Press Releases Funding

LOS ANGELES – Actors’ Equity Association, the national labor union representing more than 51,000 actors and stage managers, has released the following statement in reaction to reports that Rep. Lorena Gonzalez and Rep. Christy Smith will seek $20 million in additional public arts funding for small nonprofits in the next budget.

More than 80 percent of nonunion actors and stage managers in California have been misclassified as independent contractors and asked to work for less than minimum wage

LOS ANGELES – Actors’ Equity Association, the national labor union representing more than 51,000 actors and stage managers, has released the following statement in reaction to Gov. Newsom’s budget proposal. Released today, Newsom’s budget is limited to one-time increases for the California Arts Council.

Kate Shindle, President of Actors' Equity Association, the national labor union representing professional actors and stage managers in live theatre, released the following statement in response to reports that the new spending deal approved by the House and Senate this week raises funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to $162.5 million in the new government funding bill.

It is estimated that every NEA dollar generates 10 dollars in arts funding. However, due to the partial government shutdown that began December 22, the NEA has been closed.

Representatives from Actors’ Equity Association are currently attending the 31st annual Arts Advocacy Day meeting in Washington, DC, a national arts action summit meeting. During this time, they will learn new skills needed to protect and defend funding for the National Endowment for the Arts.

Kate Shindle, President of Actors' Equity Association, the national labor union representing professional actors and stage managers, released the following statement in reaction to President Trump’s proposed budget for 2018. The new budget plan again proposes to close the National Endowment for the Arts. The new budget includes just enough funding for “necessary expenses to carry out the closure of the National Endowment for the Arts.”

Kate Shindle, President of Actors' Equity, the national labor union representing professional actors and stage managers, released the following statement after the U.S. Senate passed a bill that would fully fund the National Endowment for the Arts for the remainder of the federal government’s fiscal year. The Senate vote comes one day after the U.S. House also voted to fund the NEA and comes weeks after President Trump proposed in his budget to eliminate the NEA entirely. 

Actors’ Equity Association President Kate Shindle issued the following statement today on President Trump’s proposal to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts.