Attach 2 - NEA Strategic Plan 2014-2018

THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR
THE ARTS
ART WORKS FOR AMERICA
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

February 2014

Table of Contents
Agency Overview ........................................................................................................................... 1
Strategic Goals ............................................................................................................................... 4
Strategic Goal 1................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Strategic Goal 2................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Strategic Goal 3................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Agency Management Goal.................................................................................................................................................. 6

Strategic Plan Framework ............................................................................................................ 7
Strategic Objectives ....................................................................................................................... 8
Strategic Objective 1.1 ........................................................................................................................................................ 8
Strategic Objective 2.1 ........................................................................................................................................................ 9
Strategic Objective 2.2 ...................................................................................................................................................... 12
Strategic Objective 2.3 ...................................................................................................................................................... 14
Strategic Objective 3.1 ...................................................................................................................................................... 16
Strategic Objective 3.2 ...................................................................................................................................................... 20
Management Objective 1.1 ............................................................................................................................................... 22
Management Objective 1.2 ............................................................................................................................................... 23
Cross-Cutting Objective 1.1 .............................................................................................................................................. 24

Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 26

Agency Overview
The National Endowment for the Arts relies on a simple, straightforward credo: "Art works."
“Art works” refers to works of art themselves—the performances, objects, and texts that are the creations of
artists.
“Art works” represents the ways that art works on individuals and communities to change, confront,
challenge, and inspire us; to allow us to imagine and to aspire to something more.
“Art works” declares that arts jobs are real jobs that are part of the real economy. Art workers pay taxes, and
art contributes to economic growth, neighborhood revitalization, and the livability of American towns and
cities.
The Arts Endowment recognizes these three elements—the works of art themselves, the ways art works on
audiences, learners, and participants, and art as work—as central to all of the agency’s activities, programs, and
partnerships. "Art works" is a guiding principle in this Strategic Plan, which charts the Arts Endowment’s
objectives and how it proposes to meet them.
Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is the largest national funder of
nonprofit arts in the U.S. Annually, the NEA awards more than 2,200 grants and cooperative agreements
exceeding $130 million, funding the arts in all 50 states and six U.S. jurisdictions, including urban and rural
areas, and reaching civilian and military populations. The agency also exercises leadership through targeted
support of key initiatives, research and evaluation, and domestic and international partnerships.
NEA grantees include nonprofit organizations; units of state and local government; federally recognized tribal
communities or tribes; and, where permitted, individuals. The NEA awards dollar-for-dollar matching grants to
support exemplary projects in the areas listed below.
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Artist communities;
Arts education;
Dance;
Design;
Folk and traditional arts;
Literature;
Local arts agencies;
Media arts;
Museums;

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Music;
Opera;
Presenting and multidisciplinary works;
Research;
State and regional arts organizations;
Theater and musical theater; and
Visual arts.

All grant applications to the Arts Endowment are reviewed on the basis of artistic excellence and artistic merit.
Applications generally receive three levels of review. First, they are evaluated by independent, national panels.
Each panel consists of a diverse group of disciplinary experts and other individuals, including at least one
knowledgeable layperson. Panels make recommendations that are forwarded to the National Council on the
Arts.
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The National Council on the Arts, the NEA's advisory body, is comprised of nationally and internationally
renowned artists, distinguished scholars, and arts patrons appointed by the President. It also includes non-voting
Congressional members. The Council reviews and votes to approve or reject the applications. Its
recommendations for funding are sent to the NEA chairman, who reviews those applications and makes the
final decision on all grant awards.
By law, 40 percent of the Arts Endowment’s funds are awarded to the nation's state and jurisdictional arts
agencies (SAAs) and regional arts organizations (RAOs). This investment enables arts projects in thousands of
communities across the country. Through Partnership Agreements with SAAs and RAOs, moreover, the NEA
builds capacity in local planning, programming, evaluation, and communications.
Also through Partnership agreements, the NEA supports SAA/RAO strategies for strengthening arts education
and fostering the arts in underserved communities. Each state and regional plan reflects the priorities of the
state’s or region's citizens, whose views are solicited by each SAA/RAO through public hearings.
Together with the dollars that the NEA's grants routinely leverage, these partnerships vastly extend the agency's
reach and impact, aligning national leadership with local benefit. These partners are critical to the NEA's ability
to fulfill its mission.
Mission: To strengthen the creative capacity of our communities by providing all Americans with diverse
opportunities for arts participation.
The NEA mission is based on an abiding conviction that the arts play an integral role in our national life and
public discourse. The first half of the statement refers to the NEA's deep-rooted investment in the artistic and
creative assets of diverse places throughout the country. The agency is committed to helping communities that
seek to leverage these assets more effectively as part of a comprehensive strategy to improve general livability
through the arts.
The second half identifies the need to reach every individual with multiple channels for engaging with artistic
excellence, thus improving the likelihood that Americans from all backgrounds will benefit directly from the
NEA's activities.
The NEA's founding legislation invokes the inspirational values of artistic excellence and creativity that define
the agency's role within the federal government. “The arts…belong to all the people of the United States,” the
law declares in a bold series of statements outlining the agency’s purpose. They include:

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“An advanced civilization must not limit its efforts to science and technology alone, but must give full
value and support to the other branches of scholarly and cultural activity in order to achieve a better
understanding of the past, a better analysis of the present, and a better view of the future.”

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“Democracy demands wisdom and vision in its citizens. It must therefore foster and support a form of
education, and access to the arts…designed to make people of all backgrounds and wherever located
masters of their technology and not its unthinking servants.”

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"While no government can call a great artist or scholar into existence, it is necessary and appropriate for
the federal government to help create and sustain not only a climate encouraging freedom of thought,
imagination, and inquiry but also the material conditions facilitating the release of this creative talent."

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“To fulfill its educational mission, achieve an orderly continuation of free society, and provide models
of excellence to the American people, the federal government must transmit the achievement and values
of civilization from the past via the present to the future, and make widely available the greatest
achievements of art.”

The NEA's vision statement rests on this enduring philosophy. The arts allow Americans to dream of fresh
possibilities and to expand their horizons as thinkers and citizens in a world of complex ideas and technologies,
as well as contribute to the cultural legacy of the nation. Access to imagination and artistic creativity is an
inherent good; it also can awaken the potential for a better quality of life.
Vision Statement: A nation in which every American benefits from arts engagement, and every community
recognizes and celebrates its aspirations and achievements through the arts.
Whether affording personal insights and inspiration—or contributing to our social, civic, and economic wellbeing—art works for America. This work is embodied by the products and services that artists and arts
organizations create. But it also assumes the empowerment of all people and places through sustained
engagement with diverse and excellent art. This engagement will allow Americans fully to realize their creative
and imaginative potential, both as individuals and as communities.

