NEA Announces Second Round of Grants for FY 2023
Federal funding for the arts provides critical support for creative participation across the country, state resources, and national arts research. The NEA has announced more than $103 million in recommended grants in the second major grant announcement of fiscal year 2023. Organizations in all 50 states and U.S. jurisdictions will carry out arts projects in three NEA funding categories: Grants for Arts Projects, Our Town, and State and Regional Partnerships.
Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) is the National Endowment for the Arts’ largest grants program for organizations. The NEA awarded 159 grants to theatres and musical theatres totaling $3,834,500. Full lists and descriptions of all supported projects are available via the NEA’s grant search tool.
Speak Up to Support the Charitable Act!
Theatres can take action today to support increased charitable giving in communities nationwide! TCG has been a long-time advocate alongside the broader nonprofit community in support of a universal charitable deduction, which would substantially increase charitable giving while cultivating new generations of philanthropists and encouraging a tradition of giving among all taxpayers. Bipartisan bills introduced in both the U.S. House and Senate, The Charitable Act, would create a new incentive for giving among taxpayers who do not itemize their returns, making available an above-the-line federal tax deduction for charitable giving valued at up to one-third of the standard deduction for tax years 2023 and 2024. Theatres and other nonprofit organizations saw increased giving through a similar non-itemizer deduction available during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two weeks ago, Reps. Blake Moore (R-UT), Danny Davis (D-IL), Chris Pappas (D-NH), and Michelle Steel (R-CA) introduced the Charitable Act - H.R. 3435, a companion measure to a Senate bill (S.566) that had been introduced in March by lead sponsors Sens. James Lankford (R-OK) and Chris Coons (D-DE). Please take a moment to contact your federally elected officials to urge them to cosponsor this giving provision. Please thank the original co-sponsors of the Senate Bill listed here and the House Members listed above.
Shuttered Venue Grants Near Close-Out Phase
The Shuttered Venue Operators Grants program is getting ready to launch the close-out process, wrapping up essential COVID-19 relief to grantees, including support for scores of theatres nationwide. The Small Business Administration (SBA) plans to begin issuing final action items for awards under $500,000 that do not have audit requirements, are not in monitoring, and have fully spent their award amount. For the remaining grantees, the SBA will begin close-out procedures in June using a staggered approach. For any grantee that is in the special monitoring phase, this process will move at a different pace. The SBA has released a new 10-minute video on the multiple steps involved in the close-out process. TCG remains in dialogue with the SBA regarding all final steps of the grant process. Please contact lbaskin@tcg.org to share any questions or concerns.
New Ticketing Rules Proposed at Federal Level
Following several years of policy action at the state level, the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Congress are turning attention to proposals that would set new national rules regarding ticket fee transparency, dynamic pricing disclosures, holdback practices, and other policies for those that sell theatre tickets on the both the primary and secondary sales markets. Multiple legislative proposals with a range of approaches to this topic are expected in the coming months and include the introduction of the Biden Administration’s wide-ranging "junk fee" policy proposal. TCG, in partnership with the Performing Arts Alliance and the wider performing arts sector, is analyzing proposals for the impact on theatres and will be keeping you informed of how to weigh in as next steps unfold.
President Biden Announces President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities Members
President Biden has appointed a roster of artists, scholars, museums practitioners, and philanthropists to the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH), an advisory body to the president on cultural policy. They will provide recommendations to the president and the heads of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to advance wide-ranging policy objectives in the arts and humanities.
After a five year hiatus, in September 2022, President Biden issued a new Executive Order re-establishing and bolstering the mission of PCAH to promote excellence in these sectors. The order recognizes how the arts and humanities sectors can positively impact community well-being, equity, economic development, public health, education, civic engagement, and climate change across the United States.
The PCAH members include many extraordinary people important to the theatre sector, including Anna Deavere Smith, writer and actress, and Laura Penn, Executive Director of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC). Visit imls.gov/pcah to learn more.
Congresswoman Lee Introduces Legislation to Advance Equity Through the Arts and Humanities
Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12) has reintroduced the Advancing Equity Through the Arts and Humanities Act (H.R. 3239) to acknowledge the role of arts and humanities in dismantling systemic racism in the United States.
The proposed legislation, endorsed by TCG, aims to establish a program through the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. This program will offer grants to public and nonprofit organizations, including those led by people of color, as well as faith-based and community-based groups. The grants will support projects that work towards combating racism and increasing engagement with these organizations.
Representative Lee’s press release provides more information.