Local arts and cultural organizations, which rely in part on federal funds and grants, are scrambling to prepare for what may come as the Trump administration reviews funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. 

Advocates point to arts and culture as integral to the Worcester identity, providing economic benefit and a better quality of life. According to a 2017 report, the nonprofit arts and culture industry in Worcester provides 4,062 full-time jobs and generates millions of dollars from residents and tourists while increasing foot traffic to surrounding businesses. 

One of these arts organizations is the Worcester Chamber Music Society, a nonprofit dedicated to enriching the community through curated concerts and educational programs. Performances feature a diverse range of works from classical pieces to contemporary styles, performed by both resident musicians and world-class artists. 

The organization receives 10% of its total program budget from the NEA and is evaluating the impact of potential cuts on its programming.

“We are anticipating a reduction in grant funding as soon as this spring,” said Tracy Kraus, the society’s executive director. 

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“Our Neighborhood Strings program is most at risk since it is funded primarily by federal, state and local grants. We were planning an expansion of services over the next four years and will now hold back and do our best to keep the program running at current levels,” Kraus said.

While federal funding plays a significant role in advancing arts and culture, the city has other resources to help sustain its arts community. Local organizations benefit from grants provided by the Worcester Cultural Council and the Local Cultural Council. These grants help support a variety of programs such as Joy of Music, a community music school with the mission of making music accessible.

Jennifer Griffin Gaul, executive director of Joy of Music and a member of the Worcester Arts Council, points to the organization’s partnerships with Head Start and the Worcester Refugee Assistance Program. 

Through these partnerships, Joy of Music is able to provide arts education to 26 Head Start classes as well as creating a program that blends music, English-language learning and visual arts for refugees and their families. Joy of Music also reinvests into the community, awarding over $150,000 in grants annually. 

Programs like Joy of Music will be able to continue its mission through support from organizations such as the Worcester Arts Council. A spokesperson for the council said, “Worcester Arts Council remains steadfast in its mission to support Worcester-based artists and cultural organizations.” 

The Worcester Arts Council is a municipal body governing arts and culture in Worcester. It is responsible for allocating funds received by the Local Cultural Council program, run by the Mass. Cultural Council, to projects and programs within Worcester. 

The Local Cultural Council provides the Worcester Arts Council its primary source of funding, including a grant of $236,500 during the current fiscal year. 

One arts council grant recipient is the 4th Wall Stage Company, a nonprofit theater organization that puts on live stage productions at different venues around Worcester County, collaborating with nonprofits and educational institutes within the community. 

The company received $5,000 to support its upcoming “Shakespeare History Plays Seen Through a Disability Lens” project. 

“We rely on funding, it’s definitely built into our budgets that we have been graciously able to receive grants. We certainly hope those won’t be curtailed in any way,” said Barbara Guertin, the stage company’s managing director. These grants allow the company to continue organizing exhibits, fundraisers and events as well as perform outreach to other artists, groups and educational institutions. 

The partnerships with different Worcester County universities and high schools allow the company to provide educational theater-based opportunities such as internships and theater camps. 

These goals were echoed by Troy B. Thompson, creator and executive director of the nonprofit No Evil Project,another Worcester Arts Council grant recipient that received $5,000 for its “Art & Conversations” project. The purpose of the organization is to use art, humor and conversation to bring people together, highlighting their similarities through a series of portrait photographs modeled after the three wise monkeys: see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil. 

Grants, such as the ones provided by Worcester Arts Council, help the organization host exhibits for the community. “It’s great for us to have, it’s going to be great for the community, to bring them together.” said Thompson.