Particle.news
Download on the App Store
12 ARTICLES
·
yesterday

Trump Administration Proposes NEA Elimination and Terminates Hundreds of Arts Grants

The NEA has rescinded grants for numerous organizations, issued mass staff resignations, and opened a limited appeals process following the 2026 budget proposal to dismantle the agency.

Image
Jessie Amoroso, costume director at the American Conservatory Theater. left, and Costume and Scenic Designer David Zinn, right, adjusts a costume on cast member El Beh during a fitting ahead of the musical “The Wizard of Oz”, at the theater’s costume shop in San Francisco, May 16, 2023. Bay Area arts organizations are reeling after the National Endowment for the Arts rescinded crucial funding as part of the Trump administration’s sweeping cultural overhaul.
Cast members of the upcoming American Conservatory Theater production “A Whynot Christmas Carol” are seen during a rehearsal in San Francisco, Oct. 30, 2024. Bay Area arts organizations are reeling after the National Endowment for the Arts rescinded crucial funding as part of the Trump administration’s sweeping cultural overhaul.
Image

Overview

  • The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has terminated hundreds of grants across literary, theater, and arts organizations, citing new funding priorities aligned with the Trump administration's agenda.
  • President Trump’s 2026 budget proposal aims to eliminate the NEA, alongside other cultural agencies, as part of broader federal spending cuts.
  • NEA priorities now focus on patriotic programming, HBCUs, AI competency, and other initiatives, leaving many longstanding grantees without funding.
  • A seven-day appeals process has been established for terminated grants, but success is considered unlikely; affected organizations are seeking alternative funding and legal recourse.
  • The NEA has also initiated staff restructuring, with key officials resigning, while lawsuits by the NEH and state attorneys general challenge the cuts.