A young man speaks into a microphone on a darkened stage.

Nicholas Amador, three-time Poetry Out Loud finalist from Honolulu Hawaii's Punahou School, competing in the 2018 Poetry Out Loud finals. Photo by James Kegley

A man uses his cell phone to record a young woman playing the piano.

Musician Stefon Harris works with a student at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, as part of a master class with 2016 NEA Jazz Masters. Photo by Michael G. Stewart

A young woman poses with a wide smile, looking through her award declaring her as the National Champion.

Sreepadaarchana Munjuluri from Indiana's Columbus High School, the 2023 Poetry Out Loud National Champion. Photo by James Kegley

An audience sits and watches musicians performing on an outdoor stage in summer.

2015 DC Jazz Festival at The Yards Park, Washington D.C. Photo by Frits Photo Graphics

A young woman wearing a green blouse speaks into a microphone.

2018 Poetry Out Loud third-place winner and Nebraska Champion Hope Stratman. Photo by James Kegley 

A group of student stand together holding up a Poetry Out Loud poster.

2017 Poetry Out Loud State Champions attend a Congressional breakfast at the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C. Photo by James Kegley

A flutist, upright bassist, trumpeter, and drummer all perform onstage.

(l-r) Cleave Guyton, Noah Jackson, Terence Blanchard, and Terri Lyne Carrington perform in honor of the 2019 NEA Jazz Master Abdullah Ibrahim. Photo by Shannon Finney

A young woman speaks into a microphone on a darkened stage. The Poetry Out Loud logo is projected behind her.

2019 Poetry Out Loud National Champion Isabella Callery of Minnesota. Photo by James Kegley

On a darkened stage, a woman plays an organ. A guitarist and drummer play in the background.

2024 NEA Jazz Master Amina Claudine Myers performs at the 2024 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on April 13, 2024. Photo by Jati Lindsay

What’s Happening at the NEA

Two boys engage in an art exhibit at a museum. In the foreground, one child pointing at an information board while another take notes.
Blue Star Museums Kicks off Sat. May 17
Logo of red lines for ACPSA
Arts and Cultural Industries Grew at Twice the Rate of the U.S. Economy, Adding $1.2 Trillion
the 2025 NEA Jazz Masters onstage at the tribute concert
Watch the 2025 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert

Stories

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Painting of a woman with text "When there's help, there's hope."
Read
Addressing Substance Use Disorder with the Arts
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Watch
NEA Jazz Masters: Tribute to Marshall Allen
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Listen
Ann Meier Baker
NEA Director of Music and Opera

News

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Isavel Mendoza smiling and holding his trophy while confetti falls around him
Congratulations to 2025 Poetry Out Loud National Champion Isavel Mendoza of Pennsylvania
A colorful collage of seven individual artists with a medallion in the upper right corner being held by a red, blue and yellow ribbon. Text reads 2025 National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowships
Meet the 2025 NEA National Heritage Fellows!
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National Endowment for the Arts Announces Arts, Health, and Well-being Demonstration Projects

Grants

The National Endowment for the Arts awards grants to nonprofit organizations, creative writers and translators, state arts agencies, and regional arts organizations in support of arts projects across the country.
Go to the Grants section »
Volunteer to be an NEA panelist »

Impact

See the impact of the Arts Endowment on your state, and how the agency's work in research, accessibility, and other areas has had a major impact in the arts and culture of the country.
Go to the Impact section »

Some Facts about the National Endowment for the Arts

The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that funds, promotes, and strengthens the creative capacity of our communities by providing all Americans with opportunities for arts participation.

Approximately 2,400 Grants

Recommended for grant awards annually in all 50 states, DC, and U.S. territories.

More than 60 Percent

Percentage of Arts Endowment grants that go to small and medium-sized organizations (budgets up to $2 million).

Approximately 34 Percent

Percentage of Arts Endowment-funded activities in high-poverty communities.

Some Facts from the National Endowment for the Arts

These facts are based on the most recent data (2023) from the Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account (ACPSA), which is produced jointly by the National Endowment for the Arts’ Office of Research & Analysis and the Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Commerce Department. The ACPSA tracks the annual economic impact of arts and cultural production from 35 industries, both commercial and nonprofit.

$1.2 trillion

Amount the arts and cultural industries contribute to the U.S. economy.

4.2 Percent

Percentage of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product is accounted for by arts and cultural industries.

Nearly 5.4 Million

Americans work in the arts and cultural industries on payroll.

Some Facts about the National Endowment for the Arts

The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that funds, promotes, and strengthens the creative capacity of our communities by providing all Americans with diverse opportunities for arts participation.

62 Cents

The Arts Endowment’s annual cost to each American.

0.003 Percent

The Arts Endowment’s percentage of the federal budget.

Nearly $6 Billion

Amount awarded by the Arts Endowment since its beginning in 1965.

Some Facts from the National Endowment for the Arts

These facts are based on the most recent data (2022) from the Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA), a national survey conducted in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau that has allowed cultural policymakers, arts managers, scholars, and journalists to obtain reliable statistics about American patterns of arts engagement.

Utah

The state’s percentage of adults who attended a live performing arts event (62 percent) exceeded that of the national percentage of U.S. adults (38 percent).

Vermont

The percentage of the state’s adults who read a literary work (60 percent) far exceeded the national average (38 percent).

Wisconsin

The state’s adult population created or performed any type of art at a higher percentage (73 percent) than the national average for U.S. adults (52 percent).

Some Facts about the National Endowment for the Arts

The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that funds, promotes, and strengthens the creative capacity of our communities by providing all Americans with opportunities for arts participation.

Approximately $8 million

Amount of arts education funding for lifelong learning projects annually.

More than 24 million

Estimated number of people who attend a live arts event annually.

42

Percentage of NEA grants awarded to localities of less than a million people.