A coalition of state and regional arts leaders told lawmakers that late-night notices rescinding previously awarded federal grants and broader proposed cuts to NEA and NEH funding are already producing layoffs, canceled programs and a chilling effect on artistic work.

"These federal fundings touch all regions of Massachusetts and this will be a huge loss to our economy," Michael J. Bobbitt, executive director of the Mass Cultural Council, told the joint committee. He said the state has made a "historic nearly $27,000,000" investment in FY26 to help, but many cultural organizations still rely on smaller federal awards that were recently terminated.

Christy Edmonds, director of MASS MoCA in North Adams, described roughly $450,000 in lost awards from NEA, NEH and IMLS in a four-month span that the museum had counted on for operations, staff training and climate resiliency work. "The loss of these crucial funding awards pending our appeals is real and will throw us into even greater financial strain," Edmonds said.

Brian Boyles, executive director of Mass Humanities, said NEH terminations included 88 Massachusetts grants canceled in April, with original award amounts he estimated at more than $25,000,000; the midyear termination led to layoffs and canceled programs for the state affiliate. He added that the removals "strip away the ability of a free people to study, to question, and to make decisions for themselves."

What was reported: Witnesses offered multiple examples of terminated or frozen awards — from community programming and digital outreach to capital-matching grants that trigger further private investment. Several speakers said the rescinded awards required matching funds and long preparatory work, and their abrupt removal left organizations with unreimbursed expenses. Mass Creative and Americans for the Arts survey data cited in testimony estimated canceled grants in Massachusetts totaling roughly $2.8 million (Mass Creative respondents) and wider at-risk federal funds of $18 million (Americans for the Arts data referenced).

Lawmakers and witnesses said the terminations have caused immediate operational changes: canceled training workshops with Perkins School for the Blind, cuts to accessibility and prison-outreach programs, and disrupted multi-year digitization projects. Witnesses also described a "chilling effect" — organizations and artists preemptively altering program content or declining to apply for federal grants because of unclear terms and perceived political risk.

The regional arts infrastructure group NEFA (New England Foundation for the Arts) and the New England Museum Association stressed that the federal agencies historically leveled the playing field for small and mid-sized organizations; their removal disproportionately hurts rural and small-town venues that lack endowments or large donor bases.

Wider stakes: Testimony linked cultural funding to the wider economy — Bobbitt cited US Bureau of Economic Analysis figures showing the creative sector contributed roughly $29.7 billion annually to Massachusetts' GDP and supported more than 130,000 jobs. Multiple witnesses urged state legislators to amplify outreach, consider supplemental funding where possible and press federal leaders to reinstate appropriations.

Ending: Arts and humanities leaders asked the Legislature to document local impacts and to help coordinate outreach to private funders and community partners while litigation and policy advocacy continue at the federal level.