Friends,
Fund for the Arts works diligently to ensure that Greater Louisville is strengthened and made more vibrant through our world-class arts community. We are only able to make an impact thanks to the generosity of nearly 20,000 donors who believe the arts empower us all. Today, we have learned that the Budget proposes to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). I write to ask you to voice your support for the NEA by writing or calling your elected officials.
- The most important thing you can do is to take two minutes to send a customizable message to your elected representatives in Congress and urge them to oppose any attempt to eliminate or cut funding to the NEA.
- Post on Facebook and Twitter to help rally national support to save the NEA. There is strength in numbers and your social media friends can help.
While Fund for the Arts has not received NEA funding in a number of years, the national organization is essential for organizations like Kentucky Shakespeare or Actors Theatre Louisville and to the continued success of the Kentucky Arts Council. NEA funds, promotes, and strengthens the creative capacity of communities across the nation by providing all Americans with diverse opportunities for arts participation. We believe it is imperative for the NEA to continue to affect change on the national level.
Fund for the Arts is an apolitical regional nonprofit that embraces the rich diversity of the many beliefs held in our community. Supporting the arts is not a partisan issue when the math speaks for itself. Every dollar invested by the NEA returns nine to 10 to the Treasury. The $850,000 the Kentucky Arts Council receives from the NEA must be matched by state dollars, allowing the arts council’s partners to provide a transformative arts experience in every state congressional district each year.
Through these experiences, the entire Commonwealth of Kentucky is enriched. Supporting the NEA is a smart investment, it’s a smart economic investment – and creativity is the base of innovation, and we, as an innovative city and country need that creativity to spark real growth and substantive progress.
Gratefully,
Christen Boone
Fund for the Arts
President & CEO
