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May 31, 2023, Washington, D.C.

NEA Grants Support Orchestral Concerts and Community Programming

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) awarded 114 grants to orchestras through the Grants for Arts Projects and Challenge America categories in FY2023, totaling $2,536,500. In FY23 orchestras directly received NEA grant support through two rounds of Grants for Arts Projects, primarily in the discipline categories of music and arts education, with a few in the opera discipline as well. Successful projects include presenting concerts and festivals, state-wide touring, emerging as well as familiar works, artist residencies, community engagement and education programs, and programs for young musicians. In addition to direct grants to orchestras, countless awards support related orchestral- and instrument training program projects.

Awards to all arts disciplines through the NEA’s Grants for Arts Projects and Challenge America categories in FY2023 numbered 2,642 and totaled $62,426,310. In addition to these major categories, NEA FY2023 funding supports the following:

  • Each year, 40 percent of the agency’s grantmaking funds are designated for state arts agencies, regional arts organizations, and national service organizations that support the work of the states and regions. In FY23, the NEA awarded $67,905,400 in State and Regional Partnerships support. Orchestras, in turn, benefit from these grant opportunities.
  • The Endowment has awarded $1,075,000 in research grants, plus $525,000 in Research Labs grants. Additional FY2023 grants include national initiatives including but not limited to the NEA/Walter Reed Healing Arts Partnership, the Big Read, Poetry Out Loud, literature fellowships, and Our Town.

The League has compiled the grants to orchestras and grants related to the orchestra field, listed below. The latest information and full descriptions of all supported projects can be obtained directly via the agency’s grant search tool.

Grants for Arts Projects (Part 1)

Grants to Orchestras

Application Deadline of February 10, 2022
Award Announced January 10, 2023

Project descriptions are not included in order to accommodate any pandemic-related adjustments. Current information is available in the Recent Grant Search. If any orchestral grants are missing from the list below or are there are errors to correct, please email advocacy@americanorchestras.org.

Albany (NY) Symphony, $25,000 
American Composers Orchestra, $20,000 
Apollo’s Fire Baroque Orchestra, $30,000 
Asheville Symphony, $10,000 
Boston Symphony Orchestra, $35,000 
Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras, $45,000 
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, $15,000 
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, $10,000 
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, $30,000 
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, $35,000 
Civic Orchestra of Chicago, $35,000 
The Cleveland Orchestra, $40,000 
Florida Youth Orchestra, $10,000 
Gateway Chamber Orchestra, $10,000 
Handel & Haydn Society, $45,000
Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, $10,000 
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, $20,000 
Jacksonville Symphony, $15,000 
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, $20,000 
Los Angeles Philharmonic, $60,000 
Louisville Orchestra, $15,000 
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, $20,000 
Nashville Symphony, $50,000 
National Symphony Orchestra, $45,000 
New Haven Symphony Orchestra, $15,000 
New World Symphony, $50,000 
Oakland Symphony, $15,000 
Oklahoma Philharmonic Society, $25,000
Orchestra 2001, $10,000 
Orchestra of New Spain, $10,000 
Orchestra of St. Luke’s, $25,000 
Oregon Symphony, $20,000 
Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, $10,000 
Pacific Symphony, $25,000 
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Chorale, $20,000 
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, $35,000 
Portland Youth Philharmonic, $10,000 
Post-Classical Ensemble, $25,000 
Princeton Symphony Orchestra, $15,000 
Richmond Symphony, $15,000 
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, $20,000 
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, $30,000 
San Diego Symphony Orchestra, $15,000 
San Francisco Symphony, $50,000 
Santa Rosa Symphony, $15,000 
Seattle Symphony, $40,000 
South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, $20,000 
South Florida Symphony Orchestra, $10,000 
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, $40,000 
Stamford Symphony, $10,000 
Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, $20,000 
Youth Orchestras of San Antonio, $10,000

Related Grants For Arts Projects, Part 1 Grants

Austin Soundwaves, $30,000  
American Composers Alliance, $10,000 
The Barclay, $15,000 
Boston University Tanglewood Institute, $35,000 
Buffalo String Works, $15,000 
Carnegie Hall, $65,000 
Chicago Arts and Music Project, $10,000 
Cincinnati May Festival, $20,000 
The Cliburn, $10,000 
Corning-Elmira Musical Arts, $10,000 
Colour of Music Festival, $10,000 
DanceAbility International, $15,000 
Gateways Music Festival, $15,000 
The Gilmore, $15,000 
Grand Canyon Chamber Music Festival, $30,000 
Grand Teton Music Festival, $10,000 
Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, $10,000 
Harlem Center for Strings, $10,000 
Harmony Project, $45,000 
KID smART, $35,000 
Lakes Area Music Festival, $10,000 
League of American Orchestras, $85,000 
Levine Music, $10,000 
The Mann, $25,000 
Marlboro Music, $25,000 
Merkin Concert Hall, $15,000 
Midori & Friends, $15,000 
Music Worcester, $10,000 
New School Concerts, $15,000 
Perlman Music Program, $20,000 
Project STEP, $50,000 
Third Street Music School, $20,000 
Palaver Strings, $15,000 
Rainey Institute, $15,000 
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, $10,000 
Savannah Music Festival, $30,000 
Sunflower Music Festival, $10,000 
Vanderbilt University, $20,000 
Young Concert Artists, $15,000 
Washington Performing Arts, $30,000 

Grants for Arts Projects (Part 2)

Grants to Orchestras

Application Deadline of July 7, 2022
Award Announced May 24, 2023

Project descriptions are not included in order to accommodate any pandemic-related adjustments. Current information is available in the Recent Grant Search. If any orchestral grants are missing from the list below or are there are errors to correct, please email advocacy@americanorchestras.org.

