CA Gov. Gavin Newsom Proposes To Cut $11.5M In Arts Funding

Just week after the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) pulled an estimated $25 million from funding across the nation, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a surprise proposal that would eliminate $11.5 million in arts funding for the Equitable Payroll Fund. The program is dedicated to funding arts workers in small nonprofit arts organizations, including theatres, orchestras and dance organizations.

The announcement arrived on May 14, with the fund created from leftover pandemic-era relief funding and aims to help organizations with budgets under $2 million. The legislature will make its own revisions before passing the budget on June 15.

This year, the Equitable Payroll Fund opened grant applications on May 10, closing within 10 days due to overwhelming demand, according to Broadway World.

In response to the proposed cuts, the California Arts Advocates launched a campaign urging Newsom to reverse the proposed cuts.

“In total, we’re looking at budget cuts upwards of 58% that will decimate California’s small nonprofit arts organizations and industry workers reliant on this funding,” Julie Baker, CEO of CA Arts Advocates, said in a statement. “While we understand that every agency and sector must play their part to balance the budget with a 7.95% reduction across nearly all departments, the additional cuts to arts and culture are massively disproportionate. We had hoped we were long past the days when arts were the first to be cut and undervalued. The state’s recent investments recognized the creative industry’s essential service for bolstering the economic and social health of local communities, especially in an industry still very much in post-pandemic recovery.”

A rally requesting the legislature to restore the cuts will take place at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, May 29.

Newsom cited an $11.5 billion shortfall in the revised state budget.

“Even as the Trump Slump slows the economy and hits our revenues, we’re delivering bold proposals to build more housing, lower costs for working families, and invest in our kids,” Newsom said in a statement.

The organizations affected by Newsom’s proposal remain under review.

On May 2, hundreds of organizations received letters from the NEA stating that their grants have been terminated or withdrawn. Many organizations submitted appeals, leaving the result of their funding up in the air. The entire budget for the NEA is over $117 million, spread across more than 2,300 grants and agreements, according to the organization. It’s the largest funder of arts programming in the United States.

Read More: In Wake of $25+ Mil. NEA Grant Termination, Non-Profit Arts Funding Up In The Air

In the wake of organizations’ funding being pulled, many have come together to ensure their events can continue on as planned.