National Endowment for the Arts Grant Process

On May 2, 2025, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) sent notifications to many FY24 and FY25 grantees, terminating awards in progress, effective May 31, 2025. The agency also withdrew many offers of new FY25 grant awards that had already been publicly announced and were awaiting final grant confirmations.  

The notifications cite the agency’s intention to instead prioritize projects “that elevate the Nation’s HBCUs and Hispanic Serving Institutions, celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, foster AI competency, empower houses of worship to serve communities, assist with disaster recovery, foster skilled trade jobs, make America healthy again, support the military and veterans, support Tribal communities, make the District of Columbia safe and beautiful, and support the economic development of Asian American communities.”  

Grantees that received a termination letter have until June 30, 2025 to request final payment of any “actual, allowable, approved costs” incurred before the new project end date of May 31, 2025. This end date overrides the project end dates that had been previously approved, but grantees should be sure to keep checking the grant portal in the event that the project end date shifts earlier, since email notification is not always being issued. Federal Financial Reports (FFR) for awards must be submitted by July 31, 2025. The FFR must reflect actual, allowable, approved costs incurred during the revised period of performance. While all other final and/or interim performance reporting requirements, including the Final Descriptive Report and the Geographic Location of Project Activity (GEO), are waived, policy experts recommend that grantees complete these reports so that they can assert full technical compliance with the original terms of the grant awards. 

Grantees may appeal the determination within 7 calendar days of receiving the notice if they can provide documentation that the project supports one of the Administration’s specified new priority areas. Notices withdrawing offers of FY25 grants also have a 7 calendar day appeal period. 

1. If your orchestra received a termination or withdrawal of offer letter, please provide details by completing our League questionnaire and include any questions you have. 

2. We are seeking answers to inform next steps grantees should take under the new approach to the appeals process, drawing down funds, and reporting requirements. In the meantime, consider the following resource: A Nonprofit Checklist: What to do When Your Federal Grant or Contract is Terminated | National Council of Nonprofits. 

A number of FY2025 grants were publicly announced and offered, but those grantees have not yet received final grant approval notifications nor have they received withdrawal notices. The NEA has not yet shared what will happen next for these grants.

The NEA also has not announced plans for moving forward with the FY2025 GAP Round 2 applications that have undergone review by the agency, are awaiting final approval, and were due to be announced to grantees soon.

There is also not yet clarity about which assurances of compliance with executive orders would apply to ongoing FY2025 grantmaking, or successful termination appeals.

On February 6, 2025, the National Endowment for the Arts announced that it is reviewing the recent executive orders and related documents to ensure compliance and provide the required reporting. Both the scope of what will be funded by the NEA and the compliance requirements for awardees are significantly changed. The NEA has not yet provided information about how new rules may or may not apply to NEA funding administered by states and localities. In an update to its Grants for Arts Projects summary page, the NEA now strongly encourages “applications for arts projects that incorporate one or more agency funding priorities.” It is unclear how these posted priorities intersect with funding priorities that had been articulated in termination letters that went to grantees this spring.

The NEA launched the FY2026 grant process in December 2024, and has now revoked the prior grant guidelines. Applicants that initiated an application under the prior guidelines must re-submit their request under the new guidelines. There are two new initial application deadlines of  March 11 (March cycle of GAP) and July 17 (July cycle of GAP).

On February 7, 2025, the NEA issued revised FY26 grant guidelines in response to recent directives and to “streamline and simplify the application process and align with the agency’s  mission.”

The Challenge America grant opportunity is canceled for FY2026 and prospective applicants are instead encouraged to apply to Grants for Arts Projects.

Please read ALL of the following material when considering next steps in applying for NEA support:

• Revised FY26 NEA Grant Guidelines  
• Assurance of Compliance
  In a February 18 webinar, the NEA stated “In accordance with Executive Orders, we will not fund projects that include DEI activities.”
  
  While applicants will be required to certify that they will comply with “all applicable Executive Orders,” the NEA has not yet specified all of the current or future full array of orders that would apply. The National Council of Nonprofits has provided an overview of court action in response to a range of orders.
  
