Arts and Culture Funding for FY 2025 Federal Appropriations
Adopted at the 92nd Annual Meeting in 2024
WHEREAS, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) are the primary federal agencies that provide federal funding for the arts, humanities, museum, and library programs, activities, and efforts in the cities and states of America; and
WHEREAS, since 1965, the NEA's and the NEH's have promoted cultural heritage and vitality throughout the nation and have built a cultural infrastructure of arts and humanities agencies in every state, more than 110,000 nonprofit arts organizations, and 4,500 local arts agencies in cities throughout the country; and
WHEREAS, federal arts funding leverages on average more than nine times in matching funds from state and local governments, private foundations, corporations and individuals in communities across the nation to support the highest quality cultural programs in the nation; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) through their "Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account" calculates that the nation's arts and culture sector—nonprofit, commercial, education—released data in March of 2024 that cited arts and culture economic activity is 4.31% of gross domestic product (GDP), topping $1.102 trillion, in 2022 and representing 5.2 million workers in the arts and culture. This new high-water mark represents a larger percentage of GDP than powerhouse sectors such as transportation, construction, and agricultural; and
WHEREAS, federal arts funding to cities, towns and states has helped stimulate the growth of local and state arts agencies across America. In 2023, in just 35 of the larger cities, local government invested $1.01 billion annually in public funding to the arts, state government funding is at $741 million annually, and federal government funding for the NEA and NEH is at only $207 million each and $294.8 million for IMLS, and $23.50 billion in private giving to the arts, culture and humanities; and
WHEREAS, federal funding for cultural activities stimulates local economies and improves the quality of civic life throughout the country, the NEA, NEH and IMLS support programs, such as the Mayors' Institute on City Design (MICD) which enhances community development and urban design, promotes cultural planning, stimulates business development, spurs urban renewal, attracts new businesses, draws significant cultural tourism dollars, and improves the overall quality of life in our cities and towns; and
WHEREAS, federal funding for cultural activities is essential to promote equity and full access to and participation in exhibits, performances, arts education and other cultural events regardless of family income; and
WHEREAS, the NEA plays a very important role in developing partnerships with other federal agencies such as the Small Business Administration, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Education and the Department of Transportation, in order to open new channels for arts organizations to work with all aspects of government; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors reaffirms its support of the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services and calls upon Congress to support President Biden's budget request for these agencies in the FY 2025 proposed federal appropriations bills at no less than $211 million each for the NEA and NEH, and at least $65.5 million for the Museum Services Division of IMLS to serve organizations of all sizes in communities across the country; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors encourages the Congress and the White House to build a specific path to index funding for both the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities at $1 per capita each. These agencies are currently funded at 62 cents per capita each (a position that The United States Conference of Mayors unanimously adopted in 2020). We also encourage continued parity between NEA and NEH funding; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors urges the White House and Congress to invest in nonprofit arts organizations through local arts agencies as a catalyst to generate economic impact, create jobs, stimulate business development, spur urban renewal, attract tourists and area residents to community activities, and to improve the overall quality of life in America's cities.