NEA Research Grants in the Arts, FY2020 | 2020NEA01ORA

Opportunity Information: Apply for 2020NEA01ORA

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Research Grants in the Arts, FY2020 (Funding Opportunity Number 2020NEA01ORA; CFDA 45.024) is a discretionary grant program that funds research focused on understanding the value and/or impact of the arts in the United States. This opportunity also reflects a category change: projects that were previously submitted under the NEA "Research Art Works" category are now submitted under "Research Grants in the Arts." The program is designed to support studies that examine the arts as part of the broader U.S. arts ecology, including how arts participation, organizations, and creative practices function on their own and how they connect with other aspects of American life such as education, health, community development, civic engagement, and the economy.

Projects supported through this program can begin on May 1, 2020, or any time after that date, giving applicants flexibility in aligning research timelines with staffing, academic calendars, or partnership schedules. Most awards may cover a period of performance of up to two years. An important exception is available for projects that include primary data collection (for example, collecting new survey data, conducting interviews or focus groups, implementing assessments, or running field experiments that require new participant recruitment and data gathering). For those data-collection-heavy projects, applicants may request a longer period of performance of up to three years.

The opportunity is organized into two funding tracks, each aimed at a different type of research approach and level of rigor. Track One, called "Value and Impact," provides matching grants ranging from $10,000 to $30,000. This track is meant for research that investigates questions about the value and/or impact of the arts using data and methods that are appropriate to the research questions. In practice, this could include quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-method studies, secondary data analyses, literature-informed measurement work, or other empirically grounded approaches, as long as the methods align with what is being asked and the research plan is coherent and defensible.

Track Two, called "Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs," supports larger matching grants ranging from $30,000 to $100,000, with $100,000 listed as the award ceiling for the opportunity overall. This track is specifically intended for studies that aim to test causal or inferred-causal effects of the arts on outcomes for individuals or groups (cohorts). It emphasizes research designs such as randomized controlled trials and well-structured quasi-experimental approaches (for example, matched comparison groups, difference-in-differences, regression discontinuity, or other designs that strengthen causal inference). The core expectation for Track Two is that the research design is capable of estimating the impact of an arts-related intervention, experience, program, or exposure on clearly defined outcomes.

Eligibility is broad and includes multiple levels of government and a range of nonprofit and educational institutions. 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 nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in that particular nonprofit category). The NEA is the administering agency. The original application closing date listed for this FY2020 opportunity is October 3, 2019, and the opportunity was created on August 6, 2019.

Overall, this grant program is best understood as NEA funding for research that can credibly document, measure, and explain what the arts do, for whom, and under what conditions. Smaller awards under Track One support a wide range of well-justified research on arts value and impact, while the larger Track Two awards prioritize study designs that can speak more directly to cause-and-effect relationships. Matching grant language indicates that applicants should be prepared to document non-federal cost share or matching resources consistent with NEA requirements for these award types.

• The National Endowment for the Arts in the arts sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NEA Research Grants in the Arts, FY2020" 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 2019-08-06.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-10-03. (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 2020NEA01ORA

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