There are two distinct grant opportunities for the New England States Touring (NEST) program: NEST 1 and NEST 2. Organizations engaging rural communities and/or Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities are encouraged to apply.
NEST 1
Funds the public presentation and community engagement activities of a New England artist presented by a New England nonprofit organization based in a different New England state from the artist’s home state.
NEST 2
Funds the public presentation and community engagement activities of a New England artist presented by two New England nonprofit organizations. A NEST 2 tour must include one presenting organization based inside of the artist’s home state and one other organization from outside of the artist’s home state.
Both presenting organizations must complete their own application and both applications must be submitted for the same deadline. Both the in-state and out-of-state presenting organizations must have their grant applications approved in order to for all presenters to receive funding. If only the out-of-state partner’s application is approved for funding, the engagement may be converted into a NEST 1 grant.
A “presenter” is defined as an organization that financially compensates an artist/ensemble (where the artist/ensemble is a separate entity from the presenter) for performance(s) in the presenter’s community. Producing organizations that solely create artistic work or assemble artists to perform as ensembles for performances are not eligible to apply. Presenters may include arts centers, festivals, social service organizations, libraries, schools, and more.
There are three application deadlines each year. They are the first business days of August, December, and April. In NEFA’s FY26 (June 1, 2025 – May 31, 2026), there will only be two deadlines: December 1, 2025 and April 1, 2026.
Presenting organizations may submit a maximum of two NEST 1 and/or NEST 2 applications, in any combination, per deadline .
Grants provide up to 60% of the artist fee and range from $500 to a maximum of $5,000. Artists’ fees may include costs for creation of new work, travel, and per diem.
Applications with artist fees under $2,000 may request the full artist fee.
The artist must be listed as NEST-Eligible on the CreativeGround directory.
Organizations may submit a maximum of two NEST 1 and/or NEST 2 applications, in any combination, per deadline. NEST grants are awarded through a competitive selection process, and the amount of funding awarded is based on the extent to which the project meets the funding criteria. Many applicants receive partial funding and should be prepared to meet the artist fee with other funding sources.
ELIGIBILITY:
Be a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, school, federally recognized Indian tribal government, or unit of state or local government. (Nonprofit organizations do not have to be arts organizations. Organizations that do not have a federal tax identification number may apply if part of an official government agency). Fiscal agents cannot be funded through NEST.
Be based in New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont).
Have a Unique Entity ID in SAM.gov. The federal government requires that all NEFA organizational grant recipients supported by federal funds register for a SAM.gov UEI (Unique Entity ID). Getting a UEI is a free process and can be done by visiting SAM.gov. Read our blog post with more details.
Provide documentation of their compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). Please visit our Arts & Accessibility page for details.
Maintain an updated profile in the CreativeGround directory for their cultural nonprofit. (For assistance, see the CreativeGround profile tips page, and aim for a profile score of 16.) If the applicant nonprofit is not a cultural or arts-based organization, please contact Audrey Seraphin (she/her/hers) to confirm your organization’s qualification for a CreativeGround profile.
Present a public presentation of the artist/ensemble named in the application. A public presentation is defined as an event that is open to the public and advertised accordingly. The presentation must feature the artistic work of the named artist/ensemble.
A public presentation for literary projects must include a public reading by the NEST-eligible artist.
A public presentation for film projects must include a public film screening with the NEST-eligible artist/filmmaker.
UPCOMING DEADLINE: April 1st, 2026