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Strategic Goals
To fulfill its mission in FY 2014-2018, the NEA has established four goals: three strategic and one operational.
The strategic goals apply to all of the Arts Endowment’s activities, and are advanced further by grant-making
and services that result from the NEA's awards to SAAs and RAOs.

Strategic Goal 1
Support the Creation of Art that Meets the Highest Standards of Excellence
Context: American artists enrich the cultural, civic, and economic life of our nation by producing original works
in such fields as music and dance; drama and literature; architecture and design; and visual, media, and folk and
traditional arts. By awarding organizational grants in the category of art-making, and grants to individuals
where permitted, the NEA helps to channel the ingenuity of American artists and fosters leadership in creativity
and innovation. In doing so, the agency will contribute to a dynamic, national portfolio that can be enjoyed by
present and future generations.
Artworks that result from these projects will replenish and rejuvenate America’s enduring cultural legacy. With
this goal, the Arts Endowment is amplifying a core component of its legislative mandate, “to help create and
sustain not only a climate encouraging freedom of thought, imagination, and inquiry but also the material
conditions facilitating the release of this creative talent.”
Principal Strategy: Fund grants to organizations, and to individuals where permitted, to support the creation of
artwork across a diverse spectrum of artistic disciplines and geographic locations.

Strategic Goal 2
Foster Public Engagement with Diverse and Excellent Art
Context: Artworks and audiences come together to create an experience that is unique, memorable, and lifeaffirming. Americans connect with art by attending music, dance, and theater performances; by touring
architectural sites and art exhibits; by reading works of literature; and by enjoying artworks through electronic
and digital media. The NEA will provide new opportunities for Americans to have a profound and meaningful
arts experience.
Americans also participate in the arts through a variety of learning opportunities. NEA research has identified
arts education as the single best predictor of a person’s arts participation patterns throughout life. By helping to
foster public appreciation and understanding of various art forms, genres, and artistic traditions, as well as
opportunities to participate in the creation of art, the NEA will build public capacity for creativity and
innovation, and for lifelong participation in the arts.
Art makes an impact on individual lives, but also on neighborhoods, towns, and cities. Artists, arts workers, and
arts industries play a critical role in shaping the life of a community. They can improve its aesthetic appeal and
the civic pride of its residents. They can spur job creation, productivity, and economic growth. They can also
provide spaces and opportunities for community members of different backgrounds to converge on a shared arts
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experience, one that summons their collective creativity and allows them to re-imagine their surroundings. In
recognition of these benefits, the NEA will support projects that integrate the arts with strategies to improve the
livability of communities.
Principal Strategy: Fund grants to organizations, across a diverse spectrum of artistic disciplines and
geographic areas, to provide the following services: engage the public with works of artistic excellence; provide
individuals of all ages with opportunities for lifelong learning in the arts; and strengthen communities through
the arts.

Strategic Goal 3
Promote Public Knowledge and Understanding about the Contributions of the Arts
Context: As federal, state, and local policymakers assess the place of arts and culture in their programs and
budgets, they seek authoritative evidence about the arts’ contributions to social, economic, and civic outcomes.
The NEA remains the primary national source for data and analyses about the U.S. arts sector. Increasingly, the
agency has aimed not only to explore the factors and conditions affecting arts participation and art-making, but
also to document the impact of the arts on American lives and communities.
Further credible and evidence-based information about the value and/or impact of the arts will enable the NEA,
in turn, to pursue its overall mission more effectively. Some of that knowledge will bear directly on the
agency’s work in supporting arts creation, arts participation, lifelong learning in the arts, and the arts’
integration with civic and community life. Other research findings will influence national and community-level
indicators of creative and cultural vitality, allowing policy-makers to become better informed about the
distinctive contributions the arts make to society. Primarily through its Office of Research & Analysis, the NEA
will take a leadership role in initiating dialogues and information-sharing about arts and culture.
In particular, the Arts Endowment will communicate knowledge—about the value and/or impact of the arts—to
other federal agencies and departments to complement their efforts to serve the American people.
Internationally, the NEA will raise awareness among other countries and cultures about the exemplary offerings
of American artists; conversely, the agency will provide opportunities for Americans to expand their knowledge
and understanding about the arts and culture of other nations. Such efforts—whether across government or
across national boundaries—can significantly extend the reach and impact of the arts.
The NEA also considers its Public Affairs office a significant part of the effort to promote understanding about
the contributions of the arts to all Americans. This approach is three-fold. One, public affairs specialists work
with journalists in print, online, and broadcast media across the country, placing stories about the programs and
projects we support. Two, the office is responsible for producing publications, which tell the stories of
artistically excellent projects, pinpoint trends in various artistic fields, both qualitatively and quantitatively, and
disseminate arts-focused research. Three, through its website and social media channels, the Public Affairs
office encourages and hosts discussions around topics of interest to various disciplines and communities,
highlights exceptional arts projects and artists across the country, and shares examples of best practices across
disciplines.
Principal Strategy: Implement the NEA's Research Agenda for FY 2012-2016, based on a system map and
measurement model (How Art Works, 2012) that was developed in consultation with a broad cross-section of
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American researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers within and outside the arts; update the agenda for FY
2016-2018; and continue to identify federal and international partners and cultivate or deepen relationships with
those entities.

Agency Management Goal
Enable the NEA Mission through Organizational Excellence
Context: Achieving this goal is a prerequisite for the NEA’s success in serving its overall mission. Other arts
funders and cultural policy-makers, as well as nonprofit arts groups, often look to the Arts Endowment for
models and best practices in arts administration. The Arts Endowment must ensure that it is a high-performing
and publicly accountable organization committed to 1) supporting arts creation; 2) engaging Americans with
diverse and excellent art; and 3) promoting knowledge and understanding about the contributions of the arts. To
succeed in these aims, the NEA must possess a diverse, creative, productive, and motivated workforce; ensure
that its operations are efficient, effective, and transparent to the public; and be a vigilant steward of public funds
and resources.
Principal Strategy: Design and allocate positions appropriately; hire the right people; provide staff with
appropriate resources, including technology, information, and relevant training; align individual performance
plans with the agency's strategic goals; and reward employees based on performance.

