Events DC Community Grants 2026

The Events DC Community Grant Program for Fiscal Year 2026 is designed to support nonprofit organizations that focus on youth sports, performing arts, and cultural arts within the District of Columbia. The grant is administered by Events DC, a local authority responsible for managing and promoting sports, entertainment, and cultural events in the nation's capital. This funding initiative reinforces Events DC’s commitment to enriching the lives of children and youth in Washington, DC through meaningful and structured programming. The program offers one-year grants to qualifying nonprofit organizations that are based in Washington, DC and possess IRS 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status as well as an exemption from District income and franchise taxes. The total grant funding available for FY 2026 is at least $750,000, split evenly between two semi-annual cycles. Each cycle has an allocation of up to $375,000, with individual grant awards ranging from a minimum of $5,000 to a maximum of $25,000. While these figures are established, Events DC reserves the right to adjust the total funding pool at its discretion. To be eligible, applicants must be DC-based nonprofit organizations with current IRS and DC tax-exempt status. They must use the funds for youth-targeted programming in sports or the arts. Required documentation includes either an annual financial audit conducted by a CPA or the organization’s most recent IRS Form 990 or 990EZ. Organizations without the required documentation, those that discriminate, for-profit entities, and DC government agencies are not eligible. Religious organizations may apply only if their programs are nonsectarian and specifically designed for DC youth. Applications must be submitted via the Events DC Community Grant Application Portal; email submissions are not accepted. The application deadline for the first FY 2026 cycle is August 1, 2025, with notification of awards in October 2025. The second cycle deadline is February 2, 2026, with notifications issued in April 2026. Grant applications must include several key components: organizational history, mission and goals, program description, proof of licensing, tax-exempt status, recent financial documents, leadership list, organizational budget, proposed grant use budget, and a monitoring and evaluation strategy. Business licenses must be valid for at least four months after the application deadline. Award decisions are communicated through formal award letters. Recipients must sign a grant agreement before disbursal of funds, which stipulates that funding must be used exclusively for the intended youth-serving program within DC. Events DC explicitly states that grantees may not receive the full amount requested, and programs must be capable of proceeding with partial funding. Grantees are not allowed to significantly alter the scope of their project after funding is awarded. A final report is required at the end of the grant period, including a narrative summary of activities, the number of youth served, a SWOT analysis, evaluation tools and results, and a budget report detailing how grant funds were expended. Events DC may request progress updates at any time during the grant term. No specific contact person or phone/email contact is listed in the guidelines, and interested applicants must use the online portal to access and submit the application.