CHALLENGE AMERICA: Applicant Resources
How to Apply Tutorials
Webinar
FY25 Challenge America Application Guidelines Webinar
(2.28.24)
Video recording | Presentation Slides
Applicant Q&A
Join us for an informal "office hours" style Q&A Zoom session. Challenge America staff will be available to answer questions about the FY 2025 Challenge America guidelines, application process, and deadlines.
Please register in advance. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Q&A sessions are not recorded or posted after the session.
Tools
Our First-Time Applicant Guide for Organizations covers the basics of registration and provides some links to helpful resources for new applicants.
An outline of the application steps and questions can be found in the Application Checklist.
Common Application Mistakes covers common mistakes to avoid when submitting your application.
The Online Tutorial: Using the Grant Application Form (GAF) provides a step by step visual guide to entering information into the applicant portal.
You can find summaries of all of our recently funded grants, including a searchable database going back to 1998.
If your project includes program evaluation and/or research activities that involve directly collecting information from program participants, the NEA may conduct a review of your project to ensure that it complies with our general guidance regarding the responsible conduct of research. Review our Responsible Conduct of Program Evaluation and Research to learn more.
Federal Civil Rights and Your Grants Application
In this webinar you can learn about federal Civil Rights compliance requirements when applying for a NEA grant and find guidance on how to accurately communicate your project description and plan.
Accessibility
Projects funded by the NEA must be accessible to people with disabilities.
The Accessibility Requirements for Applicants and Grantees webinar gives a detailed overview, and provides information about the application Assurance of Compliance, post-award accessibility questionnaire, and 504 Self Evaluation requirements. It also provides tips for ensuring access to your programs and facilities.
The Accessibility Checklist is a user-friendly tool to assist you in making your organization and project inclusive and available to everyone. The checklist includes links to a wide variety of Accessibility resources.
The Accessibility Questions for Recommended Applicants form is required for all recommended grantees. You may preview the form to see what kinds of information we will request if you are recommended for a grant.
National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA)
Projects supported by the NEA are subject to the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), which is legislation intended to protect historic and archeological sites. You can learn about what kinds of projects require additional review to ensure compliance with NHPA regulations, as well as how our internal review process works in this webinar.
Technical support for Login.gov, Grants.gov, and SAM
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.
Grants.gov Contact Center: Call 800-518-4726, email support@grants.gov, or consult the information posted on the Grants.gov website at Support or Help. The Grants.gov Contact Center is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
SAM Federal Service Desk: Call 866-606-8220 or see the information posted on the SAM website at SAM User Help.