Why equity-based reforms will reshape New York’s cultural landscape

The Purpose
In 2018, the City’s Department of Cultural Affairs initiated a comprehensive strategic evaluation and review of its Cultural Development Fund (CDF), a significant cultural grant program. The primary purpose of this review was to identify opportunities for strengthening and improving services for non-profit arts and cultural organizations that have faced historical and systematic financial and social inequities.

The Challenge
The challenge addressed is the historical and systematic financial and social inequities experienced by non-profit arts and cultural organizations in the city. The goal was to find ways to address and rectify these disparities.

Grants specifically targeted funding for disability arts, language access, arts education, and support for organisations in areas hardest hit by the pandemic, particularly low-income communities of colour.

The Solution
The exploratory reform process involved an audit and analysis of the first ten years of the CDF and its processes. It also included ongoing public input and dialogue with the agency’s cultural constituency. The review was informed by internal and external research reports, including the Center for an Urban Future report, a study on the demographics of the city’s cultural workforce, the CreateNYC comprehensive plan and action plan, and research on the contribution of culture and the arts to the social well-being of New York City’s neighbourhoods.

Based on this review, the City is implementing a series of equity-based reforms to the CDF. These reforms prioritize historically underserved communities and aim to better reflect diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the national cultural grantmaking landscape. The goals of these reforms are to invest in organizations that prioritize equitable practices, provide greater stability for grantees (particularly smaller organizations), reduce barriers to participation for eligible applicant organizations, and increase transparency in the CDF process.

The Impact
These changes will be introduced in the CDF for the 2023 fiscal year, with plans to expand these reforms to a broader pool of new organisations in 2024. The reforms are considered an active pilot and will continue to evolve and iterate based on ongoing dialogue and feedback. This work builds on recent efforts in 2021 when the City awarded $51.4 million to over 1,000 cultural organisations across the city’s five boroughs. These grants specifically targeted funding for disability arts, language access, arts education, and support for organisations in areas hardest hit by the pandemic, particularly low-income communities of colour.

Images Courtesy © City of New York