Erika Harrsch, “Currency Kites” (2012), mixed media on nylon ripstop spinnaker nylon with carbon and fiberglass rods, each approx. 45″ x 25″ (click to enlarge) (image via kasiakaygallery.com)
With the release this week of his proposed 2014 fiscal year budget, President Obama has followed through on his campaign promise to increase funding for the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities and, in general, to support the arts.
The budget allocates $154.5 million to both the NEA and the NEH, which is a considerable jump up from the current funding that both agencies receive: roughly $139 million for each, after the sequester took effect last month and reduced their planned budgets by 5 percent. The NEA plans to use $74.8 million for direct endowment grants to arts organizations — including $10 million for its sometimes-criticized Our Town program, which is billed as “creative placemaking” — and $49.9 million for state/regional partnership grants; the NEH, meanwhile, wants to allocate $106.8 million for grant programs and $9 million for its Bridging Cultures program, whose goal is to promote cultural diversity across the country.
Obama’s proposed budget also includes $869 million for the Smithsonian Institution — a hefty $59 million more than the organization received in 2012 and was due to receive in 2013, until the sequester chopped $41 million. Of the fiscal year 2014 request, $55 million would go toward the construction of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
PBS watchers and Big Bird enthusiasts will be happy to hear that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting also made it into the budget unscathed, receiving $445 million from the President, the same amount as last year. And Obama has requested $225.8 million for the Institute of Museum of Library Services, an increase 2.7 percent from the 2013 post-sequester amount, according to CultureGrrl.
CultureGrrl also points out that Obama is hoping to move forward with his plan to reduce the value of the deduction that taxpayers who earn over $250,000 may take on charitable donations, from the current 39.6 percent to 28 percent. She offers an example of what this means:
Under current law, if you donate $100 and are in the top tax bracket, your deduction of $100 from your taxable income could be worth a maximum of $39.60 in saved taxes. Under President Obama’s 28% limit, the value of the $100 deduction would be reduced from $39.60 to $28 or a decrease of almost 30% in the size of the benefit to you.
The Chronicle of Higher Education points out that Obama has been trying to do this since 2009, to no avail, largely because of resistances from many nonprofits and charities.
Despite that, Obama’s proposed budget is obviously great news for the arts, a welcome relief after the arts-funding campaign battles of 2012 (remember Mitt Romney?). It’s also only the first step in what will likely be a long, drawn-out Congressional approval process. In the meantime, there’s always Kickstarter.
I don’t suppose it matters that Obama’s budget will receive the same number of votes as any of his previous budget proposals: ZERO! So lets figure out what $154.5 MILLION X 0 equals? That’s right! ZERO! So what’s the point of this article? Zip, nada, bupkis.
The point of this article is to explain what he’s officially proposed and to make it known that he’s trying, whether or not Congress ultimately approves everything. Pessimism aside, don’t you think that’s worth reporting?
My budget proposal is for a hundred gazillion dollar arts funding increase. You should write an article about my budget proposal. Sure it’s two months late and nobody takes it seriously, but it’s still a really big increase.
When you’re POTUS, I’ll consider it.
One meaningless budget is as worthy as another meaningless budget, but how sad is it when that meaningless budget is put forth by the President of the United States. I look forward to reading your article about next years meaningless POTUS proposals.