Advocacy Message from Amy Rasmussen, CAPE Executive Director
Yesterday, the FY26 federal budget “blueprint” was released. The news for arts and education is grim.
The budget calls for the elimination of The National Endowment for the Arts, the continued gutting of the US Department of Education – including the elimination of all after-school program funding.
CAPE stands with educators and families nationwide in urging Congress to reject this shortsighted proposal that will strip away essential supports for artists, students, and communities who need them most.
What does this mean for CAPE and our students?
— CAPE will lose $675,000 from US Department of Education which supports comprehensive after-school programs for over 500 low-income students and their families; this will impact four CAPE staff members, 30 teaching artists and 40 teachers who work in those programs
— CAPE will lose $50,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts which provides training for 20 teaching artists and 40 teachers in high-quality curriculum development and collaborative teaching practices which reach 600 students
What can you do?
Support CAPE Today: Make a gift today — we cannot do this work without significant support from our community, and that includes you! Click here to make a donation — every dollar you contribute goes right to work in a classroom.
Attend Convergence 2025: Show your support in-person by attending our annual Convergence Exhibition — show opening next Saturday May, 10, 2025 at 11 a.m. Convergence features the work of over 1,300 students from 40+ classrooms — students who have thoughtfully created projects merging the arts and academics. You will truly be inspired by their new interpretations of history, literature, math and science through art-making.
Advocate: This is the beginning of a long and uncertain budget process, and your voice is needed right now! Reach out to your elected officials to tell them how much you disagree with these cuts. Click here to send a message to your federal legislators.
Please don’t be fooled into thinking that the elimination of the NEA and DOE is a restructuring or improvement in the name of government efficiency. Let’s call it what it is: an elimination of opportunities for people, and children in particular, to learn, to express themselves, and to become fully informed, civically engaged future citizens. We can do better than this — we can BE better than this. Please get involved and stay engaged in whatever way possible to oppose these actions.
If you have questions, need more details, or would like to share thoughts or ideas with me, please reach out to me at amy@capechicago.org. In the meantime, I look forward to welcoming you to Convergence!
Sincerely,
Amy Rasmussen
Executive Director