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Strategic Plan Framework

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Strategic Objectives
Strategic Goal 1: Support the Creation of Art that Meets the Highest Standards of Excellence
Strategic Objective 1.1
Expand the portfolio of American art by investing in projects dedicated to the creation of excellent art.
Throughout its history, the United States of America has exemplified ingenuity and inventiveness in such
diverse fields as basic science, engineering, agriculture, medicine, commerce, and information technology. But
our nation’s advances in artistic excellence and innovation have been no less profound or transformative.
American artworks are recognized and celebrated worldwide. American artists have made indelible
contributions including original plays and literature; music and dance compositions; paintings, sculpture, and
craft arts; films, video, and photography; and architecture, graphic, industrial, and interactive design.
Since its establishment in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts has fostered artistic creativity through its
grant-making. The NEA’s founding legislation is explicit about this role, stating: "It is necessary and
appropriate for the federal government to help create and sustain not only a climate encouraging freedom of
thought, imagination, and inquiry, but also the material conditions facilitating the release of this creative talent."
All signs suggest that the public appetite for many forms of art-making is as robust as ever. Data from the
NEA’s Survey of Public Participation in the Arts show that young adults are highly engaged in creating
artworks of their own, notably through electronic media and the Internet. Arts creation, in many forms, is
equally prevalent among urban and rural communities, and among Americans of diverse socioeconomic
characteristics.
Strategies
1) Fund grants to organizations and, where permitted, to individuals, to support the creation of artworks across a
diverse spectrum of artistic disciplines, platforms, and geographic locations.
2) Enhance geographic data collection and reporting capabilities to ensure that grants for the purpose of creating
art are being funded across the United States.
3) Develop and support leadership initiatives that provide opportunities for the Arts Endowment to address
special artistic or cultural needs—whether field- or geography-based. (Current examples of such initiatives
include Blue Star Museums, The Big Read, NEA Jazz Masters and National Heritage Fellowships, and the Arts
and Artifacts Indemnity Program.)
4) Ensure that NEA application review panelists have the qualifications and expertise necessary to identify
projects that meet the highest standards of excellence and can expand the portfolio of American art.
5) Maintain a fair and effective panel review process that provides panel members with adequate information to
determine which projects meet the highest standards of excellence, and instills public confidence in the
agency’s decision-making process.

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6) Work efficiently and effectively with the SAAs and RAOs to explore strategies that can help the agency
fulfill this strategic objective.
Contributing Programs
To be approved for NEA funding, grant applications must demonstrate that the proposed projects adhere to the
strictest standards of artistic excellence and merit. This careful adjudication helps to ensure that NEA-funded
projects whose primary purpose is arts creation will replenish and rejuvenate America's cultural legacy. This
focus on creation of excellent art includes activities supported by the Arts Endowment’s direct grants and by
NEA funds awarded through SAAs and RAOs. Examples of those activities are:
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Commissioning, developing, and producing new work
Design competitions and design or cultural planning projects for new arts or cultural spaces or
landscapes
Workshops or residencies for artists where the primary purpose is to create new art
Opportunities for writers and translators to create or to refine their work (e.g., Literature Fellowships)
Projects that employ innovative forms of art-making and design

External Factors
The NEA recognizes that current conditions for arts creation are vastly different from those in 1965, when the
agency was established. Hybrid art forms have emerged; generations of immigrant artists have blazed new
idioms of expression; the popular distinction between "highbrow" and "lowbrow" genres has eroded; and the
rise of new technologies and methods has altered the very processes by which art-making can occur, with
implications for more inclusive public participation. The NEA will take such factors into consideration when
developing and administering policies and programs.
Performance Goal
To assess performance on this strategic objective, the NEA has begun to pilot test an innovative process that
uses independent experts to gauge the level and nature of excellence achieved in grants awarded primarily for
the purpose of creating art. In doing so, the NEA will learn more about the ways in which different kinds of
programs, processes, and activities help the agency meet this objective.
The data from the pilot test are currently being collected and pilot results are expected in mid-2014. Because
this performance measure remains in the pilot phase, no specific performance targets have been established; the
findings from the pilot will be used to establish baseline figures and to design full implementation of the
measure beginning in 2014.

Strategic Goal 2: Foster Public Engagement with Diverse and Excellent Art
Strategic Objective 2.1
Provide all Americans with opportunities for arts engagement by funding projects that create arts experiences.
Artists, artworks, and audiences come together to create an experience that is unique, memorable, and lifeaffirming. Arts experiences open new vistas of possibility, they challenge our aesthetic, emotional, and
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intellectual constructs, and they enlarge our understanding of what it means to be human. Americans connect
with art by attending music, dance, and theater performances; by touring architectural sites and art exhibits; and
by reading works of literature. They participate through electronic media—TV and radio, certainly, but also
through handheld or mobile devices and the Internet—whether sampling a video clip, curating a playlist, or
downloading a blog entry about graphic art.
The NEA's grant-making programs must be responsive to the changing landscape of the arts and arts
participation. It is no longer sufficient to provide access to artistic works of high quality; the agency will also
reward innovative strategies and models for actively engaging the public directly with such experiences.
Likewise, the Arts Endowment is charged with helping to preserve America’s great artistic traditions in all their
diversity—and it also has a responsibility to bring those works and artistic practices into diverse populations
and thereby stimulate new discoveries for all people. This emphasis on art "delivery" systems is entirely in
keeping with a new generation of arts audiences who, faced with many competing options for spending
discretionary time, nevertheless appear to prefer personal participation in the arts over passive spectatorship.
Strategies
1) Fund grants to provide engagement with artistic excellence across a diverse spectrum of artistic disciplines
and geographic locations.
2) Enhance geographic data collection and reporting capabilities to ensure that grants for the purpose of
providing engagement with artistic excellence are being funded across the United States.
3) Develop and support leadership initiatives that provide opportunities for the Arts Endowment to address
special artistic or cultural needs—whether field- or geography-based. (Examples of such initiatives include Blue
Star Museums, The Big Read, NEA Jazz Masters and National Heritage Fellowships, and the Arts and Artifacts
Indemnity Program.)
4) Ensure that NEA panel review members have the qualifications and expertise necessary to identify projects
that can engage the public with diverse and excellent art.
5) Maintain a fair and effective panel review process that provides panel members with adequate information to
determine which projects meet the highest standards of excellence, and instills public confidence in the agency's
decision-making process.
6) Work efficiently and effectively with the SAAs and RAOs to explore strategies that can help the agency
fulfill this strategic objective.
Contributing Programs
By funding projects with the primary purpose of introducing artworks to audiences, the NEA provides
Americans with new opportunities for rich and meaningful arts experiences. As is the case with projects
dedicated to the creation of excellent art, projects that bring artworks to audiences are supported both by direct
grants and by NEA funds awarded through SAAs and RAOs. Arts projects in this category include:
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Exhibitions, performances, concerts, and readings
Film screenings

