‘It’s an opportunity to rethink how we’re connecting to people’: Arts organizations respond to NEA cuts   

Hundreds of arts nonprofits were blindsided this spring when they were notified that grants they were promised by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) would not be forthcoming. The federal agency is shifting its priorities to align with those of the new administration, whose ultimate goal is to eliminate the NEA. To make matters worse, several states, including Florida and California, had already begun decreasing funding for the arts—some for financial reasons, some for ideological reasons. 

Candid data shows that around 16% of nonprofits in the arts, culture, and humanities depend on government grants for more than half of their revenue. And without government funding, 10% of arts nonprofits will run out of cash in three months or less and roughly 32% in a year or less. 

In late July, Candid hosted a virtual peer learning exchange with around 80 arts organizations representatives. The event featured a panel of four nonprofit arts leaders from around the country who spoke about the challenges and opportunities this moment presents. Here are some of the key strategies for survival the session spotlighted: 

1. Collaborate with other arts organizations 

“Gathering is kind of how we survive,” said Faheem Majeed, co-director of Floating Museum in Chicago. “Sometimes we’re pitted against each other, due to the scarcity model or idea that there’s not enough funding, and I don’t necessarily believe that even now….”  

Collaborating with another nonprofit can also mean working more efficiently. “We try our best not to duplicate things,” Majeed said. “We don’t have a youth organization that we manage; we have a youth organization that we partner with. So, when we have youth initiatives, we go to them. We don’t create our own.”  

Finding allies in local government is also key, since states and municipalities have traditionally provided more support to the arts than the NEA. Anna Klimala, CEO of the Miami Music Project, is part of Arts Action Miami, a coalition of around 400 arts leaders who mobilized “to go to county budget meetings, to email or text everybody we can, so people understand that behind these cuts are hundreds of people that not only have jobs in Miami, but also people who make Miami better.” 

2. ‘Re-educate’ the public about the vital role arts organizations play 

Echoing Klimala, other panelists also noted the need to “re-educate” funders, donors, and the public at large about the cuts and what they mean for communities. “Arts and culture is not just about tourism. It’s not just about beautification. It’s also about jobs,” said Majeed, who also noted the importance of not presenting your organization as a “charity.” 

Alice Stryker, vice president of advancement at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, stressed the need to tailor messaging for those outside the arts sector. “Government officials, they really want to know about economic growth and job creation. We know that around 13% of New York City’s economic output, which is about $110 billion, is from the art sector in New York City, which is 7.8% of the GDP of New York State, and employs around 500,000 people statewide.”  

3. Engage diverse supporters and focus on community 

“Engage your grassroots funders, your individual donors, your city leaders immediately and don’t stop with the major funders and the foundation funders,” Stryker added.  

Asa Jackson, president of The McColl Center in Charlotte, NC, saw a potential bright spot in the disruption. “It’s an opportunity for us to rethink how we’re connecting to people and also reconnecting to our own humanity,” he said. By focusing on members of the local community, people who benefit from nonprofit arts programming, and those who may yet to benefit from it but would, he suggested, arts organizations can create stronger relationships with current and potential supporters. “This big government leviathan can sway us this way and that. But we all earn dollars every day. We need to get people within our communities to think about how they are spending those dollars and how we can collectively create the scenarios that we want to be in going forward.”  

4. Persevere, streamline, and get back to fundraising basics 

The current situation might be new, but the panelists mentioned how arts nonprofits have always had to do more with less. The arts subsector has always received far less funding than human services and education, for example, according to Giving USA. They also stressed the need to be nimble—which sometimes means focusing on core programs and setting aside others when funds are scarce. Some of the panelists also noted the need to get back to fundraising basics (including using Candid resources) and connecting to both individual and private institutional donors on a human level.  

‘You’re not a charity; you’re a winner’ 

At the end of the panel, attendees crowdsourced some next steps for arts organizations, such as “work on creating separate messaging for our donor bases” and “brainstorm ideas with our board to help our community get to know us.”  

While participants sounded optimistic overall, there was understandably still some anxiety and frustration with the current situation. Klimala, who like many of the other panelists is an artist in her own right (a cellist), acknowledged this: “We are constantly forced to regroup and regroup and regroup. At some point, we’re all just going to run out of gas, run out of power to be able to do what we do, and still have to create on top of that.”  

And the session ended on a positive note: “Do not present yourself as a charity,” Majeed noted. “You’re not a charity; you’re a winner. Present yourself in such a way because people want to support winning causes.”  

Photo credit: monkeybusinessimages via Getty Images