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Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Air out of the sails': Arts groups scramble to respond to NEA grant terminations
Editor's note: Federal Fallout is a Tribune-Democrat news series addressing the potential local impact of funding cuts. JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – The Steeples Project has worked for years to revitalize historic churches in the Cambria City section of Johnstown, often leveraging grants, with the latest undertaking focused on turning the former St. Columba Catholic Church into a theater for live dramatic arts. Dave Hurst, project executive director, said the group needs 'every penny' of those dollars to help accomplish its aims, but recent changes to the federally funded National Endowment for the Arts has caused a disruption of its plans. Hurst said he was alerted by the NEA in early May that a previously awarded $20,000 grant had been terminated effective May 31. 'When I first read it, it was just air out of the sails,' he said. The funding was allocated for the Columba Theatre Project, and was set to pay for part of the construction documents. According to an email notification shared with The Tribune-Democrat, The Steeples Project award was terminated because the 'project no longer effectuates agency priorities.' The NEA, a federal arts group established by Congress in 1965, announced in May that updated grant-making policy priorities will 'focus funding on projects that reflect the nation's rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by (President Donald Trump).' 'Consequently, we are terminating awards that fall outside these new priorities,' the notice said. 'The NEA will not prioritize projects that elevate the nation's (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) and Hispanic-serving institutions, celebrate the 250th anniversary of American Independence, foster (artificial intelligence) competency, empower houses of worship to serve communities, assist with disaster recovery, foster skilled trade jobs, make America healthy again, support the military and veterans, support Tribal communities, make the District of Columbia safe and beautiful and support the economic development of Asian American Communities.' The Learning Lamp also lost a $10,000 NEA Challenge America grant for the nonprofit's Children's Book Festival. However, that funding gap was bridged by a donation from The Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Arts and the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation. The National Endowment for the Arts has a 2024 congressional allocation of more than $200 million, roughly half of which was requested for director endowment grants, including arts projects, including the Challenge America and Our Town programs. 'A scary time' The White House's budget request for the 2026 fiscal year calls for elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, according to the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies. 'It's a scary time,' Hurst said of the situation. Despite his grant being terminated, Hurst said he consulted with the federal arts group, and was told he should be able to draw down the $20,000 and not lose anything. The theater project is in its final design phase of a multi-year project that will cost several million dollars to complete. That includes development of dressing rooms, seating, a lobby, expanded event space, a box office, lighting, acoustical reflector and several other improvements. 'To do that, we will definitely need federal funding, and that will be an 'open question' now,' Hurst said, 'because at this point, I don't think anybody really knows what the parameters will be.' He submitted the request for the money May 13 and is waiting for a response. 'A lot of uncertainty' Matthew Lamb, executive director of the Bottle Works arts center in Cambria City, is also awaiting word regarding an NEA grant application he submitted in April. That funding would help develop the arts center's public art initiative and match funding from the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts' Creative Communities grant that Bottle Works was awarded. However, Lamb is unsure what the future of his application is now that the NEA has updated its grant-making policies. He said the momentum Bottle Works has built with public art installations – such as the murals on the Cambria County Library in downtown Johns-town, the Spider-Man mural on Stone Bridge Brewing Co. and the Steve Ditko display on the Tulip Building – feels as if it's stalled, Lamb said. 'There's a lot of uncertainty,' he said. Bottle Works has earned NEA grants in the past, which have helped support operations and undertakings at the facility in Cambria City, including the murals on the jersey barriers on Power Street. When he heard the national arts group was terminating grants, he said his reaction was that of 'sheer terror.' 'Defunding at the NEA doesn't just affect our arts organizations, but it affects all the small businesses in our communities,' Lamb said. He said investments in the arts offer significant returns for communities. 'Hurdle to overcome' The National Assembly of State Art Agencies notes arts and creative industries generate 'a $36.8 billion trade surplus and add $1.2 trillion in value to the U.S. gross domestic product.' 'The NEA and state arts agencies catalyze cultural production and grow the talent pool for this important American industry that creates 5.4 million jobs on American soil,' the NASAA said. Lamb said the economic impact apart from the arts centers is also noteworthy. Attendees at nonprofit arts events spend more than $34 per outing beyond entrance fees, at local retailers and restaurants, according to the NASAA. 'While many industries produce jobs and revenue, only the arts offer a fivefold bottom line that strengthens our nation,' the assembly said. 'Arts activity supported by the NEA and state arts agencies boosts economic productivity, improves education outcomes, fosters civic cohesion, facilitates good health, and preserves cherished traditions that tell our country's story. These are consensus values that all Americans want for their families and communities.' Although the Community Arts Center of Cambria County does not have an active endowment grant, Executive Director Angela Godin said she was notified that the Challenge America grant her nonprofit has relied on was terminated in the update. In the past, the arts center has used the Challenge America grant for outreach initiatives for what she called underserved and underrepresented populations. 'This was a shock and a disappointment,' she said. 'Fortunately, the Community Arts Center of Cambria County does not rely on this particular funding stream for annual programmatic needs. Nevertheless, it is still a loss and hurdle to overcome, especially with the uncertainty of other grant programs from the NEA.' Hurst said he's hopeful the situation will work out, but everyone will have to 'wait and see' what comes next. Lamb shared a similar note of positivity. 'The arts organizations in the area will find a way to navigate these situations,' Lamb said. 'That's what we do. We're creative.'