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Touring and outreach activities
Restaging of repertory and master works of historical significance
Art fairs and festivals
Documentation, preservation, and conservation of artwork
Public programs that raise awareness of arts programming and cultural heritage
Broadcasts on television or radio; video games; mobile apps; live streaming, audio- and video-ondemand, podcasts, digital audio files, or other digital applications
Design charrettes
Publication, production, and promotion of digital, audio, mobile, or online publications; books;
magazines; catalogues; and searchable information databases
Services to artists and arts organizations
Projects that extend the arts to underserved populations —those whose opportunities to experience the
arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability
Projects that employ innovative forms of art and design delivery
Projects that enable the public to interact with electronic art
Projects that bring artists to work directly with a community

External Factors
Recent NEA research shows flat or reduced rates attendance at certain types of live arts events (e.g., classical
music, jazz, theater, ballet, and opera). On the other hand, arts events at schools and religious institutions are
drawing large numbers of unique audience members, as are outdoor fairs and festivals. Similarly, other informal
activities—including personal exhibits/displays and performances of artworks—and greater exposure to online
arts experiences, provide for more customized arts experiences and opportunities to combine art with social
networking. Through these activities, Americans find a greater degree of interactivity than they often find in
traditional arts venues.
Performance Goal
One of the NEA’s performance goals is based on surveys of audiences of NEA-supported artworks being
performed and displayed. By better understanding how art-goers are cognitively or emotionally affected by
artworks that the NEA supports, the agency will learn more, and thus be able to communicate to the public
more effectively, about the ways in which different types of programs and activities foster public engagement
with the arts.
In FY 2012, the NEA pilot tested an “Audience Impact Survey” designed to reveal the extent to which
audiences are affected by having attended NEA-funded arts events. Several different methodologies and survey
formats were tested. At the conclusion of these tests, the NEA determined that a web-based methodology was
most appropriate for collecting this information in the future and launched a second phase of the pilot process to
determine the best method for implementing this approach. That new pilot test is currently underway, and
results are expected in mid-2014. Because this performance measure remains in the pilot phase, no specific
performance targets have been established; the findings from the pilot will be used to establish baseline figures
and to design full implementation of the measure beginning in 2014.

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Strategic Objective 2.2
Enable Americans of all ages to acquire knowledge or skills in the arts by funding projects that address lifelong
learning in the arts.
In national studies, arts education consistently emerges as the single best predictor of arts participation
throughout life, whether through live attendance or the personal performance or creation of art. By helping to
foster public appreciation and understanding of various art forms, genres, and artistic traditions, the NEA will
build public capacity for lifelong participation in the arts.
For audiences, the result will be a richer and more complex and meaningful arts experience. And for artists
and/or teachers, the NEA will facilitate the transfer of critical knowledge and skills that will enable them to
refine their ability and improve their work.
Beyond enriching the quality of personal arts experiences, arts education is a hallmark of civilization. U.S.
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has observed, for example, "the important role that arts education plays in
providing American students with a well-rounded education. The arts can help students become tenacious,
team-oriented problem-solvers who are confident and able to think creatively."
Further, he noted, "these qualities can be especially important in improving learning among students from
economically disadvantaged circumstances." Indeed, NEA-supported research has shown that at-risk youth who
have arts-rich experiences in and out of school are more likely to achieve key positive outcomes—academically,
socially, and civically—compared with peers who lack those experiences.
Given these assumptions, the NEA can be most effective in two ways: by upholding rigorous, standards-based
arts education for pre-K-12 students and teachers, in and out of school; and by providing Americans of all ages
with more informal opportunities to learn about the arts. One track involves supporting school- and communitybased projects that adhere to national or state arts education standards and that include knowledge- and/or skillsbased assessment of students and/or teachers.
The other track is broader. It accommodates Americans still in school, those no longer in school, and those yet
to begin school. These types of arts education grants might involve a seminar held as part of a theater
performance, or a docent tour as part of a museum event. They might include a teaching artist at a day-care
center or a writer’s workshop at a nursing home. Although not aligned with national or state standards, these
projects will meet NEA standards for artistic excellence and merit.
Strategies
1) Fund grants to provide Americans of all ages with arts learning opportunities across a diverse spectrum of
artistic disciplines, learning environments, and geographic locations.
2) Enhance geographic data collection and reporting capabilities to ensure that grants for the purpose of
providing opportunities for Americans of all ages to acquire knowledge or skills in the arts are being funded
across the United States.
3) Develop and support leadership initiatives that provide opportunities for the Arts Endowment to address
special artistic or cultural needs—whether field- or geography-based. (Examples of such initiatives include
Poetry Out Loud and Shakespeare for a New Generation.)
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4) Ensure that NEA panel review members have the qualifications and expertise necessary to identify projects
that can provide opportunities for Americans of all ages to acquire knowledge or skills in the arts.
5) Maintain a fair and effective panel review process that provides panel members with adequate information to
determine which projects meet the highest standards of excellence, and instills public confidence in the
agency’s decision-making process.
6) Work efficiently and effectively with the SAAs and RAOs to explore strategies that can help the agency
fulfill this strategic objective.
Contributing Programs
The agency dedicates a portion of its grant-making funds to projects that will cross all disciplinary lines but
share the common focus on providing opportunities to learn in and about the arts. Some of these projects
support formal, standards-based arts education programs, while others support opportunities to learn arts in a
more informal context. Representative project activities include:
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Lifelong learning activities for youth, adults, and intergenerational groups
Standards-based arts education activities for pre-K-12 students
Informal education programs, workshops, and demonstrations
Mentorships and apprenticeship programs
Professional development for artists, teaching artists, teachers, and other education providers
Assessments and evaluations of arts learning
Online courses or training
Lectures and symposia
Production, publication, and distribution of teachers’/facilitators' guides
Innovative practices in arts learning for Americans of all ages
Engagement with living artists

External Factors
Several external factors that will affect the agency’s achievement of this strategic objective also highlight the
NEA’s continued leadership in arts education as necessary and appropriate.
First, although federal law has designated arts education a core academic subject to be taught in our Nation’s
public schools, states have struggled to keep it on the curriculum. Budget cuts to state education departments,
state arts agencies, and school districts have contributed in many cases to a weakening of arts education at the
local level. Secondly, state standards for evaluating teacher practices and assessing student learning in the arts
differ widely—as do strategies for their implementation.
Even if arts education is not yet universal, today’s employers are acutely aware of the capacity for risk-taking
and creative thinking that the subject can encourage. Business leaders have identified such abilities as highly
desirable for a 21st-century workforce, even as they acknowledge problems in finding creative workers among
today’s job applicants. From this vantage point, arts education can not only improve the quality of Americans’
arts experiences, it may well improve the quality of their lives and livelihoods.
Moreover, the NEA’s renewed focus on lifelong learning in and about the arts is justified in part by generational
shifts. As Americans head into retirement, there is every reason to expect their continued participation in the
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arts through classes, lessons, workshops, and online courses. Further, a literature review commissioned by the
NEA in partnership with the National Institutes of Health showed promising health outcomes reported in studies
of older adults who pursued arts learning opportunities.
Performance Goal
The NEA’s performance goal for this strategic objective includes measuring Americans’ participation in arts
learning activities throughout the lifespan. A more direct measure involves reviewing the extent to which NEAsupported arts education projects lead to demonstrations of learning by teachers and students. Through this twofold approach, the agency will gain a better appreciation of both the extent to which lifelong learning is being
achieved in general and through NEA-supported projects.

