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Challenge America offers support primarily to small organizations for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved groups/communities. The program is rooted in principles that include, but are not limited to, the recognition that:
Challenge America seeks to address these potential barriers for organizations seeking funding.
First-time applicants to the NEA, as well as previous NEA applicants who have not been recommended for funding in any of the three most recent Fiscal Years (FYs 2022, 2023, or 2024) in any of the following grant programs, are eligible to apply:
Previous NEA applicants recommended for funding in Grants for Arts Projects, Research Grants in the Arts, or Our Town, FY 2022, FY 2023, or FY 2024 are not eligible to apply.
Previous Challenge America, American Rescue Plan (ARP), and CARES Act applicants and grantees are eligible to apply, as long as they were not recommended for FY 2022, FY 2023, or FY 2024 funding in Grants for Arts Projects, Research Grants in the Arts, or Our Town.
See Applicant Eligibility for more information.
Challenge America supports arts projects in many artistic disciplines including Artist Communities, Arts Education, Dance, Design, Folk & Traditional Arts, Literary Arts, Local Arts Agencies, Media Arts, Museums, Music, Musical Theater, Opera, Presenting & Multidisciplinary Arts, Theater, and Visual Arts.
Projects must extend the reach of the arts to underserved groups/communities. Possible projects include, but are not limited to: arts programming, including the commissioning or presentation of artists or artwork; marketing and promotional activities; and organizational planning. Projects may consist of one or more specific events or activities, and must not cover all of your programming for a season. We do not offer funding for general operating support or to support an entire season of programming.
Carefully read the application Review Criteria and address those criteria in the application.
What do we mean by underserved groups/communities?
The term “underserved,” as defined by our legislation and agency policy, refers to those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited relative to: geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. At least one of these characteristics must be evident in the proposed project. Age alone (e.g., youth, seniors) does not qualify a group as underserved.
As applicable, engagement with the following constituencies is encouraged (in accordance with White House Executive Orders), including but not limited to:
Applying for a federal grant can be time consuming. We estimate that after registration, which can take several weeks to finalize, the process to draft and submit an application will take approximately 26 hours. Please see the How to Apply section of these guidelines for detailed information on application requirements. We also strongly recommend that applicants review the Award Administration section for details on post-award reporting, compliance, and legal requirements.
NEA understands that applying for federal funding can be a significant undertaking. Their staff strives to ensure that every applicant receives the support they need to understand every step of the application process and ultimately submit the most competitive application possible.
Reach out to their staff if you have questions about whether your organization and proposed project are a good match for the Challenge America program, or about any other aspect of the application process. They are available to answer your questions.
Contact: challengeamerica@arts.gov or 202-682-5700.
All grants require a nonfederal cost share/match of at least 1 to 1. For example, if an organization receives a $10,000 grant, the total eligible project costs must be at least $20,000 and the organization must provide at least $10,000 toward the project from nonfederal sources.
Cost share/matching funds may be all cash, all in-kind (third-party) contributions, or a combination of cash and in-kind contributions. Cash match refers to cash contributions (including items, services, or organizational cash that are provided by the applicant), grants, and revenues that are expected or received for the project. In-kind match refers to donated space, supplies, volunteer services, etc. that are donated by individuals or organizations other than the applicant. Cost share/matching funds cannot include funds from any NEA or other federal awards.
Contact challengeamerica@arts.gov or 202-682-5700 if you have questions about what constitutes a cost share/match.
Challenge America offers support primarily to small organizations for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved groups/communities. The program is rooted in principles that include, but are not limited to, the recognition that:
Challenge America seeks to address these potential barriers for organizations seeking funding.
First-time applicants to the NEA, as well as previous NEA applicants who have not been recommended for funding in any of the three most recent Fiscal Years (FYs 2022, 2023, or 2024) in any of the following grant programs, are eligible to apply:
Previous NEA applicants recommended for funding in Grants for Arts Projects, Research Grants in the Arts, or Our Town, FY 2022, FY 2023, or FY 2024 are not eligible to apply.
Previous Challenge America, American Rescue Plan (ARP), and CARES Act applicants and grantees are eligible to apply, as long as they were not recommended for FY 2022, FY 2023, or FY 2024 funding in Grants for Arts Projects, Research Grants in the Arts, or Our Town.
See Applicant Eligibility for more information.
