On the first day of the Biden-Harris Administration, President Biden issued Executive Order 13985 on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government. The order outlines a whole-of-government mandate to advance equity for all Americans through a comprehensive approach to all government practices, including management; policymaking (through regulation and guidance); procurement, contracting, and budgeting; delivery of benefits and services; and data collection, reporting, and use, to tangibly improve the lives of every person across the nation, in particular, those who have been underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality.
Today, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) joined more than 90 federal agencies in releasing an Equity Action Plan in accordance with this Executive Order. An overview of the NEA’s Equity Action Plan for fiscal years (FY) 2022-2026 is now available at www.arts.gov/equity. The site explains the methodology of creating the plan, shares early equity accomplishments by the Arts Endowment, and provides additional resources.
The NEA is committed to supporting equitable opportunities for arts participation and practice for all Americans in the United States. This commitment is reflected in the NEA’s Equity Action Plan, which is in alignment with the Arts Endowment’s FY 2022-2026 Strategic Plan, in which the cross-cutting objective states, “The NEA will model diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the arts through all its activities and operations.”
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