Note: This blog post was first written in 2017. It went untouched for 8 years, as the “worst case scenarios” we imagined for federal arts funding at that time did not come to fruition.. Now, in May of 2025, we are facing the same challenges yet again – and this time, it seems like we may in fact face the worst (and worse than we previously imagined). I’ve updated this blog with figures and resources for 2025. I invite you to comment and share your own ideas, stories, and arts impact – the more perspectives we add, the stronger our work can be!
The uncertain future of the arts in America
Regardless of your political views, it is clear that we are living in uncertain times. Things have changed, rapidly and in unprecedented ways, under the current presidential administration. They will continue to change, perhaps drastically, if the events of these first 100 days and the recently proposed budget are any indication. It is clear that the arts, which have a long history of holding up a mirror to society in our best and worst times, are under particular threat during this presidential administration. The administration has once again proposed eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, cut jobs at both organizations, and started cancelling grants for upcoming projects. This comes weeks after the president essentially overtook the Kennedy Center, a hub for the performing arts and a beacon of culture in the United States.
When I first wrote this blog post in 2017, funding for these agencies made up just .006% of the federal budget – that’s right, less than .01% combined. According to the Americans for the Arts, it’s the equivalent of a person who makes $50,000/year saving just $10 annually – a most literal drop in the bucket. But here is the thing that politicians don’t seem to understand: The NEA and the NEH are a crucial support for an important aspect of our nation’s economy.
The economic impact of the arts
According to Arts and Economic Prosperity 6, a 2023 report by Americans for the Arts, the arts play a pivotal role in the American economy. Here is a top-line summary of some of the key findings in the report:
In 2022, nonprofit arts and culture organizations and their audiences generated $151.7 billion in economic activity—$73.3 billion in spending by the organizations, which leveraged an additional $78.4 billion in event-related spending by their audiences. The impact of this economic activity is far reaching, supporting 2.6 million jobs, generating $29.1 billion in tax revenue, and providing $101 billion in personal income to residents. AEP6 sends a strong signal that when we support the arts, we are investing in both economic and community well-being. (Read full document here)
In 2022, the arts and culture sector contributed 4.3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), or $1.1 trillion, to the U.S. economy – and this, in a sector that was literally upended by the global pandemic just 2 years before. Moreover, the arts and cultural sector grew at more than twice the rate of the total economy between 2022 and 2023. According to reports, this sector employs 5.4 MILLION workers – in jobs that cannot be easily outsourced or automated, I should add. (Full disclosure: AEP6 puts the number of jobs at 2.6 million – I don’t know what accounts for the discrepancy, but it does look like the 5.4 million figure is more recent. If you know more about this, please feel free to add a comment! I appreciate any clarification that folks can offer!)
Aside from creating jobs for artists, administrators, and related professionals, the arts are good for local economies. According to Americans for the Arts, in 2017 the average attendee of a non-profit arts event spent about $25 per event above and beyond the cost of admission. (Note: I couldn’t easily find updated numbers for this for 2025, but one would imagine this number increased significantly with rising costs of dining, parking, transportation, etc.) Think about it – when you go to a museum, see a concert, attend a performance at the theatre, how much do you actually spend outside of the ticket cost? More often then not you’ll have dinner first, maybe a drink during intermission, dessert after. Maybe you’ll duck into a nearby boutique with a cute storefront or buy a tee-shirt or CD in the venue’s lobby shop. You’ll pay for public transportation, a carshare program, or parking. It’s not a coincidence that arts venues are often an integral part of community revitalization.
Federal support for the arts in the US
In 2025, the National Endowment for the Arts is currently funded at $207 million – less than $1 per citizen. NEA funding for the arts helps in innumerable ways, from covering staff and performer’s salaries, to buying supplies to make costumes, props, and scenery, to renting and maintaining venues, to keeping the cost of attendance reasonable. Funding also covers educational programs and community outreach events, including programs in schools, professional development for teachers, television and radio broadcasts, online programming, and free programs offered to underserved communities. It is highly likely that, as an American citizen, YOU have consumed numerous offerings supported by the NEA – and you likely did not even realize it. Meanwhile, the government paid $181 billion a year on aid to businesses, or over $500 per citizen – think “corporate welfare” and “business subsidies.”
How the arts economy impacts you
Think about all of the arts businesses in your community: dance studios, music schools, community theaters, visual art galleries, museums, performing arts centers, and fine arts studios. Think of your child’s dance teacher, their piano instructor, the woman who comes in to direct the play at their school, or the facilitator at the local art club. Think of the local and national businesses associated with the arts: instrument makers, dance wear and costume companies, sheet music printers, theatre supply companies, art shoppes, and craft stores. There are small ones, like the mom and pop art supply store downtown and the local dance supply store, and not-so small ones, too – think Hobby Lobby and Guitar Center, for example. Think of all the economic revenue these organization generate. Think of the people they employ, the students they serve, the audiences who appreciate what they do. Think of the local coffee shop that is patronized by parents waiting out their kids’ dance classes. Think of the all-night diner that gets filled to the brim with actors after rehearsals and performances. These businesses, too, are impacted in some way or another by the support of the NEA for arts organizations in their communities or states.
