Community Arts Grant

The Community Arts Grant, administered by the City of West Hollywood through its Arts Division and Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission, is a competitive funding opportunity aimed at supporting local arts programming that centers diversity, accessibility, and cultural engagement. This annual program offers financial support to individual artists, artist collectives, and nonprofit arts organizations based in Los Angeles County. The program specifically prioritizes those who identify as or who serve LGBQ, BIPOC, and/or female communities, seeking to uplift underrepresented voices through artistic expression and community-centered programming. The grant supports arts-focused projects that must include a public component, such as performances, exhibitions, screenings, or workshops. Projects may occur in June but are required to remain distinct from other city-sponsored events like the WeHo Pride Festival, WeHo Pride Weekend, and the WeHo Pride Arts Festival. To be eligible, the project must occur within a five-block radius of the City of West Hollywood and meaningfully reflect BIPOC, female, or LGBQ identity, culture, or lived experience. Applicants must submit a proposal that outlines goals, timeline, and intended impact and must include a detailed budget and recent work samples. This funding opportunity promotes cultural equity through six main outcomes: broadening public engagement by attracting diverse audiences; celebrating local cultural assets; ensuring geographic and financial accessibility; supporting the local creative economy; promoting arts education; and reflecting the city’s diverse population. Projects are expected to align with these goals while engaging the community through outreach, public participation, or audience development initiatives. Applications will be reviewed in multiple stages. After an eligibility screening by city staff, qualified submissions will be evaluated by a peer review panel. The panel scores applications based on criteria such as project feasibility, clarity of timeline and budget, representation of target communities, and strength of prior work samples. A bonus point is available to applicants who operate from a business location within the City of West Hollywood. Recommendations from the panel are reviewed by the Performing Arts and Cultural Affairs Subcommittee and the Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission before being finalized by the City Council. Awardees can receive up to $6,000, with a total of $30,000 available for the program in the 2027 grant cycle. Grants will be disbursed no earlier than February 2027, contingent upon compliance with city contracting requirements, including submission of a general liability insurance certificate and participation in an orientation meeting. Projects must be completed within the grant period, and grantees are required to submit a final report after completion. The application period closes at 3:00 p.m. on July 1, 2026. Applications must be submitted online via the City’s website. To assist prospective applicants, virtual and in-person workshops will be held in May and June (dates to be determined). For additional information, applicants may contact Eva Angeloff via phone or email as provided in the official guidelines.

Clearly align project with cultural equity and representation goals; ensure public engagement and a feasible, detailed budget are shown.