National Arts Relief Fund
The National Arts Relief Fund is a one-time rapid-response grant program created to support non-profit organizations whose funding offer from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) was withdrawn. This Fund will provide all eligible organizations that received a Notice of Withdrawn Funding Recommendation with 50% of the withdrawn offer.
National Arts Relief Fund
The National Arts Relief Fund is a one-time rapid-response grant program created to support non-profit organizations whose funding offer from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) was withdrawn. This Fund will provide all eligible organizations that received a Notice of Withdrawn Funding Recommendation with 50% of the withdrawn offer.
National Arts Relief Funds are not project-based in accordance with the guidelines for NEA grant programs. Relief Fund grants will be for general operating support and can be used in any manner the organization sees fit for its current operational needs. As this is a general operating support grant, no final report will be required. All organizations that meet the eligibility criteria (see below) and provide the necessary documentation will be awarded a National Arts Relief Fund grant.
Applications can be submitted on a rolling basis during the open application window of September 24th, 2025, to October 28th, 2025.
All applications must be submitted through the Submittable platform and completed by an authorized representative who can sign a grant agreement on behalf of the organization. We anticipate it will take no more than 30 minutes to complete the application. Organizations that do not meet the eligibility criteria will receive an automatic notification stating that they are ineligible.
Eligibility
To be eligible for this grant, you must be:
- A US-based IRS-designated 501 (c) (3) organization
- Able to demonstrate that you were offered a grant by the National Endowment for the Arts by providing a Funding Offer Letter
- Able to demonstrate that your grant offer was withdrawn by the National Endowment for the Arts in 2025 by providing a Notice of Withdrawn Funding Recommendation
- Able to demonstrate that your grant offer was not reinstated through the appeals process
Applications that are not eligible include:
- Individuals
- For-profit entities
- Non-profit organizations not directly impacted by NEA withdrawals or terminations.
- Organizations that received an Official Notice of Action and were reimbursed for full or partial funding on an awarded NEA grant
- Organizations that received full or partial funding following an appeal after receiving a Notice of Withdrawn Funding Recommendation or a Termination Notice
Required Attachments
Before beginning the application, please have the following required attachments in PDF format ready to upload:
- National Endowment for the Arts Funding Offer Letter
- Notice of Withdrawn Funding Recommendation from the National Endowment for the Arts
- Denial of Appeal (if applicable)
- Completed and signed W9 Form
- Completed and signed Grant Agreement
All successfully submitted applications will receive an automated email letting you know that your application was received.
Questions
If you have any questions about this program or the application, please review the FAQs and/or do not hesitate to reach out to us at relieffund@artsusa.org. We will do our very best to respond to all questions on business days within 24 hours.