NEA Research Labs, FY 2023 | 2022NEA01ORALABS

Opportunity Information: Apply for 2022NEA01ORALABS

The NEA Research Labs, FY 2023 opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 2022NEA01ORALABS) is a discretionary grant program run by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to support longer-term, partnership-based research efforts that expand what the public and decision-makers know about the arts and their value to individuals, communities, and society. The NEA frames FY 2023 as a transition year for its research program, noting that priorities outlined in a new five-year research agenda will be more fully incorporated into the FY 2024 Research Labs guidelines. Even so, the core purpose remains steady: to develop and share rigorous, empirical knowledge about the arts and their impacts.

A defining feature of the Research Labs program is its emphasis on transdisciplinary research partnerships grounded in the social and behavioral sciences. In practice, this means the NEA is looking for teams and institutional collaborations that can bring multiple fields and methods to bear on arts-related questions, using credible research designs and clear reporting of findings. The program is designed to generate insights that are useful not only to arts practitioners and cultural organizations, but also to stakeholders in non-arts sectors where the arts may play an important role, such as healthcare, education, and business/management. The intent is to strengthen the evidence base in ways that can inform practice, policy, and cross-sector decision-making.

This program is not meant to fund a single, stand-alone study. Instead, it supports a longer-term research agenda made up of multiple studies and related activities that, together, build knowledge over the life of the NEA Research Lab. These activities can include coordinated research projects and field-building outputs that help translate findings into usable knowledge for practitioners and partners. Applicants who have a narrowly defined, discrete research study are directed to a different NEA funding pathway, the Research Grants in the Arts program, rather than Research Labs.

Eligibility is broad across public and nonprofit entities, reflecting the program's interest in research capacity and public benefit. Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education and nonprofit research and policy organizations (including 501(c)(3) nonprofits), as well as units of government such as state, county, city/township, and special district governments; independent school districts; and federally recognized Native American tribal governments. The funding activity category is listed as Arts, and the CFDA number associated with the program is 45.024.

For FY 2023, the award ceiling is $200,000 per grant. The original application closing date was March 28, 2022, with the opportunity created on January 18, 2022. NEA-supported project activity under this award could begin on or after January 1, 2023. The period of performance must be at least 12 months and no more than 24 months, which sets expectations for planning a research timeline that is substantial but still bounded. The NEA also specifies an important administrative constraint: a grantee may not receive more than one NEA grant for the same project during the same period of performance, which is meant to prevent overlapping federal support for identical work.

Overall, NEA Research Labs, FY 2023 is positioned for organizations that can commit to a structured, multi-study research program with cross-disciplinary partners, producing empirical findings and public-facing reporting that strengthen understanding of how the arts contribute to wellbeing, learning, community outcomes, and broader social and economic life.

• The National Endowment for the Arts in the arts sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NEA Research Labs, FY 2023" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 45.024.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-01-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-03-28. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for 2022NEA01ORALABS

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