NEA / Project 2025 Meeting
Via Zoom, Tuesday May 27, 2025
Introduction
Thanks to all those who attended the NEA / Project 2025 Meeting yesterday (Tuesday May 27, 2025).
This message is being sent to everyone who either signed up for the meeting or otherwise expressed interest in the subject.
What follows is a cross between brief meeting notes and key takeaways / follow ups.
To see the full video of the meeting, please CLICK HERE
The pass code is: mw8T30^*
These notes are ordered in the following format:
- Reports
- Follow Up to Reports
- Actions
Reports
Arts Solidarity Action
Rebecca Fitton (Bridge Live Arts and Jess Curtis / Gravity) reported that members of ASA are meeting with program officers from the Fleishacker, Gerbode, Haas Sr., Hewlett, Rainin, Wattis and Zellerbach Foundations this morning (Wed May 28 at 10:30) to discuss the loss of arts funding nationally, including the NEA, and how it pertains to the Bay Area.
One agenda item is how to get immediate relief for local organizations to help towards replacing cancelled NEA funds.
Rebecca noted that the meeting is planned as the first of several with these foundations.
She also shared this link from the Kenneth Rainin Foundation about the foundation’s own emergency response: https://krfoundation.org/news/blog/resources-to-support-nonprofits-in-the-current-landscape/
Theatre Bay Area
Meghan Jolliffe from TBA reported that Governor Newsom’s attempts to defund the Performing Arts Equitable Payroll Fund are being met with opposition through (among other things) a coordinated letter writing campaign. Thus far, State Assemblyman, Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) has said he will lead the opposition to the Governor’s cuts and is holding a press conference on Thursday (details TBD).
Arts for a Better Bay Area
Vinay Patel (Asian American & Pacific Islander Cultural Center) reported that while Arts for a Better Bay Area may not submit a proposal to City Hall to recover NEA funds after all, he had been working to stop the City Controller’s Office from imposing a new ruling on San Francisco Arts Commission grantees that will limit them to receiving only 10% of the funding in advance. This will place an undue burden on smaller companies and independent artists who do not have access to lines of credit or leans.
Andrew Wood / San Francisco International Arts Festival reported that if organizations were going to ask City Hall to help with NEA cuts, the word from City Hall is it would be better if they came in with a single ask from an entire group rather than having competing requests.
He also reported that Grants for the Arts cautioned that if anyone goes after funding from the Mayor’s Office or the Board of Supervisors for the purposes of backfilling NEA funds cut by the Trump Administration, they should not do it by taking existing arts funding from GFTA or the Arts Commission. Duly noted.
To Follow Up on the above Reports
Arts Solidarity Action
Arts Solidarity Action has monthly meetings and encourages people to attend for a report on today’s conversation with the funders and to plan responses.
Follow the Instagram accounts of Bridge Live Arts, Circo Zero, Dance Brigade, Jess Curtis / Gravity and Sky Watchers for details of the next meeting.
If you received these notes directly from Andrew Wood, we will also send notice of the next ASA meeting when we receive it.
Theatre Bay Area
For information on how to join the letter writing campaign in support of the Performing Arts Equitable Payroll Fund, go to this link on the Californians for the Arts website: https://www.caartsadvocates.org/campaigns/save-the-paepf
Contact [email protected] for more information on the Matt Haney press conference.
TBA has also started weekly Arts Advocacy Round Table on Tuesdays at 1:00pm. The next one is on June 3.
Arts for a Better Bay Area
To find out more about the City Controllers plan to stop Arts Commission grants from being allocated ahead of a project contact [email protected]
Andrew Wood / San Francisco International Arts Festival
Will clarify whether or not ABBA is going to submit a request to the City and County of San Francisco.
If you are from a San Francisco based arts organization that had an NEA grant revoked or rescinded and want to be included in any request to CCSF respond to this email or contact [email protected]
Andrew and Vinay will follow up with the San Francisco Arts Alliance (the consortium of San Francisco’s largest arts organizations) to ask what they are doing in regards to the NEA cuts.
In lieu of another, better organized, group agreeing to be a clearing house for ideas and information around the NEA and Project 2025, Andrew / SFIAF will do so.
Alma Robinson / California Lawyers for the Arts
Following an inquiry made during the meeting, Alma will research whether the cuts to the NEA might be litigated through a class action suit. Alma expressed doubts whether this qualifies, but said she would do due diligence.
Actions
A Day of Protest / Action
Mariana Sobral suggested we hold a day of protests / actions in San Francisco, the South Bay and East Bay to highlight the cuts to the NEA. She also suggested that we involve university campuses (San Jose State University, etc.).
Michelle Haner suggested Lamentations as a theme.
Destiny Mohammad suggested Good Gratitude.
Andrew suggested we do this after the summer (September or October). We will begin to organize around the idea.
Red States / Red Counties
Richard Aldag expressed that it was important for us to make contact with arts organizations in red states (those that voted for Donald Trump in the election) if we want to have any impact in protecting the NEA. Republican Party elected officials are more likely to respond to their own constituents rather than people from California.
Alma said there are also red counties in California and it was important to contact arts organizations there.
Andrew is in Carmel to attend the California Presenters Conference today and will raise the subject of red counties.
He is also travelling to Cincinnati on June 10 for the Americans for the Arts annual meeting and will be in touch with arts advocates from red states there.
He noted that Americans for the Arts had waived the fee for attending their conference and suggested that others from the Bay Area attend as well.
~XXX~
