The NEA supports artist communities for projects that encourage and nurture the development of individual artists and foster and inspire their creative processes. An artist community is an organization or program, whether focused on a single discipline or multidisciplinary, that provides dedicated space, time, and resources to artists for incubation, thought, or creativity. Artist residencies foster and support the creative process of art making by providing artists with the conditions to advance their own artistic practice.

We encourage applications from a variety of eligible organizations of all budget sizes, and located in rural, suburban, urban, and tribal communities.

Competitive projects will:

• Offer clearly defined support that centers the needs of participating artists, such as space, time, and other resources, when applicable.
• Utilize an open application process to regularly recruit a diverse range of artists, encouraging a wide variety of aesthetic viewpoints, racial and ethnic backgrounds, cultures, disability perspectives, and/or geographic areas.
• Clearly define juried and decision-making processes for selecting participating artists, when applicable.

The NEA is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, and fostering mutual respect for the diverse beliefs and values of all individuals and groups. Projects may focus on reaching a particular group or demographic; however, they may not be exclusionary under Federal civil rights laws and policies prohibiting discrimination. This extends to hiring practices, artist selection processes, and audience engagement. For additional information, refer to this archived webinar: Things to Know Before You Apply: Federal Civil Rights and Your Grants Application.

Applicants may request cost share/matching grants ranging from $10,000 to $100,000.

If your project is developed and managed by local government, see the Local Arts Agencies description to help you in your discipline selection.

For information on how to apply, see “How to Apply” on the left.

Project Types

Projects include, but are not limited to:

• Stipends and temporary living accommodations for professional artists where the primary purpose of the residency is determined by the artist.
• The expansion of the pool of artists that encourages the participation of artists from a wide variety of aesthetic viewpoints, racial and ethnic backgrounds, cultures, disability perspectives, and/or geographic areas.
• Projects that advance or sustain the creative work or careers of people with disabilities through employment, technical assistance, and organizational capacity-building.
• Access to facilities or technology to meet the needs of interdisciplinary or new genre artists.
• Flexible-time or part-time residencies that increase access for artists whose ability to participate is limited due to personal circumstances.
• Collaborations between artists and those from sectors outside of the arts.
• Residencies that provide educational and related activities on-site or in non-traditional settings such as, but not limited to, businesses, hospitals, schools, prisons, military branches, municipal offices, or first-responder organizations.
• Innovative approaches to collaboration with outside organizations and disciplines where the primary purpose is public engagement with art and/or the enhancement of public spaces.
• Artist residencies that advance civic and social practice, conflict transformation, and collaborative work with community partners in ways that are mutually beneficial.
• Residency exchange programs with artists and artist communities in other countries.
• Digital capacity building efforts of organizations to create virtual programming, increase audience accessibility, and/or collaborate with other organizations using digital technology.
• Services to the Artist Communities field. This may include, but is not limited to:
  • Arts and arts-related conferences and convenings.
  • Leadership training, mentorships, and other professional development opportunities for artists and arts administrators.
  • Projects that include planning, capacity building, and training that supports an organization’s capacity to respond to current events.
  • Archiving, preservation, and documentation projects.

Deadline

The application deadline for all projects is February 9, 2023. (Artist Communities does not accept applications at the July deadline.)

For Artist Communities projects with a distinct technology-focused media arts component: Your organization may be eligible to submit a second application under the July deadline for Media Arts.

Accessibility

Federal regulations require that all NEA-funded projects be accessible to people with disabilities. Individuals with disabilities may be audiences, visitors, artists, performers, teaching artists, students, staff, and volunteers. Funded activities should be held in a physically accessible venue, and program access and effective communication should be provided for participants and audience members with disabilities. If your project is recommended for funding, you will be asked to provide detailed information describing how you will make your project physically and programmatically accessible to people with disabilities.