(CLOSED) National Endowment for the Arts: Grants for Arts Projects July 2023 (All Disciplines)

Sponsor Name: 
National Endowment for the Arts
Description of the Award: 

An organization may submit only one application per calendar year under these FY 2023 Grants for Arts Projects guidelines, with the exception of the Media Arts discipline. An organization may submit more one additional application in the Grants for Arts Projects category through the Media Arts discipline only at the July 2023, deadline.

Grants for Arts Projects is our largest grants program for organizations, providing comprehensive and expansive funding opportunities for communities. Through project-based funding, the program supports 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.

The NEA is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, and fostering mutual respect for the diverse beliefs and values of all individuals and groups. We encourage projects that use the arts to unite and heal, as well as address any of the following:

  • Elevate artists as integral and essential to a healthy and vibrant society.
  • Celebrate the nation’s creativity and/or cultural heritage.
  • Facilitate cross-sector collaborations that center the arts at the intersection of other disciplines, sectors, and industries.
  • Contribute to healthy and thriving local, regional, state-wide, and national arts ecosystems and arts infrastructures.
  • Invest in organizational capacity-building and leadership development for arts organizations, arts workers, and artists.
  • Build arts organizations’ capacity to serve a broad public through digital or emergent technology and/or support tech-centered creative practices across all artistic disciplines and forms.
  • Originate from or are in collaboration with the following constituencies encouraged by White House Executive Orders:

In recognition of the United States of America’s 250th anniversary in 2026, we also welcome arts projects that educate and engage communities in dialogue about the past, present, and future of our nation.

The NEA is accepting applications in the following disciplines at the July deadline:

  • Artist Communities
  • Arts Education
  • Dance
  • Design
  • Folk & Traditional Arts
  • Literature
  • Local Arts Agencies
  • Media Arts 
  • Museums
  • Music
  • Musical Theater
  • Opera
  • Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works
  • Theater
  • Visual Arts

NEA funds 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 any of the Arts Endowment’s artistic disciplines.

Grant Amounts, Cost Share, and Matching Funds

Grants range from $10,000 to $100,000. All grants require a nonfederal cost share/match of at least 1 to 1. In the past few years, a majority 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. NEA reserves the right to limit support of a project to a particular portion(s) or cost(s).

Application Limits

An organization may submit only one application under these FY 2022 Grants for Arts Projects guidelines (except for Media Arts), with few exceptions as listed below.

For this category, exceptions to the one-application rule are made only for:

Parent (and Related) Organizations

A parent organization that comprises separately identifiable and independent components (e.g., a university campus that has a presenting organization and a radio station) may submit an application for each such component. In addition, a parent organization also may submit one application on its own behalf for a project that is different from any project submitted in an application by its independent component(s). Commonwealth Campuses qualify as independent organizations. If you have questions regarding eligibility as an independent component contact limitedsubs@psu.edu.

An independent component must be a unit that is both programmatically and administratively distinct from the parent organization, have its own staff and budget, and generally have an independent board that has substantial responsibility for oversight and management. To qualify as independent, a component should be equivalent to a stand-alone institution with a separate mission.

The following do not qualify as independent components:

  • Academic departments of colleges and universities.
  • Programs and projects of organizations.
Limit (Number of applicants permitted per institution): 
1
Sponsor Final Deadline: 
Jul 06, 2023
OSVPR Application or NOI Instructions: 

Interested applicants should upload the following documents in sequence in one PDF file (File name: Last name_GrantsInArts_2023 no later than 4:00 p.m. on the internal submission deadline:

  • Cover Page
    • Principal Investigator’s (PI's) names and departmental affiliation
    • Co-PI's names and departmental affiliation(s)
    • A list of possible participating organizations (if applicable)
    • Department Head that approves/agrees to match funds
    • Discipline Topic
  • Project Description (no more than two pages) and identify:
    • the artistic excellence of the project, which includes:
      • The quality of the artists and other key individuals, creative process, works of art, organizations, arts education providers, artistic partners, and/or services involved in the project and their relevance to the audience or communities the project aims to serve.
    • the artistic merit of the project, which includes the potential to:
      • The value and appropriateness of the project to the organization’s mission, artistic field, artists, audience, community, and/or constituency.
      • The ability to carry out the project based on such factors as the appropriateness of the budget, clarity of the project activities, resources involved, and the qualifications of the project's personnel and/or partnerships.
      • Clearly defined goals and/or proposed outcomes and an appropriate plan to determine if those goals and/or outcomes are met. This includes, where relevant, measures to assess student and/or teacher learning in arts education.
      • Evidence of direct compensation to artists, art collectives, and/or art workers
  • 2-page current Bio-sketch for all PIs and Co-PIs.

Formatting Guidelines and Page Limit:

  • Font/size: No smaller than 11 pt.
  • Document margins: 1.0” (top, bottom, left and right)
  • Standard paper size (8 ½” x 11)
To be considered as a Penn State institutional nominee, please submit a notice of intent by the date provided directly below.
This limited submission is in downselect: 
Penn State may only submit a specific number of proposals to this funding opportunity. The number of NOIs received require that an internal competition take place, thus, a downselect process has commenced. No Penn State researchers may apply to this opportunity outside of this downselect process. To apply for this limited submission, please use this link:
OSVPR Downselect Deadline: 
Wednesday, May 3, 2023 - 4:00pm
For help or questions: 

Questions concerning the limited submissions process may be submitted to limitedsubs@psu.edu.

Notes: 
Claire de Boer (CoM); Mandisa Haarhoff (CoLA); Pearl Gluck (Bellisario) Media Arts; Sita Frederick (Centre for the Performing Arts/A&A)