NEA Challenge America, FY2020 | 2019NEA01CA

Opportunity Information: Apply for 2019NEA01CA

NEA Challenge America, FY2020 (Funding Opportunity Number 2019NEA01CA; CFDA 45.024) is a discretionary grant program from the National Endowment for the Arts designed mainly to support small and mid-sized organizations delivering arts projects that broaden access for underserved populations. The central purpose is to extend the reach of professional arts programming to communities whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by one or more specific barriers: geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. The program also supports projects that highlight how the arts can contribute to community development, so applicants can propose both traditional arts programming and work that uses arts activities to strengthen community outcomes.

A key feature of this opportunity is its strict focus on underserved audiences, and applicants are expected to be specific and evidence-based in describing who they plan to serve. The NEA makes clear that age alone does not qualify a group as underserved; for example, a project for youth or seniors must also address at least one of the qualifying underserved factors (such as low income, disability, rural isolation, or an ethnically underserved community). Applications should include relevant statistics along with on-the-ground context, meaning the NEA wants both quantitative data (demographics, income levels, access indicators, disability prevalence, rurality measures, etc.) and qualitative or anecdotal information that shows real barriers and demonstrates a credible understanding of the community. Proposals should also clearly explain the outreach and engagement strategies that will be used to actually reach the intended audience, not just describe the programming itself.

The maximum award amount listed for this opportunity is $10,000. The NEA’s support for funded projects may begin on or after January 1, 2020, and grants under these guidelines generally may cover a period of performance of up to two years. The application deadline for this cycle was April 11, 2019, reflecting the timeline typical of federal arts funding where application review occurs well ahead of the earliest allowable start date.

Eligibility is broad and includes multiple types of government and nonprofit entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; and nonprofit organizations with IRS 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in that nonprofit category). In practice, this means a wide range of organizations can apply, provided they can demonstrate the capacity to deliver a well-defined arts project that serves an underserved population consistent with the program’s goals.

The program also includes important restrictions on how applicants can pursue NEA funding in the same cycle. An organization that applies to the Challenge America category may not submit another application to the Art Works category, meaning you must choose between those two in that year for the same cycle. However, organizations may apply to other NEA funding opportunities, including Our Town, in addition to Challenge America, as long as each request is for a distinctly different project or a distinctly different phase of the same project, and each has a different period of performance and different costs. This distinction is meant to prevent double-funding the same activities while still allowing organizations to pursue multiple NEA opportunities for separate work streams.

Finally, there is a repeat-funding limitation specific to Challenge America. Any organization that received Challenge America grants in FY 2017, FY 2018, and FY 2019 is not eligible to apply for a Challenge America grant under the FY 2020 guidelines. Those organizations are still allowed to seek FY 2020 support through other NEA funding programs, including Art Works, which provides an alternate path for continued federal support when Challenge America eligibility is temporarily restricted.

Overall, NEA Challenge America, FY2020 is a relatively small-dollar, access-focused grant opportunity that prioritizes strong community fit, clear documentation of need, and practical plans for reaching underserved populations through professional arts programming and arts-driven community development activities, while enforcing clear rules about overlapping NEA applications and recent repeat awards.

• The National Endowment for the Arts in the arts sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NEA Challenge America, FY2020" 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 2018-12-11.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-04-11. (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 $10,000.00 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.

Apply for 2019NEA01CA

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