Funding the Arts: An Essential Mental Health Infrastructure

We are living in uncertain times. But if there is one thing we can be certain of, it is the transformative power of the arts. This year, we have seen unprecedented cuts to essential life-saving services provided by non-profit organizations. When funding is cut, attention rightly turns to necessities like food and shelter, and inevitably, the arts are affected, often the first activity to be stripped from the budget.

I run an arts non-profit, and we are already seeing a decrease in funding. Some of our regular funding sources have decided to reduce their commitment this year, driven by the high demand to save organizations deemed immediately essential.

As we make decisions about budgets and cutting funding to the arts, we must confront one of the most urgent crises facing our community: the profound and devastating mental health epidemic among our youth. The statistics are a call we can no longer afford to ignore. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death among people ages 10 to 24. A growing number of high school students report persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. And tragically, too many young people seriously consider attempting suicide every day.

We are losing our children. They are drowning in anxiety, depression, and despair, and the resources designed to reach them are being cut, stripped, or overlooked. During challenging times, the arts ( music, theatre, painting, dance) step in to save lives. The arts are not a luxury. They are not extracurricular fluff. The canvas, the stage, the instrument: these are therapeutic anchors for millions of young people. They build self-esteem, reduce anxiety symptoms, and, most importantly, foster deep, meaningful connections.

At New Era Creative Space, we serve hundreds of children and youth each year. We interact with them daily and see firsthand the joy and profound sense of belonging that our programs bring to our children. In addition, we offer workforce programs that create a pathway to careers in media arts, allowing them to see a future for themselves. Arts organizations serve as fundamental tools for emotional regulation and survival. They provide the necessary language when words fail; they offer non-judgmental spaces for students to process trauma, express their identity, and find community.

When we make budget decisions, let us stop seeing arts organizations as a cost center and instead see them as a crucial mental health intervention that is effective, preventive, and saves hundreds of lives every single day, especially among the most vulnerable young people.

When we consider redirecting or cutting funding, we must ask ourselves: What is our ultimate priority? If we fail to safeguard our children’s mental and emotional health through vital outlets like the arts, we will not have children left to ensure their physical health.

We are in a race against time and despair. In uncertain times, let us be sure to protect not just their physical health but also their emotional, mental, and spiritual health. By supporting the arts, we are feeding the whole child. Let us stop treating the arts as an elective subject and recognize them for what they truly are: an essential mental health infrastructure.

When we invest in the arts, we invest not only in the creativity that makes the world a much more beautiful place, but also in the very lives of our children and youth. Cutting funding to the arts will have a devastating effect on their well-being. I urge those making funding decisions to consider the arts as essential to the mental and emotional well-being and, ultimately, the survival of our children.

The fight for our children’s mental health requires all of us. Don't let the arts be seen as a luxury. We urge you to take two steps today:

1. Share this message with policymakers and community leaders.

2. Support our mission to provide this essential lifeline.

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Thank You!