,i #aahth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #cbci ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,may #aa1 #bjbc ,ms4 ,lee of ,california 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,bowman1 ,mr4 ,kim of ,new ,jersey1 ,ms4 ,clarke of ,new ,york1 ,ms4 ,bonamici1 ,mr4 ,evans1 ,ms4 ,scanlon1 and ,mr4 ,takano7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,education and the ,workforce ,a ,,bill ,to address systemic racism through the arts and humanities in the ,united ,states4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,advancing ,equity ,through the ,arts and ,humanities ,act of #bjbc4 #b4 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,access to the arts and cultural programming influences positive social determinants and is integral to healthy communities4 7#b7 ,in ,america1 the received narrative is that the arts are for entertainment or for artists1 but a deeper look shows the profound effect access to the arts has on those most impacted by the justice system1 children1 veterans1 low-income communities1 and self-designated non-artists4 7#c7 ,concentrated cultural districts are associated with reduced poverty without neighborhood displacement1 improved child welfare1 and lower morbidity4 7#d7 ,low-income neighborhoods with cultural resources have #ad percent fewer cases of child abuse and neglect1 and #ah percent less serious crime than low-income neighborhoods without cultural resources4 7#e7 ,low-income students who participate in the arts1 both in school and after school1 have a dropout rate of just #d percent or #e times lower than their peers4 ,children with access to arts programming in schools showed a #bb4ee percent improvement in math proficiency1 a #ab4fb percent improvement in reading1 and suspensions were reduced by as much as #hi percent4 7#f7 ,seventy-one percent of at-risk students with high arts involvement attend college1 whereas only #dh percent of at-risk students with low arts involvement attend college4 7#g7 ,participation in after-school arts programs causes juvenile crime to fall by #d4b percent on average1 and slightly more 7#e4d percent7 in lower-income cities4 7#h7 ,arts programming in prisons showed an #hi-percent drop in infractions4 7#i7 ,the cultural economy is significant not only in cities1 but also in rural and tribal communities4 ,forty percent of ,native ,american households on the ,pine ,ridge ,reservation in ,kyle1 ,south ,dakota1 depend on home-based arts enterprises4 7#aj7 ,the arts heal the mental1 physical1 and moral injuries of war for military servicemembers and veterans1 as well as aid in their reintegration into the community4 7#aa7 ,arts and culture is an #hgh1jjj1jjj1jjj industry in the ,u4,s4 7nonprofit1 commercial1 education74 ,the nonprofit arts industry alone generates #aff1cjj1jjj1jjj in annual economic activity spending by organizations and their audience1 which supports #d1fjj1jjj jobs and generates #bg1ejj1jjj1jjj in government revenue4 7#ab7 ,the ,national ,endowment for the ,arts is the only arts funder in the ,united ,states1 public or private1 that provides access to the arts in all #ej ,states1 the ,district of ,columbia1 and territories of the ,united ,states4 7#ac7 ,many of the most far-reaching victories for racial healing in the ,united ,states have been greatly enhanced by the involvement1 support1 and dedication of individuals from any and all racial groups4 7#ad7 ,at the same time1 much of the progress toward racial healing and racial equity in the ,united ,states has been limited or reversed by our failure to address the root cause of racism1 the belief in the myth of a hierarchy of human value based on superficial physical characteristics such as skin color and facial features4 7#ae7 ,limited arts access is linked to economic and racial inequities as well as resource deprivation4 7#af7 ,arts organizations serving communities of color are1 in general1 much less financially secure and far smaller than their counterparts in ,white communities4 ,the median budgets of the #bj largest arts organizations serving communities of color in a given discipline1 such as dance1 theater1 or music1 were more than #ij percent smaller than the budgets of the largest organizations in that discipline4 7#ag7 ,children of color1 who make up the overwhelming percentage of the children living in poverty in the ,united ,states1 and other students with lower socioeconomic status1 have a lower probability of accessing arts education4 7#ah7 ,access to arts education declined