Last year, Rancho Alegre applied for the Challenge America grant, which was offered through the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), to support the 2025 Rancho Alegre Conjunto Music Festival. We were awarded $10,000 through the program, funding for which has been frozen by President Trump since January 27, 2025. We have no updates from the NEA, and quite frankly, despite Federal judges ordering the funds' release, we do not expect this grant to ever come through.

To say this is frustrating, infuriating, and heartbreaking is an understatement.