Arts Funding in the Stimulus

Copying and pasting directly from Americans from the Arts because it's important...

The Senate passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act with a vote of 61 to 37 today. As the bill heads to Congressional conference, $50 million in recovery funds to be distributed by the National Endowment for the Arts hang in the balance. Americans for the Arts President and CEO Robert Lynch said:"The United States Senate missed an opportunity today to provide much needed stimulus support to the nation’s creative workforce. By not including $50 million in recovery funds to assist nonprofit arts organizations from closing or laying-off more workers, the Senate has failed to respond to the very real economic crisis facing the nonprofit arts industry .... As the bill heads to conference, Congressional leaders and the White House need to recognize that the arts are a legitimate U.S. economic industry and must keep the arts recovery funds in the final version of the legislation. These funds will allow arts organizations—large and small—to play a vital role in reviving their local economy."Arts advocates are urged to take action by contacting their member of Congress and writing to their local media. Visit the online Arts Action Center to make your voice heard. Also, advertisements from Americans for the Arts with the title "The Arts = Jobs" are running Washington's top political newspapers—Roll Call, Politico, and The Hill—this week. Click here to view the ads.