NEA Research Labs Program
Sponsor: National Endowment for the ArtsInternal Deadline: 01/30/2026Institutional Submission Limit: 1Sponsor Deadline: 03/23/2026Program Website
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) invites applications for the NEA Research Labs Program for fiscal year 2027. NEA seeks to fund applications that cultivate research partnerships that “investigate the value and/or impact of the arts in American life.” Projects may focus on:
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Arts and Health: The NEA is interested in supporting projects investigating how creative art therapies may impact:
- “Military personnel, veterans, and their families;
- Pediatric cancer care and other childhood diseases;
- Opioid use prevention, treatment, and recovery;
- Disaster relief and emergency response and preparedness;
- Care of older adults experiencing cognitive or neurodegenerative declines.”
2. Arts and the Economy: The NEA is interested in supporting projects involving the arts in “Artificial Intelligence (AI) competency training, in career development for people with disabilities, and/or in preparation for high-paying skilled trade jobs of the future.”
3. Arts and Education: The NEA has an interest in supporting projects that test the benefits of arts activities for learners with autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disabilities.
NEA welcomes applications from research fields outside of the humanities including economics, psychology, education, medicine, business administration, urban and regional planning, among other fields that are listed in the solicitation. Of note, it is required that projects funded under both these programs must include data analysis activities that occur during the period of performance.
Important Dates: For the NEA Research Labs Program, applicants must first submit proposals to grants.gov by March 23, 2026. Once submitted, applicants will then submit their proposal to the NEA Applicant Portal starting March 26, 2026, with a deadline date of April 2, 2026. NEA noted that projects may start on or after January 1, 2027, with awardees to be notified on the status of their award in November 2026.
Submission Process
Limited submissions MUST be coordinated with the Office of the Vice President for Research.
If interested in applying for this opportunity, please combine the following items into a single PDF and email to resdev@mailbox.sc.edu by 5pm on the INTERNAL DEADLINE above:
- Cover page with grant program name & number (if applicable) to which you are applying, your project title, PI (name, department/unit, & email), and list of co-PIs/key collaborators (name & department/unit)
- a two-page project abstract addressing key components/criteria for this specific grant program
- a 2-3 page CV/biosketch for the PI (SCiENcv preferred)