Statement by the National Endowment for the Arts on the President’s Fiscal Year 2023 Budget
The Biden-Harris Administration today submitted to Congress the president’s budget for fiscal year 2023. President Biden’s budget details his vision to expand on the progress our country has made over the last year and deliver the agenda he laid out in his State of the Union address—to build a better America, reduce the deficit, reduce costs for families, and grow the economy from the bottom up and middle out.
“President Biden’s fiscal year 2023 budget builds upon the administration’s previous historic investments in the arts and recognizes the critical role of the National Endowment for the Arts in supporting American communities,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “With devastation and continued need within the sector, the $203.55 million request will enable the NEA to continue to help the creative sector do its part to rebuild national and local economies and further its mission of creating opportunities for all Americans to live artful lives and reach their full potential. I look forward to working with Congress during the budget process.”
The budget makes critical investments that will help lay a stronger foundation for shared growth and prosperity for generations to come. The FY 2023 budget follows investments made in FY22, including the American Rescue Plan which provided $135 million in funding to help the arts and culture sector recover, rebuild, and reopen. The FY 2023 budget will provide for work in four areas, consistent with critical priorities for our nation and the NEA’s new Strategic Plan:
- Rebuild the Creative Economy
- Heal the Nation
- Advance Racial Equity, Access and Climate Justice
- Serve the Arts Sector and Enhance the Agency’s Operations as a National Resource
The budget includes funding for grant programs such as Grants for Arts Projects, Challenge America, and Our Town, and national initiatives such as Creative Forces®: NEA Military Healing Arts Network, Poetry Out Loud, NEA Big Read, Citizen’s Institute on Rural Design, Shakespeare in American Communities, Mayors’ Institute on City Design, and the Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge. It will also fund the NEA’s equity centered outreach to underserved populations through a range of initiatives including work with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, support for Native arts and culture, as well as efforts focused on making the arts accessible for people with disabilities, older adults, veterans, and people living in institutions. The NEA is the only funder, public or private, that provides equal access to the arts in all 50 states and every congressional district, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories annually.
The NEA awards project-based grants through a competitive process to thousands of nonprofit organizations each year. The agency also has a broad range of partnerships and special initiatives, research, and other efforts that contribute to the vitality and health of our neighborhoods and communities, engage our students and schools and preserve and advance our American culture.
For more information on the President’s FY 2023 Budget, please visit: https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/.
