April 7, 2026 – Arlington, VA
On April 2, 2025—one year ago—the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) terminated all operating grants for humanities councils. Councils have not received any federal funding since summer 2025.
This past Friday, April 3, The President’s Budget Request for FY 2027 was released. It once again recommends the elimination of NEH and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The budget includes $38 million to begin eliminating NEH and $29 million to begin eliminating NEA.
This is consistent with last year’s Presidential Budget Request and those from the first Trump Administration. In each previous case, Congress has rejected the proposed elimination of the two Endowments. In FY 2026, it instead appropriated $207 million for each agency (with $65 million of that directed to the humanities councils). Attempts to eliminate the Endowments were also rebuffed by Congress during the first Trump term.
Elimination of NEH and funding for humanities councils would have immediate repercussions in communities nationwide. In fact, cuts to humanities council funding are already resulting in negative impact for thousands of communities who rely on councils for small-town cultural infrastructure funding, veterans’ writing programs, childhood literacy workshops, 250th commemoration support, and so much more.
For more than fifty years, humanities councils have served their communities, working diligently to ensure every Congressional district in the country—no matter its size, demographics or geography—has access to non-partisan humanities programming and support for cultural infrastructure.
The Federation acknowledges and appreciates Congress’ continued bipartisan support for humanities councils and continues to advocate for a fully resourced and thriving humanities council network that builds capacity for people and communities throughout the country to understand one another and navigate together towards a better future.
