| |
Good news! This week, House and Senate appropriators announced an FY17 omnibus spending bill that includes increased funding for the arts! The budget allots $149,849,000 to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA); this increase is encouraging as the president proposed a $15M cut to the agency for the rest of FY17.
The spending bill also includes increases for Cultural Exchanges-including programs that send U.S. artists abroad, and increases for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program which supports out-of-school-time programming that often includes the arts.
| Agency/Program |
FY17 Funding |
FY16 Funding |
Difference |
| NEA |
$149,849,000 |
$147,949,000 |
+$1,900,000 |
| Cultural Exchanges |
$111,360,000 |
$102,000,000 |
+$9,360,000 |
| Arts Education Program |
$27,000,000 |
$27,000,000 |
$0 |
| Student Support & Academic Enrichment Program (SSAE) |
$400,000 |
n/a* |
+$400,000 |
| 21st Century Community Learning Centers |
$1,191,673,000 |
$1,166,673,000 |
$25,000,000 |
*SSAE is a new program within the new education law--the Every Student Succeeds Act. Funding supports well-rounded education initiatives which include the arts. FY17 is the first year it is receiving appropriations.
What's next?
The full House and full Senate plan to vote on the bill this week and send it to the president to be signed into law. FY17 funds support operations and programming through September 30, 2017.
Get involved!
While we celebrate this victory for FY17, PAA remains vigilant about FY18 appropriations in light of the president's budget outline that recommended zero-funding for the NEA. We urge you to stay involved in advocacy for the FY18 budget. You can speak up for the arts by sending a letter to Congress or meeting your lawmakers during the House or Senate recess.
 |
|
