# NEA Challenge America, FY 2026

Source: https://welltoldgrants.com/grants/2025nea01ca-nea-challenge-america-fy-2026/  
Official notice: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/357683

> National Endowment for the Arts offered grants of up to $10,000 (at least $10,000) to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments and tribes. It expected to make about 280 awards worth $2.8 million in total. Applications closed on February 6, 2025.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Opportunity number | 2025NEA01CA |
| Agency | National Endowment for the Arts |
| Status | Forecast |
| Deadline | February 6, 2025 |
| Award ceiling | $10,000 |
| Award floor | $10,000 |
| Expected awards | 280 |
| Total funding | $2.8 million |
| Cost sharing | required |
| Assistance Listings | 45.024 |

## Who can apply

- 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

## What the grant funds

Challenge America supports projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved groups/communities. The program welcomes applications from applicants that are primarily small organizations, first-time applicants to the NEA, and/or returning Challenge America applicants. Eligible applicants include: nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3), U.S. organizations; units of state or local government; Federally recognized tribal communities or tribes; and applicants that have not been recommended for funding in any of the three most recent Fiscal Years in the NEA’s Grants for Arts Projects, Our Town, or Research Awards grant programs. Funding in this category is not available for individuals, fiscally sponsored entities, commercial/for-profit enterprises, State Arts Agencies (SAA), or Regional Arts Organizations (RAO).

## Questions people ask

### Is 2025NEA01CA still open?

No. It closed on February 6, 2025.

### Who can apply for NEA Challenge America, FY 2026?

National Endowment for the Arts accepted applications from nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments and tribes.

### What is the deadline for NEA Challenge America, FY 2026?

Closed February 6, 2025. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.

### How much funding is available?

Awards of up to $10,000 each. About $2.8 million in total across about 280 awards.

### Who has won Promotion of the Arts Grants to Organizations and Individuals grants before?

The largest recipients over five fiscal years were The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Arts Midwest, Incorporated, Mid-America Arts Alliance. The program made 12,278 awards worth $465 million in that time.