Boulder Arts Nonprofit Receives Emergency Support After NEA Suspends GrantInitiative

Warhol and Frankenthaler Foundations provide crucial funding for Turning the Wheel’s

community-based youth arts project

BOULDER, CO (May 22, 2025) — Turning the Wheel Productions, a Boulder-based nonprofit

dedicated to arts, education, and healthy communities announced today that it has received emergency

support from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation.

This timely funding enables the organization to proceed with its Community Performance Project, a

creative residency and public performance series designed to promote well-being and connection among underserved youth in Wilmington, NC.

The project was originally selected to receive a $10,000 grant through the National Endowment for the

Arts (NEA) Challenge America initiative. In May, the NEA indefinitely suspended distribution of funds

to 272 small and mid-sized cultural organizations due to staff reductions, administrative delays, and

compliance reviews related to recent Executive Orders. Due to their mandate to support visual arts

organizations, the Andy Warhol Foundation and the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation moved swiftly to

provide emergency funding to 80 of those 272 projects. The Foundations have expressed hope that

additional funders will step in to assist the remaining organizations still awaiting support.

“This federal grant was not just about one out-of-state project—it supported the infrastructure that allows us to do our work here at home,” said Alana Shaw, Executive Director of Turning the Wheel. “We work in schools and communities across Colorado, including Boulder, Longmont, and Arvada. When national funding disappears, local programming suffers.”

Turning the Wheel’s programming—delivered through residencies, performances, and workshops—uses

the arts to build community resilience, help young people access their creative voice, and support youth

mental health. Over the past three decades, the organization has served more than 125,000 participants

nationwide, including thousands in Colorado.

“The generosity and responsiveness of the Andy Warhol and Helen Frankenthaler Foundations came at a critical moment,” Shaw added. “Their support not only preserves our Wilmington project—it sustains the mission-driven work we do year-round in Colorado. We’re deeply grateful for their crucial support of our Community Performance Project, which was originally selected for funding through the now-suspended NEA Challenge America initiative.”

For more information visit: warholfoundation.org or frankenthalerfoundation.org