Mizna

Thank You for Your Overwhelming Support!

At a moment when systems are being actively dismantled and are intentionally failing all of us, you—our incredible community—helped us reach our spring fundraising goal of $12,000 astonishingly quickly. Thank you!

This buoying support is so important for Mizna as we continue to platform our communities’ vital stories in urgent projects like the Gaza Folio and Insurgent Transmissions.

The news of the NEA’s grant termination is truly a chilling signal that the next four years will bring more uncertainty. Though we were thankfully able to access the grant funds of our terminated grant, we know that if the NEA is even still around next year, Mizna will definitely not receive funding under their newly stated priorities. Your ongoing, recurring support means that we can continue to do our work despite this disinvestment.

Meanwhile, the genocide in Gaza is in its 581st day and people are being intentionally starved as the blockade on food and aid goes on. Please consider giving to these critical fundraisers:

Crips for eSIMs for Gaza: fundraiser that helpings Gazans communicate with the world. Support here

Support the family of exiled Gazan poet and Mizna Fellow Yahya Ashour who are currently enduring the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Support here

The Sameer Project: Providing shelter, medical aid and water distribution in Gaza. Support here

URGENT: NEA GRANT TERMINATED

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT

Late Friday night we received a chilling email stating that our NEA grant has been terminated. Today we learned that the NEA Literary Arts staff members we have been working with will be leaving their positions at the end of the month. Many art organizations across the US have received similar notifications. This marks a significant change in this administration’s approach to art and culture. We are still learning what this means for our own literary programs. As a result, our staff will be forced to dedicate significant time and focus toward navigating these new financial and legal hurdles.

We will not back down. We will continue to support fearless artists and art making. Our work on the Gaza Folio continues. This week alone we are presenting two important Palestinian films in Minneapolis.

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT TO COUNTER THIS ATTACK ON THE ARTS.

[We corrected the status of the NEA staff members. Initially we wrote that their positions had been eliminated. This was based on an error in a Publisher's Weekly article that has since been corrected.]

Your contribution today isn't just funding – it's a declaration that our stories matter, our voices warrant preservation, and our communities deserve creative spaces that reflect their experiences.