RESEARCH AWARDS

Grant Program Summary

The National Endowment for the Arts offers two funding opportunities for research projects:

• Research Grants in the Arts support research studies that investigate the value and/or impact of the arts in American life.
• NEA Research Labs funds long-term research agendas that include multiple empirical studies and the dissemination of various products or services for promoting public knowledge about the arts and their contributions to American life. Each Lab must include an interdisciplinary team of researchers.

Full grant program descriptions can be found under Program Guidelines below. For detailed instructions on how to apply, see Application Instructions below.

Eligibility

Research Grants in the Arts*: 
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 operating history prior to the application deadline.

NEA Research Labs*: 
Organizations eligible to apply include:

• U.S. institutions of higher education, or
• Nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3), U.S. organizations.

Applicant organizations must have a five-year history of commissioning and conducting research in the behavioral or social sciences, and communicating research findings and policy implications through reports and/or convenings, at the time of application.

*Both programs:

• Funding is not available in either program for individuals, applications submitted by a fiscal sponsor, commercial/for-profit enterprises, State Arts Agencies, or Regional Arts Organizations.

• Full Eligibility criteria can be found in each opportunity’s Program Guidelines document.

Funding level

Research Grants in the Arts: $20,000-$100,000
Research Labs: $100,000-$300,000

1:1 Cost-share required.

Important Dates

Program Guidelines & Instructions

Program Guidelines: Includes a detailed description of the grant program, eligibility information, award information, an application calendar, application review details, FAQs, and federal award administration information. Review this information before you decide to apply.

Research Grants in the Arts Program Guidelines

Research Labs Program Guidelines 

Application Instructions & Questions: This document includes all application questions and requirements, and full instructions on how to complete and submit both parts of the application.

Research Grants in the Arts Application Instructions

Research Labs Application Instructions
 

How to Apply

Applying for a federal grant can be time consuming, we estimate that after registering, the process to draft and submit an application takes approximately 35 hours.

Detailed instructions on how to complete and submit the both parts of the application package can be found in the Application Instructions documents above.

REGISTRATION
Registration Guidance PDF 
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
Application Part 1, Grants.gov 
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.

PART 1 GRANTS.GOV APPLICATION PACKAGES 

Research Grants in the Arts: Funding Opportunity Number 2026NEA01ORAGRANTS

Research Labs: Funding Opportunity Number 2026NEA01ORALABS

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.

Application Part 2, NEA Applicant Portal 
Complete the Grant Application Form (GAF). Login instructions and step-by-step directions for filling out the GAF are available via the Application Instructions documents above. The Applicant Portal (AP) is a separate website from Grants.gov, click the link above to access the portal.

Applicants may receive a courtesy email at the beginning of the Part 2 submission window as a reminder that the AP is open – you do not need to wait for this email to access the AP, it will open promptly at 9:00 am Eastern Time on the date indicated on the calendar. Emails can occasionally get caught in spam filters, for this reason non-receipt of the courtesy email does not provide grounds for an extension, nor should it be interpreted to mean that Part 1 of your application was not received.

Resources

See the Applicant Resources on the sidebar for tutorials, an application checklist and template, and other helpful resources.

Manage Your Award

Review reporting requirements and other information related to managing a federal award, including the General Terms and Conditions, on our Manage Your Award page.