Take Action for the Arts
WESTCHESTER COUNTY –
Raise your voice to restore funding for the arts
Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins has announced the 2026 Executive budget, it includes cuts across the whole nonprofit sector including a 14% cut to funding for the arts.
The 2026 budget in now in the hands of the Board of Legislators. We ask our elected representatives to restore ArtsWestchester’s allocation to $2.9M. This essential funding supports creative workers and public programs across the county that advance inclusion, celebrate cultural heritage, and build community. And we need community building now more than ever! The arts contribute $182M in economic impact in Westchester. Every dollar invested in the arts pays the county back many times over. The time to act is now. Here is how to make your voices heard:
The Board of Legislators will also hold three open forum budget meetings to hear testimony from the community. Please join us at an upcoming session and show your support. The schedule of budget forums is as follows:
- Thursday, November 13, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Peekskill City School District Ford Administration Building Auditorium
1031 Elm Street, Peekskill, NY 10566
Wednesday, November 19, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Daronco Town House, 20 Fifth Avenue, Pelham, NY 10803 - Wednesday, December 3, 2025 at 7 PM
Board of Legislators Chambers, 148 Martine Avenue, 8th Fl., White Plains
If you plan to attend a budget hearing please email [email protected].
- Doors open one hour before the session or hearing.
- Numbered speaker cards will be distributed 45 minutes prior to the start. Only one speaker card will be given per person. Speakers are limited to three (3) minutes.
- Written statements may be submitted in advance and will be included in the record.
- Email: BOLPublicHearingComments@
westchesterlegislators.com
Westchester County has the potential to become the Creative Capital of New York State, but to get there our arts and cultural organizations need support from the county to get there and continue their post-pandemic recovery. The arts were among the sectors hardest-hit by COVID-19. Recovery to date has been uneven, with many organizations still struggling to return to pre-pandemic audience numbers. But there are powerful signals that the sector is growing despite COVID-19 and has the potential to emerge as a robust economic driver for the County. With a total economic impact of more than $182M, a 16.5% increase in creative workers moving into the region, and the relocation of film and streaming production to Westchester, the arts are on an upward trend that can only continue and be amplified with the County’s help.
Please email [email protected] with questions on how you can show your support.
New york state council on the arts
We believe New York State—not only New York City—is the art state. New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) is the agency responsible for funding arts and culture throughout the state. In Westchester, NYSCA grants to arts and cultural organizations total more than $1 million each year. In addition, NYSCA’s Decentralization Program, which Arts Westchester regrants as Arts Alive awards, ensures that community-based arts activities are available and easily accessible.
national
Did you know that the Senate Appropriations Committee allocated an increase in funding to $209 million each for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in the FY’25 Interior Appropriations bill. That’s a $2 million increase above current FY’24 funding levels for each agency.*
Americans for the Arts reports that the Smithsonian Institution received a big increase in the Senate bill, bringing its FY’25 level to $1.1 billion.
Americans for the Arts defeated amendments in the House that attempted to make deep cuts to the NEA and NEH. Despite that, the overall funding level in the House-passed bill allocated only $203.895 million each to these cultural agencies. So the goal now is to get the House to agree to the Senate’s higher funding levels when they move into final conference negotiations.
You can help by visiting AFTA’s Arts Action Center to send an email to your House member thanking them for voting the right way on those amendments and asking them to agree to the Senate’s higher number. Additionally, you’ll be able to send an email to your Senators urging them to hold strong on the $209 million funding levels during conference negotiations.
You can also help by contributing to the Arts Action Fund’s arts advocacy efforts to continue these successful campaigns to advance the arts in America.
*As of July 25, 2025, Americans for the Arts
