Stand Up for the Arts in America

A strong nation needs the arts—and the arts need strong advocacy from all of us.

Recent days have brought a storm of bad tidings for the arts. On Friday, May 2, the White House released a budget proposal recommending elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Shortly thereafter—following weeks of scrutiny from the Department of Government Efficiency—the NEA issued hundreds of grant termination notices. Many, though not all, direct grantees received letters saying that their awards have been rescinded.

As dark as these developments seem, they cannot deter us. They strengthen our resolve to advocate for federal and state arts resources. NASAA is already urging members of Congress to renew America’s federal investment in the arts. They need to hear from you, as well. NASAA’s statements on the Proposed Elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Cancellation of NEA Grants summarize recent events and put them in a strategic context. Return on Investment: Public Arts Funding equips you with evidence based talking points you can use to educate appropriators about why federal and state funds matter. Please contact your congressional delegation soon to express your support for the NEA.

The crucial work of the federal-state partnership will be the backbone of our future success. Partnership Agreements to state arts agencies have not been terminated. The NEA is complying with its mandate from Congress to allocate 40% of its grant funds to states and regions by preserving current Partnership Agreements. And at the May 1 National Council on the Arts meeting, new Partnership Agreements were approved for federal fiscal year 2025 to support states’ FY2026 activities. (These awards would not be affected by the White House’s $0 budget request for federal FY2026/state FY2027). This is helpful for the arts field as a whole, given the critical role that states and regions play in the nation’s arts infrastructure and the over 30,000 state grants that make the arts broadly accessible across our nation.

NASAA is a staunch advocate for 100% of NEA funding. We’re vigorously advocating to make the agency whole, which Congress has the authority and the opportunity to do. To that end, it will be critical for us to show our support for the NEA and to elevate the positive impact of the agency. Thanks in advance for lending your voice to those efforts.