← Back to the funding database

Grant

Grant

North America

North America

OPEN

OPEN

GRANT · HOW TO WIN THIS

Challenge America Grant

Challenge America Grant

$10,000 flat grant, awarded twice per year

·

Runs biannually; the July 9, 2026 deadline has now passed. Check arts.gov for the next cycle's opening.

AMOUNT

$10,000 flat grant, awarded twice per year

AMOUNT

$10,000 flat grant, awarded twice per year

DEADLINE

Runs biannually; the July 9, 2026 deadline has now passed. Check arts.gov for the next cycle's opening.

DEADLINE

Runs biannually; the July 9, 2026 deadline has now passed. Check arts.gov for the next cycle's opening.

FUNDING TYPE

Grant

CAN YOU GET THIS?

Your organization must have had less than $250,000 in operating expenses in the prior year and run an arts project reaching underserved groups.

Your organization must have had less than $250,000 in operating expenses in the prior year and run an arts project reaching underserved groups.

This is a project-based grant for small arts organizations only — not individual artists. The project must extend access to the arts for underserved communities or groups.

This is a project-based grant for small arts organizations only — not individual artists. The project must extend access to the arts for underserved communities or groups.

YOUR REAL ODDS

This is a competitive federal grant open to small arts organizations nationwide, reviewed twice a year.

The NEA funds a wide range of disciplines and geographies, but as a federal program with a fixed $10,000 award it attracts high volume from small organizations. No acceptance rate is published.

WHAT IT TAKES

  1. Confirm eligibility: verify prior-year operating expenses were under $250,000 — 1–2 hours

  2. Read the full Challenge America guidelines on the NEA site and register in grants.gov if not already — 2–4 hours

  3. Prepare and submit application within Grants for Arts Projects, selecting 'Challenge America' as the discipline — 1–3 weeks

WORTH KNOWING

Challenge America applications are submitted through the broader Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) portal — you must select 'Challenge America' as your discipline, or your application will not be routed correctly.

Apply on the funder’s site →

MORE LIKE THIS

Freed Fellowship

$500 grant monthly; winners also eligible for a $2,500 year-end grant.

Any US small business owner can apply for a $500 monthly grant with no equity or repayment required.

Texas Job Creators Quest Grant

$100,000 total pool distributed across ~30 recipients; individual awards have ranged from $1,500 to $10,000.

Texas-based small businesses led by underrepresented founders with $100K–$3M in annual revenue can apply for this grant.

BELLE Capital USA Grant

Grant amount varies; no specific figures disclosed.

Early-stage startups in tech, health, or cleantech with at least one female founder or female C-suite executive.

This is 1 of 1,600+ open opportunities.

This is 1 of 1,600+ open opportunities.

$50B+ in available capital across grants, VC funds, CDFIs, and accelerators. Filter by your industry, stage, and region, and see everything you qualify for.

Explore the funding database →

$19/month · cancel anytime