Arts, Culture, and Humanities
Last Updated: April 8, 2025
NEA and NEH grants to community arts and humanities organizations cut by up to 40%.
Challenge America and Humanities Initiatives at HBCUs eliminated.
Multilingual and multicultural arts access programs defunded.
State arts agency funding reduced.
Grants being cut or changed
In 2025, federal arts and culture programs are facing substantial cutbacks. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) have both seen budget reductions in the administration’s proposed budget. While the agencies have not been eliminated, discretionary grants to nonprofits, libraries, museums, and community arts organizations have been significantly reduced. Funding for state arts agencies and regional arts organizations has also been cut by up to 40%, affecting pass-through grants at the local level.
Eliminations or restructuring
Several NEA and NEH special initiatives that supported arts access in underserved areas, digital humanities projects, and bilingual/multicultural storytelling have been eliminated. The Challenge America and Humanities Initiatives at Hispanic-Serving and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) programs are no longer accepting applications. Funding priorities have shifted to focus on traditional fine arts institutions, with less emphasis on community-based or equity-focused programming.
On hold or court challenges
Although there are no major lawsuits yet, arts and humanities advocates are lobbying Congress to restore funding. Several national organizations, including Americans for the Arts and the Federation of State Humanities Councils, are documenting the impact of cuts on rural and economically disadvantaged areas and may pursue legal action if existing grant agreements are revoked mid-cycle.
Timeline
Funding reductions took effect at the start of FY2025 (October 2024), and further cuts are proposed for FY2026. Organizations that applied for NEA or NEH funding in late 2024 have seen reduced awards or rejections. Some grantees report grant processing delays and increased application scrutiny.
State-level impact
In Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia, many small-town arts organizations depend on state arts agency regrants that are now shrinking. Pennsylvania and North Carolina humanities councils are reducing their community grantmaking budgets. South Carolina’s arts commission and Ohio’s local history initiatives have already canceled or scaled back programming due to NEH reductions. These cuts threaten arts access in rural schools, historical preservation projects, and grassroots storytelling initiatives.
Sources
National Endowment for the Arts. (2025, February 20). FY2026 Budget Request Summary. https://www.arts.gov/about/budget/budget-request/fy2026
National Endowment for the Humanities. (2025, February 21). Statement on funding outlook. https://www.neh.gov/news/2025-budget-and-funding-priorities
Americans for the Arts. (2025, March 5). Federal cuts to arts access and community programming. https://www.americansforthearts.org/news/2025/federal-arts-funding-cuts
Federation of State Humanities Councils. (2025, March 15). Impacts of federal NEH reductions by state. https://www.statehumanities.org/news/federal-cuts-2025-impact-report
