The following criteria are considered during the review of applications:

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

• Significance to the mission and core work of the organization.
• 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 appropriate, potential to have an immediate impact on the arts workforce.
• 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 eligible 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 December 2021.