Volunteer to be a Grants Panelist

DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities

seeks grant review panelists to perform evaluations of applications submitted to the agency for funding consideration throughout the year. Panelists are integral to the grantmaking process, providing a critical review, comments, and scores of all applications to a particular grant program. Their reviews and scores determine the ranking of applications within a grant cohort, which in turn become the basis on which funding decisions are made.

Residents of the District of Columbia metropolitan area are encouraged to apply to serve as a panelist.

Selected panelists should have expertise through involvement in the arts and humanities (i.e. artists, arts administrators, arts educators, gallery professionals, curators, art critics, etc.). CAH seeks panel diversity in all forms: age, race, gender, disabilities, sexual orientation, artistic discipline, location, etc.

Individuals selected to serve on a review panel will have 3 to 4 weeks to review a maximum of 25 to 30 applications. CAH estimates that pre-panel review of applications takes approximately 20-30 hours before the day of the panel. Review panel meetings currently take place virtually via video conference software unless otherwise noted.

Panelists are appointed to one panel per year for a maximum of three consecutive years.  Beginning in FY 2023, panelists will be paid a stipend for their participation in the panel review process.

CAH maintains a database to help identify and select panelists. Panelist applicant information is used only for statistical and diversity inclusion purposes and is not shared with any third parties. Inclusion in this database does not guarantee selection for panel service.

Click to volunteer.