The Oakland City Council passed a budget on June 11 that eliminated its Cultural Affairs Manager position, citing budgetary concerns. But critics say money-saving justifications haven't been made in good faith. - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)
Provisions in the new law raise unsettling questions about how the nonprofit world will be affected — and the answers may not be known for months or years. - Chronicle of Philanthropy
Ten nominees have been chosen to meet this year’s theme of “rooted in culture”, which seeks to highlight how trees inspire creative minds and become ingrained in the cultural landscape. - The Guardian
“Last year, more tourists visited Kyoto than Barcelona, Amsterdam, or even Paris. … (It's a) conundrum with no obvious solutions. Tokyo and Osaka are big enough to soak up tourists the same way New York and London can, but Kyoto is hemmed in by mountains, which keeps the city from expanding.” - New York Magazine
Sean Combs was acquitted on the most serious charges against him; Kevin Spacey has prevailed in both criminal and civil cases. Even Harvey Weinstein was found not guilty on one charge, and the hard-won conviction of Bill Cosby was overturned. What’s at issue isn’t anti-#MeToo backlash, it’s criminal law. - The Hollywood Reporter
Cuyahoga County, where Cleveland is located, has long used such a tax to fund arts and culture organizations. Ohio’s newly-enacted state budget includes permission for Summit County (which includes Akron) to adopt a similar tax — if voters approve it in a referendum. - Akron Beacon Journal (Yahoo!)
The notification doesn’t remove Harvard’s accreditation—which would leave the school virtually unable to operate. Education Secretary Linda McMahon urged Harvard’s accreditor to work with the school to “keep the Department fully informed of its efforts to ensure that Harvard is in compliance with federal law and accreditor standards.” - The Wall Street Journal
I’ll upload sections of my book, along with interview transcripts, and ask whether everything I’ve written squares with what my sources have said. I’ll ask it to read long sections of text and flag any material that hasn’t been introduced chronologically. - CJR
“We're all kind of left reeling,” Craig said. “It does feel, for many of us involved in nonprofit fields, that we are being hit from all directions.” - KCUR
“A series of budget bills (passed) on July 1 have restored the $11.5 million Performing Arts Equitable Payroll Fund, intended to help pay performers and keep small performing arts venues in operation” by offsetting costs of AB5, the 2019 law requiring many performers to be paid as employees rather than freelancers. - KQED (San Francisco)
Yes, $1 was the figure being considered by legislators for the New Hampshire Council on the Arts in the new state budget. In the end, the Council’s budget was cut by only 90%, from $1.5 million to $150,000, leaving The Granite State dead last among US states for arts funding. - WMUR (Manchester, NH)
“The White House has raised concerns about ‘Entertainment Nation,’ a permanent display on view since 2022 that sheds light on the entertainment industry’s impact on American pop culture through a selection of theater, music, sports, movie, and television memorabilia from the last 150 years.” - ARTnews
Following last year’s boycott campaign which led to authors withdrawing from the Edinburgh Book Festival due to sponsorship by asset management firm Baillie Gifford, corporations are reluctant to risk becoming targets of activists by sponsoring Edinburgh events — leading to tighter budgets and programming cuts at the festivals themselves. - Financial Times
On the “America 250” website created by the White House, the account of the nation’s founding is outsourced to Hillsdale College, a far-right institution that was a member of the advisory board for Project 2025. - Los Angeles Times
