NEA "Celebrating America250: Arts Projects Honoring the National Garden of American Heroes"
Grant Program Summary
The NEA will offer grants for arts projects in any discipline that celebrate the contributions to American history of one or more of the national heroes listed in Executive Order 13978. We are accepting proposals for works of art in a range of formats: plays, operas, literary arts, concerts, visual arts, museum exhibitions, etc. that honor these individuals. Projects may take place in any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. jurisdictions. We anticipate making between 15-20 awards through this program.
Access for individuals with disabilities:
Contact the Office of Civil Rights at civilrights@arts.gov to request an accommodation or an alternate format of the guidelines at least 2 weeks prior to the application deadline.
Eligibility
Review Grant Program Guidelines & Instructions document linked below for full eligibility details.
Organizations eligible to apply include:
- Nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3), U.S. organizations;
- Units of state or local government; or
- Federally recognized tribal communities or tribes.
Applicant organizations must have completed at least 5 years of arts programming prior to the application deadline.
An applicant may submit one application for this opportunity. Applicants may apply for other NEA funding opportunities, including Grants for Arts Projects and Research Awards, in addition to this funding opportunity. In each case, the request must be for a distinctly different project.
Funding is not available in this category for individuals, applications submitted by a fiscal sponsor, or commercial/for-profit enterprises.
Funding level
Applicants may request $25,000. No cost-share is required.
Important Dates
Step | Date |
| Grant Program Guidelines and Application Instructions Published | June 2025 |
| Application Package Available on Grants.gov | June 2025 |
| Grants.gov Submission deadline | July 14, 2025 |
| Notification of recommended funding or rejection | September 2025 |
| Earliest project start date | October 1, 2025 |
Grant Program Details & Instructions
Grant Program Guidelines & Instructions
Includes a detailed description of the grant program, eligibility information, award information, an application calendar, application review details, and federal award administration information, as well as full instructions on how to complete and submit the application.
How to Apply
REGISTRATION
Registration Guidance
Before you can submit an application, you must register with Login.gov, the System for Award Management (SAM) at SAM.gov, and Grants.gov or renew/verify these registrations. Registration can take several weeks.
SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION
Submit the Application for Federal Domestic Assistance/Short Organization Form. Clicking the link below will take you directly to the pre-populated application package in Grants.gov.
GRANTS.GOV APPLICATION PACKAGE
Funding opportunity number 2025NEAGARDEN
After clicking the link above:
- The Grants.gov “View Grant Opportunity” screen will open, click the red “Apply” button. To create the Workspace application, you must be logged into Grants.gov with a participant role of either Workspace Manager or Authorized Organization Representative (AOR).
- If the Apply button is grey or you receive a “bad request” error, please see further instructions on how to troubleshoot.
- Create a Workspace application:
- Fill in the Application Filing Name field with your organization name, then
- Click the Create Workspace button.
- Go to the Manage Workspace page, where you can begin working on the application.
Manage Your Award
Before applying, we recommend that you review reporting requirements and other information related to managing a federal award, including the General Terms and Conditions, on our Manage Your Award page.
Contact
For questions about application requirements contact NEA staff at apply@arts.gov.
For Login.gov, SAM, and Grants.gov Help
- Login.gov Help: Call 1-844-875-6446, consult the information posted in their Help Center, or use their online form to submit a question.
- SAM Federal Service Desk: Call 1-866-606-8220 or see the information posted on the SAM website at SAM Help.
- Grants.gov Contact Center: Call 1-800-518-4726, email support@grants.gov, or consult the information posted on the Grants.gov website at Support. The Grants.gov Contact Center is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.