About the National Endowment for the Arts Big Read

An initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest, the NEA Big Read broadens our understanding of ourselves and our neighbors through the power of a shared reading experience.

The goals of the NEA Big Read are to:

• Inspire meaningful conversations and cross-cultural understanding and empathy;
• Celebrate local creativity and creative practices;
• Elevate a wide variety of voices and perspectives;
• Encourage cross-sector collaboration between the arts and other disciplines and industries to strengthen a community’s civic infrastructure; and
• Build social cohesion and civic engagement through stronger connections in each community as a means toward improving health and well-being and reducing isolation and loneliness.

The NEA Big Read annually presents a selection of novels, poetry collections, short story collections, memoirs, and/or books of essays that inspire conversation and creative responses. Funding is then provided to nonprofit organizations around the country to host dynamic community-wide reading programs designed around one of these books and in collaboration with local partners to develop and conduct engaging events and activities. Organizations apply for funding through a grants program managed by Arts Midwest. Each community program that receives an NEA Big Read grant – which ranges between $5,000 and $20,000 – is also provided with resources to help them succeed. These include outreach materials and tools to help grantees develop public relations strategies, work with local partners, and lead meaningful book discussions.

NEA Big Read programs can be as short as a week or as long as several months. Grantees facilitate book discussions, writing workshops, and creative programming inspired by the book that may include panel discussions, lectures, film screenings, art exhibitions, theatrical and musical performances, poetry slams, writing contests, and community storytelling events. Activities seek to include local artists and welcome participation from a wide range of audiences. 

“The book taught us how to talk to and trust one another so that we could ultimately approach issues that were difficult and immediate,” writes one NEA Big Read participant, echoing the sentiments of many other participants around the country. Studies show that reading for pleasure reduces stress, heightens empathy, improves students' test scores, slows the onset of dementia, and makes us more active and aware citizens. Book clubs and community reading programs extend these benefits by creating opportunities to explore together the issues that are relevant to our lives.

Since 2006, the National Endowment for the Arts has funded more than 1,800 NEA Big Read programs, providing more than $25 million to organizations nationwide. In addition, NEA Big Read activities have reached every Congressional district in the country. Over the past 17 years, grantees have leveraged more than $57 million in local funding to support their NEA Big Read programs. More than 6 million Americans have attended an NEA Big Read event, more than 100,000 volunteers have participated at the local level, and over 40,000 community organizations have partnered to make NEA Big Read activities possible.