NEH Budget Increases to $167.5 Million
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, approved by Congress and signed into law by President Donald J. Trump on December 27, 2020, provides funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) at $167.5 million, an increase of $5.25 million over the agency’s Fiscal Year 2020 spending.
In addition to providing support for NEH’s seven grantmaking divisions and support for local and regional humanities programs administered by the network of 56 state and jurisdictional humanities councils, the legislation provides $5.7 million for NEH’s “A More Perfect Union” initiative. Launched in 2019, “A More Perfect Union” supports humanities projects related to the upcoming 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, civics education, and veterans programming. The House bill’s explanatory statement additionally commends NEH’s ongoing support for the Chronicling America database of historic American newspapers and professional development and research opportunities for K–12 schoolteachers, as well the agency’s important work in encouraging the teaching, study, and understanding of American history, culture, and democratic principles.
“The National Endowment for the Humanities is committed to conveying the lessons of history to all Americans,” said NEH Chairman Jon Parrish Peede. “As the nation continues to deal with the social and economic effects of a global pandemic, this funding will allow NEH to continue our work of responding to the needs of our country’s cultural sector by working to strengthen humanities institutions and enhance access to important cultural collections, knowledge, and resources.”
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.