From Philly.com: A little-known and cryptically named national office — the indemnity program of the Federal Council on the Arts and Humanities — has often provided insurance for museums in Philadelphia and the rest of the United States for art they borrow from museums and private collectors around the country and the world. <p class="indent"Now, … Continue reading Here’s What’s at Stake for Philly Arts and Culture if the NEA and Other Agencies Get Axed
Monica's Blog
Posted on March 24, 2017 by Monica
Posted on March 23, 2017 by Monica
Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas and former presidential nominee, has published an opinion article in The Washington Post offering a conservative point of view in support of the National Endowment for the Arts. Read the article.
Posted on March 22, 2017 by Monica
An op-ed by Andrew W. Mellon Foundation President Earl Lewis discusses the unique role that the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities play in funding arts and culture initiatives across the country. Lewis highlights ways the Endowments have enriched society and filled a niche in the funding arena – supporting programs in underfunded rural areas, lending “validation” to projects that may have otherwise been overlooked by private philanthropy, supporting veterans’ programs, leveraging public-private partnerships, and providing resources beyond what may be available on a state government level.
Posted on March 20, 2017 by Monica
The Pop Culture Collaborative, a recent initiative founded by Unbound Philanthropy, The Nathan Cummings Foundation, Ford Foundation, The JPB Foundation, and General Service Foundation, has announced its new leadership staff. The Collaborative aims to advance “the combined power of the entertainment, philanthropic, and social justice sectors to use pop culture strategies to create transformative change in the world.”
Posted on March 20, 2017 by Monica
From Barry’s Blog, Barry Hessenius writes, “Here (IMHO) is a very brief and limited overview of what our strategy to save funding for the NEA needs to include.” Read the blog post.
Posted on March 20, 2017 by Monica
In a new blog post at The McKnight Foundation, Arts Program Director Vickie Benson makes the case that the National Endowment for the Arts continues to illuminate the power of the arts, and that our communities are better off because of their work:
I’ve seen the fierce battles over these arts and cultural agencies play out before. I had a front row seat during my tenure as a program specialist at the NEA in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The critical difference is that the arts sector is in a better position now than it has ever been before in its ability to explain the value of these agencies and the work they support. Because of intentional strategies to support independent, large-scale research, the arts sector has far-reaching and deep data that we didn’t have twenty-five years ago.
Posted on March 17, 2017 by Monica
From Talking Points Memo: The National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities have long been ripe targets for conservatives looking to trim fat from the federal budget, but President Donald Trump’s newly released blueprint proposes eliminating them entirely—and arts and humanities advocates are already gearing up for a fight. Advocates … Continue reading Advocates Raise The Alarm Over Ripple Effects Of Eliminating NEH, NEA
Posted on March 16, 2017 by Monica
In a statement today, the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) argues that “eliminating the NEA would hurt every state in our nation.” The statement outlines the national impacts of eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts, and NASAA has voiced its resolve “to sustain the NEA and ensure that its important work continues.” Grantmakers in the Arts is committed to working with NASAA, Americans for the Arts, and other national partners to support the NEA.
Posted on March 16, 2017 by Monica
Jane Chu, chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, has released a statement following today’s release of the president’s budget plan:
Today we learned that the president’s FY 2018 budget blueprint proposes the elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts. We are disappointed because we see our funding actively making a difference with individuals of all ages in thousands of communities, large, small, urban and rural, and in every congressional district in the nation. . . .
Posted on March 16, 2017 by Monica
President Trump released his first federal budget plan today, as reported by The New York Times:
President Trump, in his first federal budget plan, proposed eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. President Trump also proposed scrapping the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. . . . It was the first time a president has called for ending the endowments. . . .
Nothing will change for the endowments or other agencies immediately. Congress writes the federal budget, not the president, and White House budget plans are largely political documents that telegraph a president’s priorities.
Yet never before have Republicans, who have proposed eliminating the endowments in the past, been so well-positioned to close the agencies, given their control of both houses of Congress and the White House, and now the president’s fiscal plan. . . .
Arts groups have already begun a furious lobbying campaign to press Republicans in Congress to save the endowments. The House will draft a budget in the coming months, and arts groups have already been focusing its lobbying efforts there.