Securing funding for projects can be a challenge for any artist, and theater professionals are no exception. The US federal government has a number of grant options available through independent arts agencies. The largest of these agencies is the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Theater grants are available for individual projects, touring, administration and theater research and education.
NEA Grants for Art Projects
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the US government which has granted more than $4 billion in funding to support artistic excellence, innovation and creativity since the agency's inception in 1965. The three major NEA grants available for theater projects are Access to Artistic Excellence grants, which provide between $5,000 and $150,000 to support the arts; Challenge American Fast Track grants, which provide $10,000 grants to bring theater to under-served populations; and Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth grants, which provide between $5,000 and $150,000 for projects that bring theater education to children. Smaller grants, including Shakespeare for a New Generation grants and New Play Development Program grants, are also available.
NEA Partnership Agreements
The NEA, in its mission to make the arts more accessible in all communities, provides partnership funding for state and regional arts associations. This funding, which is available for all major artistic endeavors, including theater, is directed primarily at arts education and financing touring projects that bring the arts to under-served communities.
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent agency of the federal government, devoted to providing funding to support research, education and public programs in the humanities. Though most NEH grants are directed to educators and institutions, there are some individual project grants. Funding programs available for theatrical works include grants to faculty at educational institutions for projects involving the humanities, which include theater projects, theatrical productions and workshops that work to bridge cultures, and arts projects that explore the history and culture of the United States.
National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards
The President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities offers 10 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards, each worth $12,000. The awards are granted to institutions or performing arts organizations that provide after-school or out-of-school arts programs for young people. The awards are granted at a ceremony at the White House in Washington, D.C.
