Trump administration claws back money for local arts program for teen summer jobs

ArtWorks is the latest organization to feel the pinch of slashed spending from Washington.

CEO Colleen Houston says the National Endowment for the Arts withdrew a $100,000 grant that was awarded in 2024.

“We, along with many others were told that our grants no longer aligned with the president’s new priorities,” she says. “We are given the opportunity to appeal, but there were no shared timeline or parameters on what an appeal process looks like.”

Houston says it doesn’t make sense because the president has talked about creating jobs, and the money would have done that for teenagers in Avondale.

She says the grant would fund public art along the Crown Trail in Avondale, and provide jobs for about 30 teenagers over two years.

“For teens, unemployment is often double the national average and so having a job opportunity that could be your first job opportunity is really life changing,” she says. “It really changes your economic circumstances to set you on a pathway to be successful as a worker your whole life.”

The executive director of Tri-State Trials says he’s disappointed. Wade Johnston says the grant would have had a significant impact for Avondale.

“Public art means more than just place-making; public art has a significant impact on our local economy and the jobs pipeline for urban youth to enter the creative workforce.”

Houston says they’re not the only art program to lose funding.

“Certainly if there is a national lawsuit that is something that I’m sure many local arts organizations would look at participating in, just because unfortunately that has seemed to be the only effective route for many other nonprofits to have previous grants that were rescinded returned.”

Houston says the administration has eliminated the NEA, and the National Endowment for Humanities. She says she believes it’s only Congress that can eliminate the arts programs, and not the president.

She says this was the largest grant ArtWorks was ever approved for, and the first time a grant has been withdrawn from the organization. Houston says they hadn’t received any of the money yet.

She says there is reportedly a way to appeal the decision, but there are no parameters or timeline given for that process.

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