Dear folks,

Congressional leaders are in the final steps of negotiating an FY 2022 "Omnibus" appropriations bill that would fund the federal government, including federal cultural agencies like the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). We need you to take action.

These negotiations may also include inclusion of the bipartisan Save Our Stages (SOS) Extension Act to help provide additional support to performing arts organizations that received recovery grants through the Small Business Administration.

Please take two minutes now to contact your congressional delegation and urge them:

1) Match the House-approved funding level of $201 million for both the NEA and NEH to serve every state and every Congressional district in the country.

2) Include the SOS Extension Act in the final Omnibus bill.

This increase to the NEA's annual budget would yield more engagement for the military community with Creative Forces therapists, increased investment for programs in high poverty communities, a commitment to significant support for racial and climate justice initiatives, and much more. Supporting the NEA directly benefits artists and communities and is even more vital now in the wake of the devastating effects of the pandemic to the cultural sector.

The SOS Extension Act would extend the project period for Shuttered Venue Operator Grantees to use their funds to pay for allowable expenditures incurred from March 1, 2020 through March 11, 2023. 

Contact your members of Congress today and make your voice heard about how vital the arts are to your state and our country!