Challenge America supports arts projects in many artistic disciplines including Artist Communities, Arts Education, Dance, Design, Folk & Traditional Arts, Literary Arts, Local Arts Agencies, Media Arts, Museums, Music, Musical Theater, Opera, Presenting & Multidisciplinary Arts, Theater, and Visual Arts.
Projects must extend the reach of the arts to underserved groups/communities. Possible projects include, but are not limited to: arts programming, including the commissioning or presentation of artists or artwork; marketing and promotional activities; and organizational planning. Projects may consist of one or more specific events or activities, and must not cover all of your programming for a season. We do not offer funding for general operating support or to support an entire season of programming.
Carefully read the application Review Criteria and address those criteria in the application.
What do we mean by underserved groups/communities?
The term “underserved,” as defined by our legislation and agency policy, refers to those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited relative to: geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. At least one of these characteristics must be evident in the proposed project. Age alone (e.g., youth, seniors) does not qualify a group as underserved.
As applicable, engagement with the following constituencies is encouraged (in accordance with White House Executive Orders), including but not limited to:
Applying for a federal grant can be time consuming. We estimate that after registration, which can take several weeks to finalize, the process to draft and submit an application will take approximately 26 hours. Please see the How to Apply section of these guidelines for detailed information on application requirements. We also strongly recommend that applicants review the Award Administration section for details on post-award reporting, compliance, and legal requirements.
NEA understands that applying for federal funding can be a significant undertaking. Their staff strives to ensure that every applicant receives the support they need to understand every step of the application process and ultimately submit the most competitive application possible.
Reach out to their staff if you have questions about whether your organization and proposed project are a good match for the Challenge America program, or about any other aspect of the application process. They are available to answer your questions.
Contact: challengeamerica@arts.gov or 202-682-5700.
All grants require a nonfederal cost share/match of at least 1 to 1. For example, if an organization receives a $10,000 grant, the total eligible project costs must be at least $20,000 and the organization must provide at least $10,000 toward the project from nonfederal sources.
Cost share/matching funds may be all cash, all in-kind (third-party) contributions, or a combination of cash and in-kind contributions. Cash match refers to cash contributions (including items, services, or organizational cash that are provided by the applicant), grants, and revenues that are expected or received for the project. In-kind match refers to donated space, supplies, volunteer services, etc. that are donated by individuals or organizations other than the applicant. Cost share/matching funds cannot include funds from any NEA or other federal awards.
Contact challengeamerica@arts.gov or 202-682-5700 if you have questions about what constitutes a cost share/match.
The GRANT Program is to be used for eligible recipients to support a local government’s non-federal match requirement when applying for a federal government grant program. Applications are now open and accepted on a rolling basis.
The GRANT Program is to be used for eligible recipients to support a local government’s non-federal match requirement when applying for a federal government grant program. Applications are now open and accepted on a rolling basis.
The USDA has made $247 million in supplemental grants available nationwide to help communities repair water infrastructure damaged by presidentially declared disasters in calendar year 2022.
The USDA has made $247 million in supplemental grants available nationwide to help communities repair water infrastructure damaged by presidentially declared disasters in calendar year 2022.
The Foundation makes grants to organizations and public agencies in Greater Cincinnati for programs that benefit children in the region in the areas of arts/culture, education, healthcare, social services and other community needs.
The Foundation makes grants to organizations and public agencies in Greater Cincinnati for programs that benefit children in the region in the areas of arts/culture, education, healthcare, social services and other community needs.
Designed to meet specific technical assistance needs of grassroots organizations working for social change in Appalachia, this program awards grants to help build organizational capacity and train board or staff members in key skills.
Designed to meet specific technical assistance needs of grassroots organizations working for social change in Appalachia, this program awards grants to help build organizational capacity and train board or staff members in key skills.
This program helps very small, financially distressed rural communities with predevelopment feasibility studies, design and technical assistance on proposed water and waste disposal projects.
This program helps very small, financially distressed rural communities with predevelopment feasibility studies, design and technical assistance on proposed water and waste disposal projects.
The Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act (WIOA) is a federally funded grant program that provides Youth, Adult and Dislocated Worker funding throughout our Commonwealth.
The Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act (WIOA) is a federally funded grant program that provides Youth, Adult and Dislocated Worker funding throughout our Commonwealth.