The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) offers a funding opportunity through its "Grants for Arts Projects" (GAP) program. This program is designed to support arts projects that foster public engagement with the arts, integrate arts into health and well-being strategies, and enhance the capabilities of the arts sector overall. The funding is available for a range of artistic disciplines, including artist communities, arts education, dance, design, film and media arts, folk and traditional arts, literary arts, local arts agencies, museums, music, musical theater, opera, presenting and multidisciplinary works, theater, and visual arts. The program is open to both first-time and returning applicants, as well as organizations of various sizes that serve rural, urban, suburban, and tribal communities.

Organizations eligible to apply for GAP grants must be U.S.-based and can include nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) entities, units of state or local government, or federally recognized tribal communities or tribes. Applicants must have a minimum of five years of completed arts programming before the application deadline. This program is not available for individuals, fiscal sponsors, or for-profit enterprises. Additionally, applicants may submit only one application per calendar year.

Funding requests range between $10,000 and $100,000, with local arts agencies that are eligible to subgrant able to request between $30,000 and $150,000. There is a mandatory 1:1 cost-share or match requirement, which may include both cash and in-kind contributions. The funding cycles are held twice annually, with deadlines for the March and July cycles. These cycles provide different dates for the submission of Part 1 and Part 2 of the application, as well as for notification of funding decisions.

The application process consists of two parts. Part 1 must be submitted through Grants.gov, and Part 2 is submitted through the NEA Applicant Portal. The specific dates for submission vary depending on the cycle, with the March cycle starting in February and the July cycle starting in mid-May. Notifications of awards or rejections will be made by December for the March cycle and by April for the July cycle, with project start dates beginning in January or June, respectively.

Applicants are encouraged to review the GAP Program Details and Application Instructions documents for specific information about the program, including the list of unallowable costs, evaluation criteria, and detailed instructions for preparing and submitting an application. Access to webinars and other applicant resources is also provided to assist applicants through the process.

For individuals with disabilities who need accommodations, the NEA’s Office of Accessibility can be contacted. A comprehensive guide to the application process, including necessary registrations with Login.gov, SAM.gov, and Grants.gov, is available to ensure applicants can complete all necessary steps.