Earlier this week, the House passed a funding bill that included a $12.5 million increase for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), which would bring its budget to $167.5 million! If enacted, this would mark a very significant increase after four years of $2 and $3 million increases.

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies released its proposed FY 2020 funding bill earlier today. The bill includes $167.5 million for the National Endowment for the Humanities which, if enacted, would be a $12.5 million increase. After four years of incremental increases for the NEH, this substantial increase reflects the robust support we have built on the Hill. The bill also includes $14 million for the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars which, if enacted, would be a $2 million increase.

Last week, the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-H) Appropriations Subcommittee approved a funding bill for FY 2020.

Update, April 17, 2019: As of Wednesday, April 17, 2019, at 3 pm the Senate NEH Dear Colleague Letter was finalized and included a record number of signers at 44.

Earlier this month, nearly 200 humanities advocates gathered in Washington, D.C. to make the case for federally-funded humanities programs on Capitol Hill.

Update March 25, 2019: As of Monday, March 25 at 10 am, there are 151 signers on the NEH Dear Colleague Letter. That's 22 up from Friday morning, thank you for all of your advocacy! We are just 16 signers away from surpassing last year's total of 166 signers. Check the list to see if your Member has signed on. If they haven't, there is still time for them to do so.

Last Monday, the Trump administration released the broad outlines of its FY 2020 budget request. Today, the administration released more detailed budget documents.

Earlier this afternoon, President Trump signed the omnibus funding bill that finalized FY19 funding for a range of humanities programs. Under the bill, the NEH will receive a $2 million increase on FY18, marking the fourth consecutive increase for the agency. The National Historical Publications and Records Commission will receive level funding of $6 million, as it had in both House and Senate bills. The Historic Preservation Fund at the National Park Service will see a robust jump (from $96.9 million to $102.6 million), largely due to the inclusion of funding for Save America’s Treasures grants to preserve “nationally significant sites, structures, and artifacts.”

As the partial government shutdown moves into its fourth week, the National Endowment for the Humanities remains closed. We have had a number of conversations with NEH grantees and applicants who are concerned about the status of the agency and upcoming deadlines. At this point, here is what we know:

As the possibility of a partial government shutdown looms, we want to shed some light on which humanities programs will be affected if the government cannot reach a funding agreement by midnight tonight. While FY19 funding for some agencies has already been passed by Congress and signed by the president, those agencies whose funding has not yet been finalized will be shut down, including the NEH and several other humanities programs.