News for the Field from the National Endowment for the Arts
Partnership Division heading with an outline map of the United States
CARES Act
COVID-19 Updates & Resources
April 17, 2020
REMINDER-- Application Deadline: April 22, 2020
 
Please see the Arts Endowment’s website for  program description ,  eligibility requirements ,  application review , staff contact , and   FAQs .  

NOTE: The Arts Endowment has awarded almost $30 million of the $75 million CARES Act funding to state arts agencies and regional arts organizations to subgrant to organizations not otherwise eligible for the Arts Endowment direct grants. If your organization is not eligible to apply for a direct CARES Act grant from the Arts Endowment, please check with your state, regional, or local arts agency to see if you are eligible to apply for their grant programs.
 
Jen Hughes, the NEA’s Design and Creative Placemaking Director, and Cliff Murphy, the N EA’s Folk and Traditional Arts Director, presented information about the funding that the NEA received through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which recognizes that the nonprofit arts industry is an important sector of America’s economy. 

You can watch the recorded webinar which may answer some of your questions about the opportunity.
New FAQs
My organization has not received a direct grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, but we did receive sub-granted federal funds from a state arts agency, regional arts organization, or a local arts agency. Are we eligible to apply for CARES Act funding from the Art Endowment?
No. Only organizations that have received a direct award from the National Endowment for the Arts within the past four years are eligible to apply under these guidelines. Please check with your state arts agency or regional arts organization for their CARES Act funding opportunities. In addition, local arts agencies approved for CARES Act subgranting projects will be another available source of funding.

My organization has not received a direct grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, but we were a partner on an Arts Endowment grant. Are we eligible to apply for CARES Act funding from the Art Endowment?
No. Partners are not eligible. A direct grant is made to a single organization. Only an organization that was an official applicant (lead applicant) and became the grantee of record is eligible. For example, an Our Town grant was made to ABC organization for a partnership with XYZ organization. In this case, ABC organization is the grantee of record and eligible to apply for CARES Act funding, but XYZ organization is not.
Quick Tip for Local Arts Agencies
 
To be eligible for a  subgranting  award, a local arts agency must have received Arts Endowment support for its subgranting program during the past four years. This would have involved applying for an Art Works/Local Arts Agencies regranting project, with an application that included the additional subgranting required documentation and administrative record keeping required for Arts Endowment subgranting grants. CARES-eligible local arts agencies, including those that run local grant and regranting programs, that have not been awarded an Arts Endowment subgranting award in the past four years are eligible to apply for a $50,000 CARES Act funding grant.
CARES Act Funding Part 2

Once you have submitted to Part 1, you should start to prepare for Part 2. The Part 2 Applicant Portal system will be open from April 27th - May 4th 11:59 ET.

You can prepare ahead of time by following the instructions listed on our website here . Once the Applicant Portal is open you'll be able to copy and paste the materials you prepared into the system.

This is a grant to support operational costs ONLY. This is not a project based grant like a majority of other Arts Endowment funding. Do not include costs other than personnel costs or facilities costs.

Support is limited to any or all of the following:
  • Salary support, full or partial, for one or more positions that are critical to an organization’s artistic mission.
  • Fees for artists and/or contractual personnel to maintain or expand the period during which such persons would be engaged.
  • Facilities costs such as rent and utilities.

These funds are intended to help save jobs in the arts sector and keep the doors open to the thousands of organizations that add value to America’s economy and the creative life of our communities.

All costs must be incurred after the start date of the grant, July 1, 2020. You cannot use the funds to cover costs prior to July 1st.

You can find additional FAQ's about this grant opportunity on arts.gov .
CARES Act Funding Awarded to the States
Washington, DC— Within 18 days of the president signing the CARES Act, the National Endowment for the Arts has awarded almost $30 million to the nation's 50 states, the District of Columbia and several of the territories including Puerto Rico. By Congressional mandate, 40 percent of the agency's CARES Act funding goes to state and territorial arts agencies and regional arts organizations for their funding programs, ensuring distribution throughout the country. These funds will be re-granted in order to preserve jobs and facilities costs.
National Endowment for the Arts Annual Funding Program Information
In addition to the CARES Act funding you organization can also apply to annual National Endowment for the Arts funding opportunities, including Grants for Arts Projects, Research Awards, and Our Town. 
 
The current remaining FY21 Arts Endowment grant program deadlines in 2020 include: 

Application Deadline: July 9, 2020  
Grants of $10,000 to $100,00 for project support. For Local Arts Agencies, project types can include programming, services to the field, and subgranting.  
 
Application Deadline: April 13, 2020
Grants and cooperative agreements of $10,000 to $150,000 for research projects.

Application Deadline: August 2020 (guidelines to be posted in May 2020)  
Grants of $25,000 to $200,000 for creative placemaking projects. 
Grants Management Guidance for Current Arts Endowment Grantees with 2020 Project Activities
We know things are changing day to day with your organizational programming as a result of COVID-19. If you have questions about how to best manage your current National Endowment for the Arts grant, you'll find helpful answers in our updated COVID-19 FAQs, including guidance on what to do if you need to postpone, cancel, or change activities. Much of this information can also be found in the How to Manage your NEA Award Handbook. And if you still have questions after reviewing the FAQs, don't hesitate to check in with Arts Endowment staff.
Resources for Artists and Organizations
The National Endowment for the Arts continues to update the Resources for Artists and Arts Organizations section of the website.
Artist Relief will distribute grants to support artists during the COVID-19 crisis. A coalition of national arts grantmakers have come together to create an emergency initiative to offer financial and informational resources to artists across the United States.
The Heritage Emergency National Task Force has created a resource hub where they have compiled relevant COVID-19 URLs from its members and other stakeholders.
Americans for the Arts continues to closely monitor recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Federal and D.C. governments as developments evolve concerning the coronavirus.
Contact the Partnership Division
(202) 682-5097
Challenge America and Arts Engagement in American Communities Specialist
Mary Sellers: sellersm@arts.gov
Challenge America and
Local Arts Agencies Specialist
Lara Holman Garritano: garritanol@arts.gov
States and Regional Specialist
Andi Mathis: mathisa@arts.gov
Division Coordinator, Partnership
Jennifer Lindow Eskin: eskinj@arts.gov
Director of State, Regional
and Local Partnerships
Michael Orlove: orlovem@arts.gov
Assistant Grants Management Specialist Partnership Division
Alexzandra Fogle: foglea@arts.gov
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