Arts Groups Lose Out in Fight for Funds

"It's tough out there," Ms. Crawford says. "The arts are...that thing that can be cut, because we need our police officers, we need our soup kitchens."

Arts organizations have responded by trumpeting their education initiatives as examples of how they give back to society and warrant additional money. The Washington Performing Arts Society sponsors a gospel choir for inner-city youth that recently performed for President Barack Obama at the national prayer service the day after his inauguration. The Indianapolis Museum of Art supports art instruction for third graders in city public schools, then invites classes to tour the museum.