Open Access Government discusses the activities of America’s most prominent public funder of the humanities, addressing concerns about potential staff reductions, significant cuts to grant programs, and the possibility of rescinding previously awarded grants
The NEH (National Endowment for the Humanities) is an independent federal agency that supports the humanities across all states and U.S. territories. Since its establishment in 1965, the NEH has awarded over $6 billion to benefit a variety of entities, including historic sites, museums, universities, educators, libraries, documentary filmmakers, public television and radio stations, research institutions, scholars, and local humanities programs.
The NEH offers numerous funding opportunities designed to support research, education, preservation, capacity building, and public programming in the humanities. One of NEH’s special initiatives, “A More Perfect Union”, utilizes the humanities to enhance civics education and foster a deeper understanding of U.S. history and culture. (1)
NEH funding and staff
On March 31, 2025, we learned that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is targeting the NEH. They plan to cut staff, eliminate grant programs, and rescind previously awarded grants. (2)
According to a statement from the National Humanities Alliance (NHA), DOGE is focusing on a small federal agency that, despite its modest budget, has a positive impact on every congressional district. Founded in 1965, the NEH is the only entity dedicated to making the humanities accessible to all Americans.
NEH funding and staff are vital for this work. For 60 years, NEH employees have helped grantees develop strong proposals and navigate government systems, ensuring access to federal funds and promoting responsible spending of U.S. tax dollars. The remainder of the Statement reads as follows.
“Cutting NEH funding directly harms communities in every state and contributes to the destruction of our shared cultural heritage. Cutting NEH staff who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to their positions guts the NEH itself. This puts unnecessary barriers in the way of the agency’s mission to distribute federal dollars to American communities.
“We condemn these actions in the strongest possible terms. We support the mission of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the agency staff who make that mission possible, and we call upon Members of Congress to ensure that this crucial government agency fulfills the mandate set by Congress.” (3)
Supporting museums, libraries, archives, and other cultural organizations
On May 16, 2025, the NEH announced a new grant program aimed at supporting museums, libraries, archives, and other cultural organizations. This initiative focuses on promoting public programs that explore the ideas surrounding the American Revolution and the founding of the United States.
To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, the NEH’s Public Impact Projects Celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary program will provide grants of up to $200,000. These grants are intended for projects that emphasize the public interpretation of the Founding Era and the lasting impact of the individuals and events that drove the Revolution.
“The 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence is an opportunity to revisit the founding ideals of our republic and reinforce our commitment to them,” said Acting NEH Chairman Michael McDonald. “The National Endowment for the Humanities is excited to honor this history by supporting cultural organizations’ efforts to enhance Americans’ understanding of the legacy of the Declaration of Independence and inspire civic engagement,” McDonald continued.
The program will support a variety of projects and activities, including exhibitions, staff and volunteer training, and the development of new interpretive plans for historic collections and sites. (4)
250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence
As part of the preparations for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is announcing a funding opportunity to support the creation of statues honoring key American historical figures for the National Garden of American Heroes.
Proposed by President Trump in 2020, this sculpture garden will feature life-size statues of 250 individuals who have made significant contributions to America’s cultural, economic, scientific, and political heritage. The garden will provide a public space for Americans to learn about and honor these heroes.
The NEH’s National Garden of American Heroes: Statues grant program aligns with the Presidential Executive Order from January 29, 2025, which names the NEH and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) as partners in this initiative.
NEH and NEA have committed $34 million for the creation of the National Garden. This includes $30 million from their Fiscal Year 2025 appropriations to support statues made of granite, marble, bronze, copper, or brass, depicting figures linked to U.S. accomplishments. This grant program is part of NEH’s A More Perfect Union initiative, which celebrates 250 years of American cultural heritage.
“NEH is pleased to collaborate with NEA to bring to fruition the vision of a National Garden of American Heroes,” said Acting NEH Chairman Michael McDonald. “The garden will provide the public with an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of how the lives and accomplishments of these individuals have shaped our history and culture.” (5)
NEH in the years ahead
Since its establishment in 1965, the NEH has had a profound impact, providing over $6.4 billion in funding for more than 70,000 projects in the U.S. It has published over 9,000 works, including 20 Pulitzer Prize-winning books, and produced over 500 film and radio programs, featuring 6 Oscar nominees, 30 Peabody Award winners, and 27 Emmy Award winners.
The NEH has also collected papers from 12 U.S. presidents and prominent figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Mark Twain. At Open Access Government, we hope that the NEH continues to thrive despite potential staff reductions, significant cuts to grant programs, and the possibility of rescinding previously awarded grants. (1)
References
- https://www.neh.gov/
- https://nhalliance.org/federal-funding/savetheneh/
- https://nhalliance.org/nha-statement-neh-doge-threats/
- https://www.neh.gov/news/neh-announces-new-grant-program-cultural-organizations-people-events-and-legacy-1776
- https://www.neh.gov/news/neh-announces-grant-opportunity-createstatues-iconic-americans-national-garden-american
![Figure 1 - The figure illustrates the diversity and multi-scale nature of the structures in the Galaxy. The first two lines are real astronomical images, which go from the galactic disk itself and down to the planet-forming disks. The last two lines are generated from numerical simulations and aim to understand and interpret the observations. [adapted from Facchini et al. 2025, Göller et al. 2025, Hennebelle et al. 2022, Lebreuilly et al. 2024, Molinari et al. 2016, 2025, Reissl et al. 2016]](https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/figure-100x70.png "Predictive modelling of galactic star and planet formation")
