Happy New Year!
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As we step into 2026, things are already moving quickly. Advocacy conversations are picking back up, new programs are launching, and there’s no shortage of opportunities to stay connected to Long Island’s creative sector.
We’re looking forward to a year filled with meaningful engagement, shared learning, and collective momentum, and we hope there will be many ways for you to plug in along the way.
As always, thank you for reading!
Lauren Wagner
Executive Director
lauren@longislandartsalliance.org
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WHAT’S INSIDE THIS MONTH?
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| 🎯 Advocacy & Action: Federal funding update + one clear January action to support arts education legislation in New York
📣 Lend Your Voice: Two quick surveys shaping the future of arts education—for teaching artists and K–12 schools (deadlines approaching)
🌟 Spotlight On: NYSCA Grantees: Over $1.67M awarded to Long Island artists and organizations, plus a look at LIAA’s pilot fiscal sponsorship effort
💸 Grants & Opportunities: Multiple deadlines ahead for artists, organizations, and administrators, from NYSCA, NYFA, NEA, NALAC, and more
📚 If You Read One Thing: A timely op-ed making the case for the arts as a shared Long Island community asset |
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Federal Advocacy Update
As a potential government shutdown looms later this month, there is encouraging news at the federal level. Just yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the FY26 minibus appropriations package with overwhelming bipartisan support (397–28).
The package secures $207 million each for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, with no cuts—even in the face of another zero-out request in the President’s budget.
The bill now moves to the Senate, with a vote expected next week, followed by the President’s signature. We’ll continue monitoring the federal appropriations process and share updates as they develop.
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Your Advocacy Action Item
If we want the arts to be treated as essential—which we know they are—it starts in schools, and it starts with policy.
There are 21 states that have not defined the arts in statute or coded them as a core academic subject. New York is one of them. This must change.
The Senate bill S6318 has already passed overwhelmingly (52–1). Its Assembly companion, A6490B, currently has 38 co-sponsors and continues to gain momentum. Long Island is leading this effort, with 15 of 22 Assemblymembers already in agreement, but we can do better
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Here’s Your January Action Item:
If you live in Assembly Districts 2, 5, 8, 15, 18, 20, or 22, please contact your Assemblymember as a constituent and urge them to support A6490B:
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Arts Education – Lend Your Voice
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As conversations about arts education ramp up across the state and nationally, two timely surveys are helping capture what’s actually happening on the ground—from teaching artists to K–12 schools and administrators:
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Teaching Artists
Respond by Friday, Jan. 16
The NYC Arts in Education Roundtable is developing a five-year strategic plan and is seeking input from teaching artists through a short, anonymous survey. Responses will help shape priorities for 2026–2030, including advocacy, equity, and sector support.
Link to Survey |
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Arts Educators & School Administrators (K–12)
Respond by Friday, Jan. 16
The Arts Education Alliance and NAMM’s SupportMusic Coalition want to hear how your school or district used federal funds (Titles I, II, IV-A) to support music, dance, theatre, media arts, and visual arts last year—or how your program was funded if you received little or no federal support. Input helps us track impact, identify needs, and strengthen advocacy for arts education nationwide. The survey takes about 20 minutes
Link to Survey |
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| The Cornell University ILR School has launched an interactive mapping project that helps users understand how federal actions are affecting communities across New York State. In its Phase 1 release, the map compiles New York–specific data related to jobs and federal spending, allowing users to track growth, decline, and funding trends over time.
This tool is especially useful for nonprofits, advocates, and policymakers looking to ground their work in data (which you know we love) whether for planning, grantwriting, advocacy, or understanding how national decisions are playing out locally.
Beyond the data, the report underscores a powerful narrative: Long Island’s creative ecosystem continues to grow despite persistent underinvestment. The findings can help organizations and municipalities strengthen their grant cases, advocate for hotel/motel tax reinvestment, and make the arts impossible to ignore in regional planning. |
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📍 LI Data Snapshot:
Federal Impact at County Level
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Using the Cornell University ILR School Federal Impact Interactive Map, we took a closer look at what recent federal actions mean for Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
- Both counties show overall job growth since late 2024, including gains in arts, entertainment, and recreation, while federal government jobs declined.
