1 August 2025
Last week, the US Senate published a FY26 Budget Bill that included level funding for the arts.
What’s New
On Thursday July 24th the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations completed its markup of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies passed a funding bill for FY26 which allocated $207M each for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
- This is level funding for each agency, matching the FY25 funding levels.
- The Senate bill would maintain the current distribution of 40% of NEA funding to state and regional arts agencies
Why It Matters
On July 22nd the House Appropriations Committee completed it’s markup of the companion bill, allocating $135M for each agency — a 35% reduction from FY25 funding levels. This win on the Senate side is thanks in part to SC arts advocates who sent nearly 150 letters to legislators asking them to perserve funding for arts and culture in the Federal budget.
What’s Next
Both bills will still need to be heard before the full chambers after legislators return from August recess. In May, President Trump released a budget proposal that called for Congress to eliminate all funding to the NEA and NEH. We are preparing for possible amendments on the House or Senate floors that may attempt to further reduce or eliminate federal arts and culture funding.
The South Carolina Arts Alliance will continue to support the US Senate version of the budget, maintaining NEA and NEH funding at current levels and distributing 40% of the total allocation to state and regional arts agencies and humanities councils.
Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks.