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Alabama nonprofit art studio that celebrates the autism community hit by Trump cuts to NEA
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — A nonprofit group dedicated to offering a space for autistic people to make and display their art is looking to the community for help after losing thousands of dollars in funding due to significant cuts the Trump administration has made to the National Endowment for the Arts. Studio by the Tracks, located in Irondale, has operated as a free studio and gallery for both children and adult on the autism spectrum, offering classes and giving artists a chance to display their work. In fact, the studio even sells different pieces done by these artists, giving 60% of the sales back to them. On Tuesday, the studio announced that with through cuts at the NEA, the ArtsHERE grant program had been eliminated, resulting in over $50,000 that had previously been awarded to them being gone. In his new fiscal budget, the Trump administration is seeking to do away with the NEA entirely, which would cause many arts groups across the country to losing significant chunks of their funding. 'The termination of the grant is a blow to our organization, our staff, our artists and caregivers,' the group wrote in a social media post Tuesday. ArtsHERE was first established last fall as a way to increase artistic and creative projects in underserved communities. Merrilee Challis, executive director of Studio by the Tracks, said that with the loss in funding, she and her staff will have to make difficult choices, including the possibility of cutting back on summer art programs they had been planning, as well as letting go of staff. 'I don't know what's going to happen with the youth program,' Challis said. 'It remains to be seen if the community will step up and shore up these losses.' Challis said that the studio, which was started in 1989, typically operates on a tight budget on a cycle-by-cycle basis, a third of their funding being from federal grants while the rest comes from philanthropic support and community donations. Challis said that with cuts to NEA, Studio by the Tracks has had trouble seeking funding other places. Two other grants that they had previously applied for through the Challenge America program and the Alabama Humanities Alliance have already been cancelled. Challis said having a program that serves the autism community should be one that people can get behind, one that allows autistic individuals, both verbal and nonverbal, the opportunity to speak through their art with every color, brush stroke and line they use. 'It's the power of art that is communicating what is inside these people and it's beautiful,' she said. 'It should not be political. It's about expression.' Currently, Studio by the Tracks is hosting a membership drive for $15 a month. Challis also encourages the community to buy some of their art for sale online, the majority of the proceeds going to the artists. For more information, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
CT theaters scrambling after NEA grants are rescinded as Trump looks to eliminate the agency
Several major Connecticut theaters were abruptly informed that National Endowment for the Arts grants, which had already been awarded, were rescinded. 'This is to inform you that the above referenced National Endowment for the Arts award has been terminated, effective May 31, 2025,' the letter reads. 'The NEA is updating its grant making policy priorities to focus funding on projects that reflect the nation's rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the president. Consequently, we are terminating awards that fall outside these new priorities.' Goodspeed Musicals in East Haddam lost a $60,000 NEA grant it had received to develop a promising new musical they'd been involved with for years, 'Little Miss Perfect.' The Oddfellows Playhouse in Middletown, one of the leading youth theater programs in the state since the mid-1970s, will no longer receive $10,000 meant to support an original theater project about issues confronting high school youth from underserved communities. Other affected theaters in the state include the Yale Repertory Theater, which had been awarded $30,000 for a new stage adaptation of Nora Zeale Hurston's 1925 short story 'Spunk,' the Long Wharf Theatre, based in New Haven, and the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford. All these theaters have been around for a half century or more and are nationally renowned for fostering new works for the American theater. 'Friday night we got an email, at 8:37 p.m., that our award had been terminated,' said Goodspeed's artistic director Donna Lynn Hilton. 'I know of many other theaters in the country that received similar notices.' Hilton said the theater had already spent some of the grant money. 'To their credit, they say in the letter that we can submit our costs and may be reimbursed,' she said. 'Little Miss Perfect,' which grew out of a viral hit song by Joriah Kwamé, was presented by Goodspeed Musicals first as a cabaret performance where Kwamé showcased songs he was working on for the project. The show was then given a full-length staged reading as part of the Goodspeed Festival of New Musicals. The NEA funding was designated to help Goodspeed present a full production of the show in 2026. Hilton said she was in the process of deciding whether to stage the show at the Goodspeed Opera House or at Goodspeed's smaller Terris Theatre space in Chester when she heard the grant had been rescinded. Oddfellows Playhouse executive artistic director Dic Wheeler said he was in Maryland attending a national conference held by Theatre for Young Audiences, an organization that represents over 1,400 companies that produce theater for children and families, a day after they learned that their $10,000 'Challenge America' grant had been rescinded. 