The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is being dismantled.

The Trump administration members at the agency and the so-called DOGE team have illegally halted grant payments to current NEH grant recipients (see my previous post on this issue).

NPR reports that “Millions of dollars in previously awarded federal grants intended for arts and cultural groups across the country are being canceled by the Trump administration, according to a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) senior official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they’re not authorized to speak publicly.”

The details of Trump administration officials are murky, since the NEH has not made public statements to clarify the policy changes or defend their legality.

The Trump administration’s actions at the NEH violate the principles of academic freedom. They also ignore well-established academic research procedures and peer-review processes that are the basis of international scientific research and knowledge production.

“The funds had been awarded by the agency through a competitive application process and, according to the official, covered grants from fiscal years 2021-2025. The official said that “no upcoming awards” will be made in fiscal year 2025,” according NPR.

This last statement indicates that the Trump administration is halting the NEH’s current grant competitions in order to block the consideration of new grant proposal process for next year.

The Trump administration has indicated its aim to fire 80 percent of NEH staff and ultimately to dismantle the the NEH entirely.

Historical and humanities research will be severely curtailed by these devastating cuts. Humanities and public history programming in every state across the nation will also be undermined.

“The humanities are about helping ‘preserve community history and identity,’ said Stephen Kidd, executive director of the National Humanities Alliance, a national umbrella organization supporting the humanities. Kidd said he’s heard from multiple recipients of Humanities grants who told him they received the letter late last night,” according to NPR.

“‘We don’t know the full scope of the impact of last night’s actions,’ Kidd said. ‘We do know that it is affecting the state humanities councils which are crucial to the vitality of humanities across the country. This is funding that was appropriated by Congress to the state affiliates of the NEH. This is funding that has been promised to the states that is now being withdrawn.'”

Act now to save the National Endowment for the Humanities!

The National Humanities Alliance is organizing a campaign to save the NEH.

Blair, Elizabeth. “Cultural Groups Across U.S. Told that Federal Humanities Grants are Terminated.” NPR (3 April 2025).