The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) has announced the opening of the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Cultural Development Fund (CDF) application process. This opportunity is aimed at New York City-based nonprofit arts and cultural organizations seeking funding to support activities that occur between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026. All organizations wishing to be considered must submit a complete and eligible application by Thursday, May 8, 2025, at 5PM ET. Organizations with multi-year awards for FY26 are not bound by this deadline and will be contacted later for renewal applications.

The Cultural Development Fund supports a wide range of cultural disciplines and services throughout all five boroughs of New York City. Eligible projects must offer a public cultural service of recognized quality and be accessible to the public during the fiscal year. To be eligible, organizations must be nonprofit arts or cultural groups or nonprofits with an arts component, demonstrate two consecutive years of successful service delivery in NYC, and have administrative operations based in one of the five boroughs. Organizations must also possess a unique Federal Employee Identification Number (EIN) and hold IRS 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status or use a pre-approved fiscal sponsor. Certain entities, including individuals, LLCs, PTAs, city or federal programs, libraries, and degree-granting institutions, are not eligible.

The application process includes a variety of resources to assist applicants, such as the FY26 Guidelines, registration guides, sample application views, FAQs, and application worksheets. Applicants are encouraged to review these thoroughly and attend optional webinars or office hours for additional support. Four live webinars are scheduled between April 9 and May 1, 2025, and office hours are available for applicants who have remaining questions after reviewing the materials.

Questions regarding the application should be directed to the organization's assigned program officer or, for new applicants, to the Program Services Help Desk at cdfhelpdesk@culture.nyc.gov. Technical issues with the application portal should be directed to the IT support form. Accessibility-related requests should be sent to Claire Hart, DCLA’s Disability Service Facilitator, at disabilityfacilitator@culture.nyc.gov.

The application must be submitted through the DCLA’s online portal. Templates such as the Treasurer’s Statement, Organizational Budget Template, and Conflict of Interest Disclosure form may be required, depending on the organization's specifics. Applicants are strongly encouraged to start the application process early, verify their portal accounts, and ensure compliance with all eligibility requirements and guidelines to submit a competitive application.