In November 2024, NPQ launched a new column with the Climate Justice desk: Parables of Earth, created to explore the many links between climate and the creative and performing arts. Then, the US presidential election happened. NPQ has been responding to Trump’s executive orders by offering solution-based resources to address the threats to nonprofits and federal workers, as well as the climate emergencies escalated by a lack of action on global warming.

In times such as these, how can we afford to turn to art? How can we afford not to? To attempt to answer such questions, this week’s newsletter examines art’s essential connection to justice, joy, and being human.

Recently, to comply with anti-DEI executive orders, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced major changes to its grants process. What does this mean for nonprofits seeking funding, and what does this mean for creative work that explores identity, climate, STEM, or imagining better futures?

When it comes to grantmaking, how can foundations better align their investments with their missions? We trace the journey of three foundations doing just that. Then, the changing climate presents hardships for artists, from lack of funding to challenges in obtaining materials. NPQ reports on guides designed to help artists and makers. Finally, cutting support for public art is nothing new, but in the current landscape, it amounts to a cultural attack.