We never wanted to write this letter. For the past year, we’ve braced ourselves for the worst. We watched with hope, despite every signal pointing otherwise. But now, the shoe has dropped — and the bottom has fallen out for the arts in Mississippi.

Recent cuts to federal funding have gutted the programs that sustained our creative ecosystem. The elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and AmeriCorps VISTA has triggered a devastating ripple effect. These cuts have slashed budgets not just for national programs, but for our own Mississippi Arts Commission, and South Arts, which support arts councils and presenters throughout the state.

These are government agencies. By law, they cannot advocate for themselves.

But we can.

The Mississippi Presenters Network (MSPN) is a private, nonprofit coalition of arts presenters that connects and strengthens arts organizations across Mississippi. There is no other organization like us in the state — and now, we are stepping up with a new mission: to raise and redistribute emergency funds to ensure that small-town Mississippi doesn’t go silent.

Mississippi is a largely rural state. Most of our towns cannot sustain their arts organizations without grant funding. Without immediate support, many of these organizations — theatres, dance companies, local galleries, youth music programs — will close their doors, possibly forever.

This is not just about losing performances. This is about losing jobs. Losing tourism. Losing young talent. Losing the beating heart of small-town life.

We are facing another crisis of COVID-era proportions — except this time, there are no relief packages coming.

We’re calling on you, our philanthropic partners, to step in where the government can’t and won’t.

Your support of MSPN is support for communities you may never have heard of — towns where a single arts center may serve as the only gathering place, the only after-school program, the only spotlight young people may ever stand in. We cannot expect every town to find its own private benefactor — but we can pool resources and ensure that every corner of Mississippi has access to the transformative power of the arts.

When one organization closes, it weakens the entire state. When artists are forced to leave Mississippi in search of opportunities, we don’t just lose cultural voices — we lose economic drivers. We lose educators. We lose community builders. The arts are not a luxury. They are an engine of economic development and a cornerstone of civic life.

We are not a competitive state. We are a collaborative one. We don’t grow by climbing over each other — we grow by lifting each other up.

We are only as strong as our most rural, most under-resourced community.

MSPN is ready to distribute emergency support statewide. But we cannot do it alone. We ask you to stand with us. Help us stabilize the arts in Mississippi before the damage becomes permanent. Help us keep the lights on, the stories alive, and the stages full — for every artist, every child, and every town across this state.

We welcome the chance to talk further and share how your gift can directly support organizations in need.

With urgency and hope,
Carrie White
Program Director
Mississippi Presenters Network
presentmississippi.com
mspresentersnetwork@gmail.com

Arts and Humanities Emergency Fund

MSPN Donation Platform