DOGE targets the NEH
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has targeted the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) with directives to reduce its staff by 75% and slash the agency’s budget from $211 million to $36 million. In addition, DOGE has revoked the general operating funds of state humanities councils for the current 2025 fiscal year that have already been awarded by Congress.
Virginia Humanities is proud to be the state’s humanities council and to have served the Commonwealth for the last 50 years. Founded by Congressional statute to be Virginia’s affiliate of the NEH, Virginia Humanities was awarded $1.35M in general operating support from the Endowment for the current fiscal year. This represents approximately 20% of Virginia Humanities' overall budget.
“That 20% 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. “Rescinding those NEH funds, which were awarded by Congress and by statute for FY 2025, will significantly impair our ability to serve the people of the Commonwealth. What is more,” Gibson explains, “the investments we make in communities through our programming and grants generate over $4M a year in local economies through cultural tourism and local spending. Seeing these funds disappear literally overnight will have a compounding economic impact for Virginia.”
In just the last year, Virginia Humanities has:
- Provided nearly $1 million ($969k) in vital funding to local museums, traditional artists, community historians, and other cultural organizations across the Commonwealth
- Introduced thousands of readers to 100+ authors at free book festival events
- Shared and preserved Virginia history for 2.5 million visitors to the online Encyclopedia Virginia
- Aired 197 thought-provoking conversations on Virginia's public airwaves on the show With Good Reason
- Reached hundreds of K-12 students and teachers across the Commonwealth through professional development workshops
- Ensured that cultural traditions are passed to a new generation of artists through the awarding of six Folklife apprenticeships
- As a VA250 Commission partner, provided over $100K in grants to organizations across the state highlighting the anniversary of our nation’s founding
Gibson says, “The NEH and its mission to promote the great history and culture of America has had 60 years of strong bipartisan support in Congress. These summary cuts and dismissals come without the input or approval of Congress and without explanation. It’s now up to the people of the Commonwealth to stand up for their history, their cultural traditions, their way of life. These cuts will have a very negative 'trickle-down' effect that will impact every museum, historic site, and community-based cultural organization in Virginia.”
Virginia Humanities urges all Virginians to take action by financially supporting their local museums and historic sites, and contacting their representatives with a personal message about why history, traditional arts, and the public humanities matter to them. Information on how to support Virginia Humanities can be found at VirginiaHumanities.org/give.
About Virginia Humanities
Virginia Humanities is the state humanities council. We’re headquartered in Charlottesville at the University of Virginia, but we serve the entire state. We aim to share the stories of all Virginians—or, better yet, find ways for people to share their own stories. We want Virginians to connect with their history and culture and, in doing that, we hope we’ll all feel more connected to our communities and each other. Founded in 1974, we are one of fifty-six humanities councils created by Congress with money and support from the National Endowment for the Humanities to make the humanities available to all Americans. To learn more, visit VirginiaHumanities.org.