"In the March 2013 budget resolution for FY 2014, the House Committee on the Budget raised concerns that the activities and content funded by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) constitute “a wealth transfer from poorer to wealthier citizens.” Although the idea that the NEA derives its funding from poorer citizens seems dubious, the argument that NEA-funded activities are “generally enjoyed by people of higher-income levels” is worthy of exploration. This research examines the accuracy of this argument through data-driven inquiry.

Our analysis seeks to understand if relationships exist between NEA funding and community wealth. To accomplish this, we focus on the following question: Does NEA grant-making show bias towards arts organizations in wealthier communities, constituting an inter-community transfer of wealth? We compare the community wealth characteristics of all arts organizations receiving NEA grants to the community wealth characteristics of all arts organizations that did not receive NEA grants. We are looking for empirical evidence that organizations receiving grants are situated in wealthier communities, which would support the inter-community wealth transfer hypothesis." [Introduction, p. 1]

"In the March 2013 budget resolution for FY 2014, the House Committee on the Budget raised concerns that the activities and content funded by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) constitute “a wealth transfer from poorer to wealthier citizens.” ......This research examines the accuracy of this argument through data-driven inquiry.