From the Chairman

The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts - both new and established - bringing the arts to all Americans, and providing leadership in arts education. For nearly four decades, the Arts Endowment has encouraged creativity through support of performances, exhibitions, festivals, artist residencies, and educational programs throughout the country.

The National Endowment for the Arts is the nation's largest annual funder of the arts. In FY 2003, the Arts Endowment awarded nearly 2,000 grants totaling more than $100 million to arts organizations and artists in all 50 states and the six U.S. jurisdictions. The Arts Endowment has played a transformative and sustaining role in the development of regional theater, opera, dance, orchestras, museums, and other arts - both contemporary and traditional - that Americans now enjoy.

More than 25 years ago the Arts Endowment established a partnership with state and regional arts agencies to develop a network of folk arts specialists throughout the country. This commitment continues through our Folk & Traditional Arts Infrastructure Initiative, which offers funding for the development and maintenance of support systems for folk arts programs. Recent grants have been awarded for state and regional folk arts positions, master/apprentice programs, and technical assistance services to traditional artists and community-based organizations. The folk arts are vital to our nation's cultural heritage, and the National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support programs of artistic excellence in this field.

The National Endowment for the Arts pledges to provide accurate, timely, and clear information about our policies and procedures. We will also strive to respond to inquiries in a courteous and efficient manner. By supporting exceptional programs, the Arts Endowment helps to ensure that America is a nation in which artistic excellence is celebrated, supported, and available to all.

Dana Gioia
Chairman

National Endowment for the Arts
webmgr@arts.endow.gov