United States: $5,000 and $20,000 Grants to support NEA Big Read Projects

Deadline: 10-Jan-24

Applications are now open for grants to support NEA Big Read projects, an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in partnership with Arts Midwest, to support community reading programs designed around a single NEA Big Read book.

The goals of the NEA Big Read are to inspire meaningful conversations, celebrate local creativity, elevate a wide variety of voices and perspectives, and build stronger connections in each community.

Nonprofit organizations around the country selected to receive an NEA Big Read grant will host dynamic community-wide programs in collaboration with local partners to develop and conduct engaging events and activities.

Programming for the 2024-2025 grant cycle will center around the theme WHERE WE LIVE. Using a book selection as inspiration, applicants will choose one or more aspects of this theme as it relates to their own communities. For example, a community may explore its physical environment, people, industry and culture, history, and/or imagine an alternate reality.

Sub-Themes

As part of the Where We Live theme, applicants will explore one or more of the following sub-themes:
- The Environment—a community’s physical/natural surroundings
- The People—a community’s ancestors and/or current members (including, for example, those who recently arrived, whose familial roots go back generations, and those who left but still feel its pull)
- Industry and Culture—landmarks, work centers, traditions, and other aspects that define a community
- History—aspects of the past that have influenced a community, including legends
- Alternate Realities—an imagining of what a community could be or become

Funding Information

Organizations may request a grant ranging from $5,000 and $20,000.

Eligibility Criteria

The NEA Big Read welcomes applications from a variety of organizations, including first-time applicants; organizations serving communities of all sizes, including rural and urban areas; and organizations with small, medium or large operating budgets.
Eligible applicants
- 501c3 non-profit organizations and other federally tax-exempt entities including, but not limited to: universities/colleges, school districts, public libraries, tribal organizations, museums, and community service organizations.
- Organizations located within the United States, US Territories, and the Native Nations that share this geography.
- Arts and cultural organizations in any arts discipline (literature, performing arts, visual arts, traditional arts, multidisciplinary arts, etc.) or nonprofit organizations that provide arts programming (social service agencies, etc.)
- Organizations that do not have overdue reports or funding moratoria with Arts Midwest.
- Organizations with or without a UEI number from SAM.gov, though applicants will need to have a UEI number on file by late April 2024 in order to receive grant funds.