Save the National Endowment for the Humanities

Last night, DOGE cancelled or rescinded hundreds of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant contracts nationwide, robbing beloved cultural organizations of millions of dollars in funding, including many in Washington State. This is an assault on learning and liberty. If you have attended a program at a library, read about a pivotal time in history, or watched a documentary film, you have experienced the humanities. Take action now to ensure funding continues to flow to our local communities.

What is the National Endowment for the Humanities?

NEH is an independent federal agency that supports the humanities in every state and U.S. jurisdiction. Since 1965, NEH has awarded over $6 billion to support museums, historic sites, universities, teachers, libraries, documentary filmmakers, public TV and radio stations, research institutions, scholars, and local humanities programming. The Founders of the United States understood that the humanities are an essential investment in our collective future. They preserve our heritage, cultivate civic engagement, and enrich our lives. Since 1967, the NEH has funded important projects that tell the full scope of our history and explore every corner of our culture.

How does the NEH serve Washington State?

The NEH grants $1.2 million dollars per year to our state humanities council, Humanities Washington. The NEH has cancelled contracts with a value of $6 million dollars. These funds provide essential programs to all Washingtonians including the Family Reading Program, Speaker's Bureau, Public Humanities Fellow, Washington State Poet Laureate, Center for Washington Cultural Traditions, and many grants and sponsorships to local programs. If the Executive Action is fulfilled, all of these programs would be eliminated. To learn more, read NEH's Washington Fact Sheet here.

Additionally, in Washington State, affected organizations include museums, tribes, libraries, schools, fraternal organizations, senior centers, historical societies, lecture programs, and so much more. Cuts to NEH mean people will lose services, people will lose jobs and, perhaps even more importantly, people will lose access to educational programs that enable them to think freely and creatively as well as access to and cultural enrichment opportunities in even the smallest communities.

Here's what you can do to help and make a difference – every voice, email, call, letter, and social media post counts!

Complete the Action Alert below and send a message to your Federal Senators and Representatives urging them to protect NEH and humanities councils
Forward this action to your networks, particularly in Eastern Washington.
Share this alert on social media: Use Humanities WA's posts and reshare, tag, or send directly to five people and ask them to take action.
Write an op-ed in your local newspaper or blog explaining the impact these federal dollars have in your state and community.
Join Humanities WA's mailing list to be kept up to date on this issue.

DOGE's attempts to cripple the National Endowment for the Humanities threaten a 60-year investment in our national identity. Preservation of this legacy and continued open exploration of our lives as Americans IS what makes America great. Thank you for helping to preserve these important programs.

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Save the National Endowment for the Humanities

Dear [elected official],

Personalize your message

As a constituent, I urgently request that you support the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in the face of the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) attempt to substantially reduce its staff, cut the agency’s grant programs, and rescind grants that have already been awarded. This is an assault on learning and liberty.  If you have attended a program at a library, read about a pivotal time in history, or watched a documentary film, you have experienced the humanities. Take action now to ensure funding continues to flow to our local communities.

NEH is the only agency that funds our nation’s 56 state and jurisdictional humanities councils, which provide vital cultural services and critical funding to local nonprofit organizations across the nation.  NEH also provides a variety of grant programs designed to showcase and facilitate education on America’s cultural history.

In the last five years alone, NEH has provided more than $14 million for cultural programs in the state of Washington and a significant amount in our district. A significant amount has been stewarded by Humanities Washington, our state’s humanities councils and backed such important programs as Prime Time Family Reading and WACultures.  Other recipients of NEH grants include the Burke Museum, Central Washington University, Confluence Project, Gonzaga University, Cowlitz Indian Tribe, Densho, Everett Community College, Evergreen State College, Fort Walla Walla Museum, Friends of Mukai, Henry Gallery, Holocaust Center for Humanity, Inchelium Cultural Research Center, King County Libraries, Makah Tribe and Tribal Museum, MoPOP, Museum of Flight, Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, Northwest Indian College, Peninsula College, Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Central College, Tacoma Community College, Tacoma Public Library, University of Puget Sound, University of Washington, Vashon Mary Island Heritage Museum, Washington State University, Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center, Western Washington University, Whatcom College, Whatcom Museum, Whitman College, and the Wing Luke Museum.  Countless other smaller organizations have been supported through Humanities Washington’s grant and speakers bureau programs.

NEH was created by an act of Congress in 1965 and reaffirmed by Republican and Democratic Presidents and legislators over the following 60 years. DOGE’s reductions to the NEH budget and workforce will block the agency’s ability to carry out Congressional intent. Every Congress for 50 years has supported the NEH and their effective distribution of federal dollars across America. These funds go directly to states (and your district) and are matched 2: and 3:1 with private and other public dollars to maximize impact.

The loss of NEH funding will decimate the ability of humanities nonprofits like libraries, museums and colleges, to serve communities across our state, eliminating programs that are essential to our region’s cultural infrastructure. 
Again, I urge you to protect NEH and NEH funding for state humanities councils like Humanities Washington.

Sincerely, [Your information here]