NEA Shakespeare in American Communities, FY2019 | NEAPS1808

Opportunity Information: Apply for NEAPS1808

The NEA Shakespeare in American Communities (SIAC), FY2019 grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number NEAPS1808) is a discretionary grant program from the National Endowment for the Arts (CFDA 45.024) focused on expanding access to live, professional Shakespeare performances and related educational activities for middle and high school students across the United States. The core idea is straightforward: bring high-quality theater directly to students in a way that is both artistically strong and educationally meaningful, especially in places where students may have limited exposure to professional performing arts. For many participating students, SIAC is designed to be a first encounter with live theater and, at the same time, a first direct experience with Shakespeare's work in a performance setting rather than only through reading in a classroom.

The opportunity is specifically structured around the NEA selecting a U.S. Regional Arts Organization (RAO) to administer the SIAC program for the 2020-2021 school year. In practice, that means the selected administrator would be responsible for overall program management and for distributing subgrants to participating theater companies that will deliver the performances and educational components. The NEA funding is intended to cover both the administrative work required to run a national or multi-state initiative at scale and the downstream support that enables theater companies to reach schools and students in their communities.

A key limitation is that each organization may submit only one proposal under this program, so applicants need to consolidate their plan into a single application rather than attempting multiple submissions. The earliest start date for NEA support is June 1, 2019, and the period of performance may last as long as 30 months, which gives the administering organization enough time to plan, award and manage subgrants, coordinate with theater partners and schools, and carry out the programming over the intended school year cycle with additional time for setup and wrap-up.

Eligibility is limited to nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education). The application deadline was January 15, 2019, with the requirement that Grants.gov receive a validated and accepted application no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on that date; the NEA strongly encouraged submission by January 5, 2019 to allow time to fix technical or validation issues. The listed award ceiling is $1,482,000, and the opportunity projected up to 30 expected awards, reflecting the program's intent to support multiple participating theater companies through subgrants while being coordinated through an administering RAO.

Overall, this opportunity is best understood as an administrative and re-granting model: the NEA funds an organization positioned to manage a national or regional network, and that organization then funds and coordinates theater companies to deliver Shakespeare performances and education for students. The emphasis is on reaching young people in diverse communities, using professional productions and structured learning activities to make Shakespeare accessible, engaging, and memorable. The program also highlights its track record, noting that since its launch in 2003, roughly 2.5 million students have participated, underscoring both the scale of the initiative and the NEA's continued commitment to arts exposure in K-12 settings through live performance experiences.

• The National Endowment for the Arts in the arts (see cultural affairs in cfda) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NEA Shakespeare in American Communities, FY2019" 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 Nov 06, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 15, 2019 The Grants.gov system must receive your validated and accepted application no later than 1159 p.m., Eastern Time, on January 15, 2019. We strongly recommend that you submit your application by January 5, 2019 to give yourself ample time to resolve any problems that you might encounter.. (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 $1,482,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 30 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for NEAPS1808

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