On January 19, the U.S. House of Representatives released the text of a minibus appropriations bill for FY 2026 that combines funding for Defense, Homeland, Labor-HHS-Education, and Transportation-HUD, providing much-needed funding for the 2026-207 school year.

Overall, the bill provides $79 billion to the U.S. Department of Education, increases funding for key programs such as Title I and IDEA, and rejects the president’s budget proposal to consolidate many K-12 education programs into a single block grant.

This is a critical time to show your support for arts education and for increased access and opportunities in dance, media arts...

✅ Congress has funded the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) at $207 million each for FY2026.

Your advocacy made a difference and is a true demonstration of the impact of your voice. Thank you for standing up for New Jersey! Over 700 emails were sent throughout the appropriations process. 

What’s Next: This funding matters, but our work continues. The State of the Union is scheduled for February 26th, and the President’s FY 2027 budget will be released shortly thereafter. We’ll need your voices again. Stay connected with ArtPride New Jersey for timely updates on how to stay involved...

Museums strengthen communities, drive local economies, and provide lifelong learning opportunities. Yet Congress is considering drastic cuts to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Office of Museum Services (OMS) that would severely impact these institutions.

The House Appropriations Committee has advanced a bill that would slash OMS funding by $9.3 million, eliminating National Leadership Grants for Museums and critical research programs like the National Museum Survey—the first-ever federal snapshot of the museum sector. These programs support innovation and data-driven decision-making across the field.

We must also...