ART WORKS Guidelines: Part 2: Submit Materials to the Applicant Portal

Fill out and submit the NEA Grant Application Form and upload items to the Applicant Portal.

First Art Works Deadline:

Part 1 - Submit SF-424 to Grants.gov February 15, 2018 by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time
Part 2 - Submit Materials to Applicant Portal February 20, 2018 at 9:00 a.m., Eastern Time to February 27, 2018 at 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time

Note: To allow time to resolve any problems you might encounter, we strongly recommend that you register/renew your Grants.gov/SAM registration by at least January 24, 2018 and submit the SF-424 to Grants.gov by at least February 6, 2018.

Second Art Works Deadline:

Part 1 - Submit SF-424 to Grants.gov July 12, 2018 by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time
Part 2 - Submit Materials to Applicant Portal July 17, 2018 9:00 a.m., Eastern Time to July 24, 2018 at 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time

Note: To allow time to resolve any problems you might encounter, we strongly recommend that you register/renew your Grants.gov/SAM registration by at least June 20, 2018 and submit the SF-424 to Grants.gov by at least July 3, 2018.

Do not attempt to complete Part 2 before the applicant portal becomes available to you on these dates. Your log on credentials will be created for you.

1. Accessing the Applicant Portal:

  • User Name = Grants.gov Tracking Number

    (Example: "GRANT12345678")
  • Password = Agency Tracking Number/NEA Application Number

    (Example: "1234567")

How do I find my Grants.gov tracking number? Your Grants.gov tracking number is assigned to you by Grants.gov at the time you submit your SF-424. A confirmation screen will appear once your SF-424 submission is complete. Your Grants.gov tracking number will be provided at the bottom of this screen. Remember to save this number.

How do I find my Agency Tracking #/NEA Application Number? The NEA assigns the number to your application 1-2 business days after you submit your SF-424. Log on to Grants.gov with the Grants.gov Username and Password that you used to submit your SF-424. Select the Check My Application feature to find your Agency Tracking#/NEA Application Number. NOTE: Check My Application is a separate feature from Track My Application at Grants.gov.

For specific help on how to complete your application, please review the instructions in these guidelines or contact the discipline staff that is appropriate to your project (see "Agency Contacts").

2. Fill out the Grant Application Form

You will submit a substantial part of your application through the Grant Application Form (GAF) in the applicant portal, including:

  • Answers to narrative questions about your organization and project.
  • Financial information about your organization and project.
  • Bios of key individuals.
  • Upload work samples and statements of support (For certain disciplines only).

Click below to see the application questions, instructions, and information about required application materials that you will submit through the Grant Application Form in the applicant portal. For your application to be considered complete, every item that is required MUST be included in your application.

You should prepare your responses and material well in advance of the deadline and have them fully ready to upload once the applicant portal opens for you. You will not have access to the Grant Application Form until the applicant portal opens for you to submit your application materials on the dates noted above.

Note: We strongly urge you to complete and submit the Grant Application Form and upload materials outside of the hours of heaviest usage, generally 8:00 pm to 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on the day of the deadline.

HELPFUL TIPS:

  1. Submit your materials to the applicant portal prior to the deadline to give yourself ample time to resolve any problems that you might encounter. You take a significant risk by waiting until the day of the deadline to submit.

    • NEA staff will not be available to help you after 5:30 p.m., Eastern Time, on the day of the deadline.

  2. Don't forget to hit the "Submit" button when you are ready to submit your application. If you do not hit the "Submit" button, your application will not be received.

  3. The applicant portal closes at 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on the day of the deadline. Be sure you have finished uploading your materials and hit the "Submit" button prior to that time

  4. You can confirm that your application was received when you log in to the applicant portal. On the first screen it will say “Submitted” if your application has been received. If your application has not yet been received, it will say “In Progress.”

  5. After submitting your application, you may log back into the applicant portal and make modifications to your submission up until the system closes on the day of the deadline. Remember to hit the "Save" and "Submit" button again prior the deadline.

  6. You may print a copy of your application at any time, whether in draft or final form, for your records.

  7. Some special characters (such as ampersands, quotation marks, apostrophes, and angle brackets) take up more character counts than others in webforms, including the Grant Application Form. This is because certain characters are translated into HTML code which takes up more than one character space. If you notice a higher than expected character count when you enter information directly into the Grant Application Form or copy and paste from your word processing program, here are a few tips:

    • Transfer your text into a text-only utility like Notepad before pasting it into the Grant Application Form. This will delete hidden HTML code to ensure the proper capture of your text. However, any formatting you had will be deleted.
    • Use a solution other than special characters. For example, instead of using quotation marks for titles of works, put them in italics and that won't affect character count.
    • Use only one space after the end of sentences. Single spaces after punctuation marks (periods, commas, colons, etc.) only reduce the character counter by one character. If you enter two spaces after a period, HTML coding adds extra spaces.

    Also, save character space by limiting the use of tabs.

  8. View the Grant Application Form Tutorial for other helpful tips to assist you in completing the online form.