In 2005, 528 hopeful applicants sought cash from the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities for various projects. Sometimes they got what they wanted.

Name: Darryl Kydd Brooks

Grant Applied For: Small Projects Program; city offers up to $1,000 “to make grant funds more accessible for small-scale arts projects”

Money Needed For: costs associated with producing a theme song for the District titled “Discover D.C.”

Background: Brooks, who has a bachelor’s degree in television and film, claims in his application that he has performed as “the opening act for many national and internationally acclaimed artists.” His theme-song résumé includes works for California Rep. Ron Dellums and Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille.

Excerpt From Proposed Tune: “Oh! The view from Southeast/Or the sights of the Mall/Romance the night in a town beautiful”

Plan: In his application, Brooks admits that it’s “unknown” whether his song will be embraced “by the public at large.” Still, he claims that its mere existence “will be recognized as [part of] our city’s continued focus on enhancing Washington, D.C.’s image, during this period of rejuvenation of our city.” He estimates the cost of his project will total $2,950 but isn’t clear about where the rest of the money might come from.

Amount Asked For: $1,000

Status: denied

Upshot: Despite being turned down, Brooks remains determined. “Nothing will stop me from doing the project,” he says. Brooks adds that he was scheduled to perform “Discover D.C.” for a host of dignitaries as part of this past weekend’s National League of Cities (NLC) conference. However, no specific mention of Brooks or his song can be found in the NLC’s “Schedule of Events of Interest to the Media.”

—Mike Kanin