Los Angeles NEAR and CO-UP 2027–28: $12,000–$15,000 for Local Participatory Art, Apply by Oct 30
Two local grant streams for art made with communities
The City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs has opened its 2027–28 Neighborhood Engagement Artist Residency (NEAR) and Creative Optimism–Uplifting Promises (CO-UP) funding programmes. Both support professional teaching artists working with neighborhood organizations on creative activities that participants can help make. The initiative is not a general studio stipend for an artist's individual project: the work must serve communities through workshops and a final public presentation.
For artists working with moving image, collaborative digital storytelling, photography or other visual practices, an appropriate proposal could take the form of participatory learning and collective creation, provided the project satisfies the city's artistic and community requirements. This does not mean every standalone digital installation qualifies. Applicants need to show a real host site, accessible activity and measurable participation.
NEAR offers $12,000 to artists living in Los Angeles County
NEAR is intended for individual freelance or independent artists who reside in Los Angeles County. A collaborative team can apply under one lead artist. The artist should have a substantially self-developed, self-directed community arts practice and propose a residency at a non-arts venue within the City of Los Angeles. Artists living outside LA County or enrolled in a degree or certificate programme during the grant cycle are not eligible under the stated rules.
Projects must include at least 200 hours of planning and direct services, including a minimum of eleven participatory workshops attended consistently by around 20 participants, and a final public event attracting at least 40 people. The proposed workshops should be free or low cost. Some projects may be offered smaller grants if the city's future budget is reduced, so the published $12,000 is the guideline amount rather than an unconditional payment to all applicants.
CO-UP allocates $15,000 to a social-justice nonprofit and its artist
CO-UP applications must come from eligible social-justice nonprofit organizations headquartered in Los Angeles County, with annual operating budgets of at least $100,000 as documented in their latest IRS Form 990. An eligible nonprofit names the teaching artist for the residency; it cannot simply transfer its proposal to a separate arts nonprofit. The grant budget allocates $12,000 to the artist and $3,000 to the nonprofit's administrative costs.
A nonprofit social-justice mission should explicitly address inequities and dedicate meaningful resources to advocacy for humanitarian change. Its proposed artist should ordinarily work as an independent contractor, not already hold an equivalent staff role in the applying organization. Each residency also needs the 200-hour service plan, at least eleven workshops and a culminating public event in an eligible Los Angeles location.
Calendar: October 30 deadline and July 2027–June 2028 projects
Online proposals must be submitted by Friday, October 30, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. local time through the DCA SurveyMonkey Apply system. Results are expected during May–June 2027, with the service period running from July 1, 2027 through June 30, 2028. The grant is paid in two 50% installments tied to contracted milestones; the Department notes that reimbursement procedures can require careful cash-flow planning.
Priority consideration is given to proposals in council districts that historically received fewer public arts services. Applicants should verify their proposed host's address is inside the City of Los Angeles; being in Los Angeles County is necessary for the applicants but the activity location must meet a separate city requirement. Approval of an application is never guaranteed.
Application materials and realistic visual-arts proposals
The city requires an online narrative about the who, what, when, where and how of the residency, including the workshop sequence, partners, public culminating event and artist's relevant teaching experience. Supporting material can include links to videos, audio or digital projects, images and resumes, together with the appropriate $12,000 or $15,000 budget template and other attachments described in the grant manual.
Applicants should distinguish between an artist-led NEAR proposal and a nonprofit-led CO-UP proposal before starting their submission. The official Department of Cultural Affairs page links to the SurveyMonkey Apply portal and workshops explaining the application. Creative digital-media activities should be framed as meaningful collaboration with local residents, not merely as the artist displaying a finished work.
Source: City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, NEAR/CO-UP 2027–28 guidelines, checked 18 October 2026. Applicants must follow the full official eligibility rules and SurveyMonkey Apply instructions.