The nation’s 100,000 nonprofit arts organizations and their audiences generate $166.2 billion annually in U.S. economic activity. They support 5.7 million jobs and provide nearly $30 billion in government revenue.

We applaud the arts community in Philadelphia for speaking up, writing letters and making their voices heard in Washington as the final version of the stimulus bill went before Congress.  We also are greatful to House Appropriations Chair David Obey, House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior Chair Rep. Norm Dicks, and Congressional Arts Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Louise Slaughter for their understanding of the impact that the arts has not only on the economy but also on our humanity and how we represent ourselves as a nation. Their efforts to perserve funding for the arts has been tireless.

With the new stimulus packagenow in place, the National Endowment for the Arts will distribute $50 million of the stimulus funds to arts projects in all 50 states, which specifically preserve jobs in the nonprofit arts sector that have been most hurt by the economic downturn. The arts provide cultural and economic benefits and most importantly jobs that are vital to turning our economy around.

While this is a start, there is still much work to be done. It will be the responsibilty of the arts community to ensure that NEA funds do not become watered down as they trickle to the state level and that the money appropriated is utilized in a manner that benefits our community and the communities we serve. In addition, there are many small to mid size arts organizations that continue to struggle but are the incubators of innovation and creativity. We need to be sure that their contributions are also recognized and their efforts preserved. While a small victory has been won, the arts community need to continue to be vigilant and ensure that our voices continue to be heard.