Learn how state and federal government is impacting the arts and humanities

||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER |||

Inspire Washington is the state-wide advocacy organization for the cultural sector, promoting the value of science, heritage, and arts programming within every city, town, and hamlet. The team at Inspire Washington will be at Orcas Center on Thursday, May 8 from 4 to 6 PM on the Main Stage sharing information about legislation and initiatives that affect us both federally, state – wide, and locally. To register for this free event, visit www.inspirewashington.org.

The 2025 State Legislative Session has been a challenging one due to budget restrictions, new lawmakers, and changes in the Federal government. There are new objectives for each of our sectors—science, heritage, and the arts for the 2026 Session and without new advocates and active engagement across the state, these large goals will be very challenging to achieve.

Inspire Washington’s work with the Federal government has grown substantially and requires a chorus of voices. They will provide updates on the pertinent information to know and provide easy ways to participate in advocacy efforts in Washington DC. If you have thought about getting involved in the past but haven’t yet participated, now is the time. With Inspire Washington, cultural advocacy is easy, fun, collaborative, and inspiring!

On the Agenda:

• The Federal government is quickly becoming Inspire WA’s most active area of work. With daily changes happening in DC, we will be sure attendees are aware of the updates that are most pertinent to the cultural sector in Washington state and how supporters can engage in Federal advocacy.
• New Funding & Policies: We will break down the wins and successes of the State Legislative Session and help attendees understand how these changes will affect cultural communities.
• Overview of Washington’s Cultural Access Program and next steps for communities.
• Grant opportunities: ArtsWA, Humanities WA, USDA, community projects, Capital Funding, Federal Opportunities, and much more!
• Listening: Inspire WA wants to know what communities need and how we can support those needs.
• Coalition Building: Now is the time to activate and get involved in policy development and advocacy!

There are so many threats and opportunities on the horizon for the cultural sector and we need every voice at the table. We’ll plug advocates into future activities so that all communities are represented.