CAA News Today

In the coming year, it will be more important than ever for people working in the arts and humanities to advocate for increased federal funding for arts and cultural programs, since they are often the first programs to be cut in an economic recession. The federal budget process begins in February 2002, we urge you to participate in the following arts and humanities advocacy events in Washington, DC, co-sponsored by CAA : Arts Advocacy Day, March 11-12, 2002, and Jefferson Day, March 21-22, 2002. Both events will bring together artists, scholars, and others to express the importance of federal support for the arts and humanities to Congressional leaders.

If you would like to receive email notification of Advocacy Action Alerts, please contact Rebecca Cederholm, CAA manager of governance, and advocacy, at recederholm@collegeart.org with the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject field and your email address in the body of the e-mail.
-Marta Teegen, Manager of Governance, Advocacy, & Special Projects

On July 17, 2002, the U.S. House of Representatives approved an amendment to increase funding by $10 million for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and $5 million for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) over President Bush’s fiscal year 2003 budget request. The amendment directs the $10 million increase for the NEA to the agency’s Challenge America program, an initiative designed to extend the reach of arts programs to underserved communities. No specifications were made for the additional NEH funding.

If these increases survive a vote in the Senate and receive the president’s signature, the NEA will begin the fiscal year in October with $127 million (a $12.1 million increase from fiscal year 2002), and the NEH will have $131.9 million (a $7 million increase from last year).