AMHERST — The National Endowment for the Arts has stripped funding for two well-known Amherst organizations — Amherst Cinema and Restless Books — saying that the mission of those nonprofits is out of alignment with Trump administration priorities.

Restless Books, a small, independent publisher which for more than a decade has been publishing works translated into English by authors from countries around the globe, is losing $25,000.

Meanwhile, Amherst Cinema, where the Bellwether monthly series screens non-fiction films and hosts conversations with visiting artists, are losing $20,000.

Staff at both locations learned of the grant terminations in correspondence from the NEA late on May 2.

For Restless Books on Main Street, the grant was set to be used to support what cofounder Ilan Stavans describes as efforts to expand the palate of American readers.

“For us, $25,000 is an important part of the budget, underwriting five books this year, two (of which are) in production,” Stavans said in an interview this week. “This is a blow to this schedule; this is a blow to the financial picture of the company.”

But Stavans also observes that he is undeterred.

“What Trump wants to do is throw us off, not have access to different kinds of stories,” Stavans said.

For Amherst Cinema, on Amity Street, the loss of the grant means that two-thirds of the 2025 Bellwether programs are now unfunded. In December, the 100th screening in the Bellwether series took place.

Lizzie Jacobs, the cinema’s administrative and marketing coordinator, calls the termination a clear breach of contract.

“Our Bellwether series is especially important because many of these films remain self-distributed or only play in select film festivals,” the cinema’s statement reads. “For five successive years, Bellwether has merited funding from the NEA through a rigorous and competitive grant process. We have consistently met and exceeded expectations, demonstrating the merits of our programming, supporting the work of independent filmmakers and bringing artists and audiences together in person and in conversation.”

The communication from the NEA, which hundreds of similar organizations received, cites an update to “its grant-making policy priorities to focus on projects that reflect the nation’s rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the president.”

The letter suggests that projects to be prioritized include ones that elevate historically Black colleges and universities and Hispanic-serving institutions, celebrate the country’s 250 years of independence, foster artificial intelligence competency and empower houses of worship to service communities.

Stavans cofounded Restless Books in 2013, annually publishing 10 to 15 novels, short stories, poetry collections and other writings, as well as picture and chapter books for children. The company has four full-time staff, two part-time staff and many freelancers, along with student interns from the Five Colleges. Stavans teaches at Amherst College, but the business is independent.

“In these 12 years, Restless Books has published over 200 books from 55 different countries and 30 different languages,” Stavans said. “We put our soul into this.”

At a storefront on Main Street a short distance from Town Hall, editing and acquisitions are done by Restless Books, and people can drop in to buy books which would otherwise not be available to the English-speaking world, including the United States but also England and Australia.

Stavans observes the philosophy is similar to Amherst Cinema, where films can be shown to an audience that would not be screened at the multiplex, though some books become good sellers, with 10,000 to 15,000 copies sold.

Corporate publishers, what he calls the Big Five, are not inclined to publish if there is uncertainty around how many copies will be sold.

“They don’t take risks in publishing books from around the world,” Stavas said. “We bring extraordinary literature in English translation to the American reader.”

The books themselves, he said, are not by definition political but allow readers to gain insights into other parts of the world and be in dialogue with other cultures.

On the company’s blog, Stavans elaborated on his feelings and that Trump is only interested in his own viewpoint rather than multiple viewpoints.

“If the NEA has been guilty of supporting an homogeneous left-leaning worldview, as President Trump and his cabinet suggest, the solution isn’t to dismantle the NEA as a whole,” Stavans wrote. “To destroy is easy: It takes little creativity and pays no attention to artistic heritage. It is harder but far more important to build a balanced palate.”

Amherst Cinema officials said they intend to appeal the decision: “Because of our deep commitment to the Bellwether series as a manifestation of our values and mission, coupled with our strict adherence to the guidelines laid out by NEA, we will be taking immediate action to appeal this decision.”

Amherst Cinema is also calling for the community to step up due to the uncertain times.

“We know you feel it, too. Let’s work together to save the things that bring joy and value to our lives and our community,” it said.

While there is an opportunity to appeal the loss of the grant, Stavans said he is not likely to pursue that route for Restless Books. “My impression is one appeals if there’s a misunderstanding, so I’m not putting high hopes on it,” he said.

Instead, he hopes he doesn’t have to transform the staff, and he would like to see people rally behind Restless Books, which is already being affected by rising costs caused by tariffs.

“A lot is up in the air,” Stavans said. “But people really connect with Restless and feel important mission.”

“We will not let the forces of chaos destroy efforts that I think are good for everybody,” Stavans said. “I feel terrible about the moment we’re living in. I see this as a test and hope we will be able to navigate through this test.”

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.