Help Fund Urbanity's Call of Courage After National Endowment for the Arts Funding Revoked

Urbanity Dance received notification from the government on May 3, 2025 regarding the revocation of a $15,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) that Urbanity had been awarded in Fall of 2024 in order to produce a collaborative dance experience with Boston Arts Academy titled, Call of Courage.

The federal government is revoking this funding after Urbanity received approval in November 2024. For a small organization like ours, grants like this are essential for producing community shows. Without this funding, we would not have been able to stage the performance we held in March 2025. Administrators and artists worked tirelessly to pull off a successful show that was made free to our community per our original grant proposal. Receiving this notice on May 1, 2025, places us two-thirds of the way through the allotted performance window itself.

The cruelty to rescind money to local arts organizations AFTER they have done the work is unjust, and will force organizations without spare resources to shutter, to not be able to pay the people who have already done the labor.

When our values are challenged, Urbanity will not compromise our mission. We will continue to create work that reflects the diversity of our community, mentor the next generation of upstanders who inspire us every day, and promote equity in the arts by making opportunities accessible for everyone. Our priorities and mission are not compromised; in fact, we just planted a stake firmly in the ground. We hope our community stands with us and our mission, as well as so many other local organizations trying to do the same.