by the Open Meetings Act. Please address any questions or complaints arising under this meeting to the Office of Open Government at opengovoffice@dc.gov.

Join us beginning at 6 pm this evening in celebrating the end of the inaugural run of CAH’s Black History Month exhibition, Legacy: Civil Rights at 60.

This event will feature a panel discussion from 6:30 to 7:30 pm with Civil Rights leaders of today reflecting on the last six decades of direct action works since the 1964 passing of the Civil Rights Act.

Before and during the closing reception from 4 to 8 pm CAH is also excited to partner with HumanitiesDC’s Oral History Collaborative on a pop-up Story Booth in our 200 I (Eye) St. Community Room. Attendees will have the chance to share a short form story of protest or civic action from the last six decades of civil rights work.

Artomatic is back!! And we invite you to check out our FY24 Grantees participating

in this year’s event, which runs from March 8 through April 28.

This signature art event draws hundreds of artists and performers from throughout the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area for a seven-week free exhibition to celebrate the arts! Find out more information on their website.

Words on Fire (WOF) is an annual festival that includes DC’s Poetry Out Loud competition, a poetry slam, and a written poetry contest.

Poetry Out Loud is a national competition that seeks to foster the next generation of literary readers by capitalizing on the latest trends in poetry - recitation and performance. The program builds on the resurgence of the oral art form of poetry, as seen in the slam poetry and spoken word movements. The program invites these dynamic aspects into the classroom, where teachers engage students through classroom memorization, performances, and competition.

The CAH Student Poetry Slam and Written Poetry Contest presents original work by DC’s high school students. Winners for both competitions are announced at the Words on Fire festival.

We invite you to join us from 12:30 to 4:30 pm on Saturday, March 16 at the University of the District of Columbia's Theater of the Arts.

Did you know that only 19% of biographies in English-language Wikipedia are about women?

Join us from 2 to 5 pm on Tuesday, March 19 for a Women's History Month Wikipedia edit-a-thon. You can help to close this gender gap by creating and editing biographies about women and non-binary people with connections to the arts and humanities in DC. All are welcome and training will be provided for new Wikipedia editors.

This event is presented with support from Wikimedia DC.

The Funding Alert is a bi-weekly resource produced by Serve DC, the Mayor's Office of Volunteerism and Partnerships. The alert highlights grant opportunities and resources for community-based, faith-based, 501(c)(3) nonprofits, and District Government agencies. 

For Economic Development grants and opportunities, check out Obviously DC.

For all current District Government agency grant opportunities, visit the District Grants Clearinghouse.

Earlier this week, the National Endowment for the Arts announced the 2024 NEA National Heritage Fellows. Among them is Sochietah Ung, Cambodian Costume Maker and Dancer from Washington, DC.

With knowledge derived from his childhood in Cambodia, Sochietah Ung is a multitalented costume maker, dancer, teacher, choreographer, playwright, and producer. He passionately shares his skills across Cambodian communities nationwide and beyond.

“I am honored to announce the ten gifted recipients that have been named 2024 NEA National Heritage Fellows,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “Through their dedication to and generous stewardship of their traditions and cultures, these artists and culture bearers carry forward their knowledge and passion to future generations. They offer us the opportunity to see things from different perspectives, help us make sense of the world, and celebrate our rich collective heritage comprised of our diverse lived experiences.”

Join grantee Will Stephens and the rest of the DC Jazz Collective as they return to Marx Cafe every other month.

From 10 pm to Midnight, on Friday, March 8, 2024 they present “Seasonal Jazz Disorder”—featuring jazz standards and originals inspired by the seasons. With Tedd Baker (sax), Joe Herrera (trumpet), Oren Levine (keys), Zoe Jorgenson (bass), and Will Stephens (drums).

There is no cover for this series.

Installation view of new.now. (2024), Hamiltonian Artists, February 10–March 16, 2024. Photo: Vivian Marie Doering

new.now., on view until March 16 at Hamiltonian Artists.

new.now. features artworks that recontextualize cultural, religious, and political symbols and signifiers. Across painting, sculpture, photography, and game art, each artist conjures a distinctive visual language in which icons, objects, images, and materials are given new meaning.

Mark your calendars and register for the artist talk with the new 2023–25 Hamiltonian fellows: Ali Kaeini, Neha Misra, Hien Kat Nguyen, and Kat Thompson. 5 to 7 pm on Saturday, March 9.

FY24 Public Art Building Communities (PABC) Grantee, Ira Tattelman’s project FOUND is a cultural exchange between artists, Eckington residents, Washington, DC residents, and visitors who will be encouraged to come to Alethia Tanner Park (227 Harry Thomas Way, NE). During a series of workshops, they will create temporary, community-made, found-object sculptures in the park, to be displayed in Exhibits taking place two days in April.

The project explores and celebrates creativity and environmental concerns. Artist Ira Tattelman asks: “How do we strive for sustainability and ensure a greener future?" FOUND proposes to learn, recycle, connect, and reuse. Tattelman believes there are fun ways to innovate and adapt to the circular economy. This community engagement project has substantial benefits with waste reduction in celebration of Earth Day.

Learn improv at Project Create with a class taught by Washington Improv Theatre in April! These classes are FREE for East of the River residents of Ward 7 and 8 as well as members of the Project Create community. These classes will be held at the Project Create Arts Center at 2208 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE in Anacostia.

Improv for all: no matter who you are, you've got something to gain from taking Foundations of Improv. Meet people, gain poise, build your confidence, and express your creativity by learning the fundamental concepts of improvisation. It's the most fun you'll have all week.

