Show latest news, more from December 2007.
President Bush Signs Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008
Yesterday, December 26, President George W. Bush signed an omnibus appropriations bill for FY 2008 that includes $144.7 million for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). This represents an increase of $20.1 million over the 2007 funding level of $124.562 million.
It is the largest dollar increase in the NEA appropriation since 1979 and will allow the agency to devote more funds to direct grants to arts organizations and to extend the reach of the agency's National Initiatives that support touring and arts education in theater, music, dance, literature, and the visual arts. The highest level of the NEA's appropriation was $175.9 million in FY 1992. The new appropriation raises the NEA to its highest level in 13 years.
NEA Chairman Dana Gioia said, "The strong bipartisan support of Congress and the Administration for the NEA demonstrates the value of the agency's programs. This budget will afford us even greater opportunities to bring excellent art and arts education to all Americans through direct grants, which now extend to every community, and through our National Initiatives such as American Masterpieces, The Big Read, Poetry Out Loud, and Shakespeare in American Communities. The National Initiatives have reached more than 20 million students throughout the country. More theater, more music, more dance, more literature, more visual arts, and more arts education will now be available to more Americans."
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