In 2024, attendees were engaged by a talk given by author and podcaster, Kate Bowler. This event was facilitated by Humanities North Dakota, a council under the umbrella of The National Endowment for the Humanities. This nationwide initiative, formed by Congress in 1965, is aimed at bolstering arts, cultural education, and civics. With 56 such councils, Humanities North Dakota among them, this nationwide platform heavily depends on the financing provided by the agency.
However, the councils faced a major setback. In early April of the same year, the federal government reversed several hundred million dollars in grant financing that had previously been allocated by Congress for these councils in the 2024 and 2025 fiscal years. According to court documents, this funding was taken off the table. The government rationale for this action was a ‘repurposing of funding allocations’, a move outlined as vital in executing the President’s strategic plans.
As a result of these financial cuts, Humanities North Dakota was short $600,000 in grant funds that it had been looking to receive in fiscal year 2024. To keep the organization functioning, $300,000 was subsequently raised through private contributions. This, however, was still insufficient to maintain their original programming efforts and led to a necessary downsizing of their initiatives.
The fight to reverse this decision was led by Michael Simon, a U.S. District Judge in Oregon. Simon issued an order stating the executive branch’s move to defund these humanities councils could be considered illegal and may be overturned in the future. This order did not ensure the return of the grant money, but it notably prevented the federal government from reallocating those funds elsewhere.
The Federation of State Humanities Councils was lauded by Brenna Gerhardt, the Executive Director of Humanities North Dakota, who pledged to resume initiatives that were paused due to the fiscal disruption. The council will be reconnecting with community bodies and making sound budgetary choices, taking into account the financial turbulence encountered in recent months and their long-term aspirations.
The cancelling of grants was part of a larger plan orchestrated by executive branch bodies and was done at the behest of the Department of Government Efficiency. Furthermore, nearly 65% of National Endowments for the Humanities staff were laid off by the Department. These are some of the drastic changes that took place with the stated intention of improving governmental productivity.
This situation culminated in legal actions being taken against the Department of Government Efficiency and the National Endowment for the Humanities by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and Oregon Humanities, a member council. In the filed lawsuit, the plaintiffs contended that the defunding was done haphazardly with no analytical reasoning and was in blatant disregard of the role of the councils as outlined by Congress.
It emerged that the grounds for the cancellation of funds were based on their perceived promotion of areas such as diversity, environmental justice, accommodation for the disabled, and inclusivity. This contradicted an executive order from President Donald Trump, which aimed to eradicate such areas from the purview of the grants.
In a direct counter to this, Simon articulated that this was in stark contrast to the aims Congress had when they intended for the Endowment to disburse the grant money. He pointed to a federal law stipulating that these agencies should concentrate on programs that not only enrich our American cultural legacy but also particularly consider the needs of traditionally marginalized scholars, educational and cultural institutions.
The result of these funding cuts was an upset in the functioning of various programs. A program preserving Indigenous languages in Alaska, rural libraries in Oregon, and an end-of-life care department at a children’s hospital in Ohio all found their funding suddenly cut short. These are just a few of the many beneficiaries impacted by the funding cuts.
As quoted by Judge Simon, ‘From the largest cities to the most rural communities throughout our nation, humanities funding came to a screeching halt.’ This resonates with the widespread impact of the situation, with communities big and small feeling the brunt of these sudden cuts.
Despite agreeing with Simon’s decision, Stein – President of the Federation of State Humanities Councils – mentioned in a statement that the humanities councils will remain underfunded for the time being and that some have already had to resort to laying off staff and canceling crucial programs.
However, the National Endowment for the Humanities has maintained their stance of justifiability throughout. Citing federal regulations, they have defended their right to terminate grants if they conclude that they do not align adequately with their agency objectives.
The post Federal Funding Cuts Impact National Humanities Councils appeared first on Real News Now.
About Author
