Cultural Development Fund Open Call for Panelists

The Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) is currently inviting submissions for paid panelists to evaluate grant applications on behalf of the Cultural Development Fund (CDF).

Panelists

• Prospective panelists should have demonstrated expertise in and knowledge of the nonprofit arts and cultural landscape of New York City.
  
• To ensure an inclusive perspective, DCLA encourages submissions for peer panelists who represent the diversity of New York City’s arts ecosystem with respect to race, ethnicity, disability, age, gender, and sexuality.
• DCLA accepts CDF panelist submissions on a rolling basis, considering a variety of factors when compiling each panel and may not be able to utilize the services of all qualified nominees.
• Panelists will independently review and score approximately 20 applications and then attend a virtual panel meeting day. See the Requirements section below for details regarding expectations and compensation.

About the Cultural Development Fund

CDF grants are awarded through an open and competitive application process to eligible nonprofit organizations throughout the five boroughs. Organizations request programmatic support from DCLA for cultural activities in New York City that cover a broad range of arts disciplines and provide cultural experiences for the City’s residents and visitors. You can find the most recent CDF criteria for applicant eligibility at this link: https://www.nyc.gov/assets/dcla/downloads/pdf/cdf_guidelines_annual.pdf.

DCLA strives to maintain a high level of integrity and impartiality in its decision-making processes. It convenes panels to review eligible applications; these panels make recommendations that lead to the allocation of DCLA’s public funds.

Requirements

Upon panel assignment, panelists submit conflicts of interest and affirm all information and commitments to participate fully in the panel process, including preparatory application review and evaluation. Panelists will also be expected to attend one virtual training session prior to application review.

In the weeks leading up to the panel service day, each panelist should allot at least 15 to 25 hours of preparatory time to review, score, and generate written feedback for approximately 20 proposals. These initial evaluations will be due one week prior to the panel meeting day.

Each panel meeting will be held virtually over the course of one day from appoximately 9:30am to 4:30pm EST (with 45 minutes for lunch and additional scheduled breaks). Panelists will be expected to use their own hardware (including camera) and internet to access the panel materials, training session, and virtual panel via Zoom.

Participation in the panel meeting will require attentive engagement and analytical dialogue with peer experts, as well as additional written and quantitative scoring on each proposal.

Panelists will receive $480 compensation in the form of an honorarium for their time spent preparing for and serving on a CDF panel.

Application Instructions