Dallas bookstore faces funding cuts amid Trump administration's budget changes
A local Dallas bookstore and publishing company is losing its federal arts funding. This comes as the Trump administration said it is making budget cuts to several different sectors, including the arts.
Deep Vellum bookstore is more than just a store; it's also a community for many.
"It's a big opportunity for independent writers, independent thought," said Erin Demir, a customer. "It's extremely important because you get to experience the perspectives of people, other than just what's mainstream."
Founded 10 years ago, it's helped over 1,500 local and Texas-based writers get published through its publishing branch. Ideas, thoughts, and works that the owner,r Will Evans, said a commercial publisher would never consider.
"Writers from your own backyard, your own neighborhood, you have no idea what we've been missing, and the NEA gives us a chance to support those kinds of voices and to make that dialogue happen at a city-wide and cultural level," Evans told CBS News Texas.
On Friday, the nonprofit was notified that the National Endowment for the Arts grant it was awarded is being terminated because it no longer "aligns" with the Trump administration's priorities. This news comes just days after the president proposed getting rid of the agency entirely from the federal budget.
"We feel frustrated because it is such a good and this grant that was terminated, we applied for 18 months ago," said Evans. "This has nothing to do with budget cuts, this is about a value proposition that arts don't matter to everyone."
Deep Vellum is just one of at least 11 organizations in the metroplex that received NEA grants for 2025. CBS News Texas reached out to the NEA for comment, but they did not get back to us.
Evans said these cuts could alter how they publish local works moving forward.
"It's an important part of our annual budget," Evans said. "So, we're going to have to look for more diverse sources of funding to be able to support these kinds of work, and we hope we're able to find that; otherwise, we're going to lose out on potential literary voices."
Now more than ever, Demir is urging others to shop local.
"Come and show your support, buy books," she said.