  The NEA’s new Assurance of Compliance required applicants to certify compliance with Executive Order No. 14173, Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity and Executive Order No. 14168, Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.
  
  On Friday, February 21, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction in response to a case led by the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, pausing implementation of EO 14173. On March 3, a federal judge in Maryland refused to halt the injunction, noting in the decision that the Administration’s policies must comply with the United States Constitution, and particularly in this case, free speech and due process rights. The Administration appealed the ruling, and on March 14 a decision by the 4^th Circuit Court of Appeals lifted the preliminary injunction on the order while litigation continues, enabling the NEA to reinstate a requirement for grantees to certify compliance with the order. On June 10, the NEA posted an FAQ explaining more detail on how it plans to administer EO 14173 related to diversity, equity, and inclusion activities.
  
  On March 6, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit against the National Endowment for the Arts, on behalf of Rhode Island Latino Arts, the Theater Offensive, National Queer Theater, and Theatre Communications Group, challenging the requirement that all grant applicants certify that “federal funds shall not be used to promote gender ideology,” citing violations of the First Amendment, Fifth Amendment, and Administrative Procedures Act. On April 3, the U.S. District Court for Rhode Island denied the motion to block NEA implementation of the executive order on “gender ideology.” The court noted that the NEA has already suspended implementation of the executive order and the agency plans to consider if and how it may take further action on the order by April 30, 2025. As reported by the American Civil Liberties Union, the court’s review of the case suggests that re-imposing the eligibility restrictions would be unlawful. On April 30, the NEA issued a memo outlining its plans for implementing the Executive Order on “gender ideology.”
  
  Additionally, on February 19, the Legal Defense Fund and Lambda Legal filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of the National Urban League, National Fair Housing Alliance, and AIDS Foundation of Chicago challenging the two executive orders related to diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as the EO 14168 on “gender ideology.”
  
  The full Assurance of Compliance includes prior rules regarding anti-discrimination requirements. Applicants should review the following U.S. code language, which includes more detailed information on how the NEA implements the terms of nondiscrimination in federally assisted programs. eCFR :: 45 CFR Part 1110 — Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs.
  
  The Assurance of Compliance currently includes the following language related to executive orders — prospective grantees should note these terms were updated in June 2025 and now link to a new FAQ on certification requirements relating to DEI:
  
  The applicant agrees that, if the applicant is selected and becomes a NEA grant recipient:
  • The applicant will comply with all applicable Executive Orders while the award is being administered.  Executive orders are posted at whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions.
  • The applicant’s compliance in all respects with all applicable Federal anti-discrimination laws is material to the U.S. Government’s payment decisions for purposes of section 3729(b)(4) of title 31, United States Code, pursuant to Executive Order No. 14173, Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity, dated January 21, 2025.
    
    The applicant does not operate any programs promoting “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) that violate any applicable Federal anti-discrimination laws, in accordance with Executive Order No. 14173. 
    
    See FAQ on these certification requirements
    
• It is also important to note the following from page 35 of the NEA grant guidelines:
  How can I make sure that my project is in compliance with Federal civil rights laws?
  Projects may reach a particular group or demographic (such as sex, disability, economic status, race, color, or national origin, including limited English proficiency), however, projects may not be exclusionary under Federal civil rights laws and policies prohibiting discrimination. This nondiscrimination requirement extends to hiring practices, artist selection processes, and audience engagement. Your application should make it clear that project activities are not exclusionary. Please review the Assurance of Compliance which outlines the relevant federal statutes, NEA regulations, and executive orders.
• Music Application Instructions 
• Arts Education Application Instructions 
• NEA Frequently Asked Questions (Note that a more comprehensive FAQ is available on page 33 of the Grant Guidelines.)
• Applicant Resources and February 18 Webinar

To be fully prepared for the NEA grant application process, read the guidelines very carefully, and be in touch with a specialist to talk through your plans for preparing an application. Be aware that SAM validation is returning to Grants.gov. For the past five years during the pandemic, Grants.gov had not validated applicants’ SAM registration in the Part 1 portion but this is no longer the case and SAM must be active.