The National Endowment for the Arts has withdrawn a $30,000 grant meant for The Loft Cinema's annual film fest, according to a post made on the movie house's Facebook page.
The post said the cinema received notice on Friday, that the grant money would not be provided, because the Loft Film Fest "falls outside the funding priorities of the President."
According to the post, the NEA has supported the Loft Film Festival for nearly a decade and has also supported the Loft Film Fest on the Road program.
"Receiving these grants was always validating for our project given the high artistic standards of the NEA."
The post said the loss of grant funding, while not unexpected, was still "disappointing and disheartening."
The post said The Loft will not be appealing the decision.
"Maintaining the integrity of The Loft and our annual Loft Film Fest as a culturally relevant and vital part of our community is our main concern, and to be in receipt of NEA funding could mean compromising our principles as well as the world-class programming you expect from The Loft," the post said.
It added, "These are tough times for the arts, but we will get through this, together, and come out even stronger on the other side."