Strategic Objective 2.3
Strengthen American communities by investing in projects that seek to improve the livability of places through
the arts.
Livability consists of a variety of factors that contribute to the quality of life in a community. Some commonly
cited examples are affordable housing, ease of transportation, and public safety. Yet not to be overlooked are
opportunities for social, civic, and cultural engagement—including arts participation—and an aesthetically
pleasing environment. Indeed, a Knight Foundation study, conducted by Gallup in 26 U.S. communities over a
three-year period, recently identified "social offerings," "openness," and "aesthetics" as the three top drivers of
community attachment, or why people love where they live.
Nationwide, there has been a surge of interest among arts organizations, artists, urban and rural planners,
designers, and local economic development agencies, in a phenomenon called creative placemaking. These
grassroots initiatives typically involve multiple partners from the nonprofit, corporate, and philanthropic sectors
working together to shape the character of a community with local arts and cultural assets.
Some of the anticipated long-term results of these projects include measurable local benefits. For instance,
communities may set out to achieve growth in overall levels of social and civic engagement; new avenues for
expression and creativity; design-focused changes in policies, laws, and/or regulations; job and/or revenue
growth; or positive changes in migration patterns.
The NEA supports creative placemaking primarily through an initiative called Our Town, which funds projects
that contribute toward the livability of communities and helps transform them into lively, beautiful places with
the arts at their core. But the agency also welcomes project proposals that seek to apply other strategies to
strengthen communities through the arts.
Strategies
1) Fund grants to strengthen communities across a diverse spectrum of artistic disciplines and geographic areas,
including programs that support communities nationwide with arts engagement, cultural planning, and design
projects.
2) Encourage diverse and multiple partnerships as a tool for enhancing the effectiveness and impact of funded
projects.
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3) Enhance geographic data collection and reporting capabilities to ensure that grants for the purpose of
strengthening communities through the arts are being funded across the United States.
4) Develop and support leadership initiatives that provide opportunities for the Arts Endowment to address
special artistic, societal, or cultural needs—whether field- or geography-based. (Examples of such initiatives
include Our Town, the Citizens' Institute on Rural Design, the Mayors' Institute on City Design, Challenge
America Fast-Track, and Blue Star Museums.)
5) Ensure that NEA panel review members have the qualifications and expertise necessary to identify projects
that can strengthen communities through the arts.
6) Maintain a fair and effective panel review process that provides panel members with adequate information to
determine which projects meet the highest standards of excellence, and instills public confidence in the
agency’s decision-making process.
7) Work efficiently and effectively with the SAAs and RAOs to explore mutual strategies that can help the
agency fulfill this strategic objective.
Contributing Programs
To encourage the strengthening of American communities through the arts, the agency will dedicate a portion of
grant-making funds to projects primarily focused on improving community livability. Below are representative
project activities:







Development of plans for cultural and/or creative-sector growth
Enhancement of public spaces through design or new art works
Arts or design activities that are intended to foster community interaction in public spaces
Activities that contribute to community identity and sense of place
Inclusion of artists, designers, and/or arts organizations in civic engagement activities and plans and
processes to improve community livability and enhance the unique characteristics of a community
Innovative community-based partnerships that integrate the arts with livability efforts

External Factors
The ability to strengthen communities through the arts depends on a variety of social, economic, and
demographic factors unique to each location. As people and organizations move, often in response to local
conditions, the livability of one community can greatly affect that of another.
Performance Goal
To measure its performance on this strategic objective, the NEA will evaluate final reports submitted for grant
projects that had the primary purpose of strengthening communities through the arts. Reporting requirements
for NEA grantees in this category include both quantitative and qualitative measures of steps taken to improve
livability. The data also include information on the types of organizational partnerships that were formed in
these communities.
The lasting benefits of creative placemaking projects are likely to emerge over time and may not be fully
measureable during the period of a grant. Robust evaluation of the impacts achieved by such grants will require
longer-term studies. As an initial step toward such studies, the NEA is validating a national set of statistical
15

indicators designed to capture the kinds of outcomes that practitioners of creative placemaking deem relevant to
their projects. To assist such practitioners, the NEA is also producing an online series of case studies and
lessons learned that will illustrate key statistics and outcomes from creative placemaking projects supported by
the agency.

Strategic Goal 3: Promote Public Knowledge and Understanding about the Arts
Strategic Objective 3.1
Expand and promote evidence of the value and/or impact of the arts by fulfilling a long-term research agenda
and by using traditional and social media channels to distribute findings and new information.
Both the arts sector and the broader public require statistically reliable data on the relationship of arts and
culture to other aspects of everyday life. Arts workers and arts industries depend on timely information and
analyses to monitor patterns of employment, fiscal health, and public demand for their goods and services. The
greater public, on the other hand, needs to know whether and how the arts should factor into decisions about
where to live, how to spend one’s discretionary time, and what kind of education to provide for one’s children.
The NEA remains the primary federal source for national data and analyses about the U.S. arts sector.
Increasingly, however, the agency has aimed not only to explore the factors and conditions affecting arts
participation and art-making, but also to illuminate the impact of the arts on American lives and communities.
This new line of scientific inquiry requires creative research methods, more robust data collection involving
federal, academic, and commercial partners, convenings with the Nation’s cultural research experts, and smarter
metrics.
As federal, state, and local policymakers assess the place of arts and culture in their programs and budgets, they
seek authoritative details about the arts’ contributions to social, civic, and economic outcomes. As in recent
years, the NEA will both conduct and support impact analyses of arts and cultural programming; such studies
will incorporate both quantitative and qualitative research approaches.
Also, the agency will continue to share relevant findings and data with the public through publications,
presentations, webinars and webcasts, convenings, and news and social media. These efforts will bring cohesion
to ongoing cultural research endeavors spanning many different disciplines across the United States. In tracking
this work, the NEA will pay close attention to cutting-edge research strategies and will offer encouragement to a
new generation of arts and cultural researchers.
Regarding information-sharing more broadly, the NEA's Public Affairs office works with traditional media
journalists (e.g., for newspapers, magazines, and TV or radio broadcasters) to place stories about excellent art
projects (and artists, where appropriate) that the NEA has funded or supported. Through its own print and
online publications such as NEA Arts, the agency regularly offers examples of high-quality artists and arts
projects. Finally, to better encourage discussions about arts participation, the NEA uses social media, webcasts,
and webinars to interact with the public and share best practices in community engagement, marketing and
promotion, audience development, organizational management, and content development and programming.
Further credible and evidence-based information about the value and/or impact of the arts will enable the NEA,
in turn, to pursue its own mission more effectively. Some of that knowledge will bear directly on the agency’s

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work in supporting arts creation, arts participation, arts education, and the arts’ integration with community life.
Other research findings will influence national, state, and community-level indicators of creative and cultural
vitality, allowing policy-makers to become better informed about the distinct contributions the arts make to
society.
Strategies
Through its Office of Research & Analysis (ORA), the NEA will:
1) Advance the NEA research agenda by completing research milestones identified in How Art Works, an ORA
strategic planning document with a system map and measurement framework. Using the system map, update the
NEA’s research milestones beyond FY 2016.
2) With the Office of Public Affairs, identify optimal distribution channels for NEA Research projects and use
them effectively. Examples include NEA publications, peer review journals, public presentations, webcasts or
webinars, online research tools, and social media.
3) Examine arts research initiatives outside the NEA and, where appropriate, determine mechanisms for the
agency to foster collaboration among these initiatives.
4) Use research and evaluation findings to identify best practices in priority areas. Encourage adoption of those
practices by the agency and relevant stakeholders.
5) Work efficiently and effectively with the SAAs and RAOs to explore strategies that can help the agency
fulfill this strategic objective.
Through its Public Affairs office, the NEA will:
1) Work with traditional media to place high-impact stories about NEA-supported programs and projects.
2) Produce print and online publications, such as the quarterly magazine NEA Arts, which highlight exemplary
art projects and artists throughout the nation and their effects on communities.
3) Through the NEA’s website and blogs, and using a variety of social media, provide information about
exemplary art projects and artists across the country, encourage arts participation, and engage the public in
national conversations about the arts to demonstrate their importance to individuals and communities.
4) Using all of the methods listed above, keep the public informed on the application process for NEA funding,
and provide detailed descriptions of grants and projects the agency has funded.
Contributing Programs
Research & Analysis
In addition to its own internal research team and any contractors it might retain, the NEA Office of Research &
Analysis manages a grants program that contributes to the accomplishment of this strategic objective. In 2012,
the NEA released How Art Works: A Five-Year Research Agenda for the NEA, Supported by a System Map and
Measurement Model, which the agency is using to guide priorities and resource allocation for research in FY
2012-2016. The How Art Works system map identifies many nodes and relationships critical to developing
evidence about the value and/or impact of the arts in the U.S. (See illustration, below.)
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At the core of the map are variables related to Arts Creation and Arts Participation, which have cascading
effects, represented by Benefit of Art to Individuals (cognitive and emotional) and Benefit of Art to Society and
Communities (economic and civic). According to the How Art Works hypothesis, these benefits lead to secondorder effects, represented by Societal Capacity to Innovate and Express Ideas, which, in a virtuous cycle, feeds
back into the two key inputs of the system: Arts Infrastructure and Education and Training in the arts.
The NEA's research agenda includes several projects in each "node" of the system map. ORA has set milestones
for those projects which it tracks and updates annually. The projects and milestones serve three ORA goals:




Identify and cultivate new and existing data sources in the arts.
Investigate the value of the U.S. arts ecosystem and the impact of the arts on other domains of American
life.
Elevate the public profile of arts-related research.

Public Affairs
The NEA runs three blogs through its website: the Big Read Blog, which supports the Big Read initiative and
covers literary subjects; the Blue Star Museums Blog, which supports the Blue Star Museums initiative and
covers military and museum-related topics; and the Art Works Blog, a more general blog that covers the arts in
communities across the United States. In addition, the Public Affairs office produces a weekly audio podcast
segment, consisting of interviews with artists, arts administrators, and creative thinkers about both the practical

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and visionary aspects of working in the arts and the impact the arts can have on the quality of life in
communities large and small.
The NEA also creates publications to complement certain NEA initiatives, such as NEA Jazz Masters, as well
as an annual report about the previous fiscal year’s activities and an annual guide that notes current NEA
initiatives, programs, and grant opportunities. The NEA Arts quarterly magazine takes a thematic approach to
discussing the arts, each issue tackling a different arts-related topic with the idea of demonstrating the best
examples of community engagement, content development, and a host of other pertinent subjects.
The Office of Public Affairs webcasts public meetings of the National Council on the Arts as well as concerts
and ceremonies for the two lifetime honors the agency awards. In addition, the office works with other NEA
units to produce webinars on a variety of arts-related topics. Such webinars allow the public to learn more about
NEA grant opportunities, to engage with content experts about NEA programs such as Big Read and Our Town,
and to participate in NEA Research presentations and events such as those sponsored by the Interagency Task
Force on the Arts and Human Development.
The NEA’s social media platforms complement the agency’s website and publications to further engage the
public with this rich content, as well as provide a larger audience for future webcasts, webinars, and press
releases.
External Factors
As with much social impact research, studies of arts participation and arts education continue to show
correlative, but not conclusively causal, linkages between those activities and outcomes in other areas. Also,
economic impact studies have struggled to isolate the impact of arts and culture from other local factors. Impact
analyses in the arts will require creative research methods; more robust data collection involving federal,
academic, and commercial partners; regular convenings with the Nation’s cultural research experts; and smarter
metrics.
Regarding public outreach and communications, most of the NEA’s exposure to the public formerly occurred
through the traditional media of newspapers, periodicals, and radio and television broadcasts, over which the
agency had little control other than providing information. With the Internet, the Arts Endowment has more
direct channels to the public through its website and social media platforms (while still working with traditional
media). The NEA will continue to find the best methods of using the various Internet platforms to promote arts
and arts participation in the United States.
Performance Goal
Half of the performance goal for this strategic objective focuses on the accomplishment of milestones detailed
in the NEA’s Research Agenda. Because this agenda is based on a System Map and Measurement Model that
explores the role of the arts in American society from multiple dimensions, accomplishing the milestones set
out in the Research Agenda can help the NEA speak to the many dimensions along which the arts have value
and impact in society.
The second half of the performance goal focuses on the breadth and depth of public engagement with NEA
publications, social media content, and information about grants and funding opportunities. The NEA plans to
explore methods for measuring the impact that NEA research produces within academic research journals and

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other commercial outlets such as consumer and trade news outlets in print, broadcast, and online formats, as
well as social media channels.

