Trump budget slashes NEA funding, wiping out grants and sparking nationwide arts backlash
Arts organizations across the United States are reeling after a late-night email blitz from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) abruptly revoked funding for dozens of projects—some just days before they were set to begin. The cancellations follow former President Donald Trump’s renewed push to eliminate the NEA entirely as part of his 2026 discretionary budget proposal.
Overnight cancellations hit major and small arts organizations alike
The wave of terminations, many marked with the subject line “Notice of termination,” blindsided groups from coast to coast. Recipients included renowned institutions like Berkeley Repertory Theatre and Central Park SummerStage, as well as smaller nonprofits such as Chicago’s Open Studio Project and the New Harmony Project in Indianapolis.
“This Friday night mass email that cut funding for so many arts organizations all over the country is a clear attack on the arts,” said Jenni Werner, executive artistic director at New Harmony Project, which lost a $40,000 grant for a writers’ residency.
The Portland Playhouse, which had been preparing to open August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, lost a $25,000 grant—roughly 20% of its production’s personnel costs—just one day before opening night.
New funding priorities contradict cancelled grant objectives
The grants were revoked retroactively, despite having already been approved or recommended for funding. The NEA cited “a shift in grantmaking policy priorities” in line with presidential directives. Those new priorities include support for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, projects tied to the 250th anniversary of American independence, artificial intelligence literacy, and programs for veterans.
But critics say the new criteria are vague, contradictory, and in some cases, politically motivated. Many of the cut grants were already aimed at historically marginalized voices.
Arts sector questions logic of targeted cuts
Yale Repertory Theatre, for example, lost a $30,000 grant for a stage adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston’s Spunk. Portland Playhouse’s Brian Weaver questioned the logic of cutting a production rooted in Black American storytelling while claiming to promote diversity.
“This administration is trumpeting their priorities to serve diverse America while canceling grants for our August Wilson play,” he said. “It’s strange.”
Trump’s 2026 budget revives push to defund NEA
The backlash comes amid broader structural changes to the NEA itself. Trump’s proposed 2026 budget calls for the complete defunding of the NEA, along with the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Similar attempts during Trump’s first term were blocked by Congress, but this time the effort may gain traction with support from House Speaker Mike Johnson and a Republican-led budget committee.
Internal reviews, staff cuts signal deeper shake-up
NEA interim chair Mary Anne Carter, a Trump appointee, acknowledged the turbulence at a recent public meeting. “Change is scary, but change also lets you reimagine,” she said, while assuring the National Council on the Arts that “we’re going to be okay.”
However, a sweeping internal review by the Department of Government Efficiency—nicknamed “Doge”—has already gutted the National Endowment for the Humanities and is now targeting the NEA. Sources say up to half of the agency’s 140 staff members are expected to depart by June. Entire departments, including dance, media arts, and accessibility, could be left unstaffed.
New grants approved—but no one left to manage them?
Despite approving a new round of state and regional grant funding last week, the NEA may soon lack the personnel to process or disburse the money. Arts groups, meanwhile, are scrambling.
The Great Plains Theatre Commons in Omaha lost a $35,000 grant. TheatreWorks Silicon Valley was denied $10,000 for a writers’ group. The Eugene Symphony saw two grants disappear. And in Richmond, Studio Two Three’s $30,000 award vanished without explanation.
Confusion and silence as appeal window opens—for some
Many organizations received no explanation and were given only seven days to appeal. NEA representatives have not responded to media inquiries, and the emails came from a no-reply address.
“A grant we spent hours (days?) writing, submitted on time, were selected and approved for… was randomly revoked today,” wrote Studio Two Three executive director Kate Fowler on Instagram. “Absolutely furious.”
Beyond funding: National implications for the arts ecosystem
NEA grants often unlock matching funds from state agencies and private donors. Without them, entire projects—and jobs—are in jeopardy.
“This is a dark day for the independence of the arts and musicians across the country,” said Bob Suttmann of the American Federation of Musicians Local 802. “It is an attack on American excellence and creativity.”
Actors’ Equity head Al Vincent Jr. called the arts “a huge economic job creator” and vowed to fight the proposed cuts. Americans for the Arts CEO Erin Harkey called the decision “shortsighted.”
A shrinking agency with a shrinking mandate
Even before this latest upheaval, the NEA had already cancelled its $10,000 Challenge America grant and shifted toward heritage-focused programming. ACLU intervention recently softened restrictions on “gender ideology” in federally funded art, but the NEA chair still retains broad discretion to deny grants.
Carter has tried to align the NEA with Trump’s goals—downsizing the agency and supporting initiatives like the 250th anniversary of American independence. Still, NEA systems remain under strain. Some applicants say their approved grants have disappeared from the agency’s online portal entirely.
Will Congress step in again to save the NEA?
Conservative groups like the Cato Institute continue to call for the NEA’s elimination, arguing that funding the arts is not a public responsibility. But Carter reminded the NEA council that in many parts of the U.S., government grants are the only support arts organizations receive.
“A quarter of U.S. counties that receive NEA funds get nothing from the top 1,000 private foundations,” she said. “Americans’ access to the arts should not be based solely on their proximity to philanthropy.”
Whether that vision survives another round of political wrangling remains to be seen.