Nolen Bivens, President and CEO of Americans for the Arts, and Nina Ozlu Tunceli, Executive Director of the Americans for the Arts Action Fund, released this statement in response to the Biden administration’s proposed fiscal year (FY) 2023 budget:  

“We are very pleased that the Biden administration’s FY 2023 budget request calls for a $203.55 million budget for both the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) as well as for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). This is clearly moving in the right direction and represents a $23.55 million increase over FY 2022 levels. While a similar level was requested, but not fully reached in the FY22 Omnibus, this strong show of support from the administration is encouraging for arts organizations, creative workers, and the many programs and equity initiatives that the federal cultural agencies support. The proposed FY23 budget shows a commitment to the arts and culture sector as it continues to recover from the devastating effects of the pandemic. Ultimately, we are asking Congress and the White House to begin laying out a path to index future funding for each of these cultural agencies at $1.00 per capita. It is currently funded at only 54 cents per capita.

“As an advocate of the advocates, we are proud of the tireless work by everyone in support of the arts and culture sector—many of whom attended this week’s National Arts Action Summit and prepared for legislative meetings to push for arts funding increases. Our advocates will be asking their Congressional delegations to minimally appropriate $203.55 million for the NEA and for the NEH, but to also develop a specific path to index their budgets to $1.00 per capita for the future.  

“We are also deeply grateful for our pro-arts bipartisan majority in Congress who are stepping forward and seeing the value of the arts and their role as a national asset—particularly Congressional Arts Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Chellie Pingree (D-ME-01) and Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21), STEAM Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01), and Senate Cultural Caucus Co-Chairs Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jack Reed (D-RI), and the bipartisan work of Congress and the House and Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittees in appreciating the economic and intrinsic value of the arts and culture to our nation.

“Americans for the Arts and its Arts Action Fund network of 420,000 grassroots arts advocates look forward to working with Congress to at least match the federal funding level proposed by the Administration for the arts and culture sector and develop a path for a more substantial investment in the future.”  

For tools, resources, and information on how to make the case for the arts and arts education, visit the Americans for the Arts’ Arts Mobilization Center.