Federal Judge Disagrees with NEH’s Grant Withdrawal Decision

In 2024, the author and podcaster Kate Bowler presented at an event hosted by Humanities North Dakota in Fargo. The organization has reported a positive shift in their financial stability following a federal judge’s statement towards the executive branch’s incorrect decision to withdraw nationwide humanities grants. The crucial role of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), established by Congress in 1965, is to fund and promote education in areas of culture, arts, and civics throughout the United States. Among the 56 humanities councils, including Humanities North Dakota, that rely on the NEH for funding, the financial blow caused by the abrupt cessation of hundreds of millions in grant funding came as a significant setback.

Documented in court records, the federal government retracted the congressional grant allocation set aside for these humanities councils for the fiscal years of 2024 and 2025, delivering a hard hit earlier in April. NEH cited the reason for their move as a shift in the funding direction aligning with the presidential course. As a result, according to an announcement this past April, Humanities North Dakota was at risk of losing a significant amount of $600,000 in grant money for the fiscal year 2024.

Despite the heavy cut in funding, the organization gathered capital through $300,000 in private contributions to continue its operations. Yet, they conceded that they would need to scale back services due to the grant withdrawal. U.S. District Judge Michael Simon from Oregon passed a determinative order on a Wednesday that branded the executive branch’s decision to defund humanities councils as against the law, suggesting that it’s likely to be revoked at a future point.

Judge Simon’s ruling, however, does not immediate restore any of the withdrawn grant money. On the flip side, at least temporarily, it bars the federal government from diverting these funds elsewhere, as reported by the Federation of State Humanities Councils. Brenna Gerhardt, the executive director of Humanities North Dakota, voiced her response to the court’s ruling. She shared the organization’s intent to restart stalled projects, re-engage community partnerships, and make fiscal decisions that consider the uncertainty of past months along with their long-term objectives.

The cancellation of these grants forms part of multiple program dismissals implemented by executive branch agencies at the behest of the Department of Government Efficiency. In the aftermath of the funding reductions, the National Endowment for the Humanities had to let go of approximately 65% of its workforce during the spring season, as pointed out in Simon’s order.

The Federation of State Humanities Councils, along with member entity Oregon Humanities, have actively rallied against the Department of Government Efficiency and the National Endowment for the Humanities by resorting to legal action. Their lawsuit condemns the federal government’s grant cancellations, citing the absence of a conscientious analysis along with the failure to observe the constitutionally mandated function of councils. The councils exist primarily to secure the reach of humanities programs to every corner of the United States.

The National Endowment for the Humanities had defended its position by claiming that the withdrawn grants were primarily supporting subjects such as disability accommodation, equity and diversity, inclusion, and environmental justice, which stand in contradiction to the executive order initiated earlier the same year by President Donald Trump that vowed to get rid of it.

Judge Simon has countered this stance, arguing it contradicts the Congress’s intentions for the National Endowment for the Humanities’ grant application. Federal statutes direct the agency to back programs that illustrate our country’s cultural diversity and affluence and pay special attention towards scholars, as well as educational and cultural institutions which traditionally have been poorly represented.

Funding reductions have caused an upheaval in financial support for initiatives such as an indigenous language conservation program in Alaska, an end-of-life care unit in Ohio’s children’s hospital and community libraries located in the countryside of Oregon. As per Simon’s order, these events have caused a nationwide halt to humanities funding affecting entities ranging from sizable cities to the most remote communities.

Phoebe Stein, who presides over the Federation of State Humanities Councils, expressed her approval of Simon’s verdict in a Wednesday statement. However, she also emphasized the reality that the ruling leaves the humanities councils underfunded for the nonce. The fallout has already seen many councils being forced to lay off staff members and terminate essential programs.

NEH has put forth arguments in court that federal regulations empower them to end grants at will, reasoning that a grant does not align with the agency’s priorities. Overall, the current situation has emphasized the significance of humanities councils in our societies and the crucial role they play in our civic, cultural, and arts education.