NYC Cultural Organizations Request Increased City Funding Following Loss of Federal Grants
Title: NYC Arts Advocates Rally for Cultural Funding Amid Budget Uncertainty
Dozens of New York City’s cultural leaders, artists, educators, and museum workers braved rainy weather outside City Hall on May 21 to demand robust, sustainable public funding for the city’s arts and culture sector. With Mayor Eric Adams’s proposed $115 billion fiscal year 2026 executive budget under review, cultural advocates are calling for a $30 million increase to the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) baseline — a move they say is essential to stave off a mounting cultural funding crisis linked to waning federal support, economic uncertainty, and post-pandemic recovery efforts.
Organized by New Yorkers for Arts and Culture (NY4CA), the rally coincided with City Council budget hearings and spotlighted the challenges facing the city’s creative community.
Current Funding Landscape
Mayor Adams’s FY2026 budget includes a $215.1 million allocation for the DCLA. This amount includes:
– $21.5 million for the Cultural Institutions Group (CIG), comprising 34 prominent museums and performing arts venues located on city-owned property (e.g., the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum, and El Museo del Barrio).
– $23.5 million for the Cultural Development Fund (CDF), which provides operating support to over 1,000 small-to-medium-sized cultural nonprofits across the five boroughs, such as A.I.R. Gallery and Pioneer Works.
Additionally, the mayor’s plan restores and permanently baselines a $45 million funding raise granted during the last fiscal cycle — a long-awaited increase that cultural advocates acknowledge as a positive step but not yet sufficient.
“Our creative sector is still reeling from the twin pressures of the pandemic and unprecedented losses in federal aid,” said Council Member Carlina Rivera, Chair of the Council’s Cultural Affairs Committee, at the rally. She emphasized the need to continue closing these gaps to protect local jobs, programs, and community access to cultural programming.
The Fallout from Shrinking Federal Support
In 2024 alone, NYC-based organizations lost over $32 million in funding from federal sources such as:
– The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
– The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
– The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
A mix of court rulings, political shifts, and budgetary cuts has severely impacted the disbursement of these crucial federal grants. While some funds were reinstated after legal challenges, uncertainty remains the new normal, forcing cultural organizations to seek out alternative resources like crowdfunding and emergency philanthropic grants.
Organizations such as the Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA), which relies on NEA funding to regrant to local artists and community programs, are particularly vulnerable. “Without NEA, and with steep competition for city dollars, small orgs like ours suffer the most,” stressed BCA Executive Director Viviana Bianchi.
A Call for a $30 Million Baseline Boost
To counteract the loss in federal assistance and meet rising operational costs, cultural advocates and Council Members are requesting an additional $30 million to be added to the DCLA’s baseline budget. This would further empower the agency to respond to both immediate shortfalls and future uncertainties.
Lucy Sexton, Executive Director of NY4CA, summarized the urgency at the rally: “When we ask for $30 million to be added to the baseline, it is to help protect us and restore us and keep us going strong into these coming years, which we know are gonna be rough for all of New York City.”
The ask represents less than 0.03% of NYC’s total budget — a relatively small investment, but one with high yield in terms of jobs, community engagement, education, and tourism.
Economic and Employment Impact
Beyond institutional programming, the funding also supports thousands of cultural workers employed throughout the city. Unions representing museum and arts staff — many of whom have faced layoffs or walked picket lines in recent years — were present at the rally to voice their support.
“When city funding goes to these organizations, it flows to our communities,” said Manus Gallagher, president of the District Council 37 Local 1503 union, which includes Metropolitan Museum of Art employees. “Union cultural workers spend their hard-earned wages in our neighborhoods right here in New York City.”
Meanwhile, organizations like Smack Mellon in Brooklyn have had to appeal directly to supporters after losing substantial NEA grants. “Even if the city has the money — and I don’t know if they do — it’s not really a long-term sustainable solution,” said Executive Director Kathleen Gilrain, echoing broader concerns about structural instability in arts funding.
A Broader Appeal to Government and Donors Alike
With pressures mounting not only due to federal instability, but also from shifting priorities among private foundations, cultural leaders are urging a multipronged approach — one that includes stronger commitments from municipal and state governments, alongside increased support from philanthropic institutions and the general public.
“Everyone