<P> The National Endowment for the Arts ( NEA ) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence . It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government . The NEA has its offices in Washington , D.C. It was awarded Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre in 1995 , as well as the Special Tony Award in 2016 . In March of 2017 , a proposal to eliminate all federal funding for the program was put forward by the Trump administration . </P>
what is the mission of the national endowment for the arts
support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence