NEA Research: Art Works Application, FY 2017 | 2017NEAORA

Opportunity Information: Apply for 2017NEAORA

The NEA Research: Art Works Application (FY 2017) is a discretionary grant opportunity from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Office of Research and Analysis, designed to fund research that examines the value and/or impact of the arts in the United States. The program supports studies that look at the arts either as standalone elements of the national arts ecosystem or as forces that interact with other parts of American life, such as education, health, civic life, economic outcomes, or community development. The NEA points applicants to its "How Art Works" framework as a way to situate research questions, and it highlights that past funded projects have used quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches drawing from both primary and secondary data sources. Applicants are encouraged to review previously funded work through the NEA grant search tool and the collection of Research Art Works final papers to understand the range of topics and methods that have been supported.

For FY 2017, the opportunity is organized into two distinct funding tracks, which are separated mainly by research design. Track One, labeled Value and Impact, supports research that examines the value and/or impact of the arts using methods appropriate to the research questions, but it explicitly excludes projects that rely primarily on experimental or quasi-experimental designs. Awards under Track One are matching grants ranging from $10,000 to $30,000. Track Two is specifically reserved for Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs, and it is intended for projects aiming to test causal or inferred-causal impacts of the arts on outcomes for individuals or cohorts. Track Two awards are also matching grants, but at a higher level, ranging from $30,000 to $100,000, with $100,000 listed as the award ceiling for the opportunity overall. The key practical distinction is that if the core of the proposed study is experimental or quasi-experimental, it belongs in Track Two; if it is not primarily based on those designs, it belongs in Track One.

The NEA notes that projects funded under this opportunity may begin on May 1, 2017, or any time after that date. The typical period of performance is up to two years, but projects that include primary data collection can request up to three years, recognizing the additional time required to design instruments, recruit participants, collect data, and complete analysis. Any project lasting longer than one year must submit annual progress reports, creating a formal checkpoint for multi-year research. The program also clarifies that an organization cannot receive more than one NEA grant for the same project during the same period of performance, which is meant to prevent duplicate federal support for identical work happening at the same time.

Eligibility is limited to U.S.-based organizations that meet specific public or nonprofit criteria. The official applicant must be a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, a unit of state or local government, or a federally recognized tribal community or tribe. Eligible entities can include colleges and universities, and the published eligibility list spans state governments, county governments, cities or townships, special district governments, independent school districts, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, federally recognized tribal governments, and qualifying 501(c)(3) nonprofits. If a project involves multiple organizations, one eligible organization must serve as the official applicant, submit the application, and take full responsibility for managing the grant; partner organizations may participate even if they do not independently meet the same eligibility requirements.

Administratively, the opportunity is identified as Funding Opportunity Number 2017NEAORA and is associated with CFDA 45.024 (Arts). The original application closing date listed is October 11, 2016, and the opportunity record shows a creation date of July 20, 2016. Overall, the program is set up to strengthen evidence about how, where, and for whom the arts matter, while providing a clear path for both non-experimental research and more rigorous causal studies through its two-track structure and tiered matching grant ranges.

• The National Endowment for the Arts in the arts sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NEA Research: Art Works Application, FY 2017" 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 2016-07-20.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-10-11. (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 $100,000.00 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 2017NEAORA

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