Our Town
NEA grants for creative placemaking: arts, culture, and design projects that advance economic, physical, or other goals in a specific community.
About this program
Our Town supports place-specific projects (a community, neighborhood, or cultural district) that integrate arts, culture, and design to advance community-desired outcomes. It is no longer a separate application: applicants apply within Grants for Arts Projects and choose the Design & Our Town discipline, at the February or July cycle. The Our Town page does not state its own award range; the standard GAP range of $10,000-$100,000 with a 1:1 match is applied here. The 2026 cycles have closed and new guidelines are expected by late December 2026.
Eligibility
U.S. nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations, units of state or local government, and federally recognized tribes with at least 5 years of arts programming and at least $20,000 in operating expenses in the most recent fiscal year. Not open to individuals or for-profit businesses. Projects must be place-specific and focus on community priorities.
Requirements
- Login.gov, SAM.gov, and Grants.gov registration
- Part 1: SF-424 short organization form via Grants.gov
- Part 2: Grant Application Form in the NEA Applicant Portal