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When the Trump Administration released its federal budget proposal for FY2026, arts and cultural organizations across New England faced immediate uncertainty. This budget called to eliminate funding for key federal cultural institutions, including the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Soon after, many organizations that had already been awarded grants from these agencies received notice that their funding would be terminated. Grants that were previously approved but not yet distributed were rescinded and organizations with active contracts faced disruptions in anticipated funding.
In early 2025, MASSCreative, Arts4NH, CT Arts Alliance, and the Cultural Alliance of Maine conducted a survey to assess the impacts of those federal funding cuts. In the first survey, 89 organizations in New England reported $4.2 million in lost grant funding, impacts to 810 jobs, and 63 grant cancellations - mostly from the NEA (73%).
To continue measuring the impacts of lost federal funding, MASSCreative, Arts4NH, CT Arts Alliance, Cultural Alliance of Maine, New England Foundation for the Arts, and Vermont Creative Network administered a second regional impact survey in early 2026.
These survey responses help us better understand the consequences of these cuts to the region’s cultural economy.