Opportunity Information: Apply for 2020NEA01OT
NEA Our Town, FY2021 is the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) creative placemaking grant program, designed to fund projects that intentionally weave arts, culture, and design into broader community-strengthening efforts. The program focuses on project-based work that can demonstrate clear local outcomes, whether economic (such as revitalizing commercial districts and supporting local creative economies), physical (such as improvements to public spaces, streetscapes, or community facilities), or social (such as community cohesion, inclusion, and strengthened civic life). The larger goal goes beyond a one-time event or installation: strong proposals are expected to help establish longer-term, systemic changes so that arts, culture, and design remain integrated into local planning and development strategies after the grant period ends.
A core requirement of Our Town is partnership. Every project must be carried out jointly by a local government entity and a nonprofit organization, and one of those two partners must be a cultural organization. Applicants are also encouraged to build cross-sector collaborations that connect the arts to other community priorities and systems, including areas like agriculture and food, economic development, education and youth, environment and energy, health, housing, public safety, transportation, and workforce development. This structure reflects the program’s emphasis on the arts as an active tool in community development rather than a standalone activity.
Funding is offered as a cost share/matching grant, meaning the recipient must provide a match that is at least equal to the NEA award amount. Award amounts range from $25,000 to $150,000, with $150,000 listed as the maximum award ceiling. The grant period can be up to two years, and NEA-supported project activities may begin on July 1, 2021, or any time after that start date, offering flexibility for project scheduling and implementation.
Eligibility spans a broad set of public and nonprofit entities, reflecting the partnership model and community-based nature of the program. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in that nonprofit category); and private institutions of higher education. While many entity types are eligible to apply, the project itself must still meet the program’s partnership requirement between a local government and a nonprofit, with one partner serving as a cultural organization.
On application limits and coordination with other NEA funding, an organization may submit up to two applications as the lead applicant to Our Town for this cycle. Organizations may also participate as a partner on an unlimited number of applications led by others. Applicants are allowed to apply to other NEA opportunities at the same time, including Grants for Arts Projects, as long as each request is for a distinctly different project or for a distinctly different phase of a project. The opportunity also makes clear that prior applicants who were not recommended for funding in the past are welcome to apply again.
Administratively, this is a discretionary grant opportunity from the National Endowment for the Arts (CFDA 45.024), listed under funding opportunity number 2020NEA01OT. The original closing date for applications was August 6, 2020, and the opportunity was created on May 6, 2020.Apply for 2020NEA01OT
- The National Endowment for the Arts in the arts sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NEA Our Town, FY2021" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 45.024.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2020-05-06.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-08-06. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $150,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.
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| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| Promoting a Better Understanding of American Elections Apply for DOS LONDON PD 2020 0XX Funding Number: DOS LONDON PD 2020 0XX Agency: U.S. Mission to the United Kingdom Category: Arts Funding Amount: $50,000 |
| NEA Arts & Artifacts International Indemnity Program, FY2021 Apply for 2021FCAH01 Funding Number: 2021FCAH01 Agency: National Endowment for the Arts Category: Arts Funding Amount: $100,000 |
| NEA Arts & Artifacts Domestic Indemnity Program, FY2021 Apply for 2021FCAHDOM01 Funding Number: 2021FCAHDOM01 Agency: National Endowment for the Arts Category: Arts Funding Amount: $100,000 |
| Historic Building Study for Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Apply for W9126G 20 2 SOI 4995 Funding Number: W9126G 20 2 SOI 4995 Agency: Fort Worth District Category: Arts Funding Amount: $64,000 |
| NEA Literature Fellowships: Translation Projects, FY2022 Apply for 2021NEA03LFTP Funding Number: 2021NEA03LFTP Agency: National Endowment for the Arts Category: Arts Funding Amount: $25,000 |
| NEA National Folklife Network, FY2021 Apply for NEAPS2003 Funding Number: NEAPS2003 Agency: National Endowment for the Arts Category: Arts Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation Apply for PD LUS AFCP FY21 Funding Number: PD LUS AFCP FY21 Agency: U.S. Mission to Zambia Category: Arts Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| NEA Grants for Arts Projects 1, FY2022 Apply for 2021NEA01GAP1 Funding Number: 2021NEA01GAP1 Agency: National Endowment for the Arts Category: Arts Funding Amount: $150,000 |
| NEA Literature Fellowships: Prose, FY2022 Apply for 2021NEA03LFCW Funding Number: 2021NEA03LFCW Agency: National Endowment for the Arts Category: Arts Funding Amount: $25,000 |
| NEA Mayor's Institute on City Design (MICD), FY2021 Apply for NEAPS2101 Funding Number: NEAPS2101 Agency: National Endowment for the Arts Category: Arts Funding Amount: $450,000 |
| NEA Research Grants in the Arts, FY2022 Apply for 2021NEA01ORAGRANTS Funding Number: 2021NEA01ORAGRANTS Agency: National Endowment for the Arts Category: Arts Funding Amount: $100,000 |
| NEA Research Labs, FY2022 Apply for 2021NEA01ORALABS Funding Number: 2021NEA01ORALABS Agency: National Endowment for the Arts Category: Arts Funding Amount: $150,000 |
| NEA Challenge America, FY2022 Apply for 2021NEA01CA Funding Number: 2021NEA01CA Agency: National Endowment for the Arts Category: Arts Funding Amount: $10,000 |
| Alumni Opportunity Grants Apply for PAUPDFY21001 Funding Number: PAUPDFY21001 Agency: U.S. Mission to Jerusalem Category: Arts Funding Amount: $20,000 |
| NEA Grants for Arts Projects 2, FY2022 Apply for 2021NEA01GAP2 Funding Number: 2021NEA01GAP2 Agency: National Endowment for the Arts Category: Arts Funding Amount: $150,000 |
| NEA Our Town, FY2022 Apply for 2021NEA01OT Funding Number: 2021NEA01OT Agency: National Endowment for the Arts Category: Arts Funding Amount: $150,000 |
| NEA American Rescue Plan Grants to Organizations #1, FY2021 Apply for 2021NEA01ARP60AL Funding Number: 2021NEA01ARP60AL Agency: National Endowment for the Arts Category: Arts Funding Amount: $150,000 |
| NEA American Rescue Plan Grants to Organizations #2, FY2021 Apply for 2021NEA01ARP60MZ Funding Number: 2021NEA01ARP60MZ Agency: National Endowment for the Arts Category: Arts Funding Amount: $150,000 |
| NEA American Rescue Plan Local Arts Agencies for Subgranting, FY2021 Apply for 2021NEA01ARP60 Funding Number: 2021NEA01ARP60 Agency: National Endowment for the Arts Category: Arts Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| NEA National Heritage Fellowship Awards Program, FY2022 Apply for NEAPS2102 Funding Number: NEAPS2102 Agency: National Endowment for the Arts Category: Arts Funding Amount: $1,281,150 |
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