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OMB Control No: 3135-0112	ICR Reference No: 202508-3135-001
Status: Active	Previous ICR Reference No: 202208-3135-002
Agency/Subagency: NEA	Agency Tracking No: 3135 NEA
Title: Blanket Justification for National Endowment for the Arts Funding Application Guidelines and Requirements
Type of Information Collection: Revision of a currently approved collection	Common Form ICR: No
Type of Review Request: Regular
OIRA Conclusion Action: Approved without change	Conclusion Date: 11/25/2025
Retrieve Notice of Action (NOA)	Date Received in OIRA: 08/29/2025
Terms of Clearance:

	Inventory as of this Action	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	11/30/2026	36 Months From Approved	11/30/2025
Responses	4,702	0	6,713
Time Burden (Hours)	104,096	0	131,032
Cost Burden (Dollars)	3,018,784	0	0

Abstract: Application guidelines, forms, and requirements elicit relevant information from individuals, non-profit organizations, and governmental agencies that apply for funding to the National Endowment for the Arts' grant categories. This information is necessary for the accurate, fair, and thorough consideration of competing proposals in the review process.

Authorizing Statute(s): US Code: 20 USC 954 Name of Law: National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
	Not associated with rulemaking

Federal Register Notices & Comments
60-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	90 FR 113	06/13/2025
30-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	90 FR 166	08/29/2025
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? Yes

ICR Summary of Burden

	Total Approved	Previously Approved	Change Due to Agency Discretion
Annual Number of Responses	4,702	6,713	-2,011
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	104,096	131,032	-26,936
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	3,018,784	0	3,018,784

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: Yes

Burden Increase Due to: Miscellaneous Actions

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: Yes

Burden Reduction Due to: Cutting Redundancy

Short Statement: With respect to the application guidelines and requirements, the federal government’s burden for these costs has decreased since 2022 from $2,698,626 to $2,228,748 due to the streamlining and consolidation of some funding programs, resulting in fewer incoming applications. Similarly, the cost to respondents for the same period of time has decreased from $3,659,705 to $3,018,784 due the same factors. We have carefully examined all of our grant funding opportunities to see where streamlining and consolidation might be desirable. Our efforts led us to simplify the application instructions and requirements, improve the presentation of application materials on our website, and refine our application webforms. NOFO word counts have been reduced between 27%-52%, making our application materials significantly easier for applicants to review. Application requirements have also been reduced: nonprofit applicants now have a 20% reduction in required application content. The estimated overall burden to government applicants has been adjusted to reflect a shift from collecting a full application from 1/3 of the applicant pool every three years, to a full application from all applicants annually. However, this has been offset by a reduction in the application requirements. Previously, we estimated that a full application would take approximately 32 hours to complete and submit, we now estimate that a full application will take 28 hours to complete and submit. Applicants in this program also have an option to direct reviewers to information in their state or regional plan, which further reduces the need to provide narrative content. Government applicants have a reduction of between 50-75% in required application content. Previous NEA ICR submissions did not include a dollar estimate for cost to applicants – these figures were found in our previous Supporting Statements. This year, we have also included the dollar estimate in the ICR, which makes it appear that the cost has risen, when in fact it has fallen from $3,659,705 in 2022 to $3,018,094 in 2025.

Annual Cost to Federal Government: $2,228,748

Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods? No

Does this ICR request any personally identifiable information (see OMB Circular No. A-130 for an explanation of this term)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination. Yes

Does this ICR include a form that requires a Privacy Act Statement (see 5 U.S.C. §552a(e)(3))? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination. Yes

Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]? No

Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]? No

Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)? No

Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response? No

Agency Contact: Daniel Beattie 202 682-5688 beattied@arts.gov

View ICR - OIRA Conclusion