Biden-Harris Administration’s Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Includes $200.1 Million for NEH

The Biden-Harris Administration today released the President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2025. Following historic progress made under the President’s leadership—with over 14 million jobs added since the President took office and inflation down two-thirds from its peak—the Budget protects and builds on this progress with proposals for responsible, pro-growth investments in America and the American people. The President’s Budget will lower costs for the American people, protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare, secure Americans at home and abroad, and reduce the deficit by ensuring the wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share.

“President Biden’s FY 2025 Budget recognizes the critical role of the humanities in fostering a strong, resilient, and thriving democracy; building a more just and equitable society; and protecting our cultural resources from the effects of climate change,” said NEH Chair Shelly C. Lowe (Navajo). “We look forward to working with Congress throughout the FY 2025 Budget appropriations process.” 

The Budget—which provides $200.1 million for NEH—makes critical, targeted investments in the American people that will promote greater prosperity and economic growth for decades to come. At NEH, the Budget will:

• Prioritize Humanities Funding in all 56 States and Jurisdictions. The Budget provides $74.4 million for NEH’s grant programs and $60 million for NEH’s state affiliates—the state and jurisdictional humanities councils—to support research and development (R&D), preservation, and educational and public programming at museums, historic sites, colleges, universities, research institutions, libraries, archives, and public television and radio stations nationwide. As the only federal agency devoted to funding the humanities, NEH provides a critical lifeline to the nation’s cultural and educational sectors and sustains the United States’ role as a global leader in the humanities.
• Leverage the Humanities to Address Key Challenges, Including Responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI). NEH approaches its 60th anniversary in FY 2025. Now—as our nation grapples with existential threats to our democracy, the persistent scourge of systemic racism, and the ongoing climate crisis—the humanities are more vital than ever. The Budget provides $14.6 million for NEH’s American Tapestry: Weaving Together Past, Present, and Future initiative , which emphasizes the role of the humanities in strengthening our democracy, advancing equity for all, and addressing our changing climate. This includes $7.1 million for Humanities Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence, NEH’s new research initiative that supports R&D to understand and address the ethical, legal, and societal implications of AI; $2.8 million for United We Stand: Connecting Through Culture, NEH’s partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts that aims to combat hate-motivated violence, promote civic engagement, and achieve better mental health outcomes in the United States; continued support for the Pacific Islands Cultural Initiative, NEH’s initiative that fortifies cultural heritage and resilience in the U.S. Pacific Islands; and $1.5 million for the development of a new Native language and culture revitalization program.

• Promote Private-Sector Investment in the Humanities. The Budget provides $8.75 million in federal matching funds for NEH’s grant programs to help stimulate and match nonfederal donations in support of cultural and educational institutions, including support for strategic planning to safeguard cultural resources against the impacts of climate change.
• Expand Access to NEH Programs to Underserved Communities. The Budget provides $42.35 million for the administration of NEH’s operations, including the expansion of NEH’s new Office of Data and Evaluation and Office of Outreach as well as the development of new programs and policies to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility across the agency’s programs and operations.

Read the details of the NEH request here.

The Budget builds on the President’s record to date while achieving meaningful deficit reduction through measures that cut wasteful spending and ask the wealthy to pay their fair share.  For more information on the President’s FY 2025 Budget, please visit: https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/ .

National Endowment for the Humanities: Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at neh.gov .