Grants to USA Nonprofits, Agencies, Tribes, and IHEs to Explore the Role of Arts in American Life

Research Grants in the Arts

Agency

Federal

GrantWatch ID#

175012

Funding Source

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)

CFDA Number: 45.024

Funding or PIN Number: 2023NEA01ORAGRANTS

Geographic Focus

All USA

Important Dates

LOI Date: 03/27/23
Deadline: 04/06/23 11:59 PM ET

Grant Description

Grants to USA nonprofit organizations, government agencies, tribes, and IHEs to explore the impact and value of the arts in American life. Applicants are advised that the required online registration may take several weeks to complete. Studies may address the individual components of the nation’s arts ecology, or the interaction of multiple components with each other and other domains of American life.

Research Grants in the Arts support research studies that investigate 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.

With these guidelines, the NEA welcomes research proposals that address priority topics and possible questions as outlined in the agency’s FY 2022-2026 research agenda. The priority topics are described below. Note: for each of the four topics, the research agenda also lists several “related sample questions” that may be used or adapted by applicants to the Research Grants in the Arts program. Applicants are strongly urged to consult this more detailed list.

What are measurable impacts of the arts on the following outcome areas: health and wellness for individuals; cognition and learning; and U.S. economic growth and innovation? Under what conditions do such impacts occur, through what mechanisms, and for which populations and/or sectors?
In what ways do the arts contribute to the healing and revitalization of communities? What factors mediate these contributions, and for the benefit of which populations? What are common elements of such programs or practices, and what are appropriate measures of success?
What is the state of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the arts? What progress has been made in achieving these outcomes for arts administration, employment, learning, and participation? What are some promising practices and/or replicable strategies in these domains, and what are appropriate measures of success?
How is the U.S. arts ecosystem (e.g., arts organizations and venues, artists and arts workers, and participants and learners) adapting and responding to social, economic, and technological changes and challenges to the sector, including trends accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic? What are promising practices and/or replicable strategies for responding to such forces, for different segments of the arts ecosystem?

Proposals to the Research Grants in the Arts program should align with at least one of the aforementioned topics, and, if possible, address research questions identical or similar to the related sample questions in the NEA’s research agenda for FY 2022-2026.

Recipient

Eligibility

City or township governments
County governments
Independent school districts
Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
Private institutions of higher education
Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
Special district governments
State governments

Additional Eligibility Criteria

Official applicant organizations must be:
- Nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3), U.S. organizations;
- Units of state or local government; or
- Federally recognized tribal communities or tribes.

This may include colleges and universities.

For projects that involve multiple organizations, one organization that meets the eligibility requirements below must act as the official applicant, submit the application, and assume full responsibility for the grant. Partnering organizations are not required to meet the eligibility requirements below.

To be eligible, the official applicant organization must:
- Meet the NEA’s "Legal Requirements," including nonprofit, tax-exempt status at the time of application. (All organizations must apply directly on their own behalf. Applications through a fiscal sponsor/agent are not allowed. See more information on fiscal sponsors/agents.)
- Have completed a three-year history of operations prior to the application deadline.

Eligible organizations that received American Rescue Plan (ARP) or CARES Act funding may apply to this program as long as there are no overlapping costs during the same grant period.

Ineligible

The following are not eligible to apply as the official applicant organization:
- The designated 50 state and six jurisdictional arts agencies (SAAs) and their regional arts organizations (RAOs). SAAs and RAOs may serve as partners in projects. However, they may not receive NEA funds (except as provided through their designated grant programs), and SAA/RAO costs may not be included as part of the required cost share/match. SAAs and RAOs are eligible to apply through the Partnership Agreements guidelines.
- An organization whose primary purpose is to channel resources (financial, human, or other) to an affiliated organization if the affiliated organization submits its own application. This prohibition applies even if each organization has its own 501(c)(3) status. For example, the "Friends of ABC Museum" may not apply if the ABC Museum applies.

Not funded:
- Projects that do not include a focus on a priority topic outlined in the NEA’s research agenda.
- Projects that focus exclusively on data acquisition.
- Projects that do not include data analysis.
- Projects that focus exclusively on conducting a literature review.
- Project activities that include the creation and/or installation of public art as part of the proposed project activities and budget. Public art refers to the commissioning and installation of artwork in public spaces, such as temporary or permanent outdoor furnishings (e.g., benches or market structures), or other artwork such as a sculpture or mural that is temporarily or permanently installed in public spaces.
- Seasonal or general operating support.
- Costs of physical construction or renovation, or the purchase costs of facilities or land.

Pre-Proposal Conference

Guidelines Webinar:
There will be a live webinar on February 6, 2023, 2:00pm-3:00 pm ET featuring an overview presentation followed by a Q&A session.

Registration information can be found at https://www.arts.gov/news/events/fy24-research-awards-application-guidelines-webinar

Pre-Application Information

Timeline:
- Part 1 - Submit to Grants.gov: March 27, 2023 at 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time
- Part 2 - Submit to Applicant Portal: March 30-April 6, 2023 at 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time
- Earliest Announcement of Grant Award or Rejection: November 2023
- Earliest Start Date for Proposed Project: January 1, 2024

Late, ineligible, and incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Grants cannot exceed 50% of the total cost of the project. All grants require a nonfederal cost share/match of at least 1 to 1. These cost share/matching funds may be all cash or a combination of cash and in-kind contributions, and can include federally-negotiated indirect costs. You may include in your Project Budget cost share/matching funds that are proposed but not yet committed at the time of the application deadline.

All applicants must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), be registered with the System for Award Management (SAM, www.sam.gov), and maintain an active SAM registration until the application process is complete, and should a grant be made, throughout the life of the award.

FAQs:
https://www.arts.gov/grants/research-awards/research-grants-in-the-arts/frequently-asked-questions

View this opportunity on Grants.gov:
https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=345360

Number of Grants

10-20

Estimated Size of Grant

Grants will range from $20,000 to $100,000.

For projects that intend solely to use pre-existing data—and that will not involve primary data collection—they anticipate making awards in the $20,000-$50,000 range. Projects that include primary data collection as part of the research activities are eligible for awards between $20,000 and $100,000.

Term of Contract

Support of a project may start on or after January 1, 2024. Grants generally may cover a period of performance of up to three years. Projects that extend beyond one year will be required to submit an annual progress report, and must include updated ethics training on human subjects research protections and Institutional Review Board (IRB) materials as necessary.

Contact Information

If you have questions:
Email: nearesearchgrants@arts.gov

Grants to USA Nonprofits, Agencies, Tribes, and IHEs to Explore the Role of Arts in American Life

Research Grants in the Arts

We have foundations for

We have grants for