On May 2nd, the email that I had feared arrived in my inbox.
The evening before, I had read President Trump’s proposed budget for 2026 and seen his recommendation to defund the National Endowment for the Arts. I received the first email on May 3rd saying that one NEA grant to New York Folklore had been “terminated,” and that a grant offer made in November 2024 had been “withdrawn.” I was not surprised, but it was a gut-punch all the same. At 5:24 pm on May 13th, I received the second grant termination notice, this time for our prestigious “Our Town” grant which is a place-making initiative by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Both “letters of recission” stated the lack of congruence with the President’s “priorities,” saying that the NEA will focus its funding on “projects that reflect the nation’s rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President.” The email goes on to state, “The NEA will now prioritize 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.”
New York Folklore is only one of hundreds of organizations across the nation that have received these notices in two different batches. Founded in 1965 by an Act of Congress, the National Endowment for the Arts has a Folk and Traditional Arts Program that supports artistic expressions at the very grassroots of American life. The Folk and Traditional Arts program of the NEA funds folk arts in educational settings and senior centers, festivals, documentation and archival support, exhibitions, and multitudes of programming that serves as important examples of the breadth and excellence of traditional arts in the United States. These grants fund urban and rural, Indigenous communities, and numerous and diverse communities. An award by the NEA is a recognition of the important work that is being done to further arts and culture of all people in the United States.
The New York Folklore programs that were “terminated” assisted in reaching underserved communities in regions and communities in the state where there is not a robust folk arts presence. Our NEA grants supported community scholars in Binghamton and in Utica, and helped to document the heritage and culture of the Arab and Arab American communities of Buffalo and the southwest portions of New York. New York Folklore’s “Our Town” place-making grant focused on interviewing Haudenosaunee elders to document places of importance for New York’s Indigenous populations. Working with Seneca artist, Bill Crouse, places and their place-names are being illustrated by artwork, to be incorporated into a system of markers that will be placed to draw attention to these places of note.
Funding by the National Endowment for the Arts leverages other monies. Each dollar of grant money generates at least one additional dollar of additional direct support! Since these terminated NEA grants were already funded by Congress and were dispersed to the grantee organizations, their terminations make no sense as financial savings.
Some are likening this current funding loss as analogous to the impact of COVID-19, as arts organizations and venues were shuttered. I am not sure that I agree. I do know that New York Folklore has not, nor will not, lose sight of its mission and vision, “to nurture traditional arts and culture in New York State through education, support, and outreach.” We creatively rose to the challenge during COVID by raising money to distribute aid directly to artists, and by developing new online programming. How we address this crisis of funding is still to be determined. I do know that we could use all of the help that we can muster! Your donations now would assist us at a most critical time. Visit us at https://nyfolklore.org/donate to donate.
To read more about the impact of the National Endowment on Capital District arts organizations, which quotes New York Folklore’s Executive Director, visit our Facebook page @New York Folklore.
Sincerely,
Ellen McHale Ph.D.
Executive Director
| Looking for a creative way to support New York Folklore and tradition bearers?
Join us for our first ever Henna Fundraiser. Together with Jaime Sampat of The Henna Dojo a portion of each hand at The Nightmare Market will be donated to New York Folklore. May 17th, 5 pm to 9 pm on Jay Street in Schenectady. |
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