Trump Cut Funding To Texas Arts Groups, Leaving Them in ‘Confusion and Chaos’
Texas arts organizations are reeling from the Trump administration’s latest federal budget cuts. This time, President Donald Trump targeted the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency that distributes funding for arts programs.
Trump proposed eliminating the NEA in his 2026 budget released on Friday. In an email sent to grant recipients nationwide that evening, the NEA announced it would be ending and withdrawing payments immediately, The New York Times reported. A group of senior officials at the NEA also resigned on Monday.
"The NEA will now prioritize projects that elevate the Nation’s HBCUs and Hispanic Serving Institutions, celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, foster AI competency, empower houses of worship to serve communities, assist with disaster recovery, foster skilled trade jobs, make America healthy again, support the military and veterans, support Tribal communities, make the District of Columbia safe and beautiful, and support the economic development of Asian American communities," the email read. "Funding is being allocated in a new direction in furtherance of the Administration’s agenda."
In Texas, 64 arts groups were awarded NEA grants totaling more than $1.5 million in January, according to the agency. As of Tuesday, six North Texas organizations reported losing their funding, according to KERA. Deep Vellum, a Dallas bookstore deemed the largest publisher of literature in translation in the U.S., lost a $20,000 grant that would have helped publish four debut books by international authors.
“What this kind of means for us right now is confusion and chaos,” said founder Will Evans in a phone interview with KERA, adding that the NEA hasn’t returned his calls.
Nineteen Houston-area organizations, including the Houston Symphony and the Menil Foundation, were also listed as NEA grant recipients this year. Leila Cartier, executive director of the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, told the Houston Chronicle that losing their money from the NEA wouldn’t adversely affect the center’s staff or operations, but acknowledged that the Trump administration’s budget cuts will harm the arts long-term.
"What impact is cutting the arts really going to do on the overall (federal) budget? It's like a fraction of a penny. It's meaningless. But to us, it's everything," Cartier told the outlet. "It's just completely short-sighted in terms of what this kind of cut will do for a budget, the ripple effect and the cost is going to be much greater in the long run.
The NEA cuts have also rippled through Austin, where many organizations have already been defunded due to the city’s reforms to its own arts grants. As of Monday, three of 14 federal funding recipients — the Austin Film Society, Austin Film Festival, and ZACH Theatre — confirmed to the Austin Chronicle that they’d be appealing the agency’s decision. Groups have until Friday, May 9, to file appeals for projects that align with the NEA’s new priorities.
The AFS told the outlet that two of their grants, amounting to $105,000, have been canceled. In an interview with the Austin Chronicle, Maury Sullivan, the AFS head of marketing and engagement, said “having the funding cut off undermines our focus on delivering programs."
Jamie Herlich, ZACH managing director, also told that outlet that the NEA’s decision is “a blow to the arts ecosystem in Austin and to the cultural fabric of our country."
