National Endowment for the Arts Home Page | National Endowment for the Arts
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Archived: 2026-04-23 17:12
National Endowment for the Arts Home Page | National Endowment for the Arts
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2025 National Heritage Fellow Peniel Guerrier Peniel Guerrier brings Haitian history and tradition to life through powerful dance and drum. Visit arts.gov/honors/heritage to view tribute videos celebrating the 2025 Heritage honorees. Photo by Hypothetical
NEA Jazz Master Regina Carter performs at the 2023 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert with The String Queens—Kendall Isadore, Elise Sharp Dawn Michelle Johnson—and Shawn Purcell, Michael Bowie, and Alvester Garnett. Photo by Jati Lindsay
NEA Jazz Masters Marshall Allen, Chucho Valdés, Marilyn Crispell, and Gary Giddins during the finale of the 2025 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert. Photo by Jati Lindsay
NEA National Heritage Fellow and oud player Rahim AlHaj performs alongside Issa Malluf at the 2015 NEA National Heritage Fellowships Concert. Heritage Fellowship nominations are open now; visit arts.gov/Heritage for details. Photo by Michael G. Stewart
(counter-clockwise from bottom left) The Deaf West Theater production of Spring Awakening, supported by the National Endowment for the Arts. Photo by Joan Marcus, 2015
Students from Alabama State University, Tuskegee University, and Huntingdon College perform A Time for Jubilee, a new oratoria by Dr. Nkeiru Okoye, supported by an NEA grant to Montgomery Symphony Orchestra. Photo by Jennifer Barker
2025 NEA National Heritage Fellow Ernie Marsh, a bit and spur maker and silversmith, watches his brother ride using a bit and spurs he created. Learn more about Marsh and the 2025 Heritage Fellows in our tribute videos at arts.gov/Heritage. Photo by Hypothetical
Finalists backstage at the 2019 Poetry Out Loud finals in Washington, DC. Tune in to arts.gov to watch the 2026 finals April 28-29, 2026. Photo by James Kegley
State champions compete at the 2025 Poetry Out Loud finals. Tune in to arts.gov to watch the 2026 finals April 28-29, 2026. Photo by James Kegley
Palestinian embroiderer and honoree Feryal Abbasi-Ghnaim (right) with concert host Martha Gonzalez at the 2018 NEA National Heritage Fellowships concert. Heritage Fellowship nominations are open now; visit arts.gov/Heritage for details. Photo by Tom Pich
What’s Happening at the NEA
Meet the 2026 NEA National Heritage Fellows
Recipients of our nation's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts
Poetry Out Loud National Finals, April 28-29, 2026
Watch as high school students from across the nation compete for the national championship!
The Great Connector: How Arts Participation Renews Civic and Community Engagement
New NEA Research Report
Stories
See All Stories
Watch & Read
Clay and Camaraderie: Supporting Veterans’ Healing after Hurricane Helene
Watch
NEA National Heritage Tribute Video: Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus of North America
Read
Celebrating America's 250th Grant Spotlight: People's Light & Theatre Company
News
See All News
Jan 08, 2026
National Endowment for the Arts Awards New Round of Grants Celebrating America’s Birthday
Dec 19, 2025
Mary Anne Carter Confirmed as Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts
Dec 16, 2025
National Endowment for the Arts Awards 50 Grants for Celebrating America250: Arts Projects Honoring the National Garden of American Heroes
Grants
The National Endowment for the Arts awards grants to nonprofit organizations, state arts agencies, and regional arts organizations in support of arts projects across the country.
Go to the Grants section »
Volunteer to be an NEA panelist »
Impact
See the impact of the Arts Endowment on your state, and how the agency's work in research, accessibility, and other areas has had a major impact in the arts and culture of the country.
Go to the Impact section »
Some Facts about the National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that funds, promotes, and strengthens the creative capacity of our communities by providing all Americans with opportunities for arts participation.
Approximately 2,400 Grants
Recommended for grant awards annually in all 50 states, DC, and U.S. territories.
More than 60 Percent
Percentage of Arts Endowment grants that go to small and medium-sized organizations (budgets up to $2 million).
