HARTFORD, CT — Following last year’s federal funding cuts, the CT Arts Alliance (CAA) and CT Humanities (CTH) announce the organizations have joined their operations. Initial discussions began after federal DOGE funding cuts happened in early 2025, as both organizations sought to explore ways of working closer together and more sustainably provide support to Connecticut’s 800+ cultural organizations. After a year-long strategic process the CAA board made the difficult decision to dissolve the organization and transfer operations to CTH as both organizations have been partnering closely since 2021.
The partnership, including the Arts, Culture and Tourism Funding Roadmap in 2022, grew out of CTH being awarded $30.7M to create the CT Cultural Fund in response to the COVID pandemic, which supported over 750 arts and humanities organizations across Connecticut. CAA, formed in 2020 with a mission of supporting a thriving Connecticut arts and culture ecosystem, and CTH saw the power and success of bringing the two cultural sectors together to educate organizations, cultural workers, and legislators about policy, advocacy, and the impact of the broader cultural sector in Connecticut. These efforts will continue to expand under CTH with the creation of a new position and is an extension of the close partnership and accomplishments over the last several years.
Rufus de Rham, former Interim Executive Director of CAA, has joined the CTH team as the Director of Cultural Advocacy and Community Engagement, a new position that was created to research arts, culture, and humanities policies, suggest how to implement them in Connecticut, and build an informed cultural community around these issues. This position will continue CAA’s role as state captain for both federal and New England regional arts advocacy efforts, and will continue to educate and train the sector around advocacy, policy, and civic engagement.
“In a time where we are seeing historic and sustained federal disinvestment in the cultural sector, and a constriction of funding from other sources, the Arts Alliance has made the difficult decision to cease operations,” says Rufus, “CAA and CT Humanities are close partners, along with the Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA), in supporting the entire cultural sector in Connecticut and we feel this path will strengthen our sector’s voice in Hartford, and allow us to continue to educate the sector that their voice matters and how they can advocate for cultural policies that make Connecticut a vibrant, connected, and healthy place to live. It is our belief that this partnership will serve as an example and challenge the sector to adapt and reimagine how we serve our communities during this period of upheaval.”
CT Humanities will continue to act as a funder, convener, and support organization for Connecticut’s humanities organizations and workers and this new partnership will strengthen cross sector collaboration and learning opportunities. CT Humanities will continue to partner with the Connecticut Office of the Arts as they work jointly to make sure the cultural sector’s needs are met.
“The federal cuts were a wake up call for all of us and status quo is no longer an option,” adds Jason Mancini, Executive Director of Connecticut Humanities, “We know the power of working together, the positive impact it has had on the hundreds of cultural organizations in Connecticut, and the value of arts and humanities programs and exhibits in our libraries, museums, and public spaces,” “These are the things that bring us together, across our differences of age, race, gender, wealth, geography, politics and more. Arts and humanities are our “common good” and because we live in a time of great social change and division we are coming together to strengthen the way we work together and with others. Our work intersects with education and healthcare, housing policy, and civic and community wellness. Here, we will lead by example.”
“COA has been proud to support the educational programs of the Connecticut Arts Alliance and to serve as a thought-partner in policy discussions on a wide range of topics,” said Liz Shapiro, Director of Arts, Preservation & Museums at the CT Department of Economic & Community Development. “In 1966, the federal government created the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, effectively separating the sectors. At that time, having two separate federal agencies made sense. Today it is equally important that our sectors come together to respond to the needs of the cultural community as a whole. By working together, we maximize resources to yield greater impact for constituents.”
The Board of Directors of both organizations have been integral in driving this process forward and two Arts Alliance board members will be joining the CT Humanities board in order to ensure the continuation of arts-specific policy work and support in this new partnership: Michelle McCabe, Executive Director of Connecticut Main Street, and Steph Burr, Executive Director of Northwest Connecticut Arts Council.
“I have been proud to serve on the board of the Connecticut Arts Alliance and admire all that they have accomplished for the arts community,” says Michelle McCabe, “This move to integrate with Connecticut Humanities in many ways is long overdue. The entirety of the diverse cultural ecosystem needs to band together now more than ever to keep this important sector healthy and thriving. Our cultural community contributes to our economy, our quality of life, and our social well-being. Joining forces will ensure it can continue doing so and grow.”
“From a financial perspective, this partnership with CT Humanities reflects adaptable fiscal stewardship in the cultural sector,” adds Steph Burr, “By eliminating the overhead costs of maintaining the CT Arts Alliance as an independent entity, this move allows more resources to go to our shared vision of cross-sector collaboration in cultural advocacy.”
“CAA, from its days as a roundtable for arts administrators to its current non-profit form, has consistently evolved to support the needs of Connecticut’s arts and culture community,” says Frank Mitchell, CT Humanities’ Board Chair, “The vision that produced this current adaptation is encouraging, and the history of collaboration between CAA and CTH staff informs this new alliance. These combined resources fortify us all for the fight to restore federal funds for arts and culture and insure the sector’s continued growth.”
The CT Arts Alliance website and its resources will remain active while the information is transferred to CT Humanities. This partnership will continue to advocate for state funding for the entire cultural sector including both arts and humanities, while looking to expand the integration of arts and humanities into healthcare and wellness systems, support the Office of the Arts’ Cultural District program, and support policies around housing, insurance, and business structures that would enhance and support Connecticut’s cultural and creative economies.
A Town Hall event to field questions around the partnership will be held virtually on November 20th at 1pm, you can register here.
If you have any questions please email info@cthumanities.org.
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Connecticut Humanities (CTH) is an independent, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. CTH connects people to the humanities through grants, partnerships, and collaborative programs. CTH projects, administration, and program development are supported by state and federal matching funds, community foundations, and gifts from private sources. Learn more by visiting cthumanities.org.
