The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) rescinded a reimbursement grant to fund “First Generation,” a play commissioned by Spinning Tree Theatre, written by community member Victor Wishna and produced in partnership with Jewish Vocational Service (JVS).

“First Generation,” inspired by interviews Wishna had with young refugees, ran last month at the Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center and at JVS’ annual fundraiser. The play was to be funded in part by the NEA, a federal government agency, which would reimburse $15,000 after the play was produced.

Spinning Tree Theatre, founded by Andrew and Michael Grayman-Parkhurst (the latter a member of the Jewish community), works to provide “opportunities for Kansas City metropolitan area young artists of all abilities,” including youth with disabilities, tuition-free.

On May 2, Spinning Tree Theatre received an email from the NEA saying that it withdrew the grant. The theatre sharing on social media that it believes this to be a result of “initiatives implemented by the Department of Government Efficiency.”

Wishna said the email from the NEA “seemed like almost a strange AI-generated joke, with priorities such as ‘making the District of Columbia safe and beautiful.’ Of course, the real priority, as reflected in the [Trump] administration’s proposed budget, is to eliminate the NEA altogether.”

Spinning Tree launched an emergency fundraiser which has since garnered the money from community members to offset the $15,000 in canceled grant money. Michael Grayman-Parkhurst said that Spinning Tree also “filed an appeal with the NEA, as encouraged by Americans for the Arts… and are reaching out to congressional representatives, funders and our young artists’ families to take this opportunity to highlight the value of Spinning Tree and the arts in general.”

“We are nimble and flexible, especially since reimagining our nonprofit to serve youth of all abilities during the pandemic,” Grayman-Parkhurst said. “We are committed to producing the final show in our season… and we are adapting our 2025-26 organizational budget with the strong possibility there might not be federal funding for the arts.”

JVS partnered with Wishna and Spinning Tree on “First Generation” — the play’s theme highlights refugee stories, and JVS provides refugee and resettlement assistance.

“Now, more than ever, the experiences of refugees and immigrants deserve and need to be shared,” said Hilary Cohen Singer, JVS executive director. “This new work (‘First Generation’), and others like it, have a huge impact on local young people — allowing refugee and immigrant youth to see their stories represented and exposing the young actors to perspectives they might not have otherwise encountered. Both Spinning Tree and JVS work to strengthen and enrich Kansas City, and our whole community suffers when changes to federal policies and funding jeopardize our ability to carry out our important missions.”

The rescission of NEA funding for “First Generation” comes amid significant changes to the government’s policies towards public arts and culture funding (such as restructuring the Kennedy Center board and proposing to eliminate the NEA next year). Despite this, Wishna is optimistic about the future of the arts.

“The arts will be fine... I think that the arts and artists will not only outlast this chapter, but respond to it,” he said. “And private funding, from corporate foundations to individual donors, have been stepping into the gaps... But I do think that public funding is essential, as it makes more art possible and serves as a catalyst for more investment in the arts — such as the matching reimbursement grant that Spinning Tree had been promised — and the economic impact and community and educational opportunities that come with that.”

Wishna also said that none of his projects in the works will be affected by a lack of public funding, but “there will no doubt be an effect on how far theaters are willing to go to take on new work.”