The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)

The NEH is a unique grant-making agency that is often overlooked by researchers. In efforts to build awareness and understanding around the NEH, ORDE has created a website dedicated to just this.

Below, we offer some background on the NEH, but we encourage you to check out our site and of course the NEH's site to learn more!

NEH Overview

In 1963, three organizations - the American Council of Learned Societies, the Council of Graduate Schools in America, and the United Chapters of Phi Beta Kappa - established the National Commission on the Humanities. This Commission was charged with conducting "a study of the state of the humanities in America", and it released its final report in 1964 outlining the imbalance of science versus the humanities throughout all levels of the American educational system. Its recommendation was creation of a federal National Humanities Foundation to act as a cultural mediator to the nation's growing dependence on, and investment in, science and technology. The federal government adopted the Commission’s recommendation, creating the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as an independent federal agency in 1965. (NEH History website). 

Specific Interests 

Promoting excellence in the humanities and making lessons offered through humanities disciplines accessible to the American people are major goals of NEH. To reach these goals, NEH supports research, public programming, access, and educational outreach projects designed to ensure the humanities are relevant to Americans and our dialogue on democracy. 

Agency Organization

NEH is headed by a Chairman who is advised by the 26- member National Council on the Humanities. The Chairman and Council members are appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the US Senate. All Council members are humanities experts and most are drawn from academia. NEH has seven program divisions and offices that provide competitive funding through 39 funding programs. Divisions and programs supporting University researchers are the: 

• Division of Research Programs 
• Division of Preservation and Access Programs 
• Division of Education Programs 
• Division of Public Programs Office of Digital Humanities

Each Division sponsors a variety of funding programs to meet their mission.

Resources: 

ORDE NEH Site

NEH Know Your Agency Brief - ORDE

NEH Site