Urge Senate Support for FY2025 Arts Funding

The U.S. Congress is out of session this week for the July 4th holiday. Before members left town, we saw a flurry of activity related to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Specifically, the long-awaited fiscal year 2025 funding proposal from the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee was released, calling for the NEA’s appropriation to be reduced from $207 million to $203.895 million. While it is disappointing to see this proposed reduction, we have to consider that House Republicans are under substantial pressure to reduce overall spending, and so the chances of a funding package leaving the NEA harmless were almost nil. Further, It is worth noting that last year’s bill from the House proposed a much steeper (10%) cut, so the current proposal demonstrates the continued support the agency continues to have from key decision makers in the chamber.

When Congress returns to D.C. after the holiday, we also expect the Senate, which as of this writing has not released its FY2025 budget draft, to do so. Last year, you may recall that in the aftermath of the House’s proposal to slash funding for the arts, the Senate responded with a strong bipartisan consensus to maintain level funding for the NEA. While we hope to see similar support in the Senate this year, we must not take anything for granted.

Therefore, if you have not done so already, I would strongly encourage you to touch base with your senators to share the following points:

Urge them to oppose the House’s proposed cut, and to support level funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. In doing so, remind them that 40% of all grant dollars allocated to the NEA go directly to state arts agencies and regional arts organizations.
Emphasize that public funding for arts and creativity is a high-return investment that benefits every American in every city, town and rural community nationwide. (See Arts and Creativity Strengthen Our Nation for additional talking points.)
Tell them about new developments within your agency and about the vital role federal support for the NEA has on your agency’s programming. This information is critically important, because it personalizes the proposed cuts and helps members of Congress understand the real-life impact.

As we await the Senate’s proposal, it is crucial for advocates of the arts to remain vocal and engaged. The small size of the proposed reduction by the House of Representatives is a testament to the efficacy of our efforts thus far, and it is equally important that our champions in the Senate hear from us as well.

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