National Endowment for the Arts FY 2026 Grant Opportunities Now Available

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Nonprofit organizations can now apply for National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) funding in the categories of Challenge America and Grants for Arts Projects for projects taking place beginning in 2026. These grants support projects taking place in any part of the nation’s 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. jurisdictions.

The NEA is committed to supporting arts projects for the benefit of all Americans. Applications from both first-time and returning applicants are welcomed. Eligible applicants include nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) U.S. organizations, units of state or local government, and federally recognized tribal communities or tribes. Applicants may be arts organizations, local arts agencies, arts service organizations, local education agencies (school districts), and other organizations that can help advance the NEA’s goals.

See below for additional details on the NEA’s grant opportunities and information about applicant resources.

Are you a first-time applicant? Applying for a federal grant is a multi-step process that is always entirely free. Visit our resource guide for new applicants to access information on required registrations, the application process, things to know before you apply, and information on managing your award.

Applicant resources available for Challenge America and Grants for Arts Projects include online tutorials, checklists, discipline-specific guidelines webinars, and opportunities for informal virtual office hours with NEA program staff.

Challenge America

Challenge America supports projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved groups/communities. This program welcomes applications from applicants that are primarily small organizations, first-time applicants to the NEA, returning Challenge America applicants, or applicants that have not been recommended for funding in any of the three most recent Fiscal Years (FY 2023, 2024, or 2025) in Grants for Arts Projects, Our Town, or Research.

This program may be a good entry point for organizations that are new to applying for federal funding. Grants are awarded in all artistic disciplines for a wide variety of arts projects.

Challenge America grants are for a set amount of $10,000 and feature a robust structure of technical assistance and. Grants require a cost share/match of $10,000 consisting of cash and/or in-kind contributions. Total project costs must be at least $20,000 or greater.

Application Deadline: April 24, 2025, for projects taking place beginning in 2026.

Sign up for a guidelines webinar on Thursday, February 27, 2025, at 3:00 pm ET. (All webinars are free to attend; however, registration is required. Webinar recordings will be posted shortly after the presentations.)

NEA staff will also offer informal "office hours" style Q&A Zoom sessions to answer questions about the guidelines, application process, and deadlines; visit Challenge America’s Applicant Resources page for more details and to register.

Grants for Arts Projects

Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) supports an expansive range of arts activities to strengthen the nation’s arts and culture ecosystem, including opportunities for public engagement with the arts and arts education, for the integration of the arts with strategies promoting the health and well-being of people and communities, and for the improvement of overall capacity and capabilities within the arts sector.

Grants for Arts Projects supports projects in the areas of Artist Communities, Arts Education, Dance, Design, Film & Media Arts, Folk & Traditional Arts, Literary Arts, Local Arts Agencies, Museums, Music, Musical Theater, Opera, Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works, Theater, and Visual Arts. (Note: The Media Arts discipline has a new name in recognition of the breadth of projects the agency supports in this area.) In the Instructions documents on the GAP webpage, each discipline has outlined their broader arts ecosystem, the types of projects they encourage, and guidance on characteristics of competitive proposals.

The NEA is particularly interested in arts projects that:

See the GAP Grant Program Details for additional information on these areas of interest.

Grants range from $10,000 to $100,000. All grants require a nonfederal cost share or match of at least 1 to 1. In addition, designated local arts agencies eligible to subgrant may request from $30,000 to $150,000 for subgranting in the Local Arts Agencies discipline.

Application Deadlines: February 13, 2025, and July 10, 2025, for projects taking place beginning in 2026. 

Sign up for a guidelines webinar on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, at 3:00 pm ET. (All webinars are free to attend; however, registration is required. Webinar recordings will be posted shortly after the presentations.)

Additional discipline-specific webinars and informal “office hours” style Q&A sessions will also be available; visit GAP’s applicant resources page for more details and to register.

Additional NEA Grant Opportunities

Details on all NEA grant opportunities can be found at arts.gov/grants.

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