Study Says Benefits from NEA Grants Cross Economic Lines

Spending by the National Endowment for the Arts benefits poorer Americans as much as the well-to-do, The New York Times writes, citing a new study by the National Center for Arts Research.

The center, launched a year ago at Southern Methodist University, set out to assess assertions by congressional Republicans that grants from federal culture bodies primarily benefit the wealthy. These legislators have sought to reduce or eliminate funding for such agencies as the NEA, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

According to the report, to be released Wednesday, arts groups in large, economically diverse communities with a greater proportion of both rich and poor households are most likely to get federal funding, and those organizations’ events attracted people across a range of income levels.