Arts and culture groups around the country have lost millions of dollars in funding after the National Endowment for the Humanities abruptly canceled their grants at the recommendation of the Department of Government Efficiency, including well over $4 million in grant funding for Iowa programs.
The National Humanities Alliance, a national umbrella organization supporting the humanities, has been tracking terminated grants, including at least 10 across all three of Iowa's state universities, Morningside University, Grinnell College and the State Historical Society of Iowa. NHA Director of Government Relations Alexandra Klein told IPR that the list is likely incomplete as the alliance continues to gather more information about terminated grants.
About 42% of NEH funding goes directly to state humanities councils like Humanities Iowa, which was named the official state partner of the NEH earlier this year. In turn, the council re-grants NEH money to local organizations like libraries, museums and historical societies for programming like literacy and intergenerational learning programs. Humanities Iowa Executive Director Heather Plucar says 80% of the NEH funding it receives goes to rural communities.
"We won't be able to help librarians and volunteers and folks in historical societies in a meaningful manner without this funding."Heather Plucar, executive director of Humanities Iowa
That support may soon disappear. State humanities councils received a letter April 2 saying that the funding they had been awarded for fiscal years 2021-2025 — including more than $1 million for Humanities Iowa — would be immediately canceled "to safeguard the interests of the federal government, including its fiscal priorities." The NEH will redirect some of the funds to a patriotic sculpture garden planned by Trump.
No upcoming awards will be made in fiscal year 2025, according to a NEH senior official who spoke anonymously to NPR.
Humanities Iowa planned to use their award for operating support, administrative costs and re-grant funds. Now, Plucar says it will be forced to cut grants, programs and staff effective April 30.
"We won't be able to help librarians and volunteers and folks in historical societies in a meaningful manner without this funding," she said.
Cultural groups have leapt into action to reverse the cuts. Humanities Iowa signed a letter, alongside groups like the Iowa Alliance for Arts Education, the Iowa Cultural Coalition and the Iowa Library Association, that was sent to Iowa Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst and Iowa's four congressional representatives, calling for them to oppose the cuts and vote to maintain or restore funding. They're encouraging others to join the cause.
"I think we've moved from shock to action," Plucar said, referencing other arts and culture funding uncertainties over the past several weeks, including the National Endowment for the Arts and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. "Folks are driven right now to put appropriated funds back where they were supposed to be, and there's enough action, I think — both at the individual level and the organizational level — that voices are pretty loud right now, and people are encouraging each other as we work through this. Everybody's in the same boat."
In the meantime, organizations like Plucar's are bracing for long-term impacts by focusing on securing other sources of funding.
"If we aren't successful in finding corporate sponsors and private donors to support at a grassroots level, we'll be in trouble," she said. "Those are programs that are vital for our culture. We need to continue to tell stories. We need to continue to have civil discourse about topics sometimes we're uncomfortable with."
