The Danger of Disinvestment

Michael J. Bobbitt, Executive Director

Who loses when government walks away from the arts, humanities, and sciences?

With all that is happening in the world today, and specifically regarding the recent news of sweeping federal funding cuts across the arts, humanities, and sciences, I can’t stop thinking about one important question: Who loses when government walks away?

Let’s be honest about the impact:

• A 12-year-old in Holyoke may lose her free afterschool theater program, the one place where she feels confident.
• An elder in New Bedford may no longer access music therapy that helps soothe his dementia.
• A tribal preservation project may have to halt because a museum can no longer afford its community curator.
• A nonprofit serving incarcerated youth in North Adams may cancel its summer arts intensive, cutting off a path to expression and hope.

These are not hypotheticals. They are the real stakes of government disinvestment.

And as a gay man who found identity, confidence, and belonging through the arts, I know what’s at risk. I know what it’s like to be saved by self-expression. To be seen. To matter. The arts didn’t just change my life. They made my life.

Therefore, it is with deep concern that my colleagues and I at Mass Cultural Council respond to the significant funding cuts at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Not only have scores of previously-approved NEA grants been cancelled without notice, but the President’s budget proposes to zero out the NEA in the coming fiscal year.

The Trump Administration’s recent elimination of funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) caused gaping holes in our cultural infrastructure nationwide, diminishing public access to the humanities, history, and essential museum and library services. Now, it’s the NEA under threat—and the pattern is deeply troubling.

Mass Cultural Council joins many partners across the creative and cultural sectors who call upon Congress to reject the President’s budget recommendation to zero out funding for these three crucial federal agencies. Gutting federal investment in the arts, humanities, and libraries is not fiscal responsibility—it’s cultural abandonment. These agencies are not partisan instruments; they are public servants that enrich our democracy, our economy, and our daily lives.

The arts are not a luxury. They are a vital public good. Public investment in arts and culture strengthens our communities, fuels our economy, and deepens our civic and collective understanding. From Boston to the Berkshires, the Commonwealth has long benefited from robust cultural activity, much of it seeded and supported by public funds. For decades the NEA has partnered with our regional arts organization, the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), and Mass Cultural Council to ensure federal, regional, and state resources are deployed equitably across the cultural sector. This public funding helps us all, whether you’re an individual artist receiving financial support; a cultural organization receiving operating assistance; a patron attending a neighborhood festival, visiting a museum, watching a play; or a student learning to write, understand history, draw, read music, or play an instrument in school.

In Massachusetts alone, the cultural sector employs some 130,000 people and generates more than $29 billion in annual economic activity. That’s not just art for art’s sake—it’s art for our sake. Every public dollar invested in culture returns dividends in economic development, education, tourism, public health, and community cohesion. What’s more, public funding often inspires and attracts private investment. When government bodies – federal, state, or local – demonstrate that the arts matter, it emboldens philanthropists, foundations, and businesses to do the same.

That is why these federal cuts are so troubling. They undermine a sector that is central to our identity and prosperity.

If your organization has received word that your NEA grant has been cancelled, I urge you to do the following:

1. Reach Out to NEA Program Staff – Clarify your grant’s status and seek guidance on next steps. Consider filing an appeal by Friday, May 9th and draw down any allowable funds by the May 31, 2025 deadline.
2. Document Your Impact – Share stories and data with your audiences and stakeholders about what this funding supported and what is at risk without it.
3. Contact Your Legislators – Make your voice heard. Tell your Congressional Delegation why public arts funding matters to you and your community, and urge them to restore funding to the NEA, NEH, and IMLS in their budget deliberations. At the state level, thank Governor Healey, your State Representative, and your State Senator for their continued support and investments in arts and culture through Mass Cultural Council’s budget line item.

Another immediate step you can take: Complete the Americans for the Arts (AFTA) Pulse survey by May 9. This national survey collects critical data on the impact of the arts and will inform advocacy efforts at every level of government. Your participation matters.

Most importantly, remember: we are stronger together. Join advocacy coalitions like MASSCreative, who are on the front lines of cultural policy and fighting every day for the resources our sector needs. Stay engaged. Show up. Speak out. The arts have always been a voice for the voiceless. Now is the time to raise that voice in unison.

The arts define who we are as a people—and they deserve our defense.