New England States Touring Grant Program

The New England States Touring (NEST) Grant is administered by the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), a regional organization that supports arts and cultural programming in the six New England states. The NEST program is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and state arts agencies across New England. Its primary objective is to facilitate public access to high-quality regional arts experiences by supporting nonprofit organizations that present New England artists in public performances, readings, and screenings. There are two main components within the NEST program: NEST 1 and NEST 2. NEST 1 supports public presentations and community engagement activities by New England artists performing in states different from their home state. In contrast, NEST 2 requires two separate nonprofit presenters—one in the artist’s home state and one in another New England state—to each apply independently. Both applications must be submitted by the same deadline and approved for the engagement to receive NEST 2 funding. If only the out-of-state application is approved, the project may be converted to NEST 1. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, schools, federally recognized Indian tribal governments, and units of state or local government based in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, or Vermont. Applicants must be registered with SAM.gov with a Unique Entity ID, comply with accessibility requirements, and maintain a current profile on CreativeGround. Artists must also meet residency and profile criteria to be considered NEST-eligible. Fiscal agents are not eligible. The artist(s) must be compensated and must not be part of a self-produced event or student performance. Funding from the NEST program may cover up to 60 percent of the artist fee, with a maximum award of $5,000. Applications involving fees under $2,000 may request full coverage. Artist fees can include costs for creating new work, travel, and per diem. Presenters may apply for a maximum of two NEST 1 or NEST 2 grants per deadline. The grant supports public events only and does not fund performances limited to classrooms, fundraisers, or projects already supported by specific NEFA initiatives like the National Dance Project. Grants are awarded based on criteria such as alignment with arts programming goals, opportunities for community engagement, collaboration across sectors, access to underserved communities, support for artist sustainability, and planning among partners. Projects providing new artistic experiences or involving community partnerships are prioritized. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact NEFA staff to ensure their project fits program guidelines. Applications must be submitted online by midnight of the posted deadlines. For fiscal year 2026, due to delays in federal funding confirmation, the traditional August deadline has been canceled. Instead, only two deadlines will be held: December 1, 2025, for projects starting February 15, 2026, or later, and April 1, 2026, for projects beginning July 1, 2026, or later. Grantees are notified approximately 6 to 8 weeks after submission. Grant payments may be issued in advance or as reimbursements, contingent upon submission of final reports, signed contracts, legislative notifications, and acknowledgment materials within 40 days of the funded event. For assistance, applicants may contact Audrey Seraphin, Program Manager, at 617-865-1825 or Adrienne Petrillo, Senior Program Director, at 617-423-1178. Additional resources and information can be found on NEFA’s NEST program webpage.

Applicants are highly encouraged to contact NEFA staff to confirm project fit and ensure artist is NEST-eligible