Man painting on a canvas hanging on a wall.
Chicano muralist Fabian Debora, 2024 NEA National Heritage Fellow, from his tribute video available on the NEA YouTube channel. Photo by Helki Frantzen, courtesy of Hypothetical
An altar for a Day of the Dead celebration with a purple skeleton, orange flowers, and a poster with photos on it.

Centro Cultural Aztlan celebrates the annual Dia de los Muertos with a group exhibition of altares y ofrendas by community artists and leaders, such as this altar by John McBurney and Henry De Leon, to help facilitate a dialogue on the history and traditions of this festival. Photo courtesy of Centro Cultural Aztlan

Woman in white dress teaching children to dance outdoors, with men playing drums in background.

Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña’s Cultura Rodante project started in Old San Juan, bringing cultural activities to those affected by the hurricanes in 2017. Photo courtesy of ICP

What’s Happening at the NEA

Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson
Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month 2024!
Graphic with six photographs and the words "National Arts and Humanities Month". The top three photos from left to right are: Youths showing off their handmade pottery, a person stands with arms triumphantly raised on a stage, an older couple dance at a festival. The bottom photos from left to right are: A man dressed in Native American tribal dress, a woman and girl work together on a mural, and a woman plays the drums and smiles.
National Arts and Humanities Month 2024

NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson on the importance of arts and humanities. 
coverr of American Artscape with photo of mural on walking trail and text that says Bridges to Possibilities:Arts and the Built Environment
New Issue of American Artscape is Now Available Online!

"Bridges to Possibilities: Arts and the Built Environment"

Featured News

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A collage of images within orbs floating over green. In these images, folks engage with art exhibits, dance at powwows, act on stage, hula in community, and communicate with the elderly. Two larger orbs frame the top and bottom, with the ArtsHERE logo and crediting language over the bottom.
National Endowment for the Arts Announces More than $12 Million in Grants to Expand Access to Arts Participation in Communities Nationwide
Three women stand smiling on a stage as confetti fall around them, the young woman in center holds a trophy
Poetry Out Loud to Celebrate 20th Anniversary During 2024-2025 School Year

Schools and Organizations Invited to Host Their Own Poetry Out Loud Competition
Photo of the front of the main entrance to the St. Bartholomew’s Church on Park Avenue showing carved sculptures above the doors
National Park Service and Partner Agencies Award $25.7 Million to Preserve Significant Historic Sites and Collections

Featured Stories

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A square photo collage with the words "National Disability Employment Awareness Month" written in the middle. The photos all highlight people working in the arts who also have disabilities.
Blog
National Disability Employment Awareness Month 2024
Headshot of a woman.
Podcast
Jocelyn Bioh
Playwright
Woman with long braided hair and purple flower over her ear dancing on stage with a long orange scarf
Magazine Article
Dancing Outside the Box
Vanessa Sanchez y La Mezcla

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 »
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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 diverse opportunities for arts participation.

Approximately 2,700 Grants

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

More than 70 Percent

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

Approximately 33 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 (2022) 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.

$1.1 trillion

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

4.3 Percent

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

Nearly 5.2 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.

0.00337 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 diverse 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.