Mellon Foundation Awards $15 Million in Emergency Funding to State Humanities Councils

The New York Times reports that

The Mellon Foundation has announced $15 million in emergency funding for state humanities councils across all 50 states and six U.S. jurisdictions. The funding follows the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) canceling most of its existing grants and redirecting funds to new initiatives under the Trump administration. Each council will receive $200,000 in operational support, along with an additional $50,000 in challenge grants that require matching funds from other sources.

This emergency support is intended to help maintain humanities programming at a time when many councils are experiencing significant financial shortfalls. After the NEH cuts, 40 percent of councils reported having less than six months of reserve funds. The Mellon funding is expected to provide temporary stabilization.

The NEH previously had a $207 million budget that supported museums, historical sites, festivals, and community programs. As part of the agency's realignment, $17 million was redirected to the proposed National Garden of American Heroes. Another $6.25 million was allocated to a new grant program called "Celebrate America!" which will fund projects related to the upcoming 250th anniversary of American independence. The NEH also laid off nearly two-thirds of its approximately 180 staff members.

The Mellon Foundation, which held $7.9 billion in assets at the end of 2023, has previously provided crisis funding during periods of public funding disruption. In 2020, the foundation increased its annual grantmaking in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and shifted its strategic focus to social justice. While the current emergency funding helps fill a portion of the gap, the foundation acknowledged that private philanthropy cannot fully replace the scale of government support.