April 9, 2010 Arts Advocates Head to Capitol Hill to Ask Congress for Bigger NEA Budget By Mike Boehm Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter LinkedIn LinkedIn %0D%0A%0D%0ALast%20year,%20Linda%20Ronstadt,%20Wynton%20Marsalis%20and%20Josh%20Groban%20were%20the%20celebrity%20artillery%20in%20the%20push%20coordinated%20by%20Americans%20for%20the%20Arts,%20a%20leading%20arts%20lobbying%20and%20support%20group.%20The%20bottom-line%20results%20weren't%20negligible.%20Advocates%20proposed%20a%20$200-million%20annual%20budget%20for%20the%20National%20Endowment%20for%20the%20Arts,%20and%20Congress%20did%20ultimately%20up%20President%20Obama's%20$161.3-million%20ante%20for%20the%20arts,%20passing%20a%20$167.5-million%20NEA%20appropriation.%20That%208.1%%20hike%20(compared%20with%20Obama's%20proposed%20increase%20of%20about%204%)%20came%20amid%20a%20dismal%20economy%20and%20on%20top%20of%20a%20one-time%20$50-million%20boost%20for%20the%20NEA%20to%20make%20job-creating%20grants,%20part%20of%20last%20year's%20economic%20stimulus%20bill.%0D%0A%0D%0AMcLachlan%20and%20Daniels%20will%20be%20joined%20on%20Tuesday%20by%20a%20military%20man%3A%20retired%20Army%20Brig.%20Gen.%20Nolen%20V.%20Bivens,%20who%20is%20expected%20to%20testify%20about%20the%20role%20of%20cultural%20diplomacy%20in%20furthering%20America's%20foreign%20policy%20and%20national%20security%20interests,%20with%20hopes%20of%20a%20bigger%20appropriation%20toward%20that%20end%20for%20the%20State%20Department.%20Also%20in%20the%20advocacy%20lineup%20are%20Charles%20Segars,%20chief%20executive%20of%20arts%20network%20Ovation%20TV;%20Philadelphia%20Mayor%20Michael%20Nutter;%20Terri%20Aldrich,%20director%20of%20a%20North%20Dakota%20arts%20council;%20and%20Robert%20Lynch,%20president%20of%20Americans%20for%20the%20Arts.%0D%0A%0D%0AThis%20time,%20the%20advocates%20will%20propose%20$180%20million%20in%20NEA%20spending%20in%20the%202011%20budget,%20Americans%20for%20the%20Arts%20spokeswoman%20Liz%20Bartolomeo%20said%20Wednesday.%20That%20would%20be%20a%207.5%%20hike,%20vaulting%20the%20agency%20over%20its%20previous%20high-water%20mark%20of%20$176%20million%20in%201992,%20but%20still%20far%20short%20of%20the%20$272%20million%20needed%20to%20equal%20the%20buying%20power%20the%20NEA%20had%2018%20years%20ago,%20before%20it%20was%20nearly%20dismantled%20amid%20that%20time's%20"culture%20wars."%20Obama%20is%20holding%20pat%20on%20the%20arts,%20proposing%20the%20same%20$161.3%20million%20for%20the%20NEA%20that%20he%20did%20a%20year%20ago.%0D%0A%0D%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.nonprofitpro.com%2Farticle%2Farts-advocates-head-capitol-hill-ask-congress-bigger-nea-budget%2F" target="_blank" class="email" data-post-id="10930" type="icon_link"> Email Email 0 Comments Comments Read more on this story. « Previous 1 2 All 0 Comments View Comments Mike Boehm Author's page Related Content BridgeTECH Q&A: Sally Heaven from Raise HECK Fidelity: More Donors Supporting Human Services How to Manage the Shift to Google Analytics 4 How to Integrate Capital Campaigns ShoppingGives Donation App Launches Fostering Innovation in Nonprofit Leadership With Labs and Incubators Comments