Approximately 34 Percent
Percentage of Arts Endowment-funded activities in high-poverty communities.
Some Facts from the National Endowment for the Arts
These facts are based on the most recent data (2023) from the Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account (ACPSA), which is produced jointly by the National Endowment for the Arts’ Office of Research & Analysis and the Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Commerce Department. The ACPSA tracks the annual economic impact of arts and cultural production from 35 industries, both commercial and nonprofit.
$1.2 trillion
Amount the arts and cultural industries contribute to the U.S. economy.
4.2 Percent
Percentage of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product is accounted for by arts and cultural industries.
Nearly 5.4 Million
Americans work in the arts and cultural industries on payroll.
Some Facts about the National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that funds, promotes, and strengthens the creative capacity of our communities by providing all Americans with diverse opportunities for arts participation.
62 Cents
The Arts Endowment’s annual cost to each American.
0.003 Percent
The Arts Endowment’s percentage of the federal budget.
Nearly $6 Billion
Amount awarded by the Arts Endowment since its beginning in 1965.
Some Facts from the National Endowment for the Arts
These facts are based on the most recent data (2022) from the Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA), a national survey conducted in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau that has allowed cultural policymakers, arts managers, scholars, and journalists to obtain reliable statistics about American patterns of arts engagement.
Utah
The state’s percentage of adults who attended a live performing arts event (62 percent) exceeded that of the national percentage of U.S. adults (38 percent).
Vermont
The percentage of the state’s adults who read a literary work (60 percent) far exceeded the national average (38 percent).
Wisconsin
The state’s adult population created or performed any type of art at a higher percentage (73 percent) than the national average for U.S. adults (52 percent).
Some Facts about the National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that funds, promotes, and strengthens the creative capacity of our communities by providing all Americans with opportunities for arts participation.
Approximately $8 million
Amount of arts education funding for lifelong learning projects annually.
More than 24 million
Estimated number of people who attend a live arts event annually.
42
Percentage of NEA grants awarded to localities of less than a million people.
Stay Connected to the National Endowment for the Arts
Sign up for our newsletters and magazine
Newsletter Signup
Magazine Signup
Skip to main content
Official websites use .gov
A
.gov
website belongs to an official government
organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A
lock
(
) or
https://
means you've safely connected to
the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official,
secure websites.
2025 National Heritage Fellow Peniel Guerrier Peniel Guerrier brings Haitian history and tradition to life through powerful dance and drum. Visit arts.gov/honors/heritage to view tribute videos celebrating the 2025 Heritage honorees. Photo by Hypothetical
NEA Jazz Master Regina Carter performs at the 2023 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert with The String Queens—Kendall Isadore, Elise Sharp Dawn Michelle Johnson—and Shawn Purcell, Michael Bowie, and Alvester Garnett. Photo by Jati Lindsay
NEA Jazz Masters Marshall Allen, Chucho Valdés, Marilyn Crispell, and Gary Giddins during the finale of the 2025 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert. Photo by Jati Lindsay
NEA National Heritage Fellow and oud player Rahim AlHaj performs alongside Issa Malluf at the 2015 NEA National Heritage Fellowships Concert. Heritage Fellowship nominations are open now; visit arts.gov/Heritage for details. Photo by Michael G. Stewart
(counter-clockwise from bottom left) The Deaf West Theater production of Spring Awakening, supported by the National Endowment for the Arts. Photo by Joan Marcus, 2015
Students from Alabama State University, Tuskegee University, and Huntingdon College perform A Time for Jubilee, a new oratoria by Dr. Nkeiru Okoye, supported by an NEA grant to Montgomery Symphony Orchestra. Photo by Jennifer Barker
2025 NEA National Heritage Fellow Ernie Marsh, a bit and spur maker and silversmith, watches his brother ride using a bit and spurs he created. Learn more about Marsh and the 2025 Heritage Fellows in our tribute videos at arts.gov/Heritage. Photo by Hypothetical
Finalists backstage at the 2019 Poetry Out Loud finals in Washington, DC. Tune in to arts.gov to watch the 2026 finals April 28-29, 2026. Photo by James Kegley
State champions compete at the 2025 Poetry Out Loud finals. Tune in to arts.gov to watch the 2026 finals April 28-29, 2026. Photo by James Kegley
Palestinian embroiderer and honoree Feryal Abbasi-Ghnaim (right) with concert host Martha Gonzalez at the 2018 NEA National Heritage Fellowships concert. Heritage Fellowship nominations are open now; visit arts.gov/Heritage for details. Photo by Tom Pich
What’s Happening at the NEA
Meet the 2026 NEA National Heritage Fellows
Recipients of our nation's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts
Poetry Out Loud National Finals, April 28-29, 2026
Watch as high school students from across the nation compete for the national championship!
