Congratulations to NEA Grantees for 2024

For its second major grant announcement of fiscal year 2024, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has announced more than $110 million in recommended grants in all 50 states and U.S. jurisdictions. These grants fall under three NEA funding categories: Grants for Arts Projects, Our Town, and State and Regional Partnerships.

In the M-AAA region, there are a total of 92 grants recommended with 6 in Arkansas, 9 in Kansas, 20 in Missouri, 4 in Nebraska, 3 in Oklahoma, and 50 in Texas totaling over $10 million.

“Funding to our state and regional partners nationwide is crucial to sustaining vibrant local arts ecosystems,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “So many aspects of our communities including cultural vitality, health and wellbeing, infrastructure, and the economy are advanced and improved through investments in art and design, and the National Endowment for the Arts, in cooperation with these agencies, is committed to ensuring people across the country benefit.” — NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD

• Read the full NEA press release here.
• All current grants and project details can be viewed through the recent grant search

As part of the application review process, the NEA works with panelists with relevant knowledge and experience who reviewed the applications and rated them in accordance with published review criteria. Recommendations were then presented to the National Council on the Arts. The council made its recommendations to the NEA Chair, who then made the final decision on all grant awards. Learn more about the grant review process or volunteer to be a panelist.

Grants for Arts Projects

Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) provides expansive funding opportunities to strengthen the nation’s arts and cultural ecosystem. It is the National Endowment for the Arts’ largest grants program for organizations, with matching grants ranging from $10,000 to $100,000. Designated local arts agencies eligible to subgrant may request from $30,000 to $150,000 for subgranting programs. In July 2023, the NEA received 2,129 eligible applications requesting more than $111 million in FY24 support. Following a competitive application review process, 1,135 projects are approved for funding in this round, including to first-time applicants, totaling more than $37 million in 48 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia.

Grants for Arts Projects supports an expansive range of projects of varying sizes and scope across artistic disciplines with a focus on agency priorities: opportunities for public engagement with the arts and arts education, the integration of the arts with strategies that promote the health and well-being of people and communities, and the improvement of overall capacity and capabilities within the arts sector, including the efforts of nationwide and field-specific service organizations.

The next deadline for organizations interested in applying for Grants for Arts Projects is Thursday, July 11, 2024. Each discipline has identified the types of projects that are of greatest interest within this program as well as the characteristics of competitive proposals that provide the greatest opportunities for federal support to strengthen the arts ecosystem. Visit arts.gov for guidelines and application resources, including a recording of the Grants for Arts Projects guidelines webinar.

Our Town

Our Town is the NEA’s creative placemaking grants program, supporting projects that integrate arts, culture, and design into local efforts that strengthen communities over the long term. Matching grants in this category range from $25,000 to $150,000. Of the 263 eligible applications, 68 projects are approved for funding totaling $5 million in 34 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia.

Our Town funding requires a partnership between a nonprofit organization and a local government entity, with one of the partners being a cultural organization. Projects advance local economic, physical, or social outcomes in communities, are responsive to unique local conditions, authentically engage communities, center equity, advance artful lives, and lay the groundwork for long-term systems change.

The next deadline for organizations interested in applying for Our Town is Thursday, August 1, 2024. Visit arts.gov for guidelines and application resources.

State and Regional Partnerships

Each year, approximately 40 percent of the NEA’s appropriated program funds are awarded to state arts agencies, regional arts organizations, and the national service organization to support the work of the states and regions. In total, up to $68.1 million is recommended for these partners in FY 2024.

State and Regional Partnership Agreement grants extend the NEA’s reach to even more communities, reflecting investments in locally-determined priorities, and translate national leadership into local benefit. To learn more about how the National Endowment for the Arts is impacting individual states and regions of the country, select a state or territory on the state impact page or visit the regional map.

About the National Endowment for the Arts

Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that is the largest funder of the arts and arts education in communities nationwide and a catalyst of public and private support for the arts. By advancing equitable opportunities for arts participation and practice, the NEA fosters and sustains an environment in which the arts benefit everyone in the United States. Visit Arts.gov to learn more.