Trump's cuts hit local arts groups in underfunded Georgia
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Metro Atlanta arts organizations are scrambling to offset grant funding clawed back by the Trump administration and to prepare for a possible future with even fewer resources.
Why it matters: The arts don't just make metro Atlanta fun; they're vital to the economy. Metro Atlanta's roughly 1,700 arts and cultural nonprofits generated $632.7 million in revenues, according to a 2023 Atlanta Regional Commission report.
- Most theater troupes, dance groups and performance spaces endure a never-ending quest for sustainable funding and are dependent on government and philanthropic contributions.
Driving the news: This past Friday, President Trump delivered metro Atlanta arts groups a one-two punch: proposals to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and to pull back previously awarded grant funding.
Zoom in: Arts groups were already on uncertain footing with recent budget cuts by the Fulton County Commission and Georgia Council for the Arts and loss of COVID aid. Georgia ranks at or near the bottom in the country when it comes to public arts funding.
- Horizon Theatre, which received $30,000 from the NEA to launch a young playwright series in June, had already purchased plane tickets and secured lodging for visiting participants, the AJC reports.
- Twenty-five other Georgia-based recipients, which received a total of $557,500, included the Marcus Jewish Community Center, Flux Projects and the Atlanta Opera.
The big picture: "Funding from the NEA was not only a safety net of income, but also a co-sign from your national peers that your programming is important to the fabric of our country," Brandon Sheats, the executive director of Burnaway, an international art magazine based in Atlanta, told Axios.
Yes, and: Roughly 40% of arts organizations that responded to a recent survey by Arts Capital Atlanta, a coalition of arts advocates, said they had zero operating reserves.
What they're saying: "At the very least, we will see projects, exhibits or performances canceled," Laura Henninghausen, a facilitator for Arts Capital, told Axios. "But I expect we will see layoffs and potentially closures this year with everything compounding."
Caveat: The president's budget is basically a set of priorities, Axios' Ben Berkowitz reports.
- The final budget will look very different once Congress vets and passes the spending plan.
What's next: Arts Capital has a resource guide to help affected organizations navigate the process.