Promotion of the Arts-Grants to Organizations and Individuals (45.024)

Program

45.024 Promotion of the Arts-Grants to Organizations and Individuals

Federal Agency

Agency: National Endowment for the Arts

Authorization

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Public Law 111-5; National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965, as amended, Public Law 089-209, 20 U.S.C 951 et seq.

Program Number

45.024

Last Known Status

Active

Objectives

To support excellence in the arts, both new and established; bring the arts to all Americans; and provide leadership in arts education. Grants using Recovery Act funds are to support the preservation of jobs in the nonprofit arts sector.

Types of Assistance

PROJECT GRANTS

Uses and Use Restrictions

The NEA's regular grants support projects that include: opportunities for artists to create, refine, perform, and exhibit their work; the presentation of artistic works of all cultures and periods; the preservation of significant works of art and cultural traditions; opportunities for arts organizations and artists to expand and diversify their audiences; opportunities for individuals to experience and participate in a wide range of art forms and activities; opportunities to enhance the effectiveness of arts organizations and artists; the strengthening of communities through the arts; the recognition of artists for their contributions to our nation's cultural heritage; nationally distributed television and radio programs on the arts; the acquisition by children and youth of knowledge, skills, and understanding of the arts consistent with national or state arts education standards; partnerships with other federal agencies to carry out quality projects or initiatives of mutual interest; activities, carried out in partnership with foundations or other government agencies, which provide increased opportunities for international cultural exchange; activities that acquaint foreign artists and cultural officials with the best of American culture; and leadership projects intended to advance the arts significantly, demonstrate national or field-wide importance, and benefit Americans in communities throughout the country.

Grants using Recovery Act funds are limited to projects that provide 1) salary support, full or partial, for one or more positions that are critical to an organization's artistic mission and that are jeopardized or have been eliminated as a result of the current economic climate; or 2) fees for previously engaged artists and/or other contractual personnel to maintain or expand the period during which such persons would be engaged. Local arts agencies eligible to subgrant may request support for subgranting programs consistent with these purposes.

Consult the current funding opportunities, guidelines, or program announcements for the area of interest for complete information (see www.arts.gov). Grant funds must be used for the purposes outlined in the relevant guidelines or program announcement, and in accordance with the National Endowment for the Arts General Terms and Conditions for Grants and Cooperative Agreements. Recovery Act grants are limited to job preservation in the arts as described above. All of the funds under "Promotion of the Arts - Grants to Organizations and Individuals" are discretionary.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicant Eligibility

Tax-exempt organizations meeting the following conditions may apply: (1) No part of any earnings may benefit a private stockholder or individual, and (2) donations to the organization are allowable as charitable deductions under Section 170(c) of the Internal Revenue Code. Examples of eligible organizations are arts institutions, arts service organizations, local arts agencies, official units of state and local governments, federally recognized tribal communities and Indian tribes. Generally, an organization may submit only one application for a single project under one of the category deadlines; must have a three-year history of programming prior to the application deadline; and must have submitted acceptable final reports by the due date for all Arts Endowment grants previously received. Individuals must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and, according to 20 U.S.C. 954 (c ), must demonstrate exceptional talent. Currently, the only individuals eligible to apply directly are published creative writers. Master artists in the folk & traditional arts and in jazz are eligible for honorary fellowships awarded on the basis of nominations. See respective funding opportunities, guidelines, or program announcements for further information.

Beneficiary Eligibility

Nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, local arts agencies, local education agencies (school districts), federally recognized tribal communities and Indian tribes, literary artists, and master artists in the folk & traditional arts and in jazz. Through activities and services supported, beneficiaries include artists and the general public.

Credentials/Documentation

Applicants should review relevant funding opportunities, guidelines, or program announcements at www.arts.gov for full requirements.

For individuals, Literature fellowship applicants must be published writers. Nominators of candidates for NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships, NEA National Heritage Fellowships, or NEA Opera Honors must document the candidate's contribution to the art form.

For Recovery Act grantees, allowable costs are limited to salaries, wages and fringe benefits; fees for artists and contractual personnel; and for eligible local arts agencies, fees for subgranting and the subgranting program.

For institutions of higher education, allowable costs will be determined according to OMB Circular No. A-21; for other nonprofit organizations making application, allowable costs will be determined according to OMB Circular No. A-122. For local and state governments:. OMB Circular No. A-87 applies to this program.

Application and Award Process

Preapplication Coordination

Applicants should consult current funding opportunities, guidelines, or program announcements for the funding area under which they intend to apply. Relevant items are available on the Arts Endowment's Web site at www.arts.gov. Environmental impact information is not required for this program. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure

OMB Circular No. A-102 applies to this program. OMB Circular No. A-110 applies to this program. Applicants must obtain current Arts Endowment funding opportunities, guidelines, or program announcements (available at www.arts.gov). Applicants must adhere to instructions, and must submit their applications through Grants.gov.

Award Procedure

Applications generally receive three independent levels of review. First, they are reviewed by independent, national panels of artists and other arts experts. Panel recommendations are forwarded to the National Council on the Arts, which then makes recommendations to the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. The Chairman reviews the Council's recommendations and makes the final decision on all awards.

Deadlines

Contact the headquarters or regional office, as appropriate, for application deadlines.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time

Range of approval/disapproval time varies by funding category. Dependent on deadline dates and meetings of the National Council on the Arts. Details can be found in the funding opportunities, guidelines, and program announcements available at www.arts.gov.

