Washington, DC -- The National Endowment for the Arts is pleased to announce that application guidelines are now available for Grants for Art Projects at the NEA's website, arts.gov. These guidelines are for projects anticipated to take place in 2014. Grants for Arts Projects consists of Art Works and Challenge America Fast-Track programs and constitutes 75 percent of the NEA's annual direct grantmaking. GRANTS FOR ARTS PROJECTS Art Works is the NEA's largest funding category, supporting the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and the strengthening of communities through the arts. In fiscal year 2012, the NEA supported more than 1,790 grantstotaling $102 million through this category. The deadlines for Art Works applications are March 7 and August 8, 2013. Challenge America Fast-Track 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. These grants feature an expedited review process with approximately six months from application to notification. In fiscal year 2012, Challenge America funded 153 grants totaling $1.53 million. The deadline for Challenge America Fast-Track is May 23, 2013. Guidelines and application materials are in the Apply for a Grant section of the NEA website. The impact of the NEA's direct grants is significant. In fiscal year 2012, it is projected that:

• More than 75 million individuals will attend live arts events supported by the NEA including 18 million children and youth.
• Nearly 2,800 communities will participate in NEA-sponsored projects – many benefiting from touring and outreach that take place in communities beyond that of the grant recipient.
• 25,000 community organizations will partner with grantees on Arts Endowment-supported projects.
• NEA awards will generate$600 million or more in matching support.
• NEA awards will help make possible nearly 40,000 concerts, readings, and performances, and 4,000 exhibitions.

ART WORKS PROJECT TYPES  The NEA encourages organizations to consider applying through Art Works for funding to support innovative collaborations

• that strengthen the field of community arts journalism and arts criticism, or
• that create new art out of partnerships between artists and those from sectors outside of the arts (e.g., science).

Arts Journalism The NEA believes that both the arts and arts journalism are key to building vibrant and creative communities. In 2011, the agency partnered with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation on the Knight/NEA Community Arts Journalism Challenge which sought new models for arts journalism that leveraged technology, media networks, and community partnerships to sustain cultural coverage. For more information, go here. Arts, Science, Technology Whether translating scientific data into visual, accessible forms or bringing methods of scientific inquiry to artmaking, the worlds of arts, science, and technology are increasingly intersecting in exciting ways, an intersection that the NEA is interested in encouraging. For more information, go here. WEBINARS In order to offer potential applicants the highest level of technical assistance, the NEA has scheduled webinars covering the basics of the Art Works funding category, how to apply to the NEA, how to select work samples, and how to prepare a strong application. After each presentation, there will be time for Q and A with NEA staff. The schedule follows with all times Eastern Standard. Artist Communities: February 6, 2:30-3:30 Arts Journalism: January 29, 4:00-5:00  Arts Education: February 12, 1:00-2:00 Dance: February 5, 4:00-5:00 Design: February 6, 4:00-5:00 Folk & Traditional Arts: February 12, 2:30-3:30 Literature: February 5, 2:30-3:30 Local Arts Agencies: January 29, 2:30-3:30 Media Arts: January 29, 1:00-2:00 Museums: February 6, 1:00-2:00 Music: January 30, 1:00-2:00 Opera: January 30, 4:00-5:00 Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works: January 10, 3:00-4:00  Theater & Musical Theater: February 12, 4:00-5:00 Visual Arts: February 5, 1:00-2:00 To join any of the webinars, go here. About the National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $4 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector. To join the discussion on how art works, visit the NEA at www.arts.gov