Federal funding cuts impact International Storytelling Center

The International Storytelling Center in Jonesbourough will not receive a $30,000 grant that it had previously been approved for. The Storytelling Center received notice by email on May 2 that the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency targeted by President Trump for defunding, had withdrawn the grant, even though it had been approved last year. Storytelling Center President Michael Carson said the $30,000 was going to help fund the 22nd annual Storytelling Live series, which begins May 20. Carson said there is sufficient funding for this year’s Storytelling Live and the show will go on. The Storytelling Live series attracts nearly 16,000 people to Jonesborough each year and contributes $8 million to the local economy. Carson says that those who are concerned about the loss of grant funding should reach out to lawmakers in Washington.