Jane Chu is the eleventh Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). She has a background in arts administration, philanthropy, and is an accomplished artist and musician. During her tenure to date, Jane has awarded more than $400 million in grants to nonprofit organizations and artists, issued new research reports on arts participation and the impact of the arts and cultural industries on the nation's GDP, and has visited all 50 states. Before coming to the NEA, she served as the president and CEO of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, Missouri. In this episode, Erik and Jane discuss the history and mission of the NEA and dig into how the independent federal agency distributes funds to arts organizations and artists. They also talk about how participating in the arts helped Jane through a challenging time in her life, and propelled her to her to eventually become the head of the NEA.