The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is seeking applications for its Challenge America to support primarily to small organizations for projects in all artistic disciplines that extend the reach of the arts to populations that are underserved.
Donor Name: National Endowment for the Arts
Country: U.S.
State: All States
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 05/21/2022
Size of the Grant: $10,000
Grant Duration: 2 years
Details:
The program is rooted in principles that include, but are not limited to, recognition that:
- Some populations and some geographic areas have limited grant funding opportunities, and/or have been historically underserved by national arts funding;
- Some small organizations may face barriers to accessing grant funding; and
- Some applicants to the NEA may benefit from enhanced technical assistance resources.
Challenge America features an abbreviated application, a robust structure of technical assistance, and grants for a set amount of $10,000.
Funding Information
- All grants are for $10,000.
- Grants cannot exceed 50% of the total cost of the project. All grants require a nonfederal cost share/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 awarded under these guidelines generally may cover a period of performance of up to two years.
Eligibility Criteria
If an organization applies to the Challenge America category, it may not also apply to the Grants for Arts Projects category during the same calendar year.
- The following are eligible apply:
- Nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3), U.S. organizations;
- Units of state or local government; or
- Federally recognized tribal communities or tribes.
- Applicants may be arts organizations, local arts agencies, arts service organizations, local education agencies (school districts), and other organizations that can help advance the goals of the NEA.
- To be eligible, the applicant organization must:
- Be a first-time applicant to the NEA OR be a previous NEA applicant that was not recommended for funding in any of the three most recent Fiscal Years (FYs 2020, 2021, or 2022) in any of the following grant programs:
- Grants for Arts Projects, formerly known as Art Works (application deadlines in February and July 2019, 2020, and 2021);
- Research Grants in the Arts (application deadlines in October 2019, October 2020, and April 2021); or
- Town (application deadlines in August 2019, 2020, and 2021).
- Previous NEA applicants recommended for FY 2020, FY 2021, or FY 2022 funding in Grants for Arts Projects (formerly known as Art Works), Research Grants in the Arts, or Our Town, are not eligible to apply (as indicated by an NEA Offer Letter dated November 4, 2019, or later).
- Previous Challenge America applicants and grantees are eligible to apply, as long as they were not recommended for FY 2020, FY 2021, or FY 2022 funding in Grants for Arts Projects (formerly known as Art Works), Research Grants in the Arts, or Our Town.
- Eligible organizations that received American Rescue Plan (ARP) or CARES Act funding may apply to this program as long as they were not recommended for FY 2020, FY 2021, or FY 2022 funding in Grants for Arts Projects (formerly known as Art Works), Research Grants in the Arts, or Our Town.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
