Fighting for the Arts and Humanities
Dear Friends,
Knowing of your interest in supporting the arts in our city and across the country, I am writing to update you on recent actions taken by House Republicans to cut funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the elimination of the Department of the Interior’s historic preservation grant program Save America’s Treasures.
From our fine arts museums and film festivals to our theater troupes and dance companies, the arts play a critical role in San Francisco’s economy. We know that protecting future federal funding for the arts will save and create jobs in San Francisco and the nation.
To understand the rich history of federal funding for the arts, one need look no further than the murals that adorn our own Coit Tower. The Coit Tower murals are considered to be the largest project of the first federal program designed to support the arts, the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), established by President Franklin Roosevelt to support art and artists during the Great Depression.
A great nation must invest in artistic and cultural development, just as it protects natural resources or promotes scientific discovery. Across the country, we have seen the positive impact of the arts on our students and families; yet, in this time of economic hardship, we know that the arts community has been affected deeply – forced to shed jobs and lose critical donations from the private sector.
As you may know, a group of House Republicans recently unveiled a plan to completely eliminate the NEA and NEH in Fiscal Year (FY) 2012. On February 19, 2011, the House passed a funding bill that proposes the following drastic cuts to arts programs for the remainder for FY 2011.
- NEA: $43.1 million in cuts
- NEH: $22.5 million in cuts
- Save American’s Treasures: Program Eliminated
Our city’s vibrant and thriving arts community consistently attracts more federal funding for the arts than almost any other congressional district in the nation. Below are a few examples of San Francisco arts and cultural institutions which received federal funds over the last five years.
NEA: The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency, which supports and provides funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence.
- San Francisco Symphony
- Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
- American Conservatory Theater(ACT)
- San Francisco Film Society
- San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SF MOMA)
- San Francisco Jazz Organization (SF Jazz)
NEH: The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency, which supports and provides funding for research, education, preservation and public programs in the humanities.
- Asian Art Museum
- Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
- Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts
- National Japanese American Historical Society
- Northern California Public Broadcasting
- National Film Preservation Foundation
Save America’s Treasures: Save America’s Treasures is the only federal grant program dedicated exclusively to the physical restoration of nationally significant sites and it represents a significant portion of all federal funding for historic preservation.
- Fort Mason
- Angel Island Immigration Station
- U.S. Old Mint
- Pier 1 (the Ferry Building)
- Alcatraz Island Gardens
- Bayview Opera House
If you are a part of an organization interested in seeking federal grants, I would encourage you to sign up for my Grants E-Newsletter, which shares information on grants opportunities, news, and events in San Francisco.
Please be assured I will continue to fight to save and support these important programs that celebrate and protect our heritage, promote creativity and contribute to our economy. As a longtime member of the Congressional Arts Caucus, and the representative of a thriving artistic community, I understand the essential importance of the arts and will work with President Obama and my colleagues in the House to protect future funding for the arts.
Please feel free to forward this information to your family and friends. To learn more about these efforts, to express your views, or to sign up for email updates, please visit my Web site. I am also on Twitter https://twitter.com/NancyPelosi.