BlackLight Statement on NEA Grant Revocation
Published on May 7, 2025 by Tariq O'Meally
"We are each other's harvest; we are each other's business; we are each other's magnitude and bond."
These words from Gwendolyn Brooks embody the spirit of BlackLight Summit—a space created to amplify, inspire, and affirm the narratives and experiences of marginalized groups, specifically BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities. Today, we write to you embracing this interconnectedness as we face a significant challenge.
With profound disappointment and renewed determination, we must inform our community that the National Endowment for the Arts has revoked our already approved $70,000 grant intended to support BlackLight's 2025 programming. This funding was designated for our theme "State of Our Light: Home is Coming," which would have provided vital resources for performances, mentorships, community leadership opportunities, artist development, and residencies centered on Black, Indigenous, and Artists of Color.
This unexpected loss impacts over a dozen artists and potentially 1,500+ community members throughout the DMV region. Some of our programming has already occurred, with artists and organizers awaiting funds that were fully approved for work beginning January 2025. Our 10-month arc of programming, including mentor families, artist residencies, and the BlackLight Summit Activations, now faces significant uncertainty.
We stand in solidarity with our fellow arts organizations across the country who have also had their funding revoked. Together, we will begin the appeals process and create pathways forward. This setback comes at an already challenging economic moment for arts organizations, particularly those serving historically marginalized communities, and follows the recent dismantling of the Kennedy Center's Social Impact program.
In times like these, we remember that BlackLight at its core is an in-service village offering skeleton keys to access the experience of connection and belonging. Though these keys may now be harder to forge, our commitment to creating that village remains unshaken.
If you are able, please consider supporting BlackLight and Dance Place through donations to help us continue this essential work. You can also extend support to our sister programming that has also lost funding: Atlas Arts Lab and Dance Loft on 14.
As we navigate this challenge, we hold tight to the knowledge that we remain each other's magnitude and bond. The light we create together cannot be diminished.
In solidarity and continued commitment,
BlackLight Leadership Team
These words from Gwendolyn Brooks embody the spirit of BlackLight Summit—a space created to amplify, inspire, and affirm the narratives and experiences of marginalized groups, specifically BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities. Today, we write to you embracing this interconnectedness as we face a significant challenge.
With profound disappointment and renewed determination, we must inform our community that the National Endowment for the Arts has revoked our already approved $70,000 grant intended to support BlackLight's 2025 programming. This funding was designated for our theme "State of Our Light: Home is Coming," which would have provided vital resources for performances, mentorships, community leadership opportunities, artist development, and residencies centered on Black, Indigenous, and Artists of Color.
This unexpected loss impacts over a dozen artists and potentially 1,500+ community members throughout the DMV region. Some of our programming has already occurred, with artists and organizers awaiting funds that were fully approved for work beginning January 2025. Our 10-month arc of programming, including mentor families, artist residencies, and the BlackLight Summit Activations, now faces significant uncertainty.
We stand in solidarity with our fellow arts organizations across the country who have also had their funding revoked. Together, we will begin the appeals process and create pathways forward. This setback comes at an already challenging economic moment for arts organizations, particularly those serving historically marginalized communities, and follows the recent dismantling of the Kennedy Center's Social Impact program.
In times like these, we remember that BlackLight at its core is an in-service village offering skeleton keys to access the experience of connection and belonging. Though these keys may now be harder to forge, our commitment to creating that village remains unshaken.
If you are able, please consider supporting BlackLight and Dance Place through donations to help us continue this essential work. You can also extend support to our sister programming that has also lost funding: Atlas Arts Lab and Dance Loft on 14.
As we navigate this challenge, we hold tight to the knowledge that we remain each other's magnitude and bond. The light we create together cannot be diminished.
In solidarity and continued commitment,
BlackLight Leadership Team