GRANTS FOR ARTS PROJECTS: Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works

The presenting & multidisciplinary works program celebrates the breadth of artistic practices and the diversity of organizations, communities, and arts workers that create, engage in, and support multidisciplinary artists and artistic works. The field’s ecosystem includes presenters, festivals, circuses, artist collectives and arts centers, community- and identity-based organizations, arts education organizations, and service organizations, among others.  

The NEA aims to strengthen the presenting & multidisciplinary works ecosystem by welcoming proposals from organizations of all budget sizes, located in rural, suburban, urban, and tribal communities. We encourage applications from community-based and identity-focused organizations, arts or non-arts based, that are rooted in, led by, and coalesce around a wide variety of aesthetic viewpoints, racial and ethnic backgrounds, cultures, disability perspectives, socioeconomic statuses, and/or geographic areas. We value applications from organizations that demonstrate a wholistic approach to their work, including artist-centered projects, support for arts workers, mutually beneficial partnerships with audiences and community, and that have a staff and board representative of their community. All of these components support a healthy arts ecosystem, allowing artists, audiences, and communities to thrive.

Projects should be multidisciplinary in nature (presenting works from across disciplines, multidisciplinary works, and/or interdisciplinary artists) and may include representation from the performing, visual, media, design, and literary arts.

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

For information on how to submit an application, see “How to Apply” on the left.

Project Types

Applications must be for projects only. A project may consist of one or more specific events or activities, and should not cover an entire season of programming. We do not fund seasonal or general operating support.

Projects may include, but are not limited to:

Programs

• The presentation and/or touring of new or existing works. This may include, but is not limited to, performances, exhibitions, festivals, site-specific work, and guest artist residencies;
• The commissioning (or co-commissioning), development, and creation of new works, including creative artist residency programs;
• Projects, participatory works, and community-based work that utilize art in civic and social practice, conflict transformation, and collaborative work with community partners in ways that are mutually beneficial;
• Circus arts and outdoor spectacles;
• Storytelling and spoken word activities;
• Disability-led projects or projects that meaningfully engage disabled artists and/or communities in pursuit of artistic and creative goals;
• Archiving, preservation, and documentation projects;
• Projects incorporating multidisciplinary arts to advance the health and well-being of individuals and communities.

Engagement

• Arts learning, exposure, and enrichment projects for youth, adults, and intergenerational groups;
• Activities that support community fellowship and/or celebrate a community’s strengths;
• Virtual programming that aims to increase audience accessibility, and or/collaborations with other organizations using digital technology.

Capacity-Building

• Services to arts organizations and arts workers that aim to strengthen the field. (Projects that focus on a single discipline should apply through that discipline.) This may include, but is not limited to:
  • Arts and arts-related conferences, convenings, and publications;
  • Support from volunteer legal services and business councils;
  • Leadership training, mentorships, and other professional development opportunities for artists and arts workers;
  • Direct services to artists, arts workers, and organizations that include planning, capacity-building, and legal support; including efforts to advance or sustain the careers of people with disabilities.

Projects that present or otherwise feature a single artistic discipline (including but not limited to dance, literary arts, media arts, music, musical theater, theater, visual arts) should apply through that discipline.

Competitive applications will address elements as stated in the application review criteria, and support a healthy arts ecosystem, as demonstrated by:

• Encouraging the participation of artists, arts workers, partners, and audiences from a wide variety of aesthetic viewpoints, racial and ethnic backgrounds, cultures, disability perspectives, socioeconomic statuses, and/or geographic areas; 
• Compensating artists and arts workers for the full range of their work on the project, including research and development, presentation, and engagement efforts;
• Empowering artists and key stakeholders to thrive in art-making and arts participation through mutually beneficial and reciprocal partnerships;
• Clearly articulating the project goals, desired outcomes, and processes for engaging with, and supporting, artists, audiences, and communities, as defined in the application.

In some cases, a project that involves presenting & multidisciplinary works may be better suited for review in another discipline. Review the Artistic Disciplines page for more information, including guidance on educational projects.

For questions, including help choosing the right discipline, contact NEA staff:

• Organizations with names that begin A through D: Christopher Orr, orrc@arts.gov or 202-682-5430
• Organizations with names that begin E through O: Kelli Gibson, gibsonk@arts.gov or 202-682-5457
• Organizations with names that begin P through Z: Katryna Carter, carterk@arts.gov or 202-682-5779

Compliance Reminders:

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. Please note the following:

• Civil Rights Laws and Policies: As a reminder, in the federal-funding context, a focus on a particular group or demographic may be permissible, but exclusion is not. This extends to hiring practices, artist selection processes, and audience engagement. Your application should make it clear that project activities are not exclusionary. Please review the Assurance of Compliance, as well as NEA Civil Rights guidance on our website, including this archived webinar: Things to Know Before You Apply: Federal Civil Rights and Your Grants Application.
• 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.
• National Historic Preservation Act and/or the National Environmental Policy Act Review: Recommended projects may be subject to the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and/or the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance review. See more information about NHPA/NEPA review under Award Administration.

Deadlines

Grants for Arts Projects applications will be accepted at two deadlines. All project types (described above) are accepted at both deadlines. Apply at the deadline that most closely fits the schedule of activities or timeline of your proposed project. Generally, an organization is limited to one application per year in the Grants for Arts Projects category.

First Grants for Arts Projects Deadline:

Second Grants for Arts Projects Deadline: