National Endowment for the Humanities explained

Agency Name:National Endowment for the Humanities
Seal:US-NEH-Seal.svg
Formed:September 29, 1965
Jurisdiction:Federal government of the United States
Employees:500 (2022)
Budget:$207 million (2023)
Headquarters:Constitution Center, Washington, D.C.
Chief1 Name:Shelly Lowe
Chief1 Position:Chair

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965, dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is housed in the Constitution Center at 400 7th St SW, Washington, D.C.[1] From 1979 to 2014, NEH was at 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C., in the Nancy Hanks Center at the Old Post Office.

History and purpose

The NEH provides grants for high-quality humanities projects to cultural institutions such as museums, archives, libraries, colleges, universities, public television, and radio stations, and to individual scholars. According to its mission statement: "Because democracy demands wisdom, NEH serves and strengthens our republic by promoting excellence in the humanities and conveying the lessons of history to all Americans."[2]

The NEH was created in 1965 as a sub-agency of the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities, which today also includes the National Endowment for the Arts, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.[3] NEH was based upon recommendation of the National Commission on the Humanities, convened in 1963 with representatives from three US scholarly and educational associations, the Phi Beta Kappa Society, the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), and the Council of Graduate Schools.[3] [4]

The agencies stated purpose is to create incentives for excellent work in the humanities by:

As part of its mandate to support humanities programs in every US state and territory, the agency supports a network of private, nonprofit affiliates, the 56 humanities councils in the states and territories of the United States.

Jim Leach leadership, 2009–2013

The ninth NEH chair was Jim Leach. President Obama nominated the former Iowa congressman, a Republican, to chair the NEH on June 3, 2009;[5] the Senate confirmed his appointment in August 2009.[6] Leach began his term as the NEH chair on August 12, 2009, and stepped down in May 2013. Between November 2009 and May 2011, Leach conducted the American "Civility Tour" to call attention to the need to restore reason and civility back into politics, a goal that in his words was "central to the humanities." Leach visited each of the 50 states, speaking at venues ranging from university and museum lecture halls to hospitals for veterans, to support the return of non-emotive, civil exchange and rational consideration of other viewpoints. According to Leach, "Little is more important...than establishing an ethos of thoughtfulness and decency of expression in the public square. Words reflect emotion as well as meaning. They clarify—or cloud—thought and energize action, sometimes bringing out the better angels in our nature, sometimes lesser instincts."[7]

William Adams leadership, 2014–2017

The tenth chair of the NEH was William Adams, who served from 2014 to 2017. President Obama nominated Adams on April 4, 2014;[8] [9] [10] Adams was confirmed by the Senate in a voice vote on July 9, 2014.[11] Adams appointed Margaret (Peggy) Plympton as the deputy NEH chair in January 2015.[12]

Before Adams's appointment, the NEH was headed by Acting Chair Carole M. Watson. Adams resigned his appointment on May 23, 2017, when he cited accomplishments under the "Common Good" initiative and the appointment of new administration officials.[13]

Jon Parrish Peede, 2018–2022

Appointed under Donald Trump, from 2018 to 2022, Jon Parrish Peede served as Chair of the NEH.[14] On February 10, 2020, the NEH was presented by the Trump administration with a FY2021 budget that included an orderly wind-down of the agency.[15]

Shelly Lowe

Plans to close the agency were halted under the Biden administration and the NEH continues to operate and provides funding for various projects.[16] In 2022, Shelly Lowe was confirmed as the chairman of the NEH.[17] She is the first Native American to lead the agency.[17] Congress appropriated US$180 million for the NEH in FY2022, and US$207 million in 2023.[18]

Offices and initiatives

The Endowment is directed by the NEH chair. Advising the chair is the National Council on the Humanities, a board of 26 distinguished private citizens who are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.[19] The National Council members serve staggered six-year terms.

The NEH chair

The Endowment is directed by a chair, who has legal authority to approve all recommendations and award grants and cooperative agreements. The chair is nominated by the president and confirmed with the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate. The chair's decisions are informed by recommendations from the National Council on the Humanities, peer-reviewers who are selected to read each project proposal submitted to the Endowment, as well as by the Endowment's staff.

Major program offices

The NEH has six grant-making divisions and offices:[20]

The Office of Challenge Grants, dissolved in 2017, administered grants intended to support capacity building and encourage fundraising in humanities institutions. The Division of Preservation and Access now offers a grant program that is similar to previous programs in the Challenge Grants office.

Special initiatives

These are special priorities of the endowment that indicate critical areas of the humanities as identified by the NEH chair. They differ from the divisions of the endowment in that they do not sponsor or coordinate specific grant programs.

