Grant · Los Angeles, CA
2027 Neighborhood Engagement Artist Residency (NEAR) Grants
City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs
You should apply if you're a freelance, independent artist living in Los Angeles County proposing a residency at a non-arts venue in LA.
About
The City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs funds up to 25 independent teaching artists at $12,000 each to run a community-based residency in a non-arts venue inside the City of Los Angeles, such as a senior center, library, community center, health facility, or transit center. A NEAR residency is a business plan for at least 200 hours of planning and direct service in one council district, including a minimum of eleven participatory workshops for roughly 20 people and a culminating free or low-cost public event with at least 40 attendees. Proposals sited in the arts-underserved Council Districts 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, and 12 are scored higher. Applications go through the DCA SM Apply portal and must include a project budget, a prioritized list of one to three proposed host venues, and at least two letters of support from host organizations. Funds are paid in two installments against contract benchmarks.
Eligibility
Freelance, independent artists living in Los Angeles County who can propose a residency at a non-arts host venue inside the City of Los Angeles. Not open to individuals enrolled in a degree or certificate program during the grant cycle, past DCA grantees who did not complete their contracts in the last two years, or artists whose practice is chiefly affiliated with a nonprofit providing similar services. A lead artist can be named in only one NEAR or CO-UP proposal per cycle.
Applications happen on City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs's website. Seeke reviews and indexes the listing but does not accept applications.