Strategic Objective 3.2
Increase the domestic and international impact of the arts by establishing strategic partnerships with public
and private organizations.
As the federal government’s lead agency in supporting the arts, and as its primary sponsor of arts-related
research, the Arts Endowment is a vital resource for domestic and international organizations that have common
cause with the NEA. At the federal level, the Arts Endowment can communicate knowledge about the value
and/or impact of the arts to other agencies and departments to complement their efforts to serve the American
people. Internationally, the NEA can raise awareness among other countries and cultures about the exemplary
offerings of American artists. Alternatively, the agency can expose American audiences to new and exciting
works being created abroad.
Strategies
1) Identify target federal agencies that perceive great value in enhancing the role of arts in their program
planning. Cultivate relationships with those organizations to explore formal and/or informal partnerships.
2) Identify international partners that have the means, opportunity, and inclination to pursue a strategic goal
shared by the NEA. Cultivate relationships with those organizations.
3) Work efficiently and effectively with the SAAs and RAOs to explore strategies that can help the agency
fulfill this strategic objective.
Contributing Programs
In recent years, the NEA has formed or enhanced strategic partnerships with the Departments of Education,
Commerce, Agriculture, Health and Human Services, Defense, Interior, and State, in addition to working with
the Institute of Museum & Library Services, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Science
Foundation, the Smithsonian Institution, the Library of Congress, the National Park Service, and the
Environmental Protection Agency, among others. (See illustration, below.)

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The Arts Endowment has also historically played a formal and informal role in cultural diplomacy through the
arts, from the development of programs with government arts agencies in China, Japan, Pakistan, or Egypt, in
concert with the U.S. Department of State, to bringing American art to audiences in Russia and Mexico. Over
the next five years, the NEA will continue efforts to strengthen cultural ties and promote the exchange of artistic
resources between the United States and its international partners.
External Factors
Changes in administration and constrained budgets invariably result in changes to the agenda that public
agencies are able to pursue. Adjusting to these changes in agency agendas requires flexibility and focus in
maintaining partnerships. These kinds of complications are magnified when dealing with relations between the
NEA and cultural agencies abroad.
Performance Goal
To track ongoing accomplishments in achieving this strategic objective, the NEA will rely on a combination of
quantitative and qualitative measures to express the breadth and depth of partnerships with other federal

21

agencies, as well as the impact of partnerships with various kinds of organizations to promote exposure of
American artworks and audiences to audiences and artworks from other countries.

Agency Management Goal: Enable the NEA Mission through Organizational Excellence
Management Objective 1.1
Provide the American people with outstanding service by attracting, maintaining, and optimizing a diverse,
creative, productive, and motivated workforce.
To accomplish strategic goals 1 through 3, the Arts Endowment requires a workforce that demonstrates the
qualities of creativity and excellence identified with the agency’s mission. The NEA is committed to recruiting
a diverse and competent workforce, ensuring that employees have the resources and technologies they need to
excel in their jobs, and fostering a climate of personal and professional accountability.
Strategies
1) Recruit a diverse, highly-skilled, and competent workforce.
2) Support the workforce with efficient and effective human resource policies, opportunities for training, and
access to information technologies.
3) Encourage and reward creative and innovative problem-solving.
4) Foster a climate of personal and professional accountability.
5) Maintain a workplace free from discrimination as defined by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission.
Contributing Programs
The NEA has taken steps to foster an environment that supports a highly productive, creative, and motivated
workforce. In addition to government-wide benefits—including incentive awards program (when available),
family-friendly leave policies, and flexible/alternative work schedules, the NEA provides wellness services,
such as its interagency agreement with Federal Occupational Health (FOH) to provide health center services to
agency staff.
External Factors
People make decisions about where to work based on several criteria, among them organization mission,
working environment, salary, and benefits. As with all federal agencies, the NEA cannot control all of these
factors, so it must use the full range of government hiring and compensation flexibilities currently available to
find, hire, and retain the best people.
Performance Goal
To maintain the highest standard of organizational excellence, the agency regularly will monitor employee
feedback. A key strategy for collecting employee feedback is the OPM Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey,
which identifies specific areas as needing improvement. With this strategic plan, employee feedback becomes

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part of the NEA’s performance measurement. This information will be used to improve recruitment and
retention strategies for high-performing workers.

Management Objective 1.2
Be an effective and vigilant steward of public funds by sustaining transparent and efficient grant-making and
administrative processes.
In addition to holding its workers accountable—and being accountable to its workers—the NEA has a duty to
the American taxpayer. Its responsibilities extend to the financial integrity of its operations, but also to its
communication with members of the public who seek to use the agency’s services.
NEA operations improve as a result of using clear and understandable reporting, proper internal controls,
meaningful performance measures, continuous assessment to achieve desired outcomes, and effective
management. The NEA management will regularly review progress toward achieving outcomes, and
continuously improve by planning, executing, evaluating, and adjusting actions to achieve desired results.
Performance data, supplemented by information provided by grantees through applications and final reports,
will be reviewed quarterly and reported semi-annually as part of this effort.
Strategies
1) Maintain financial integrity throughout the agency.
2) Promote data-driven decision-making and information-sharing practices throughout the agency.
3) Improve grants management and grantee compliance. Provide technical assistance to applicants and grantees
through outreach efforts.
4) Expand the use of technology to improve productivity and efficiency.
5) Foster a climate of organizational accountability.
Contributing Programs
The Arts Endowment continually seeks ways to improve the efficiency of its operations, and technology has
been an effective tool in this regard. For example, the NEA will expand the use of the NEA GrantsOnline™
(NEA-GO) System and remote panels, both of which were pilot-tested in 2012-2013.
The NEA-GO system allows grants panelists to have access to more application material in advance of panel
meetings than in the past, and to score and comment on applications online, improving the quality of application
review. NEA-GO also provides staff with new tools for the application review process, improving efficiency
and productivity. Remote panels reduce costs and streamline the application review process for panelists and
staff.
The NEA has also renewed its partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities to develop and
deploy a cloud-based grants management system known as eGMS. The agency expects the benefit of this
partnership to include cost savings through shared services and systems, and streamlined and standardized
processes among agencies. Finally, the Arts Endowment recently launched a new online service that allows

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members of the public to search the NEA’s grants database for information about awards dating back more than
a decade.
External Factors
There are fewer external factors that affect this management objective than affect most of the other objectives in
this strategic plan. Provided that the agency is able to maintain the resources to continue to support the kinds of
programs that contribute to achieving this objective, progress will be sustainable.
Performance Goal
To monitor the agency’s success at continuing to be an effective and vigilant steward of public funds, the NEA
will track progress on the technical advances outlined here. The agency will also monitor feedback from grant
applicants to ensure the support and guidance provided to the public on the process for obtaining awards is clear
and easily accessible.

