The National Endowment for the Arts cancelled a grant for Windfall Dancers, Inc.
(Courtesy of Windfall Dancers)
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) cancelled a $10,000 grant for Windfall Dancers, Inc., that would have brought performances and workshops to rural communities.
Windfall had matched the grant with its own $10,000 investment. Now, the NEA says the award doesn’t align with Trump administration's priorities. Andrea Kleesattel, director of Windfall, said the grant would have supported areas about 20 miles away from the nearest dance company.
After the grant cuts, Kleesattel said Windfall’s leaders will make sure they stay true to their mission of inspiring a passion for dance.
“We are going to do that in our community, and we will continue to do it,” Kleesattel said. “It just means that there are opportunities that are not going to be available, and that we need to be strategic about how we direct our funds to make sure that we can stay true to that mission statement without going too far afield.”
The NEA awarded 13 Indiana organizations, including Windfall, last year. Numerous arts programs also lost funding this month.
Utam Moses, outreach and company coordinator, said unlike Bloomington, rural areas don’t have much funding or networks to support the arts. The grant would have filled a gap in accessible and meaningful artistic engagement, Moses said. While many classes for adults start and end at Zumba, Windfall offers other styles for education and performance.
“Communities are not going to have an opportunity to see live dance or take a class as an adult that's just a creative dance class,” Moses said. “Which are really special and really needed right now. A lot of people are needing places to be creative, to generate community, to regulate their nervous systems, to deal with the stress of a changing landscape.”
Kay Olges, president of Windfall’s board of directors and company dancer, said staff and faculty will have to do more without pay. Moses said Windfall dancers don’t have much financial compensation or avenues for performing.
“Why do people love to go to New York City, to go to Nashville, even to some fun small town?” Kleesattel said. “We create the atmosphere of our communities through what we do, through what we fund, through what we support. That changes when we don't have funding for our artists.”
Kleesattel said artists can’t stay in communities that lack funding or ways to practice their art.
Some donors have already stepped up to help. Kleesattel said sinceannouncing the cancelled grant, Windfall received a number of donations from the community.
“This is usually along the lines of, like, $20 to $50 donations,” Kleesattel said. “Which I think is as meaningful as $1,000, $10,000 donations.”
She said becoming an active member of the arts is one way to push back against grant cancellations and the lack of support from the federal government.
Moses believes losing the grant may be an opportunity for a grassroots response.
“Where people remember that engaging in your community is really important and making sure that these things that give our lives meaning and enrichment stay alive in our society,” Moses said. “I think it's starting a bigger dialogue about what is necessary in our lives and what really gives our life purpose.”
Olges said Windfall can’t ask donors to make up the entire loss.
“One of my concerns is donor fatigue at this point in time, because every nonprofit is going through some version of this,” Olges said. “We, as donors, are almost in a panic about, well, ‘I have to, I have to support this and this and this and this.'”
Aubrey is our higher education reporter and a Report For America corps member. Contact her at aubmwrig@iu.edu or follow her on X @aubreymwright.
