Illustration by Jaimie Shelton
Federal and state budget cuts are putting a new kind of pressure on Cincinnati’s museums and libraries. Legislation changes are damming up streams of revenue for artistic and educational institutions, throttling access to crucial resources. “It has been one of the most challenging state budget years,” says Paula Brehm-Heeger, director of the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library (CHPL). “I’m sure we would not be the only organization receiving state funding that would report that to you.”
When the first drafts of Ohio’s state budget were released this year, public libraries were among the first to speak out against the changes. Half of the CHPL’s funding—$48.5 million in 2024 alone—comes from the state’s Public Library Fund (PLF).
Previously, the PLF was funded by a certain percentage of the state’s general revenue. Now, the funding is a line item in the budget, meaning the amount won’t change even as Ohio sees economic growth. The new budget also splits PLF funds among other non-library entities, distributing millions in carve-outs for organizations like the Ohioana Book Festival and OPLIN, which provides WiFi to libraries and public access to databases, according to Brehm-Heeger.
Earlier state budget proposals were even harsher. At one point, the library stood to lose nearly $14.5 million in funding. Brehm-Heeger says that’s when Hamilton County residents stepped up to contact lawmakers and push for change. “Our Hamilton County residents really love their library, and they want to express how much they appreciate the services we provide,” she says. “When those early propositions came out that would have catastrophically impacted us, people called and really responded.”
Federal agencies like the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) are also facing severe cuts or complete termination. These agencies have funded projects at the library, the zoo, the Cincinnati Museum Center, and art museums across the city.
The Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) lost a $173,855 federal grant earlier this year, according to Carolyn Hefner, chief of external affairs. With one letter from the IMLS, nearly a third of CAC’s teen programming budget was gone.
“A lot of these programs are built to be a safe third space for teens,” Hefner says. “The teen programs allow for a space to come together, have community, and work through the things that are happening that a lot of us, even as adults, don’t have answers for yet.”
Hefner says the CAC was forced to scale back free programming and initiatives for teens like art fellowships and paid positions, despite an increase in the number of teens the organization serves. CAC leaders scrambled to find relief.
To make up for the loss, local organizations and private donors worked to raise more than $94,000 for the program. “We’re doing our best to make sure folks have a better understanding of what we do and the importance of contemporary art,” says Hefner. In April, CAC announced a new $12 entrance fee after nearly 10 years of free admission. Hefner says the federal cuts have exacerbated the museum’s long-term concerns about sustainable funding.
Shortly after the IMLS loss, a letter from the NEA put a new kind of pressure on CAC. The agency said the museum’s exhibits “no longer align with the priorities of the current administration.” Hefner says $20,000 to $30,000 of annual exhibit funding is now in jeopardy. “Our intent is to always allow our artists to have a platform to explore what’s happening around us,” she says. “There’s definitely a bit of uncertainty, but hopefully the community can continue to come together to help support those gaps.”
Across our local libraries, art galleries, and museums, the challenge remains the same: Can these organizations find the funds to preserve access to spaces that enrich and unite our city? And what would we do without them?
Facebook Comments