FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Copy of the Frequently Asked Questions found in the FY26 GAP Program Details PDF. This includes information not found below, including FAQs about: late or incomplete applications, eligibility and allowable activities/costs, subgranting, competitive projects, period of performance, and other federal funding.

Who do I contact if I have questions?
Email us at apply@arts.gov

Will there be a Grants for Arts Projects webinar?

A webinar covering the updated guidelines took place on Tuesday, February 18, 2025.
Watch the archived video on demand.  
Webinar slide deck.

May I withdraw my application and resubmit for a later opportunity?

An applicant may withdraw an application at any time prior to award or rejection. The applicant authorizing official must submit a written withdrawal request to the program office managing their application. 

Organizations may submit only one application to the FY 2026 Grants for Arts Projects program (i.e., one application per calendar year) with limited exceptions made only for Parent (and Related) Organizations. If an organization intends to withdraw an earlier application and reapply within the same calendar year, it must withdraw that application prior to submitting at the later deadline.

What are the new application deadlines for the FY 2026 Grants for Arts Projects program?

This chart lists the new deadlines. 

Eligibility

The Grants for Arts Projects guidelines include a requirement for applicants to have completed a five-year history of arts programming prior to the application deadline. If arts programming was suspended due to the pandemic, applicants may include examples that occurred in 2018 or 2019 to meet the five-year requirement. Do not include examples prior to 2018. Virtual programming is acceptable. See the eligibility section of the guidelines for more information.

America250 FAQs

Encouraging America250-related Projects

In Grants for Arts Projects, we are encouraging applications that celebrate the nation’s rich artistic heritage and creativity by honoring the semiquincentennial of the United States of America (America250). Project activities may focus exclusively on celebrating the anniversary, or they may incorporate a special America250-related component or focus within a larger project. For example, projects could examine the work of American artists, present or create art recognizing this important milestone, or undertake educational activities or related programming.

Additional FAQs for applicants interested in America250-related projects:

Does my grant application have to include an America250-related project in order to receive funding this year?

No. We are encouraging, but not requiring, applicants to consider celebrating and honoring America250 as part of their project activities. We will certainly continue to fund projects that do not include an America250 focus or related programming.  

What is an America250-related project?

For applicants that choose to focus on this milestone, we are interested in projects that celebrate and honor the nation’s rich artistic and cultural heritage as part of America250. For example, projects could examine the work of American artists, present or create art recognizing this important milestone, or undertake educational activities or related programming. We aim to fund a wide range of projects—large and small, in all artistic disciplines, and in communities of all sizes across the country—that celebrate and honor this important milestone.

Does my project have to focus entirely on celebrating America250?

No. If you decide to submit an application for America250-related activities, your project may focus exclusively on celebrating and honoring the anniversary, or it may incorporate a special America250-related component or focus within a larger project that you are planning to undertake. For example, an organization applying for a broader musical series might devote a performance or educational activity to celebrating America250.

Do all America250-related activities have to take place only in 2026?

No. We recognize that project schedules vary based on your organization’s unique needs. As such, America250-related activities can take place anytime during your award’s period of performance in 2026-2027.

Executive Order FAQs

Can organizations that are predominantly or solely one race or one sex still apply for grants?

Yes.

Can organizations apply for disability-related projects?

Yes. We encourage applications for projects that promote the lifelong independence of people with disabilities. Each artistic discipline has identified disability-related projects that are of interest. 

How does the NEA consider an organization’s past project activities in relation to executive orders during application review?

An organization’s past projects or activities are reviewed to confirm that an applicant qualifies as having a five-year history of arts programming prior to the application deadline. Examples or previous programming also help our panelists to better understand your organization and your capacity to carry out the proposed project.

OUR TOWN FAQs

NOTE: In previous years, Our Town had its own application deadline. To simplify the application intake and review process, Our Town applicants will now apply within the Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) program and choose the “Our Town” discipline. GAP: Our Town requirements and application questions have been simplified for the benefit of all applicants.

Our Town supports creative placemaking activities in communities. What is “creative placemaking?”

Creative placemaking integrates arts, culture, and design activities into efforts that strengthen communities. Creative placemaking is most successful when done in partnership across sectors, deeply engaging the community, through work with artists, designers, and other stakeholders in efforts aiming to advance local economic, physical, and other long-term, community-desired outcomes. This definition is intentionally open and broad because creative placemaking draws on all artistic disciplines and can be deployed as a strategy to address a wide range of community issues or challenges from public health to safety, economic development to housing. For additional information on NEA’s definition of creative placemaking and other resources, visit www.arts.gov/impact/creative-placemaking.

If we received an Our Town grant last year, can we apply under the Our Town discipline in GAP this year?

Yes, you may apply to the Our Town discipline under the FY26 GAP 2 opportunity for a distinctly 
different project or a distinctly different phase of the project than was funded in your previous Our Town grant. 

How is the Our Town discipline different than Local Arts Agencies or other disciplines within the Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) funding opportunity?

Our Town is distinct from other GAP disciplines in several ways. 1) Competitive Our Town projects are place-specific, multi-layered, cross-sectoral efforts that use arts, culture, and design activities as strategies to engage whole communities. 2) Our Town projects strongly encourage partnership between a nonprofit organization and a local governmental or quasi-governmental entity that together, through meaningful roles, provide leadership for the project. 3) Through activities such as such as supporting local artistic and cultural resources, improving a neighborhood’s design, and/or strengthening local economies to promote investment and job creation, Our Town projects strengthen communities at the local level by bringing arts, culture, and design into efforts that advance local economic, physical, and/or other community desired outcomes. If you have questions about which discipline best suits your project, please contact our staff. 

Can federal funds such as Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) or Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) funding count toward the cost share?

No. Even though these funds may come through your state, the original source is federal. No cost share funds can be from federal sources and these should not appear in your Our Town project budget as either income or expenses. 

Can community infrastructure costs be considered part of the cost share for something like a streetscape project?

Costs that pertain strictly to preparing a site specifically for the art or design work, such as slabs or pedestals, landscaping that's necessary for the art work, or landscaping that is the art work (e.g., a mosaic tiled walkway with landscaping that is required for the work) are allowable. Installation of generic municipal street lighting or wayfinding signage is not allowed. Costs to prepare the street, including purchase of property, building appropriate access, infrastructure, etc., are also not allowable and cannot be used for cost share. You can only include cost share for allowable costs and activities.  

What is a quasi-governmental entity?

For the Our Town discipline, a quasi-governmental entity includes any entity that has been officially designated by a municipal or tribal government to carry out a function of that government on its behalf.