Washington, DC—The National Endowment for the Arts is pleased to announce that application guidelines are now available for Art Works and Challenge America Fast-Track at the NEA's website, arts.gov. These guidelines are for projects anticipated to take place in 2015. The Art Works and Challenge America Fast-Track programs constitute 75 percent of the NEA's annual direct grantmaking.

Art Works is the NEA's largest funding category, supporting the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, and promotes public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and the strengthening of communities through the arts. In fiscal year 2013, the NEA supported more than 1,640 grants totaling $50 million through this category. Depending on the type of project in the application, the Art Works deadline is either February 20, 2014 or July 24, 2014.

Challenge America Fast-Track 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 2013, Challenge America funded 153 projects totaling $1.53 million. The deadline for Challenge America Fast-Track is May 8, 2014.

Guidelines and application materials are in the Apply for a Grant section.

​The impact of the NEA's direct grants is significant. Projects funded in fiscal year 2013 are anticipated to:

·   Reach more than 38 million people attending live arts events through NEA-supported programs (exclusive of television and radio broadcast audiences), including nearly 7 million children and youth

·   Impact almost 16,000 communities engaged in NEA-supported projects, many benefiting from touring and outreach initiatives

·   Generate roughly $600 million in matching support, which is more than a 9:1 ratio in matching federal funds, far exceeding the required 1:1 match  

·   Include partnerships between grantees and more than 6,500 organizations such as schools, colleges and universities, religious organizations, non-profit and for-profit organizations, foundations, and other government entities

AMONG THE 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

·   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. Upon completion of the Knight/NEA Community Arts Journalism Challenge in 2011, the NEA folded support for these projects into the Art Works category, supporting eight arts journalism projects totaling $340,000 over the past year.

  Go to the sidebar for more information.

  Arts, Science, Technology

  Whether translating scientific data into visual, accessible forms or bringing methods of scientific inquiry to art-making, the worlds of arts, science, and technology are increasingly intersecting in exciting ways, an intersection that the NEA is interested in encouraging.

  Go to the sidebar for more information.

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.

Arts Education, January 14, 2:30-3:30 Dance, January 22, 2:30-3:30 Design, January 14, 1:00-2:00 Folk & Traditional Arts, January 29, 4:00-5:00 Literature, January 15, 2:30-3:30 Local Arts Agencies, January 21, 2:30-3:30 Media Arts, January 15, 1:00-2:00 Museums, January 15, 4:00-5:00 Music, January 21, 1:00-2:00 Opera, January 21, 4:00-5:00 Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works, January 29, 2:30-3:30 Theater & Musical Theater, January 22, 1:00-2:00 Visual Arts, January 14, 4:00-5:00

Recent NEA Grant Examples of Arts, Science, and Technology projects City of Sacramento                                                                                       Local Arts Agencies Grant: $20,000 Sacramento, CA To support "Broadway Augmented," a temporary public art project. The project will employ augmented reality technology to create virtual public artworks in one of Sacramento's most diverse transitional neighborhoods. Wisdom of the Elders                                                                                                Media Arts Grant: $30,000 Portland, OR To support the production of the Wisdom of the Elders Radio Program's STEAM Video Series. This series of videos blends traditional ecological knowledge and environmental science by featuring Native community elders, cultural artists, scientists, and educators from Alaska, Washington, and Oregon. Media Alliance                                                                                                           Visual Arts Grant: $45,000 Troy, NY To support Bioart in an Industrial Wasteland, an art, science, and technology workshop series. Media Alliance will invite artist teams to work with the community around issues of sustainability and challenges facing local ecologies. Sessions will address ethical questions involving environmental health and developments in synthetic biology. Dallas Opera                                                                                                                      Opera Grant: $30,000 Dallas, TX To support performances of Tod Machover and Robert Pinsky's Death and the Powers developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab. In an original creation by director Diane Paulus, the production will feature technology created by the MIT Media Lab. Recent Art/Science Content: The Fall 2013 issue of the NEA's quarterly magazine, NEA Arts, was devoted to art and science and can be enjoyed here.