FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Tidewater Arts Outreach responds to federal funding cuts
(Hampton Roads) – On May 2, 2025, the National Endowment for the Arts cancelled TAO’s ArtsHERE grant – a project that was already 70% completed, had incurred over $50,000 in expenditures and countless hours of precious staff time (from a team of only 3). This project would have made TAO more resilient in its programming and fundraising and less reliant on grant funds in the future. It supported a program evaluation and strategic planning process (which we fortunately completed and already begun implementing) and was also to support a fundraising feasibility study. That study is now halted.
The National Endowment for the Arts itself is also on the chopping block entirely meaning the operating dollars TAO received in previous years are likely unattainable in future years (about 3% of TAO’s operating budget annually).
“These cuts are unprecedented, especially for existing contracted projects with the federal government,” says Kate Powell, Tidewater Arts Outreach Executive Director. “It’s one thing to suspend future funding opportunities. It’s quite another to halt a project and cancel existing funding when 1) the agency is not at fault and 2) the project falls under the Congressionally-directed funding priorities of the federal agency in question.” (See: 20 USC §954. National Endowment for the Arts).
More information about the impact of this funding cut can be found in the Virginian-Pilot (LINK), TAO’s response campaign website (LINK), and an NPR story detailing the funding cuts nationwide (LINK).
Powell’s final thought: “Our mission, leveraging the healing power of the arts to serve older and isolated adults, is critical and we are determined to continue service to our valued partners – with or without the support of the National Endowment for the Arts or any other federal agency.”
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About Tidewater Arts Outreach: Tidewater Arts Outreach (TAO) leverages the healing power of arts to bring joy, enhance well-being, and facilitate lifelong learning for older and isolated adults. Since its founding in 2004, TAO has produced over 7,000 hours of arts outreach programs with over 275 partner agencies throughout the Hampton Roads MSA. These programs served over 175,000 participants. TAO retains an artist roster of over 90 individuals/groups at any given time representing the music, visual arts, performing arts, and literary arts disciplines.
