Regional arts organizations across the United States are speaking out against recent cuts by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The Trump administration proposed budget cuts that would effectively eliminate the agency by 2026, prompting the NEA to cancel many of its 2025 grants. A collective of U.S. Regional Arts Organizations issued a joint statement urging Congress to restore grant funding and maintain bipartisan support for the NEA. The cancellations also affect humanities councils in 56 states and jurisdictions, which expected about $65 million from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) out of its $210 million annual budget. Three humanities organizations are currently suing the NEH and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) over the dismantling.
This matters because the cuts threaten the financial backbone of cultural infrastructure across the country, impacting museums, historical sites, and community projects that rely on federal grants. The collective action by regional arts organizations signals a broader national crisis, with advocates fighting to preserve essential funding for the arts and humanities. The outcome could set a precedent for how federal support for culture is sustained or eroded in the coming years.