GRANTS FOR ARTS PROJECTS

Grant Program Summary

The NEA is committed to supporting excellent arts projects for the benefit of all Americans. Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) provides funding 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. We welcome applications from first-time and returning applicants; from organizations serving rural, urban, suburban, and tribal communities of all sizes; and from organizations with small, medium, or large operating budgets.

We fund arts projects in the following disciplines: 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.

A full grant program description can be found under Grant Program Details below. For detailed instructions on how to apply, see Application Instructions below.

Access for individuals with disabilities:
Contact the Office of Accessibility at 202-682-5532 / accessibility@arts.gov or the Office of Civil Rights at civilrights@arts.gov to request an accommodation or an alternate format of the guidelines at least 2 weeks prior to the application deadline.

Eligibility

Review GAP Grant Program Details document below for full details. Organizations eligible to apply include:

• Nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3), U.S. organizations;
• Units of state or local government; or
• Federally recognized tribal communities or tribes.

Applicant organizations must have completed at least 5 years of arts programming prior to the application deadline. Generally, an applicant may submit one application per calendar year.

Funding is not available in this category for individuals, applications submitted by a fiscal sponsor, or commercial/for-profit enterprises.  

Funding level

Applicants may request an amount between $10,000-$100,000.

Local Arts Agencies only: Designated local arts agencies that are eligible to subgrant may request $30,000 to $150,000 for subgranting programs. See the Local Arts Agencies Application Instructions below for more information on subgranting eligibility.

1:1 Cost-share/match required. Sources may include both cash and in-kind.

Review the GAP Program Details document below for full details.

Important Dates

Applications are accepted during two funding cycles each year.

Grant Program Details & Instructions

GAP Grant Program Details (all disciplines): PDF 
This document includes a detailed description of the grant program, eligibility information, award information, an application calendar, a list of unallowable activities/costs, application review details, FAQs, and federal award administration information. Review this information before you decide to apply.

Application Instructions: 
Each document includes full instructions on how to complete and submit both parts of the application and a detailed description of the discipline, types of accepted projects, and characteristics of competitive proposals. From the list below, select the discipline that most closely corresponds with your proposed project activities.

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

How to Apply

Submitting an application is a multi-step process. Detailed instructions on how to complete and submit the both parts of the application package can be found in the Application Instructions documents above. Applying for a federal grant can be time consuming, we estimate that after registering, the process to draft and submit an application takes approximately 26 hours.

REGISTRATION 
Registration Guidance PDF 
Before you can submit an application, you must register with Login.gov, the System for Award Management (SAM) at SAM.gov, and Grants.gov or renew/verify these registrations. Registration can take several weeks.

SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION 
Application Part 1, Grants.gov
Submit the Application for Federal Domestic Assistance/Short Organization Form. Clicking the link below will take you directly to the pre-populated application package in Grants.gov.

PART 1 GRANTS.GOV APPLICATION PACKAGE 
March Cycle: Funding opportunity number 2025NEA01GAP1MARCH

July Cycle: The Grants.gov application package for the July cycle will be available in mid-May 2025. Do not use the March application package to apply to the July cycle.

After clicking the link above:

• The Grants.gov “View Grant Opportunity” screen will open, click the red “Apply” button. To create the Workspace application, you must be logged into Grants.gov with a participant role of either Workspace Manager or Authorized Organization Representative (AOR).
  • If the Apply button is grey or you receive a “bad request” error, please see further instructions on how to troubleshoot.
• Create a Workspace application:
  • Fill in the Application Filing Name field with your organization name, then
  • Click the Create Workspace button.
• Go to the Manage Workspace page, where you can begin working on the application.

Application Part 2, NEA Applicant Portal 
Complete the Grant Application Form (GAF). Login instructions and step-by-step directions for filling out the GAF are available via the Application Instructions documents above. The Applicant Portal (AP) is a separate website from grants.gov, click the link above to access the portal.

Applicants may receive a courtesy email at the beginning of the Part 2 submission window as a reminder that the AP is open – you do not need to wait for this email to access the AP, it will open promptly at 9:00 am Eastern Time on the date indicated on the calendar. Emails can occasionally get caught in spam filters, for this reason non-receipt of the courtesy email does not provide grounds for an extension, nor should it be interpreted to mean that Part 1 of your application was not received.

Webinars and Resources

See the Applicant Resources on the sidebar for information on webinars and other resources.

Manage Your Award

Before applying, we recommend that you review reporting requirements and other information related to managing a federal award, including the General Terms and Conditions, on our Manage Your Award page.