Regional arts organizations across the United States are speaking out against recent cuts made by the National Endowment for the Arts.
In the last month, the Trump administration proposed budget cuts for the forthcoming fiscal year that would effectively eliminate the agency in 2026. In response, the NEA canceled many of its 2025 grants.
The national collective of U.S. Regional Arts Organizations wrote a joint statement urging “Congress to restore the grant funding in support of the arts, culture, and creativity that was passed during the last budgetary approval process, in addition to maintaining its broad bipartisan commitment to funding the NEA in next year’s budget. As the landscape of support for our cultural infrastructure continues to be eroded, we remain steadfast in our commitment to stand with you in defending and preserving our nation’s artistic and cultural agencies.”
The cancelations impact humanities councils across 56 states and jurisdictions, which collectively expected to receive about $65 million from the NEH out of its approximately $210 million annual budget. Many state councils depend on funding from NEH grants to support museums, historical sites, and community projects.
“Now is the moment to act,” the letter goes on say, expressing solidarity. “We stand shoulder to shoulder with you and all of the advocates fighting to ensure that your vital work continues for generations to come.”
The collective is comprised of the six place-based nonprofit arts service organizations Arts Midwest, Creative West (formerly WESTAF), Mid-America Arts Alliance, Mid Atlantic Arts, New England Foundation for the Arts, South Arts, and USRAO.
Together, their plea is just the latest among a larger national rallying cry around the agency, with three humanities organizations currently suing the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) over its dismantling.
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