Artistic Freedom Monitor USA
Artistic Freedom Monitor USA is a first-of-its-kind research and advocacy initiative documenting government actions that threaten artistic freedom and the independence of cultural institutions in the United States.
Why we launched the monitor
Launched in response to an escalating wave of censorship, politicized funding decisions, and ideological interference in cultural life, AFM USA makes visible how federal and state authorities are restricting artistic and cultural expression protected under the First Amendment and international human rights law. These measures—ranging from content-based restrictions and governance interference to immigration barriers for artists—pose serious risks not only to artists and cultural institutions, but to democratic accountability itself.
How to Use The Monitor
Interact with the data
The interactive features of our platform include a timeline and state map that tracks executive actions, legislation, and policies that limit artistic freedom at the federal and state levels. You can explore entries by theme – like LGBTQ+ rights or cultural rights – or browse chronologically. The platform is regularly updated and serves as a resource for artists, researchers, advocates, and the general public committed to defending freedom of expression.
Read our analysis
AFM complements the tracker with Spotlight, a series of ground-level reports that document how policy shifts and governance interventions are experienced in practice. These reports are built from qualitative reporting with artists, arts NGOs, museums, libraries, universities, presenters, and other cultural institutions, capturing the real-world effects of laws, funding decisions, administrative measures, and governance changes on programming, staffing, institutional autonomy, and creative expression. By pairing policy documentation with field reporting, Spotlight helps the public understand not only what has changed on paper, but what those changes mean for cultural life on the ground.
Take action
AFM is not only a monitoring tool—it is a launchpad for accountability and protection. The Strategic Action arm of AFM translates the evidence base into concrete interventions, including: Strategic litigation where government actions unlawfully restrict artistic freedom or institutional independence; and Model legislation and policy proposals designed to strengthen safeguards for the cultural sector and reinforce institutional independence, transparency, and viewpoint-neutral governance.
Spotlight Reports
Click below to read our Spotlight Reports, which examine how government actions impacting artistic freedom and cultural institutions unfold in practice.
Artistic Freedom Monitor USA: 2025 Fact Sheet
Read Spotlight Report
More Spotlight Reports Coming Soon
AFM Tracker
The AFM Tracker is a centralized, public record of federal and state government actions that narrow artistic freedom and weaken the independence of arts and cultural institutions in the United States, designed to increase transparency and allow users to follow developments over time. Click below to explore the platform.
Explore Our Other Reports
Partners
Support AFI’s Work
As censorship rises and artists are targeted for speaking truth to power, protecting creative voices has never been more urgent. Since 2017, AFI has supported over 2000 courageous artists who create even when it places them at risk. By making a contribution today, you expand our direct services and advocacy work to secure at-risk artists’ safety and stability, and provide them with the resources they need to remain on the front lines of creative resistance.