Actors stretched across the stage

Grants

“The Arts . . . belong to all the people of the United States.”

 *1965 Enabling Legislation for the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965

Welcome!

The National Endowment for the Arts is the only arts funder in the United States—public or private—that provides access to the arts in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. jurisdictions. Our work extends into communities of all sizes across America through a vast network that includes artists, arts workers, audiences, learners, and organizations at the local, state-wide, regional, and national levels.

Whether you are a first-time or returning applicant, we welcome the opportunity to connect with you. Our staff strives to ensure that all applicants receive the support they need to understand every step of the process. Here are some resources to help orient you to our grantmaking process:

Please carefully read the guidelines located below to better understand each program’s intent, as well as the types of projects we are particularly interested in funding.

Find out more about funding opportunities available through your state arts agency and regional arts organization.

Actors in a wide array of colorful outfits dance onstage

Performance of Twelfth Night at Yale Repertory Theatre. Photo by Joan Marcus

Grants for Organizations

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NEA "Celebrating America250: Arts Projects Honoring the National Garden of American Heroes"
$25,000 grants for arts projects in any discipline that celebrate the contributions to American history of one or more of the national heroes listed in Executive Order 13978. No match required. Deadline: July 14, 2025
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GRANTS FOR ARTS PROJECTS
Grants for Arts Projects is our principal grants category. Grants are available for arts projects of all sizes in a wide variety of artistic disciplines. Deadlines: March 11 and July 17, 2025
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OUR TOWN
In previous years, Our Town had its own application deadline. To simplify the application intake and review process, Our Town applicants will now apply within the Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) program and choose the “Our Town” discipline. GAP: Our Town requirements and application questions have been simplified for the benefit of all applicants.
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CHALLENGE AMERICA
The Challenge America grant program has been canceled for FY 2026. We encourage applicants who may have planned to apply to Challenge America this year to review the Grants for Arts Projects guidelines to learn more about funding opportunities.
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PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT GRANTS
Grants are awarded to the nation’s 56 state and jurisdictional arts agencies (SAAs), and the six regional arts organizations (RAOs) whose members comprise SAAs. Partnership support is also available to the national service organization for the state arts agencies.
* Deadline has passed. New guidelines anticipated in July 2025.
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RESEARCH AWARDS
The National Endowment for the Arts invites applicants to engage with its five-year research agenda (as part of the NEA FY2022-2026 Strategic Plan, Objective 3.2) through the agency’s Research Grants in the Arts program.
* Deadline has passed.

Recent Grants

Information about NEA grants awarded since 1998.
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