After effectively shutting down the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) this week, the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency is now targeting the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).

The administration is threatening to reduce staff, cut the agency’s grant programs, and rescind grants that have already been awarded.

Yesterday, our partners at the National Humanities Alliance issued a statement about this situation, which AASLH has signed.

Each year, NEH provides critical support to history organizations for public programs, exhibits, infrastructure, scholarship, and more. Last year, 12 AASLH members received the Save America’s Treasures grant program, a joint initiative of the National Park Service, IMLS, and NEH. An additional 11 AASLH members were among 478 projects across the country that received $63.7 million in funding in 2024. Support from the NEH has also made AASLH resources possible, such as the 2022 National Census of History Organizations and Making History at 250 field guide.

Our field has had success in preserving NEH funding recently. Just last summer, advocacy helped to reject an amendment to a Department of Interior appropriations bill that would have cut NEH funding by $57 million. There is support for the NEH on both sides of the aisle, and it’s time to call on that support again.

Here’s what you can do:

  • Contact your members of Congress using the contact form from the National Humanities Alliance to tell them how the NEH supports your work and the field. Concrete examples work best.
  • Contact your local elected officials and ask them to contact their peers in Congress to support the NEH.
  • Use resources from the National Humanities Alliance to highlight the positive impact of the NEH in your state and Congressional district.
  • Draw down grants you have with NEH. The National Humanities Alliance is encouraging anyone with a grant to draw down as much as possible from it as soon as possible.
  • Fill out our survey to let us know how your organization would be impacted if the NEH has reduced capacity or is shut down. Your response will help us more effectively advocate for NEH. Responses are confidential, unless you give us permission to use them. See our website for previous survey responses.
  • Contact local media. The media is showing tremendous interest in how funding cuts will impact local organizations and communities.

It will take a unified, proactive effort over the next weeks and months to preserve federal funding for history and maintain the public’s access to full and accurate tellings of our nation’s past. We can draw inspiration from movements from our nation’s past and realize that this is our opportunity to make history.

Membership revenue supports advocacy work at AASLH. Thank you, members! If you would like to support our advocacy at this critical time, become a member.