The U.S. government annually awards billions of dollars in grants of various sizes in many fields. The majority of these grants are in business, computer hardware and software development or technical fields, or they relate to national defense. The federal government also awards more than $100 million a year to support the arts.
Federal Programs Supporting the Arts
While the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is the primary federal agency disbursing grants in the arts, there are a number of other agencies also offering grants, ranging from the U.S. Department of State to the Federal Council on the Arts and Humanities. Federal art and culture-related grants are frequently collaborative projects with state, local and private donor funds.
National Endowment for the Arts
The NEA began in 1965, and its mission is "supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education." The NEA offers grants in three categories: arts projects, national initiatives, and partnership agreements. The NEA also awards lifetime achievement awards to opera, jazz, traditional and folk music performers. The NEA had a budget of $155 million as of 2009.
NEA Arts Education Grants
The NEA offers several categories of arts education grants including direct grants to standards-based arts education programs ($6.7 awarded in direct grants in 2008), arts education partnerships, arts initiatives (like The Big Read nationwide poetry reading program), arts education research grants, and professional development grants (to host meetings and workshops).
Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, Department of State
The U.S. State Department offers several categories of grants, including creative arts grants through the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs. Creative arts grants typically range from $60,000 to $300,000 (30 percent match by grantee required) and are to encourage non-profits to develop cooperative international arts projects that give American and foreign participants insights into each other's culture and artistic traditions.
