Help Save the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities

UPDATE March 16, 2017:

Our fears have come to pass. You may have seen the news this morning that President Trump’s proposed budget, released earlier today, calls for the elimination of the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities. The budget—which must be passed by Congress—will be the subject of vigorous debate on Capitol Hill in the coming months.

Now is the time to act.

Why You Should Help

The NEA is the only U.S. federal agency that is dedicated to supporting the future of the arts, and especially literature, through its grants to upcoming writers and literary organizations. The NEA and NEH each account for only .003 percent of federal spending and are the only agencies that represent our thriving arts culture. These organizations support countless authors, literary organizations, and artistic endeavors, and are particularly important because they allow the arts to flourish in geographic and economic areas otherwise underserved by the arts.

From funding a book publication project in Brooklyn to establishing writer residencies in Alaska, here you can find state-by-state projects funded by the NEA and the NEH.

How You Can Help

1. Sign the Authors Guild’s Letter

The Guild is sending the attached letters to members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees and we hope to collect as many signatures from you as we can.

You can add your name to our letter HERE

2. Contact your Representative

Speak to or write your Congressperson and let them know that cutting funding for the arts, and literature in particular, is not acceptable.

In approximate order of effectiveness, the best ways to make sure your representatives in Congress and the Senate hear you are to:

• Meet with them in person. You can contact their office to set up a meeting or, if you are comfortable with doing so, attend a local event where they are speaking and raise your hand and make sure you are heard.
• Mail a letter (they are less and less frequently received, so they actually get read!).
• Call or write an e-mail.

You can find contact information for your Congressperson here. And for your Senators here.

You may want to mention projects in your state that are funded by the NEA and the NEH.

Feel free to use as much of the attached letter from the Authors Guild as you wish, keeping in mind that personalized letters tend to be more effective—but the quantity of letters received is also important. Bottom line: make sure your voice is heard.