Art in the Heartland Needs You

In 1965, through the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act, our country affirmed that the arts and humanities deserved not just freedom but support—that the government had a role in making creative expression possible.

That promise is now at risk.

Federal support is changing—your support matters more than ever.

Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA) is the only US Regional Arts Organization (USRAO) to have received funding from all three of our nation’s major cultural agencies: the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

But federal funding for the arts and humanities is changing—and not in our favor.

On May 2, we received notice that several active and pending grants from the National Endowment for the Arts had been abruptly terminated—part of a sudden and significant shift in federal arts funding policy. Two days later, on May 4, we received official notice that M-AAA’s NEA grant supporting ArtsHERE—a national initiative benefitting 112 organizations—had been terminated, effective May 31. This coincides with a proposed federal budget that calls for the complete elimination of the NEA, the NEH, and other cultural agencies. In response, arts organizations and coalitions are taking the unprecedented step of suing the very institutions that were once created to protect and uplift them.

As we approach June 30—the close of our fiscal year—M-AAA is preparing for uncertain times. The challenges are real, but so is our resolve.

Your gift today—of any size—helps ensure that M-AAA remains a vital force and resource for artists and cultural organizations across the region.

We serve the Heartland—and beyond.

Since 1972, M-AAA has worked to bring more art to all people. Today, we serve Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas—and increasingly, communities beyond.

We partner with artists of all disciplines and organizations of every size, from museums and cultural centers to libraries and after-school programs. We believe extraordinary artistic experiences exist not only in major cities but in neighborhoods, small towns, and rural communities across the Heartland.

As a nonprofit Regional Arts Organization, M-AAA is uniquely positioned to respond swiftly and meaningfully to the changing needs of our sector. Whether we’re guiding small organizations through capacity building, funding meaningful artistic creation, connecting with local leaders and place-based arts initiatives, or sharing artist-led resources for resilience and sustainability, we’re here to serve. Your donations make that work possible.

Your support helps us say “yes.”

General operating support is an unsung hero of our work. When you give to M-AAA, you help sustain the backbone of everything we do—from long-term planning to last-minute pivots.

That kind of flexibility lets us offer free virtual workshops, like April’s “sold-out” Future Pathways session on managing sustainability and burnout, and send nationally recognized, museum-quality exhibitions like A Colorful Dream to small and rural towns like Norman, Oklahoma, and Del Rio, Texas.

Watch the video about ExhibitUSA’s exhibition A Colorful Dream.

These are the kinds of programs that build community, spark creativity, and strengthen local identity. And in times of crisis or transition, the arts are essential to helping people process, connect, and heal.

With your support, we can keep saying “yes” to artists, educators, students, cultural workers, and small organizations doing incredible work with ever-increasing limited resources.

Donate Now

If you’ve ever attended one of our exhibitions, participated in a workshop, received our support, or been moved by a story shared through our programs, thank you.

Thank you for helping us create, connect, and uplift through the arts.