Advocacy and Public Policy

Under New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, the city's first black woman mayor, the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corp. (NOTMC), hopes it will be able to provide grants to cultural organizations, nola.com reported recently.

The federal administration’s proposed fiscal year (FY) 2021 budget, released on Monday, would eliminate funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, as Americans for the Arts informed.

In July, funding for the Alaska State Council on the Arts (ASCA) was eliminated using a line-item budget veto in a decision by governor Mike Dunleavy, who took office in December. Alaska lawmakers fell short in attempts to override the vetoes, explained AP.

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) announced recently that sixteen prominent humanities scholars and advocates have been confirmed to the National Council on the Humanities.

After funding loss, the Alaska State Council on the Arts closed its doors Monday July 15, "making Alaska the only state without an arts council," as The Associated Press reported.

In a letter, the board of directors of Grantmakers in the Arts requested that Congress support appropriations of $167.50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities respectively, as well as $262 million for the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and $480 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

The Congressional Arts Handbook, compiled annually to support the work of participants at Arts Advocacy Day, was recently released to support year-round advocacy efforts and this year's National Arts Action Summit, which brings together arts advocates and cultural and civic organizations from across the country on March 4-5 in Washington, DC.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) reopened January 28, after being closed and their federal workers furloughed since the government shutdown began Dec. 22, reported The Washington Post.

The Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, submitted last week a 2019-20 budget proposal to the Legislature that includes an ongoing $10 million increased general fund allocation for the California Arts Council, California's state arts agency.

Calling out equity explicitly, the San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) became the first city department to officially adopt a racial equity statement and plan following a unanimous vote this week by its board, reported KQED.