Preparing for 2026 and Beyond: NEA Grants, Pernambuco, and More

December 16, 2025

In This Issue

• Your Voice Makes a Difference: Plan Ahead for 2026
• Know Your Bow: What’s New and Next
• NEA Launches FY27 Grant Guidelines and Announces New Awards
• Tax Policy Changes Spur Adjustments to Individual Giving

Your Voice Makes a Difference: Plan Ahead for 2026

The League is grateful to orchestra stakeholders for engaging in advocacy throughout 2025 on an unprecedented range of critical policy topics. Your actions in partnership with the wider arts and nonprofit sectors have made a difference in generating bipartisan support to reduce ticket fraud, sustain National Endowment for the Arts funding, protect international artistry, and generate more charitable giving. These policy areas and more will require continued action in the new year, and Congress has already set its schedule for 2026. Your orchestra can start planning now to engage your elected officials when they are in their home districts and states, including the lengthy recess periods scheduled for August and October. Bookmark the League’s 2026 Calendar of Opportunities and make advocacy plans to show how your orchestra serves as a vital part of the community. You can refresh your advocacy strategies by checking out our Playing Your Part guide, and please remember to keep us posted so we can amplify your efforts!

Know Your Bow: What’s New and Next

On Friday, December 5, 2025 the 185 global parties to Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) voted on final approval of new international rules for the pernambuco wood used for bows for stringed instruments.

• Bows will continue to move free of permit requirements when crossing international borders for performances, repairs, and other specific activities that do not result in a change of ownership.
• Starting in early March 2026, specialized permits will be required for all international sales of existing and new bows, requiring proof that the wood was harvested before the species went under international protection in 2007.
• Global governments and musical instrument stakeholders will partner on actions to strengthen legal compliance, develop an identifying system for available wood and bows, and support a sustainable future for the species.

Brazil—the only country in which pernambuco grows—had proposed listing the species at the highest level of CITES protections, in Appendix I of the treaty, which would have restricted travel and trade in most circumstances. Heather Noonan, the League of American Orchestras’ Vice President, Advocacy, played a leadership role throughout the unfolding debates in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, and spoke on behalf of global music stakeholders as the proposal was considered. Under the new detailed policies, the species will remain in Appendix II, providing flexibility and support for ongoing sales and use of bows. The new requirements for international sales will be the subject of detailed guidance issued by global governments. The League will continue to update its Pernambuco Policy Resource Page and meanwhile musicians can stay informed and participate in our long-term Know Your Bow efforts.

NEA Launches FY27 Grant Guidelines and Announces New Awards

The National Endowment for the Arts released new guidelines for FY27 Grants for Arts Projects (GAP), reinstating the Challenge America program, streamlining arts discipline categories, and updating work sample procedures. There are two funding cycles, with initial application deadlines in February and July 2026, and projects are subject to GAP’s eligibility and application limits.

The NEA is meanwhile awarding FY26 grants and announced this week 50 grants for Celebrating America250: Arts Projects Honoring the National Garden of American Heroes. The League’s NEA Grants Overview tracks the latest implications of court action, what we know about how executive actions affect grantee compliance requirements, and when updates have been made to the NEA’s agency priorities and FAQ pages. 

The nomination of Mary Anne Carter to again serve as NEA Chair in a new four-year term will soon receive full Senate consideration. Carter has been serving as Senior Advisor since January 2025, engaging with arts stakeholders to provide context about grant procedures and to receive news about the breadth and work of the U.S. arts sector.

Tax Policy Changes Spur Adjustments to Individual Giving

As 2025 winds down, we are all reminded of the essential role of philanthropy in the work orchestras do in communities. Many donors have been making changes to year-end giving plans, before new tax policies begin. Be on the look-out for shifts to giving strategies for 2026 and find helpful information and overviews in the League’s Philanthropic Trends Resource Center.