An audience sits outside and watches a puppet show.

A Barrios Stories Project puppet show conducted by Arts Endowment-grantee Borderlands Theater. Read more on the blog Photo by Haldun Morgan

An outdoor stage decorated with a banner showing the logo for the National Endowment for the Arts. Women wearing white dresses stand mid-dance, their arms outstretched and one leg lifted high in the air. Two other women in white dresses and a man wearing a black jacket and pants stand on the stage nearby.

Students from University of Nevada, Las Vegas Department of Dance perform at the National Endowment for the Arts' Legacy Stage at the Great American State Fair. Photo by Mike Morgan Photography

Performers of differing abilities dance together in front of a stark white background.

Arts Endowment grantee AXIS Dance Company, an ensemble of disabled, non-disabled, d/Deaf and neurodiverse performers.

Outside in a grassy area, a person in a brightly colored costume dances on stilts with people playing hand drums. Audience members encircle them, and in the background is a stage decorated with American flag bunting and the logo for the National Endowment for the Arts.

Shaka Zulu and Zulu Connection perform at the National Endowment for the Arts' Legacy Stage at the Great American State Fair. Zulu is a New Orleans Black Masking craftsman, stilt dancer, musician, and 2022 National Heritage Fellow. Photo by Mike Morgan Photography

A group of teenagers, each displaying a binder with the name of their winning song, pose smiling around an easel displaying a large poster for the NEA’s Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge.

The winners of the 2026 Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge. Watch the concert of winning songs at arts.gov/songwriting. Photo by Addie Symonds

People in military uniforms sing and play musical instruments on a stage. Behind them is a large banner showing the logo of the National Endowment for the Arts.

President's Own United States Marine Band Latin Jazz Ensemble performs at the National Endowment for the Arts' Legacy Stage at the Great American State Fair. Photo by Mike Morgan Photography

A man and two small children draw at festively decorated table in an outside fair-like environment. The two children and many people in the background are wearing soccer jerseys.

The Arts Endowment is supporting arts projects in FIFA 2026 World Cup host cities across the country, including Los Angeles and their Kick it in the Park program. Photo courtesy of the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs

Two young women dressed in traditional Native American costumes dance with brightly colored hoops on an outdoor stage. Behind them is a large banner for the National Endowment for the Arts.

N8tive Hoops from Utah perform Native American hoop dancing at the National Endowment for the Arts' Legacy Stage at the Great American State Fair. Photo by Mike Morgan Photography

Children and adults wander around a large space housing aircraft. In the center, two young girls stand with their backs to the camera, one with an arm around the shorter girl’s shoulders.

Visitors explore the Hill Aerospace Museum at the launch of the 2026 Blue Star Museums initiative, which runs until Labor Day. Photo by Natalie Cass

Children receiving awards for Bookmark Design Challenge from the second lady and Arts Endowment Chairman

The winners of the Bookmark Design Challenge: Celebrating America’s 250th, Iris Zhang, Margaret McCaul, and Eden Pethel with Second Lady Usha Vance and Arts Endowment Chairman Mary Anne Carter. Photo by Mike Morgan Photography

What’s Happening at the NEA

A woman in a shirt decorated like a U.S. flag speaks at a microphone on a stage
A July 4 Message from Chairman Mary Anne Carter
As America celebrates 250 years, the arts are helping us reflect on our shared history, celebrate our creativity, & inspire the future.
Photo of a passport held open with stamps on it. Next to it are two American flags
National Endowment for the Arts Highlights the Importance of Arts and Culture at the Great American State Fair
Visit the Arts Endowment at the Legacy Stage and American Canvas Pavilion and pick up your free Passport to America! Fair takes place June 25 through July 10.
Two girls walk away from the Camera under the wing of a plane in an aircraft facility.
Find a Blue Star Museum near you
Actively serving military members and their families may visit participating museums nationwide for free this summer

News

See All News
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
Blonde woman at White House with Military Band Heads to her left and right
National Endowment for the Arts Awards "Celebrating the Nation’s 250th Birthday with Music from U.S. Military Bands” Grants
Three images of bookmarks with text: Bookmark Design Challenge: Celebrating America's 250th
Second Lady Usha Vance Announces Student Winners of Bookmark Design Challenge: Celebrating America’s 250th
Sculpture of a globe made from license plates from around the world
National Endowment for the Arts Awards Grants for Arts Projects Spotlighting the Spirit of Sports

Stories

See All Stories
Ronald Reagan
Read
Celebrating America’s 250th Grant Spotlight: New West Symphony
Puppet show in front of an outdoor audience
Read
Celebrating America’s 250th Grant Spotlight: Borderlands Theater
People look on outside a capitol building. The blue sky is scattered with white clouds
Read
Chairman Mary Anne Carter Visits Utah to Celebrate Blue Star Museums and America250 Projects

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).