DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities

Since 1967, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (the Commission or DCCAH) has supported and advanced the arts and humanities of the District of Columbia.  Through carefully calibrated investments across a range of targeted and general support grant programs the agency has helped make available a broad range of arts and humanities programs to the citizens of the District. During the past nearhalf-century, the Commission has developed other capacities and relationships that equip it to have even greater impact in the community.  Growth of the District’s creative economy, rapid development and rising real estate costs, and the ongoing pursuit of cultural equity are some of the issues faced by the arts community. The Commission now has multiple challenges to address and a broader toolkit than grantmaking available to it. Stakeholders believe that the Commission is filling an essential role, and doing an effective job, as a grantmaker. They also consider it time for the Commission to expand its leadership role as an advocate for cultural development in the District and strongly support and urge Commission to take on a larger, visionary and more proactive leadership role.  The field is also beleaguered by the forces of gentrification, increasing social and economic disparity, and the stresses of sustaining a nonprofit organization or an artistic career. These challenges underscore the need for redefining leadership for the agency. It is based on widespread acknowledgment of the leadership platform the Commission possesses.