Government Affairs Update: Spring Recess Advocacy Opportunities, Arts Education, Arts Economic Data and More

Recess Period: A Valuable Window for Advocacy

Congress is on spring recess, returning to their home districts through April 27.  The recess period is an excellent time to start to build a relationship with your Congressional officials.  Contact their district office:

• Visit https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials/ to find and contact your elected officials
• Invite elected officials and their staff to your rehearsals and performances
• Request an in-person meeting to share information about your organization, ask them to support the arts, and share concerns and challenges

As an individual, or representing your nonprofit organization, you are allowed and encouraged to communicate with your elected officials, share your story, and build a relationship!

Action Needed: Sign-On Letter to Support Arts in Education Grants

The Title IV-A Coalition is gathering national, state, and local organizational support for a letter to Congress urging $1.6 billion in FY 2026 funding for the Title IV-A grant program. This flexible block grant supports safe and healthy schools, technology use, and well-rounded education—including dance, media arts, music, theatre, and visual arts. 

Sign on by April 25 using this form.

Arts Education for All Act Introduced

The Arts Education for All Act (H.R. 2485) was introduced in the House of Representatives on March 31, 2025, with the stated purpose of expanding arts education. The bill, introduced by Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), aims to improve access to arts education for early learners, K-12 students, and individuals involved in the justice system.  Since introduction, the bill has gained 8 Democratic Co-Sponsors and 2 Republican Co-Sponsors.  Read the text of the bill here.  See the list of early co-sponsors here.

Updated Arts & Economic Data Released

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released its annual report on the economic impact of the arts & cultural sector. The NEA makes the information available through an interactive dashboard, fact sheets, and state and national summary reports.  Two highlights, in 2023:

• The arts & cultural sectors contributed $1.2 Trillion to the U.S. economy, equivalent to 4.2% of the GDP.
• The total value of the nation’s arts exports was nearly $37 billion greater than the value of arts imports from other countries.

Economic impact data is a valuable tool when communicating with foundations, corporate sponsors, individual donors, and public policy makers. 

The Cultural Trade Promotions Act of 2025

On March 25, Sen. Shatz (D-HI) and Blackburn (R-TN) introduced the Cultural Trade Promotions Act of 2025.  The Cultural Trade Promotion Act directs the Foreign Commercial Service to promote U.S. creative economy goods abroad and require the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee to include the creative economy in its annual governmentwide strategic plan, among other directives. 

“We cannot allow China to continue to outpace the United States in overall cultural exports, and Tennessee is home to countless creative entrepreneurs who need support to export their products and grow their businesses,” said Senator Blackburn. “The Cultural Trade Promotion Act would improve access to international shipping services for these small businesses to strengthen our economy and promote high-quality American goods.”

You can read Sen Blackburn’s (R-TN) press release here.