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Department of Cultural Affairs
A 1974 report from the Mayor's Committee on Cultural Policy recommended creating an independent city agency for the arts; Mayor Abraham Beame acted on it in 1976, establishing the Department of Cultural Affairs with Claude Shostal as its first Commissioner. DCLA now funds and supports nonprofit cultural organizations across the five boroughs, subsidizes the City-owned Cultural Institutions Group, and has commissioned more than 180 public artworks through its Percent for Art program.
What's working
- How many materials for the Arts transactions are there?: 11,374 transactions — increasing as the program recovered from pandemic disruption and donors grew
- What percent of capital projects planned that were initiated?: 84% — beats target by 18%
- How much is the operational support to Cultural Institutions Group?: $154.40
What's getting worse
- How many days does it take to issue initial Cultural Development Fund payments after complying with all City requirements?: 10 days — decreasing as the agency recovers from a pandemic-era processing slowdown
- How many days does it take to issue final Cultural Development Fund payments?: 10 days — misses target by 5 days
- How many Cultural Development Fund seminar views are there?: 803 views
Critical indicators
With a numeric target
How many days does it take to issue final Cultural Development Fund payments?
10 daysMisses target by 5 days
How many days does it take to issue final Cultural Development Fund payments?
10 daysMisses target by 5 days
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual | Target |
|---|---|---|
| FY22 | 12 days | 5 days |
| FY23 | 10 days | 5 days |
| FY24 | 10 days | 5 days |
| FY25 | 10 days | 5 days |
| FY26 (YTD) | Not available | 7 days |
10 days in FY25 — missed the City's own target for this indicator (5 days above the 5 days target), though it has trended toward improvement over the past 3 years of reported data.
How many materials for the Arts transactions are there?
11,374 transactions — increasing as the program recovered from pandemic disruption and donors grewBeats target by 6,074 transactions
How many materials for the Arts transactions are there?
11,374 transactions — increasing as the program recovered from pandemic disruption and donors grewBeats target by 6,074 transactions
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual | Target |
|---|---|---|
| FY22 | 1,857 transactions | 5,300 transactions |
| FY23 | 5,905 transactions | 5,300 transactions |
| FY24 | 11,161 transactions | 5,300 transactions |
| FY25 | 11,374 transactions | 5,300 transactions |
| FY26 (YTD) | Not available | 10,000 transactions |
Materials for the Arts, DCLA's donated-materials program for schools and nonprofits, was still rebounding from pandemic-era disruption in FY22: the agency's own reporting says FY23's transaction count "nears the pre-pandemic average of over 6,000" after a 218% jump from FY22. Growth continued past that pre-pandemic baseline into FY24 as the number of donors to the program roughly quadrupled and MFTA expanded partnerships with the City's film, TV, and theater production community.
Researched July 16, 2026 — NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Fiscal 2023 Mayor's Management Report, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Fiscal 2024 Mayor's Management Report
What percent of capital projects planned that were initiated?
84%Beats target by 18%
What percent of capital projects planned that were initiated?
84%Beats target by 18%
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual | Target |
|---|---|---|
| FY22 | 100% | 66% |
| FY23 | 95% | 66% |
| FY24 | 89% | 66% |
| FY25 | 84% | 66% |
| FY26 (YTD) | Not available | 75% |
84% in FY25 — met the City's own target for this indicator (18% above the 66% target), though it has trended in the wrong direction over the past 3 years of reported data.
How many days does it take to issue initial Cultural Development Fund payments after complying with all City requirements?
10 days — decreasing as the agency recovers from a pandemic-era processing slowdownMisses target by 3 days
How many days does it take to issue initial Cultural Development Fund payments after complying with all City requirements?
10 days — decreasing as the agency recovers from a pandemic-era processing slowdownMisses target by 3 days
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual | Target |
|---|---|---|
| FY22 | 21 days | 7 days |
| FY23 | 16 days | 7 days |
| FY24 | 10 days | 7 days |
| FY25 | 10 days | 7 days |
| FY26 (YTD) | Not available | 9 days |
DCLA's own reporting says the decline from 21 days in FY22 to 10 in FY24-25 "stabilizes a downward trend" after Cultural Development Fund payment processing "slowed significantly to above 20 days during the COVID-19 pandemic," as the agency worked through pandemic-related backlogs and staffing disruptions to return to faster, pre-pandemic-style payment turnaround.
Researched July 16, 2026 — NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Fiscal 2025 Mayor's Management Report
Without a numeric target
How much is the operational support to Cultural Institutions Group?
$154.40
How much is the operational support to Cultural Institutions Group?
$154.40
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual |
|---|---|
| FY22 | $121.80 |
| FY23 | $147.10 |
| FY24 | $126.90 |
| FY25 | $154.40 |
| FY26 (YTD) | Not available |
$154.40 in FY25 — has no numeric target set by the City, and it has trended toward improvement over the past 3 years of reported data.
How many Cultural Development Fund seminar views are there?
803 views
How many Cultural Development Fund seminar views are there?
803 views
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual |
|---|---|
| FY22 | Not available |
| FY23 | 1,200 views |
| FY24 | 967 views |
| FY25 | 803 views |
| FY26 (YTD) | Not available |
803 views in FY25 — has no numeric target set by the City, and it has trended in the wrong direction over the past 2 years of reported data.
Why this is tracked
DCLA's roots trace to the Office of Cultural Affairs, created in 1962 under Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr., which became the standalone Department of Cultural Affairs in 1976. The department represents and serves nonprofit cultural organizations across the visual, literary, and performing arts, as well as science and humanities institutions like zoos, botanical gardens, and historical societies, in all five boroughs. Promoting public appreciation, through outreach, partnerships, and program support, reflects the City's long-standing view that a thriving arts and culture sector benefits the general public and civic life, not just those who can already afford to pay for it.
New York City Department of Cultural Affairs - Wikipedia, About Cultural Affairs - DCLA