NEA OIG Semiannual Report to Congress 3-31-2023

During this semiannual reporting period, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) completed the Congressionally mandated Financial Statement Audit of the NEA for fiscal year 2022. We also worked with the NEA on the follow-up process, required by the Office of Management and Budget, that resulted in the NEA and awardees taking corrective actions on eleven OIG recommendations – nearly a quarter of open recommendations for the semiannual period. In addition, we resolved 83 percent of the hotline complaints received during the semiannual period, and added two audits to our annual audit plan based on the remaining hotline complaints received. Finally, we continuously monitor NEA’s top management challenges and noted that the NEA continues to make progress in addressing these challenges, and is quick and strategic in responding to new challenges as they occur. In terms of new challenges, NEA has demonstrated its ability to effectively steward increased funding over the past three years. NEA also faces an enhanced role in President Biden’s Executive Order #14084, which includes a whole-of-government approach for advancing the arts, the humanities, and museum and library services. We will include a more thorough discussion of this and other challenges in our next semiannual report. I applaud the NEA and the OIG staff for continuing to press forward and effectively working together. This enabled staff to continue delivering the missions of the Agency and the OIG in a high quality and timely manner. The value-added work that the OIG accomplished this period is due to my staff’s commitment to excellence, continued growth, and dedicated work effort; along with the support of the NEA Chair and her staff. We will continue to work with the NEA Chair and staff to promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness while helping to ensure integrity, excellence, and value in the delivery of NEA’s mission.