What We Are Asking Right Now | Recent Activity

What Is At Stake

Performing arts organizations are an important component of a community’s economy and cultural identity. There is a misconception that federal resources are readily available for the non-profit performing arts to recover and rebuild from natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina.

Disaster assistance for the arts from the Federal Government falls into three categories: 1) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants 2) Small Business Association (SBA) loans and 3) special allocations to federal agencies. At this time, performing arts organizations are ineligible for FEMA assistance.

FEMA’s Public Assistance Program accounts for the bulk of federal disaster relief expenditures. State and local governments and certain non-profit organizations can be reimbursed for the costs to repair facilities to their pre-disaster condition, as well as for costs associated with debris removal and emergency protective measures. Current FEMA policy states that performing arts facilities are not eligible to receive FEMA relief as a private non-profit (PNP) facility. Eligible PNP facilities include educational facilities, community centers, museums, libraries and zoos.

What We Are Asking For Right Now

The PAA urges Congress to support an amendment to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) statute to specify that America’s non-profit performing arts organizations are eligible to receive FEMA support.

Recent Activity

Congress Extends FEMA Relief to Performing Arts Organizations

September 29, 2006
Congress has approved a provision to make performing arts organizations eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance as part of the FY 2007 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations bill (HR 5441). This is the culmination of a five year effort on the part of the performing arts community to change a significant inequity in FEMA disaster policy. The American Arts Alliance and its member organizations have long argued that performing arts organizations are an important component of a community’s economy and cultural identity and should be rebuilt along with other nonprofit businesses. And, Congress listened!

In June, at the behest of the American Arts Alliance Senator Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) included a provision adding nonprofit performing arts facilities to the list of organizations eligible for future FEMA disaster relief to the FEMA reform bill approved by the Senate Homeland Security Committee. When it became clear that overall FEMA reform would not be completed this year, Congress deemed the performing arts provision important enough to lift it from the reform bill and add it to the must-pass DHS funding bill. Congress has recognized the public value of performing arts organizations by addressing a significant inequity in FEMA disaster relief policy.

FEMA eligibility enables organizations that are located in a presidentially-declared disaster area and own their facilities to seek reimbursement for the costs to repair facilities to their pre-disaster condition, as well as for costs associated with debris removal and emergency protective measures. Each FEMA application is considered on a case-by-case basis. While the new performing arts eligibility does not guarantee that each future application will be approved, it allows requests to be fairly considered.

Senate Committee Approves Amendment to Extend Disaster Recovery Assistance to the Performing Arts

July 27, 2006
The U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee approved an amendment sponsored by Senator Lincoln Chafee (R-RI), which specifies that America’s nonprofit performing arts organizations should be eligible to receive FEMA support. The amendment to the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (S 3721) was accepted without debate. There is a misconception that federal resources are readily available for the nonprofit performing arts to recover and rebuild from natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. The reality is that performing arts organizations are ineligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance, which accounts for the bulk of federal disaster relief expenditures. This is an important first step towards securing federal disaster recovery assistance for performing arts organizations.

American Arts Alliance Rallies Support for Disaster Relief Funding for Gulf Coast Performing Arts Organizations

March 16, 2006
Congress and the Administration continue to allocate federal funding for disaster relief efforts in the Gulf Coast region. To date, Congress has approved $62.3 billion in emergency supplemental funds for hurricane-related disaster relief and none of the monies have been designated for rebuilding the arts community. The national arts community is advocating for a modest $5 million appropriation to the NEA to be used to assist arts organizations and agencies in the disaster affected areas in conducting assessments and planning strategies toward rebuilding their capacity to serve their communities.

On March 6th, performing arts organizations in the disaster-impacted states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisian, Mississippi and Texas) were asked to take a few minutes to email their members of Congress and ask them to support a $5 million special allocation for the NEA as part of the next supplemental hurricane relief package. 32 letters were sent to the Representatives and Senators from the region. On March 16th, the House approved a $91.9 billion emergency supplemental bill for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and hurricane relief. The supplemental, as passed by the House, contains no money for the NEA. The bill still must be considered by the Senate. This is expected to be the last FY 2006 supplemental appropriation.

The American Arts Alliance, together with other national arts service organizations, is working with Congress and the federal agencies to ensure that performing arts organizations affected by the hurricanes have access to all forms of federal disaster assistance. As part of this long term strategy, we are advocating to improve access to FEMA grants and SBA Economic Injury disaster loans, which are most often unavailable to nonprofit performing arts organizations. Please contact your national service organization and let them know if you have applied for FEMA or SBA support following the 2005 hurricanes. Information about your experiences will be helpful in our ongoing advocacy efforts.