National Independent Venue Association Responds to Proposed Elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts
As the threatened elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) looms over cultural institutions across the country, the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) has issued a response from Executive Director Stephen Parker to the first wave of funding slashes.
On Friday, May 2, just hours after President Trump issued his “skinny budget” for fiscal year 2026 that “gut[ted] a weaponized deep state” with cuts to programs for health, education, housing, climate protections and more, hundreds of arts groups received emails terminating or withdrawing grants previously awarded by the NEA. The agency’s first round of cuts, prior to the requisite Congressional approval for its shutdown, was targeted at projects deemed to inadequately “reflect the nation’s rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President,” the email distributed from a generic “arts.gov” address and obtained by NPR outlined. New York’s SummerStage, Berkeley, Calif.’s Berkeley Repertory Theatre and Chicago’s Open Studio Project are among the affected groups.
Parker’s statement speaks to the potential consequences of the “small agency eliminations” outlined in the 2026 Discretionary Budget Request, which also calls for the total closure of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Institute of Museum and Library Sciences, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, AmeriCorps and U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, with 10 others.
“The cancellation of National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grants and proposed funding cuts in the President’s budget undermine the billions of dollars in economic activity that nonprofit live performance stages help generate in every state,” Parker wrote. “These institutions support jobs, strengthen local economies, and serve as the cultural heartbeat of thousands of communities across the country.
“Particularly concerning are reports that grants awarded months or years ago for projects already completed by organizations may not be paid out. If true, this is unacceptable and will jeopardize the ability of some of these organizations to keep their doors open and put real jobs at risk.
“We urge Congress to prioritize robust NEA funding, particularly for venues, presenters, and festivals, and call on the White House to restore the grants nonprofit stages rely on to continue operating and serving communities nationwide.”
In the decades since its 1965 establishment by Congress, the NEA has become the largest arts funder in the United States, with $5.5 billion awarded in grants to date. According to a fact sheet from the organization, its funding of $207 million amounts to roughly 0.003% of the federal budget, and 80% of that appropriation is distributed in an average of 2,300 yearly grants that reach every congressional district in the nation.
This wide-ranging benefit has traditionally afforded the endowment bipartisan support in Congress, where a majority would be needed to eliminate it. Trump attempted and failed to dissolve the NEA in his first term. Instead, its budget increased.
Read Trump’s full 2026 Discretionary Budget Request here.
