Latest News: Charitable Giving, Ticketing, and Supporting the Arts

April 7, 2025

In This Issue

• Urge Congress to Support the Charitable Act
• Ticket Fraud Policy Takes Center Stage
• Advancing Arts Education for All
• Speaking Up for Federal Cultural Agencies Under Threat

Urge Congress to Support the Charitable Act

Orchestras and the wider nonprofit sector are speaking up to Congress to seek tax policy proposals that can impact incentives for charitable giving and boost nonprofits’ capacity to deliver on mission. Congressional leadership aims to use the budget reconciliation process to extend many tax provisions from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) that are set to expire at the end of 2025, which means they will simultaneously consider a new approach to federal spending and tax policy.

What does this mean for orchestras and the many donors who support them? Elected officials need to understand the specific value and services nonprofit organizations provide, and that—while the impulse to give comes from the heart—tax policy can strongly influence how much and when donors contribute to support community needs. Tell your members of Congress to support The Charitable Act and recognize the value of the nonprofit sector today!

Ticket Fraud Policy Takes Center Stage

A March 31, 2025 Executive Order Combatting Unfair Practices in the Live Entertainment Market calls for action to curtail fraudulent activity in the secondary ticket market that harms audiences and artists. A related fact sheet outlines intentions to ramp up enforcement of current law and calls for federal agencies to recommend further regulatory and legislative action by October 2025.

It is not yet clear how the order might impact the May 2025 implementation of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ticketing rules that were issued under the Biden Administration. Meanwhile, the House Energy and Commerce Committee will soon consider ticketing legislation. The League is actively engaged in policy discussions, alongside our partners in the Fix the Tix coalition, to seek meaningful reform and to speak up for nonprofit and subscription-based ticketing models. See the League’s Ticketing Policies Overview  for more background about FTC and Congressional action.

Advancing Arts Education for All

The arts are essential to a complete education and federal education funding (such as for Title I, teacher training, and school improvement) is directed to support all aspects of a well-rounded education, including the arts. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), has just re-introduced the Arts Education for All Act (H.R. 2485), with bipartisan co-sponsorship from Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), to strengthen opportunities for arts learning for all students.  

In light of the executive order to effectively dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, it is a critical moment to speak up. Advocates are urging Congress to affirm arts education as essential for learners nationwide and for federal leadership to encourage state and local education authorities to use supplemental federal funding to increase access to arts education for all students.

Speaking Up for Federal Cultural Agencies Under Threat

Late last week, the League shared an Advocacy Alert about the many simultaneous threats of restrictions and dismantling to our nation’s federal agencies for arts and culture. The League recently submitted its annual written testimony to Congress in support of funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and urges advocates to speak up with specific stories of impact and service. In addition to threats to the Institute for Museum and Library Services and National Endowment for the Humanities, a March 27, 2025 Executive Order, Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History, orders the Smithsonian Institution to remove “improper ideology” and takes aim to control how the Smithsonian and public monuments and memorials reflect American history. While policy proposals and court action unfold on an almost daily basis, the League continues to work in coordination with the larger arts sector in both speaking up to protect our nation’s investment in arts and culture and to help our members understand the implications of federal policy on their work. Bookmark the League’s Overview of NEA Grantmaking Developments.