The first proposed budget by President Donald J. Trump has arrived, and it is making all kinds of waves in the news. There are dramatic cuts to major government departments like the Environmental Protection Agency, and programs like Meals On Wheels, which feeds low-income seniors.
A federal budget proposal has a lot of line-items in it, many of which affect youth. For instance, under Trump’s proposal the National Endowment for the Arts, which last year had a budget of almost $150 million, has its budget slashed completely.
The NEA provides hundreds of grants to organizations that serve young people across the nation. Funding from the agency feeds into everything from arts education programs for schools, to museum programs and performances aimed at youth. For example (and full disclosure), Youth Radio has received several grants from the NEA over the years which have helped start new programs, and expand the number of youth we serve.
If the funds are cut, it would be the first time since 1966 that the federal government did not allocate any money to the NEA. According to the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, the NEA’s budget makes up just 0.004% of the total Federal budget. In other words, if the federal budget were a dollar, the NEA funding would be a bit less than half a penny.
But don’t just take our word on the impact of the proposed budget. You can use the NEA Grant Search tool to find out what programs received NEA funding in your area.