NEA Our Town, FY 2025 | 2024NEA01OT

Opportunity Information: Apply for 2024NEA01OT

The NEA Our Town, FY 2025 opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 2024NEA01OT; CFDA 45.024) is a discretionary grant program from the National Endowment for the Arts that funds creative placemaking projects. The core idea is to support project-based work that intentionally weaves arts, culture, and design into broader local efforts to strengthen communities over the long term. Competitive proposals are expected to show that arts and culture are not just added programming, but a clear strategy for achieving community goals, with an emphasis on equity and on building momentum toward longer-term systems change that reflects local needs and opportunities.

A defining feature of Our Town is the required partnership structure. Applications are submitted by a single lead applicant, but every application must include one committed partner organization. Together, the applicant and partner must include (1) a nonprofit organization and (2) a local government or quasi-government entity, meaning the project must be jointly led across the nonprofit and public (or public-like) sector. This structure is designed to ensure the project is grounded in both community-based capacity and civic infrastructure, improving the odds that the work can be sustained and can influence policies, practices, or cross-sector collaboration beyond the grant period.

Funding is provided as a cost share/matching grant, with awards ranging from $25,000 up to $150,000 (the award ceiling). The match requirement is at least one-to-one, meaning the applicant must contribute a minimum cost share/match equal to the amount awarded by the NEA. In practice, if an organization receives a $100,000 Our Town grant, it must document at least $100,000 in non-federal match, bringing the minimum total project budget to $200,000. This structure signals that the NEA is looking for projects with strong local commitment and financial participation, not fully federally funded efforts.

Eligibility spans a wide set of public and nonprofit entities, reflecting the program's cross-sector goals. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; and nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education). Even with broad eligibility, the partnership requirement still applies, so an eligible organization must pair with an appropriate counterpart so that the combined applicant/partner team includes both a nonprofit and a local or quasi-governmental entity.

Timing is also clearly defined. The original application closing date is August 1, 2024. If funded, NEA support for a project may begin on July 1, 2025, or any time after that start date. The program allows a grant period of up to two years, which gives project teams room to plan, implement, and document outcomes, particularly for place-based work that often requires extended community engagement, coordination among multiple stakeholders, permitting or design phases, and iterative implementation.

Overall, NEA Our Town, FY 2025 is aimed at communities that are using arts, culture, and design as practical tools for civic improvement and long-term community strengthening. Strong applications typically fit the program's intent by presenting a well-defined local challenge or opportunity, a credible cross-sector partnership between nonprofit and government (or quasi-government), and a project plan that advances equity while setting the stage for enduring change beyond the life of the grant.

• The National Endowment for the Arts in the arts sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NEA Our Town, FY 2025" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 45.024.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-04-23.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-08-01. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $150,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for 2024NEA01OT

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