NEA: ArtsHERE Evaluation

The NEA, in partnership with South Arts and in collaboration with the five other U.S. Regional Arts Organizations (RAOs), launched a new grant program, ArtsHERE, in 2023. ArtsHERE was designed to support organizations that had demonstrated a commitment to equity within their practices and programming and had undertaken consistent engagement with underserved groups/communities. Grants were awarded for specific projects intended to strengthen the organization’s capacity to sustain meaningful community engagement and increase arts participation for underserved groups/communities. Grantees also were provided access to peer-learning and technical assistance opportunities designed to share knowledge and build networks.

As a pilot program, the NEA planned to document and evaluate ArtsHERE to better understand the project activities supported and how grantees approached this work. Dr. Shaffer, during her tenure at the NEA, designed the ArtsHERE evaluation using an equitable evaluation approach. During the program design phase, the RAO and NEA teams worked collaboratively to design a theory of change and logic model for the new program, while an external advisory team of evaluators and community stakeholders influenced the evaluation design and instrumentation. The evaluation, along with the program, was shut down in 2025.