Dear Colleague,
The AHA urges you to contact your representatives in support of increased funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities in the Fiscal Year 2025 budget. The NEH is among the few entities that provides significant financial support for research, education, and public programming in the humanities.
When the federal 2024 budget was passed last month, we were gratified to see that the NEH avoided any cuts and received $207 million in funding. The complexity of the federal budget process aside, we know that the work of humanities advocates over the past year made a difference.
Now that Congress has turned its attention to FY 25, it is time to once again let Congress know how important history and the work of historians is to public culture and democratic institutions. In the wake of inflation and considering the threats posed by a rise in misinformation and other threats to democratic processes a funding increase for the NEH is essential.
Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV-1) and Mike Carey (R-OH-15) are currently circulating a letter urging at least $211 million for the NEH in the FY 25 appropriations bill. This increase is an important step in continuing to rebuild the NEH’s funding capacity to ensure that it can support institutions and organizations across the country.
Please write to your members of Congress to urge them to sign on to this letter today. The National Humanities Alliance (NHA) has created a template message in support of the NEH that you can easily adapt and send to your representative. And the NHA’s NEH for All offers useful resources about the positive impact of NEH funding across the country and in local communities.
You will be bolstering the work of advocates from around the country—including AHA staff—who participated in the National Humanities Alliance’s Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill in March to make the case for federal funding for the humanities. Members of Congress need to hear from their constituents that supporting robust funding for the NEH is a priority.
Thank you for your efforts on behalf of history and other humanities disciplines.
Sincerely,
James Grossman