March 23, 2015

From: Isaac Brown, Legislative Counsel
Vol. 15:03

Tomorrow is Arts Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C., when arts advocates from around the country gather on Capitol Hill to urge support for the arts in federal policy. As a new legislative session begins this year, this is an excellent time to be making the case for robust funding for our priorities in Congress. If you are planning to attend, thank you for your time and efforts. If you are unable to attend, you can still participate in this important activity by reaching out to your legislators by phone or e-mail and urging them to support funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

NASAA and other arts advocacy organizations are urging Congress to fund the NEA at $155 million in fiscal year 2016. This would represent an increase of about $9 million over current funding levels. In making the case for funding, please remind your elected officials that 40% of all programmatic dollars appropriated to the NEA goes directly to state and regional arts organizations. This fact is particularly compelling to members of Congress, who are always looking for ways to connect federal funding to their districts. The federal-state partnership between the NEA and state arts agencies means that funding for the NEA has an impact in every congressional district in the country.

If you have questions, or would like information specific to your state, please do not hesitate to reach out to NASAA’s research team.