The National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) The NCTA is the nation’s oldest multicultural arts presenting organization. For over eight decades, through festivals, tours, symposia, exhibits, and media productions, the NCTA has showcased the very best of the myriad grassroots folk, tribal and ethnic cultures that comprise our diverse nation.
Dear Friends,
As 2025 comes to an end, we are reflecting on a year that began with uncertainty for many arts organizations but culminated with several major successes, particularly the launch of the National Folk Festival’s three-year residency in Jackson, MS. From November 7-9, the Jackson community came out and enthusiastically embraced the 82nd National Folk Festival. We look ahead to next year with renewed energy: 2026 will present a special platform for the NCTA as we commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary with programs nationwide honoring the artistic traditions of all Americans.
Snapshots from the Montana, Lowell, Richmond and 82nd National Folk Festivals. Photos by LMTLSS, Remsberg Inc., and Tate K. Nations.
We need your help to make this vision a reality. Please consider making a year-end, tax-deductible gift to support the next chapter of the NCTA’s storied history. It’s easy to contribute by visiting the link below!
Why give to the NCTA? As the country confronts questions about our shared values and the strength of our union, the NCTA offers a unique vision that is as important as ever: building community through dynamic live events that build bridges between artists and audiences and create cultural understanding through artistic excellence and civic engagement. Your contribution will support the National Folk Festival and other longstanding NCTA programs; each achieved noteworthy successes in 2025. Over half a million people attended our festivals across the country, from the 16th Montana Folk Festival to the 38th Lowell Folk Festival and the 21st Richmond Folk Festival to the 82nd National Folk Festival.
This fall, the NCTA once again produced the honorific events for the 2025 National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellows, our nation’s highest honor for folk and traditional artists. We also partnered with National Parks nationwide on programs that highlighted the nation’s finest traditional artists in signature locations across the American landscape, as well as others that honored leading figures in the struggle for equal rights. The NCTA was thrilled to partner with Smithsonian Folkways Recordings and The Barns at Wolf Trap with a special concert commemorating the centennial birthday of the “King of Zydeco,” Clifton Chenier.
Each program was preserved in the NCTA’s ever-expanding archive, one of the world’s premier collections of culturally significant and rare music. Your contribution will also support this documentation and preservation work.
We invite you to invest in supporting our efforts to build community, showcase the best of our nation, and inspire audiences through artistic creativity, beauty, and excellence. With wishes for a happy and peaceful holiday season and New Year, and deep appreciation for your support.
Warmly,
Blaine Waide
Executive Director
George Holt
Chair, Board of Directors
PS: To inquire about planned giving, estate planning, or making a gift to the NCTA’s Trust for Tradition Endowment Fund, please contact us at 301-565-0654 x15, or email giving@ncta-usa.org.
