Advocacy

Learn about NEFA's current advocacy work, find organizations that advocate for the sector in New England and nationally, and learn about the impact of the arts. 

Contact: 

Ann Wicks, Communications Director & Co-Accessibility Coordinator
Direct: 617-423-1390

Concerns over the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026

Introduced in the Senate on September 30, the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act (S.5653) "aims to reform the federal environmental review and permitting processes...and deliver cheaper energy, more jobs, and responsible growth across the U.S." However, our colleagues at the National Trust for Historic Preservation have noted profound concerns with several provisions in the legislation, including Federal agency override of preservation and undermining Tribal sovereignty. On October 27, four other Senators sent a letter outlining their concerns with this legislation and if it would be faithfully executed.

Learn about Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, one of the most important legal mechanisms protecting America's historic places.

On November 8, the National Trust released their review of the Manager's Amendment, which, while it incorporates some adjustments, does not address the fundamental concerns and would still weaken the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and undermine the effectiveness of Section 106 review.

Learn more abut the key concerns of this legislation, and reach out to your legislators before a planned cloture vote on November 9: 

Contact your Senators before November 9

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

9.28.26: Proposed legislation in the Senate

Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) are leading bipartisan legislation to prohibit the demolition of a presidential memorial designated by Congress unless specifically authorized by Congress. The legislation was introduced via a process called unanimous consent, which failed due to one Senator's disagreement. Rep. Chellie Pingree (ME-1), chair of the arts caucus in the House, led a similar effort with the same result.   

A living memorial, the Kennedy Center presents over 2,000 performing arts shows and events each year - many for free via the Millennium Stage - and is considered to be the national cultural center of the United States.

Share your concern about the future of the Kennedy Center

and

contact your member of congress

Proposed Rules from the Office of Management & Budget (OMB)

10.30.26: Nonprofits may sign on to a letter to Oppose Sweeping Changes to Federal Grantmaking

The deadline to sign on is November 11. Find the letter here, from the National Council of Nonprofits.

9.1.26: Congress passes a Continuing Resolution (CR) through December 11, 2026

The Senate passed a continuing resolution on August 8; the House passed a CR on September 1. The CR was signed into law on September 2. The CR maintains funding at their FY26 levels while negotiations continue with the House. The CR prevents the OMB's proposed rule regarding federal financial assistance from taking effect.

7.16.26: Proposed Changes for Federal Grants & Impact on Cultural Nonprofits 

On May 29, 2026, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released proposed rule changes to the Uniform Guidance for Federal Awards, which outlines how federal grants and assistance - including the National Endowment for the Arts - work. As part of the process, OMB held a public comment period that ended on July 13, 2026, receiving nearly 500,000 comments. If enacted, these extensive changes have the potential to negatively impact the work of cultural nonprofits by creating significant financial risks and administrative burdens. In a July 6 letter to OMB, Senator Susan Collins (ME), chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, requested an extension to the public comment period and requested that they withdraw portions of the rule that would potentially harm certain communities and sectors. If approved, the new rules would go into effect for awards made on or after October 1, 2026. 

NEFA shares our cultural advocacy colleagues’ concern about these proposed revisions. A few of the many issues include: 

1. Many of the proposed rules duplicate existing government agency staff and panel review by adding an additional layer of high-level review by personnel, not directly involved in the work, who would approve or deny grants that had already gone through an agency’s vetting process. 
2. The proposal to create a “discretionary termination provision” undermines the work of the government agencies running the programs and would be extremely harmful to cultural organizations given that this proposed language contains vague criteria that could impose viewpoint discrimination. 
3. According to the proposed rules, when a grant is terminated under the agency’s discretion, the agency would not have to provide grantees with any administrative hearing or appeals process. Federal agencies could withhold federal discretionary grants indefinitely in certain circumstances. 

These are just a few of the issues; learn more about the proposed rule changes from these additional resources:  

• National Council of Nonprofits (NCN)  
• Council on Foundations (COF)  
• National League of Cities (NLC)  
• National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)  
• National Association of Counties (NACO) 
• Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA)  

Additional resources specifically for nonprofits:  

• Proposed Changes to Federal Grant Rules: What Nonprofit Leaders Should Know   
• 6 Things Non-Profits Need to Know About OMB’s Major Proposed Overhaul of the Federal Grant Rules 

Multiple NEFA grants are funded by the NEA, including the New England States Touring (NEST) Grant, Crossroads: Touring New England Grant, and the New England Presenter Travel Fund.

We encourage those who share this concern to reach out to your legislators to share how these proposed rules would impact your work.   

contact your member of congress

Additional Advocacy Actions

FY27 Appropriations Advocacy

National Endowment for the Arts, The National Endowment for the Humanities, & the Institute for Museum and Library Services

Contact your members of Congress about the important cultural, economic, and health benefits the arts and humanities provide in your community.

