National Endowment for the Arts Shifts 2026 Grants Focus to Projects that Celebrate America

Trump's arrival at the White House continues to have an effect on the arts in America. The National Endowment for the Arts has announed an update to 2026 grant guidelines, with deadlines in March and July 2025. These changes impact organizations applying in the Grants for Arts Projects or Challenge America categories.

The Challenge America opportunity is canceled for FY 2026. Organizations that have applied or were planning to apply to the FY 2026 Challenge America grant opportunity are encouraged to apply to the Grants for Arts Projects category at the March or July deadlines instead.

This change is to focus NEA staff resources on the Grants for Arts Projects category.

The National Endowment for the Arts is revising the FY 2026 Grants for Arts Projects guidelines and they will be available on arts.gov/grants no later than Monday, February 10, 2025.

As part of these changes, the February 13, 2025, Grants for Arts Projects deadline has been canceled. The FY 2026 deadlines are now March 11, 2025, for GAP 1 and July 10, 2025, for GAP 2. Organizations that have already submitted an application must submit a new application under one of these deadlines.

Under the updated guidelines, the NEA continues to encourage projects that celebrate the nation’s rich artistic heritage and creativity by honoring the semiquincentennial of the United States of America (America250). Funding priority will be given for projects that take place in 2026-2027 that celebrate and honor the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This can include incorporating an America250-related component or focus within a larger project.

Additional changes to the Grants for Arts Projects guidelines include a requirement for applicants to have completed a five-year history of arts programming prior to the application deadline. If arts programming was suspended due to the pandemic, applicants may include examples that occurred in 2018 or 2019 to meet the five-year requirement. Do not include examples prior to 2018. Virtual programming is acceptable. Organizations may no longer submit applications in the same fiscal year for both Grants for Arts Projects and Our Town funding categories (a separate application in the Research Awards category is allowable).

The updated guidelines are in response to recent directives. They also streamline and simplify the application process and align with the agency’s mission.

This news comes a week after Trump dissolved the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.