NEA Announces ‘American Heroes’ Grants

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has awarded 50 grants of $25,000 each for arts projects celebrating the national heroes listed by President Donald Trump in Executive Order 13978, “Building the National Garden of American Heroes.”

The awards come months after the NEA canceled funding to a swath of literary organizations and eliminated its creative writing fellowship program, in response to pressure from President Trump. Since then, the NEA was named as a key partner in President Trump’s “Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday” executive order, which calls for the establishment of the Garden of Heroes.

Among the new awards, only two are funding literary projects. Log Cabin Literary Center in Boise, Idaho received funding to support teaching writer fees for a youth creative writing program celebrating Dr. Seuss and Emily Dickinson. The New York–based nonprofit Rattapallax was awarded funds to support the creation of an “augmented reality” comic book honoring Harriet Tubman.

“As our nation approaches its 250th anniversary, the National Endowment for the Arts is honored to support communities across the country in recognizing the individuals whose contributions have defined our history,” said NEA senior advisor Mary Anne Carter. “Through artistic expression, these projects will both commemorate these heroes’ legacies while affirming the enduring role of the arts in shaping America’s future.”