Onstage, a man talks into a microphone, standing in front of a group of teens holding musical instruments. They are all dressed in traditional mariachi attire.

Performance at the Living Traditions festival, held by the Salt Lake City Arts Council and supported by the Arts Endowment. Photo by Tristan Sadler, courtesy of Salt Lake City Arts Council

On a dramatically lit stage, a woman sings in a blue dress, her arms open wide. Behind her play a guitarist and pianist.

2026 Jazz Master Carmen Lundy, with Julius Rodriguez and Andrew Renfroe, at the recent tribute concert. Visit arts.gov/jazz to watch the concert on demand. Photo by John McCoy

A woman plays fiddle in a wood-paneled room. In the background are two other musicians, a guitarist and bassist.

Belen Escobedo, Conjunto Tejano fiddler and 2026 NEA National Heritage Fellow. Visit arts.gov/heritage to watch videos about Escobedo and the other 2026 Fellows. Photo by Hypothetical

Embroidery showing a man and woman in colonial clothing. The man is painting and the woman is sewing. Behind them is a log cabin and a brick building.

A closeup of the Pennsylvania embroidery panel for America's Tapestry, highlighting overlooked stories of the American Revolution. The Arts Endowment is supporting an exhibition of the panels at Seton Hill University. Photo by America’s Tapestry/Seton Hill University

Outdoors on a tree-lined street, men and women in white military uniforms sing at microphones or play musical instruments. Behind them is a banner saying, “This is the work of the Avalon Foundation.”

The U.S. Navy Band Sea Chanters' performance at the Avalon Foundation's 2026 Summer Concert Series in Easton, Maryland, supported by the Arts Endowment. Photo courtesy of the Avalon Foundation

A man plays four hand drums.

Giovanni Hidalgo, Latin percussionist and 2026 NEA National Heritage Fellow. Visit arts.gov/heritage to watch videos about Hidalgo and the other 2026 Fellows. Photo by Hypothetical

An audience sits outside and watches a puppet show.

A Barrios Stories Project puppet show conducted by Arts Endowment-grantee Borderlands Theater. Photo by Haldun Morgan

Two men sit on the floor playing percussion instruments in a room full of different musical instruments.

Juan Díes and Victor G. Pichardo, Mexican folk musicians and 2026 NEA National Heritage Fellows. Visit arts.gov/heritage to watch videos about them and the other 2026 Fellows. Photo by Hypothetical

On a dramatically lit stage, two women and two men sing and play guitars.

Performance in honor of 2026 Jazz Master Airto Moreira  at the recent tribute concert. Visit arts.gov/jazz to watch the concert on demand. Pictured left to right: Andre de Santanna, Diana Purim, Lila Booker, Grecco Buratto. Photo by John McCoy

A woman and four children paint at an outdoor table full of trays, paper, and art supplies.

Visitors at the Hands on Children’s Museum in Olympia, Washington, engage with arts educational activities supported by the Arts Endowment. Photo courtesy of the Hands On Children’s Museum 

What’s Happening at the NEA

A formal group photo of the 2026 National Heritage Fellows
2026 National Heritage Fellowship Award Ceremony
Watch on demand at arts.gov/Heritage
Three people stand in front of a painting of Denali
Travels with the Chairman
Highlights from Chairman Carter's visits to arts communities across the nation
A woman in a long blue dress sings into a mic
2026 Jazz Masters Tribute Concert
Watch on demand at arts.gov/Jazz

News

See All News
Young woman recites at a microphone
Poetry Out Loud Recitation Competition Launches for 2026-2027 School Year
A group of intergenerational people are pictured on a dance floor. An older couple ducks and walks beneath that outstretched arched hands of younger participants
Creative Forces Expands Arts Engagement Opportunities for Military Nationwide
cover of the Great American State Fair Passport with a graphic of one of the interior state pages
National Endowment for the Arts Highlights the Importance of Arts and Culture at the Great American State Fair
A packed auditorium of community members seated in wooden pews faces a small stage where two people are seated in conversation.
Announcing the 2026-2027 National Endowment for the Arts Big Read Communities

Stories

See All Stories
Four people at a table
Read
Disaster Preparedness for Artists: Q&A with Craft Your Commerce
A woman faces the camera. Behind her is a piano.
Watch
NEA Jazz Masters: Tribute to Patrice Rushen
Dancers in a rehearsals space
Read
Grant Spotlight: Lower Manhattan Cultural Council
A young woman throws confetti into the air
Read
Finding Belonging: A Conversation with 2026 Poetry Out Loud Champion Jayda Dawn

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 70 Percent

Percentage of Arts Endowment grants that go to small and medium-sized organizations (budgets up to $2 million).

Approximately 33 Percent

Percentage of Arts Endowment-funded activities in high-poverty neighborhoods.

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 opportunities for arts participation.

61 Cents

The Arts Endowment’s annual cost to each American.

0.003 Percent

The Arts Endowment’s percentage of the federal budget.

More Than $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).