National Council for the Traditional Arts

The National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) is the nation's oldest non-profit organization dedicated to the presentation and documentation of traditional arts. We honor deeply rooted cultural expressions passed on through families, communities, and tribal, ethnic, regional, and occupational groups, presenting the finest traditional artists through programs that facilitate dynamic and exhilarating experiences for artists and audiences alike. 

In addition to our flagship program, the National Folk Festival, and its legacy festivals with which we proudly partner—the Lowell, Richmond, and Montana Folk Festivals—our initiatives also include cooperative agreements with the National Endowment for the Arts and National Park Service. Committed to fostering appreciation for our nation’s diversity and collective identity, the NCTA believes that the sustainability of and contact between American traditions promotes social and cultural cohesion essential to a healthy democratic society.