The Great Connector: How Arts Participation Renews Civic and Community Engagement
New NEA Research Report
Stories
See All Stories
Watch & Read
Clay and Camaraderie: Supporting Veterans’ Healing after Hurricane Helene
Watch
NEA National Heritage Tribute Video: Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus of North America
Read
Celebrating America's 250th Grant Spotlight: People's Light & Theatre Company
News
See All News
Jan 08, 2026
National Endowment for the Arts Awards New Round of Grants Celebrating America’s Birthday
Dec 19, 2025
Mary Anne Carter Confirmed as Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts
Dec 16, 2025
National Endowment for the Arts Awards 50 Grants for Celebrating America250: Arts Projects Honoring the National Garden of American Heroes
Grants
The National Endowment for the Arts awards grants to nonprofit organizations, state arts agencies, and regional arts organizations in support of arts projects across the country.
Go to the Grants section »
Volunteer to be an NEA panelist »
Impact
See the impact of the Arts Endowment on your state, and how the agency's work in research, accessibility, and other areas has had a major impact in the arts and culture of the country.
Go to the Impact section »
Some Facts about the National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that funds, promotes, and strengthens the creative capacity of our communities by providing all Americans with opportunities for arts participation.
Approximately 2,400 Grants
Recommended for grant awards annually in all 50 states, DC, and U.S. territories.
More than 60 Percent
Percentage of Arts Endowment grants that go to small and medium-sized organizations (budgets up to $2 million).
Approximately 34 Percent
Percentage of Arts Endowment-funded activities in high-poverty communities.
Some Facts from the National Endowment for the Arts
These facts are based on the most recent data (2023) from the Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account (ACPSA), which is produced jointly by the National Endowment for the Arts’ Office of Research & Analysis and the Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Commerce Department. The ACPSA tracks the annual economic impact of arts and cultural production from 35 industries, both commercial and nonprofit.
$1.2 trillion
Amount the arts and cultural industries contribute to the U.S. economy.
4.2 Percent
Percentage of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product is accounted for by arts and cultural industries.
Nearly 5.4 Million
Americans work in the arts and cultural industries on payroll.
Some Facts about the National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that funds, promotes, and strengthens the creative capacity of our communities by providing all Americans with diverse opportunities for arts participation.
62 Cents
The Arts Endowment’s annual cost to each American.
0.003 Percent
The Arts Endowment’s percentage of the federal budget.
Nearly $6 Billion
Amount awarded by the Arts Endowment since its beginning in 1965.
Some Facts from the National Endowment for the Arts
These facts are based on the most recent data (2022) from the Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA), a national survey conducted in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau that has allowed cultural policymakers, arts managers, scholars, and journalists to obtain reliable statistics about American patterns of arts engagement.
Utah
The state’s percentage of adults who attended a live performing arts event (62 percent) exceeded that of the national percentage of U.S. adults (38 percent).
Vermont
The percentage of the state’s adults who read a literary work (60 percent) far exceeded the national average (38 percent).
Wisconsin
The state’s adult population created or performed any type of art at a higher percentage (73 percent) than the national average for U.S. adults (52 percent).
Some Facts about the National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that funds, promotes, and strengthens the creative capacity of our communities by providing all Americans with opportunities for arts participation.
Approximately $8 million
Amount of arts education funding for lifelong learning projects annually.
More than 24 million
Estimated number of people who attend a live arts event annually.
42
Percentage of NEA grants awarded to localities of less than a million people.
Stay Connected to the National Endowment for the Arts
Sign up for our newsletters and magazine
Newsletter Signup
Magazine Signup