NEA Grants for Arts Projects: Access to Artistic Excellence: Local Arts Agencies


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LOCAL ARTS AGENCIES: 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.

Particularly relevant at this time are projects that demonstrate innovation by generating new forms of art making, new directions in the field, and/or innovative uses of creative resources.

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 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 11, 2010, and August 12, 2010. The Access to Artistic Excellence category provides support for projects that include but are not limited to:

March 11, 2010, Application Deadline
January 1, 2011, Earliest Beginning Date for Arts Endowment Period of Support

Coordinated services including marketing campaigns, electronic box office services, audience development activities, and innovative strategies using digital technology.
Conferences, convenings, workshops, technical assistance, leadership training, and other professional development opportunities for artists and arts administrators.
Community-wide cultural planning including specific-issue cultural plans and cultural assessments.
Subgranting for service activities on behalf of a local arts agency's constituents. To be eligible, a local arts agency must be a unit of city or county government or designated to operate on behalf of its local government. In addition to the "Applicant Eligibility" section for all Grants for Arts Projects applicants, applicants for subgranting projects must have a three-year history of subgranting in the arts prior to the application deadline.

August 12, 2010, Application Deadline
June 1, 2011, Earliest Beginning Date for Arts Endowment Period of Support

Performing arts events, readings, screenings, broadcasts, and visual arts exhibitions.
Artist residencies and artist commissions.
Documentation and conservation of public and monumental art.
Subgranting for programming activities on behalf of a local arts agency's constituents. To be eligible, a local arts agency must be a unit of city or county government or designated to operate on behalf of its local government. In addition to the "Applicant Eligibility" section for all Grants for Arts Projects applicants, applicants for subgranting projects must have a three-year history of subgranting in the arts prior to the application deadline.

Application Review

This category uses the agency's traditional method of application review. Applications are submitted to the Local Arts Agencies staff and are reviewed by a diverse group of experts in the local arts agencies 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."

Contact

Local Arts Agencies Specialist: Dinah Walls, wallsd@arts.gov or 202/682-5586

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:

Artists and arts organizations have opportunities to create, interpret, present, and perform artistic work.
Artistic works and cultural traditions are preserved.
Organizations enhance their ability to realize their artistic and public service goals.
Audiences throughout the nation have opportunities to experience a wide range of art forms and activities.
The arts contribute to the strengthening of communities.