Advocacy Alert: The Fight for Public Art is Here

May 6, 2025

Two federal arts funding stories broke over the weekend. Learn how you can join the fight below — but first here are the key details.

On Friday morning Trump released a budget proposal that would eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts.

Read via American Theatre: Trump Proposes Elimination of NEA and NEH

The National Endowment for the Arts was created through a bi-partisan act of congress in 1965 and funds projects across the nation, including many Bay Area theatre productions. If Trump’s proposed budget is fully enacted (whether through legal channels or DOGE), this would be an indescribable disruption of public access to arts, culture, history, and media.

On Friday afternoon the NEA sent a wave of notification emails rescinding their promised funding from projects across the US.

Read via SF Chronicle: Trump’s ‘new priorities’: Bay Area arts groups stunned by NEA grant cancellations

Key details:

Based on the publicly shared notification emails, the administration seems to be explicit about targeting projects for their content and for ideological reasons. This is blatant nationwide censorship.
Adding to the chaos, these aren’t preemptive cancellations; they include withdrawal of support from projects already underway.
This is part of a greater pattern. The administration is broadly dismantling public arts infrastructure, while specifically suppressing the points of view of our most vulnerable community members.
- One month ago, we saw similar notices when DOGE cancelled all open grants at the National Endowment for the Humanities.
- The NEA is already facing a First Amendment lawsuit for its new grant requirements, in relation to the admin’s anti-trans and anti-DEI executive orders.
- Since January, over 20 shows were cancelled at the Kennedy Center, including Jonathan Spector’s Eureka Day.
- Full timeline at Americans for the Arts, including attacks on related areas of civic life: libraries, museums, broadcasting, and education.
This is the third announcement of cancelled grants for Bay Area theatres in 2025, after the NEH and San Francisco’s Dream Keeper Initiative.

Help Theatre Communications Group map the issue: If your theatre has been impacted, fill out this form.

Join the fight for public funding:

Critical Public Comment Opportunity in Sacramento

This is your opportunity to let State legislators know the impact of the loss of federal funding and to urge them to increase funding to the California Arts Council in this year’s budget.

When: Wednesday, May 14th at 9 AM

Where: Room 2100, 1021 O Street, Sacramento, CA

What: Joint Committee on the Arts Hearing: State of the Arts: How Current Federal Policies Are Impacting Arts, Culture, and the Humanities in California (various speakers including Julie Baker, CEO CA for the Arts, Danielle Brazell, ED, CAC and Erin Harkey, CEO, Americans for the Arts).

How: Be prepared with a 2-minute public comment and a 1-minute version as well. Need help? Contact julie@caforthearts.org or tracy@caforthearts.org