NEA Arts and Artifacts Domestic Indemnity Program 2, FY2027 (6/27)

The Arts and Artifacts Indemnity Program is a U.S. Government program created by Congress in 1975 to increase public access to works of art and artifacts of historical and cultural significance by reducing the cost of insuring exhibitions. Congress expanded the program in 2007 to permit coverage of certain works owned by U.S. entities while exhibited in the United States. The National Endowment for the Arts administers the program on behalf of the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. The Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities has authority to approve indemnity agreements, which are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. The program operates through International Indemnity and Domestic Indemnity. International Indemnity is available to U.S. nonprofit museums and organizations planning temporary exhibitions that bring works of art or artifacts from abroad to the United States or send works from the United States abroad. International coverage can also extend to certain U.S.-owned objects exhibited in the United States when an exhibition contains both U.S.-owned and international objects. Domestic Indemnity is available to U.S. nonprofit museums and organizations planning temporary exhibitions within the United States and covers eligible objects owned by U.S.-based entities. Applicants must previously have organized at least one exhibition involving objects borrowed from public or private collections. When an exhibition will appear at multiple institutions, one institution should apply on behalf of all participants, and applicants cannot submit separate International and Domestic applications for the same exhibition. Eligible property can include works of art, artifacts or objects, rare documents, books and other printed materials, photographs, films, and electronic materials having educational, cultural, historical, or scientific value. The Federal Council generally limits a single exhibition to five venues and rarely approves an indemnity period longer than two years. Human presence is required around the clock inside buildings containing indemnified objects, and each conveyance vehicle carrying indemnified objects must have a courier on board. Certain fragile materials and outdoor objects are generally disfavored, while oversized objects and oil paintings on wood panels are reviewed case by case. International coverage can reach 1800000000 for one exhibition, while Domestic coverage can reach 1000000000. Coverage is also limited to 150000000 of indemnified value per conveyance and 100000000 per object. The indemnitee is responsible for a statutory deductible that varies according to the total indemnified value of the exhibition. Applications undergo several levels of review. National Endowment for the Arts staff first assess eligibility and completeness. Indemnity Advisory Panels composed of museum directors, curators, conservators, and registrars then evaluate applications and make recommendations to the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. The Council generally meets three to six months after an application deadline and may indemnify all or part of an exhibition, impose conditions that must be satisfied before final approval, or decline the request. Applicants receive a conditional indemnity notice or decline letter after the Council meeting. Final Certificates of Indemnity cannot be issued until all applicable conditions have been satisfied, and requested indemnification start dates are therefore not guaranteed. Submission is a two-part process. Applicants must have the necessary Login.gov, System for Award Management, and Grants.gov registrations in place. Part 1 is submitted through the Grants.gov application package corresponding to the applicant's program and deadline; applications cannot be transferred between deadline packages. Part 2 requires applicants to use the National Endowment for the Arts Applicant Portal to upload the indemnity narrative and other required items. For the next International cycle, the Grants.gov deadline is September 14, 2026 at 11:59 pm ET, followed by the Applicant Portal window from September 16 through September 18, 2026. The next Domestic Grants.gov deadline is December 7, 2026, followed by the Applicant Portal window from December 9 through December 11, 2026. Later listed deadlines are March 8, 2027 for International Indemnity and June 7, 2027 for Domestic Indemnity. The program has two International and two Domestic application deadlines in each federal fiscal year and is therefore recurring. An application should not be submitted more than one year and three months before the requested indemnity period begins. Prospective applicants may voluntarily provide preliminary information about exhibitions as much as four years in advance for planning purposes. Program questions may be directed to indemnity@arts.gov. Accessibility accommodation or alternate-format requests may be directed to accessibility@arts.gov at least two weeks before the application deadline. Published materials and announcements concerning an indemnified exhibition must acknowledge support by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities, without including a logo.

Select the correct International or Domestic program and deadline because applications cannot be transferred between deadline packages; begin Login.gov SAM and Grants.gov registration early because registration can take several weeks; ensure the applicant has previously organized a qualifying borrowed-object exhibition; plan for required continuous human presence and an onboard courier for conveyances; consider the general five-venue and two-year coverage limitations; allow for Federal Council review three to six months after the deadline and additional time to satisfy conditions before final certification.