Partnership Agreement Grants to Regional Arts Organizations

The Partnership Agreement grants application review process represents a mutually beneficial relationship between federal government and the six-established Regional Arts Organizations in support of the nation’s cultural infrastructure. Through the annual application and review process, the Regional Arts Organizations identify and communicate locally-identified priorities to a federal audience. In turn, review of the application helps to inform the NEA’s own programming and priorities in support of regional arts organizations.

Review Criteria

The following criteria are considered in the review of applications:

A. Planning Process

Constituents are involved in the organization’s planning process, incorporating:

1. Opportunities for a wide range of constituents to participate in the planning process, including those in underserved groups/ communities.
2. Constituent engagement through a wide variety of means such as public meetings, surveys, interviews, virtual engagement, and digital communications as relevant to various constituent groups.   
3. Responses to recommendations and the priorities identified through the planning process.
4. Processes used to monitor the region’s progress in achieving its goals, including metrics used.

B.  Implementation and Accomplishments

The organization’s programs, activities, and other accomplishments:

1. Respond to the priorities identified by constituents during the planning process and/or changing circumstances in the region.
2. Leverage public and private partnerships, as appropriate.
3. Demonstrate the organization’s cost effectiveness and record of growing and diversifying its revenue sources, specifically from non-federal sources.
4. Include plans to support community engagement and/or touring programming (as previously demonstrated through the NEA Regional Touring Program, now referred to as the Regional Engagement Program) to give all Americans access to excellence in the arts.
5. Include plans to support professional development for Regional Arts Organization and State Arts Agency staff on accessibility requirements for cultural organizations and engagement with the disability community.
6. Include plans to support stable, outreach-driven programs that are responsive to the region’s diverse folk & traditional arts heritage, and that can strengthen support of the folk & traditional arts).