Promotion of the Arts – Folk and Traditional Arts

The National Endowment for the Arts administered Promotion of the Arts—Folk and Traditional Arts (CFDA 45.015), with the most recent grant award disbursed on November 1, 1996, making this program inactive for nearly 30 years. No grant opportunities are currently open or have been posted recently under this Assistance Listing.

The program funded documentation, presentation, performance, and apprenticeship projects centered on folk and traditional arts practices across ethnic, regional, and cultural communities. Representative awards supported state folk arts apprenticeship programs in Georgia, South Dakota, and Hawaii; video documentation of sacred dance traditions; radio programming of traditional storytelling; exhibitions of Mexican-American and textile arts; touring rosters of traditional artists; and workshops and performances featuring Native Alaskan, Filipino-American, African-American, and other cultural music and craft traditions.

All 29 awards in the portfolio were Project Grants, administered entirely by the National Endowment for the Arts. Award activity peaked in 1992 with 11 grants, declined sharply through 1994 (one award), then moderated to 2–4 awards annually through 1996 before ceasing. Combined federal dollars obligated totaled $110 thousand across the full 29-award history from July 1986 to November 1996, with typical individual awards ranging from under $200 to approximately $2,000, though three awards exceeded $9,000: a tour by Israel "Cachao" Lopez ($27,800), marketing and artistic development for Native Alaskan craftspeople in the Yukon Flats ($24,900), and a state folk arts apprenticeship program in Georgia ($1,525).

No active solicitation or recent opportunity posting is evident. Applicants should confirm current program status with the National Endowment for the Arts before investing in proposal development.