From the NEA: New NEA Guidelines and Webinars

Application guidelines for the next round of Grants for Arts Projects are now available on the NEA's website. To view the guidelines, go to www.arts.gov/grants/apply, select the field or discipline most relevant to your project, and choose Grants for Arts Projects from the list of funding opportunities.

Organizations may apply under the following categories:

• Art Works: To support the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and the strengthening of communities through the arts. Within these areas, innovative projects are strongly encouraged. Grants generally range from $10,000 to $100,000. (Two application deadlines: March 7 and August 8, 2013)
• Challenge America Fast-Track: To support projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations. Grants are for $10,000. (Application deadline: May 23, 2013)

Highlights of the changes to the guidelines for this year and what they mean to you

• The Presenting discipline has been renamed Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works. Why the change? We wanted the Presenting discipline to be as open and welcoming to all multidisciplinary applications and felt a need to have the title and description properly reflect it. Additionally, some changes to the types of projects that will be accepted at each Art Works deadline have been switched between March and August. Click here to see a one-page description with all the information.
• Review criteria to address innovation and inclusion have been added for the Art Works category.
• Also in the Art Works category, applicants in all disciplines will upload their work samples electronically to NEA-GO over the same two-week period of time. Last year you had only one week to upload your samples and did so on a schedule according to your discipline.
• References to the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) have been updated to reflect the migration to the System for Award Management (SAM). SAM is the same as the old CCR, just with a different web address.

Upcoming Webinars

We'll be conducting a series of webinars on the new guidelines. We're hosting the webinars by discipline/field so that appropriate staff will be available to answer your questions. However, please join us for any webinar that suits your schedule:

• Artist Communities February 6, 2:30-3:30, Eastern Time
• Arts Education February 12, 1:00-2:00, Eastern Time
• Dance February 5, 4:00-5:00, Eastern Time
• Design February 6, 4:00-5:00, Eastern Time
• Folk & Traditional Arts February 12, 2:30-3:30, Eastern Time
• Literature February 5, 2:30-3:30, Eastern Time
• Local Arts Agencies January 29, 2:30-3:30, Eastern Time
• Media Arts January 29, 1:00-2:00, Eastern Time
• Museums February 6, 1:00-2:00, Eastern Time
• Music January 30, 1:00-2:00, Eastern Time
• Opera January 30, 4:00-5:00, Eastern Time
• Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works January 10, 3:00-4:00, Eastern Time
• Theater & Musical Theater February 12, 4:00-5:00, Eastern Time
• Visual Arts February 5, 1:00-2:00, Eastern Time
• Arts Journalism January 29, 4:00-5:00, Eastern Time

To join a webinar, go here.

If you're unable to make the webinars, they'll be archived on our website here.

For questions about the guidelines or your application, see "Agency Contacts" for the NEA staff that is most appropriate for your project.

The National Endowment for the Arts www.arts.gov