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Please see the full solicitation for complete information about the funding opportunity. Below is a summary assembled by the Research & Innovation Office (RIO).ÌýNote the matching requirement detailed in the Award Information section below.Ìý

Program Summary

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is committed to supporting excellent arts projects for the benefit of all Americans. Through project-based funding, Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) supports a range of arts activities to enable Americans throughout the nation to experience the arts, foster and celebrate America artistic heritage and cultural legacy, and benefit from arts education at all stages of life. We also support arts and health programs, including creative arts therapies, that advance the well-being of people and communities.

We fund arts projects with specific, definable activities. We strongly encourage applications for arts projects that focus on one or moreÌý Applications will be assessed based on the Review Criteria of artistic excellence and artistic merit. However, priority for funding will be given to those projects that align with the identified agency funding priorities, though consideration is not limited exclusively to these areas.

Projects may be small, medium, or large, and may take place in any part of the nation 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. jurisdictions. A project may consist of one or more specific events or activities; it may be a new initiative or part of your organization regular season or activities. Organizations that undertake a single short-term program in a year may apply for that event, or may choose to identify certain components of that program as their project. Organizations may apply for any or all phases of a project, from planning through implementation. The NEA does not fund general operating support or a full season of programming; a project should not cover an organization entire annual activities or costs.

Projects should have regional, national, or artistic field-wide significance. This includes local projects that can have significant impact within communities or are likely to demonstrate best practices for the artistic field.

Projects are accepted in the areas listed below. Types of projects supported in each discipline are outlined in the application instructions PDFs found on the In limited cases, and in consultation with the applicant, NEA staff may transfer an application to a discipline other than the one selected by the applicant to ensure appropriate panel review. However, the NEA cannot guarantee that an application will be transferred in all cases where this might be desirable.

• Arts Education: Projects for pre-K-12 students, and the educators and artists who support them (see below for more guidance on selecting the right discipline for educational projects).
• ÀϾÅÆ·²è is ineligible for this project type:ÌýChallenge America: $10,000 awards for projects from small organizations (less than $250,000 in prior year operating expenses) that extend the reach of the arts to underserved groups/communities (see below for more guidance on Challenge America).
• Dance:ÌýProjects in all genres of dance.
• Design & Our Town: Projects including architecture, creative placemaking, communications and graphic design, fashion design, historic preservation, industrial and product design, interior design, landscape architecture, rural design, social impact design, and urban design.
• Folk & Traditional Arts: Projects supporting culturally- or community-centered artistic traditions in genres including music, dance, crafts, foodways, dress/adornment, occupation, ceremony, and oral expression, such as stories, poetry, and language.
• Literary Arts: Projects supporting publishing, distribution, and/or promotion of literary content, literary arts programming, and services to the literary field.
• Local Arts Agencies: Projects by arts commissions, arts councils, or departments of cultural affairs; national or statewide service organizations partnering with local arts agencies; and arts projects by local government and special districts.
• Museums: Museums projects supporting work by artists in all mediums and featuring contemporary and historic genres, styles, eras, and cultures.
• Music: Music and music presentation projects in all genres including classical, contemporary, and jazz.
• Opera: Opera and opera presentation projects.
• Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works: Projects presenting work from multiple disciplines, multidisciplinary works, and/or interdisciplinary artists.
• Theater & Musical Theater: Theater and musical theater projects, including presentation.
• Visual & Media Arts: Projects in contemporary visual arts mediums such as painting, photography, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, fiber, and glass. Projects in the independent film and media arts sector for activities including film, audio, broadcast, and emergent practices at the intersection of arts and digital technology.

Deadlines

• CU Internal Deadline: 11:59pm MST January 12, 2026
• Sponsor Application Deadline: 9:59pm MST February 12, 2026

Internal Application Requirements (all in PDF format)

• Project Summary (2 pages maximum): Please be sure to address the artistic excellence and artistic merit of the project as described in the review criteria section.
• PI Curriculum Vitae
• Budget Overview (1 page maximum): A basic budget outlining project costs is sufficient; detailed OCG budgets are not required.ÌýApplicants must include the source of cost-share/matching funds in this budget overview and provide the name(s) from whom they have received commitments of matching support.
• Cost-Share Certification: Applicants must certify that they have confirmed cost-share commitments as part of the internal process and provide the name(s) of those who have committed in the budget overview. See RIOÌýguidance for additional details.

To access the online application, visit:

Eligibility

Applicants must have a five-year history of arts programming prior to the application deadline. ÀϾÅÆ·²è is ineligible for the Challenge America category.Ìý

Limited Submission Guidelines

An applicant may submit only one application per calendar year.

Award Information

Grants range from $10,000 to $100,000. All grants require a nonfederal cost share or match of at least 1 to 1.Ìý 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.

Award Duration: Up to 2 years

Anticipated Number of Awards: 2,000

Review Criteria

Applications will be reviewed based on the artistic excellence and merit of the project.

TheÌýartistic excellenceÌýof the project, which includes the quality of the artists and other key individuals, works of art, organizations, arts education providers, artistic partners, and/or services involved in the project.

TheÌýartistic meritÌýof the project, which includes the:

• The value and appropriateness of the project to the organization 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.
• The potential for the project to have regional, national, or artistic field-wide significance. This includes local projects that can have significant impact within communities or are likely to demonstrate best practices for the artistic field.
• 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 in arts education, measures to assess student and/or teacher learning, and alignment with national core or state arts standards.
• Evidence of direct compensation to artists, makers, art collectives, and/or art workers.
• As applicable:
• Engagement with individuals whose opportunities to experience and participate in the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economic status, or disability.
• Alignment with one or more agency funding priorities.Ìý