NEA Grants for Arts Projects 1, FY 2027

Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) is the primary funding program of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), providing significant project-based financial support to nonprofit organizations and government entities engaged in the arts. With a commitment to enhancing the cultural life of communities across the United States, the NEA supports high-quality arts projects that broaden public access to the arts, foster the nation’s artistic heritage, and contribute to the well-being of individuals and communities through creative expression and education. For fiscal year 2027, approximately $65 million is expected to be distributed across 2,000 awards, drawn from an anticipated 4,000 applications. GAP offers funding in a wide array of artistic disciplines, including but not limited to Arts Education, Dance, Design, Folk and Traditional Arts, Literary Arts, Museums, Music, Opera, Theater, and Visual & Media Arts. Awards support specific, definable project activities and not general operating support. Projects may involve a single event or multiple phases such as planning, production, and presentation. Preference is given to proposals aligning with the NEA’s agency funding priorities, although all eligible, meritorious applications will be considered. Challenge America, a subtrack within GAP, is limited to $10,000 awards for small organizations targeting underserved communities, while Local Arts Agencies conducting subgranting activities may request up to $150,000. Applicants must be nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status, units of state or local government, or federally recognized tribal communities. All applicants must have at least five years of arts programming and an operating budget of at least $20,000 in the prior fiscal year. Individuals, fiscally sponsored projects, for-profit entities, and state/regional arts agencies are not eligible. A 1:1 cost share is required for all awards, with eligible cost share sources including both cash and in-kind contributions. Applicants should ensure that proposed project budgets meet the minimum $20,000 threshold, or they risk ineligibility. Applications are submitted in two parts. Part 1, submitted via Grants.gov, involves basic organizational information and must be submitted by February 12, 2026, or July 9, 2026, depending on the chosen cycle. Part 2, completed via the NEA Applicant Portal, includes detailed project narratives, budgets, and work samples, and is due February 25, 2026, or July 21, 2026, respectively. Applicants must also register with SAM.gov and Login.gov, and maintain an active Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). There are no Letters of Intent or gating steps required prior to submission. Applications are evaluated on two core criteria: artistic excellence and artistic merit. Review panels assess the quality of project personnel, alignment with community and organizational missions, clarity of goals, evaluation measures, and the potential regional or national significance of the proposed work. Engagement with underserved communities and payment to artists are additional points of consideration. Recommended applicants are notified in November 2026 or April 2027, and the earliest project start dates are January 1, 2027, or June 1, 2027, respectively. The GAP program operates on a biannual cycle with February and July deadlines recurring annually. This provides a consistent opportunity for applicants to plan future submissions. All awarded projects must comply with federal accessibility, nondiscrimination, and financial management requirements, including the submission of final reports and documentation for at least three years post-award. Technical assistance, application guides, and discipline-specific instructions are available through the NEA website to help applicants submit competitive proposals.

Include regional/community impact; assess outcomes clearly; ensure 1:1 match; support underserved groups; compensate artists; clarify project scope vs general ops.