A Letter to U.S. Senator John Cornyn Regarding Recent NEA Funding Cuts

Senator John Cornyn
517 Hart Senate Office
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Cornyn,

We appreciated your leadership when the AFS Cinema, and many other theaters, were shut down. The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) was a lifeline, and it is with immense gratitude that we report that our attendance numbers are back to pre-pandemic levels. This year, some 85,000 community members are attending screenings of films that educate, inspire, build bridges, and promote civil society. Thanks to your help, we have survived and are growing back and creating economic impact and tourism for our Central Texas region.

I write to you now to draw your attention to the impact of the Administration’s drastic decision to severely cut funding and staffing at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The NEA has rescinded our FY 2026 grant for $35,000, giving us five business days to appeal, which we have done. Additionally, the Cine Las Americas International Film Festival, which uses our theater, lost a grant of $10,000.

Overall, this curtails our ability to offer great works of cinema to the public and partner with other nonprofits, but it is not only the exhibition of cultural works in a community setting that is diminished. It is the entire ecosystem: the jobs and dollars created by the film industry, the creative workforce training that arms people with skills and networks for gainful employment, and the funds for emerging artists who may grow into major employers. All these elements drive a virtual cycle and strengthen Texas’ place in the desirable film and media industry.

These grants are intricate to prepare and competitive to win, so not only have we lost resources but our time has been wasted. The Administration’s decision to diminish the NEA’s capacities runs counter to their stated goal of government efficiency. The NEA delivers results on a small budget that punches well above its weight in economic and cultural impact.

FY 2026 congressional appropriations for the NEA are crucial as we approach America’s 250th birthday. The arts have a unique power to bridge differences and bring Americans together, uniting us in celebration of our shared heritage and common ground. The Administration recognized the importance of this unique power of the arts by appointing the Chair of the NEA, through executive order, to the White House Task Force on Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday. The NEA has already begun implementing enhanced grantmaking guidelines for FY 2026 celebrations. The NEA needs congressional support to help bring these celebrations to fruition in communities across the nation.

Proper funding for the NEA has been a bipartisan endeavor since the agency’s enactment, and it is in that spirit that I ask you to fight for funding of the NEA at $209 million for FY 2026 and the restoration of grants already awarded.

You stood up for Texans with SVOG, and this is a plea to stand up for us again. I greatly appreciate your taking the time to consider this situation and can be reached should you require any further information.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Campbell
Austin Film Society CEO