Advisory Review Panel

Advisory Review Panelist Nomination Process

The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH) is strongly committed to creating a diverse and welcoming environment for potential advisory review panels that includes people from multicultural backgrounds. The DCCAH also strives to enlist persons of diverse artistic and administrative backgrounds in a continuing effort to reflect the rich cultural history of the District of Columbia.

All citizens of the District of Columbia are encouraged to assist DCCAH’s grant programs by recommending potential Advisory Panelists. Individuals may also self-nominate. Advisory review panelist nomination forms are sent each year to the community at large and are posted year round.

Role of Advisory Review Panelists

A separate Advisory Review Panel is formed annually for each grant program to make funding recommendations to the Commission Board. Panelists conduct a personal review of grant applications for three to four weeks in advance of Advisory Review Panel meetings. Panelists then convene for one to two days as a group (or Panel) to review work samples and discuss the applications.  A Commissioner presides over each Advisory Review Panel meeting, but does not participate in discussion or scoring.

Each panelist reviews the grant applications and makes preliminary scores based on unique evaluation criteria established for the particular grant program. At the Advisory Panel meeting, the panelists discussion of the applications and score each applicant according to the criteria.  Applicants are then ranked in order of their scores and the Advisory Review Panel votes to establish the minimum score that is required to merit funding. The Advisory Review Panel also discusses policy recommendations to improve the application and review process. A member of the group is identified to serve as the Panel Representative to present the final ranking and policy recommendations to the Grants Allocation Committee.

Eligibility

Advisory Review Panelists must live in the Washington Metropolitan area and be knowledgeable about the arts in the District of Columbia.  Artists, administrators, educators and critics in the arts with at least a two-year history of involvement in the District arts community are eligible for nomination.

Advisory Panelists must be able to devote approximately six to eight hours of preparation time to read grant applications plus and an additional one to two full days to participate in the panel meetings.  Panel meetings are held on weekdays during regular business hours.

An individual may not serve as a panelist for any grant program under which they have submitted a pending application or under which an organization they work for has submitted a pending application.

Conflicts of Interest

All advisory review panelists must declare all conflicts of interest prior to the advisory panel meeting and complete a Conflict of Interest form during the actual meeting. An appearance of a conflict of interest would arise when the individual, any member of the individual's immediate family, the individual's partner; or an organization that employs, or is about to employ, any of the aforementioned, has a financial or personal interest in the applicants selected for grants or subgrants. The officers, employees, or agents of the Agency and Review Panel members making the awards will neither solicit on behalf of themselves, their immediate family members, their partners, or any organization that employs or is about to employ any of these people, nor accept gratuities, favors, employment, or anything of monetary value from grantees, potential grantees or applicants. If you have any questions regarding this matter, please d contact the Director of Grants Moshe Adams at (202) 724-5613 or by email at moshe.adams@dc.gov.

Terms of Service

Panelists are appointed for a one-year term per grant program. A panelist may be reappointed for up to three years, for a maximum of four consecutive years of service. The rotation of advisory panel members ensures that each year will bring varying perspectives to the grants review process.

About the Commission

The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities is the official arts agency of the District of Columbia. Commission programs support and promote stability, vitality, and diversity of artistic expression in the District. The Commission is assisted in its grants making by advisory review panels of respected arts professionals and community representatives who make recommendations to the Commission on grant awards. The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Accessibility Services

Persons needing accessibility accommodations for Commission services and programs may contact the Commission's American Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator, Carolyn Parker, at (202) 724-5613 or TDD: (202) 724-4493 to request assistance. A large print version of this document is available with advance notice. Sign language interpretation is available for Commission workshops and events with two weeks' notice.

Access and Equal Opportunity

Federal and District of Columbia statutes require all applicants to comply with laws and regulations governing nondiscrimination. These include: Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964(P.L. 88–352) which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as amended (20 U.S.C. Sections 1681–1686), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. Section 794), and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101–12213) which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disabilities; and the DC Human Rights Act of 1977.

For more information, please contact Steven Mazzola or call (202) 724-5613.