Previously, these funds, approximately 350 million kronor per year, have gone to such things as ballet lessons for disabled children, theater in prisons, or cultural programs in reservations for indigenous peoples. Over 1,400 different projects have received support.
These groups are instead being referred to a fund that will provide grants to cultural projects that "honor the nation's rich heritage and creativity" ahead of the 250th anniversary of the USA's independence next year.
Paula Wasley, spokesperson for NEA, explains that the authority is currently reviewing its operations to ensure that it follows orders from the authority that administers the state budget.
During his previous term, Congress stopped Donald Trump's annual attempts to shut down NEA, whose budget is around 2.2 billion kronor. Now, he has instead included NEA's leadership in his new "Task force 250" ahead of the celebration of the 250th anniversary and has also spoken about giving cultural policy a "patriotic direction", writes The New York Times.
Donald Trump has not yet appointed heads for either NEA or its sister authority, National Endowment for the Humanities, which is what every new president usually does.
