WASHINGTON, D.C.: The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has announced its first round of recommended awards for fiscal year 2022, with 1,498 awards totaling nearly $33.2 million. The grants span 15 artistic disciplines and reach communities in every state, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The announcement includes recipients of the Challenge America grant program, NEA Literature Fellows in creative writing and translation, and support for arts research projects. Among the grants, 164 are earmarked for theatre institutions and 34 for musical theatre companies, for a total of $3.19 million and $550,000, respectively.

“These NEA grants underscore the resilience of our nation’s artists and arts organizations, will support efforts to provide access to the arts, and will rebuild the creative economy,” acting chair Ann Eilers said in a statement. “The supported projects demonstrate how the arts are a source of strength and well-being for communities and individuals and can open doors to conversations that address complex issues of our time.”

The Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) awards have been allocated to 1,248 organizations recommended to receive cost share or matching grants ranging from $10,000 to $100,000. Challenge America grants support small and mid-sized organizations that extend the reach of the arts to populations that have limited access to the arts due to geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability, and were awarded to 168 organizations. All awardees can be viewed here, broken down by category.

The deadline for the next round of GAP applications is Thursday, February 10, with a subsequent deadline of Thursday, July 7. The deadline for the next round of Challenge America applications is Thursday, April 21. The deadline for the next round of research grants in the arts applications is Tuesday, March 29. The next round of American Rescue Plan funding for arts organizations will be announced later this month.

The National Endowment for the Arts is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities.