Challenge America

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is proud to support the nation’s arts sector with grant opportunities so that together we can help everyone live more artful lives.

“Artful lives” is an inclusive concept encompassing everything from the creation, presentation, and consumption of art, to active arts engagement by all people through making, teaching, and learning in our everyday lives. The arts contribute to our individual well-being, the well-being of our communities, and to our local economies. The arts are crucial to helping us make sense of our circumstances from different perspectives.

Arts and cultural activities are supported by a vast ecosystem that includes artists, arts workers, audiences, learners, communities, foundations, and organizations at the local, state, regional, and national level. As a federal agency, the NEA holds a unique place within this ecosystem: we are the only arts funder in the United States—public or private—that provides access to the arts in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. jurisdictions.

Challenge America

Challenge America offers support primarily to small organizations for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved groups/communities. The program is rooted in principles that include, but are not limited to, our recognition that:

• Some groups/communities and some geographic areas with rich and dynamic artistic and cultural identities have limited grant funding opportunities, and/or have been historically underserved by national arts funding;
• Some small organizations may face barriers to accessing grant funding; and
• Some applicants to the NEA may benefit from enhanced technical assistance resources.

Challenge America seeks to address these potential barriers for organizations seeking funding.

First-time applicants to the NEA, as well as previous NEA applicants who have not been recommended for funding in any of the three most recent Fiscal Years (FYs 2022, 2023, or 2024) in any of the following grant programs, are eligible to apply:

• Grants for Arts Projects,
• Research Grants in the Arts, or
• Our Town.

For more information, visit National Endowment for the Arts