National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Art Works Grant: Supporting Artistic Excellence and Community Impact

Nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3), U.S. organizations; units of state or local government; or federally recognized tribal communities or tribes may apply. Applicants may be arts organizations, local arts agencies, arts service organizations, local education agencies (school districts), and other organizations that can help advance the goals of the Arts Endowment.

To be eligible, the applicant organization must:

•Meet the Arts Endowment’s "Legal Requirements" including nonprofit, tax-exempt status at the time of application. (All organizations must apply directly on their own behalf. Applications through a fiscal agent are not allowed.)

•Have a three-year history of programming prior to the application deadline.

•Have submitted acceptable Final Report packages by the due date(s) for all Arts Endowment grant(s) previously received.

The Arts Endowment’s support of a project may start on or after January 1, 2013.

The NEA’s guiding principle is embodied in one sentence: “Art works.”

“Art works” is a noun; the creation of works of art by artists. “Art works” is a verb; art works on and within people to change and inspire them. “Art works” is a statement; arts jobs are real jobs that are part of the real economy.

Art Works encourages and supports the following four outcomes:

•Creation: The creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence,
•Engagement: Public engagement with diverse and excellent art,
•Learning: Lifelong learning in the arts, and
•Livability: The strengthening of communities through the arts.
You will be asked to select the outcome that is most relevant to your project, and you also will be able to select a secondary outcome (note that all Arts Education applicants must choose the Learning outcome as their primary outcome). When making selections, you should identify the outcome(s) that reflect the results expected to be achieved by your project. If you receive a grant, you also will be asked to provide evidence of those results.