News of the Trump administration’s budget proposal to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) alarmed arts advocates last week.

But the budget proposal isn’t the “final policy,” writes Claire Fallon, Culture Writer for the Huffington Post—and, furthermore, there’s a lot citizens can do to advocate for cultural institutions in the meantime.

Also, it is worth nothing this isn’t the first time an administration has made moves toward cutting arts funding. “These efforts have failed in the past,” said Suzanne Nossel, the executive director of PEN America. “It’s far from the first time these cuts have been proposed, and every time, they’ve failed.”

Still, arts advocates concerned about the future of the arts and should raise their voices now, and often, especially during the budget proceedings. Fallon emphasizes understanding the stake we have in cultural institutions, and using that understanding to sway elected officials through petitions, calling or visiting representatives, and organizing events.

Victoria Hutter, a NEA spokesperson, said to the Huffington Post that the NEA is currently “operating under a Continuing Resolution for FY17, which goes through April 2017. We look forward to participating in the usual budget process for the FY18 budget with OMB [Office of Management and Budget] and The White House.”

Reportedly, Trump’s budget proposal mirrors a blueprint published last year by the conservative think tank, The Heritage Foundation.

Related reading: Brooklyn artist Tega Brain has created a website to protest the proposed cuts, Technical.ly reports.

More related reading: Americans for the Arts offers an “Advocacy Toolkit for Individuals” on its website, and will host the Arts Advocacy Day conference on Capitol Hill on March 20–21, 2017.

Image Credit: Aaron Burden/Unsplash.