The National Endowment for the Arts announced the availability of grant guidelines for The Arts and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Public Law 111-5 ("Recovery Act"). This opportunity was created in response to passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which includes $50 million to assist the nonprofit arts sector through funding to the National Endowment for the Arts. The new program will fund projects that focus on the preservation of jobs in the arts.

NEA Acting Chairman Patrice Walker Powell said, "Amidst these dire economic circumstances, the NEA and its partner organizations have been called to marshal our extensive grantmaking expertise to direct federal funds to organizations across the country to preserve jobs. We embrace this responsibility and this unprecedented opportunity. We look forward to working with our partners and our many constituents to reinvigorate the arts in our great nation."

The NEA will offer two categories of one-time support based on its existing distribution mechanism of 40 percent to the designated 56 state and jurisdictional arts agencies and their six authorized regional arts organizations, and 60 percent awarded through competitive direct grants. These direct grants will be available to nonprofit arts organizations including local arts agencies, statewide assemblies of local arts agencies, arts service organizations, and other arts organizations.

Applicants must have received NEA funding in the last four years to be eligible to apply. In addition, applicants can receive these funds through only one source – from the Arts Endowment directly, or from a state arts agency, a regional arts organization, or a local arts agency eligible to regrant.

The new NEA granting program embodies the goals of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to be transparent, targeted, timely, and temporary.

Transparent: Grants will align with the accountability requirements of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and grant recipients will be obligated to submit comprehensive project reports to ensure that they meet stated goals.

Targeted: Funded projects must address two areas, salary support and contractual fees. Projects may support full or partial salaries for one or more positions that are critical to an organization’s artistic mission and that are in jeopardy or have been eliminated as a result of the current economic climate. Projects also may support fees for previously engaged artists and/or contractual personnel to maintain or expand the period during which such persons would be engaged.

Timely: Grants will be implemented on an expedited timeline to help get funds to communities quickly so that jobs in the arts are preserved.

For state arts agencies and regional arts organizations:

Applications due: March 13, 2009

Awards announced: April 2009

Project start date: on or after April 1, 2009.

For nonprofit arts organizations:

Applications due: April 2, 2009

Awards announced: July 2009

Project start date: on or after July 1, 2009.

Temporary: The guidelines and information make clear that this is a one-time funding opportunity.