- Federal assistance increased in Nassau but declined in Suffolk, with noticeable drops in direct payments to individuals and decreases in funding reaching nonprofit organizations.
- Federal contract dollars fell sharply in both counties, with especially significant declines among minority-owned enterprises.
Understanding how federal funding shifts show up at the county level can inform advocacy, planning, and funding strategies across Long Island’s nonprofit and cultural sectors. |
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📅 Upcoming Webinar: Explore the Resource
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| New York Community Trust – Westchester is hosting a virtual town hall where the Cornell team will walk through the tool and demonstrate how to explore trends relevant to the communities you serve.
Online Town Hall
Date: January 21, 2026
Time: 1:00–2:00 pm
For: Funders, nonprofits, and elected officials in Westchester, the Hudson Valley, and Long Island. |
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Spotlight On:
NYSCA Grantees
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Last month, the New York State Council on the Arts announced more than $63 million in FY2026 grants to support nonprofit arts and culture organizations and individual artists across New York State.
This year, Long Island received $1,671,500 in new grants across multiple NYSCA programs. Long Island Arts Alliance is grateful to be among the 53 local organizations awarded funding through the Support for Organizations program.
In addition, 19 Long Island–based artists were awarded $10,000 grants to support the creation of new work. This includes nine artists who received funding through LIAA’s pilot fiscal sponsorship program, a first-of-its-kind initiative for the organization aimed at expanding access to state support for individual artists.
Congratulations to all of the FY2026 awardees. We are proud to recognize the following Long Island artists and organizations:
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Nassau:
American Chamber EnsembleEast Meadow Public LibraryEglevsky BalletFriends of Raynham HallGold Coast Arts CenterHofstra University Museum of ArtLandmark on Main StreetLong Island Baroque EnsembleLong Island Children’s MuseumTilles Center for the Performing Arts
Nassau County Museum of Art
Planting Fields Arboretum
Stage the Change
Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County
Westbury Arts
Suffolk:
Art League of LI
ArtBeat LI / Dancing Classrooms
Arts Project Cherry Grove
Babylon Chorale
Babylon Citizens Council on the Arts
Bay Street Theater
Center for Environmental Education and Discovery
Childrens Museum of East End
Community Action Southhold Town
East Hampton Historical Society |
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| The Church at Sag Harbor
Guild Hall
Hamptons International Film Festival
Hamptons Take 2 Documentary Film Festival
Huntington Arts Council
Landcraft Garden Foundation
Local TV
Long Island Arts Alliance
Long Island Museum
Longhouse Reserve
Montauk Chamber Music Society
Cinema Arts Centre
North Fork Arts Center
Our Fabulous Variety Show
Parrish Art Museum
The Gateway
Plaza Mac
Sag Harbor Cinema
Southampton Arts Cener
Preservation Long Island
Southold Historical Museum
Teatro Yerbabruja
Bridgehampton Historical Society
The Jam Session
The Jazz Loft
Long Island Science Center
Theatre Three
Westhampton Beach PAC |
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| Artists Sponsored by LIAA:
Paul Rodriguez:
The Gotta Be Me Race, graphic novel
Jill Skelly:
Etched in the Parks, monotype print series
Kelynn Alder:
Transport and Transcendence of Ancient and Popular Culture in Mexico and the U.S., interdisciplinary series
Vincent Girardi:
The Nostalgic, original full-length play
Rebecca Castka:
The Vanishing Point, literary novel
Sydell Glasser:
Capacity for Wonder, large-scale mixed media series
Lisa Petker Mintz:
Built by Impulse: Monumental Surfaces in Paint, large-scale painting series
Rachel Jungeun Oh:
To Leave Without Arrival, immersive audiovisual installation
Sean Suchara & Kelly Belter:
Drawing Quest, cross-disciplinary visual arts project |
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Additional LI Artist Awardees:
Fiscal sponsors listed for referenceXuelu Cui: Chinese Modern CalligraphyFiscal Sponsor: Creative China CenterMichelle Ross: م الط Mother of ClayFiscal Sponsor: Edge and CenterSherry Davis: Grateful Turnout: A Public Thank You to First RespondersFiscal Sponsor: Huntington Arts CouncilMollie Hosmer-Dillard: Multi-Vocal Public Artwork Imagining Community Alternatives to IncarcerationFiscal Sponsor: Leadership Training InstituteKelly Olshan: Amethyst Playground
