What Happened?
On May 2, 2025, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) started canceling grants that had already been awarded. This development is causing serious problems for artists, arts workers, and communities across the country.
Groups that were promised funding were told their awards will end on May 31, 2025. They now have until June 30, 2025 to request payment for work already done. Many of these groups have already spent money and started their projects. Now they are rushing to gather paperwork, file appeals, and figure out what to do next. These cancellations hit small organizations and artists the hardest—especially those from underrepresented communities.
On the same day, the President released his plan for the federal budget for 2026. That plan calls for completely shutting down the NEA. While this proposal is not a law, it sends a strong message. It shows a desire to cut agency support for the arts—both in funding and in values. Previous Presidents have proposed NEA elimination, and the bi-partisan support in Congress prevailed, funding the NEA each year.
This is part of a bigger pattern. Since this administration began, executive orders have been issued that seek to remove all programs for diversity, equity, and inclusion and transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) people have been targeted by government actions. These include rules that limit personal freedom, movement, and self-expression. The arts—and the people who make them—are being targeted in these ways, too.
Our Commitment to Artists
Taking away public arts funding—especially in ways that hurt marginalized artists—is an attack on our whole field. Dance/USA stands with transgender and gender-diverse artists, and this situation shows why that support is needed. Often, the harm that begins with marginalized groups spreads wider. Our struggles are connected.
Dance/USA supports the ACLU-led lawsuit against NEA rules that put TGNC applicants at risk. We stand by that fight. Today, we ask you to stand with us.
