Americans for the Arts Update:
Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed their version of the Economic Recovery Package by a vote of 244 to 188 which successfully included $50 million in supplemental grants funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

The U.S. Senate starts their debate on the bill tomorrow and continues through next week.  The Senate Appropriations Committee did not include an arts jobs funding provision in their version of the bill, but advocates still have an opportunity to change the final outcome.

More Info here >>

An update from Americans for the Arts on Congressional activities today and tomorrow regarding arts funding:

House
Last week the House Appropriations Committee approved a plan that included $50 million in supplemental grants funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, and a number of other provisions that can benefit the arts.  Starting tonight, and continuing tomorrow, the House will be considering the recovery legislation on the floor, and a number of votes are expected.

Senate
The Senate will be starting their debate on the bill on Friday and continuing through next week.  While the Senate Appropriations Committee did not include an arts jobs funding provision in their version of the bill, advocates still have several opportunities over the next few days to change the final outcome.  Amendments could be made to the Senate bill or the House arts funding provision itself could prevail in the final House/Senate conference bill.

Please ask your Member of Congress and Senators to support the arts: Americans for the Arts

The arts play a critical role in bringing vitality to our economy.

According to Robert L. Lynch, president of Americans for the Arts, the country’s 100,000 nonprofit arts groups employ some six million people and contribute $167 billion to the economy annually. The American Recovery and Reinvestment bill was approved last week by the House Appropriations Committee, and plans to offer $50 million to the National Endowment for the Arts to distribute to state and local nonprofit arts organizations. The bill goes to the House for a full house vote on Wednesday, according to National Endowment of the Arts leaders. We urge support for it.

An American for the Arts research study, The Arts & Economic Prosperity III, released in 2007, indicates that nonprofit arts organizations and their audiences generate $166.2 billion in economic activity every year; support 5.7 million jobs; and return nearly $30 billion in local, state, and federal government revenue every year. The vitality of the arts is a balance between three sources of support: corporate funding, foundation and government assistance, and earned income.

Arts Leaders Urge Role for Culture in Economic Recovery: The New York Times

Local Impact of the Arts: artshum.org

American for the Arts research study: Economic Recovery Factor