This time of year, Louisville nonprofit publishing house Sarabande Books would typically learn how much federal grant money it could rely on for the next publishing cycle.
This year, that money isn’t coming.
Kristen Renee Miller, the editor in chief and executive director of the nonprofit, refused to sign a compliance agreement promising to not promote diversity, equity and inclusion and “gender ideology” this year, nor did she have the authors she wants to promote comply with the new rules. Sarabande’s mission is, in part, to “find and promote what’s been underrepresented,” Miller said — the antithesis of those restrictions.
The Trump administration’s rules governing what the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) supports were successfully challenged in court this year. At the time Miller would have had to agree to them, though, she had no idea what the outcome would be, or how long a legal challenge would take.
“We didn’t feel like we were willing to wait around to see if they would or wouldn’t (suspend the new rules), and in the meantime, sign our name to them,” she said.
For most of its existence the publishing house, founded in 1994, has received $25,000–$50,000 each year in NEA grants. This year, the NEA changed its rules, requiring arts applicants to abide by President Donald Trump’s executive orders restricting DEI initiatives and condemning “gender ideology.” A court ruled in September that the “gender ideology” compliance requirement violated the First Amendment, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
Miller interpreted “gender ideology” to mean “publishing and promoting trans, gender fluid and non-binary authors, which is something we absolutely do,” she said.
Because of its noncompliance, Sarabande is losing an already-promised grant for this year worth around $25,000, Miller said. She has turned to readers and the broader community seeking to raise the lost funds.
New priorities:
Previous Sarabande projects that got NEA funding include:
- “Leaving Biddle City” by Marianne Chan
- “Master” by Simon Shieh
- “A Terrifying Brush with Optimism” by Brian Leung and
- “A New Race of Men from Heaven” by Chaitali Sen.
The projects that would have benefited from the next grant include:
- “The Longest Way to Eat a Melon” by Jacqueline Zong-Li Ross
- “Terra” by Kiki Petrosino and
- “Held: Essays in Belonging” by Kathryn Nuernberger
A letter rescinding the 2025 grant, which Miller shared with the Lantern, states the NEA terminated the latest grant because it “is updating its grantmaking policy priorities to focus funding on projects that reflect the nation’s rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the president.”
“The NEA will now prioritize projects that elevate the nation’s HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities) and Hispanic Serving Institutions, celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, foster AI competency, empower houses of worship to serve communities, assist with disaster recovery, foster skilled trade jobs, make America healthy again, support the military and veterans, support Tribal communities, make the District of Columbia safe and beautiful, and support the economic development of Asian American communities,” the letter says. “Funding is being allocated in a new direction in furtherance of the administration’s agenda.”
‘Not a theoretical good’
Sarabande took to social media Nov. 17 with a defiant message, saying it was “exceedingly proud to be misaligned with this administration’s vision for the arts” and asking people to donate cash to make up the difference.
Miller crafted this message from her own reaction to the NEA rules, she said, but also felt it was a “unifying message” for others with similar reactions.
“The power of demoralization is a huge project of this administration. It’s overwhelming us with demoralization, with the fear of things we’ve relied on being taken away, the sort of insistence that things we thought about our culture, about our society weren’t fragile, making them look fragile,” Miller said. “It seems to be just sort of a relentless assault on our resilience, on our sense of hope. And … I do take that very personally.”
Motivated by the idea that the arts tell the story of a society’s values, books should represent all people, Miller said.
“What I do at Sarabande is not a theoretical good,” Miller said. “I believe that it is a crucial element of our culture.”
She’s counting on others agreeing with her. Nonprofits often juggle uncertainty, she said, and while cutting books already in production is “not an option,” the publishing house will look at ways to cut costs while simultaneously fundraising.
“We refuse to be aligned, and we will be very loud about how misaligned we are with” the administration’s priorities, Miller said. “We’re not alone, and we know the community that agrees with us is bigger than those who are trying to push us out.”
This story was originally published by the Kentucky Lantern and republished here with permission.
