Rooted in the belief that artmaking and community-building work best together, CHAW has been building community through the arts for 50 years. Weekly classes for children and adults nurture arts literacy and include everything from visual arts to dance, music, theater, ceramics, and photography. Small-sized arts camps encourage learning and connection in children. Special events (like a two-woman Hamlet or an evening pot-throwing class) happen across the year, and an open darkroom is available to area residents. The CHAW gallery is a true community resource: it features a range of established and emerging local artists in shows and residencies, encouraging artists and lifting them up through commissions, exhibitions, showcases, and professional development. Through it all, a community comes together, gives rise to a multiplicity of voices, and enables more dynamic and diverse arts experiences. What does better art engender? A more just community.

Headquarters: DC-Ward 6

Where They Operate: DC-Citywide; DC-Ward 6; Capitol Hill

Age Groups Served: All

Population(s) Served: All


  • Number of people (clients, patrons, students, etc) we serve annually:   5000+
  • Gallery exhibits, recitals, and theater performances offered annually:   175
  • Number of youth classes and adult classes held annually :   200
  • Artists employed by us annually:   55
  • Number of annual community partnerships:   15

Awards & Recognition

Featured charity in the 2014-2015 Catalogue for Philanthropy

Best Venue to See on the Cheap in DCist’s 2014 Best Theater Venues in DC

2015 & 2016 winner for Best Arts Class in the Washington City Paper Readers’ Poll 2014 & 2015 Hilly Award winner for Best Arts Organization/Venue

2017 recipient of the National Symphony Orchestra’s 2017 Irene Pollin Community Service Award

2017 recipient of Jan’s Tutoring House Distinctive Service Award

2018 recipient of Homeless Children’s Playtime Project "Voice for Children" Award

2018 recipient Bloomberg Philanthropies Arts Innovation and Management (AIM) grant

Press

Budget (FY2013)

  • $3 million or higher
  • The current budget for Capitol Hill Arts Workshop is: $1 million to $3 million
  • $500k to $1 million
  • Less than $500k

Catalogue charities range in size from $100,000 to $3 million. This graphic indicates the budget range of the organization featured here. If you see an organizational budget above the $3 million mark, that is because the featured charity has grown in size since it first appeared in the Catalogue. We proudly present on our website the work of these "growth" charities.

About the Catalogue for Philanthropy

Each year 120 expert reviewers evaluate applicants for distinction, merit, and impact. Each featured charity has been successfully site visited and its financials given the thumbs up. The Catalogue for Philanthropy charges no fees and raises funds separately to support its work. Since 2003, it has raised over $40 million for charities across the Greater Washington region.

The Catalogue for Philanthropy looks to friends like you to keep our services independent and entirely free of charge. Consider a small contribution to the Catalogue to cap off your gift and help the causes you care about get the full support they deserve!

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