MUSIC: Access to Artistic Excellence

Introduction

Access to Artistic Excellence encourages and supports artistic creativity, preserves our diverse cultural heritage, and makes the arts more widely available in communities throughout the country. While projects in this category may focus on just one of these areas, the Arts Endowment recognizes that many of the most effective projects encompass both artistic excellence and enhanced access. Support is available to organizations for projects that do one or more of the following:

• Provide opportunities for artists to create, refine, perform, and exhibit their work.
• Present artistic works of all cultures and periods.
• Preserve significant works of art and cultural traditions.
• Enable arts organizations and artists to expand and diversify their audiences.
• Provide opportunities for individuals to experience and participate in a wide range of art forms and activities.
• Enhance the effectiveness of arts organizations and artists.
• Employ the arts in strengthening communities.

The Arts Endowment is particularly interested in projects that extend the arts to underserved populations -- those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. This is achieved in part through the use of Challenge America: Reaching Every Community funds.

Please note: Congress has prohibited the Arts Endowment from making direct grants to individuals except for Literature Fellowships, NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships, NEA National Heritage Fellowships in the Folk & Traditional Arts, and National Endowment for the Arts Opera Honors.

Deadlines

Applications will be accepted under two deadlines: March 10, 2008, and August 11, 2008. Projects may involve aspects of several of the examples listed below. However, the major focus of your project determines the appropriate application deadline. For example, if your project centers on the commissioning and premiere of a new work but includes the recording of that work as an ancillary activity, you should apply under the March 10, 2008, deadline. The application should be submitted under the August 11, 2008, deadline only if the recording of the new work is the project’s primary focus.

The Access to Artistic Excellence category provides support for projects that include but are not limited to:

March 10, 2008, Application Deadline
January 1, 2009, Earliest Beginning Date for Arts Endowment Period of Support

• Public presentations and performances of artistically excellent works.
• Commissions, premieres, and subsequent performances of new works.
• Residency activities.
• Professional artistic development and training programs for musicians such as conducting, mentorship, and career development.
• Services that reach a broad constituency of music organizations or musicians. This may include workshops, conferences, publications, professional development, technical assistance, networks, or online resources.

August 11, 2008, Application Deadline
June 1, 2009, Earliest Beginning Date for Arts Endowment Period of Support

• Domestic touring.
• Outreach projects that involve diverse communities or that reach new audiences.
• Recordings of works by American composers.
• Documentation, preservation, and archival projects.
• Technology projects such as online resources and libraries which provide public access to musical works.
• Programs that provide access to and experience with the art form for adults, children, and intergenerational groups.

If your project is for children and youth, see "Choosing the Right Category for Children and Youth Projects" to help you in your category selection.

Application Review

This category uses the agency's traditional method of application review. Applications are submitted to the Music staff and are reviewed by a diverse group of experts in the music field.

Applications are reviewed on the basis of artistic excellence and artistic merit. For more detailed information on how artistic excellence and artistic merit will be evaluated, see the "Review Criteria." You can find additional information in the "Application Review" section of the "Frequently Asked Questions."

Contacts

Music Specialists:
Organizations with names that begin A through L: burnsc@arts.gov or 202/682-5590
Organizations with names that begin M through Z: nykyfora@arts.gov or 202/682-5487

Outcomes

The Arts Endowment has identified five outcomes that it plans to achieve through Access to Artistic Excellence. Each applicant must select the one outcome listed below that is most relevant to its project and indicate this in its application:

1. Artists and arts organizations have opportunities to create, interpret, present, and perform artistic work.

2. Artistic works and cultural traditions are preserved.

3. Organizations enhance their ability to realize their artistic and public service goals.

4. Audiences throughout the nation have opportunities to experience a wide range of art forms and activities.

5. The arts contribute to the strengthening of communities.

If you wish to apply:

CFDA No. 45.024
OMB No. 3135-0112 Expires 11/30/2010
January 2008

National Endowment for the Arts · an independent federal agency
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20506