Art Groups Fear Losing a Mayor, and His Money

With less than six months remaining in Mr. Bloomberg’s tenure, a cloud of unease has descended over arts executives, fund-raisers and artists. Over the last 12 years, they have grown accustomed to a City Hall that was receptive to their needs, as well as to a billionaire mayor who could privately bolster their budgets.

Now these organizations are facing two unknowns: Will a new mayor continue to support them? And, just as important, will Citizen Bloomberg?

“We’re all very nervous,” said Linda Shelton, the executive director of the Joyce Theater, which presents dance. “With Bloomberg, we all knew he was an arts mayor, that he understood what arts do for a neighborhood.”

That concern has grown acute as a two-year grant program from the mayor’s private foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies — which distributed $32 million to more than 250 arts groups in every borough — recently came to an end.

The foundation has not announced whether it plans to continue making grants to a range of arts groups, leaving many organizations fearful that Mr. Bloomberg’s priorities might shift to the national stage, given his support of issues like gun control and the environment.