TAKE ACTION: ACT NOW TO DEFEND THE NEA!
Recent developments at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) are deeply troubling, as hundreds of grants for local projects have been cancelled and massive staff reductions raise serious doubts that the agency can meet its statutory mandates.
Additionally, the White House has proposed eliminating the NEA, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), in the latest FY26 budget proposal.
We need advocates to urge Congress to sustain and protect both funding and staffing for the National Endowment for the Arts, a highly efficient agency that offers a large return on investment and supports consensus values cherished by all American communities. Urge your representatives to continue decades of bipartisan support by allocating at least $209 million for the NEA in the FY2026 Interior Appropriations bill.
Call your Congressional Representatives
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You can use this script when calling your congressional representatives’ offices:
As a constituent of [YOUR REPRESENTATIVE’S NAME], I am deeply troubled by recent developments at the National Endowment of the Arts.
Last week, hundreds of grants for local projects were cancelled, and massive staff reductions impair the ability of the agency to meet its statutory mandates.
The NEA empowers more than just the nonprofit arts sector, which alone generates more than $150 billion dollars in economic activity to the American economy ($29.7 billion in Massachusetts) and supports more than 2.6 million jobs, 130,263 of them in our state alone.
The NEA enables arts activities that boost economic productivity, improve education outcomes, foster civic cohesion, facilitate good health, and preserve our cherished heritage and traditions for future generations. These are consensus values that all Americans want for their communities and families.
As the largest public funder of the arts, the NEA reaches communities often underserved by private dollars, investing in 779 more counties than the 1,000 largest private foundations.
I urge you to demand answers from the National Endowment for the Arts on the abrupt cancellation of grants to Massachusetts’ cultural organizations.
Additionally, I urge you to continue decades of bipartisan support by allocating at least $209 million for the NEA in FY26.
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Our elected officials work for us, their constituents, and want to hear directly from you on the issues that matter.
All of our inboxes get filled with emails, and while we know congressional offices read all communications that come through, PHONE CALLS make a huge impact.
It demonstrates the level of importance you feel for this issue.
Fewer and fewer constituents communicate via phone calls, so your communication will stand out if you call.All calls are logged and reported to your member of Congress. Let's make sure their offices are flooded with call logs on this issue.
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EMAIL your Congressional Representatives
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The arts play a vital role in local communities and economies throughout Massachusetts and across our nation.
I am deeply troubled by recent developments at the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA).
Since last week, hundreds of grants for local projects in Massachusetts have been cancelled.
Additionally, massive staff reductions at the NEA raise questions about the ability of the agency to meet its statutory mandates.
Additionally, the White House has proposed eliminating the NEA in the latest FY26 budget proposal, as well as the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
Please sustain and protect both funding and staffing for the National Endowment for the Arts.
The NEA is a highly efficient agency that offers a large return on investment and supports consensus values cherished by all American communities.
I urge you to also continue decades of bipartisan support by allocating at least $209 million for the NEA in the FY26 Interior Appropriations bill.
Additional talking points:
The NEA offers big bang for the buck.
More than $500 million annually has been generated in matching support, illustrating why federal support for the arts is uniquely valuable.
The arts and creative industries give America's economy a competitive edge, achieving a $36.8 billion trade surplus, adding $1.2 trillion in value to the U.S. gross domestic product, and $29.7 billion in Massachusetts. These industries also create 5.4 million jobs on American soil, including 130,263 jobs for Massachusetts.
The NEA is an important partner of the national America 250 celebration.
All of the state arts agencies that partner with the NEA are actively engaging in America 250 planning and programming.
Disruption of federal support to state agencies like the Mass Cultural Council could weaken America 250 efforts in Massachusetts and across the country.
The NEA supports the military, veterans, and their families.
The NEA’s Creative Forces program, a collaboration with the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to serve the unique and special needs of military patients and veterans diagnosed with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and psychological health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The NEA and state arts agencies like the Mass Cultural Council support arts activities that boost economic productivity, improve education outcomes, foster civic cohesion, facilitate good health, and preserve our cherished heritage and traditions for future generations.
These are consensus values that all Americans want for their communities and families. And as the largest public funder of the arts and a leader in arts education in the United States, the NEA reaches communities often underserved by private dollars, investing in 779 more counties than the 1,000 largest private foundations.
I urge you to support sustained investment in the NEA, NHS, and IMLS.
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Recently, many advocacy efforts have used automated email systems that allow constituents to send a pre-written message to their elected officials.
Unfortunately, elected officials and their staff can quickly tell when an email is a template email versus a personalized message that a constituent has taken time to compose. While all emails are taken seriously, messages that demonstrate your level of support for an issue stand out.
To increase the impact of your advocacy, we encourage advocates to compose a personalized email instead of using templates or automated email systems. -
The NEA, regional arts organizations like the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), and state arts agencies like the Mass Cultural Council support arts activities that boost economic productivity, improve education outcomes, foster civic cohesion, facilitate good health, and preserve our cherished heritage and traditions for future generations.
Now is the time to protect that investment. NOW IS THE TIME TO ACT!
