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Help Defend the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities

Since January, rumors have swirled around us that the new administration plans on defunding the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).

The elimination of the NEA and the NEH would be a serious blow to writers and would be a system shock that some organizations may not survive. We ask you to join us in defending the NEA and the NEH. Now is the time to speak out about the critical role artist, writers, and arts organizations play in our society. In the article below, we’ve added a few simple steps you can take that will have meaningful impact in Washington.

Here’s what you can do:

 

Contact both your senator and your representative and tell them you expect them to demand the NEA and NEH be included in the next federal budget. (See below for contact information and sample letters.) It is critical that your elected officials hear from you. This kind of activism creates real change. Please do not take for granted that your elected officials will protect federal funding for the arts and humanities. 

Click here to sign the petition demanding the Trump administration protect funding for the NEA and the NEH.

Share this page on on social media.

Read more: Our friends at PEN have an excellent page with further info about the NEA.

 

Contact both our Oregon Senators

Senator Merkley — 503-326-3386 (Portland office) 

Senator Wyden — 503-326-7525 (Portland office) 

 

Contact your Oregon Representative   
Click here for a map to learn who your representative is.

Representative Bonamici — 503-469-6010 (Beaverton office) 
Representative Walden — 541-624-2400 (La Grande office) 
Representative Blumenauer — 503-231-2300 (Portland office)
Representative DeFazio — 541-465-6732 (Eugene office) 
Representative Schrader — 503-557-1324 (Oregon City office)

Sample Letter for Senators

As your constituent, I urge you to support at least the House funding level of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) included in H.R. 5538, the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017. The bill would provide $149.849 million in support of the NEA’s work to provide all Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts.

Should you be involved in final negotiations on funding for FY17, please support at least the House funding proposal included in H.R. 5538.

Furthermore, for FY18, I hope you will reject all attempts to terminate or reduce the size and scope of the NEA. As you may know, through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning and extends its work to promote access to the arts in every community across America. Every state is served by NEA funds!

Thank you for taking my views into account. I look forward to hearing your position on this important funding.

Sample letter for Representatives

As your constituent, I urge you to support at least the House funding level of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) included in H.R. 5538, the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017. The bill would provide $149.849 million in support of the NEA’s work to provide all Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts.

I support $155 million for the NEA for FY17, but am glad to see the small funding increase provided in the House bill. Should you be involved in final negotiations on funding for FY17, please support at least the House funding proposal included in H.R. 5538.

Furthermore, for FY18, I hope you will reject all attempts to terminate or reduce the size and scope of the NEA. As you may know, through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning and extends its work to promote access to the arts in every community across America. Every congressional district is served by an NEA grant!

Thank you for taking my views into account. I look forward to hearing your position on this important funding.

And here are just some of the organizations, many of which serve statewide, that will be impacted if the NEA is cut:

Caldera                                                          
Chamber Music Northwest                                                 
Disjecta Contemporary Art Center                                     
Eugene Ballet                                                                                               
Eugene Symphony Association, Inc.                                   
Fishtrap, (Enterprise OR)
Four Rivers Cultural Center and Museum (Ontario OR)
Hatchery Arts           
Hollywood Fringe Festival
Literary Arts, Inc.                                                      
Miracle Theatre Group                                                        
My Voice Music                                 
Sitka Center for Art and Ecology (Otis OR)                                               
Network of Ensemble Theaters      
Northwest Documentary Arts & Media     
Northwest Professional Dance Project      
Oregon Arts Commission (Salem / Statewide)
Oregon Ballet Theatre                                                                     
Oregon Children’s Theatre Company        
Oregon Shakespeare Festival Association (Ashland)                                           
PHAME                      
Peter Britt Gardens Music and Arts Festival Association (Medford)                  
Playa   (Summer Lake)                                                        
Portland Art Museum /Northwest Film Center                                        
Portland Center Stage                                                         
Portland Institute for Contemporary Art  
Portland Jazz                                    
Portland Opera                                          
Portland Playhouse                                                             
Regional Arts & Culture Council                                         
Skanner Foundation
Southern Oregon Film Society/Ashland Independent Film Festival       (Ashland)
Tavern Books                                                                                    
University of Oregon            (Eugene)                               
White Bird                                                    
Wisdom of the Elders          

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