The Arts Action Fund sent out an emergency email on Monday afternoon full of emergency support resources for arts nonprofits nationwide who received emails from the National Endowment for the Arts saying their grant was either “withdrawn” or “terminated.”

Withdrawn Grants

These organizations were awarded funds that were confirmed in December 2024. They have no recourse to obtain the remainder unless an appeal is submitted by May 8 and approved by NEA staff. There were 27 artists and arts organizations from Oregon in that cohort, totaling $590,000. To date, ArtsWatch has confirmed only two grantees – both individual Creative Writing Fellowship awardees at $25,000 each – who received their funding this year. The NEA has removed the PDF grant announcement document for this cycle from its website, but ArtsWatch has a copy available here. 

Terminated Grants

These organizations were awarded funds that were confirmed in FY23 or 24. They may appeal, or may attempt to invoice the NEA for any program costs accrued by May 31, which is now the new end date of their grant period. NEA program staff had been working hard to get these grant recipients their money, which in many cases was promised months or even years ago and may already be partially spent. This is a massive list including four full cycles of grantees and millions of dollars to Oregon arts organizations, so we are sharing names here as we receive them. Please reach out to contact us if your organization is not on this list. To date, these are still listed here on the NEA’s website.

What to do next

Everyone was given a deadline of seven business days (meaning before the end of Thursday, May 8) to appeal, based on whether or not their project fit into the new priority guidelines announced by the Trump administration, which were listed in the letter (ArtsWatch wrote more about them here). 

Many organizations have leapt into action to support artists now scrambling to cover lost funds to protect their work from cancellation, and we’ll have more on that later this week; but, for now, if you’re trying to figure out what to do next, here’s what you need to know.

1. Register here for the free Americans for the Arts Zoom webinar on Wednesday, May 7 at 1pm PST. “Organizations that have received terminations or rescinded awards will discuss their situation. Learn from experts on how to submit an appeal, next steps after your appeal, and how to advocate to your Member of Congress during this pivotal time.”

2. Review step-by-step guides and templates. The Film Festival Alliance and Modern Language Association provided Americans for the Arts with two publicly shareable Google Docs: one entitled Guidance for NEA Grantees Facing Termination or Withdrawal of Funds, and one entitled Appeal Template Draft. Both will help walk you through the whole process. This joint statement from U.S. Regional Arts Organizations has more useful information about how to craft an appeal, including links to research to help you support your case.

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3. Get help writing your appeal. If you missed the webinar or just need more support, ArtsWatch NEA correspondent and veteran arts grant writer Claire Willett is holding free open office hours on Wednesday from 5-7 pm PST for anyone scrambling to appeal by the Thursday deadline. The Zoom link is here.

4. Add your name to the list. ArtsWatch has been compiling a list of Oregon nonprofits whose grants have been canceled. Check our Google Spreadsheet here to see if your organization is listed, and please add it or correct the information if we’ve missed you. You can reach us by commenting on this article, or forwarding your NEA email to info@orartswatch.org. 

Please also fill out this Google Form to add yourself to the nationwide list being compiled by New York writer and theatre director Annie Dorsen, who also organized the open artists’ letter in February protesting the NEA’s implementation of Trump’s executive orders. You can see her spreadsheet here; the amount of grant terminations are at over $5.7 million nationwide. Contact neaopenletter@gmail.com for more information on her advocacy work.

5. Complete the National Pulse Survey. This is a document from Americans for the Arts to collect nationwide data from arts and culture organizations of all kinds on how funding cuts have impacted their work.

6. Contact your legislator. The Arts Action Fund email provides templates for both letters and emails, as well as call scripts, to help you reach out to your Senator and House Representative to share your story. (You can find their contact information here.)

7. How you can get in touch with us at Oregon ArtsWatch. 

• Comment on this story.

• Fill out our feedback form.

• Send an email to info@orartswatch.org.

• Contact Claire Willett for more information on emergency grant appeal support this week.

We’ll continue to update this story as news becomes available.

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