Fiscal Sponsor: Long Island Children’s Museum
Satsu Holmes: Dancing Memory: Landing In Collective Practice
Fiscal Sponsor: Long Island Traditions
Sherley Davilmar: Ra-Ra in Diaspora: Haitian Spirit Dances in Haiti and New York
Fiscal Sponsor: Long Island Traditions
Adrienne Terry: Long Island Native Territory
Fiscal Sponsor: Ma’s House
Laurie Lambrecht: Sagg Swamp
Fiscal Sponsor: Bridgehampton Historical Society
Lisa Schonberg: Messages For/From Long Island Soils
Fiscal Sponsor: Usdan Center for the Creative & Performing Arts |
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Grants & Opportunities for Artists & Orgs
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FY26 NYSCA – A.R.T./New York Creative Opportunity Fund
The Creative Opportunity Fund provides general operating support grants of $2,000-$5,000 to small professional theatres with budgets under $500,000 working throughout New York State.
Deadline: January 20
Learn More →
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| NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship (2026 Cycle)
The NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship is an $8,000 unrestricted cash grant available to artists living in New York State and/or one of the Tribal Nations located within the state. This is not a project grant. The fellowship is designed to support an artist’s vision or voice at any stage of their artistic development.
The fellowship is awarded across fifteen disciplines over a three-year cycle (five categories per year), and the application is free.
2026 disciplines include:
- Craft / Sculpture
- Digital / Electronic Arts
- Nonfiction Literature
- Poetry
- Printmaking / Drawing / Book Arts
If you’re an artist working in one of these areas, this is a strong opportunity to pursue flexible support that meets you where you are.
Deadline: January 27
Learn More → |
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| NALAC Leadership Institute (NLI)
The National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures has opened applications for the 2026 NALAC Leadership Institute (NLI).
This competitive, week-long fellowship brings together nonprofit arts administrators and cultural workers from across the country for intensive leadership and management training.
The 2026 NLI will take place July 18–25, 2026, in San Antonio, Texas.
Deadlines: February 9
Learn more → |
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Springboard to Design
Springboard to Design gives students the chance to dive into the world of theatre design and discover new artistic possibilities—no experience required!
With housing available and tuition fully covered, this program is built to remove barriers for the next generation of theatre designers.
Deadline: January 15
Learn More →
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National Endowment for the Arts — Grants for Arts Projects
Guidelines and application materials are now available for the National Endowment for the Arts’ primary grants category, Grants for Arts Projects. These grants support arts projects in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. jurisdictions.
Funded activities help people across the country experience the arts, celebrate America’s artistic and cultural heritage, and benefit from arts education at all stages of life. The program also supports arts and health initiatives, including creative arts therapies that advance individual and community well-being.
Deadlines: February 12 & July 9
Learn more & express interest →
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Robert A. Scott: The Arts on Long Island Are For You
LI Herald | January 6, 2026
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| In a recent op-ed, Robert A. Scott, President Emeritus of Adelphi University, makes a clear case for why the arts matter to Long Island’s identity, economy, and future—and why strategic public investment and local infrastructure are essential to sustaining the sector. Grounded in regional data and recent trends, the piece offers a thoughtful, public-facing argument for arts and culture as a shared community asset. |
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LIAA connects and strengthens Long Island’s creative community every day. Your support helps us convene, advocate, and build the visibility the arts deserve.
Make A Gift Today →
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