Bridging Cultures initiative

Bridging Cultures was an NEH initiative that explored ways the humanities promote understanding and mutual respect for people with diverse histories, cultures, and perspectives. Projects supported through this initiative focused on cultures globally as well as within the United States.[22]

Standing Together

This initiative, launched in 2014, marks a priority to make awards that promote understanding of the military experience and to support returning veterans.[23]

We the People

We the People was an NEH special funding stream initiated by NEH chair Coles, using dedicated funds available to each chair of the NEH, which was designed to encourage and enhance the teaching, study, and understanding of American history, culture, and democratic principles.[24] The initiative supports projects and programs that explore significant events and themes in American nation's history, which advance knowledge of the principles that define America.[25]

According to NEH, the initiative led a renaissance in knowledge about American history and principles among all US citizens. The initiative was launched on Constitution Day, September 17, 2002, and active through 2009.[26]

Notable projects

Since 1965, the NEH has sponsored many projects, including:

Awards

Jefferson Lecture

See main article: Jefferson Lecture. Since 1972 the NEH has sponsored the Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities, which it describes as "the highest honor the federal government confers for distinguished intellectual achievement in the humanities." The Jefferson Lecturer is selected each year by the National Council on the Humanities. The honoree delivers a lecture in Washington, D.C., during the spring, and receives an honorarium of $10,000. The stated purpose of the honor is to recognize "an individual who has made significant scholarly contributions in the humanities and who has the ability to communicate the knowledge and wisdom of the humanities in a broadly appealing way."[37]

National Humanities Medal and Charles Frankel Prize

See main article: National Humanities Medal. The National Humanities Medal, inaugurated in 1997, honors individuals or groups whose work has deepened the nation's understanding of the humanities, broadened citizens' engagement with the humanities, or helped preserve and expand Americans' access to important resources in the humanities. Up to 12 medals can be awarded each year. From 1989 to 1996 the NEH awarded a similar prize known as the Charles Frankel Prize.[38] The new award, a bronze medallion, was designed by David Macaulay, the 1995 winner of the Frankel Prize. Lists of the winners of the National Humanities Medal[39] and the Frankel Prize[40] are available at the NEH website.

Humanities magazine

Starting in 1969, the NEH published a periodical called Humanities; that original incarnation was discontinued in 1978. In 1980, Humanities magazine was relaunched . It is published six times per year, with one cover article each year dedicated to profiling that year's Jefferson Lecturer. Most of its articles have some connection to NEH activities. The magazine's editor since 2007 has been journalist and author David Skinner.[41] From 1990 until her death in 2007, Humanities was edited by Mary Lou Beatty (who had previously been a high-ranking editor at the Washington Post).[42] [43]