significantly more for ,black and ,brown students than it did for ,white children between #aihb and #bjjh4 ,there was less than a #b percent decrease for ,white children1 while there was a #di percent decrease for ,black children and a #dj percent decrease for ,latin children4 7#ai7 ,the arts are in everyone4 ,everyone should have access to the arts4 7#bj7 ,racial and ethnic inequality is a result of systematic and internalized racism and racist public and private policies and practices4 ,dismantling structural racism through the arts and humanities is critical to the health of our ,nation4 #c4 ,definitions 7#a7 ,antiracism ,the term antiracism means a collection of antiracist policies and practices that lead to racial equity1 are substantiated by antiracist ideas1 and include a policy or practice that recognizes pervasive racism in society1 and actively combats racial prejudice and discrimination in order to promote racial justice and equity4 7#b7 ,antiracist ,the term antiracist means any measure that produces or sustains racial equity between racial groups1 including any policy or practice that produces active resistance to and dismantling of the system of racism4 7#c7 ,systemic racism ,the term systemic racism means systems of power1 unfair policies1 discriminatory practices1 and normalized dynamics 7historical1 cultural1 internalized1 interpersonal1 institutional7 that routinely produce inequitable outcomes for oppressed people and advantages for privileged people1 with the effect of creating and sustaining inequities4 7#d7 ,equity ,the term equity means fair and impartial outcomes1 opportunities1 and access for an individual 7or entity7 engaging with an organization or systems 7political and socio-economic71 to receive or experience what is needed 7not equal7 in order to maintain fairness4 7#e7 ,,bipoc ,the term ,,bipoc is an acronym to refer inclusively to-- 7,a7 ,black1 ,indigenous1 and ,people of ,color1 which includes ,south ,west ,asian and ,north ,african 7,,swana72 7,b7 ,black and ,african ,american2 ,hispanic and ,latino2 and 7,c7 ,native ,american1 ,alaska ,native1 and ,indigenous ,american2 ,asian ,american1 ,native ,hawaiian and ,pacific ,islander 7,,aanhpi7 peoples4 7#f7 ,hispanic ,the term ,hispanic means an individual whose origin is ,mexican1 ,puerto ,rican1 ,cuban1 ,central or ,south ,american1 or any other ,spanish-speaking country4 7#g7 ,,bipoc-led ,the term ,,bipoc-led means an organization that is founded by or currently has executive leadership made up of ,,bipoc individuals1 but excludes an organization that is predominantly ,white or serves predominantly ,white audiences that simply have a ,,bipoc individual in a token leadership position4 7#h7 ,chairpersons ,the term ,chairpersons means the ,chairperson of the ,national ,endowment for the ,arts and the ,chairperson of the ,national ,endowment for the ,humanities4 7#i7 ,promising practices ,the term promising practices means programs that have strategies1 activities1 or approaches which have supporting research and evaluation1 as well as measurable outcomes that have shown the program to be effective and impactful for participants4 7#aj7 ,humanities ,the term humanities means a discipline and method to share stories1 ideas1 and experiences4 7#aa7 ,humanities organization ,the term humanities organization means an organization that connects people through stories1 ideas1 and experiences that positively change lives and strengthen communities1 bringing communities together for meaningful encounters1 and includes-- 7,a7 cultural and tribal organizations2 museums2 performing artists2 and 7,b7 libraries and archives2 media2 historical societies2 publishers2 arts and crafts groups2 educational institutions2 and more4 #d4 ,advancing equity through the arts and humanities program 7a7 ,in general 7#a7 ,antiracism program ,there is established an ,advancing ,equity ,through the ,arts and ,humanities ,program1 to be carried out by the ,chairperson of the ,national ,endowment for the ,arts 7in this ,act referred to as the ,,nea7 and the ,chairperson of the ,national ,endowment for the ,humanities 7in this ,act referred to as the ,,neh7 to increase engagement with public and nonprofit entities 7including faith-based and community-based organizations that serve and are led by people of color7 and to support arts and humanities projects that directly combat systemic racism through the arts and humanities4 7#b7 ,program components ,under the ,advancing ,equity through the ,arts and ,humanities ,program1 the ,chairpersons of ,,nea and ,,neh shall-- 7,a7 encourage1 consult with1 and engage in capacity building with public and nonprofit entities1 including faith-based and community-based organizations1 led by majority ,,bipoc to-- 7i7 build and implement a competitive grant program that directly combats systemic racism through the arts and humanities2 7ii7 review and augment existing ,,nea and ,,neh programs to include strategies to dismantle systemic racism through the arts and humanities2 7iii7 develop and implement outreach strategies and provide pre- and post-technical support for ,,nea and ,,neh programs that directly combat systemic racism through the arts and humanities2 and 7iv7 provide free grant writing training and technical support for grant applicants1 including potential and unapproved applicants2 7,b7 collaborate with governmental agencies1 universities1 museums1 and non-profit1 faith-based1 and community-based organizations with anti-racism initiatives focused on dismantling systemic racism by helping remove barriers to access2 7,c7 build a database of grantees to increase participation and outreach in consultation with the advisory task force created under this ,act2 7,d7 ensure grant panelists include majority ,,bipoc members1 majority artists1 advocates1 community leaders1 researchers1 people who have participated in arts programing while incarcerated1 and educators2 7,e7 ensure that grantees who partner with other organizations do so with those who employ and center communities of color2 7,f7 have the discretion to extend grant funding for multi-year initiatives in good standing and waive matching grant requirements2 and 7,g7 create an advisory task force1 not later than #ij days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 to develop guidelines for the grantmaking process and reassess equitable outreach and education as follows3 7i7 ,members of the task force shall include3 majority ,,bipoc members1 majority artists1 arts and humanities advocates representing the diversity of the spectrum of arts and humanities1 community leaders1 researchers1 at least #a person who has participated in arts programing while incarcerated1 an educator from a public institution1 youth1 and represent geographic and multigenerational diversity4 7ii7 ,members of the task force shall be paid a fair wage for their service4 7iii7 ,the task force shall1 not later than #ahj days after formation1 submit to the ,chairpersons of the ,national ,endowment for the ,arts and the ,national ,endowment for the ,humanities1 and make publicly available1 a report that includes-- 7,i7 recommended guidelines for the grantmaking process and reassess equitable outreach and education2 7,,ii7 a recommended antiracism framework for the selection of panelists and grantees1 including eligibility requirements2 7,,iii7 a recommended framework to increase accessibility to grants1 such as free grant writing classes1 culturally and linguistically appropriate pre and post technical assistance to apply for grants and produce reports1 in-language resources1 and partnerships with community-based organizations and other public and private nonprofits2 7,,iv7 recommendations to ensure that requests for proposals 7,r,f,ps7 are equitable and accessible to all individuals2 7,v7 review a database of grantees to increase participation and outreach2 and 7,,vi7 implement recommendations aligned with task force guidelines4 #e4 ,grant program 7a7 ,establishment ,not later than #ahj days after the funds are appropriated to carry out this ,act1 the ,chairpersons1 in consultation with the advisory task force1 shall establish a competitive grant program to be administered jointly in the ,national ,endowment for the ,arts and the ,national ,endowment for the ,humanities1 to make grants to eligible entities to create and expand programs to support public and nonprofit arts and humanities organizations that directly combat systemic racism through the arts and humanities1 including dance1 music1 theater1 musical theater1 literary1 poetry and spoken word1 visual and public art1 performing1 media arts1 social justice1 faith-based1 folk and traditional1 and other arts and humanities organizations4 7b7 ,eligible entities ,to carry out the components of the program under this section1 the ,chairpersons shall-- 7#a7 give priority in this order to the following eligible entities3 7,a7 public and nonprofit organizations that work to combat systemic racism through arts and humanities projects1 including-- 7i7 public and nonprofit