NEA Big Read set to celebrate America250
Matching grants available for community reading programs
INTENT TO APPLY DEADLINE: Thursday, January 15, 2026
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and Arts Midwest are now accepting applications for the 2026/2027 cycle of the NEA Big Read, a national program that offers matching grants of up to $20,000 to support community-wide reading programs.
This year’s NEA Big Read will center around the theme America250, honoring the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, marking America’s semiquincentennial.
The 24 books available for programming this cycle celebrate America’s culture, history, and resilience through the eyes of its people. Using a book selection as inspiration, applicants will facilitate discussions, writing workshops, and creative programming activities that explore this theme and celebrate the unique aspects of their communities.
“As we mark our nation’s 250th anniversary, the NEA Big Read provides communities with an opportunity to reflect on our identity and envision our future,” said Mary Anne Carter, senior advisor at the National Endowment for the Arts. “By coming together through reading and meaningful dialogue, we can honor our collective history, celebrate America’s rich cultural heritage, and strengthen the bonds within our communities.”
A mandatory Intent to Apply is due January 15, 2026, with final applications due January 29, 2026. Funded programs will take place between September 2026 and June 2027.
Read more about eligibility and how to apply in the guidelines.
Explore the 2026-27 NEA Big Read Library
Stories from American History: Nonfiction
- 1776 by David McCullough
- Almost a Miracle by John E. Ferling
- Betsy Ross and the Making of America by Marla R. Miller
- The Glorious Cause by Robert Middlekauff
- Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom by Catherine Clinton
- Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass
- Washington’s Crossing by David Hackett Fischer
- Women of the Revolution: Bravery and Sacrifice on the Southern Battlefields by Robert M. Dunkerly
Classic Books of American Literature
- A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
- A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines
- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
- The Call of the Wild, White Fang, and Other Stories by Jack London
- The Essential Emily Dickinson by Emily Dickinson
- The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Great Tales and Poems by Edgar Allan Poe
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- True Grit by Charles Portis
Contemporary American Literature
- An American Sunrise by Joy Harjo
- The Big Smoke by Adrian Matejka
- Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
- The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
- In The Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick
- The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
About the National Endowment for the Arts
Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that is the largest funder of the arts and arts education in communities nationwide and a catalyst of public and private support for the arts. By advancing opportunities for arts participation and practice, the NEA fosters and sustains an environment in which the arts benefit everyone in the United States.
About Arts Midwest
Arts Midwest supports, informs, and celebrates Midwestern creativity. We build community and opportunity across Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, the Native Nations that share this geography, and beyond. As one of six nonprofit United States Regional Arts Organizations, Arts Midwest works to strengthen local arts and culture efforts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, state agencies, private funders, and many others.