Since January, Nebraskans for the Arts has worked shoulder to shoulder with advocates across our state to ensure that arts and culture remain visible in our schools and our communities by educating our Legislature about the importance of the Cultural Preservation Endowment Fund (CPEF), Nebraska Arts Council, and Humanities Nebraska.
- We have shown up in Lincoln.
- We have built relationships.
- We have told the stories of why the arts matter.
Now, the map has shifted. The road of advocacy that so often led us to the State Capitol must now extend with urgency back to Washington, D.C.
The President’s proposed “skinny budget” includes measures that threaten the future of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and the federal infrastructure that supports arts education through the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). It is not uncommon for a President’s budget to be focused highly on policy platforms, but Congress creates its own budget. However, this budget proposes closing the NEA, the NEH, and the IMLS—a direct threat to our country’s cultural and economic fabric. Even though we had a win in January and February with Congress securing level funding for FY26, we must not rest on our laurels. Two examples of recent defunding and dismantling include the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which funded NPR, PBS, and local stations. CPB voted on January 5, 2026, to dissolve after Congress cut over $1 billion in funding in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. This ends 58 years of serving as the primary funding source for PBS, NPR, and local public media stations. One other example is under Education Secretary Linda McMahon, the department is transferring key programs, including Title I funding, to the Department of Labor and other agencies, while reducing staff and aiming to eliminate the department. What were once considered important and safe entities supporting public media and education have been dismantled. This could happen to NEA, NEH, and IMLS.
For Nebraska, this is not a distant federal issue. This is local. This is personal.
This is about whether students in Scottsbluff, Norfolk, Omaha, Lincoln, North Platte, and communities across rural Nebraska continue to have access to music, theater, visual arts, and creative learning.
This is about whether our museums, community arts organizations, festivals, and cultural institutions can continue to thrive.
This is about whether the arts remain recognized as essential to life and learning for all Nebraskans.
What Federal Cuts Would Mean for Nebraska
Federal investment in the arts does not stop in Washington. It flows directly into Nebraska communities through grants, partnerships, education initiatives, and matching funds that strengthen the work of the Nebraska Arts Council and Humanities Nebraska as well as local arts organizations across the state.
These dollars support:
- arts education programs in schools
- community arts initiatives
- creative district development
- artist residencies
- historic and cultural preservation
- rural access to the arts
- nonprofit sustainability
When the NEA, NEH, IMLS, and DOE are threatened, Nebraska communities feel the impact immediately. For many smaller and rural organizations, federal funding is often the lever that unlocks additional local and philanthropic support. Without it, programs disappear, capacity shrinks, and access becomes inequitable. At the same time, efforts to dismantle or dramatically reduce the Department of Education put arts education at significant risk, particularly in already under-resourced schools.
This is why our advocacy must be immediate and unified.
Nebraska’s Congressional Delegation Needs to Hear From Us Now
Congress still controls appropriations.
Nebraskans for the Arts will be in Washington, D.C., a few times in the next couple of months advocating on your behalf. You can help by contacting your Congressman or Senator. Nebraska’s federal delegation must hear clearly that arts and culture are not optional — they are vital to our state’s economy, education system, and community well-being.
YOUR VOICE matters right now. What to Say When You Contact Them?
Your message does not need to be long.
It needs to be personal.
Here is a framework advocates can use:
As a Nebraskan, I urge you to protect federal funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute for Museum and Library Service, and Arts Education, and maintain these agencies in order to support future generations’ access to arts and culture. These investments directly strengthen our schools, communities, and local economy. The arts are essential to life and learning in Nebraska.
Then add to your story:
- How has the arts impacted your life?
- What program in your community depends on federal support?
- How do students benefit?
- What would be lost?
Stories move policy. Our elected officials need to hear from us now!
Please join the advocacy efforts of NFTA to make sure our voices are heard loud and clear.
