On March 31, we learned that DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) was targeting the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) with the aim of substantially reducing its staff, cutting the agency’s grant programs, and rescinding grants that have already been awarded. The National Endowment for the Humanities is the only federal agency that funds our nation’s 56 state and jurisdictional humanities councils, which includes Florida Humanities.
Just days after learning this news, we, as well as other state humanities councils, were notified that our funding that was intended to support our work was terminated immediately.
For more than 50 years, Florida Humanities has worked to preserve, promote and share the history and heritage of our state. It is the only organization of its kind in Florida, offering programming and funding to libraries, museums and cultural organizations that are committed to sharing Florida’s stories. The loss of NEH funding to our and other humanities councils will decimate our ability to serve our communities.
Our federal funding makes up a significant portion of our grantmaking, but despite this, Florida Humanities remains committed to our mission. As we see it, there is still much left to be written about our great state, and your support will ensure we can continue our chapter in this never-ending story.
While the future of grantmaking remains uncertain, Florida Humanities will continue to run previously approved grants. We are also still accepting applications from communities interested in hosting a Florida Talks program. If you have any questions, please reach out to grants@flahum.org.
How You Can Help Protect the Humanities
- Donate today and help support Florida Humanities.
- Call or message your senators and representatives and urge them to protect NEH and humanities councils.
- Call or message your state and local elected officials and let them know how this loss of funds will impact your community.
- Share this on social media and send it directly to people in your network and ask them to take action as well.
- Join our public mailing list to receive updates as the situation progresses.
- Write an op-ed letter to the editor for your local newspaper explaining why humanities councils are important and the impact these federal dollars have in your state and community.
Thank you for your support.