Many of these arts businesses simply would not exist if not for the inspiration of the artists and arts organizations funded by the NEA. Little girls and boys see The Nutcracker performed by the ballet company in a nearby city and enroll for ballet lessons; people go to the museum and decide to try their hand at painting. Inspiration happens and businesses open, jobs are created, rent and utilities are paid, fliers are made and supplies are purchased, lawyers and accountants and contractors are hired. The local economy thrives.
Beyond the economic impact
I’m sticking to the economics of the arts here, because for better or for worse it has become one of our most effective arguments for support in most circles. But, just for a moment – imagine a world without the arts. A world without music (everything from classical to metal), without theatre (or TV and movies, which grew from the theatrical realm), without art (or graphic design, photography, fashion, animated movies, or video games, which all rely on visual artists), without dance and musicals and even yoga and zumba and Pilates (the latter movement practices are often supported economically by dancers or taught by dancers). This is not to mention arts education or arts therapy programs. There is, of course, a vast body of research which shows that students benefit academically, socially, and personally from studying and practicing the arts. The NEA also supports the cutting-edge work in arts therapy with a variety of populations, including veterans suffering from PTSD.
Artists bring to light the things that are hidden in society. They are our most valuable form of protest (non-violent, productive, economically beneficial), and a reflection of our society at our best and our worst. Art asks for very little – artists are mostly self-sufficient, and we’re used to doing great things with very little. The artistic community make miracles happen with 46 cents a year (metaphorically). The NEA, if nothing else, is important because of it’s symbolism. It says that we, as a nation, value our culture, our expression, our history, our arts, and our artists.
Still not convinced? That’s okay
Here’s the thing: I’m not 100% convinced that governmental interference in the arts is always a good thing, either. Funding for the NEA has always been controversial, and if I’m being honest, I would love for artists to be able to make whatever they wanted to without worrying about how federal funding or the lack of it will impact them. I get why many of you reading this might still think that cutting federal funding for the arts is a good thing.
But even if you do not support federal funding for the arts, I urge you to see the real, lasting economic harm that a complete and sudden revoking of NEA grants and the abrupt dismantlement of the NEA will have on communities across America. Grants are being cancelled for works that are supposed to tour this summer. Think of not only the artists whose employment will be directly impacted, but the broader implications as well. Imagine the local performing arts center suddenly not having shows to support. What will happen to the restaurants, nightlife, parking facilities, and other businesses nearby? What will happen to the summer camps and educational programming that was being supported through those ticket sales (not to mention grants themselves)? Artists, arts organizations, and arts supporters must have more time to develop a plan to move beyond federal funding. Pulling the rug out from under them is certainly not the way.
Moreover, think about what the abrupt withdrawal of federal support for the arts says about our nation’s values and priorities. I’m going to speak directly to my dance family for a second here, but these examples can apply to anyone in arts:
The value of federal support for the arts is especially important to consider if you are a dance studio owner, program director, dance teacher, or employed in dance in any way. Think about the message it sends to potential dance parents, weighing the pros and cons of dance vs. soccer or swimming or coding lessons or a thousand other kinds of activities. Many of these parents were probably already on the fence about dance, and the federal dismissal of the arts as unimportant won’t help. Will those kids end up in dance classes? Nope. Think about the kids who are introduced to the arts through a guest artist who visits their school thanks to an NEA grant for lecture demonstrations and classes. Will these kids go out to seek dance classes at their community center? Nope. What happens when the local ballet company can’t put on their annual production of The Nutcracker? Will the next Clara and Fritz find their way to their local dance studio? Another no. What will happen to your dance-based livelihood then?
Moving forward to support the arts in uncertain times
I don’t mean to be alarmist, I really don’t. Like I said, I don’t even know that I believe totally in federal funding for the arts. And I know that artists are resilient, creative, capable, and ready to meet any challenges – financial or otherwise – that come their way. But most importantly, I understand the impact of the arts. We can’t understate how important federal funding has been for artists in America in the last 50 years or more. And we can’t understate how important the arts are, either, especially at times like these when they are most at risk. I know that might life was transformed by dance. My husband’s life was transformed by music. I see dance classes and music lessons and afternoons at the theater and art club and great movies transforming my kids lives’ every day. I know, at my core, that dance is important, that all of the arts are important, and we as a society should value them.
So if society – or at least the federal government – is not choosing to value what we do as dancers, choreographers, dance teachers, and artists of all kinds – why not? Let’s take this moment to really think about that. Let’s take this moment to make some noise about the value of the arts for all people. Let’s come together to support other artists and maybe even make some really great art together. Let’s boldly share how the arts impact us personally, our economy locally and nationally, and our society on a soul level. Let’s tell our lawmakers, let’s tell our friends and neighbors, let’s tell our social media networks. Let’s support the organizations that are fighting for us, like American for the Arts, Dance/USA, and the National Dance Education Organization. Let’s get creative in our fundraising efforts, strategic in our use of resources, and passionate in our advocacy efforts. Let’s think about how we can bring everyone into the family of artists, art supporters, and arts enthusiasts – especially those who feel most disconnected from what we do. Let’s not turn ANYONE away because of their views or beliefs, but instead remember the capacity of our art form to change hearts and minds. And let’s do it all with great love.
Ready to act? Try these 8 simple ways to advocate for the arts today!
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