What is the National Endowment for the Arts?

 

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Endowment is the nation's largest annual funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases.

Unlike the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the NEA does not consider universities one of their main constituents. It is more likely to fund professional artists and musicians, community arts organizations, local theaters and/or dance groups. The NEA gives monetary support to state and regional arts organizations that in turn redistribute NEA funds.

The areas that receive funding opportinities from the NEA are; (links open in a new window)

Arts Education	Art Museums	Creative Writing
Music	Dance	Musical Theatre
Design	Opera	Folk and Traditional Arts
Presenting	State and Regional	Media Arts: Film/radio/Television
Visual Arts and Photography	Literature	Local Arts Agencies

See Apply for a Grant on the NEA website.

For their Strategic Plan for 2003 - 2008, the NEA has outlined their funding and support goals. These are;

1. Artistic Creativity and Preservation - to encourage and support artistic creativity and preserve our diverse cultural heritage,
2. Learning in the Arts - to advance learning in the arts,
3. Access to the Arts - to make the arts more widely available in communities throughout the country, and
4. Partnerships for the Arts - to develop and maintain partnerships that advance the mission of the NEA, such as cultural tourism which supports creative partnerships between the cultural, commercial and public sector institutions.

 Opportunities for funding can be received via Grants.gov's Subscription Services page, through email notification that will send upcoming funding opportunities that might be of interest. You can select specific type(s) of funding activities; “Arts” is one of them. You can also select specific agencies. If you select the National Endowment for the Arts, you will be notified whenever new guidelines are psoted. You do not have to provide a Funding Opportunity or CFDA Number.

All Institutions applying for an NEH grant must submit their applications via Grants.gov.

Please consult the grant program guidelines located on NEA’s website (www.nea.gov)  to learn how to prepare the substantive materials, such as your narrative and budget, that you will submit to NEA using Grants.gov.

See Grants.gov Tips for registration and signup.

Copies of Recent Grants based on Category, Discipline, State and Panalists are provided for support to new and existing applicants.

Other Arts-related Funding Resources:

Grants.gov

(Electronic source for all Federal grants)

State Arts Agencies and Regional Arts Organizations

(Funding for individuals and organizations)

Foundation Center

(Nation's leading authority on philanthropy, connecting nonprofits and the grantmakers)

---

Information above compiled from the NEA and Grants Resource Center website