National Council on the Arts

The National Council on the Arts is a civilian independent agency whose mission centers on advising the National Endowment for the Arts on policy, programs, and funding priorities across federal support for the visual and performing arts. The Council operates as a deliberative and policy-making body rather than a direct contracting or grant-making entity; it does not itself issue contracts or administer grant awards. The agency's role is to recommend funding allocations and programmatic direction to the NEA leadership, which executes grant awards and manages contracts on behalf of the federal arts-funding apparatus.

No recent federal contract or grant activity is recorded against the National Council on the Arts or its descendant offices.