Building a Resilient Arts and Culture Community: Responding to Recent Changes

Recent updates to the NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) grant guidelines and other federal changes have left many in the arts and culture community feeling uncertain and concerned about the future.

Artists and arts and culture organizations are essential to our region, driving our local economic engine and educational benefits for our youth, and bringing people together in our community. CultureWorks is unwavering in our proven commitment to champion the broad network of artists, administrators, and organizations, representing the Richmond and Tri-Cities region and beyond. We continue to monitor the ongoing changes with our partners at Americans for the Arts to assess the impacts to arts and culture in our region.

Your support remains critical.  As you have in the past, you can continue supporting our shared arts and culture community by:

  • Showing up and supporting local arts and culture organizations and artists: Attend events, become a member or supporter, and share about the work being done.

  • Keeping informed: Americans for the Arts has posted an FAQ page on their website and will be updating their Arts Mobilization page.

And if you are an artist or an arts and culture organization:

  • Learn all the details about the current NEA Grant Program: A recording of the FY26 Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) Guidelines Webinar from Wednesday, February 18th will be made available here.

  • Join AFTA’s Office Hours program: Register for this free webinar on Friday, February 21st at 4:00 PM EST focusing on how current events and public policy impact arts and culture with guest Mary Anne Carter, current senior advisor at the NEA.

  • Take advantage of our CultureWorks Resource Roundup: This resource is a great place to find new ways to access support for your work.

Your presence makes a difference, and your voice amplifies the incredible work being created.  Together, let’s continue building a vibrant and thriving arts and culture community by and for all of us.

 

 

CultureWorks