According to Senate records, Mary Anne Carter, who oversaw the National Fund for the Arts during President Trump's first term, was appointed again to lead the agency on Tuesday.
Her appointment came days after Trump proposed to eliminate the National Fund for the Arts, and the institution began withdrawing current grants from arts organizations around the country. The donation fell into further chaos earlier this week, with a group of senior officials there announced their resignation.
During Trump's first term, Carter was considered a donation stabilizing leader by many in the arts world. Trump also proposed to remove the institutions of the time, but survived thanks to his bipartisan support in Congress.
“Mary Anne Carter will play a pivotal role in introducing the golden age of American art and culture,” White House spokesperson Elizabeth Houston said in a statement.
“It is a privilege to hold this position under President Trump's previous administration, and I hope to lead the National Fund for the Arts again,” Carter said in a statement.
Before joining the federal government, Carter worked as a lead policy advisor at the Florida Governor's Office when Republican Sen. Rick Scott was governor. She was also the founder and president of Mac Research, a consulting firm specializing in politics and public affairs. She has served as a senior advisor to donations during the current Trump administration.
At an event in February with advocacy group Americans for the Arts, she discussed how to find an art education for her daughter to learn the differences in learning that demonstrate the importance of children involved in programs such as dance and theater. (She described herself as a “dance mom” who is proud of herself.) She said returning to the NEA is like going home.
“It seemed natural to go back there this time,” she said. She added, “I believe that every American in every corner of the country should have access to arts programming — and I believe.”
The agency began withdrawing and termination of the grant last week. The full scope of the cancellation is unknown, but the crowdsourced spreadsheet found that over $10 million has ended.
Americans for the Arts have denounced the agency's decision to withdraw funds. “The next step in a deeply troubling pattern of government investment in the arts.”
Founded in 1965, the National Fund for the Arts is an independent federal agency that distributes grants to art organizations and state arts agencies around the country. The budget was $207 million last year when the organization provided grants over $163 million, according to the financial report.
