Officials of Intempo Organization Inc., an award-winning Stamford-based music education nonprofit, said they were stunned to learn Friday, May 2, that the funding recommendation for its National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Challenge America grant has been “(w)ithdrawn by the agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts will no longer offer award funding for the project.”
The grant was to be used to provide partial support for Intempo’s Cultural Crossover Concert, which took place in April in Norwalk.
“The Cultural Crossover Concert is a signature event for Intempo, and having the support of the NEA has been crucial to our ability to bring music to a wide range of local communities,” said Lou Chen, Intempo’s CEO. He added that the $10,000 in lost funding represented 33% of the budget for the concert, leaving the organization with the burden of raising alternative funds to cover costs. Intempo has been awarded three previous Challenge America grants, each $10,000, which supported its Cultural Crossover Concert.
According to the email notification, “the NEA is updating its grantmaking policy priorities to focus funding on projects that reflect the nation’s rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the president. Consequently, we are terminating awards that fall outside these new priorities. The NEA will now prioritize projects that elevate the nation’s HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) and Hispanic-serving institutions, celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, foster AI competency, empower houses of worship to serve communities, assist with disaster recovery, foster skilled trade jobs, make America healthy again, support the military and veterans, support tribal communities, make the District of Columbia safe and beautiful, and support the economic development of Asian American communities. Funding is being allocated in a new direction in furtherance of the administration’s agenda.”
Earlier this year, the NEA announced that it would be canceling its Challenge America grant line for FY2026, which was an important source of funding for arts organizations like Intempo, founded in 2011 by violinist Angelica Durrell out of her own struggles as an immigrant musician. Its projects reach underserved communities.
“We knew the loss of Challenge America grant line would make an already difficult funding atmosphere for the arts and arts education even more uncertain,” said Robbin Juris, Intempo’s director of development. “Although we expected new guidelines for future projects to be announced, we had hoped that grants that complied with and were awarded under the previous guidelines would be honored.”
Organizations have seven business days in which to file an appeal with the NEA if they believe their project falls within one of the new priority areas.
“Intempo’s concert featured music of the Andes, and the majority of the students we serve are Hispanic,” said Chen. “We are considering our next steps.”
Meanwhile, national organizations are weighing in on what such cuts mean to institutions like Intempo and others.
“The cancellation of National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grants and proposed funding cuts in the president’s budget undermine the billions of dollars in economic activity that nonprofit live performance stages help generate in every state,” wrote Stephen Parker, executive director of the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA). “These institutions support jobs, strengthen local economies and serve as the cultural heartbeat of thousands of communities across the country.
“Particularly concerning are reports that grants awarded months or years ago for projects already completed by organizations may not be paid out. If true, this is unacceptable and will jeopardize the ability of some of these organizations to keep their doors open and put real jobs at risk.
“We urge Congress to prioritize robust NEA funding, particularly for venues, presenters and festivals, and call on the White House to restore the grants nonprofit stages rely on to continue operating and serving communities nationwide.”
Since its 1965 establishment by Congress, the NEA has become the largest arts funder in the United States, with $5.5 billion awarded in grants to date. According to a fact sheet from the organization, its funding of $207 million amounts to roughly 0.003% of the federal budget, while 80% of that appropriation is distributed in an average of 2,300 yearly grants that reach every congressional district in the nation.
This wide-ranging benefit has traditionally afforded the endowment bipartisan support in Congress, where a majority would be needed to eliminate it. President Donald J. Trump attempted and failed to dissolve the NEA in his first term. Instead, its budget increased.
According to the NEA, arts and cultural industries contributed $1.2 trillion to the U.S. economy in 2023, or 4.2% of GDP.
Read Trump’s full 2026 Discretionary Budget Request here.
