Aidin Vaziri

Jasmin Milan Williams, center, and Dawn Troupe, right, practice a dance move in December 2024 during rehearsal for “A Thousand Ships” by Oakland Theater Project, whose NEA grant was abruptly rescinded.

Jasmin Milan Williams, center, and Dawn Troupe, right, practice a dance move in December 2024 during rehearsal for “A Thousand Ships” by Oakland Theater Project, whose NEA grant was abruptly rescinded.

Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle

Several Bay Area arts organizations were blindsided after the National Endowment for the Arts abruptly rescinded their federal grants, part of a broader Trump administration overhaul of federal arts policy that has upended cultural institutions nationwide.

Many arts nonprofits in the region, including San Francisco’s New Conservatory Theatre Center, the Oakland Theater Project and Circo Zero, received termination notices Friday stating their projects no longer aligned with the administration’s newly defined priorities.

Bay Area arts groups losing NEA funding

Here are some of the Bay Area arts organizations whose funding was rescinded by the National Endowment for the Arts:

Circo Zero, S.F.: $50,000

Circus Bella, S.F.: $30,000

Dance Mission Theater, S.F.

Flyaway Productions, S.F.

Frameline, S.F.: $20,000

Marin Shakespeare Company, San Rafael: $30,000

New Conservatory Theatre Center, S.F.: $20,000

Oakland Theater Project: $30,000

San Francisco Contemporary Music Players: $20,000

San Francisco International Arts Festival: $20,000

SCRAP, San Francisco’s Creative Reuse Depot: $25,000

Frameline, which has produced the annual San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival for 49 years, lost its $20,000 NEA grant. And the San Francisco International Arts Festival lost its NEA funding while it was in the middle of a two-week program the grant supported.

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The NEA emails cited a pivot toward funding projects that “reflect the nation’s rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President,” including efforts to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, foster AI competency, support military veterans and empower houses of worship.

“Consequently, we are terminating awards that fall outside these new priorities,” the letter stated.

Projects focused on underserved communities or diversity in the arts, once a central pillar of NEA funding, are now excluded.

From left, Spencer Brown, J.B. McLendon, Nathan Marken and Jeff Manabat appear in “Deep Inside Tonight” at New Conservatory Theatre Center, one of several Bay Area arts organizations blindsided Friday after their federal grants were rescinded.

From left, Spencer Brown, J.B. McLendon, Nathan Marken and Jeff Manabat appear in “Deep Inside Tonight” at New Conservatory Theatre Center, one of several Bay Area arts organizations blindsided Friday after their federal grants were rescinded.

Lois Tema/New Conservatory Theatre

The New Conservatory Theatre Center received notice that its $20,000 grant for the world premiere of “Simple Mexican Pleasures” has been rescinded.

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In the message addressed to Executive Director Barbara Hodgen, the NEA cited a shift in agency priorities under the Trump administration, stating that the project no longer aligns with new funding goals.

Circo Zero, a dance organization that promotes BIPOC and LGBTQ participation in technical theater roles, saw its $50,000 NEA grant halted. Artistic Director Keith Hennessy said the group had already spent much of the money and is awaiting a final reimbursement.

“Some of us are halfway through a project and have already been partially reimbursed,” Hennessey said in an email to the Chronicle. “Some were awarded money, signed contracts, and committed to many artists and staff, but have not started it yet, so this announcement is more of a ‘pulling the rug out,’ destabilizing their upcoming production.”

Circo Zero presents Keith Hennessy in “Sink,” a solo performance of intimate rants, dance and chants. Hennessy said Circo Zero had already spent much of its $50,000 NEA grant and is awaiting a final reimbursement.

Circo Zero presents Keith Hennessy in “Sink,” a solo performance of intimate rants, dance and chants. Hennessy said Circo Zero had already spent much of its $50,000 NEA grant and is awaiting a final reimbursement.