ArtsCONNECT supports performing arts touring projects collaboratively developed by presenters working together in the mid-Atlantic region. 

The tours include performances as well as complementary engagement activities designed to create greater understanding or connections between artists, audiences, and communities. 

The deadline is March 7, 2024. 

The Special Presenter Initiatives provide additional opportunities for the support of small to mid-sized performing arts presenters in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, West Virginia, and Native nations that share this geography.  

Fee support is available for engagements of performing artists based anywhere worldwide. Engagements include performances as well as community activities that offer meaningful exchanges between touring artists and a presenter’s community. 

The deadline is March 14, 2024. 

The Mid Atlantic Tours program is a roster-based program for presenters in the mid-Atlantic region to receive up to 50% of the roster artist's artist fee plus up to $2,000 in other program expenses. The roster is live now.

Connect with a Tour Manager and complete a letter of agreement by March 28, 2024 to be considered for this program. 

For over 70 years, the Corcoran Women’s Committee (CWC) provided financial support for scholarships, outreach, and acquisitions for the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Corcoran College of Art and Design. With the Museum closed, the Women’s Committee is now focused on advancing our knowledge of, and support for, art and artists as well as local arts institutions. They are committed to the study of art and support for fine arts education in the Washington DC area. To that end, the Committee has established an annual grant program. Annual grants of up to $10,000 for art institutions and up to $3,000 for individual artists will be awarded to one or more eligible applicants.

The application deadline is March 15, 2024.

Applications for Theatre Washington’s Theatre Work Mentorship Program are now open. They are currently seeking interested mentees and mentors to join their next cohort, May 6 to August 23, 2024.

This program is for adult theatre-makers (18+) at any age and any stage in their career. They’ll pair mentees and mentors up by artistic interests and create meaningful connections in the Washington, DC-area theatre community.

If you are interested in joining this upcoming cohort, find more information and apply to be a mentor or mentee by March 15 on their website.

Join Artist Communities Alliance for a #ResidenciesConnect discussion on the intricacies of international artist residencies and how to better serve artists around the globe. With a focus on exploring universal access* within artist residency programs, this peer-to-peer presentation and conversation will delve into strategies, technologies, and systems that can support artists from diverse backgrounds to participate in residency programs around the globe – and strengthen artist residencies to better host them. 

This FREE #ResidenciesConnect event is open to leaders, administrators, staff, and volunteers from both emerging and established artist residency programs.

1 pm EST on Wednesday, March 20, 2024.

Smith Center for Healing and the Arts and the Inova Life with Cancer program are recruiting new team members for their Artists in Residence (AIR) Program, part of the Arts and Integrative Healing Program at Inova Schar Cancer. The AIR program serves five Inova locations: Inova Schar Cancer Fairfax, Loudoun Hospital, Fair Oaks Hospital, Mark Center (Alexandria) and Alexandria Hospital.

Applications are due March 20, 2024.

Sphinx is accepting session proposals and topics for SphinxConnect 2025!

Sessions at SphinxConnect are designed to accomplish three major goals: 

• Bring attention to key issues related to DEI in the classical music field. 
• Propose solutions to those challenges. 
• Highlight the people and institutions doing impactful work related to the session topic. 

Please submit your proposal or topic by 11:59 pm ET on Sunday, March 31, 2024.

AHCMC seeks a full-time Grants Manager to oversee AHCMC’s grantmaking program. If you are interested in the world of philanthropy and passionate about the arts + humanities, they want to hear from you!.

Compensation: Salary range $80,000 - $82,000. Exciting benefits package includes flextime, paid vacation, sick leave, health insurance, 403(b) plan, professional development, and a transportation allowance. No relocation allowance provided. AHCMC expects to fill this position by March 31, 2024.

Candid’s live and on-demand trainings, webinars, and other resources designed to improve your fundraising, overall sustainability, grantmaking, and transparency.

Check out these free trainings they're providing the month of March, which are all from 2 to 3:30 pm:

• Introduction to Foundation Directory - Tues, Mar 12
• Introduction to proposal writing - Thurs, Mar 14
• Introduction to measuring your impact - Tues, Mar 19
• The power and challenges of the Black-Led nonprofit - Wed, Mar 20
• Get your board fundraising - Thurs, Mar 21
• Introduction to project budgets - Tues, Mar 26
• Introduction to corporate giving - Thurs, Mar 28

This past Sunday, gallerist, curator, and art advisor Myrtis Bedolla brought her popular "Tea with Myrtis" event to the Smithsonian American Art Museum in this rich panel discussion. The series is inspired by a deep appreciation for the transformative power of art and a desire to create a space where meaningful conversations about contemporary art can thrive. A passionate leader and champion of promoting and collecting African American art, Bedolla engaged in a lively conversation with art collectors, scholars, and arts professionals.

Do you know the six core competencies of nonprofit chief executives?

Holding the chief executive accountable is a very critical board role. Check out this resource from BoardSource, to help you ensure that both your board and CEO understand expectations:

In yesterday’s Race + Power newsletter, The Nonprofit Quarterly concluded Black History Month by sharing a series about the history, narrative, and political stakes of work requirements in public benefits programs—and how to end them.

The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities online database showcases our Art Bank Collection, a collection of moveable artworks loaned to other District government agencies for display in public offices, as well as our Public Art Collection of installations of large-scale artworks in public sites/places throughout the District of Columbia.