March 19, 2010 -  The National Humanities Alliance has submitted testimony to the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies in support of FY 2011 funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).  The Alliance urges Congress to provide NEH with funding of at least $232.5 million in fiscal year 2011, and opposes $7.2 million in programmatic cuts proposed by the Obama Administration.  The Alliance's request represents a significant, $65 million increase over the current (FY 2010) funding level of $167.5 million.  

 

The statement presents strong justification for an infusion of new funding, including unmet demand for humanities project support (documented in part by low award rates), and the need to introduce NEH support for humanities graduate education.  While critical of funding levels proposed for NEH by the Administration, the Alliance expresses strong support for the agency’s interest, as signaled in the President's FY 2011 Budget Request, to undertake new activities in the areas of global understanding and humanities data collection.  The need for additional funds to help offset the severe economic pressures on the academic workforce and humanities institutions is also highlighted in the testimony.

 

The National Humanities Alliance’s written testimony is available here.