Across the Outer Cape, arts organizations are scrambling to decipher signals from the Trump administration and to assess how massive cuts in federal arts funding and changing grant criteria will affect their budgets and programming. For the arts community, the recent news has been worrisome.

“The Fine Arts Work Center will not accept funding that requires us to compromise our values,” says Sharon Polli, FAWC’s executive director. While the IMLS and NEA provide only 4 percent of the organization’s overall budget, Polli says any loss of funding would be keenly felt. Statewide and local arts groups will hold a creative sector “day of action” at the State House on April 30 to urge lawmakers to protect funding for the arts.