'On the first day, there was a leadership summit with about 40 people in the room. They asked 'How many of you got a letter from the NEA?' and half the room put their hands up,' Wheeler said. The Oddfellows show that the grant supported is an original performance piece based on the writings of young people in Middletown's Maplewood Terrace public housing project. 'This was specifically about bringing the arts to underserved communities,' Wheeler said. Wheeler applied for a 'Challenge America' grant from the NEA around a year ago. In December, Oddfellows Playhouse learned that the grant had been approved, and in January, the NEA publicly announced the recipients. Wheeler said Oddfellows had been waiting for the money to arrive and began to understand the reason for the delays when the new presidential administration made announcements about the future of both the NEA and another federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities. Some of the theaters whose grants were rescinded said they had received NEA funding numerous times in the past without incident. 'It's not unusual for the Goodspeed to receive an NEA grant every three to five years,' said Hilton. 'I can't remember an NEA grant ever being rescinded before now. If any changes had to be made before, they were always willing to work with the theaters. This is highly unusual on the part of the NEA. We had all accepted that, moving forward, we would probably not be receiving NEA funding. But we had not anticipated that the support that had already been promised would be rescinded.' 'It's unprecedented,' said James Bundy, artistic director of the Yale Repertory Theatre and dean of the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale. Yale Rep received 'many, many' NEA grants in his 23 years as its leader and Bundy said he is 'not aware of any grants before now that were rescinded.' Bundy pointed out that the notices that the grants were rescinded came out on the same day people learned that the government is planning to eliminate the NEA altogether. 'I'm less worried about the Yale Repertory Theatre than I am about our colleagues throughout the nation. I'm concerned that this highly effective agency will no longer exist,' he said. Bundy sent a lengthy letter to the drama school community in which he quotes Presidents John F. Kennedy and RIchard Nixon on the importance of arts funding and suggests that 'NEA grants are extraordinarily efficient: Just .0003% of the Federal budget jumpstarts the arts, culture, and entertainment industry, which contributes $1.2 trillion to the US economy' and that 'far from being a bastion of elitism, the NEA provides broad support for arts programming and education that reaches millions of children, people living in areas with high poverty rates, and veterans.' The affected theaters are being given seven days to appeal the rescinding of the grants, but they would have to show that they fit the newly announced NEA priorities, which were not in place when the original grants were awarded. The letter rescinding the grants states that 'the NEA will now prioritize projects that elevate the nation's HBCUs and Hispanic-serving institutions, celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, foster AI competency, empower houses of worship to serve communities, assist with disaster recovery, foster skilled trade jobs, make America healthy again, support the military and veterans, support Tribal communities, make the District of Columbia safe and beautiful, and support the economic development of Asian American communities.' 'I really want to appeal because I feel we should be pushing back, but I can't see where our project fits the new criteria,' Wheeler said. 'It's not about elevating HBCUs. It's not about the 250th anniversary.' Bundy concurs. 'The new priorities are written in such a way as to eliminate our chance to appeal,' he said. Hilton suspects that 'many of the stories terminated appear to be about the LGBTQ community.' This is the case, she feels, with 'Little Miss Perfect,' which has themes of personality identity, social pressure and coming-of-age issues. In January, Trump issued an executive order titled 'Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government' stating that 'Federal funds shall not be used to promote gender ideology.' The NEA issued its own statement that while its 'existing multi-tiered application review process will remain unchanged,' the NEA would be re-evaluating existing grant applications based on the executive order. The larger theaters who had their grants rescinded believe they should be able to find other funding for the affected projects and plan to proceed on schedule. But Wheeler at Oddfellows Playhouse said the Maplewood Terrace performance will have to wait. 'We will probably postpone it until next season,' he said. 'We have to find another way to fund it. The most heartbreaking thing about is that it was intended for the kids who need it the most.' On Wednesday, the annual Arts, Culture and Tourism Advocacy Day will be held in the Connecticut State Capitol. The gathering is promoted by the Connecticut Arts Alliance as a 'chance to show legislators how vibrant and important our sector is to the state,' according to a release from Jacques Lamarre, chief creative office for the marketing firm Buzz Engine, a well-known local playwright and a board member of Connecticut Humanities. This year's ACT Advocacy Day will also be a reaction to the Trump administration's proposal that the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences all be totally eliminated. The plight of the theaters will be discussed as well as funding cuts to organizations throughout the state. 'Essential funding for arts, humanities, museums and libraries institutions and umbrella organizations has been stripped back,' Lamarre stated in the release. 'You can see how this is devastating on a national, statewide, regional and local level.'
