Call to Action: Include Arts Nonprofits in Relief Bill
On May 21st a bill was introduced bill in the NC House, Disaster Recovery Act of 2025 – Part II (H1012), which excludes nonprofit businesses from economic recovery grants and fails to include a strategic investment of at least $10 million to the North Carolina Arts Council for targeted arts and tourism recovery funding. This is a critical omission with potentially irreversible consequences.
These businesses import visitors, export culture, and bring vitality to downtowns and mountain towns alike. Yet they are being systematically left behind. While other small businesses have been eligible for disaster relief, nonprofit arts organizations have been excluded—first from private relief efforts, now from H1012. At the same time, declining audiences, shrinking donations, and local budget cuts are pushing many organizations to the brink of closure.
If we do not act now, we risk losing the very creative infrastructure that makes this region so unique—and so economically vibrant. We urgently need a $10 million or greater allocation to the NC Arts Council for Helene Arts and Culture Recovery Grants, distributed based on severity of impact, return on investment to revitalize tourism, and community benefit. This investment will stabilize the sector, safeguard jobs, and keep our artists and creative businesses rooted in North Carolina.
Take two minutes to ask your state representatives to amend H1012 to include nonprofits in all economic recovery provisions and to champion dedicated arts and tourism recovery funding in this and future legislation. The creative sector cannot afford to be overlooked again.
Nonprofit arts organizations across Western North Carolina have been hit especially hard by Hurricane Helene. They face not only widespread property damage and prolonged business interruption—but now, an alarming loss of federal funding. This month, all of the NEA grants awarded to organizations in the region were abruptly terminated, compounding the financial strain on a sector already on the edge. These cuts are especially devastating for rural and disaster-impacted communities.
The arts are more than cultural enrichment—they are an essential economic engine. In 2022, the creative sector in Western NC generated over $1.2 billion in sales, supporting 17,500 full-time jobs and thousands more part-time and freelance roles.
Now is the time to write to your state representatives so we do not lose the cultural and economic engine that exists in our mountains. Ask them to include nonprofits in economic recovery grants and support a $10 million or greater allocation now to help the creative industries in western North Carolina to survive.