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(From left to right) Jessi from Inspire WA, Ginger from Terrain Spokane, Nick from Base Camp Studio, Manny from Inspire WA, & Sarah from TwispWorks in front of the Capitol Building.

Dear Cultural Advocates, 

We know that many of you feel worried about how the current federal administration could affect your cultural business. We have heard your questions and concerns about how the recent flurry of executive orders, proposed bills, and staffing cuts might impact your job, employees, and the uplifting experiences you provide to your communities. 

That’s why Inspire Washington was on the ground in DC this week to meet with the congressional delegation for our state. It’s our job to bring your stories and questions to the top of their minds. This work requires a lot of both our time and financial resources. When you make a donation or become a partner with Inspire Washington today, you support both our recent victories and future aspirations for our entire sector. 

Our Washington Team was comprised of Sarah Brown (TwispWorks), Manny Cawaling (Inspire Washington), Ginger Ewing (Terrain), Nick Ferderer (Base Camp Studios), and Jessi Wasson (Inspire Washington). 

Creative West generously gave us the resources to bring five people, and we did our best to highlight diverse viewpoints (urban, suburban, and rural) along with regions (Puget Sound, Central, Eastern, and Southwest). Our lived experiences spoke to the needs of both non-profit organizations and creatives. We are so grateful to our entire team. 

We took part in this fly-in in coordination with other national and regional organizations that advocate for arts, humanities, history/heritage, preservation, and natural sciences. 

A visual rendering of how we developed our meeting agenda.

What did we ask for and discuss? 

Here’s what we discussed during our meetings with our congressional delegation. We came up with this agenda in collaboration with cultural representatives from our entire western region. 

• Maintenance funding for cultural agencies, specifically National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, Institute for Museum & Library Services, and Office of Museum Services. 
• Guidelines and restrictions for federal funding. Most importantly, that DEI work in cultural programs provides access to everyone without exclusions. 
• Resources for cultural programs in rural areas through the Farm Bill and USDA funding. 
• Resources and policies that artists need to develop their small businesses within the creative economy. 
• Ticketing legislation and the shortfalls of current proposals. 
• Strategies for reframing the national conversation about our sector in ways that prioritize non-partisanship and stress the importance of culture for everyone.

Who did we meet with? 

It was no easy feat, but we achieved our aspiration of meeting with every office of Washington’s Congressional delegation! 

We took meetings with the offices of:  

• Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell
• Rep. Suzan DelBene (WA-01) 
• Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) 
• Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) 
• Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) 
• New Rep. Michael Baumgartner (WA-05) 
• New Rep. Emily Randall (WA-06) 
• Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) 
• Rep. Kim Schrier (WA-08) 
• Rep. Adam Smith (WA-09) 
• Rep. Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) 

It was a busy couple days on the Hill due to Committee Hearings and the President’s Joint Address to Congress. Although we mainly met with legislative directors and correspondents, rest assured that these staffers are perfectly poised to drive our ideas forward. 

Nick with a fellow cultural advocate from Hawaii.

What’s next? 

We will be developing a strategy to continue our federal advocacy. We’ll also be issuing an Action Alert within the next month so you may reinforce our requests with your personal emails to the congressional offices. Additionally, I will be hosting some office hours to provide further information about how each unique conversation went and potential future outcomes. 

Want to help us maintain funding for our cultural sector and advocate for urgent legislation? 

Here are some ways we can stand together and make a difference: 

• Make a donation. Every dollar counts in funding the advocacy work we perform with city, county, state, and federal agencies. All donations are tax-deductible. 
• Become a partner. When you join Inspire WA as a partner, you join the frontlines of a mighty coalition dedicated to creating a future where our statewide cultural workforce receives the funding, support, and recognition it deserves. 
• Join the Inspiration League. Being a part of our Inspiration League allows you to easily advocate to your local lawmakers about the cultural issues that matter to us all. 

Thank you for being a part of our coalition. We look forward to continuing to advocate both for and alongside you in support of enriching science, heritage, and arts experiences. 

In solidarity, 

Manny Cawaling 

About Inspire Washington

Inspire Washington nurtures the human spirit and strengthens communities by increasing access to science, heritage, and arts programming through advocacy, resource development, education, and coalition building.

Inspire Washington

info@inspirewashington.org

P.O. Box 806, Seattle, WA 98111

InspireWashington.org

Manuel R. Cawaling, Executive Director: manny@inspirewashington.org

Jessi Wasson, Deputy Director: jessi@inspirewashington.org

Anna Tatelman, Annual Fund Manager: anna@inspirewashington.org

Madeline Dalton, Outreach Coordinator: advocacy@inspirewashington.org

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