History/Overview of NEA Big Read

HomeProgramsNEA Big ReadHistory/Overview of NEA Big Read

The National Endowment for the Arts, in partnership with Arts Midwest, created NEA Big Read to revitalize the role of literature in American culture and bring the transformative power of literature into the lives of its citizens. In 2006, the first ten grantee organizations dotted the United States. Since then, NEA Big Read has awarded over 1,400 grants to reach communities in all 50 states along with the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands reaching more than 4.8 million people.

Map of current participating organizations

Using the map below, click on a pin to bring up details about an organization and their grant award.

List of current grantee organizations

Past grantee organizations by program year