Blanket Justification for National Endowment for the Arts Funding Application Guidelines and Requirements
Revision of a currently approved collection
No
Regular
Approved without change
11/25/2025
08/29/2025
table that charts list comparision
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
11/30/2026
36 Months From Approved
11/30/2025
4,702
0
6,713
104,096
0
131,032
3,018,784
0
0
Application guidelines, forms, and requirements elicit relevant information from individuals, non-profit organizations, and governmental agencies that apply for funding to the National Endowment for the Arts' grant categories. This information is necessary for the accurate, fair, and thorough consideration of competing proposals in the review process.
US Code:
20 USC 954
Name of Law: National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965
With respect to the application guidelines and requirements, the federal governmentâs burden for these costs has decreased since 2022 from $2,698,626 to $2,228,748 due to the streamlining and consolidation of some funding programs, resulting in fewer incoming applications. Similarly, the cost to respondents for the same period of time has decreased from $3,659,705 to $3,018,784 due the same factors.
We have carefully examined all of our grant funding opportunities to see where streamlining and consolidation might be desirable. Our efforts led us to simplify the application instructions and requirements, improve the presentation of application materials on our website, and refine our application webforms. NOFO word counts have been reduced between 27%-52%, making our application materials significantly easier for applicants to review. Application requirements have also been reduced: nonprofit applicants now have a 20% reduction in required application content.
The estimated overall burden to government applicants has been adjusted to reflect a shift from collecting a full application from 1/3 of the applicant pool every three years, to a full application from all applicants annually. However, this has been offset by a reduction in the application requirements. Previously, we estimated that a full application would take approximately 32 hours to complete and submit, we now estimate that a full application will take 28 hours to complete and submit. Applicants in this program also have an option to direct reviewers to information in their state or regional plan, which further reduces the need to provide narrative content. Government applicants have a reduction of between 50-75% in required application content.
Previous NEA ICR submissions did not include a dollar estimate for cost to applicants â these figures were found in our previous Supporting Statements. This year, we have also included the dollar estimate in the ICR, which makes it appear that the cost has risen, when in fact it has fallen from $3,659,705 in 2022 to $3,018,094 in 2025.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
Blanket Justification for Arts Endowment Funding Application Guidelines and Requirements for Individuals