President Obama has signed a consolidated bill to finalize FY12 federal funding. The final budget package includes $145.979 million for the NEA.

After a rollercoaster year, the FY12 NEA budget suffered a decrease of $8.745 million compared to last year’s funding allocation. The House of Representatives and the Senate proposed budgets ranging from $135 million to $155 million, ultimately compromising to reach the same amount originally requested by the President, a decrease for the agency to a level of $145.979 million. In anticipation of a decrease this year, the NEA, which is halfway through its FY12 grant cycle, has reduced the total amount of grant disbursement, and further changes for FY13 grants and beyond are expected to be announced shortly.