NEA Challenge America Grant, FY2016 (National Endowment for the Arts)

The Arts Endowment’s support of a project may start on or after January 1, 2016. Grants awarded under these guidelines generally may cover a period of performance of up to two years. An organization that has received Challenge America grants in FY 2013, 2014, and 2015 may not apply for a Challenge America grant under these FY 2016 guidelines.

Eligibility
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.
An organization whose primary purpose is to channel resources (financial, human, or other) to an affiliated organization is not eligible to apply if the affiliated organization submits its own application. This prohibition applies even if each organization has its own 501(c)(3) status. For example, the "Friends of ABC Museum" may not apply if the ABC Museum applies.

The Arts Endowment’s support of a project may start on or after January 1, 2016. Grants awarded under these guidelines generally may cover a period of performance of up to two years. An organization that has received Challenge America grants in FY 2013, 2014, and 2015 may not apply for a Challenge America grant under these FY 2016 guidelines.

Grant Program Description
The Challenge America category offers support primarily to small and mid-sized organizations for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations — those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. Age alone (e.g., youth, seniors) does not qualify a group as underserved; at least one of the underserved characteristics noted above also must be present. Grants are available for professional arts programming and for projects that emphasize the potential of the arts in community development.
This category encourages and supports the following two objectives:
• Engagement: Engaging the public with diverse and excellent art.
• Livability: The strengthening of communities through the arts.
You will be asked to select the objective that is most relevant to your project. When making selections, you should identify the objective(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.
Challenge America grants:
• Extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations.
• Are limited to the specific types of projects outlined below.
• Are for a fixed amount of $10,000 and require a minimum $10,000 match.