Applying for a federal grant can be time consuming. Please be sure to give yourself sufficient time for registration, which can take several weeks. We estimate that after registering, the process to draft and submit an application takes approximately 26 hours.

Submitting an application is a multi-step process:

1. Register with Login.gov, the System for Award Management (SAM) at SAM.gov, and Grants.gov or renew/verify these registrations. Download Registration Guidance PDF.
2. Submit your application:
   • Application Part 1, Grants.gov
     Submit to Grants.gov the “Application for Federal Domestic Assistance/Short Organization Form.” This is a brief form that will collect basic information about your organization. A direct link to the Grants.gov Opportunity Package is included further down this on this page. You must successfully submit Part 1 in order to continue to Part 2. See links below for full instructions and application questions.
   • Application Part 2, NEA Applicant Portal
     Complete the “Grant Application Form (GAF)” and upload items through the NEA’s Applicant Portal. This web form is where you will enter the majority of your application material (e.g., project description, timelines, budget information, work samples, etc.). See links below for full instructions and application questions.  

PART 1 & 2 INSTRUCTIONS AND APPLICATION QUESTIONS

To download the instructions, select the artistic discipline from the list below that most closely corresponds with your proposed project activities. Instructions and requirements vary between disciplines. If you are unsure which discipline is the right choice, review the Artistic Disciplines descriptions, or contact our staff. (Haga clic aquí para obtener instrucciones en español.)

Artist Communities | Arts Education | Dance | Design

Folk & Traditional Arts | Literary Arts | Local Arts Agencies

Media Arts | Museums | Music | Musical Theater | Opera

Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works | Theater | Visual Arts

Direct link to Grants.gov Opportunity Package for Part 1

Access the Grant Opportunity Package for Part 1 with the Application for Federal Domestic Assistance/Short Organization Form (SF-424) on Grants.gov by clicking on the link below:

1. Clicking the link above will take you directly to the pre-populated application package in Grants.gov.
2. The Grants.gov “View Grant Opportunity” screen will open, click the red “Apply” button. If the Apply button is grey or you receive a “bad request” error, please see further instructions on how to troubleshoot.
3. After logging in, to create a Workspace application:
   1. Fill in the Application Filing Name field with your organization name, then
   2. Click the Create Workspace button.
4. Afterwards, you will be directed to the Manage Workspace page, where you can begin working on the application. 
5. See the Application Instructions PDF for full details on how to complete and submit the form.

Learn more about using Grants.gov’s Workspace. For Grants.gov assistance: Call 800-518-4726, email support@grants.gov, or consult the information posted on the Grants.gov website at Support or Help. The Grants.gov Contact Center is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.