The Durham Cultural Advisory Board (DCAB) is revamping its process for distributing grant funding, with the goal of better facilitating festival and event growth throughout the city.
For years, the bulk of the funding—about $190,000—has gone to household names like Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, American Dance Festival (ADF), and other tentpole events that raise the Bull City’s cultural cachet and drive significant economic impact by bringing in thousands of visitors from around the Triangle and beyond.
During the 2018–2019 fiscal year, only five events were awarded grants from that pot of $190,000; Full Frame, ADF, Durham Ballet Theatre, Holiday Pops Festival, and the now-defunct electronic music festival Moogfest. Five years later, 16 events were awarded grants from that same $190,000, with groups like Full Frame and ADF receiving roughly $20,000 less than before. In 2025, the city of Durham increased its funding for festivals and events from $190,000 to $400,000.
That funding increase, as well as the more dynamic disbursal portfolio, reflect the city’s prioritization of events, particularly small-scale events. During recent engagement sessions, though, residents have continued to advocate for process changes that will help better support events at the ground level—such as Black August in the Park, the Beaver Queen Pageant, and Durham Fiesta Latina—particularly events that speak to the distinct culture of different neighborhoods and the people who live in them.
In response to that feedback from organizers, DCAB now offers three tiers of funding: 15 grants for $5,000, 10 for $15,000, and five for $35,000.
“One of the biggest motivations for us redoing the structure was making these funds more accessible to different parts of Durham,” said DCAB Vice Chair Joey Medrano.
Monèt Marshall, an artist and community organizer in Durham who currently serves as the interim artistic director at the Hayti Heritage Center, said that the previous application process was overly complicated and prohibitive for upstart event programmers. The amount of paperwork was extensive, Marshall said, and the application process was uniform, no matter the size or experience of the organization or neighborhood group hosting the event, making it difficult for smaller or newer events to compete with major festivals.
“There are a lot of costs associated with things like getting off-duty police officers for your events, for closing off streets, for having a certain number of toilets, and all those things,” Marshall said. “Sometimes, it feels so cumbersome and so it’s like, well, for the amount of money they get, it’s almost not worth the squeeze.”
Marshall, alongside public artist and urban planner Stein Wexler, was part of the team helping to develop the city’s new cultural road map, which is scheduled to go before Durham City Council for a vote later this summer. Through their organizing, Marshall heard firsthand from other cultural events programmers that more resources are necessary to continue growing Durham’s cultural arts community.
“I am hoping that with the new funding that there will be more support given to small neighborhood ad hoc groups who want to do something fun and cool for their community, for our community,” said Marshall.
In the revamped process, DCAB’s three funding tiers increase in competitiveness at each tier. Applications at Level 1 support event ideas in their earliest iterations, like seed funding for a business startup, with a less restrictive set of requirements. Applications for Levels 2 and 3 are more rigorous and require attendance data and letters of recommendation, among other metrics, requiring applicants to demonstrate a pattern of competency and sustainability.
“I am hoping that with the new funding that there will be more support given to small neighborhood ad hoc groups who want to do something fun and cool for their community, for our community.”
Monèt Marshall, artist
and community organizer
Applicants must be a nonprofit entity or partnered with a nonprofit fiscal agent, and there are some restrictions to what types of events qualify for funding—no athletic competitions, political or religious events, or things related to “demonstrations, marches, rallies, or other protests,” to name a few.
The new process will give neighborhoods more resources to put their own unique culture on display without the pressure of attracting thousands of out-of-towners. Last year, Durham’s festival funding awardees included a book drive block party, a Latin American Indigenous-inspired fashion show, a hip-hop and martial arts film festival, and the annual Pride parade. Medrano said the goal is to spread the love to events across Durham, not just in downtown.
“I think a lot of people, especially minority groups, who look at this kind of stuff, they’re like, ‘Oh, I don’t know if that’s where I fit in,’” said Medrano, the vice chair. “There’s been a lot of normalizing it and having them see that it doesn’t have to be Full Frame. It could be exactly what you’re trying to do already, which is highlight what your culture is, and how beautiful it is, and how it takes place everywhere across Durham. I would be very happy if a parade walked through my neighborhood.”
Christopher Everett, a local filmmaker, has sat on both sides of the process. Since 2021, Everett has worked at Southern Documentary Fund, where he currently serves as the program’s artistic director. The Southern Documentary Fund manages its own grant-making process for aspiring filmmakers in the South. Everett also wears another hat as the founder of 3 Chambers, a festival celebrating the intersection of martial arts, hip-hop, and anime culture.
Everett received funding for the first time this year—a modest $3,310—after being rejected in 2025. He said the city gave him valuable feedback about his application and how to improve it in the future, something not all cities do, Everett said.
“I’ve done cultural programming in numerous places, whether it’s the town of Cary, Wilmington, Fayetteville,” Everett said. “Everybody has different processes, but I really like what Durham is doing—because in other places, man, it’s even harder to get cultural funding. Durham has a good system in place. They offer feedback. They do the info sessions where they go over the application process and you can come with your questions. They do want you to succeed.”
“Everyone can’t get the grant,” Everett continued. “There’s so many projects out here. But to me, I think Durham does a good job of really trying to do the best they can to help you with your application so you have a good chance.”
These smaller community events might not rake in the big bucks, but a neighborhood block party or local film screening can plant a seed in residents’ minds that introduces them to a new culture and prepares them for engaging in more (and potentially larger) events in the future.
“Full Frame wasn’t always this big festival,” Everett said. “A lot of your festivals start off as small events that keep growing into these bigger things. I know the city of Durham and other cities around North Carolina want the next Dreamville festival or something like that. There are some cultural events that could possibly be that one day, but they have to start somewhere, and I think getting that initial funding and support can go a long way to grow that seed.”
These structural changes don’t necessarily mean that larger events will be left in the dust, however—Durham Next, a nonprofit organization founded in 2024, launched a grant process this year with the intention of funding larger programs and events like Full Frame and ADF that continue to drive Durham’s visitor economy.
The deadline for this year’s festivals and events application cycle is August 12.
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