by American Arts Alliance

About the author: American Arts Alliance is a lobbying organization that advocates for government funding of nonprofit arts organizations.

MYTH: The federal government should not support the arts and culture.

FACT: Americans value the arts and culture in their lives. All great nations support the arts. Recognizing that the not-for-profit arts are vital to a society’s well-being and that they could not survive without public patronage, national governments throughout history have helped nurture and sustain cultural activity. Future generations will judge this era of our country’s life by the level of our national commitment to supporting the finest expressions of the human condition. The United States today spends 36 cents per capita to support the National Endowment for the Arts. National support also helps Americans share...