Advocate for the Arts

The FY26 federal budget request released by the White House on May 2 (pg. 40) called for the elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and other cultural agencies with some NEA grantees in Kentucky receiving notifications that their awards had been terminated or withdrawn from consideration.
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Additionally, the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" (H.R. 1), which has passed the House in a 215-214 vote and will be considered by the Senate with a final passage reportedly expected for July 4, increases taxes on foundations and nonprofits and disincentivizes charitable giving. By diverting scarce resources away from nonprofits and their missions, the bill will harm those of us who rely on the services provided by nonprofits in our communities.

Now, that’s a lot, here’s the breakdown
​and how you can help.

The National Endowment for the Arts is funded by federal tax dollars allocated by the United States Congress every fiscal year. The NEA in turn allocates funds through grants for which state arts agencies and arts organizations must apply and be approved through a rigorous adjudication process.
The Kentucky Arts Council is one of these state agencies receiving $968,000 from the NEA in FY26, making up 36% of the KAC budget. The other 64% is matched by state tax dollars allocated by the Kentucky General Assembly which has been on the decline since 2001.
Finally,  the Lexington Art League receives its funding from a combination of sources including the Kentucky Arts Council, LexArts (who get a some of their funding from LFUCG and the KAC), and more. We use this money to create all of the programming that we offer and this helps make art available and accessible for everyone.

Okay, you got the basics, here's how you can help us.

The Lexington Art League along with the Living Arts & Science Center, The Lexington Philharmonic, Lexington Children’s Theatre, and Bluegrass Youth Ballet have come together as a united coalition to advocate for the continued and increased support of the arts at the local and state level. LAL, along with these other organizations, receive funding, in one way or another, from the NEA. These funds are vital and literally keep the lights on and our doors open admission free.

​At the local level, here’s how you can advocate:

Contact your Council-member: Tell your representative that the Arts are important to Lexington, and that you want to see them continued to be supported. Call, email, or literally write a letter, let your voice be heard!
Show Up: Attendance is one of the best ways to show your support. Go to museums, ballets, concerts, and art exhibits. Participate in the plethora of programming that Lexington organizations work hard to offer. Show up for us and we’ll show up for you!
Donate: If ever you’ve wanted to give to the Arts, now is your time to shine. Find their support page on their website and make a giving plan that makes sense for you.

Right, now onto the bigger picture in the Bluegrass.

All Kentuckians have a tangible connection to the arts as it is intertwined into the very fabric of our Commonwealth. However, Kentucky ranks 45th in the nation in per capita investment in the arts. In sports terms, we’re basically at the bottom of the conference with Mississippi, South Carolina, Florida, Missouri, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, and Arkansas all out ranking us. The Kentucky Arts Council has not recovered from steep cuts over the past 20 years even as the economy has rebounded. Today, state funding is less than half of the 2001 level and lower than in 1987, which has significantly reduced the scope of its programs and services.

At the state level, here’s how you can advocate:

Contact your Representative: Kentuckians for the Arts calls for the General Assembly to restore Kentucky Arts Council funding to at least the 2001 level of $4.5 million annually. Find your State Senators and Representatives and let your voice be heard!
Write a Letter: LAL, alongside our coalition organizations, invite you to join a letter writing campaign to clearly outline our stance and make our voices heard. Those in power need to hear what their constituents want so they can vote for the people they represent
Spread the Word: Talk to the people you know. The power of conversation should not be underestimated. Seek out your village and help us spread the word about what is happening and how folks can help. But don't just preach to the choir; talk to the other folks in your life who might not know or understand how the arts impact their daily lives.

Finally the Big One.

It is here we branch off into two fronts: the elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the systematic changing of tax legislation that would have a detrimental effect on nonprofits across all sectors. The NEA, established in Congress in 1965, is an independent federal agency that is the largest funder of the arts and arts education in communities nationwide. Over the past five years, the NEA distributed $14.3 million in federal funding to Kentucky. If the NEA were to be eliminated, it would have an immediate and long-term negative impact on the Arts in the United States of America. Congruently, the “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act” H.R. 1 has passed the House of Representatives and now heads to the Senate. The bill increases taxes on foundations and nonprofits and disincentivizes charitable giving. Thanks to collective action, a key provision of concern was removed from the bill that would allow any administration to unilaterally strip a charitable nonprofit of its tax-exempt status without due process. However, now is the time to do much more.

At the national level, here’s how you can advocate:

Make the Call: Contact Senators McConnell, Paul, and your Congressional Representative.

Ask them to sustain support for the NEA in the FY26 federal budget. Use the resources provided by KFTA (Kentuckians for the Arts) and be specific about what those funds mean to your community.
Sign the Letter: Kentuckians for the Arts has prepared a statewide sign-on letter that will be sent to Kentucky's full Congressional delegation. Please sign this letter, and help us distribute it as widely as possible. It can be signed by representatives of organizations, artists, arts educators, arts supporters. local elected officials, or anyone who feels the NEA is important to our communities.
Sign (Another) Letter: The Kentucky Nonprofit Network has prepared a template to call and email Senators McConnell and Paul to remove harmful provisions from the H.R. 1 tax bill and to instead bolster support for nonprofits by expanding incentives for charitable giving.

To make the ARTS possible, we have to be in this together. We cannot to what we do without YOU!