organizations that are ,,bipoc-led2 7ii7 public and nonprofit organizations that have majority ,,bipoc executive staff and board members and center them as decision makers2 7iii7 public and nonprofit organizations that have a proven history of effective and ongoing antiracism work that has made demonstrative change in organizational culture and shows a commitment to supporting the ,,bipoc community2 and 7iv7 organizations1 including community-based organizations1 that are fiscally sponsored2 and 7#b7 not include any for-profit entity4 7c7 ,allowable use of funds ,an eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall carry out #a or more of the following3 7#a7 ,planning1 developing1 and implementing an initiative and programming that work to combat systemic racism through arts and_/or humanities1 including-- 7,a7 the arts or humanities engagement and education1 such as artist residency1 arts festivals1 coalition building1 community co-creation of art1 performances1 and public art2 7,b7 design1 such as artist or designer-facilitated community planning1 design of artist space1 design of cultural facilities1 and public space design2 7,c7 artist and creative industry support1 such as creative business development and professional artist development2 7,d7 arts and humanities programs for incarcerated individuals and for the prevention of re-incarceration2 and 7,e7 other arts and humanities programming that work to dismantle systemic racism4 7#b7 ,general support1 including capital funding1 salaries1 contractors and consultants1 office space and supplies1 benefits and insurance and other operational needs4 7#c7 ,research to further the grant recipient's work to dismantle systemic racism through the arts or humanities4 7#d7 ,training to further the grant recipient's work to dismantle systemic racism through the arts or humanities4 7d7 ,administrative expenses ,the ,chairpersons may use not more than #e percent of funds available to carry out this section for administration of the ,advancing ,equity ,through the ,arts and ,humanities ,program1 including technical assistance1 collaboration with other relevant agencies1 and dissemination of best practices4 7e7 ,grantees ,an eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall submit an annual report to the ,chairpersons describing-- 7#a7 the proposed and actual uses of funds1 including a description of how much funding supported which promising practices2 7#b7 racial and ethnic demographics of persons administering and implementing the grants in a manner that protects personally identifiable information2 7#c7 how funds were used and its effect on dismantling systemic racism and other outcomes1 which may include success measures such as community culture surveys1 workplace culture surveys1 community and program participant feedback1 and existing diagnostic or formative assessments1 disaggregated by race and ethnicity1 age1 and gender in a manner that protects personally identifiable information2 and 7#d7 how the grant funds were supplemented with ,state and local funds1 or other funding streams4 7f7 ,reports to ,congress ,beginning #a year after the first grants are awarded under this section1 and annually thereafter1 the ,chairpersons shall publicly submit and digitally publish a report to ,congress detailing-- 7#a7 the criteria on which grants were awarded2 7#b7 eligible entities that received grants and amount of funding received by each grantee2 7#c7 barriers to access for ,,bipoc individuals and communities1 how ,,nea and ,,neh addressed these challenges1 and recommendations for ,congress to help support ,,nea and ,,neh address these barriers2 7#d7 the proposed and actual uses of funds1 including-- 7,a7 a description of community impact2 racial and ethnic demographics of persons administering and implementing the grants2 and 7,b7 racial and ethnic demographics of grant panel1 in a manner that protects personally identifiable information2 7#e7 available outcomes related to the grant's impact to dismantle systemic racism through the arts and humanities2 7#f7 the technical assistance activities of the ,national ,endowment for the ,arts and the ,national ,endowment for the ,humanities and costs of these activities1 dissemination costs1 and costs of other activities supported by the set-aside for the ,national ,endowment for the ,arts and the ,national ,endowment for the ,humanities2 and 7#g7 any other information as deemed appropriate by the ,chairpersons4 7g7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section4