County governments
Private institutions of higher education
Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
City or township governments
Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
Special district governments
Independent school districts
Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
State governments
United States & Territories
Grant Program Summary
Our Town is the NEA’s creative placemaking grants program. Through project-based funding, the program supports activities that integrate arts, culture, and design into local efforts that strengthen communities over the long term. Our Town projects engage a wide range of local stakeholders in efforts to advance local economic, physical, and/or social outcomes in communities. Competitive projects are responsive to unique local conditions, develop meaningful and substantive engagement in communities, center equity, advance artful lives, and lay the groundwork for long-term systems change.
Applying for a federal grant can be time consuming, we estimate that after registering, the process to draft and submit an application takes approximately 26 hours.
A full grant program description can be found under Grant Program Details below. For detailed instructions on how to apply, see Application Instructions below.
2025 application to open in spring, with August 2025 deadline.
Applicant organizations must have completed at least 3 years of arts programming prior to the application deadline.