President Trump proposed to eliminate the National Arts Fund and the National Humanities Foundation in his budget released Friday, and once again targeted two institutions he tried and failed to get rid of during his first term.
The endowment fund, as well as the Institute of Museum and Library Services, belongs to the section titled “Small Agents” in the next fiscal year’s budget blueprint. The proposal “is consistent with the president’s efforts to reduce the size of the federal government, reduce waste and reduce unnecessary government entities.”
In 2017, Mr. Trump proposed the elimination of arts and humanities donations during his first term. But the support of both parties in Congress kept them alive, and in fact, their budget grew during the first Trump administration.
Since Mr. Trump returned to office this year, his administration has targeted the National Foundation of the Institute of Humanities and Museum and Library Services, canceled most of their existing grants and laid off most of their employees. But art institutions have not announced major cuts.
The proposal to eliminate the donation has sparked a quick and angry reaction from Democrats. First, Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed vowed to fight the plan to eliminate NEA's “teeth and nails.”
Maine's representative Chellie Pingree, who served as the top Democrat in charge of the NEA's House Subcommittee, said in an interview that Trump “has carried out extensive attacks on the arts, both for the sake of funding and content.” She cited his proposals to eliminate endowments and acquisitions of the John Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington and his efforts to influence the Smithsonian agency.
“We were able to recover funds last time, but as you know, according to the first 100 days of this administration, they don't want to keep many governments alive anymore, their attacks are focused on everything, and the art has already cast a bull on their backs.”
At the Kennedy Center, Mr. Trump installed new leaders working to reduce costs and reduce staff. They rejected 21 employees in several departments on Friday, according to two people familiar with the matter. About 40 employees have lost their jobs since Trump took over the center.
The Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.
The NEA supports arts organizations and projects in each of the country’s congressional districts, which traditionally makes it popular among legislators in two major political parties. Many of its individual grants are modest. But they can be important, especially for smaller organizations, which make up a larger proportion of the budget. Grants are often seen as markers of distinction that can help attract potential donors in the private sector.
The Art Endowment has not had a permanent leader since Maria Rosario Jackson was appointed to resign when Mr. Trump took office. Mary Anne Carter, who served as chairman of the agency during the first Trump administration, has been overseeing the agency this year and serving as the title of senior adviser.
The Trump administration has subverted the endowment grant. Shortly after the second semester began, NEA announced that it would cancel grants from this year’s program, which supports underserved groups and communities.
The agency then announced that it would require the grant to applicants to promise not to promote “diversity, equity and inclusion” or “gender ideology” in the way President Trump’s execution orders, which has caused confusion and attention among the art groups applying for grants. Both requirements were put on hold after considering the court challenge, and the agency recently issued a notice that it would no longer require grant applicants to demonstrate that they would not promote gender ideology, but hopes that the agency’s president will review grant applications under statutory requirements.
Founded in 1965, the Art Endowment Foundation is a federal agency that allocates grants to art organizations and state art institutions across the country. Its budget is $207 million in 2024, and the financial report that year said it provided more than $163 million in grants.
Even though it shut down art donations in fiscal 2026, the Trump administration is still redirecting some of its already allotted funds.
Last month, the National Foundation for Humanities announced that IT and art donations will be for the establishment of President Trump’s National Garden of Heroes, a patriotic sculpture park that he commemorates the 250th anniversary of the U.S. independence next year.
Javier C. Hernández and Jennifer Schuessler Contribution report.
