CHALLENGE AMERICA

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Grant Program Summary

Challenge America offers support for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved groups/communities. The term “underserved,” as defined by the NEA’s legislation and agency policy, refers to those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited relative to geography, ethnicity, economic status, or disability. This program welcomes applications from applicants that are primarily small organizations, first-time applicants to the NEA, returning Challenge America applicants, or applicants that have not been recently recommended for funding in one of our other grant programs (see Eligibility below).

Project activities may include, but are not limited to: arts programming; audience and community engagement, including educational activities; marketing and promotional activities; and organizational planning.

A full grant program description can be found under Grant Program Details below. For detailed instructions on how to apply, see Application Instructions below.

Access for individuals with disabilities:
Contact the Office of Accessibility at 202-682-5532 / accessibility@arts.gov or the Office of Civil Rights at civilrights@arts.gov to request an accommodation or an alternate format of the guidelines at least 2 weeks prior to the application deadline.

Eligibility

Review Challenge America Grant Program Details document linked below for full details. Organizations eligible to apply include:

• Nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3), U.S. organizations;
• Units of state or local government; or
• Federally recognized tribal communities or tribes.

Applicant organizations must have completed at least 3 years of arts programming prior to the application deadline.

To be eligible for the Challenge America grant category, the applicant organization must also: 

• Be a first-time applicant to the NEA, OR a previous Challenge America, American Rescue Plan (ARP), and CARES Act applicant or grantee; and
• Have not received or been recommended for awards in Grants for Arts Projects, Research Awards, or Our Town in any of the previous three fiscal years:
  • FY23 (application deadlines in 2022);
  • FY24 (application deadlines in 2023); or
  • FY25 (application deadlines in 2024).

Funding is not available in this category for individuals, applications submitted by a fiscal sponsor, or commercial/for-profit enterprises.

Funding level

Applicants may request $10,000. Sources may include both cash and in-kind.

1:1 Cost-share/match required.

Important Dates

Generally, an applicant may submit one application per calendar year.

Grant Program Details & Instructions

The documents below are available in both PDF and Word format – there is no difference in content, the different formats are provided for the convenience of our applicants.

Challenge America Grant Program Details PDF | Word
This document includes a detailed description of the grant program, eligibility information, award information, an application calendar, a list of unallowable activities/costs, application review details, FAQs, and federal award administration information. Review this information before you decide to apply.

Application Instructions PDF | Word
This document includes all application questions and requirements, and full instructions on how to complete and submit both parts of the application.

How to Apply

Submitting an application is a multi-step process. Detailed instructions on how to complete and submit the both parts of the application package can be found in the Application Instructions documents above.

REGISTRATION 
Registration Guidance PDF | Word 
Register with Login.gov, the System for Award Management (SAM) at SAM.gov, and Grants.gov or renew/verify these registrations. Registration can take several weeks.

SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION
Application Part 1, Grants.gov 
Submit the Application for Federal Domestic Assistance/Short Organization Form. Clicking the link below will take you directly to the pre-populated application package in Grants.gov.

PART 1 GRANTS.GOV APPLICATION PACKAGE 
Funding Opportunity Number 2025NEA01CA

After clicking the link above:

• The Grants.gov “View Grant Opportunity” screen will open, click the red “Apply” button. To create the Workspace application, you must be logged into Grants.gov with a participant role of either Workspace Manager or Authorized Organization Representative (AOR).
  • If the Apply button is grey or you receive a “bad request” error, please see further instructions on how to troubleshoot.
• Create a Workspace application:
  • Fill in the Application Filing Name field with your organization name, then
  • Click the Create Workspace button.
• Go to the Manage Workspace page, where you can begin working on the application.

Application Part 2, NEA Applicant Portal 
Complete the Grant Application Form (GAF). Login instructions and step-by-step directions for filling out the GAF are available via the Application Instructions documents above. The Applicant Portal is a separate website from grants.gov, click the link above to access the portal.

Applying for a federal grant can be time consuming, we estimate that after registering, the process to draft and submit an application takes approximately 26 hours.

Webinars, Q&A sessions, and Resources

See the Applicant Resources on the sidebar for information on webinars, Q&A sessions, and other resources.

Manage Your Award

Review reporting requirements and other information related to managing a federal award, including the General Terms and Conditions, on our Manage Your Award page.