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Touchstone Consulting Group Wins National Endowment for the Arts Contract

Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the NEA "is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education," according to the agency's Web site.

The NEA is the nation's largest annual funder of the arts; since its inception, it has awarded more than 130,000 grants totaling more than $4 billion. These grants fund artist residencies in schools, museum exhibitions, Internet initiatives, literary fellowships, national tours, international exchanges, theater festivals, design competitions, folk arts, historic preservation, and much more, according to the NEA.

Currently, the NEA accepts grant applications electronically through Grants.gov, the federal government's online application system. Under the terms of the contract, Touchstone will review the NEA's Grants Application Review Process to identify ways that the agency can better leverage technology moving forward.

More specifically, Touchstone will perform market research, analysis, and benchmarking. The company will conduct interviews with other federal agencies and organizations to compare their processes with the NEA's Grants Application Review Process. Armed with this knowledge, the company will suggest recommendations on how the NEA can update its digital strategy and transform its Grants Application Review Process.

While this contract marks Touchstone's first partnership with the NEA, the company currently provides similar services to the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Grants Management Line of Business (GMLoB) initiative. In addition, Touchstone has provided research, analysis, and benchmarking services for the Small Business Administration's (SBA) Business.gov Web site and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Headquartered in Washington D.C., Touchstone is a strategy management consulting firm that helps leaders develop, launch and manage their strategies. Touchstone's client base includes federal, state, local and tribal governments, non-profits and private organizations. Touchstone has helped numerous clients succeed by strengthening their focus, developing targeted strategies, and measuring results. For additional information, please visit www.touchstone.com.

Founded in 1978, SRA and its subsidiaries are dedicated to solving complex problems for government organizations. FORTUNE has named SRA one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" for 10 consecutive years. For additional information, please visit www.sra.com.

Touchstone Consulting Group
Melina Vissat, (202) 339-0246