Cross-Cutting Objective 1.1
Ensure that NEA-funded activities reach Americans throughout the country by making awards for projects that
address a diverse spectrum of artistic disciplines, geographic locations, and underserved populations.
In its founding legislation, the NEA was charged with the responsibility of widening the availability of art,
particularly to historically underserved populations—those whose opportunities to experience the arts are
limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. Since its creation, the NEA has dedicated
considerable resources, developed several leadership initiatives, and strengthened its partnerships with State
Arts Agencies and Regional Arts Organizations to realize the vision of a nation in which the arts enrich the lives
of all Americans.
Of particular concern with regard to underserved groups is the connection between income and arts
participation. National survey data show large disparities in arts participation rates by income and education
level. Despite this challenge, an analysis of NEA grants awarded from 2009-2010 shows that more than 53
percent of arts events sponsored by NEA grants are held in Census tracts with median household incomes below
$50,000, suggesting new opportunities for arts participation in those communities.
One program employed by the agency for ensuring a diverse distribution of grants to underserved communities
is the Challenge America Fast-Track category. Challenge America Fast-Track offers support primarily to small
and mid-sized organizations for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations. Grants are
available for professional arts programming and for projects that emphasize the potential of the arts in
community development. In the last fiscal year, nearly 35 percent of Challenge America Fast-Track awards
were made to first-time grantees; the NEA will continue to improve outreach to this important constituency.
In addition, a portion of each state arts agency partnership grant is designated for reaching underserved
communities within the state, and a portion of each Regional Arts Organization grant is designated for touring
arts activities to underserved populations within the region.
Strategies
1) Fund grants across a diverse spectrum of artistic disciplines and geographic areas.
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2) Enhance geographic data collection and reporting capabilities to ensure that grants are being funded across
the United States.
3) Develop and support leadership initiatives that provide opportunities for the Arts Endowment to address
special artistic or cultural needs—whether field- or geography-based.
4) Maintain a fair and effective review process that provides reviewers with adequate information to determine
which projects meet the highest standards of excellence, and instills public confidence in the agency’s decisionmaking process.
5) Work efficiently and effectively with the SAAs and RAOs to explore mutual strategies that can help the
agency fulfill this cross-cutting objective.
Contributing Programs
All of the Arts Endowment’s activities, including its direct grants and the funds awarded through SAAs and
RAOs, contribute to this cross-cutting agency objective. To guarantee complete coverage by our programs, the
agency will continue to award at least one grant in every congressional district. Each year the agency analyzes
the geographic distribution of its grants and conducts outreach to eliminate gaps. Enhanced geographic data
collection and analysis should help maximize the impact of these outreach efforts.
External Factors
The decision to apply for a grant, whether it is directly from the NEA or from one of the SAAs or RAOs with
which the NEA has a partnership, is affected by many factors. For instance, organizations may lack the
technical capacity or human resources necessary to submit a grant application, obtain matching funds (where
required by the NEA), or comply with federal reporting requirements.
Performance Goal
To assess performance on this cross-cutting agency objective, the NEA will monitor the distribution of awards
across the spectrum of artistic disciplines and geographic areas to ensure that they reach Americans across the
country.

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Conclusion
The NEA’s strategic goals and objectives build on the two-word premise from the opening section of this plan.
The three ways that “Art works” (as works of art, as ways art works on audiences, and art as work) are reflected
in the agency’s portfolio, which includes: projects involving arts creation; projects that engage audiences,
learners, and whole communities; and projects that raise public awareness of the measurable contributions of
artists and artworks in everyday life.
To assess the performance of that portfolio on an ongoing basis, the NEA's Office of Research & Analysis is
undertaking several comprehensive efforts:


Independent, Post-Award Reviews. The agency will institute post-award, independent, citizen-expert
reviews of selected NEA grants to determine the degree to which objectives were achieved. Grants
awarded for the creation of artworks will be evaluated to determine the degree to which NEA-supported
projects demonstrate excellence.



Audience Surveys. For grants that involve the presentation of art performances or exhibits, the NEA will
provide grantees with access to a web-based survey instrument that will query audience members about
the nature and extent of their responses to these art experiences. In addition, the surveys will ask about
audience members’ prior exposure to similar events and activities.
The NEA will encourage grantees to promote the survey link widely before, during, and after
presentation of the agency-funded performance or exhibit. The survey results thus will give the NEA a
snapshot of attitudinal and/or motivational changes that occurred as a result of NEA grants supporting
the engagement of Americans with diverse and excellent art.



Grant Applicant Surveys. NEA grant applicants are surveyed anonymously upon submission of their
applications so that the agency can learn about their experiences in using and understanding the grant
application guidelines on the NEA website as well as the quality of interactions with NEA staff while
preparing applications. Where appropriate, this information is used to refine the grant application
process.

All such efforts will benefit from the recent establishment of a program evaluation function within the
NEA’s Office of Research & Analysis. The office will analyze data collected for informational and strategic
purposes and present the findings to NEA staff and leadership on a periodic basis, helping to improve the
agency’s overall decision-making. Formal and informal sharing of performance data will contribute to
organizational excellence, which is critical to the NEA’s ability to advance artistic excellence, creativity,
and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities.
In addition to tracking the direct outcomes of the agency's programs and grants activity, the NEA has
improved its ability to measure ongoing trends in the arts and cultural sector. By monitoring these trends,
the agency will gain insights that will allow more evidence-based decision-making, while informing the
public of gaps and opportunities.

26

For example, the NEA has begun an annual arts "benchmarking" survey, in cooperation with the U.S.
Census Bureau, to take the pulse of arts participation in a nationally representative sample of adults.
Similarly, the NEA is creating a series of national indicators to track the outcomes that matter most to
communities conducting creative placemaking projects—such as those made possible through the agency's
Our Town program. More recently, the NEA embarked on an interagency agreement with the U.S. Bureau
of Economic Analysis to develop a national satellite account on arts and cultural production. The account
will track, for the first time in U.S. history, the value added by the arts to the nation's economy. All of these
measures will reinforce the central claim of this strategic plan: Art works for America.
Note: In updating its strategic plan for FY 2014-2018, the NEA notified Congress and posted a draft on the
agency's website, along with a survey tool to collect feedback from the general public. The NEA consulted
those comments in revising the document into the current version.

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