NEA Grant Application Deadlines

In This Section

The NEA has updated the deadlines for FY26 Grants for Arts Projects, the Endowment’s major support category for organizations for projects anticipated to take place beginning in 2026.  

• Grants for Arts Projects, March cycle (GAP1): Part 1 (Intent to apply) March 11, 2025; Part 2 Applicant Portal available March 14, 2025 9am ET – April 7, 2025 11:59pm ET (NOTE NEW DATES)
• Grants for Arts Projects, July cycle (GAP2):Part 1 (Intent to apply) July 10, 2025; Part 2 Applicant Portal available July 15, 2025 9am ET – July 22, 2025 11:59pm ET (NOTE NEW DATES)
• Challenge America: canceled for FY2026

Orchestras can also explore funding via the NEA’s Our Town program, although Our Town will no longer be an exception to the single application rule. Our Town supports projects that integrate arts, culture, and design activities. Matching grants for creative placemaking projects range from $25,000 to $200,000. New application guidelines are anticipated in May 2025. More information is available on the NEA’s website.   

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NEA Research Awards grants support research that engage with the agency’s five-year research agenda through two funding opportunities for research projects:

• Research Grants in the Arts funds research that investigates the value and/or impact of the arts, either as individual components of the U.S. arts ecology or as they interact with each other and/or with other domains of American life. Matching/cost share grants of $10,000 to $100,000 will be awarded.
• NEA Research Labs funds transdisciplinary research teams grounded in the social and behavioral sciences, yielding empirical insights about the arts for the benefit of arts and non-arts sectors alike. Matching/cost share cooperative agreements of up to $150,000 will be awarded.

The next deadline for Research Labs and Research Grants in the Arts is March 24, 2025. Please direct any questions to nearesearchgrants@arts.gov.