Funding Available for USA Nonprofits and Agencies for Arts and Cultural Projects that Address Community Issues

Our Town Grant

Grants to USA and territories government agencies and nonprofit organizations for
collaborative arts and cultural projects that address community issues. Applicants are advised that required registrations take several weeks to finalize. Eligible projects are those that include a partnership between a local government entity and a nonprofit organization, one of which must be a cultural organization.

The application deadline is August 8th, 2024.

Grant Eligibility:

• Through Our Town, the NEA is proud to support creative placemaking projects that integrate arts, culture, and design into local efforts that strengthen communities over the long term. Eligible projects should:
  • Elevate or bring new attention to key community assets and issues, voices of residents, local history, or civic infrastructure;
  • Inject new or additional energy, resources, activity, people, or enthusiasm into a place, community issue, or local economy;
  • Envision new possibilities for a community or place—a new future, a way of approaching a new opportunity, overcoming a challenge, or problem-solving;
  • Connect communities, people, places, and economic opportunity through physical spaces or new partnerships and relationships; or
  • Honor traditions shaped by the lived experience of a community’s residents, such as music, dance, design, crafts, fashion, cuisine, and oral expression.
• Projects should focus on community-identified or supported goals and may include collaborative strategies such as the following:
  • Planning activities such as artist/designer-facilitated community planning, cultural planning, cultural district planning, creative asset mapping, or public art planning, that incorporate artists and culture bearers as key project leads.
  • Design processes including, design of artist spaces, design of cultural facilities, or public space design.
  • Supporting the creative economy through creative business development or professional artist/designer development.
  • Creating opportunities for community building and arts engagement through artist residencies, arts festivals, community co-creation of art, performances, and public art.

For more information, or to apply, click here.