Appeals

Information on requests for reconsideration may be obtained from the headquarters office.

Renewals

Not Applicable.

Assistance Considerations

Formula and Matching Requirements

This program has no statutory formula.

Matching Requirements: Regular grant awards to organizations generally must be matched at least 1:1. Awards under the Recovery Act and awards to individuals do not require a match.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this program.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance

The length of time the assistance is available and money awarded can be spent varies according to project or grant category. Many grants cover a period of support of up to two years. Recovery Act awards generally cover a period of support of up to one year. See the following for information on how assistance is awarded/released: Grantees must submit a request for payment to cover immediate allowable project expenses. Generally, these requests for payment may be submitted at any time during the period of support.

Post Assistance Requirements

Reports

Most grantees must submit a Final Descriptive Report no later than 90 days following the end of the grant period. Recovery Act grantees must report quarterly, with reports due the 10th of the month following the end of each quarter during the grant period. No reports are required from recipients of NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships, NEA National Heritage Fellowships, or NEA Opera Honors. No cash reports are required. All organizational grantees (regular and Recovery Act awardees) must submit a Progress Report at the point that the request for payment exceeds two-thirds of the total grant amount. All organizational grantees (regular and Recovery Act awardees) are required to submit a Final Federal Financial Report no later than 90 days following the end of the grant period. Performance monitoring is not applicable.

Audits

In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133. All organizations receiving Arts Endowment awards must comply with the audit requirements mandated by OMB Circular No. A-133. No audits are required for individual Arts Endowment awardees.

Records

Award-related records must be retained by the grantee for three years following submission of the Final Federal Financial Report.

Program Accomplishments

Fiscal Year 2008: In FY 2008, the Arts Endowment received approximately 4,700 applications and made more than 2,150 awards in communities in all 50 States and six special jurisdictions. As many as 100 million people in nearly 4,000 communities across the nation, including 10 million children and youth, are benefiting from Agency-sponsored projects exclusive of radio and television broadcasting projects. National and regional broadcast performances on radio and television are reaching a combined audience of at least 500 million. Fiscal Year 2009: In FY 2009, the Arts Endowment anticipates receiving approximately 5,300 applications and awarding more than 2,200 grants under its regular programming. The Agency will continue to award grants in all 50 States and six special jurisdictions for a variety of arts projects. In addition, the Arts Endowment has received approximately 2,400 applications for Recovery Act projects, and anticipates awarding approximately 600-700 Recovery Act grants to help preserve jobs in the nonprofit arts sector throughout the nation. Fiscal Year 2010: For 2010, the Arts Endowment anticipates receiving more than 5,300 applications and making approximately 2,400 awards in all 50 States and six special jurisdictions for a broad variety of arts projects. (Recovery Act funds are FY 2009 only.).

Financial Information

Account Identification

59-0100-0-1-503 - Regular funding; 59-0100-0-1-503 - Recovery Act funding.

Obligations

(Project Grants (Discretionary)) FY 08 $73,869,863; FY 09 est $77,200,000; FY 10 est $79,524,000 - These figures are for the Arts Endowment's regular programming and exclude Recovery Act funds. All figures include funds for the Challenge America: Reaching Every Community and American Masterpieces initiatives. (Project Grants (Discretionary)) FY 08 $0; FY 09 est $29,925,000; FY 10 est $0 - These obligations reflect Recovery Act funding only.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance

Most of the Arts Endowment's regular grants range from $5,000 to $100,000. Grants of $100,000 or more are made only in rare instances, and only for projects that the Arts Endowment determines demonstrate exceptional national or regional significance and impact. In the past few years, well over half of the Agency's grants have been for amounts less than $25,000. Recovery Act funds: Direct grants to organizations are for $25,000 or $50,000; grants to local arts agencies eligible to subgrant are for $100,000 or $250,000.

Regulations, Guidelines and Literature

Visit the Arts Endowment's Web site at www.arts.gov for funding opportunities, guidelines, or program announcements.

Related Programs

45.025 Promotion of the Arts_Partnership Agreements; 45.201 Arts and Artifacts Indemnity

Information Contacts

Regional or Local Office

None.

Headquarters Office

Bill O'Brien 1100 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20506 Phone: 202-682-5441

Web Site Address

www.arts.gov.

Examples of Funded Projects

Fiscal Year 2008: Grant listings are posted at www.arts.gov. Examples include: (1) the creation and performance of a dance theater work; (2) an after-school artist residency program; (3) a creative writing fellowship; (4) an initiative that spotlights jazz masters; (5) a program that brings mayors together with design professionals to enhance the livability of communities; (6) a festival featuring American choral music including new work; (7) the publication of a museum exhibition catalogue; and (8) the commissioning and production of a new American play. Fiscal Year 2009: In addition to the types of projects noted above, the Arts Endowment is awarding FY 2009 Recovery Act grants specifically for projects that preserve jobs in the nonprofit arts sector. See www.arts.gov for listings of both regular and Recovery Act grants. Fiscal Year 2010: Listings for 2010 will be posted on www.arts.gov once grants are obligated.

Criteria for Selecting Proposals

The primary criteria by which all applications are assessed are artistic excellence and artistic merit. For additional criteria, consult respective funding opportunities, guidelines, or program announcements available at www.arts.gov.