Robbie Sweeny/Circo Zero

The Oakland Theater Project had been awarded $30,000 for the 2026 world premiere of “Moby Dick,” by playwright Erik Ehn. Managing Director Colin Mandlin said the company has received only half the funds, adding that plans for the production may need to be scaled back.

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The effort to defund identity-centered arts groups “is nothing short of an attempt to censor our art, control our history, and erase our lived experiences,” said Allegra Madsen, executive director of Frameline, which will hold its 49th annual LGBTQ+ film festival in June.

“We remain committed to uplifting queer and trans artists and their stories,” Madsen said. “More than ever, our whole community needs to show up and support each other.”

A $20,000 NEA grant to the San Francisco International Arts Festival was also canceled, just as Australian theater company Fairly Lucid Productions was preparing to fly to the city under the funding for a performance starting Thursday, May 8.

“Trump will not stop us,” director Andrew Wood said in an email about the festival, which is running through May 11. “The festival is happening and we are moving forward regardless. Everyone has their visas and their plane tickets and, in the same manner as Fairly Lucid Productions, they are coming here to join us and the show will go on.”

The San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, which plans a concert next Saturday at Brava Theater, lost a $20,000 NEA award, according to Executive Director Richard Aldag.

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“The loss of $20K is a major fiscal blow to our organization,” Aldag said in an email to the Chronicle. “We need to let our community know what’s going on in D.C.”

Circus Bella of San Francisco also lost its $30,000 grant for the summer season of Circus in the Parks, which is free to the public.

Meanwhile, Danielle Grant, director of programs at SCRAP, San Francisco’s Creative Reuse Depot, lost a $25,000 grant intended to fund sustainable fashion workshops for underserved youth.

“We don’t fit any of those ‘new priorities,’” Grant told KQED.

The NEA confirmed that projects outside the administration’s new focus areas are being terminated effective May 31. Organizations have until June 30 to request final payments for completed work. Appeals must be filed within seven days.

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Uncertainty looms for organizations with pending NEA applications.

Debórah Eliezer, left, and Maya Nazzal in New Conservatory Theatre Center’s “The Tutor.” The group’s NEA grant was abruptly rescinded.

Debórah Eliezer, left, and Maya Nazzal in New Conservatory Theatre Center’s “The Tutor.” The group’s NEA grant was abruptly rescinded.

Lois Tema/New Conservatory Theatre Center

Andrew Smith, executive director of the Lab in San Francisco, said his organization anticipated the shift and moved NEA-funded programming forward to ensure reimbursement. But like many in the region, he’s uncertain about future support.

The upheaval extends beyond the NEA.

Last month, the National Endowment for the Humanities began informing state humanities councils and grantees that their funding was also being terminated immediately.

In some cases, notices were sent from a Department of Government Efficiency email address and signed by NEH acting director Michael McDonald.

“Your grant’s immediate termination is necessary to safeguard the interests of the federal government, including its fiscal priorities,” the letters said. “The termination of your grant represents an urgent priority for the administration, and due to exceptional circumstances, adherence to the traditional notification process is not possible.”

President Donald Trump talks about transgender weightlifters as he gives Friday’s commencement address at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The Trump administration’s overhaul of federal arts policy has upended cultural institutions nationwide.

President Donald Trump talks about transgender weightlifters as he gives Friday’s commencement address at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The Trump administration’s overhaul of federal arts policy has upended cultural institutions nationwide.

Mike Stewart/Associated Press

The NEH, whose $207 million annual budget is distributed largely through state agencies, had awarded $22.6 million in grants just six days before President Donald Trump returned to office.

Those included funding for regional museum exhibitions, inclusive historical programming and local cultural preservation initiatives — many of which have now been nullified.

California Humanities, which had regranted NEH funds to several Bay Area groups, is among the affected.

These sweeping changes follow Trump’s earlier efforts to shutter the NEH, NEA, and then Institute of Museum and Library Services entirely.

The administration has also pressured the Smithsonian Institution to alter museum programming, purged political opponents from the Kennedy Center board, and launched a crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across federally funded cultural institutions.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5720131&forum_id=2#48901892)