Contact your Members of Congress

8.19.25: Fact Sheet: The Department of Justice’s “Guidance for Recipients of Federal Funding on Unlawful Discrimination”: What You Need to Know

Created by: 

• LDF (Legal Defense Fund)
• AAJC (Asian Americans Advancing Justice)
• Democracy Forward
• Latino Justice
• Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights
• National Women's Law Center

Tracking Current Federal Actions

• Americans for the Arts' Executive Action Tracker
• Americans for the Arts' Action Fund Breaking News Page
• AP's Executive Order Lawsuit Tracker
• Council of Nonprofits’ Executive Orders Affecting Charitable Nonprofits
• Grantmakers in the Arts’ Community Resources on the New Presidential Administration’s Actions
• NASAA's Federal Updates

National Organizations & Resources

• Alliance for Justice: Advocacy Self-Assessment Check Up for Nonprofit
• Americans for the Arts: Advocate
• Arts Action Fund
• DataArts: Research & Advocacy
• National Assembly of State Arts Agencies: Advocacy
• National Council of Nonprofits
• National Endowment for the Arts: Impact
• National Independent Venue Association (NIVA): 
  • State of Live National Report and State Reports
  • Fix the Tix Fan Action Center
• Nonprofit Vote: nonpartisan resources to help nonprofits integrate voter engagement into their ongoing activities and services.
• NeuroArts Blueprint's Neuroarts Research Center
• Performing Arts Alliance: Advocacy Basics
• Policy Literacy for the Creative Sector: Policy Literacy for the Creative Sector is an open-source policy brief educational template for creative workers. and is a collaborative effort between ADC Consulting and Scansion. Designed to support sectoral affinity groups and small-budget entities, the template serves two primary purposes:
  • Provide baseline educational content on the intersection of the creative sector and public policy.
  • Serve as an editable template and starting point for anyone who wishes to host regular policy briefs and to learn and/or educate cohorts on cultural policy

New England

• Connecticut Arts Alliance
• Connecticut Office of the Arts
• Cultural Alliance of Maine
• Maine Arts Commission
• Massachusetts Cultural Council: Federal Funding Update
• MASSCreative
• Arts4NH (New Hampshire Citizens for the Arts)
• Rhode Island State Council on the Arts
• Vermont Arts Council
• Vermont Creative Network

NEFA's Activity in New England - FY25

NEFA's grants and resources support artists and organizations in all six New England states. This work is possible through our partnership with New England's state art agencies, the National Endowment for the Arts, and additional funders.

Learn more about NEFA's partnership with the New England state art agencies
 

​Federal Investment & the Arts in New England

The Arts Power the U.S. Economy

• The Bureau of Economic Analysis and the NEA together calculate the arts and culture sector’s contributions to the gross domestic product. In 2022, arts and culture added over $1.1 trillion, or 4.3%, to national GDP, and nationwide employment in the sector increased 6.4% to a total of 5.2 million arts and cultural jobs. The arts are also a powerful export industry boasting a trade surplus of $21.0 billion in 2022.
• Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6) is an economic and social impact study of the nation’s nonprofit arts and culture industry. Nationally, the sector generated $151.7 billion of economic activity in 2022—$73.3 billion in spending by nonprofit arts and culture organizations and an additional $78.4 billion in event-related expenditures by their audiences. This economic activity supported 2.6 million jobs, provided $101 billion in personal income to residents, and generated $29.1 billion in tax revenue to local, state, and federal governments.

Federal Arts Funding Broadens Distribution of Resources

• The National Endowment for the Arts annually recommends about 2,300 grants, benefiting every Congressional District. The majority of grants go to small and medium-sized organizations (budgets less than $2 million) and support projects that increase audience access to arts programming.
• 35% of NEA grants take place in high-poverty urban and rural communities. Approximately 4,000 communities of all sizes are served each year through NEA grants, with many projects bringing the arts to geographically underserved areas.
• Around 41 million Americans annually attend live arts events supported by the NEA, including approximately 36,000 concerts, readings, and performances, and 6,000 exhibitions. Millions more attend these events and access other artistic and educational experiences online.
• Federal agencies and nonprofit organizations partner with the NEA on national initiatives, using the arts as a platform for enhancing the quality of life for all. Such partnership examples include: Creative Forces, Shakespeare in American Communities, Blue Star Museums, NEA Big Read, Poetry Out Loud, Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge, and the Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design.
• The NEA is an integral part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, serving on the nonpartisan U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission Task Force and offering grantmaking support for this initiative across the nation.  

Federal Investment from the National Endowment for the Arts Creates a Thriving New England

• In FY25, with support from the NEA and private foundations, NEFA awarded 562 grants to artists and cultural organizations in New England and across the nation, totaling over $6.4 million.  
• In addition to grants, support from the NEA enables NEFA to convene and provide networking and technical assistance to artists and organizations in New England.
• CreativeGround.org, NEFA’s searchable directory of New England’s creative economy, supports the visibility and connection of over 25,000 of the region’s artists, cultural organizations, and creative businesses. It is the only data-sharing tool of its kind in the country and contributes to research on the sector while highlighting the real people and stories behind the numbers.