The following criteria are considered during the review of applications:

The artistic excellence and artistic merit of the proposal, which includes the:

• Potential to have an immediate impact on the arts workforce.
• Relevance of the subgranting program to the organization’s mission, audience, community, and/or constituency.
• Ability to carry out an award as shown by the alignment of the budget and other resources with the goals and requirements of this funding opportunity, as well as the applicant’s previous grantmaking experience.
• As appropriate, the potential to serve and/or reach individuals whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by ethnicity, economics, geography, or disability.

All applications are reviewed by an advisory panel. Panel recommendations are forwarded to the National Council on the Arts, which then makes recommendations to the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. The Chairman reviews the Council’s recommendations and makes the final decision on all grant awards. Pending the availability of funding, it is anticipated that applicants will be notified of recommendation or rejection in November 2021.