Friday evening, the national endowment of the national endowment for the arts withdrew and canceled the offers of subsidies to many artistic organizations across the country, sending a series of notifications by e-mail only a few hours after President Trump proposed to eliminate the agency in his next budget.
This decision, although not unexpected, met with the disappointment and anger of the arts administrators who had counted on the grants to finance in progress projects.
In Oregon, Portland Playhouse received an email from the allowment only 24 hours before opening a production of “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” of August Wilson, an acclaimed work which is part of the series of 10 dramaturge dramats on African-Americans during the 20th century. The NEA had recommended a subsidy of $ 25,000 for the show, which would have paid approximately a fifth of production staff costs.
“Times are difficult for theaters – we are already in a hurry, and at the time when each dollar counts, it was a critical piece of our budget,” said Brian Weaver, productive artistic director of the theater. “It’s ridiculous.”
The emails were sent to the administrators of the arts from an address to the endowment which did not accept the answers. “The NEA updates its grant policy priorities to concentrate funding on projects that reflect the rich artistic heritage and the creativity of the country such as the president,” said emails. “Therefore, we end prices that do not fall under these new priorities.”
E-mails continued by saying that the endowment would now favor projects that “raise” historically black colleges and universities and colleges used for Hispanic students. E-mails have also declared that the endowment would focus on projects that “celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, promote IA skills, empower the worship to serve the communities, help resumption after claim, promote qualified commercial work, make America again in good health, argues soldiers and veterans, supports tribal communities Columbia security, and support the economic development of Asian American communities. ”.
Some of the affected people expressed skepticism about the wink of the e-mail to support diversity initiatives, noting that many withdrawn subsidies had been to support the work of colored artists.
“It is strange that the Trump administration deceives its priorities to serve a diversified America while canceling the subsidies for our August Wilson play,” said Weaver. Among the other examples of support canceled for various works: the Yale Repertory Theater in Connecticut received an email saying that his project to develop and produce an adaptation on stage of the short history of Zora Neale Hurston “Spunk” lost a subsidy of $ 30,000.
The layoffs of artistic subsidies occurred after the Trump administration has canceled subsidies in the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
There were at least two versions of the arts endowment email. Some said that “the provisional funding recommendation for the following request” had been withdrawn. These emails went to groups which had already received letters of tenders and were recommended for subsidies, but which had not yet obtained their official prices. Others have been sent to groups whose subsidies had been approved and said: “This informs you that the National Endowment Prize for the Arts was terminated, as of May 31, 2025.” The NEA did not respond to requests for comments.
The future of the arts endowment has been in doubt since the start of the Trump administration. At first, the agency suspended a subsidy program. Then, he tried to force candidates for other subsidies programs to promise not to promote “diversity, equity and inclusion” or “gender ideology” so that Mr. Trump’s executive decrees are on Mr. Trump’s decrees on these questions, only to suspend and then modify this requirement because it was confronted with legal challenges. Trump on Friday proposed to completely eliminate the agency, as well as the national endowment for the humanities and others, during the next financial year.
Democrats and arts defenders have promised to try to fight to save the agency. Trump also tried to eliminate the endowment of the arts during his first mandate, but she was saved with the support of the Republicans of the Congress as well as the Democrats. It is not yet clear if the agency still has bipartite support in the current political climate, while few Republicans have shown a desire to cross Mr. Trump.
Many organizations across the country have declared that they had received the cancellation emails. Among them: the New Harmony Project, a non -profit organization in Indianapolis which helps the scenarios of stage and screen, and which had been recommended for a subsidy of $ 40,000 to help finance a program of residence for writers.
“This Friday evening, a mass email that reduced the funding of so many artistic organizations throughout the country is a clear attack on the arts,” said Jenni Werner, executive director of the New Harmony Project. “This administration wanted to kill the NEA and the artistic freedom it has supported, and the email tonight may have done exactly that.”
The Great Plains Theater Commons, in Omaha, Neb., Obtained an email by withdrawing a recommendation for a subsidy of $ 35,000 for an annual game festival. The artistic director of the organization, Kevin Lawler, described the cuts as “devastating”, but undertook to work to “continue to support the storytellers and share stories because it is the work that we love and that is our way of being at the service”.
And TheaterWorks Silicon Valley, California, obtained an opinion withdrawing a recommendation for a subsidy of $ 10,000 to support a group of writers. Giovanna Sardelli, the artistic director, called the movement “discouraging and exasperating”.
Among the other affected: the American Conservatory Theater, in San Francisco, and the civilians, a theater company based in New York, both of which received email with the object line “notice of dismissal”. The New York group was recommended for a grant to support a new musical by Martha Redbone and Aaron Whitby.
The Eugene Symphony, in Oregon, obtained two dismissal notices, one for a grant to support a concert and a residence by the pianist of Jazz Darrell Grant, and one to support the work of the pianist Dan Tepfer.
“These sudden endings hit artistic organizations hardly at a time when many are already preparing for the post-pandemic tax cliff, following the temporary boost of rescue funds that have helped maintain the afloat sector,” said Dave Moss, executive director of the Symphony. “But this upheaval, unlike the pandemic, is entirely artificial, and just as we are starting to recover from a challenge, we are immediately sunk into another.”
