NEA Announces Grants for Arts Projects in Music

The National Endowment for the Arts is pleased to announce

application guidelines are available for Grants for Arts Projects in Music

Arts Works & Challenge America Fast-Track deadlines are March, May, and August 2013

Applicants must be nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations; units of state or local government; or federally recognized tribal communities or tribes with at least three years of programming history in order to apply.

Grant Opportunity: Art Works

The NEA's Art Works grants support the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and the strengthening of communities through the arts. Within these areas, innovative projects are strongly encouraged.

The NEA recognizes and supports a wide range of music, from classical to contemporary to America's indigenous jazz. It supports both performing ensembles and music presenting institutions including chamber music ensembles, choruses, early music programs, jazz ensembles, music festivals, and symphony orchestras.

Art Works project types include but are not limited to

·         Commissions, residencies, and workshops with artists; development and performance of new works.

·         Music performances and other activities in public spaces intended to foster community.

·         Performance and educational engagements by NEA Jazz Masters

·         Outreach projects that involve diverse communities or that reach new audiences.

·         Arts journalism (For project examples, deadlines, and webinar date,  please click here.)

·         Arts, science, technology ( For project examples, archived webinar, and related content, please click here. )

Visit the Art Works guidelines for music projects for complete information.

Webinar for potential Art Works applicants

The NEA will present a webinar for music applicants covering the basics of the Art Works funding category, how to apply to the NEA, discipline-specific details, and advice on preparing a strong application. There will be time for Q and A with NEA staff. The webinar will be January 30, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. EST. To join the webinar, go here.

A sample of recent Art Works music grants

·         Network for New Music in Philadelphia received a $12,500 grant to support Electronic.NNM: The Mini-Festival featuring a new electro acoustic chamber work by composer Eric Chasalow.

·         Ojai Festivals in Ojai, California received a $15,000 grant to support activities of the 67th annual festival. Programming will focus on American artists and music.

·         Los Angeles Philharmonic received a $100,000 grant to support a staged version of composer John Adams's oratorio The Gospel According to the Other Mary directed by Peter Sellars.

·         Washington Chorus in Washington, DC received a $30,000 grant to support the New Music for a New Age performance project, featuring the works of composer Tarik O'Regan.

To see the full list of recent NEA Art Works grants in music, visit the Recent Grants section of the NEA website.

Grant Opportunity: Challenge America Fast-Track

The Challenge America Fast-Track category offers support primarily to small and mid-sized organizations for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations -- those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. Challenge America Fast-Track grants:

• Extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations.
• Are limited to specific types of projects.
• Are for a fixed amount of $10,000 and require a minimum $10,000 match.
• Receive an expedited application review.

To see the full list of recent NEA Challenge America Fast-Track grants, visit the Recent Grants section of the NEA website. For sample application narratives, go to the Freedom of Information Act Reading Room.

Visit the Challenge America Fast-Track guidelines for complete information.

Deadlines for Arts Works and Challenge America Fast-Track

There are two deadlines for Art Works grant applications:

·         March 7, 2013 for projects that fall under the category of creation, engagement, or learning.

·         August 8, 2013 for projects that fall under the category of engagement, learning or livability.

There is one deadline for Challenge America Fast-Track applications: May 23, 2013

Sample of NEA-generated music content

From the Art Works blog, quarterly magazine NEA Arts, and weekly podcast series

• From the Art Works blog, Where to Hear Jazz History: Five historic spots that continue to shape the American jazz scene.
• Art Works Podcast: Clive Gillinson Clive Gillinson talks about the changes he helped bring to Carnegie Hall.
• From NEA Arts Military issue: Strike Up the Band!The Bond between Music and Military "Where Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios' motto is ars gratia artis, ours could be ars gratia America," said Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Price, who serves as chief of music for the United States Air Force.

·         A Mysterious Force: Music Is the Reward for Grammy-winning Esperanza Spalding  Something miraculous happens when you really study music," described bassist and singer Esperanza Spalding.