The National Endowment for the Arts "Access to Artistic Excellence" program encourages and supports artistic creativity, preserves our diverse cultural heritage, and makes the arts more widely available in communities throughout the country. While projects in this category may focus on just one of these areas, the Arts Endowment recognizes that many of the most effective projects encompass both artistic excellence and enhanced access.

Particularly relevant at this time are projects that demonstrate innovation by generating new forms of art making, new directions in the field, and/or innovative uses of creative resources.

Support is available to organizations for projects that do one or more of the following:

• Provide opportunities for artists to create, refine, perform, and exhibit their work.
• Present artistic works of all cultures and periods.
• Preserve significant works of art and cultural traditions.
• Enable arts organizations and artists to expand and diversify their audiences.
• Provide opportunities for individuals to experience and participate in a wide range of art forms and activities.
• Enhance the effectiveness of arts organizations and artists.
• Employ the arts in strengthening communities.

The Arts Endowment is particularly interested in projects that extend the arts to underserved populations -- those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. This is achieved in part through the use of Challenge America funds.

March 11, 2010 Application Deadline is for:

• Touring, presenting, and other program activities for underserved communities. (If your project is for children and youth, see "Choosing the Right Category for Children and Youth Projects" to help you in your category selection.)
• Outdoor festivals and programs including site-specific work, outdoor historical dramas, and pageants.

August 12, 2010 Application Deadline is for:

• Training programs for artists.
• The creation, commissioning, touring, and/or presentation of new or existing works. This may include performances, exhibitions, festivals, residencies, lecture-demonstrations, and workshops.
• Innovative multidisciplinary presenting projects that utilize technology.
• Services to artists and arts organizations. This may include arts conferences, professional development for artists and arts organizations, and arts technical assistance programs. Service projects that focus on a single discipline should apply through that discipline. Applicants such as arts and business councils or lawyers for the arts organizations should apply through Local Arts Agencies under the March 11 deadline.
• The documentation, preservation, and conservation of significant material about the field.

For information contact Silvio Lim, lims@arts.gov, 202.682.5658 or go to http://www.arts.gov/grants/apply/GAP11/PresentingAAE.html.

Deadline: August, 12, 2010
Organization: National Endowment for the Arts

Website: www.arts.gov