The White House today released its Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 budget request for the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Obama administration's proposal calls for a FY10 budget of $171.315 million for NEH, an increase of $16.3 million over the FY 2009 enacted level. This figure includes an increase of $6.3 million for regular NEH program funds and administration, as well as a transfer of $10 million to move the (currently independent) National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs program to the NEH to be run as a competitive grant program. At the programmatic level, the President's proposal recommends the following:
FY 2010 Budget Request - NEH Funding by Program (in Thousands)
$38,515 - Federal/State partnership (+3,500)
$16,250 - Preservation and access (+250)
$14,750 - Public programs (+250)
$16,000 - Research programs (+1,500)
$14,750 - Education programs (+250)
$750 - Program development (+350)
$14,500 - We The People Initiative grants (-1,300)
$4,000 - Digital Humanities Initiatives (no change)
$4,800 - Treasury funds (-200)
$9,500 - Challenge grants (+200)
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$133,815 - Subtotal, Program Funds (+4,815)
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$27,500 - Administration (+1,500)
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$10,000 - NCACA Program (+10,000)
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$171,315 - Total, NEH (+16,315)
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A detailed summary of the NEH budget proposal is available on the NEH web site at: http://www.neh.gov/news/archive/20090507.html.
OMB released a budget overview on February 26th that laid out the Administration's broad priorities and outlines of the budget, including topline numbers for larger agencies. Overall funding levels for NEH and other smaller agencies were not enumerated in the February document. The budget "Appendix," released today, contains agency-by-agency programmatic detail on discretionary spending. The document can be viewed online at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/Appendix/.
House and Senate appropriators will consider President Obama's recommendations as they begin to draft the 12 annual spending bills.
