Art Works is the National Endowment for the Arts’ principal grants program. Through project-based funding, we support public engagement with, and access to, various forms of excellent art across the nation, the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, learning in the arts at all stages of life, and the integration of the arts into the fabric of community life. Projects may be large or small, existing or new, and may take place in any part of the nation’s 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.
We encourage applications for artistically excellent projects that:
- Celebrate America’s creativity and cultural heritage.
- Invite a dialogue that fosters a mutual respect for the diverse beliefs and values of all persons and groups.
- Enrich our humanity by broadening our understanding of ourselves as individuals and as a society.
*1965 Enabling Legislation for the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965
Discipline guideline links:
- Artist Communities
- Arts Education
- Dance
- Design
- Folk & Traditional Arts
- Literature
- Local Arts Agencies
- Museums
- Music
- Musical Theater
- Opera
- Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works
- Theater
- Visual Arts
Award Information:
Grants generally will range from $10,000 to $100,000. No grants will be made below $10,000. Grants of $100,000 or more will be made only in rare instances, and only for projects that we determine demonstrate exceptional national or regional significance and impact. In the past few years, well over half of the agency's grants have been for amounts less than $25,000.
We fund projects only.
- A project may consist of one or more specific events or activities; it may be a part of an applicant's regular season or activities. Organizations that undertake a single short-term project in a year -- a ten-day jazz festival, for example -- could apply for that event, or they could identify certain components (such as the presentation of a key artist and the associated activities) as their project. Describe the activities for which our support is requested, and provide specific information on the artists, productions, venues, distribution plans, etc., that will be involved.
- Organizations may apply for any or all phases of a project, from its planning through its implementation.
- A project does not have to be new. Excellent existing projects can be just as competitive as new activities.
- Projects do not need to be large. We welcome small projects that can make a difference in a community or field.
- Projects may be in all NEA artistic disciplines, for works of all cultures and periods. This includes projects featuring Native American, Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian arts.
Grant Amounts, Cost Share, and Matching Funds:
Grants cannot exceed 50% of the total cost of the project. All grants require a nonfederal match of at least 1 to 1. For example, if an organization receives a $10,000 grant, the total eligible project costs must be at least $20,000 and the organization must provide at least $10,000 toward the project from nonfederal sources.
Grants generally will range from $10,000 to $100,000. No grant will be made below $10,000. Grants of $100,000 or more will be made only in rare instances, and only for projects that we determine demonstrate exceptional national or regional significance and impact.
In developing an application, we urge all applicants to consider the level of recent awards and to request a realistic grant amount. Applicants should review the lists of grants on our website to see recent grant award levels and project types. In the past few years, well over half of the agency's grants have been for amounts less than $25,000.
Applicants whose grants are recommended for less than the amount that is requested will have the opportunity to revise the project budget to reflect any necessary changes to the project, based on the recommended funding amount. We reserve the right to limit support of a project to a particular portion(s) or cost(s).
Eligibility Limits:
We are considering Penn State as one institution and therefore may submit only one application.
Internal Nomination Process:
Interested applicants should send the following documents in sequence in one PDF no later than 4:00 p.m. on the internal submission deadline:
- Principal Investigator’s (PI's) names and departmental affiliation
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Co-PI's names and departmental affiliation(s)
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A list of possible participating organizations (if applicable)
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Department Head approval/agreement to match funds
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Project Description (no more than two pages) and identify:
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the artistic excellence of the project, which includes:
- Quality of the artists, arts organizations, arts education providers, works of art, or services that the project will involve, as appropriate.
- Artistic significance of the project.
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the artistic merit of the project, which includes the potential to:
- Celebrate America’s creativity and cultural heritage,
- Invite mutual respect for differing beliefs and values, or
- Enrich humanity.
- Extent to which the project serves the organization’s community or constituency.
- Potential impact on artists (including evidence of direct payment) and the artistic field.
- Appropriateness of the project to the organization's mission, audience, community, and/or constituency.
- Appropriateness of any proposed performance measurements. This includes, where relevant, measures to assess student and/or teacher learning in arts education.
- Plans for documentation and dissemination of the project results, as appropriate.
- Ability to carry out the project based on such factors as the appropriateness of the budget, the quality and clarity of the project goals and design, the resources involved, and the qualifications of the project's personnel.
- Where appropriate, potential to reach underserved populations such as those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited.
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the artistic excellence of the project, which includes:
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2-page current Bio-sketch for all PIs and Co-PIs.
Formatting Guidelines and Page Limit:
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Font/size: Times New Roman (12 pt.)
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Document margins: 1.0” (top, bottom, left and right)
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Standard paper size (8 ½” x 11)
Questions concerning the limited submissions process may be submitted to limitedsubs@psu.edu.