TAKE ACTION: TELL THE LEGISLATURE ABOUT LOST FEDERAL FUNDING IMPACTS
On Tuesday, July 15, 2025 at 1 PM, the House Committee on Federal Funding, Policy and Accountability will host an informational, invite-only hearing on the effects of changing federal policies and funding cuts to the creative and tourism economies in Massachusetts. MASSCreative was invited to testify on the data and stories behind these federal cuts and how they will impact our communities. We will use data collected from our recent federal impact survey and data supplied by the Americans for the Arts to inform legislators about the broad harm inflicted by cuts.
While the committee is only receiving in-person testimony by invitation, anyone can watch the livestream at 1 PM or submit written testimony about the ways that federal funding cuts to arts and culture already - and will - impact their communities and work.
It’s important that we document these stories in public record and let legislators know how federal policy changes will hurt communities in Massachusetts. These stories will help members of the Legislature consider what kind of support is needed for the sector in the future.
We encourage members of the arts and culture sector who have lost federal funding, anticipate losing federal funding, or rely on arts and cultural programs that have been impacted by lost federal funding to submit written testimony to the committee before Tuesday, July 22nd at 5 PM.
You can address your testimony to:
The Honorable Kathleen R. LaNatra
Chair, House Committee on Federal Funding, Policy and Accountability
24 Beacon Street, Room 42
Boston, MA 02133
CC: The Honorable Sean Garballey, House Chair of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development;
The Honorable Paul W. Mark, Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development
Please email your testimony to Chair LaNatra’s office: christopher.jean@mahouse.gov
Here’s a testimony template to help you draft your letter:
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Step 1: Dear Chair LaNatra:
Step 2: My name is Richeline Cadet, and I am the Director of Organizing at MASSCreative, a statewide advocacy organization committed to building a more just and vibrant creative sector in Massachusetts. Recent grant cancellations at the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, as well as the proposed eliminations of these agencies, will directly impact the communities I work with and belong to.
Step 3:
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION’S GRANT WAS CANCELLED OR TERMINATED:
In May, we received notice that our grant from the National Endowment for the Arts had been terminated. This grant* would support our community-based arts programs, which provide over 250 arts experiences to youth and families in the Greater Boston region. The funding also supported one full-time staff member and three teaching artists. This program specifically prioritized BIPOC, immigrant, and disabled artists, many of whom are often excluded from traditional grantmaking. The loss of these funds will not just reduce programming and eliminate jobs in the creative sector. It will silence vital community voices, eliminate jobs, and create more instability in neighborhoods already marginalized by systemic disinvestment. In Boston, one artist, who facilitated storytelling workshops with elders in central Mass, told us that this program gave her a lifeline to work, heal, and connect. Without it, both her income and her elders' stories would go unheard.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION HAS RECEIVED FEDERAL FUNDING / PLAN TO APPLY FOR FEDERAL FUNDING:
Over the past year, 30% of our organization's budget* has come from federal funding, which we've utilized to operate community-based arts and civic engagement programs, supporting over 150 artists and cultural organizers across the state. This program specifically prioritized BIPOC, immigrant, and disabled artists, many of whom are often excluded from traditional grantmaking. The loss of these funds will not just reduce programming. It will silence vital community voices, eliminate jobs, and create more instability in neighborhoods already marginalized by systemic disinvestment. In Boston, one artist, who facilitated storytelling workshops with elders in central Mass, told us that this program gave her a lifeline to work, heal, and connect. Without it, both her income and her elders' stories would go unheard.
*Disclaimer: MASSCreative does not receive federal funding.IF YOUR ORGANIZATION DOES NOT RECEIVE FEDERAL FUNDING / DOES NOT PLAN TO APPLY FOR FEDERAL FUNDING:
Direct federal funding to arts organizations, museums, libraries, and cultural institutions is an essential component of Massachusetts’s creative sector funding. Often, federal funding is leveraged to increase support from individual donors and foundations.
In Boston, one artist, who facilitated storytelling workshops with elders in, told us that this program gave her a lifeline to work, heal, and connect. Without it, both her income and her elders' stories would go unheard.
Step 4: I recognize that Massachusetts cannot replace federal funding losses. However, as this committee and your colleagues consider how to respond to actions in Washington, I urge you to consider the economic, educational, and community impacts that residents of the Commonwealth will face if public support for the arts, culture, and creativity is reduced. The loss of this support would not only harm our sector but also affect the very people who rely on it the most.
Step 5: Thank you for your time and consideration. I am happy to provide additional data, stories, or context as needed.
You can also download our testimony outline for the Federal Funding oversight hearing below:
For more guidance about writing legislative testimony, please see our guide for additional details. For further questions, you can contact mcan@mass-creative.org.
