NOTE: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think about? What would you want to learn more about?

SUMMARY

On May 3, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) sent emails to hundreds of arts organizations around the country terminating their grants. The abrupt loss of federal support has organizations scrambling to make up for budget shortfalls. Jeffrey Brown reports for our series, Art in Action, and our arts and culture coverage, CANVAS.

View the transcript of the story.

News alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.

WARM-UP QUESTIONS

1. Who was affected by the NEA grant cuts?
2. What types of projects did the NEA grants fund?
3. When did NEA grant recipients find out their grants were cut?
4. Why did the Trump administration say they were cutting the arts grants, according to the letter they sent to grant recipients?
5. How do cuts to NEA grants affect local economies?

FOCUS QUESTIONS

What do you see as the main goals of the arts?

What were the different ways some of the arts organizations reacted to the cuts? What reaction do you most support and why?

Media literacy: Who was interviewed for this story? Who else would you like to see interviewed?

WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO

Learn more about the projects and groups that the NEA grants funded.

Start by reading this statement by the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASSA):

"The NEA plays a vital role in helping communities to thrive through the arts. Its work touches more than 24 million Americans each year. Federal arts funds facilitate public access to cultural opportunities in every U.S. congressional district. They spark economic growth, promote good health, bolster civic cohesion and catalyze positive community engagement. When it has full resources, the NEA ensures that every community has access to these advantages. 34% of NEA grant projects take place in high-poverty neighborhoods and 18% go to rural areas and small towns. 75% of NEA arts education grants engage underserved youth, helping them to flourish in and out of school."

Next, read the priorities of the Trump administration which were outlined in the letter sent to the arts organizations whose grants were cut, as reported by National Public Radio (NPR):

"The email states President Trump's priorities as being: "Projects that elevate the Nation's HBCUs and Hispanic Serving Institutions, celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, foster AI competency, empower houses of worship to serve communities, assist with disaster recovery, foster skilled trade jobs, make America healthy again, support the military and veterans, support Tribal communities, make the District of Columbia safe and beautiful, and support the economic development of Asian American communities."

Now, jot down some thoughts in response to the following question to share with a classmate or with your whole class: Do you think there is a case that could be made for how the priorities of the Trump administration (see #2) align with the statement by NASSA (see #1) as to what the grants accomplish and who they affect? Explain why/why not. Use the arts organizations from the News Hour story and the NPR story to help you. You may also choose to look up to see if an NEA grant was cut where you live (i.e. research non-profit arts advocacy organizations in your county/state) or by contacting your state arts organization.

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