September 27, 2025

From our September Newsletter

What’s Happening in Washington
Congress is back in session, and debates over the federal budget could have huge impacts on the arts and culture sector. Here’s the landscape right now:

• Senate: proposed level funding for the NEA, NEH, and IMLS.
• House: proposed a 35% cut. Amendments to eliminate funding altogether are still possible.

But more than this, fights over the budget could lead to a government shutdown as early as October 1st. This makes advocacy even more important.

For Iowa, the stakes are high: our communities receive more than $5 million every year through these federal investments, which flow directly to the Iowa Arts Council, Humanities Iowa, and Arts Midwest. These dollars touch everything from after-school programs to small-town libraries to touring theater and music.

What You Can Do Right Now
Your voice makes a difference! Here’s how you can help:

✅ Contact your Senators and Representatives today–see Advocacy Resources below. Tell them how arts funding impacts you, your organization, or your community. Personal stories matter most.You can use the Americans for the Arts Tools and Resources below to connect.

✅ Take part in the National Call to Action organized by cultural advocates across the country. Cultural Advocacy Group (CAG) – a collaborative of national, state, and regional arts and cultural organizations – released a National Call to Action urging all advocates to lift their voices in support of federal investments in the arts, humanities, museums and libraries. Please check out the call to action to find out how you can join this important effort.

✅ Share resources with your networks. Here are a few places to start:

• Americans for the Arts Tools and Resources
• NASAA’s Statement on Proposed Elimination of the NEA and Arts and Creativity Strengthen Our Nation
• Arts Midwest: Webinar Recording: Unpacking the Trump Administration’s Executive Orders on DEI
• National Endowment for the Arts FAQ
• National Council of Nonprofits Webinar: What Nonprofits Need to Know About the Current Federal Grant Landscape

Emergency Action

May 7, 2025:

The creative sector is under genuine, nearly unparalleled threat. President Trump’s proposed budget would entirely eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

These aren’t abstract cuts; they are direct hits to Iowa’s schools, festivals, museums, theaters, libraries, and local economies.

At Iowa Cultural Coalition, we’re fighting back. We’re actively seeking meetings with Iowa’s congressional delegation to demand continued federal investment in our communities, but we need your voice alongside ours.

If you or your organization are looking for meaningful action right now, here are practical, doable examples of how you can help:

ACTION 1. Sign on to our letter to Congress.
Fill our this short form

We’ll hand-deliver this message the week of May 19 in meetings with our elected officials. If you can sign on behalf of an Iowa organization, fill out the short form above. The more voices and regions represented, the harder we’ll be to ignore.

ACTION 2: Contact your members of Congress.
Find talking points and resources here.

Tell them how federal funding has shaped your work or your community. Ask them to fully fund the NEA, NEH, and IMLS. This is a great time to activate your board members, artists, and program participants to speak up too.

ACTION 3: Share your story nationally.
Fill out the impact survey here.

Our partners at Americans for the Arts are collecting stories that make these threats real to lawmakers. Did federal funding support a mural, a youth performance, a rural arts residency? You can also share your story to American for the Arts.

Federal Advocacy

Arts advocates need to take action now to demand that Congress restore approved federal funding and safeguard critical investments in Iowa arts organizations, libraries, museums, and humanities organizations.

Recent Action Alerts

5.07.25 Action Alert: Responding to cuts at the NEA

5.03.25: An unprecedented attack on the arts

4.08.2025 Action Alert: NEH

3.26.2025 Action Alert: Iowa Museums and Libraries at Risk

1.29.2025 Action Alert: Federal Funding Freeze

State Advocacy

April 3, 2025: The ICC urges arts and cultural advocates to continue to advocate for the ICC’s 2025 Legislative Priorities and against bills harmful to Iowa’s creative community.

Recent Action Alerts:

3.19.2025: URGENT ACTION NEEDED: Protect Iowa’s Stages! – HF 891 Defeated!

2.27.2025 Standing in Solidarity + Arts Advocacy Day

1.27.2025 ACTION ALERT – REGISTER NOW for a Legislative Look-Forward & Advocacy Training

Follow this step-by-step process to advocate for public investment in the arts in your community and within the state of Iowa.

WANT MORE INFORMATION TO COMMUNICATE IMPACT?

• Click here to look up the amount of State Investment in the arts, culture and history projects in your district. Include this figure in your letter or email.

• Click here to browse ICC’s Resource Page to get more information to share.

• Click here to go to the Create In Iowa Report, with a comprehensive look at the power and value of the creative economy.