The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is hosting three webinars over the next two months to provide information to potential applicants in the areas of media arts and creative placemaking. On May 23 at 3:00 p.m. ET, NEA Media Arts staff will hold its Art Works II – Media Arts Guidelines Webinar for potential Art Works applicants in the Media Arts focus area (deadline July 12, 2018), with a section covering program guidelines followed by a question and answer period. First-time prospective applicants seeking resources for the artistic exploration of new technologies, such as creative or open-source code, virtual/augmented/mixed reality, and artificial intelligence are strongly encouraged to register for this webinar.

NEA’s latest Our Town competition is now open (deadline August 9, 2018) and NEA is offering two webinars to help potential applicants. Our Town Grants support collaborative projects that integrate arts, culture, and design activities into efforts that strengthen communities by advancing local economic, physical, and/or social outcomes. The first webinar, Our Town: How to Apply, will be held June 20, 2018 at 3:00 p.m. During the webinar, NEA Design & Creative Placemaking Program Specialists will walk through the application process and provide helpful hints for navigating the NEA’s new application portal. The second webinar, Our Town: Tips & Tricks for a Successful Application, will be held June 27, 2018 at 3:00 p.m. NEA’s specialists will walk potential applicants through eligibility requirements and guidelines, point them to additional creative placemaking resources, and provide application tips.

NEA resources related to creative placemaking and the Our Town program can be found here. An overview and timeline for each of NEA’s grant programs for organizations (including Art Works and Our Town) is available here.