Arts Funding Back! Nasty Coburn Amendment Removed!

The Economic Recovery bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 246-183.

It has been confirmed that the package DOES include $50 million in direct support for arts jobs through National Endowment for the Arts grants.

I'm also happy to report that that the exclusionary Coburn Amendment language banning certain arts groups from receiving any other economic recovery funds has also been successfully removed.

Tonight the Senate is scheduled to have their final vote, and President Obama plans to sign the bill on Monday - President's Day.

The compromise version of the bill stipulates that the NEA funding go for grants to activities and projects "which preserve jobs in the nonprofit arts sector threatened by declines in philanthropic and other support during the current economic downturn". 40% of the money will go to state arts agencies and regional arts organizations and the remainder will go for competitive grants from the NEA.

“It was not politics as usual in Washington, as the Congressional conferees’ final version of the bill seized the opportunity to provide much-needed stimulus support for the nation’s creative workforce. The National Endowment for the Arts will distribute $50 million of the stimulus funds to arts projects in all 50 states which specifically preserve jobs in the nonprofit arts sector that have been most hurt by the economic downturn. Additionally, the final version of the stimulus bill further recognized the role the arts play in the overall U.S. economy by removing the Senate ban on state and local governments from using any of the recovery funds to benefit museums, theaters, and art centers,” said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts.

A United Voice
This is an important victory for all of you as arts advocates. More than 85,000 letters were sent to Congress, thousands of calls were made, and hundreds of op-eds, letters to the editor, news stories, and blog entries were generated in print and online media about the role of the arts in the economy. Artists, business leaders, mayors, governors, and a full range of national, state, and local arts groups all united together on this advocacy issue. This outcome marks a stunning turnaround of events and exemplifies the power of grassroots arts advocacy.

Special thanks to Americans for the Arts and ARTS North Carolina for their leadership on this and other advocacy matters.

What's Next
Now more than ever, we must work together to advocate for our united mission. Please pay attention to the upcoming statewide advocacy calls to action. Please speak passionately about the value of the arts and the volume of jobs that the arts create.

Please register for ARTS DAY 2009 - MAY 5 & 6. Register at www.artsnc.org/advocacy.

Please also plan to attend and RSVP for one of the upcoming NCTC membership meetings - http://www.nctc.org/events/regional_mtgs.php.

Webinar on Federal Funding Announced, NEA Officials to Join
Americans for the Arts will give an update on the economic stimulus package as well as other federal sources of arts funding in a webinar on Wednesday, February 18, 2:00-3:30pm EST. The webinar presentation will include remarks by Acting National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Patrice Walker Powell and newly appointed Director of Government Affairs Anita Decker. The webinar is free to Americans for the Arts professional members. Not a Member? Join Today.