The House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee released lower initial FY27 funding proposals for the NEA and NEH, while arts advocates continue pushing Congress to support funding at $213 million for each agency.

The House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee recently released its proposed FY 2027 funding levels for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, recommending $135 million for each agency.

While the proposal is lower than current funding levels (and below the $213 million funding level arts advocates have been supporting), the outcome was not unexpected following earlier proposals from the President to eliminate funding for both agencies entirely.

CreativeOhio is continuing to monitor the federal appropriations process alongside national partners, including the Americans for the Arts. There remains cautious optimism that the Senate will ultimately propose higher funding levels more in line with current FY26 funding or the modest increase advocates have requested.

The House proposal also includes an effort to increase the state arts agency and state humanities council funding formula from the longstanding 40% set-aside to 53%. National advocacy organizations have expressed mixed reactions to this, with Americans for the Arts and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies sharing concern that this shift would significantly reduce the pool of direct grant funding available to local arts organizations through the NEA.

CreativeOhio encourages members and supporters to continue engaging with federal advocacy efforts as the appropriations process moves forward.

Take action through the Americans for the Arts Action Fund advocacy campaign to encourage Congress to support funding for the NEA and NEH at $213 million each.