Mellon Foundation to replace some federal funding lost by state humanities councils

The National Endowment of the Humanities (NEH) was established by the United States Congress in 1965 to advance the study of the collective knowledge of the human experience.

“Democracy demands wisdom and vision in its citizens,” reads one of the purposes of the enabling legislation signed by President Lyndon Baines Johnson. “It must therefore foster and support a form of education, and access to the arts and the humanities, designed to make people of all backgrounds and wherever located masters of their technology and not its unthinking servants.”

The second administration of President Donald Trump has imposed its vision and interpretation of society through a series of executive orders.

“In collaboration with the Administration, NEH has cancelled awards that are at variance with agency priorities, including but not limited to those on diversity, equity, and inclusion (or DEI) and environmental justice, as well as awards that may not inspire public confidence in the use of taxpayer funds,” reads an April 24 update on NEH priorities.

That includes $1.35 million that an organization known as Virginia Humanities had expected to receive. The organization is one of 56 state humanities councils that receive funding from the NEH for activities. The entity is an independent non-profit with 2023 revenues of $7.19 million according to ProPublica.

Virginia Humanities put out a press release on April 3 announcing the cuts and the financial impact they would have.

“That 20 percent is critical because it funds programming staff, provides grants to local community organizations, and supports traditional folk artists, historians, and community scholars,” said Virginia Humanities’ executive director, Matthew Gibson.

Gibson said this would have an effect on local economies across Virginia given that many of the grants go to cultural events.

On April 30, the Mellon Foundation announced the award of $15 million to the Federation of State Humanities Councils that will be distributed across the county. That will mean $200,000 for Virginia Humanities as well as another $50,000 that they will get if they can raise the equivalent amount through donations.

In a new information release, Gibson expressed gratitude for the funding.

“If you’ve taken your family to a local museum, visited a historic site, or attended a talk at your local library in the last few years, I guarantee you’ve experienced a program supported by Virginia Humanities,” Gibson said.

In late March, Virginia Humanities awarded $211,896.76 in grants and sponsorships to 19 nonprofits across the Commonwealth. Here are some local highlights:

• The Lua Project in Charlottesville received $5,000 for “support for the final stage of an oral history project collecting stories of Latino/a participants who have settled in the Shenandoah Valley, highlighting an emerging Appalachiano culture in Appalachian Virginia.”
• The Monacan Nation Cultural Foundation of Amherst County received $5,000 for “support for expanded programming at the 32nd Annual Powwow, held on May 31 through June 1, 2025.”
• The Staunton Music Festival was awarded $4,000 for a project called Virginia Soundscapes that is “a series of public events that will bring together eight living Virginia composers in conversation to increase public awareness of the creative work being done in Virginia today.”
• The American Frontier Culture Foundation in Staunton was awarded $10,000 for a new exhibit called American Journeys “that will explore the lived experiences, cultural contributions, and interwoven histories of Indigenous, European, and African American people.”
• Mary Baldwin College will receive $18,868.26 for a project called “Hidden in Plain Sight: Black Workers in Augusta County & Staunton, 1840-1940.”

Before you go: This story was originally posted in the May 1, 2025 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement. For more information on Town Crier Productions, please visit this section of the website.