Overview
- President Donald Trump’s 2026 budget proposal calls for the complete elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) as part of a broader effort to reduce the federal deficit.
- The NEA has rescinded hundreds of already-approved grants, impacting diverse projects across literature, theater, music, and visual arts, and leaving organizations scrambling to fill funding gaps.
- The agency’s grant priorities have been redirected to align with the Administration’s agenda, emphasizing projects tied to the 250th anniversary of American independence, AI competency, and historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), among others.
- NEA staff, including senior officials, have been asked to resign or retire, further destabilizing the agency’s operations and its ability to support the arts sector.
- Arts organizations across the country, from small nonprofits to major institutions, are appealing the cuts and mobilizing legal challenges, with many warning of long-term consequences for cultural programming and community access to the arts.