[1] During its peak year, 1980, CETA funding for arts employment funneled up to $300 million (more than $1 billion in 2020 dollars) into the cultural sector – and the economy – of the United States.
In addition, federal funding was decentralized under CETA, taking the form of block grants to States, which were then parceled out to county and municipal governments.
In 1974 he crafted the proposal that resulted in securing CETA money for the city’s Neighborhood Arts Program based on a category in the legislation—Title VI – that provided funding for "cyclically unemployed" professionals, such as artists.
[6] Subsequently CETA arts positions were secured in a variety of locations across the country, with some of the largest concentrations in Washington DC, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Los Angeles and other cities.
Four other, independent, CETA-funded artist projects also operated in NYC: Hospital Audiences, La Mama ETC, American Jewish Congress and Theater for the Forgotten.
In general, the larger projects were models of inclusivity (partly in response to DOL regulations) taking gender, race, age (and sometimes neighborhood of residence) into account in order to form broadly representative work forces.