A Far Cry, $25,000
American Symphony Orchestra, $15,000
American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras, $15,000
Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, $12,500
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, $45,000
Austin Symphony Orchestra, $25,000
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, $45,000
Berkeley Symphony, $15,000
Boston Landmarks Orchestra, $20,000
Boston Modern Orchestra Project, $35,000
Central Ohio Symphony, $12,500
Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, $20,000
CityMusic Cleveland, $30,000
Columbus Symphony Orchestra (GA), $10,000
Dallas Symphony Orchestra, $25,000
Dr. Shirley Linzy Young Artists Orchestra of Las Vegas, $18,000
Eugene Symphony, $25,000
Grand Rapids Symphony, $15,000
Grant Park Music Festival, $45,000
Houston Youth Symphony, $45,000
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, $17,500
Lancaster Symphony Orchestra, $10,000
Long Beach Symphony Orchestra, $25,000
Madison Symphony Orchestra, $15,000
Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra, $20,000
Minnesota Orchestra, $40,000
Mobile Symphony, $25,000
New Orchestra of Washington, $15,000
New York Philharmonic, $30,000
The New York Pops, $17,500
New York Youth Symphony, $25,000
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, $35,000
Paducah Symphony Orchestra, $10,000
Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, $10,000
The Philadelphia Orchestra, $70,000
Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, $30,000
Pro Musica (MO), $15,000
Redlands Symphony Orchestra, $15,000
San Diego Youth Symphony, $31,000
San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, $20,000
San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra, $55,000
Sarasota Orchestra, $15,000
Tucson Symphony Orchestra, $20,000
Tulare County Symphony Association, $10,000
Vermont Symphony Orchestra, $20,000
West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, $20,000
Wheeling Symphony, $17,500

Related Grants For Arts Projects, Part 2 Grants

Ad Astra Music Festival, $10,000
American Cello Institute, $17,500
American Composers Orchestra, $20,000
Aspen Music Festival and School, $30,000
Association of California Symphony Orchestras, $15,000
Boston Music Project, $20,000
Bravo! Vail, $20,000
Brevard Music Center, $20,000
Cabrillo Music Festival, $35,000
California Music Center, $10,000
Cleveland Institute of Music, $15,000
Community Music School of Springfield, $20,000
Contemporaneous Inc, $15,000
Delirium Musicum, $17,500
Education Through Music- Los Angeles, $20,000
El Sistema USA, $20,000
From the Top, $15,000
Garth Fagan Dance, $20,000
Great Lakes Center for the Arts, $14,400
Harmony Program, $45,000
Heart of Los Angeles, $50,000
Longy School of Music of Bard College, $30,000
Make Music NOLA, $20,000
Miami Music Project, $51,000
Music Haven, $50,000
Noel Pointer Foundation, $40,000
Ojai Music Festival, $35,000
Omaha Conservatory of Music, $25,000
Orchestrating Dreams, Inc, $30,000
People’s Music School, $46,000
Ravinia, $35,000
Settlement Music School, $35,000
Sphinx Organization, $70,000
Tanglewood Music Center, $50,000
Villa Musica, $15,000 

Challenge America

Grants to Orchestras

Application Deadline of April 21, 2022
Award Announced January 10, 2023

Project descriptions are not included in order to accommodate any pandemic-related adjustments. Current information is available in the Recent Grant Search. If any orchestral grants are missing from the list below or are there are errors to correct, please email advocacy@americanorchestras.org.

Allentown Symphony Orchestra, $10,000 
Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra, $10,000 
Empire State Youth Orchestras, $10,000 
Erie Philharmonic, $10,000 
Glacier Symphony and Chorale, $10,000 
Greater Connecticut Youth Orchestras, $10,000 
IRIS Orchestra, $10,000 
Itasca Orchestra and Strings, $10,000 
The Jackson (TN) Symphony, $10,000 
Johnstown Symphony Orchestra, $10,000 
Northern Kentucky Symphony, $10,000 
Orquesta Northwest, $10,000 
Richardson Symphony, $10,000 
South Bend Symphony Orchestra, $10,000 
Tulsa Area Youth Symphony, $10,000

Related Challenge America Grants

Boston String Academy, $10,000 
Endless Mountain Music Festival, $10,000 
Friends of Chamber Music of Troy, $10,000 
Golden Valley Music Society, $10,000 
INTEMPO Organization, $10,000

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