Deadline: 27-Mar-23
The National Endowment for the Arts is seeking applications for Research Grants in the Arts to support research studies that investigate the value and/or impact of the arts, either as individual components of the U.S. arts ecology or as they interact with each other and/or with other domains of American life.
The NEA welcomes research proposals that address priority topics and possible questions as outlined in the agency’s FY 2022-2026 research agenda.Note: for each of the four topics, the research agenda also lists several “related sample questions” that may be used or adapted by applicants to the Research Grants in the Arts program. Applicants are strongly urged to consult this more detailed list.
- What are measurable impacts of the arts on the following outcome areas: health and wellness for individuals; cognition and learning; and U.S. economic growth and innovation? Under what conditions do such impacts occur, through what mechanisms, and for which populations and/or sectors?
- In what ways do the arts contribute to the healing and revitalization of communities? What factors mediate these contributions, and for the benefit of which populations? What are common elements of such programs or practices, and what are appropriate measures of success?
- What is the state of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the arts? What progress has been made in achieving these outcomes for arts administration, employment, learning, and participation? What are some promising practices and/or replicable strategies in these domains, and what are appropriate measures of success?
- How is the U.S. arts ecosystem (e.g., arts organizations and venues, artists and arts workers, and participants and learners) adapting and responding to social, economic, and technological changes and challenges to the sector, including trends accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic? What are promising practices and/or replicable strategies for responding to such forces, for different segments of the arts ecosystem?
Funding Information
- They anticipate awarding 10 to 20 grants, based on the availability of funding.
- Grants will range from $20,000 to $100,000. For projects that intend solely to use pre-existing data—and that will not involve primary data collection—they anticipate making awards in the $20,000-$50,000 range. Projects that include primary data collection as part of the research activities are eligible for awards between $20,000 and $100,000.
- Period of Performance
- Their support of a project may start on or after January 1, 2024. Grants generally may cover a period of performance of up to three years. Projects that extend beyond one year will be required to submit an annual progress report, and must include updated ethics training on human subjects research protections and Institutional Review Board (IRB) materials as necessary.
- A grantee may not receive more than one NEA grant for the same activities during the same period of performance.
Projects and Research Methods
- As in previous years, they welcome applications from diverse research fields (e.g., economics; psychology; education; sociology; medicine, health, and therapy; communications; business administration; urban and regional planning). They expect their total awards portfolio to be diverse in terms of geographical distribution, the artistic and research fields or disciplines involved, and the research topics proposed. They also expect their portfolio to reflect an array of study design characteristics.
- Accordingly, applicants may propose research projects drawing from a range of study design types. In recent years, the NEA has supported a growing cohort of studies that hypothesize a cause-effect relationship between the arts and key outcomes of interest (e.g., in health, education, or the economy). For projects seeking to explore causal claims about the arts, experimental approaches (e.g., randomized controlled trials) are generally preferred. Where experimental approaches are not feasible, then high-quality, quasi-experimental design studies offer an attractive alternative for impact studies about the arts.
- In many cases, however, other or different study design characteristics will be preferable. These designs may include, but are not limited to, case studies, complex surveys, mixed methods, and meta-analyses. In particular, they encourage community-based participatory research approaches where warranted by the research objective. Program evaluations also are eligible for funding.
- The NEA research agenda states that, through such awards, the agency will “incentivize the creation of practitioner tools grounded in research.” In keeping with this aim, they especially welcome translational research that moves scientific evidence toward the development, testing, and standardization of new arts-related programs, practices, models, or tools that can be used easily by other practitioners and researchers.
Eligibility Criteria
- Official applicant organizations must be:
- Nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3), U.S. organizations;
- Units of state or local government; or
- Federally recognized tribal communities or tribes.
- This may include colleges and universities.
- For projects that involve multiple organizations, one organization that meets the eligibility requirements must act as the official applicant, submit the application, and assume full responsibility for the grant. Partnering organizations are not required to meet the eligibility requirements.
- To be eligible, the official applicant organization must:
- Meet the NEA’s “Legal Requirements,” including nonprofit, tax-exempt status at the time of application. (All organizations must apply directly on their own behalf. Applications through a fiscal sponsor/agent are not allowed. See more information on fiscal sponsors/agents.)
- Have completed a three-year history of operations prior to the application deadline.
- Eligible organizations that received American Rescue Plan (ARP) or CARES Act funding may apply to this program as long as there are no overlapping costs during the same grant period.
- All applicants must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), be registered with the System for Award Management, and maintain an active SAM registration until the application process is complete, and should a grant be made, throughout the life of the award.
For more information, visit Research Grants.