Lawmakers Hear Testimony on $2.8M in Rescinded Grants, 621 Jobs at Risk
In a critical session held on Tuesday, July 15, the House Committee on Federal Funding, Policy and Accountability hosted an oversight hearing to examine the impact of recent federal arts funding cuts on Massachusetts’ creative economy. The hearing was by invitation and brought together advocates, policy leaders, and nonprofit cultural organizations to provide insight into the ripple effects these cuts are having across the Commonwealth.
The hearing comes at a time when several federal agencies, specifically the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), are facing proposed elimination. In Massachusetts alone, $2.8 million in grants from these agencies have already been rescinded, and, according to MASSCreative, 621 jobs are at risk as a result.
MASSCreative, the state’s leading arts and culture advocacy organization, has been a central voice in the push to highlight what’s at stake. Known for its mission of “building a more vibrant, equitable, and inclusive creative sector in MA,” the organization has spent recent months collecting data and stories from local institutions that were directly impacted by terminated federal funding.
In the spring, MASSCreative asked arts and cultural organizations across the state to describe how the loss of NEA, NEH, and IMLS grants would affect their work, staff, and programming. Thirty-eight organizations responded. Those accounts, ranging from cancelled community programming to halted educational initiatives, were presented during Tuesday’s hearing, which also included members of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development.
For many of these organizations, the consequences extend far beyond internal operations. Programs that serve youth, BIPOC communities, veterans, seniors, individuals with disabilities, and residents of both urban and rural areas are being scaled back or eliminated entirely. The loss of federal support threatens not only economic stability within the sector, but access to vital cultural and educational services statewide.
MASSCreative emphasized that while the oversight hearing offered an important platform to “sound the alarm,” the urgency of the moment requires sustained public pressure. The organization is urging arts leaders, cultural workers, and the general public to share their stories and submit written testimony to the Committee before the July 22 deadline. Full guidance and results from the federal impact survey are available on MASSCreative’s website.
The organization is calling for increased awareness and action, warning that the elimination of these federal agencies would cause lasting harm to communities that depend on cultural access the most.For more information on how to submit testimony or review the survey findings, visit the link in MASSCreative’s bio or go directly to mass-creative.org.