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Trump Budget Calls For Elimination Of National Endowment For The Arts
Donald Trump has proposed eliminating funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, as his administration also has taken steps to pull back grants that have already been awarded. The NEA received an appropriation of $207 million in the most recent fiscal year. More from Deadline Los Angeles Times Undergoes Another Round of Layoffs; Guild Says 14 Members Impacted Jon Voight Has A Plan To Save Hollywood: Will Trump Or Anyone Else Care? Donald Trump's Latest Executive Order Directs An End To Federal Funding For NPR And PBS; "Blatantly Unlawful," PBS CEO Says -- Update Meanwhile, some arts groups have reported getting notice that grants that have already been awarded are being withdrawn. Portland Playhouse said that the NEA informed them on Friday evening that a $25,000 grant to support a production of 'Joe Turner's Come and Gone' was being rescinded. 'To receive this news on the eve of opening night is deeply disappointing,' the playhouse said in a statement. 'While we have no plans currently to cancel our production, moving forward without the support of this critical funding presents a significant challenge for our company. 'We know we're not alone. Arts organizations across the country are grappling with reduced support at a time when the need for community, connection, and cultural expression is vital. Your support of our cultural institutions is more crucial now than ever before.' The New York Times first reported on the withdrawn grants. Earlier this year, the NEA announced a shift in grant priorities to projects in support of the 250th anniversary of the United States. The NEA also canceled another grant program, Challenge America. That program had an emphasis on 'small organizations for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved groups/communities.' In his first term, Trump's budgets repeatedly called for the elimination of NEA funding, but Congress, which sets the budget, ignored that proposal. Instead, NEA funding steadily increased during his first term. Trump's latest budget proposal also calls for eliminating funding to the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, along with a host of other small agencies. Trump already singed an executive order to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services, but that dismantling has been challenged in court. On Thursday, a federal judge temporarily blocked the administration from doing so, per the AP. The president also signed an executive order this week ordering the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to stop funding PBS and NPR. The CPB and the public media outlets said that the president did not have the authority to do so and are weighing their next steps. The corporation already is suing the administration over its effort to fire three of the five members of the CPB board, including Sony's Tom Rothman. Trump's latest budget proposal also calls for zeroing out CPB funding. Erin Harkey, the CEO of Americans for the Arts, which advocates for federal arts funding, called the moves 'a systematic effort to undermine the nation's cultural fabric.' She also noted administration efforts to reduce staff of the National Endowment for the Humanities by 70% and to cancel current and future grants. A spokesperson for the NEA did not immediately return a request for comment. Best of Deadline 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery Brad Pitt's Apple 'F1' Movie: Everything We Know So Far Everything We Know About 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Season 2 So Far
New York Times
12-03-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Chair of National Endowment for the Humanities Leaves at Trump's ‘Direction'
The chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Shelly C. Lowe, left her position on Wednesday 'at the direction of President Trump,' the agency said. Ms. Lowe, a scholar of higher education and the first Native American to lead the agency, was nominated by former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. in October 2021 and confirmed by the Senate in February 2022. Michael McDonald, the agency's general council, was named its acting chairman on Wednesday. 'I can confirm that, at the direction of President Trump, Shelly Lowe has departed her position as chair of N.E.H.,' a spokesman for the agency, Paula Wasley, said in a statement. She said Mr. McDonald would serve as acting chairman 'until such time as the president nominates and the Senate confirms a new N.E.H. chairman.' Agency chairs are appointed for four-year terms, though some have served across administrations. Maria Rosario Jackson, the chair of the endowment's sister agency, the National Endowment for the Arts, announced her resignation on Jan. 17, shortly before Mr. Trump's inauguration. Ms. Lowe's departure comes as Mr. Trump has moved to put his stamp on federal cultural agencies, most prominently the Kennedy Center, where he purged Biden appointees from the bipartisan board, fired the center's president and had himself elected chairman. The president has also issued sweeping executive orders banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs across the federal government while calling for the promotion of 'patriotic history.' In one order issued in January, Mr. Trump included the heads of both the art and humanities endowments as members of his newly created Task Force 250, which is charged with providing 'a grand celebration worthy of the momentous occasion of the 250th anniversary of American independence.' Last month, the arts endowment, which is led by an interim chair, Mary Anne Carter, announced that it was canceling this year's 'Challenge America' grants, a relatively small program aimed at supporting projects serving underrepresented groups or communities. Potential applicants were instead encouraged to apply for the agency's much larger main grant program, which according to its website encouraged projects that 'celebrate and honor the nation's rich artistic heritage and creativity' during the lead-up to the 250th commemoration in July 2026. In his first term, Mr. Trump repeatedly vowed to eliminate both agencies, which have an annual budget of roughly $200 million each. But they survived. Information was not immediately available about any staff or budget cuts or shifts in programs at the humanities endowment.