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Visiting NEH . National Endowment for the Humanities . 13 July 2014.
  2. Web site: About. NEH.
  3. Web site: How NEH Got Its Start . National Endowment for the Humanities . 13 July 2014.
  4. Web site: NEH Timeline.
  5. Robin Pogrebin, "Obama Names a Republican to Lead the Humanities Endowment", New York Times, June 4, 2009.
  6. Robin Pogrebin, "Rocco Landesman Confirmed as Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts", New York Times, August 7, 2009.
  7. News: E.J. Dionne Welcomes Jim Leach's Call for Civility . E.J. . Dionne Jr. . The Washington Post . 30 November 2009 . 3 November 2012.
  8. Web site: President Obama Announces his Intent to Nominate Dr. William "Bro" Adams as Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities . National Endowment for the Humanities . April 10, 2014 . 11 April 2014.
  9. News: Obama nominates William 'Bro' Adams to be next head of National Endowment for the Humanities . Minneapolis Star Tribune . 10 April 2014 . 11 April 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140413145326/http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/254802741.html . 13 April 2014 . dead .
  10. Web site: Adams Tapped by President Obama . 10 April 2014 . Colby College . 14 April 2014.
  11. News: Senate confirms head of US Humanities Endowment . https://web.archive.org/web/20140716072524/http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/congress/senate-confirms-head-of-us-humanities-endowment/2014/07/09/133baaf6-0796-11e4-9ae6-0519a2bd5dfa_story.html . dead . 16 July 2014 . The Washington Post . 13 July 2014.
  12. Web site: Deputy Chair . National Endowment for the Humanities . 25 February 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150314183912/http://www.neh.gov/about/chairman/deputy-chairman . 14 March 2015 .
  13. Web site: NEH Chairman William D. Adams Announces Resignation . May 22, 2017 . National Endowment for the Humanities . Washington, D.C. . 23 May 2017.
  14. News: Trump Nominates New Chairman for the National Endowment for the Humanities . New York Times . 4 March 2018 . 8 September 2022 . Schuessler . Jennifer .
  15. Web site: NEH Statement on Proposed FY 2021 Budget . 10 February 2020.
  16. News: National Endowment for the Humanities Announces $31.5 Million in Grants . The New York Times . 16 August 2022 . 8 September 2022 . Bahr . Sarah .
  17. News: Shelly Lowe confirmed as chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities . The Washington Post . 8 September 2022.
  18. Web site: NEH Appropriations History . Federal Government . January 17, 2023.
  19. Web site: National Council on the Humanities . National Endowment for the Humanities . 13 July 2014.
  20. Web site: Information about the Divisions and Offices that Administer NEH Grant Programs . National Endowment for the Humanities . 11 April 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140330140355/http://www.neh.gov/divisions . 30 March 2014 . dead .
  21. Web site: Allington . Daniel . Brouilette . Sarah . Golumbia . David . May 1, 2016 . Neoliberal Tools (and Archives): A Political History of Digital Humanities . Los Angeles Review of Books.
  22. Web site: About the Bridging Cultures Initiative. https://web.archive.org/web/20140226104048/http://www.neh.gov/divisions/bridging-cultures/featured-project/about-the-bridging-cultures-initiative. 25 July 2014. 2014-02-26.
  23. Web site: NEH Veterans Initiative . 2 August 2014.
  24. Web site: We the People . 13 July 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140714180513/http://wethepeople.gov/ . 14 July 2014 . dead .
  25. Web site: The Writings of Henry D. Thoreau . 2010-03-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100302174451/http://www.library.ucsb.edu/thoreau/misc_awards.html . March 2, 2010 .
  26. Web site: About We the People . https://web.archive.org/web/20160403185208/http://wethepeople.gov/about/index.html . 2016-04-03.
  27. Web site: King Tut Comes to America. 2017-01-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170124034222/https://50.neh.gov/projects/king-tut-comes-america. 2017-01-27.
  28. Web site: Ken Burns The Civil War. 2017-01-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170124034438/https://50.neh.gov/projects/ken-burns-the-civil-war. 2017-01-27.
  29. Web site: Library of America. 2017-01-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170124034119/https://50.neh.gov/projects/library-of-america. National Endowment for the Humanities. 2017-01-27.
  30. Web site: Newspapers: The First Draft of History. 2017-01-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170124034402/https://50.neh.gov/projects/newspapers-the-first-draft-history. National Endowment for the Humanities. 2017-01-27.
  31. Web site: NEH & Books. 2016-09-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160926034256/https://www.neh.gov/news/fact-sheet/neh-books. 2017-01-27.
  32. Web site: Edsitement . National Endowment for the Humanities . 2017-01-27 . bot: unknown . https://web.archive.org/web/20170124034012/https://50.neh.gov/projects/edsitement . 2017-01-24 .
  33. Web site: J. Wilson . Myers . Eleanor Emlen Myers, 1925–1996 . Breaking Ground: Women in Old World Archaeology . 20 February 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150220212729/http://www.brown.edu/Research/Breaking_Ground/bios/Myers_Eleanor%20Emlen.pdf . 20 February 2015 .
  34. Web site: Valley of the Shadow. 2017-01-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170124033922/https://50.neh.gov/projects/valley-shadow. National Endowment for the Humanities. 2017-01-27.
  35. Web site: What's on the menu?. 2017-01-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170124034133/https://50.neh.gov/projects/whats-on-the-menu. National Endowment for the Humanities. 2017-01-27.
  36. Web site: Katherine Anne Porter at 100 records. University of Maryland Archival Collections. 1903.1/7856.
  37. http://www.neh.gov/whoweare/jefflect.html Jefferson Lecturers
  38. http://www.neh.gov/whoweare/awards.html Awards and Honors
  39. http://www.neh.gov/whoweare/nationalmedals.html National Humanities Medals
  40. http://www.neh.gov/about/awards/charles-frankel-prize Winners of the Charles Frankel Prize
  41. Web site: Editor's Note, September/October 2007. National Endowment for the Humanities. 2016-08-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20160827134910/http://www.neh.gov/humanities/2007/septemberoctober/ednote/editor%25E2%2580%2599s-note-septemberoctober-2007. 2016-08-27. dead.
  42. Web site: Editor's Note, March/April 2007. National Endowment for the Humanities. 2016-08-21.
  43. News: Mary Lou Beatty; Editor at NEH, Post. Sullivan. Patricia. 2007-02-09. The Washington Post. en-US. 0190-8286. 2016-08-21.

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