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In October 2010, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) adopted a strategic plan that sets forth a new vision and mission and related goals, outcomes, and performance metrics for the agency. For the first time, the NEA's strategic plan identifies research as a mission-critical goal -- specifically, "to promote public knowledge and understanding about the contribution of the arts." Through high-quality research, the NEA will expand the body of evidence for "the value and impact of the arts."

In support of this research goal, the NEA's Office of Research & Analysis' (ORA) has identified the following priorities:

Cultivate new data sources and conduct research on the value and impact of the U.S. arts sector.
Evaluate NEA programs and partnerships for their value and impact.
Communicate results and policy implications through research reports, presentations, and convenings.
Elevate the profile of arts-related research as a field of study.
To help achieve items 1, 3, and 4 above, the ORA is inaugurating a grants program for research in and about the arts. These grants will support the investigation of novel and significant research questions about the value and impact of the U.S. arts sector through the analysis of existing and/or newly established datasets. The resulting projects will enhance the current state of knowledge about the value and impact of the arts in the U.S., and will yield valuable information about the utility to arts-related research of various kinds of datasets -- including those not previously mined for this purpose. It is hoped, moreover, that by providing financial support to deserving projects that engage researchers from multiple fields and disciplines, this program will spur growth in the number of people experienced in and knowledgeable about arts-related research in the United States. In this spirit, the NEA encourages applicants from diverse research backgrounds, including applicants who have not specialized in arts-related research.

The Arts Endowment's support of a project may start on May 1, 2012, or any time thereafter. The NEA will make grants for research projects that use existing datasets to mine data for analyses of the value and impact of the U.S. arts sector on the nation, whether on individuals or communities. Applications should present novel research questions that have not previously been explored with the referenced dataset(s). Projects that will be conducted in partnership with for-profit entities, and/or which use commercial and/or administrative datasets, are also encouraged.

The agency has determined that all grants awarded under this category will have the following as their primary outcome: � Enhancing knowledge and understanding: Evidence of the value and impact of the arts is expanded and promoted. Organizations will be asked to address the anticipated results of their projects in their applications. If a grant is received, grantees will be asked to report their findings in their final report. Before applying, please review the reporting requirements on the National Endowment for the Arts Final Descriptive Report form and the �Administrative Requirements� for information about a final work product research report. In the first year of the program, funds will be given only for the analysis of high-quality datasets. In future years, it may be possible for applicants to submit requests for projects involving primary data collection.

Eligible Applicants

State governments
County governments
City or township governments
Special district governments
Independent school districts
Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
Private institutions of higher education.

Agency Name

National Endowment for the Arts