WhereTaxMoneyGoesNational Endowment for the Arts (NEA): federal spending, contracts and grants
In fiscal year 2026, National Endowment for the Arts reported $184.2 million in obligations and $137.2 million in outlays, about 0.0% of all budgetary resources tracked on USAspending. Below: where its award money went, who received the most, and how its spending has changed since FY 2017.
FY 2026 figures are still being reported by agencies and will change as late submissions arrive.
Mission
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that funds, promotes, and strengthens the creative capacity of our communities by providing all Americans with diverse opportunities for arts participation.
How NEA awarded money in FY 2026
Award obligations are the part of an agency's spending that goes out as contracts, grants, loans, direct payments and other awards to outside recipients. The rest pays for salaries, internal operations and transfers that are not awards.
| Award type | Amount | Relative size |
|---|---|---|
| Grants | $150.3 million | |
| Contracts | $8.8 million |
Obligations by fiscal year
FY 2026 obligations of $184.2 million were up 4% from FY 2025 ($177.0 million) and compare with $159.2 million in FY 2017.
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Amount |
|---|---|
| FY 2026 | $184.2 million |
| FY 2025 | $177.0 million |
| FY 2024 | $207.8 million |
| FY 2023 | $201.7 million |
| FY 2022 | $261.1 million |
| FY 2021 | $221.2 million |
| FY 2020 | $242.0 million |
| FY 2019 | $157.5 million |
| FY 2018 | $153.8 million |
| FY 2017 | $159.2 million |
Top recipients, FY 2026
Ranked by award obligations from NEA. "Multiple recipients" groups aggregated or redacted records, such as payments to individuals.
| # | Recipient | Amount | Relative size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arts Midwest, Incorporated | $6.5 million | |
| 2 | The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, INC. | $4.8 million | |
| 3 | Mid Atlantic Arts, INC. | $3.7 million | |
| 4 | Mid-America Arts Alliance | $3.5 million | |
| 5 | South Arts, INC. | $2.6 million | |
| 6 | Innosoft Corporation | $2.6 million | |
| 7 | Creative West | $2.5 million | |
| 8 | Leading Authorities INC | $2.3 million | |
| 9 | National Assembly of State Arts Agencies | $2.2 million | |
| 10 | State of California Arts Council | $1.6 million |
Top states, FY 2026
By place of performance — where the work is done or the money is used.
| # | State | Amount | Relative size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $14.4 million | |
| 2 | New York | $12.7 million | |
| 3 | Maryland | $11.3 million | |
| 4 | California | $9.0 million | |
| 5 | Minnesota | $8.1 million | |
| 6 | Colorado | $6.2 million | |
| 7 | Georgia | $5.2 million | |
| 8 | Missouri | $5.1 million | |
| 9 | Texas | $4.9 million | |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $4.6 million |
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Source data last updated November 4, 2026 · Imported November 6, 2026 · Dollar figures are nominal and rounded. How these numbers are calculated · Report a problem