OTHER INFORMATION

Site Visits

Applicants may be asked to provide up to four complimentary tickets for the purpose of project and organizational evaluation.

As a part of the review of applications, the Arts Endowment arranges, at its discretion, for site visits with some applicants that select Opera as a discipline on the application form. Generally, a site reporter meets with organization representatives and sees a production. The information that is gathered is one of a number of items considered during the review of applications.

Applicants for Opera projects should check their discipline page for information regarding site visits.

Access for Individuals with Disabilities

The Arts Endowment's Office for AccessAbility assists applicants in making accessibility an integral part of their planning so that organizations and activities are inclusive for staff, panelists, artists, and audiences. For more information, resources, and technical assistance, contact the Office for AccessAbility at 202/682-5532 or 202/682-5496 Voice/T.T.Y., or see our Web site at www.arts.gov/resources/Accessibility. The Arts Endowment's Office of Civil Rights at 202/682-5454 or 202/682-5695 Voice/T.T.Y. also provides technical assistance on how to make projects fully accessible.

Civil Rights

The Arts Endowment's Office of Civil Rights at 202/682-5454 or 202/682-5695 Voice/T.T.Y. is available to investigate complaints about compliance with accessibility standards as well as other federal civil rights statutes. For inquiries about limited English proficiency, go to http://www.lep.gov, the FOIA Reading Room, or contact the Office of General Counsel at ogc@arts.endow.gov or 202/682-5418.

Other Arts Endowment Resources

For general background information on the Arts Endowment and application guidelines, refer to our Web site at www.arts.gov or call 202/682-5400. Our Web site also includes lists of recent grants, which we encourage applicants to review to get a sense of recent project types and grant award levels. In addition to the funding outlined in these guidelines, other resources of possible interest include:

• The Arts on Radio and Television supports projects for radio and television arts programs that are intended for national broadcast. Grants generally range from $10,000 to $200,000 and require a nonfederal match of at least 1 to 1. Separate Arts on Radio and Television guidelines and application forms will be available in early summer of 2008. The Arts on Radio and Television application deadline is September 5, 2008. For information, contact the Media Arts staff at welshl@arts.gov or 202/682-5738. Expired guidelines are available on the web site for information purposes only.

• Partnership Agreements assist the state and jurisdictional arts agencies and their regional organizations. You may want to contact your state arts agency for information on artists and other professional resources within your state. A listing of these agencies can be found on the Arts Endowment's Web site.

• Federal Agency Partnerships. The Arts Endowment develops partnerships with other agencies such as the Department of State, the Department of Defense, the Department of Education, the Department of the Interior, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services to address mutual goals. Please check the Arts Endowment's Web site for current opportunities.

• The Mayors' Institute on City Design is an Arts Endowment leadership initiative that provides an opportunity for mayors and design professionals to work together to address design and development issues. For information, contact the Design staff at begleys@arts.gov or 202/682-5452.

• The Arts and Artifacts Indemnity Act of 1975 (20 U.S.C. 971), which is administered by the Arts Endowment, authorizes federal indemnification for international exhibitions. There are two deadlines each year: October 1 and April 1. For guidelines and application information, contact the Indemnity Administrator at whelihaa@arts.gov or 202/682-5574.

Congress has prohibited the Endowment from making direct grants to individuals except for the following four programs:

• Literature Fellowships are available to published creative writers and translators of exceptional talent in the areas of prose and poetry. For Creative Writing Fellowships, non-matching grants are for $25,000. For Translation Projects, non-matching grants are for $10,000 or $20,000, depending upon the artistic excellence and merit of the project. For information, contact the Literature staff at davisg@arts.gov or 202/682-5034.

• NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships recognize distinguished jazz artists who have made a significant contribution to the art form. Non-matching fellowships of $25,000 each are awarded on the basis of nominations. For information, contact the Music staff at vonschuttenbach@arts.gov or 202/682-5711.

• NEA National Heritage Fellowships in the Folk & Traditional Arts recognize the recipients' artistic excellence and support their continuing contributions to our nation's traditional arts heritage. Non-matching fellowships of $25,000 each are awarded on the basis of nominations. For information, contact the Folk & Traditional Arts staff at schielec@arts.gov or 202/682-5587.

• National Endowment for the Arts Opera Honors recognize exceptional individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the field of opera in the United States. Non-matching fellowships of $25,000 each are awarded on the basis of nominations. For information, contact the Opera staff at paulg@arts.gov or 202/682-5600.

Standards for Service

The Arts Endowment has set the following standards for serving applicants. We pledge to:

• Treat you with courtesy and efficiency.
• Respond to inquiries and correspondence promptly.
• Provide clear and accurate information about our policies and procedures.
• Provide timely information about funding opportunities and make guidelines available promptly.
• Promptly acknowledge the receipt of your application.
• Ensure that all eligible applications are reviewed thoughtfully and fairly.

We welcome your comments on how we are meeting these standards. Please address them to: Office of Guidelines & Panel Operations; Room 710; National Endowment for the Arts; 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW; Washington, DC 20506-0001; e-mail: webmgr@arts.endow.gov, attention: Standards for Service. For questions about these guidelines or your application, see "Agency Contacts."

Reporting Burden

The public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated at an average of 32 hours per response for Access to Artistic Excellence and Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth and 10 hours per response for Challenge America: Reaching Every Community Fast-Track Review Grants. This includes the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. The Arts Endowment welcomes any suggestions that you might have on improving the guidelines and making them as easy to use as possible. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: Office of Guidelines & Panel Operations, Room 710, National Endowment for the Arts, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20506-0001. Note: Applicants are not required to respond to the collection of information unless it displays a currently valid U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number.

National Endowment for the Arts · an independent federal agency
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20506