Urgent: Speak Up for Federal Cultural Agencies

April 4, 2025

Action is rapidly unfolding by the Administration, in the courts, and across Congress as the nation’s arts and cultural agencies continue to be threatened with restrictions and dismantling. Join us in speaking up to protect our nation’s investment in arts and culture.

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)

Congress is starting the funding process for Fiscal Year 2026 while new FY26 grantmaking procedures unfold. The U.S. District Court for Rhode Island has denied a motion to block NEA implementation of the executive order on “gender ideology.” The court noted that the NEA has already suspended implementation of the executive order and the agency plans to consider if and how it may take further action on the order after April 30, 2025. As reported by the American Civil Liberties Union, the court’s review of the case suggests that reimposing the eligibility restrictions would be unlawful. With an April 7 FY26 application deadline nearing, grant applicants remain uncertain of the compliance requirements that will apply to future NEA funding. The League is tracking all available information on our National Endowment for the Arts Grant Application Resource page.

ACTION: Advocates are continuing to speak up to Congress to support access to the unique federal investment in NEA grants, research, and national initiatives.

National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)

On April 2, state humanities agencies and individual grantees were notified of the termination of NEH grant agreements, following a Department of Government Efficiency directive to reduce agency staff by 70%. Advocates are speaking up to Congress to oppose dismantling the NEH, which has received funding and bipartisan support from Congress to carry out its mission and provides substantial support to music scholarship, research, and archives.

ACTION: Access the tools from our partners at the National Humanities Alliance’s e-advocacy campaign.

Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS)

Just weeks after an executive order called for the IMLS to be eliminated, staff at the agency have been placed on administrative leave and grant administration has halted, despite a clear mandate from Congress in support of the agency and its investment in communities nationwide. A bipartisan group of senators, led by Jack Reed (D-RI), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) issued a letter calling on IMLS acting director Keith Sonderling to fulfill the agency’s obligation to administer funding approved by Congress.

ACTION: Learn how to support the IMLS via the American Alliance of Museums Advocacy Center.

By taking action today, you are joining the wider network of arts and cultural advocates nationwide committed to speaking up over the months ahead to secure these essential federal investments. As a reminder, the League’s updated Resources for Navigating the Changing Landscape provides overviews of executive orders, legal analysis, and tools to help guide next steps as the broader federal policy context evolves.