Message Your Congressional Representatives to Support NEA and NEH funding and Protect Direct Granting Funds for Local Arts Organizations

The Americans for the Arts Action Fund released a statement urging constituents to sign the petition to fund NEA and NEH at $213 million each for FY 2027 and to maintain NEA’s 40% state arts agency formula, which will protect the percentage of funding available to local arts organizations. The statement is included in full below.

On May 21, 2026, the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee passed their version of the FY 2027 Appropriations bill which proposed $135 million each for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). While this proposal represents a 35% cut, the same as what was attempted last year in the House, these agencies are likely to receive at least level funding or even an increase to $213 million each later this year in the Senate.

Also similar to last year, the House bill attempts to increase the state arts agency formula of total available funds from the standard 40% to 53%. We oppose this policy change because the pool of funds for local arts organizations to receive a direct grant from the NEA would be significantly reduced. We are grateful to our partners at the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) for wanting to maintain the 40% formula stating “While NASAA is grateful to the committee for recognizing the important role of state arts agencies in supporting communities, we continue to endorse the current formula that sets aside 40% for states and regions.”

Please take two minutes to take action and send a message to your Congressional delegation to support these cultural agencies at $213 million each and to keep the state set-aside formula at 40%.