A free, interactive opera in Balboa Park. A choir program for middle and high school students. A play written with children. These San Diego arts programs were set to receive 2026 funding from the National Endowment for Arts (NEA), a federal agency that has supported creative projects nationwide since 1965. But just a week before the grant deadline, the NEA announced sweeping changes, including the cancellation of the Challenge America grant, a program specifically for smaller organizations and often first-time grant applicants.
Project [BLANK]’s artistic director, Leslie Ann Leytham, was ecstatic when she learned her organization was set to receive $20,000 through the Challenge America grant.
“For us, this was our most ambitious project to date. It was the first time we were going to offer a free event. And the grant itself would have made up 50% of the project budget,” Leytham said. “Because we are a small organization, we don't have $20,000 to fill in that gap.”
The money would have primarily supported “Park Opera,” an innovative, free performance that stages different parts of an opera around Balboa Park. She said the free aspect of these programs is most important yet increasingly difficult to offer, despite their ability to connect with more people and make the arts more accessible.
That funding is now in limbo, even though it was approved by Congress.
Other NEA changes include encouraging projects that commemorate the Declaration of Independence’s anniversary and barring applicants with any DEI-related programs.
“In accordance with the President's executive orders, the NEA will not fund projects that include DEI activities. Applicants must certify that they do not operate any programs promoting DEI that violate federal anti-discrimination laws, including programs outside the scope of their NEA project,” said Michelle Hoffmann, director of Arts Education at the NEA, during a Feb. 18 webinar about the grant changes.
If Project [BLANK] doesn’t receive the funding, Leytham said they will likely have to scale back or even cancel the project altogether. She added that this uncertainty, combined with the NEA’s move away from funding DEI arts, is especially concerning.
“I think that it just is an indication that the majority of arts organizations can no longer rely on federal funding for future projects. It's just a major loss to organizations, large and small, across the nation. By not funding diverse arts in the U.S., (the government) is decimating this entire cultural industry,” Leytham said. “Our region is absolutely a diverse region. To not reflect that in its arts is just such a major blow to the power of local, experimental, innovative art and community.”
“Our region is absolutely a diverse region. To not reflect that in its arts is just such a major blow to the power of local, experimental, innovative art and community.”— Leslie Ann Leytham, artistic director of Project [Blank]
Christine Martinez is the director of Arts+Culture:San Diego, a coalition that advocates for local arts visibility and funding. Despite the new regulations on DEI programs, she said she’s not worried about the state of diversity in the arts.
“There's so many different cultures and nationalities that are here that whether or not there are limits on DEI, we are going to be a multicultural community,” Martinez said. “And our (arts) programming will result in that and reflect it.”
Over the past few years, NEA funding for the San Diego region has been fairly consistent. According to data compiled from the NEA, San Diego arts organizations have received between $235,000 and $325,000 in first-round grant funding per year over the past four years. Recipients, including the La Jolla Playhouse and the San Diego Ballet, received nearly $100,000 more in total this year than last.
Grant amounts have varied, from $65,000 awarded to San Diego State University’s Research Foundation in 2023 to $10,000, the standard small grant. Martinez predicted that larger organizations will be able to rely more on philanthropy, while smaller organizations may have more trouble.
“(These reductions) will impact our San Diegans in terms of how much money they can use and whether or not they can continue working in a creative field if there isn't much to offer in terms of salary, especially in a very expensive place to live like San Diego,” Martinez said. “I think that our smaller organizations are going to feel it more acutely because some of the larger organizations already have lots of commitment from philanthropy.”
Choral program Sacra/Profana was set to receive its third grant for a youth summer choir program when its funding was frozen. Sacra/Profana president Karl Bunker said that the organization is “scrambling a little bit” to find the funding, but is optimistic the program will continue through state and local grants.
He added that the program is the only of its kind in San Diego to provide choir mentorship and music theory education “as local choir programs become fewer and fewer.”
“Our goal is to give scholarships to as many students as we can, and we only do that through the grants that we receive,” Bunker said. “A program like ours in the summer … is maybe the only opportunity that some students get to have exposure to good professional choral music.”
A third of San Diego’s NEA grant recipients this year were for children’s programs.
Local organization Bodhi Tree Concerts is developing a bilingual Spanish/English chamber opera led by Pulitzer-Prize winning composer Anthony Davis in collaboration with local children. Director Diana DuMelle said much of its past NEA grant money has gone toward commissioning and producing the play. The program, she said, fosters students’ interests and understanding of playwriting and operatic music.
Now, as they enter the final stretch of using this year’s money to put on the performance, their funding is also at a standstill. Youth arts programs like those at Sacra/Profana and Bodhi Tree Concerts are at risk of losing essential funding.
“This was actually our third National Endowment for the Arts grant. So it's a really big deal to a small organization to get that grant,” DuMelle said. “Unfortunately, I think arts funding overall has been on the chopping block.”
NEA funding has declined for decades, with major cuts beginning in the 1990s. In 2022, the agency’s budget was just 0.003% of total federal spending, roughly 40% lower than in 1996. When adjusted for inflation, the decline is even more severe.
“Even if we lose our federal funding, we need to find ways to keep telling the stories of all of us."— Diana DuMelle, director of Bodhi Tree Concerts
On the local level, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria is expected to release his proposed budget on April 15. So far, Gloria has issued several press releases detailing the city’s major deficit. As he pushes for widespread cuts across departments, with several already underway, arts funding is likely to be affected.
Despite the bleak outlook for government arts funding, small organizations remain hopeful. Many plan to fundraise elsewhere or rely on donations from groups such as the Conrad Prebys Foundation. Above all, they say the community can play a big role.
“San Diego has a lot of great arts institutions … and it's going to take us all standing together and saying what we do, and we're going to continue doing it,” DuMelle said. “Even if we lose our federal funding, we need to find ways to keep telling the stories of all of us. I would tell people to buy tickets, see a play, a concert, a show. Public arts will always be here.”
Editor's note: KPBS is a service of San Diego State University.
