On the Loss of our NEA Grant

On Friday, May 2, we, along with many other arts organizations around the country, received an email from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) retracting their offer of a $15,000 grant to support our production in March of The Messenger. This grant was offered in advance of the project, and after we fulfilled our obligations with the production, the offer was retracted.

The NEA stated that it is updating its grantmaking priorities to focus on projects that reflect the nation’s rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President. The NEA was established by Congress to support arts projects borne from and reflecting all communities in the United States. A wide array of arts experiences uniquely add richness to the fabric of our country.

Six Points Theater’s mission directly aligns with the NEA’s goals. We will not change our mission, and we will remain committed to our core values of integrity, artistic excellence, trust, innovation, stewardship, and tikkun olam – repairing the world.  

The pull-back of $15,000 by the NEA creates a very challenging situation, but we’re not deterred, and with your support, we will continue our work.

To address this, we’ve done the following: submitted a letter of appeal to the NEA, outlining how The Messenger meets the NEA’s guidelines as directed by the President; contacted the offices of Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, and Representative Betty McCollum; and are actively exploring alternative funding sources to make up for this lost revenue.

There are also ways you can help us get through this difficult moment:

1. Call your representatives and ask them to support the arts and stress the importance of artistic pursuit free of political interference. The most impactful offices to contact will be those of Senator Amy Klobuchar, Senator Tina Smith, and your US Representative. This is a quick and simple way to help show the broad support Six Points Theater has with our audience.  

2. Tell your friends about us. Word of mouth is one of the most effective ways to get people into the theater. 

3. Consider a contribution to Six Points Theater or join us at our annual gala benefit on June 10th.

These are disturbing times, but we remain committed to our work and are confident that with your support we’ll remain a vital, artistically independent theater that’s even more closely connected to our community.